Forever Young Birth Of A Nation, page 48
***
“Where do you think you are going, Priscilla?”
“Oh, I was going to see if a certain home is empty today. I have wanted to pay it a visit and see what I could steal.”
“You’ll do no such thing. You’ll stay here and keep the lid on this bunch or else! Today is no day to be gone, Priscilla, and I mean it!’
“Oh my, Yvonne! What have I done wrong? I’m so sorry if I upset you.”
Relenting then, Yvonne approached Priscilla and put an arm around her shoulders as she turned her back toward the house, saying “I didn’t mean to snap at you, Priscilla. You were marvelous with June. I mean… you know… keeping her calm and all. I was impressed, and so were Stefan and Harold.”
“I meant no harm, Yvonne. I work hard and I try to please everyone.”
“I know you do, Priscilla, but this day you will have to stay here with the coven, and you’re not to leave them for a moment until we return.”
About then Grundy came out the door with two rucksacks and stalking up to her as he handed one to Yvonne he said “Priscilla, I’d better not find out that you left after we’re gone or else.”
She shrank back and nodded, clearly cowed by his menacing presence.
“We’ll return later, Priscilla. Do your duty.”
“Yes Yvonne. I’ll stay here” she said as she thought how can I warn Cosette that I think they are going after Ian? How can I get away? The others will tell Yvonne and Grundy for sure. And now that they are leaving, I couldn’t even get there ahead of them, even if I knew where to go. I can’t help Ian or Cosette.
Chapter 92
“I have to carry a package. Hamilton told me last evening that it would go out today. I think it has to do with the end of year reenlistment effort, and likely a bonus for a short duration extension of duty.”
“I can manage. We have a good supply of game for them to pick up. Do you have any idea when you’ll return?”
“No. I’m sure it’s only going to Philadelphia, but they may ask me to wait to take an answer and sometimes they take a vote and then draft an answer for Washington if it involves money.”
“I can always go get small game so that we don’t have to hunt as long when you return.” She walked up to him then, putting her arms around his waist saying in a low voice “I am going to borrow two kettles. You and I have an appointment to keep in our tub this evening.”
Smiling he said “Bringing James’ and Melissa’s tent for a bath house was a really good idea.”
“I was not about to let that tent sit in a barn in New Jersey all winter when I had a perfectly good use for it” she said as she slid her arms around his neck, pulling him gently to her for a lingering kiss.
“Now I will be pacing the floor at Independence Hall while they are voting and drafting a response. You shouldn’t have told me.”
“Mmmm. I wanted for you to have an incentive to hurry back.”
“It’s working. I’m ready to report out sick” he laughed as he kissed her again, a tender lingering kiss. Pulling back then he said “Why don’t you come with me? The cook will find the game we have on the rack. We will have time to look around most likely. You can just go ahead a bit and when I have the package, I’ll join you.”
“I would but a handsome man has promised that he will join me later today and I thought to catch a lot of small game so that the two of us could stay in this evening.”
“When you put it that way, it sounds like you have a better idea” he said as he drew her close again. The faint but sweet scent of her hair, the breeze rustling the dried leaves still clinging to an oak tree nearby, the love shining forth from her dark eyes all captivated him at that moment. He drew her to him again and said “I love you. Until tonight then.” And then he stepped back just a bit and cupped her face between his two hands, drinking in the sight. Giving her one last kiss, he turned and trotted off to the east into the camp to pick up his package.
***
The package had been delivered so Ian decided to walk about and see more of Philadelphia. He enjoyed the afternoon and as he strolled along the tree-lined avenue leading back to Independence Hall, he spied John Hancock walking toward him with a broad smile.
“Ian McCloud! By Heaven it is good to see you.”
“Good to see you too, John.”
“I guess you knew that James gave me your package of letters for Europe.”
“Yes, he said you’d taken them.”
“I would love to know just who you wrote to and what you said to them.”
“I only wrote to some friends over there and tried to persuade them to our side of this war.”
“Well, whatever it was, it sure didn’t hurt things any. Both countries formally came in at the right time. It has been a huge boost to our morale.”
“I can see that everywhere I go. You know, enlistments have been up ever since the French joined us. What brings you here, Governor?”
“I resigned that post last month.”
“Why?”
“The merchants have prevailed on the state assembly to levy a punitive tax on the land owners in our state to pay back loans from European war speculators. I couldn’t stop it from happening even with a veto so I resigned. Now there has been a rebellion up there against the thing and men are up in arms, even preventing the thing from being formally started.”
“Not what we need with a war to win.” He thought I would wager that those speculators are the human banking cartel of Europe. This is just the sort of thing they love; a war where they can lend to both sides. They have loaned money to France, Spain and Britain already.
Hancock said “No; definitely not what we need right now.”
“What sparked the thing anyway?”
“A soldier who fought for our cause and was not paid had a large tax levied on his place by our state assembly and he was so incensed that he organized this rebellion and I have to say that I do not blame him. The new Governor is sympathetic to the merchants in Boston and cares nothing about the farmers. This thing has become a big mess.”
“Some politicians forget who grows the food they eat. You say it started because of a single soldier and an unfair tax?”
“Yes, fellow by the name of Daniel Shay; decent fellow, just in a bad situation. I am glad to be away from it. I hoped to get some temporary financial help here today. Maybe get a promise for relief if we can sell bonds or some such thing to repay the loan. I am going to ask anyway. All they can do is vote no.”
“An unfair tax. Seems that was a big thing in starting our war.”
“Good point, Ian.”
“There is a lot of rumbling in camp right now what with some soldiers from Pennsylvania not being paid as well. I would wager that the Congress has taken that matter up this day. Has Spain or France stopped their support?”
“No. It is a matter of getting the money here. All of Spain’s support money and materials must come here through New Orleans, up the Mississippi and then be brought cross-country to Philadelphia.”
“All of it?”
“Yes, whether gunpowder or silver, it comes up the Mississippi if it comes from Spain. Britain tries to keep the native nations stirred up and hostile to all whites because they know that we move money and munitions through that country.”
“And France’s support?”
“Well now it comes either up the Mississippi or sometimes via Rhode Island. The French army has pretty well taken that over and is occupying it.”
“We will be waiting here a while, John. We may well see in the new year waiting on the Congress” he said as the sun got low on the winter horizon. The two walked into Independence Hall then and visited for a good while, each waiting for the Congress to finish what they were doing and get to their matter.
***
Night had fallen and Moon Owl had two hot kettles of water setting over two small fires and had just finished dressing and hanging twenty three rabbits and four coons high up on the game rack. She went into the tent they lived in then to add some roast rabbit to a stew she had simmering on the stove top. It being cold, she knew that the sentries would be expecting to get a hot bowl of stew after their shift ended.
Hearing footfalls on the snow outside she called out “In here, Ian.” about the time the tent flap parted. Turning with a smile, she froze in place as she came nearly face to face with a beautiful red-headed woman with striking green eyes. Instinctively she knew her to be a vampire, yet she did not betray that she was, but merely feigned curiosity as she said “Oh. I mistook you for my husband. May I help you in some way?”
Smiling Yvonne said “Why yes, Mrs. McCloud. I am Yvonne Devrie and I was wondering when your husband will return?”
Already ill at ease, knowing that her sword was in the other tent she nonetheless smiled sweetly and said “Hello, Mrs. Devrie. I am Monique and I expect him any time now.”
Yvonne came toward her then as her smile began to vanish, saying “Good, we’ll wait for him together” as she quickly reached out to grab Moon Owl. Using a well-practiced Chi-Na technique, Moon Owl broke her index finger in the blink of an eye and doubled her over with a blindingly fast snap kick to the stomach as she rocketed for the entrance. Yvonne screamed in pain and rage and fell to her knees. Moon Owl collided with a very large muscular vampire with dark hair and dark glittering eyes that drove his fist into her face, shattering her nose and driving her down onto her back. Rolling she came to her feet just in time to be grabbed by the throat and she instantly clapped her two hands over his ears, rupturing both ear drums as she followed up with a perfectly executed eye gouge. Using her right thumb she took out his left eye and ripped it from the optic nerve flinging it away as he roared in pain and rage. Punching her in the face and throwing her to the floor he pinned her with one foot. Unsheathing his saber he lopped off her head in an instant.
Yvonne spoke then as she nursed her broken finger, trying to push it back into alignment and crying at the pain as she cursed, saying “Damn that hellcat!”
“That witch gouged out my eye, damn her to hell! My God! I can’t hear a thing!” he shouted as he put both hands to his ears.”
By now Stefan, Bartholomew and June had entered the tent, looking with surprise on the scene as Grundy shouted “Don’t just stand their staring; help me look for my eye!”
Bartholomew said “The tent flap was open so it might be out here. Help me look outside, June.” Several minutes passed as they looked in vain for Grundy’s eye. While Bartholomew and June got down on their knees and began to look about for it in the snow, Yvonne finally said “It has to be outside somewhere.” The other two came out then and Grundy dropped down between June and Bartholomew, jostling him roughly as he said “Give me some room here you two.” Unnoticed, Bartholomew had something knocked out of his shirt pocket right then and it hit Grundy’s boot, ricocheting only two feet, but it lodged nearly hidden under the edge of the tent, protruding only a bit.
Within a quarter of an hour the four had given up and had decided to darken both tents and wait inside of the one they had killed her in. They settled back grimly anticipating a second kill. Although his hearing had finally returned, Grundy seethed with rage at the loss of his eye, muttering curses until Yvonne finally got him to be quiet, saying “After coming this far do you want to tell him we are here waiting?”
That finally did it and the tent fell silent. Minutes dragged by and then they heard the sound of many voices approaching. Peeking out of the entrance flap Yvonne was alarmed to see some one hundred or more men approaching the place with muskets slung on their shoulders.
She pulled her saber and sliced open the back of the tent as she said “A large group is coming. We have to go.”
Grundy said “We’ll just kill them.”
“What? You want to rouse nine thousand men? No. We can’t be found here. We have to go now! Come on! Hurry!
Four of them departed quickly but Grundy quickly busied himself with a grisly chore before finally exiting the place where the others had gone out. Rocketing to the woods he joined the others there as the group of soldiers arrived at the two tents and began hollering for the McClouds to join them in welcoming in the New Year.
“Damn the luck anyway! Maybe we can just wait and see if they go away. The tents are dark inside. Maybe they’ll just leave and we can go back.” said Yvonne as Grundy smiled coldly at her. “What is so funny, Harold” she said with a puzzled look on her face.
“We can return to New York City now. I left McCloud a message. He’ll come to us” he said as he turned and bounded away toward the north, the others following.
Chapter 93
At long last the Congress got to the business of providing emergency pay for ten days to extend the tour of duty for the Pennsylvania soldiers, hoping to stop a mass desertion. John Adams himself gave the package to Ian saying “I hate it that this took so long. General Washington needs this tonight, Ian. We cannot have a rebellion starting over pay of all things. Good to see you again, and please say hello to Monique for me.”
“I will. Good bye sir, and goodbye to you too” he said as he turned and shook hands with Hancock. After he got away from the few street lamps near Independence Hall, he rocketed away toward Valley Forge with his package.
One of Washington’s adjutants said “Come with me, Ian. General Washington wants to see you.”
Following him Ian thought here we go. How do I handle this? They drew near Washington’s tent and Ian saw that the guard had been tripled as he was taken inside. Washington sat with some documents spread out before him, peering intently at a map of New York harbor, and as he looked up, he covered the map with another document. Ian thought likely that is a map smuggled out by our spy ring in New York City.
Dismissing the adjutant, Washington gestured toward a chair which Ian took and placed across the table from him. Clearing his throat, Washington said “Mr. McCloud, an assassination attempt was made on me recently.”
Nodding, Ian said “I know, sir.”
Peering intently at him, Washington nodded slightly and went on “I was warned as I rode my mount past the stable sir, and that voice sounded just like yours. I saw two figures collide in midair beside me before I got away.”
Ian said nothing, his eyes locked with Washington’s. So quiet was the tent that the normal background noises of the camp filtered in then.
“Well? Have you nothing to say, Mr. McCloud?”
Ian kept his eyes locked on Washington’s as he said “It was me, sir.”
“I see. And I suppose you have a good reason why you didn’t come to me before now?”
Still with his unblinking stare riveted on Washington, Ian nodded imperceptibly.
“Well?”
“I was knocked silly and by the time I got my bearings, he had made good his escape.”
Washington nodded slowly and then said “We found blood in the snow at the scene, quite a lot really.”
“I didn’t know that.”
“Yes. In fact some could not believe that with that much blood on the scene that the assassin got away alive. Later a fodder cart was found in the west end of the camp. There was some bloodied hay in it and nothing else.”
Ian nodded, saying “Maybe there were two and one helped the other to escape, sir.”
“What about the blood, Mr. McCloud?”
“I suppose that the assassin could have had a knife and been severely stabbed himself when we crashed together.”
Nodding, Washington said “The two of you collided about level with my line of sight it seemed. That is really extraordinary, don’t you think?”
“Well, no.. There were several frozen sheaves of hay lying about and I jumped up on a pile of that to block him. I think he might have done the same thing maybe… you know… maybe to knock you out of your saddle and cut your throat.”
“Why do you suppose they didn’t just shoot me?”
“If I had to guess, I would say they hoped to kill you silently and get away. They could never have hoped to escape had they fired a gun in the camp.”
Nodding, Washington said “Why didn’t you tell someone.”
Ian looked down for a bit, the first time he had broken eye contact with Washington as he said “I suppose I was embarrassed, sir. I mean here I was at the scene and all I can say is that I got knocked silly and they got away from me. I never even saw their faces and I figured they would never try it that way again. I suppose I am embarrassed and I don’t want to be the butt of soldier’s jokes from now on.”
“I see. Well Mr. McCloud, it was no joke to me that you stopped an assassin. I owe you my life, sir.” He stood then and offered his right hand across the table as Ian stood and took it, nodding.
“Thank you, Ian. And don’t ever hesitate to come to me with anything at all. I assure you that I am not one to ridicule people, and especially people who have been as valuable to our cause as you have been. I’ve been privy to some correspondence from Ben Franklin and he has told me of your efforts in France on our behalf. Our mutual friend Ben Tallmadge also told me of something that we won’t discuss now. I know that you are more than a game hunter, Ian. Thank you again.”
Nodding, Ian said “Good night, sir” as he turned and put on his hat, stepping out into the night and turning to the west, making his way toward their tent.
After he left, Washington sat mulling over the conversation, thinking there is more to this, Mr. McCloud. I heard you shout at me to get away. How could you do that and be unconscious? What is it you won’t tell me?
***
As Ian approached the edge of the camp, a light westerly breeze carried a familiar scent to him, but at first he took it for the game carcasses tied up on the rack. However as he approached, he was more convinced that the scent was not just animal blood and he rocketed the last hundred yards to their tent, calling “Moon Owl! I am home, lass” as he quickly threw the flap aside and entered their tent. Seeing no one and nothing looking amiss he relaxed just a bit, but quickly went to the other tent and ducked through the flap into the darkened interior. There the scent of human blood was overwhelming and he peered in the darkness to a shape on the floor, quickly stepping to it and kneeling there. His vampire eyes needed no lamp to see the horrifying sight before him.
