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"Better part of thirtyto ride thirty oing to ride two miles in this, and then the rail will take you the rest of the way"

"We’re outside Cleveland? That’s what the captain said," Mercy said, fishing for confirht" The second Reb had hair so dark, it gleaave her a wink and a nod that were meant to be friendly "But coered by the Zephyr while the elderly couple settled in The students clie behind theraph I’ll have to tell ive them coordinates to retrieve it," the captain said plaintively

But Mercy saw the artillery flashes and heard the earsplitting pops of gunfire through the trees, and she answered with a guess before anyone else could say it "There won’t be anything left of her by "

"One bullet," Gordon Rand said softly from his spot in the cart "That’s all it’ll take, on her side, with her tanks exposed like that"

"Dah the windshield "All the more reason to hit the road, sooner rather than later We don’t want to be anywhere near her when she goes up in fla in it"

Ernie gave a yelp when he was hauled onboard, proht he was a private, anyway--to ask if anyone else was hurt "Does anyone need any help? Is this everybody?"

"This is everybody," the captain confir full And the line wasn’t supposed to move this far south; they told me at Richmond that it hadn’t come this far," he complained even as he cliers and crew

The private reached for the reins and held on to the seat His companion leaped up to take a spot beside hi around to go back the way it had co his voice to , "We were holding ’eht We’d cut ’em off fro us in food and bullets, while they were running low on both"

Mercy didn’t see the blond soldier who’d been first on the scene--he had either stayed on the scene or gone in so to the private, and was scanning the trees with a strange scope layered with special lenses, the nature of which Mercy could only guess

The captain asked, "Then what happened, man? What turned the tide so fast that the taps couldn’t catch up?"

Over his shoulder, the driver said, "They brought in an engine That thing tore right through our blockades like they were h Killed a score every half a mile Eventually we just had to let theine? I don’t understand"

The blond lowered his scope and said, "The rail lines around here, they run crisscross, all over each other, every which-​a-​direction We commandeered the switches and posted up our lads to keep the Yanks’ cracker line squeezed off shut But then they brought--"

The private interrupted hiht That’s what they call it"

"My CO said he thought the da over the capital after our rally there last ine all the way out here, and it ht down They took back their line in under an hour, and now they’re pushing us back They’re pushing us back good," he emphasized, and drew the lenses back up to his face "Veer us left, Mickey," he said to the driver "I don’t like the look of the s to run out of road"

"Better that than running into artillery, eh?"

The Zephyr’s copilot was sour looking, squatting next to the captain He asked, "How do you know it’s artillery? I can’t see a daave the copilot a look like he led his scope, with itsThey ain’t perfect, but they do all right" One et rid of our lights or they’ll spot us over there Mickey, the lanterns Kill ’em Kill all of ’e you a favor, you nitwit, I’ on it!" Mickey cut hi the other one?"

"I aht now"

"Not enough," insisted Clinton "Turn it off Da down"

Mickey’s lantern had already been snuffed, so when the captain reluctantly killed the light he held, the forest sed the and neighing their displeasure and their nervousness Mickey told them, "Hush up, you two" Then, to the people in the back, he said, "Down, all of you Get as low as you can go Cover your heads"

The old ainst his wife thus far, instead asked, in a voice far too loud for anyone’s coet so dark and quiet?"

Gordon Rand slapped his hand firmly over the old man’s mouth and whispered, "Because none of us want to die Now contain yourself, sir"

The old le, but it was a quiet giggle, and no one chided hi as deeply as possible against the floor of the cart as it rattled, jostled, and bounced the the nearly invisible road between the treesthen off to the left where the road was less distinct, and rougher It was also harder to bear for the folks whose knees, elbows, and ribs battered against the wood-​slat bottoe as arh the darkness The old woman muffled her own scream, and everyone else flattened even lower, as if they could roaned When Mercy looked up, she could see so dark and shiny all over his face and side, but he stayed upright and flipped the reins at the horses, yelling "Yah!"<ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true"></ins>