Mercer paced, considering my argument.“If another order comes before our departure, we will have no recourse but to comply.I suspect he already has a mission in mind, even if we’ve yet to receive direct orders.”
I bit my lip.“Dr.Gallow should be kept from receiving any communications about this change of plans,” I said, my voice low but firm.“He reports directly to General Gantry, and I’ve noticed his...enthusiasm for casualties.”
Mercer’s eyes narrowed.“I can intercept any messages to Gallow,” he offered, his tone measured.“But understand this, Alice—if I do this, we follow whatever orders come next.No debate, no theological objections.Are we clear?”
I didn’t want to submit to an unknown future order, but the General still had leverage of the Bishop, and I sensed I’d spent what limited leverage I had.I held his gaze for a long moment before nodding once.“Agreed.”
“We would need a small team.Four, perhaps five vampires.Enough strength to overcome resistance, small enough to move undetected.”
“I’ll lead it,” I decided, surprising both men.“With Desiderius, Vincent, and Thomas.”
“Thomas?”Mercer’s eyebrows rose.“He’s untested, unstable.”
“And will remain so without practical experience,” I countered.“Better he face his first test of control under my direct supervision than in a larger engagement where I cannot watch him.”
Mercer studied me for a long moment before nodding his agreement.“Tonight, then.After sunset.”
The preparations consumed the remaining daylight hours.As darkness fell, I gathered our small team in the chapel, where I had insisted we pray before departing.Thomas knelt beside me, his youthful face solemn as he clutched his olive-wood rosary.Vincent maintained a soldier’s posture even in prayer, spine straight, eyes forward, as though reporting for duty before the divine.Desiderius stood slightly apart, his own devotions private but no less sincere.
I bowed my head and spoke the words that had sustained me since I became what I am: “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
Wemovedthroughtheabbey’s western gate like shadows separating from deeper darkness.No man’s land stretched before us, a hellscape of shell craters, tangles of barbed wire, and the decaying remains of previous assaults.The air carried the metallic tang of blood mixed with the chemical bite of gas and the earthy scent of churned soil.In the distance, German flares occasionally illuminated the landscape, turning night briefly to ghostly day before plunging again into merciful darkness.
We traversed this nightmare terrain with preternatural speed and silence.Where human soldiers would have struggled through mud and debris, we flowed like water, avoiding the obstacles that would have slowed mortal men.Vincent took point, his military experience betrayed by his movements.Desiderius guarded our right flank, Thomas our left, while I maintained our direction using the stars and Vincent’s occasional silent hand signals.
We encountered a German patrol once, freezing in perfect stillness as three soldiers passed within yards of our position.I felt Thomas tense beside me, the scent of living humans—their blood pumping faster with their exertion and alertness—triggering his hunger.My hand found his arm, grip tightening in warning and reassurance.He closed his eyes, lips moving in silent prayer, and the moment passed.
The farmhouse appeared as a darker shape against the night horizon, its roof partially collapsed, walls pockmarked with bullet holes.Vincent signaled for us to approach from separate directions, reducing the chance of detection.I circled to the eastern wall, finding a narrow window through which I could slip.Inside, the air hung heavy with the scents of blood and sweat.
“Hello?”I called softly in English.“We’re here to help.”
Movement in the darkness—the click of a rifle being aimed.“Who goes there?”a British voice demanded, strained with exhaustion and suspicion.
“Friends,” I answered.“We’ve been sent to bring you back to Allied lines.”
A match flared, illuminating the face of a young officer, his features gaunt with hunger and strain.Behind him, I could make out the forms of other soldiers, some lying wounded on makeshift pallets, others crouched with weapons ready.
“How did you get past the German lines?”the officer asked, the match burning down toward his fingers.
“We have our methods,” I replied as the match went out, plunging us back into darkness more comfortable for my kind.“But we must hasten.We can carry your wounded.”
Desiderius, Vincent, and Thomas had entered through other access points, gathering around me like gathering shadows.The British soldiers murmured in confusion and alarm at their silent appearance.
“There are only four of you,” the officer observed.“We have twelve men, five seriously wounded.”
“Numbers won’t be a problem,” Vincent assured him with the confidence of a former military man.“But time is of the essence.We must depart before the next flare illuminates this sector.”
The evacuation proceeded with efficiency born of careful planning and supernatural abilities.The wounded were secured to our backs with improvised harnesses, the able-bodied instructed to follow as closely as possible.When one soldier—delirious with infection—began to panic, I touched his forehead gently, using the calming influence that came naturally to our kind.It was an ability that most vampires used to lure potential “meals” into submission, but I’d found better utility for the gift.
“Be at peace,” I whispered.“Angels guide you tonight.”
Our return journey required greater caution, our speed hampered by our human charges.Yet we moved with purpose through the devastated landscape, avoiding German positions as Desiderius blurred ahead at a pace they wouldn’t detect and reported their movements.When a flare burst overhead, we froze in perfect stillness, our black clothing and absolute immobility rendering us nearly invisible despite the harsh light.
We had to make multiple treks back and forth, but with Desiderius scouting the perimeter, we managed to move the men without incident.
The British soldiers gasped in disbelief as they watched us swiftly and effortlessly carry their wounded comrades out of the farmhouse.The officer’s eyes widened as he took in the sight of a woman with such strength leading this mysterious rescue operation.
“How did you manage this so quickly?”the officer asked, his voice filled with awe and confusion.
