The Fire Within

Chapter 5

They move through the darkness without making a sound. The Virginia countryside lit only by the light of the full moon casting its eerie luminous glow through the forest. So ominous the shadows cast by the tress in this light, like silent specters dancing all around. Even the horses appear other worldly in this light, seemingly floating through the mist among the trees.

The air is silent but for the sound of the creatures of the night. There’s no sign of the battles that have been waging since the fighting began so many months ago. Only the purity of nature can be heard here among the trees. It’s beautiful and frightening.

They continue silently through the thick wilderness, coming close to yet another Rebel camp. The only thing that shields them from sight is the thick underbrush and the arrogance of the men standing guard. They don’t believe any Yankee would have nerve enough to travel through the untamed forest at night. They don’t believe any Yankee to be skilled enough to know these woods so well

Rain begins to fall, masking any noise the amazingly agile horses may make in the undergrowth on the forest floor. It also contributes to the menacing look of the shadows around them. She’s glad to have someone with her, this would have been far more frightening if she were here alone.

Grace slowly rides forward toward the edge of the Rebel camp. Silently praying that no one notices her so close to the invisible circle that surrounds the camp. It is that circle that soldiers rely on to keep them safe throughout the night. It’s like a magic barrier keeping the enemy out and keeping them safe inside. Soldiers don’t believe that they will be harmed in their sleep, almost like an unspoken rule among the opposing armies.

Zachariah hangs back and watches over her. It was decided that it would be best if she moves forward by herself to check this camp to estimate how many soldiers there are and if there are any large scale weapons among them. This particular camp seems to be an infantry unit, there are no large weapons, and there are a vast number of tents and sleeping men lying on the ground getting drenched in the rain. After she estimates there to be around fifteen thousand men in this unit alone, she turns silently and returns to where Zachariah is waiting for her to return.

She doesn’t say a word as she guides Abraxas to stand next to him. They silently agree that it is time to move along. The morning sun will be cresting in the horizon in the coming hours, it would be best for them to be out of sight of the Rebel forces before they can be seen.

On the other side of the forest, at the base of the Blue Ridge Mountain range, they locate a large cave in the hills. It is large enough to hide both of them and their horses from prying eyes. Before the sun rises in the East, they allow the steeds to graze for a short time near the cave opening while they both eat some of the rations that they brought with them. Neither of them talks, not wanting to break the silence of the early morning stillness. The nocturnal creatures are beginning to find their nests and go to sleep for the day, while the creatures that scurry about during the day are still sleeping.

They gather their horses and return to the sanctity of their hidden cave. They will sleep for a while and wait until dusk before they begin to trudge around and try to figure out what the Union is up against. So far they have located five different units within several miles of one another. Each unit has between fifteen to thirty thousand soldiers in each. There have been what appear to be infantry units, large artillery units, small artillery units, and cavalry units in the vicinity, and they haven’t finished with their mission yet.

Once inside of the cave and hidden from the outside world, they set their sleeping bags on the ground and ready themselves for sleep. Grace does something that she would never do in front of most soldiers, she takes off her hat and lets her hair cascade down her back. It feels good to allow herself this little freedom. She also takes off the oversized coat that hides all of her femininity, revealing the gray shirt beneath.