Blood Lily Company - Afghanistan, year 1

XXXVIII

Once at base, Erk put Kitty down as Kris took off her helmet, backpack and vest and knelt beside her, hugging her, rubbing her back, stopping only when Erk helped him get rid of his own stuff, but still keeping contact with her.

We did as usual, leaving our smelly things in a heap outside to go wash, while Kitty and the brothers stayed outside.
- Archer, when you're done, patrol briefing in the mess hall.
- Aye.

In the courtyard, Kris was whispering to Kitty, still rubbing her back. She relaxed slightly and he convinced her to go take a shower. Baby Jane helped her wash, she was half on autopilot.

We met in the mess hall, all at the same table with a cup of herbal tea, lavender tonight. Erk had taken care of our laundry while Kris took care of the miss and then of his report to Lin. When they joined us, we had already started tea and Tito had slipped a little booze in Kitty's.

Kitty was sitting with her back to the door, with Tito on one side and Baby Jane on the other. On the bench there was room to Tito's right and that's where the Viking sat. Tito pretended he saw nothing, but I still believe that he did it on purpose, that cheeky little man.

Erk, long hair loose to dry faster, reached out to Kitty to gently rub her back, brushing past the Albanian's back who winked very discreetly at me.
- Kitty, you have a lot to tell us, Kris said. We'll start with the meaning of this, he added, pointing to the envelope.

He took out the hair and the metal thing. Long and wide like my index finger, with something like a hook at each end that came back towards the center while flaring outwards at the ends. Sorry, it's not very clear, but it looked a lot like the letter "i" in Gothic script.
- Would anyone know what it is? the Icelander asked.
- Lin might know.
- No need, Quenotte said. It's German, an old heraldic symbol, a wolfsangel. It represents a piece of metal used in the Middle Ages to secure ladders to ramparts during an assault. Hope this is not a warning...
- A little bit, Kitty said in a strangled voice.

Erk had stopped rubbing her back.
- We're listening, he said in his deep voice. He was all sweetness tonight. Very unlike the near-berserk Viking of two days earlier.
- I have a little sister, Cassandra. She's six years old. We have the same blue eyes but she's blonde. And like all American girls of her age, despite our somewhat complicated history, she loves pink. That ribbon, I gave it to her for her birthday. And...
- And we can assume that Cassandra is being used as a bargaining chip, right? Kris said very quietly.

She nodded, on the verge of tears.
- Tell us, Kitty. We might be able to help.

She told us. The story was not fun. She had been kidnapped in Kabul by guys who hooded and handcuffed her and took her to some German guys. Knowing she was looking to join a private military company – since that's the polite name for mercenaries – they suggested the Blood Lily to her.
- Why? Erk asked.

She shook her head. He insisted. She refused to speak.
- Kotele, Tito said very gently. Listen to me carefully, will you?

She looked at him with traces of tears on her face. He took his handkerchief out, dipped it in his own lukewarm lavender tea and began to clean her face, holding her chin in one hand, rubbing gently with the other, and speaking in a gentle voice.
- Listen, kotele, we welcomed you here without really trying to find out why you came to us, even if we had a lot of questions. We are not very well known, you see. So, when someone all the way from Kabul... She started, he chuckled. We have means others do not. In short, you come from Kabul, an American, and you want to join our company for an almost humanitarian reason, the public good. See, that felt weird.

He dipped his handkerchief again and went on.
- On the other hand, if you tell us that someone forced your hand a bit, then everything becomes clear. Or almost. Because I don't think your German pals had your happiness in mind, any more than ours. So tell me, kotele, what were your orders from them?