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"He told me that the colonel had come That was all he could say ‘The colonel caeon, toldfarther north on the western edge of the fighting He thinks ot ourselves some kind of a fanatical traitor on our own sideyou know, a high-ranking officer who really supports the North My father’s old boyhood friend, Elijah Wynn, co of the like occurring along other fields of battle Oh, Jesus Aour boys But, oh, God,to them "
"Sean, dear God, hush, hush, for now!" she told hiainst his chest as she held him "My love, youMyto see them senselessly murdered"
"Yes, but you must be careful Yourcrookedly "I have to live For you For us" When he kissed her good-bye, Sean was suddenly, strangely afraid For her She had an unsettling look of detero into the city," he told her
"I’ht be there too soon," she said, wrinkling her nose
He laughed "There are soed "Maybe"
"There are We both know it"
"Yes, we both know it But I’irl In love with a Southern boy"
"Proht unawares when the bloodshed coain
"I’ll be watching over you!" she whispered
He pulled away, eyes narrowing "What?"
She shook her head
"You’re always in ainst the horizon, being subdued by the colors of night Darkness cae shades that streaked across the sky, pastel pinks, soft yellows, streaks of criround andhad been fierce, but it had ended, and the Yanks had withdrawn, and, God help him, Sean meant to save his wounded
He rode ahead of the horse-drawn a the wounded men deep into the woods, to the church converted into a hospital Co upon a clump of bodies, he dismounted, looked at the fallen, and felt his temper soar
Dead, all dead Slain viciously
He mounted quickly, spurred his horse, and rose on hard ahead There, in the falling shadows, he saw movement A silhouette
He heard a screa the wounded
"No, bastard!" he raged, and drawing his own cavalry sword, he rode hard upon the h, ready to slash down upon the piteously wounded round The fallen soldier screamed in hter hi around, ready to face Sean and defend himself rather than slay the wounded soldier Swords clashed with a treth Sean was nearly unhorsed Nearly
He rode back, bearing down again
Surprise caused him to hesitate as he saw the identity of their murderer
Confederate Colonel Elijah Wynn His father’s old friend A ain
"Co, heedless that Sean noas a cold-blooded killer
"Elijah," Sean said, reining in, staring at the er simmered and seethed with the enormity of the pain he felt, a pain of deepest betrayal Here stood the man who had sympathized with him, who had worried with him over the other wounded "What madness is this? Sir, you’re a leader, not a killer! By God, end this madness!" Sean cried "For the love of God, sir, why have you done this? What has caused you to inflict this incredible cruelty?"
"They are fiends, boy Monsters, don’t you know?"
"They’re soldiers, sir, fighting for a cause You’rethem My God, you‘re mad, sir"
"It’s not murder, it’s survival for us, for hu men but fiends of darkness, out of the hellhole of New Orleans! Bastard sons of voodoo whores, perhaps, and they must die They are tainted! One seduced my dear Lilly You know, you saw, she was taken by a spawn of Satan, and she perished, died of his rotting disease, and he must now die" Sean shook his head All this for poor Lilly! Elijah Wynn was speaking of his daughter, who had died just after Christ away of a consumptive disease But Elijah hihter’s death had cost him his hter! You can’tsoldiers pay for her death These poorto fornored Sean, turning again to the wounded man "One of them is a monster A monster so horrible that he must be destroyed Sean, I tell you the truth I met the monster, I saw him, but I did not see his face I felt his touch, but did not see his face He gave th, and I must use it to destroy hih