We came to rest near another village. Luthias had successfully gotten us on the American side and the Americans were very happy to have us. Something told me that the American General, Jackson McAlester, was a tiny bit afraid of Luthias. The poor man was uneasy around Luthias right from the start, but that might have been due to the differences in their statures. It was like seeing a flea next to an ox.
As I walked between Heinrich and Luthias, I looked around the town. There were differences that I'd never noticed. The women saw us and began to giggle, blushing furiously and acting like fools. I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing. Most of them were staring at Luthias, but he didn't seem to care. I had always wondered why women seemed attracted to men who were apathetic—it was funny considering I had once been that way. I still was.
We gathered up supplies and stopped into the tavern for a noonday meal. I had forgotten what it was like to eat indoors. The other patrons had mixed reactions to us; some of them didn't really seem to care much whether we were there or not. Some of them were afraid or they stared at us with looks of loathing. Some of them left. Our bowls of stew were served to us promptly, probably in hopes that we would leave soon. The hot food felt wonderful in my stomach and a warm, hazy, sleepy feeling washed over me. Shortly after we finished our meal, our group of soldiers began to splinter off in different directions. We were all to meet back here at sundown to get back to camp. Luthias had already warned them of excessive drunkenness or being late. I wanted to go with him, but Heinrich tugged at my sleeve and led me off in another direction.
I should probably explain ahead of time that I had never drank before. Heinrich was nice enough to buy us both drinks after Luthias had gone.
"But…" I protested.
"He said not to get drunk," Heinrich reminded me, "he didn't say we couldn't drink."
My strict upbringing had stated that I should never drink. The tiny bit of wine at communion was all I had ever been allowed, and I didn't really like the way wine tasted. I wasn't even sure what it was in the mug—it was dark and bubbly.
I was reminded that my old life was gone and that the only people I really had to be accountable to were Luthias and God.
I took a swallow.
The flavor was…odd. I couldn't really tell if I liked the taste or not. It seemed to burn like fire down my throat and I was thankful I'd eaten just moments before. It would have been very unpleasant on an empty stomach.
"Now you're a real soldier," Heinrich chuckled, "liquid courage, they call it."
I could see why. After I'd finished off what was left in the cup, I was feeling rather strange. My face felt flushed and my mind was a little fuzzy around the edges. It was as if every ounce of tension I had in my body had gone away. The very real danger that we were always in seemed very far away. Heinrich had the bartender refill our cups and looked at me expectantly.
I didn't dare finish off the second cup. I only drank a little out of it and satisfied him by pretending to drink after that. Thankfully, something else caught Heinrich's interest and I didn't have to show my supposed cowardice. The cup stayed on the bar and we left.
"Look over there," he commented.
Luthias's horse was outside a nearby building—I guessed that he and the American general were talking inside. A gleaming chestnut mare stood nearby and Darrell was acting rather…interested…in her.
"Watch this," Heinrich whispered mischievously. He untied the general's horse, then untied the black beast.
"Heinrich, no!" I hissed, but it was too late. The mare bolted towards the woods. Darrell was in hot pursuit of her.
