Author's note: Today is my birthday and I gotta say, it started off like crap, but it wound up getting better throughout the day. Had very interesting weather here. I think they recorded 7 tornadoes. But getting a chapter done was one of my goals today along with my next lesson in class...which I did not get to. Was too hyped over the storms to concentrate. Love storms. lol. Anyway, here is the next chapter.

Chapter 10: The Length some rebels will go

Tavington and Bordon walked out of the tenth meeting they had of the day with Cornwallis. He sighed as they walked down the hallway side by side "Please tell me that is the last meeting of the day. Or rather night."

"It is, sir. Thank goodness."

"Those meetings are a waste of time. They said the same damn thing over and over and over again, just by using different ways of saying it. Why don't we grab Ban, Wilkins, and Asha and have a drink?"

"You want Asha to join us?"

Tavington shrugged "Sure, why not?"

Bordon crossed his arms and smiled "I think Ban is onto something about you. You do like her."

"Shut up," said Tavington shaking his head then walked on.

Bordon laughed as he caught up with his friend. He started walking backwards facing Tavington "Come on, confess to me. Think of me as your Father confessor."

"Please. I haven't confessed to anything in years, why would I start with you? I just think that she will be extremely useful in this war. We can use her. No one expects a woman dressed as she does, she could get in and out of places, gain information, then get out."

"Oh come on, Tav. Don't bullshit me," he laughed "Just admit it. You like her more than you're letting on."

Tavington shook his head "I don't. First of all, I don't know her. Second, she has her hair cut short, she dresses as a man would, and she has tattoos. No woman has any of that."

"Most of the women you have met have been complete...well...I honestly don't know how to put it nicely, so let's just say naive. You like her because she's a challenge. Someone you have been searching for and because she has all those things you listed, it intrigues you even more. I have to say, does me to, so if you really aren't interested, maybe I'll ask if I could court her, then one day, her hand in marriage."

"The hell you will," said Tavington coming to a stop.

Bordon smiled "That's what I thought." He laughed. Tavington shook his head at him and began to walk again. "Tav, come on, why don't you just admit that you like this woman? There is no harm in it, you know?"

Ban and Wilkins ran up the stairs and nearly crashed into Tavington and Bordon. "Well, hello boys," said Tavington. "We were just coming to find you and Asha."

Ban tried to catch his breath then looked to his friend "Tav, Asha is gone. She's not here."

"What do you mean, she isn't here? Where could she be?"

"Her horse is gone and she's gone," said Wilkins.

Bordon looked to Tavington "You don't think she'd-"

Tavington sighed "Shit, I'm willing to bet that's exactly where she went. Ban, you and Wilkins go get the horses ready."

"What are you going to do?" asked Ban.

"I'm going to tell Lord Cornwallis," said Tavington. He patted Bordon's shoulder then ran to Lord Cornwallis.

"When is the Middleton Ball?" asked Cornwallis to one of his men.

"In a couple of days, My lord."

"My lord," said Tavington bursting in.

"What is the meaning of this, Colonel? The meetings are over."

"My lord, Asha is missing," said Tavington.

Cornwallis looked to him "What? What do you mean she is missing?"

"Ban and Wilkins just came running up the stairs and told us that she's not here. Her horse is missing as well." Their attention was drawn to shouting outside which made them quickly run out the doors and headed outside.

Tavington was down the stairs first, followed by Bordon and Cornwallis. Ban looked to his friend then his Lordship.

"What is it?" asked Cornwallis.

"It's Asha's horse, sir. But no Asha in sight."

Cornwallis approached the horse and saw everything was on him. Asha's bow and her satchel with extra weapons. He looked at it closer and groaned "Oh my god." There was blood on the satchel. Tavington saw it as well and looked to Bordon. Something happened. The supply shipment must have gotten attacked.

"Colonel...I wonder if you...would be so kind as to take a patrol," he looked to Tavington "and bring my niece back home." He swallowed hard "Alive or dead, bring her home."

Tavington nodded then looked to his men "Let's go."

Cornwallis grasped the satchel as he stroked Shadow's head. He looked to O'Hara "I should have done more to stop her. I know that's where she went. She wanted to help and instead of listening and maybe finding a way-"

"My lord, it wouldn't have mattered. I don't know your niece, but she strikes me as the type that...well...that really doesn't care what anyone else says. She does what she thinks is right or will help."

Cornwallis nodded "Perhaps, but that still doesn't excuse any of it."

/

"Who are you?" asked one of the rebels before he hit Asha across the face. "Fucking hell, this is getting boring."

Asha spit out blood then looked up at the rebel "You hit like a bitch."

"Really now?" questioned the rebel squating down. He nodded "Well, how about this?" He pressed on Asha's wounded leg making her yell out loud. "Not so tough now, are ya?! Huh?!" He pushed harder making her squirm, scream, yell, kick with her other leg, anything she could do to get him to stop.

"That's enough!" yelled a black man as he grabbed the other man by the shoulder and flung him back.

Asha groaned aloud and tightened her fists, trying to catch her breath. She felt like she was going to pass out. The rebels had been trying to get information out of her for hours. Between their smacks, their punches, their kicks, taunting about the men they killed, the insults about how she looked, but she wouldn't break. She knew she couldn't hold out much longer though. She was trained on how to deal with this kind of torture before, but she also hadn't been shot and there was so much she could continue to take. She didn't even know where she was, only that it was in the middle of a damn swamp.

"Who the hell gave you permission to do that, Occam?" asked the man.

"What the hell is going on here?" asked the rebel leader. Asha recognized the voice, but couldn't place it and her vision was blurred from the pain. He approached and looked down at Asha. She breathed slow in pain as she looked up at him with cuts on her face, bruises on her cheek, and now blood seeped from her bullet wound.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" he shouted and grabbed the other rebel. "I never gave you permission to do this!"

"Well, what you're doing isn't getting us information, so I decided on my own methods."

"Oh, and how far did that get you?" The man remained silent as the rebel leader nodded "That's what I thought. Get out of my sight."

"Reverend," the leader called out. "Get the doctor and try to fix up this leg please."

Asha shivered as she looked up at her bound hands "How was she going to get out of this?" The rebel leader sat down in front of her "The doctor will fix up your leg the best he can." Asha remained silent for a minute then as the leader stood up, she spoke "Why'd you kill them?"

"Pardon?"

"Those men today. The ones that surrendered. Why did you kill them? You butchered all those men, for nothing."

"Why does Colonel Tavington butcher those he pleases? He kills wounded soldiers too, you know. I've seen him do it."

Asha groaned in pain "You don't understand him."

"I understand he needs to die and that's all I need to understand."

"You're him, aren't you?" asked Asha as the leader began to stand again. "You're the Ghost." The leader remained silent indicating he was. Asha could feel her face turn red with anger. This was the man that killed her brothers. But she had seen him somewhere else before, but where? Why does he look so familiar? "You...killed those twenty men that day."

"Yes. I did."

Asha tried to contain her emotions as she looked him "Why? Why did you kill them?"

"I was rescuing my son from being hanged. Did Colonel Tavington not tell you that?"

"He said they were going to hang a spy."

"A spy. I will truly enjoy killing him when I get the chance."

Asha jerked forward as if to hurt him. He scoffed "You like him. Of course you do. You're for the British. But here's something I don't get. You're obviously different than most women. You're known as the woman in black because well, because you're always in black and you're a woman."

"You're a fast one, aren't you?"

The man clenched his jaw "Who are you? What is your business with the British?"

"Go fuck yourself."

"Perhaps, I won't let the Doctor look at that leg. Maybe I'll let it get infected and you'll die here."

Asha looked out towards the swamp. The rebel sighed and waved the doc over "Look at her leg and get her some food to eat and water to drink."

"This is going to hurt a bit," said the Doctor. Asha groaned as he lifted her leg up "Well, the bullet did go all the way through, which is good. I'll clean your wound and stitch you up." He reached into his bag and began to fix her wound. She groaned and panted a few times, biting through the pain.

"Do you have any rum?"

The doctor nodded "I do." He grabbed his flask and pressed it up to her lips. She tilt her head back slightly and drank. It was nasty as hell, but it might help with the pain a litlle. She leaned her head back "Thank you."

The doctor tied up her leg on top of the stiches to give some pressure, then pulled out a loaf of bread and water. At first Asha thought about refusing, but then decided she would need the strength if she wanted to make it out of here.

The rebel leader came walking up to them "I need to run an errand and recruit more men. You get the leg fixed up?"

"As good as it will get here. She ate and drank as well."

"Very well, thank you Doctor, you're excused."

Asha looked up at the leader "I will kill you...for what you took from me. Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow, but I will kill you."

He put the gag back on Asha "I wouldn't be too sure about that." He winked at her then walked off. She leaned against the wall and fell asleep.

/

"Bloody hell," said Bordon as they found the supply shipment. "All these men. Dead."

"All the wagons are burned, sir," said Ban. "There's nobody here. Asha isn't among the dead...which means-"

"Which means they have her," Tavington growled taking off his gloves and looked around. "Fuck!"

"Wilkins, is there anything near here where they might have taken her?"

"No. There is literally nothing around here."

Bordon looked to Tavington and watched the expression on his face change from anger to worry to back to anger. He wanted to find her and it wasn't just because Lord Cornwallis wanted him to. He cared about her, but the stubborn ass wouldn't admit it. "Sir? We should head back. We can't find her tonight. We have no leads and we've been out here for hours. We have more of a chance of getting ambushed than we do at finding her."

Tavington glanced to Bordon then nodded "Give the order." He looked through the woods. What was he missing? She had to be out here somewhere. He clicked his tongue and they rode off.

/

Asha groaned a little as she began to wake up. She felt her arms being lifted down and thought for a minute she was being rescued so she slowly opened her eyes, but to her horror, it wasn't a rescue. Four men had made their way over to her, completely drunk. She tried to fight them off, but two men held her arms down as a third man began to undo his pants. "No!" she shouted through her gag. "Cover her fucking mouth more!" one of the men whispered sternly.

Asha tried to wiggle away from them as they started to pulled off her breeches. "Please," she begged. "Rollins, hurry up," said one of the men. He punched Asha in the leg making her cry out and was able to get her other leg moved out of the way. He rammed himself inside her as the men held her down. His thrusts were hard, rough, and fast. He grunted louder and louder each time he rammed himself into her. "British whore. Found out you're Lord Cornwallis' niece. Well, wait till he hears about how we have you." He grabbed leg and moved it up on his shoulder, plunging himself deeper inside of her. As his thrusts began to get intense again, he released himself into her and waited a minute "Man oh man, she smells good, boys."

He pulled himself out, dropping her to the ground. Rollins switched places with another man. The rapes lasted for hours. Asha had gotten to the point where she couldn't fight back anymore. She had no energy, no strength. No nothing. She didn't understand why none of the rebels who aided before would allow such a thing to happen, unless they didn't know. If it was these men's watch and they got drunk, all the others would be asleep. Her privates were throbbing in pain and she wanted to die. All the training she ever went through, she could fight and nearly kill anyone and now...she had nothing left to fight these men back who felt like they tore her up inside.

Rollins slid her breeches back on and tied her back to the original position. He grabbed Asha's face and made her look at him "Now, don't you go and tell my boss about this, you hear?" He took her silence as she understood. He scoffed "Woman in black."

Asha felt tears exit her eyes, then caught sight of a broken bottle. She looked behind her, up to her ropes. She leaned her body down and tried to grab the bottle with her boots. It was a painful effort with her leg being the way it was and after what those men did to her, but now she was determined more than ever to get out. She got the bottle and slowly brought it up to her. Asha managed to sit on her knees, then press down on the bottle with her foot to get it to break. She groaned as a piece of glass went into her knee, but shook it off. She laid down next to the broken piece of glass, stretching out her arms in a way they shouldn't be stretched and was able to grab the piece into her mouth, even with the gag on. As she struggled to get up, she panted at the pain, then pushed her mouth up to her hand and shoved the piece of glass into it. She gripped the glass hard to where it cut into her hand then began to cut at the rope. "Come on, you son of a whore," she growled quietly. She looked out towards the swamp and got that uneasy feeling. Like someone was watching. It had to be them. She cut into the rope faster. She had to get out of there.