Possession

Chapter 20

The Continentals were storming the city of Charles Town in an attempt to retake it. The British had known for some time that rebel army would try to reclaim the city, but they'd been unaware of when that attempt might occur. The British army were prepared, however. The colonials' success was uncertain, for the British were dutifully holding their own against the rebels.

One month had passed since Tavington had left for Fort Carolina, and he still had not returned to Charles Town. Juliana wasn't distressed about it. It had come as no surprise to her that Tavington was still away; she'd expected it. And she didn't expect him to show up anytime soon, but she really wished he would make a miraculous appearance about now.

Juliana knew that the Continentals would be rounding up the slaves and taking possession of them and that she and William didn't stand a chance. She'd already fallen into their hands once before; now that she and Tavington had settled their issues, the prospect of spending time with the rebels wasn't appealing to her at all. She had some fighting skills, courtesy of Tavington, but they would only be good against one adversary, maybe two, if she were lucky. She and William would not be able to hold their own against a whole group of attackers. They would have to try to escape somehow.

Juliana went to the front door, where William was already standing guard with a rifle. The Continental army was just down the street, and both William and Juliana could hear the sounds of gunshots. In the darkness of the night, they could see the sparks fly out of the guns as they were fired. "We're going to have to leave," Juliana told William. "We're not going to be able to hold off all those soldiers if they decide to come this way."

William considered her words. "Where do we go?" he asked.

"I don't know," Juliana admitted. "We should try to find a British camp or a fort or ... anybody. Anybody else but the Continentals. We just have to get away from here." It was dark out, and Juliana was thankful for that. They would probably stand a much better chance of escaping unnoticed than if it were daylight.

William nodded. "I'll get the horse ready," he said. He left to go prepare the horse, while Juliana took up watchful post at the door. She had a loaded pistol in one hand and sword in the other to ward off attackers. At the first sight of a Continental soldier, Juliana would be prepared to fire. She didn't think she would have to use the weapons at first. It seemed as if the ruckus would pass them over.

Then, a couple of soldiers began to make their way up the path to the house. Juliana's heart rate quickened as she discretely cocked the gun.

"You there," one of the soldiers called out, "who lives here?"

Juliana remained silent, which appeared to anger the rebel soldiers, judging from their facial expressions.

"Hey, girl, I'm talkin' to you," the same soldier said as he advanced. Juliana slowly brought the pistol up and pointed it at both of the men. She didn't aim specifically at either one, but she would shoot the first one who made an aggressive move.

The sight of the pistol temporarily stayed the soldiers, but they only looked at each other and smiled. That certainly wasn't the reaction that Juliana had been expecting, and it unsettled her.

The men looked at Juliana again and resumed their approach. "And just what are you gonna do with that?" the second soldier asked, mockingly.

Juliana's heart was beating in her ears, but she forced herself to venture out onto the porch and hold the pistol steady. "If you come any closer, you'll find out," she replied. She slid the gun over to the soldier who'd spoken. The soldier chuckled but didn't stop walking, and he brazenly stepped up onto the first porch step. Juliana didn't offer any warning before she pulled the trigger. The bullet shot from the barrel of the gun and hit the man squarely in the chest, knocking him backwards to the ground.