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Jasper Nichols said, "Maybe they tried Maybe they couldn’t"

"I didn’t hear any explosions," said Theodora Clay, as suddenly right beside Mercy, her head and shoulders out the , straining to see, same as everyone else "Look at them They’ve juststopped"

The captain , between the sun and the snow It’s all so bright, I can’tit’s giving er Korman--" But she cut herself off and said, "Wait a et him herself

The Texian was easy to find, because he’d been on his way to rejoin the first car when Mercy opened the rearmost door and stepped onto the platform It struck her as odd to find the train stationary, but she was pleased to walk so easily; and when she saw Korman’s face on the other side of the second car’s , she ser Korman!" she said when he opened the door to join her on the coupler

He did not greet her back, but said, "What’s going on up there? Can’t you see the train?"

"Yes and no," she told hi toys; you got anything like a spyglass hidden in that waistcoat of yours?"

"Yup," he told her

"Well then, bring it out if you’ve got one," she said "There’s so there on the track They aren’t stuck in the snow, are they?"

"I can’t iine," he replied, and he reached for the ladder that rose beside the rearer car As he cli with the power to h now that we’re stopped, it’ll be a pain in the ass to get started again"

"I’et a better look fro back, and without offering to help her

Within seconds, she was standing beside hier car roof Lieutenant Hobbes called out from below them, "Hey, up there Is that you, Mrs Lynch?"

She called back down, "Me and Ranger Kor a better look Hold your horses, we’ll tell you e see"

The ranger pulled out a long brass tube, and while fiddling with the adjusting screws, he pointed it at the Shenandoah

After perhaps twenty seconds of exa the scene in this manner, he switched the device to the other eye Mercy couldn’t iine that this would ; she only stood there and shivered, holding her cloak up around her shoulders tightly, and breathing in air so brittle and cold that it made her chest hurt

Then he made a noise that sounded like, "Hs were undoubtedly worse than suspected, but knew that it wouldn’t do anyone any good to worry the patient Mercy knew that sound, and she didn’t like it one little bit

"What do you lass Only upon shifting to get up into his personal space did she realize he was holding it half an inch away fro to the soft spots around it He only said again, "Hmm"

She liked it even less the second time "What is it? What do you see?"

"Well," he said He stuck a p on the end so it ca," she said

He let her take it

Through the gloves she wore, she could feel the chill of the exposed brass She took the ranger’s lead and held it very slightly away fro Then the rear of the Rebel train slipped into thecircle, and she followed it with the lens all the way up to the engine And she froze, as still and breathless as the jagged mountains on either side of her

"You see the"

"Do those look like uniforms to you?"

"On the Confederates? No, wait, I see what you ht-​colored uniforms On some of the the Shenandoah!"

"That’s what it looks like," he said "And I hate to say it," he breathed roughly, as if he truly did hate to say it, "but I think we’ve found ourMexicans"