Jillian Chantal

This week’s word for Tuesday Tales is wash. I am still in my Regency story called Lady Soldier.

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Happy to finally be free to act and aid her countrymen, Maud spurred Khan on and into the middle of the action. She fought hard and swiftly, keeping her mind on the job she was set to do. It helped not to think of the men she was attacking as husbands, brothers and sons. She focused instead on the task and how best to accomplish her goal of staying in the saddle and alive herself.

Khan was invaluable again as he sidestepped many who came at her. A few times, again, she heard or felt the wind of bullets passing by her head.

Many of the allied forces went down to the ground, but they kept fighting as long as there was breath in them.

If anything, this battle was bloodier than the day before. Napoleon must’ve been angry at how quickly his men disengaged the day before and put the fear in them not to do so again. They fought like men possessed.

The smell of blood in the air assaulted her nose and made her long for the day to be over. Still they fought on. Longer and harder than the day before.

As the sun came closer to setting, as if by some unspoken agreement, the armies began to disburse away from the battlefield.

Maud followed the young corporal who’d led her to the cavalry unit that morning. He turned and called out, “Retreat.”

Grateful the day’s fighting was all but over, Maud did as ordered and guided Khan back to the area where they’d mustered earlier.

The colonel, still on his own steed, addressed his men. “Well done, soldiers. Get some rest this evening as I’m sure we’ll be engaging the enemy again at dawn.” He saluted them. “Dismissed.”

As soon as the colonel uttered the word dismissed, Maud was eager to return to her quarters and wash the dirt of the day off herself.