A Partisan's Fight - COMPLETED!

Chapter Sixteen

They'd found the camp faster than they had anticipated, but both knew that it wouldn't be smart to just stumble in unannounced in broad daylight. Not when soldiers were at their best and waiting for action. They were far enough away from home to know that the English camp wouldn't be expecting intruders anytime soon. Regardless of that they still needed to watch for spotters and random soldiers making their way through the forest. With that in mind, they'd made camp and waited until morning to move in.

After much debate, Mina had lost the battle to go in alone and keep Aldrik on the sidelines. He wouldn't allow her to go in alone, and she wasn't about to let him do her work for her. The dog didn't heed stay very well either and was quickly on their heels as they worked their way by dawn's early morning rays into the camp.

Mina's heart was racing. Her gut churned as they snuck around corners and peeped into the large canvas tents. She wasn't searching for her father or fiancé at this point. There really was no reason to if they valued their lives. No, instead she searched for one person. A person of extreme importance.

The envelope she had opened weeks prior had contained several items of use --- a map, the best routes, and a picture of the general they were searching for. She'd spent hours staring at the picture. Memorizing every curve, wrinkle, and distinguishing feature that made him stand out. She'd know the man the second she saw him.

The moment finally came for finding the leader that they were looking for. Aldrik began to go first, but Mina stood strong. She was terrified, but she needed to lead the way for this. It took everything to keep from shaking.

Being at the point they were at, she was thankful that her parents had made her learn English. A language barrier was tough enough for everyday living. In moments like this, a language barrier would be one of the worst stumbling blocks she could have had.

She was thankful for one other thing her father had made her learn. Nobody knew how the war would end up. Because of that, her father had made her learn all the different ways to identify different military rankings. She remembered him telling her that you needed to respect anyone in the military, but some needed to be addressed differently than others. At this point she had no reason to address the general any special way, but recognizing his ranking would be crucial.

She swallowed hard, thinking of what they were doing. The choice to do this was one that could lead to imprisonment or death from either side. It wasn't one to take lightly, but she needed her family back. She had no home to go back to and now she had a baby on the way to take care of. She needed the extra support. She simply could not fail.

Silently, she pushed open the front flap of the large military tent and tiptoed inside, Aldrik at her heels and the dog at his. They knew the general was alone. Light beads of sweat formed near her temple and just above her brow. She could feel the revolver stick to the palm of her hand as she kept her grip tight. It was the dark, early, morning hours so the general had a lamp on next to him. He sifted through a pile of papers on his desk.

Standing in front of his desk, she kept the gun close yet as non-threatening as possible. Aldrik stood to her right a few steps back, carefully ready to provide the support needed. He towered above her and looked just as intimidating as ever. Not wanting to scare the general, Mina cleared her throat and waited.

"Yes." He said nonchalantly as he finished writing a note.

Mina waited patiently with her gun now aimed at him. She wasn't going to say anymore until he looked at her. She remembered how irritated her papa would get when she spoke while he was in the middle of something. He took twice as long to respond when that would happen.