Within seconds, Heinrich and I were surrounded by British soldiers. They all pounced on us, binding our hands behind our backs.

"Where is your camp?" one of the more burly ones demanded. When I didn't answer right away, he seized my chin and asked it more loudly. I wanted to gag; his breath was worse than a dragon's.

"Th-that way…" I choked out, pointing in the opposite direction that it really was.

"She's lying," the little girl called Mary snarled.

One of the Brits raised his eyebrow.

"She?" he asked incredulously.

"If you don't believe me, then check."

I stared at her. How could one little girl be so malevolent?

The one I assumed to be the leader of this pack snapped his fingers. Two of the others pinned me to the snow and yanked my shirt up. The cold air shocked me as it hit my skin. They unwrapped the cloth bandage I used to bind up my breasts. I began to shake uncontrollably, whether from cold or from fear I could not say.

The leader chuckled.

"Now I've seen everything. What would a powerful Hessian General want with this little wench?"

"He loves her," Mary said in a taunting tone.

"He does not! He doesn't even know about this!"

I was shocked at how easily the lie escaped my lips. I prayed silently for God to forgive me and to get us out of this mess. Heinrich, out of respect, was not looking at me.

"Then he shouldn't mind if we kill both of you. Although…I have other plans first."

My stomach soured. I was careful not to let my fear show. I wouldn't give this bastard the satisfaction.

"Take them back to our camp," the commander ordered, "and I want one of you to deliver a message for me."

He turned to the girl.

"Such a devious little whelp, aren't you? I almost wish you'd come from my loins," he remarked, tossing a few coins into the snow. She snatched them up and tucked them into her dress pocket. The other girl, Tabitha, was nowhere to be seen. The British soldiers dragged us away.

As we walked, I prayed. I prayed that God would deliver us from this situation, that Luthias and the others would be safe and untouched, and that this war would be over soon.

…

(Luthias's POV)

It had been about an hour since I'd sent Ruth and Heinrich into the woods. Our fire was getting low and they still had not returned. Annoyance boiled up in my blood. Underneath was something I didn't often feel: worry.

I should never have brought Ruth with us. I should never have taken her in the first place. Kindness was somewhat of an alien thing to me…Giving without getting had too many consequences.

I told myself that I would not treat the girl any differently. I told myself that she owed me her life for the trouble I had gone to.

And then I had made a fatal mistake.

Women were ridiculous creatures. They were overly emotional, weak, and could argue on the basis that they were right regardless of the facts. The thought of being married was laughable.

Until Ruth…

Heaven help me, I actually felt guilty for being so rough with her today…she understood that it was all part of the act, but I knew she'd thought I was truly angry with her for a moment or two. I was concerned with her…she seemed pale and sickly all the time now. Whatever mysterious illness that had taken hold in her was affecting her much too strongly for comfort. The images that came to mind were even less comforting.

Witchcraft.

I had never really believed in such things. I think of myself as a logical man, only believing in things I can see and touch. Even Ruth's beliefs in God confused me…I had difficulty understanding how she could believe in Him when she'd been through so much. I asked myself what loving God would do that to such a kind woman. Sometimes I would slip her Bible out of her hand at night and read after she'd gone to sleep. Often, I came up with more questions instead of answers. In the end, I'd chosen not to concern myself with it. It was her life, I mused, and there was no guarantee we would end up together after the war. I had never gone to such lengths to try and understand someone else.

A disheveled and bloody Heinrich appeared as I was tending to my horse. Suspicion rolled through my gut like thunder. He staggered towards me and fell face-first into the snow at my feet. Daredevil snorted and nudged at him with his nose.

"What in the Hell—"

Heinrich struggled to raise his head.

"It's Ruth…" he gasped, "they've got Ruth."

He was on the verge of passing out. I seized him and pulled up upright into a sitting position.

"Who has Ruth?" I demanded sharply.

"The English…they know she's a woman…that evil little girl told them. They're going to kill her, Sir….she's done for."

Tears leaked out of his dark eyes just before he passed out. The other soldiers noticed the unconscious boy and rushed over to help.

"I want to know the exact moment he wakes up," I demanded, "I need a few of you to find the British camp. Do not get caught. One of ours is in their clutches."

"Adalhard? Why do you want him back?"

There it was…the question I had been dreading.

"He is one of our best fighters and we would have perished twice if it had not been for him."

They looked at each other strangely, but the scowl I directed at them stopped the glances.

"Get to work!" I snarled.

They scattered. I pinched the bridge of my nose to ward off the headache that threatened to come.

Stupid girl.

….

The tent didn't shield me much from the cold. I was still bound. There was a blindfold over my eyes. I knew that Heinrich had already been released, but the sound of flesh striking flesh still burned my ears. I felt so bad for him…

I cringed when I heard the rustling as someone entered the tent.

"You brought this on yourself, you know…" a trembling voice said.

My mind slammed to a halt. It wasn't the harsh male voices of the soldiers. It was a little girl…

"Tabitha?"

Though her voice sounded very much the same as Mary's, it lacked the malicious undertones.

"Yes."

"What are you talking about, Tabitha?"

"You could have stayed away where my sister couldn't get you."

She untied my blindfold.

"I wanted to," I sighed, "I tried to get our general out of this area…it didn't work."

"I know," she said grimly, "but you should have stayed out of the clearing."

"Why is your sister doing this to us?" I asked.

"She says you took everything away from her. She was going to have your general killed so that she could make him her slave. She sold her soul to the devil."

I shuddered.

"That's why she's a witch. Our mom is, too, but she's a good witch. Or she was…" Tabitha muttered bitterly.

"Has she passed?"

"Last night. That's why Mary's being so mean."

I nodded.

"Tabitha, is there any way you can get me out of here?"

Tabitha glanced around as if making sure we weren't being watched.

"Maybe…but it would have to wait until dark. If I do it now, they'll know it's my fault. Worse, Mary will know…" she shuddered.

"Can you get a message to the general for me?"

I was aware that what I was asking was very risky.

"I can try," she said timidly.

"Can you tell him to stay away from this camp? I don't want him to be caught," I told her, "and I need you to tell him that I love him and I won't blame him if something happens to me. His life matters more than mine."

She nodded.

"I'll try."

"Thank you."

She tied my blindfold back on and left. Now all I could do was wait…

…

Heinrich's POV:

To say that I felt as though I'd been through a war would be redundant, wouldn't it?

Anyway, I was hurting so much when I woke up that I couldn't begin to describe where and how. The pain told me that I was very much alive. I remembered Ruth and groaned.

Poor Ruth…

I had failed her.

I let out a yelp of surprise when a pair of unnaturally bright blue eyes was the first thing I saw when I opened mine. A massive hand clamped down over my mouth and I tried to slow down my galloping heart. Upon my cessation of noise, Luthias lifted his hand.

"How long have I been out?" I asked wearily.

"Two hours."

I cringed.

"Where did they take Ruth?"

"They took her North of the clearing," I said quickly, "they know she's a woman, Sir. That little witch of a girl told them."

Luthias's expression darkened considerably. He let out a string of curses in our native tongue. Some really vile ones at that…

"The others must not find out," he sighed, "at least not until we get her back. There will be Hell to pay if they do."

I understood. I grunted as I fought my screaming body to try and sit up.

"How bad is it?" I asked, referring to my injuries.

Luthias looked me over.

"I have seen worse," he said grimly, "but this will take time to recover from. You are excused from your duties until you can move more easily."

We sat in silence for a few minutes.

"Forgive me for prying, but I think of Ruth as my sister," I admitted, "will you marry her?"

Luthias's face hardened.

"A war is no place for a woman. I intend to leave her at the next town," he told me, "she deserves better than cold, hunger, and fighting."

"You love her," I said simply.

"That is why I will have to leave her behind," he answered, "the cost to her life is too great. The day will come that she will have to kill someone and it will destroy her. Besides…I do not need these constant distractions and neither do you."

He left the tent. I watched him go and wondered how Ruth would take the news…if we got her back safely.