Ancient Shadows

FORTY SIX

The boy that was with Augustus was named Remmy. He was three weeks short of his seventeenth birthday in 1782 when he became a vampire. He was born in the new world in the agricultural southern colonies. A place at the time that was ripe with conflict.

Remmy joined with his wayward uncle in the summer 1780 to seek out the South Carolina militia that was rumored to be gathering up volunteers for reinforcements. The militia was led by Marion. The militia was part of an army led by Nathaniel Green. Marion and Greene were already continental heroes due to their wartime actions. Going off to fight under their leadership in a revolution against the greatest empire in the world was the thing dreams were made of for boys Remmy's age.

That empire was England. It was the prominent world power. The idea that a ragtag army like the one under the command of George Washington defeating the British was unthinkable. But after five years that ragtag army remained in the field. The execution of the war had expanded into the southern colonies in 1778. The British expected they'd mop of any resistance there before Christmas arrived. But things didn't turn out like they'd wanted. Two years later Green's continental forces remained in the field. Much like George Washington up north.

With that army of continental rebels was where Remmy and his uncle Raymond found themselves in the middle of July 1780. Raymond was full of complaints. He was a man child. Much of the time Remmy felt he the more mature. Biology hadn't been good to poor Raymond and at age 29 he was nearly bald headed. Curly whisps of red hair stuck off the side of his rather large head. His brow was covered with perspiration in the roasting July heat.

Remmy, Raymond and two other militiamen were sent out into the countryside to forage. The food supply for the army was always short and they relied on foraging to remain fed. There were times when they weren't fed much. So attaining success in these foraging trips was crucial.

The group of soldiers were directed to a farm owned by a tory. The man was despised by many of his neighbors and they were all too ready to direct the army to his stores. Word had it that these stores contained abundant corn and tabacco. In addition to a large number of chickens and a herd of swine. The soldiers scouted the farm which was located three or four miles from the army encampment. When Remmy's foraging party arrived and saw the spoils would be so large they sent back two of their number to fetch a wagon and another man.

Raymond was one of the two sent back. Remmy remained with another boy, a minute man a year younger. Remmy had asserted himself defacto leader of the two man unit in spite of any military rank. He naturally possessed leadership skills.

When the soldiers scouted the place they remained hidden from those working the farm by moving through a stretch of woods that spanned the length of the property. The farm was certainly prosperous with well tended fields, healthy crops and plump livestock. There were two large barns, both in excellent condition. The entirety of the farm was well tended with slaves and other farm hands hard at work.

But what was out of place and raised questions was the shabby condition of the main house, its stables and facilities. It was as if the tender loving care that had been poured onto the farmland had suddenly run short when it got to the homestead. The homestead consisted of a two story farmhouse in especially poor condition, stables in equally poor stead and an old worn down shed of considerable size. Standing idly by the run down stables were three of the finest horses Remmy had ever laid eyes upon. Remmy's first thought was to make a daring attempt to liberate those stallions. But he wanted to observe some more, try to solve this mystery of the tory's strange little farm.

Remmy and his fellow minuteman posted up in a thicket some 150 yards away from the farm house. They watched a few slaves interacting near the old dilapidated shed. An older slave was conversing with two young slaves on the verge of manhood. As he spoke the old man flung his hands about with irritated gestures. The younger men were shaking their heads in refusal of something he'd said. The old man turned pointing to the old shed. It was an old structure, quite large probably with a hayloft. The walls were of made of wooden slats painted black and had a peaked and slanted tin roof.