War Paint

Pure Luck

"It sounds like..."

My suspicions are confirmed when a row of men peak at the top of a hill in the distance, so far away that they just look like shadows.

Soldiers.

"Are they from Nation?" Camillo questions, watching them walk down the hill.

To our surprise, the men keep coming, filling up the space between Nation's army and the empty sandy plains. As the soldiers walk closer, the more clearly we can make out their outfits.

Not camouflage.

They're Others, with guns and cannons.

Lots of them.

Kade huffs, frustrated. "This can not be good."

I assess our position relative to the two camps. Below the plateau where we are standing, Nation's base is tucked into the dunes near the sea to our right, and the Others are coming in from the left, cornering them. On a plateau overlooking the scene, we are safe for now, but by the heavy sound of artillery being carried, we won't be for long.

It seems as if we aren't the only ones looking for Nation's camp.

The Others have come to attack.

Of course we've walked right into a battle.

"No, it's not -"

The sound of a loud, blaring alarm bell cuts Camillo's voice off, and we look out from our hilltop view to see Nation camp signals going off. The noise of the alarm set off by a person on lookout duty causes soldiers to flood out of their tents, panicking in realizing that they are about to be under heavy fire.

Where is the nurses' tent? I wonder, but my eyes can't seem to roam fast enough to find it.

"Now what do we do?" Kade frowns as he clenches the gun he got from the Other soldiers last night in his hands, and I notice that Camillo does the same.

My eyes search and search and search until they land on a small tent near the back of the Nation base, a tent with a white hospital cross symbol attached to the front flap.

The nurses tent.

The goal.

"We still have to deliver this note," I say, biting my lip. "So that's what we're going to do. But you're not going to like it."

Sensing that I have a plan, the boys look at me as if I were crazy as I tell them what we ought to do.

"You want us to go right into the fight? Why not just wait until afterwards?"

Andres is concerned, which makes my heart hurt a little, but for some unknown reason it's like I know what must be done.

"Someone will find us here if we stay hidden like this," I reason. "Because during a battle people get scattered. It's better we get the note to Nation as soon as possible in one unit, rather than waiting to be captured as prisoners again or risk getting the note confiscated if the Others win. Plus, we don't have much time..."