Adella left the Gullah Settlement feeling sad. She was more preoccupied thinking about everything that they had said to her than the fact that the sun was setting. She was thankful that Ben was willing to tell her that he felt no ill feelings toward her, but she was still at a loss of what to do.
And now she was worried about Eli, and how mad William probably was if he was already back and she was not.
Adella heard the sound of a Whip-poor-will calling in the distance, signaling the dark that would soon be following. It pulled her from her thoughts.
She made her horse slow his trot.
Perhaps she hadn't thought leaving this late through. The dark was settling in quickly. Even Ben had expressed his concern of her safety.
The sound of a wolf's howl in the distance sent a chill down her spine. She wished she was back at the Fort cuddled up with William and Eli.
Adella could tell that her horse was becoming more and more spooked. He was looking around and quickening his pace erratically. The words that the stable hand had spoken about him were back in her mind.
She looked around the darkening fields.
"Hey. It's okay," she crooned softly. "We're gonna be fine."
She was talking more to herself than to the horse. She was becoming more and more uncomfortable riding him, though. She didn't have much experience with horses but this one seemed to be increasingly agitated and getting harder to control. It was as if he saw something that she didn't. She was sure that the dark was just making him nervous, after all that the stable hand had said he'd been through.
She made him stop and reached down to pat his neck.
"Hey now," she crooned. She could hear the nerves in her own voice.
"Stop right there!" a voice boomed in the still evening air, frightening her and in turn frightening her poor horse even more.
He reared onto his back legs and Adella held on desperately as she looked around for the man who had yelled out the order.
A man on horseback pulled his dark horse right in front of her in attempt to keep her horse from bolting. Adella hadn't seen him come from the woods. It was if he had purposely snuck up on her. She took the chance she had and bailed off of the horse as soon as all four of his hooves hit the ground again.. She hit the ground harder than she expected and her knees buckled on the uneven ground, but she darted away quickly out of fear that her horse would trample her trying to escape.
She was headed towards the woods when she heard heavy footsteps behind her.
"I've got her!"
Adella shrieked aloud when she felt a strong arm wrap around her waist. It both shocked and scared that he'd been so close to her. She kicked backwards hard, connecting her heel with the man's shin.
She felt like she was fighting blindly. She had no idea who the men were but she was too scared to find out. She hadn't gotten a good look at either of them.
"Ow! Bloody hell!" he cried out in pain and cursed.
He let go of her and she started running again. She wasn't sure what direction she was going and she could barely see the trees until they were inches away from her. The darkness was settling in fast now. Underneath the canopy of trees, it was much darker.
But she didn't slow down. All she could think of was getting as far away from the men as she could. She didn't know who they were or what their intentions were, but she didn't want to risk finding out.
"Grab the- Grab the damn horse-" she heard the men yelling behind her and she felt as though they were not following her.
She turned her head back quickly to take a peek.
"Stop!"
Adella turned back just in time to stop herself from crashing into another man who had seemingly come out of nowhere.
He had a pistol out, pointed directly at her. Adella stopped. She realized how badly her chest ached. The air she was gasping in didn't seem to satisfy her aching lungs.
The man was wearing dark clothing. There was nothing remarkable about his appearance that would point to who he was.
"Who are you?" she demanded frantically. She tried to catch her breath and make herself appear bolder than she was.
"Part of the King's army," the man responded.
Adella squinted into the dark to study him. He didn't look like a soldier. If anything he looked as though he could possibly be part of the Militia. But not a Regular.
He took a step closer to her and Adella nearly turned and ran back in the direction she'd come, hoping that he wouldn't shoot, but she heard a few branches break behind her and realized that she was trapped.
She whirled around. The two other men who had been trying to stop her were walking towards them. There was three of them. Dread settled into the pit of her stomach.
One of the approaching men was holding her bag that she had lost when she jumped from the horse. She watched him open it and dig inside. He looked back up at her in confusion when he pulled the uniform pieces out of it.
"You all don't look like part of the King's army," she murmured nervously. She'd never seen the King's soldiers so unkept and not in any normal uniform.
"What the hell are you doing out here alone and in the dark?" the man who had stopped her edged closer to her. "You don't look like you expected to be out this late."
Adella looked around nervously, surveying the situation. She wrapped her arms around herself protectively.
"And Why the hell do you have a uniform?" the other asked curiously. He looked down at the uniform in his hands and then reached back into the bag. He pulled out the rolled up map and tossed the uniform to his friend so that he could unroll it.
Adella looked back at all of the men nervously, taking a few glances in each of their directions.
"I…" she paused as she tried to think of something to say. "I just need to get back to my family," she finished.
"Are you Trading information to the enemy?" The short stocky one who now held the uniform demanded.
"No," She proclaimed, trying to sound bolder than she was.
"We don't take kindly to spies," the man with the map added as he unrolled it. "Lookey here."
"I'm not a spy….I….," she wasn't sure what to even say to them because she had no idea who they were. She nearly choked on her words.
The man who had stopped her moved forward and grabbed one of her arms.
Adella tried to pull away from him. "Nnno," she stammered, but he tightened his grip until she cried out.
"Come with us," he growled"And don't try to run again."
Adella stopped struggling and allowed him to pull her away. She felt as if she was accepting defeat. She silently prayed that she would find a chance to run again.
She stumbled through the undergrowth of the woods as the man led her back in the direction she had run. The other two trailed behind, mumbling beneath their breath.
She was terrified at this point, wishing that she would have stayed the night at the Gullah Settlement now instead of wandering in the dark, trying to make it back to the Fort.
She could see it now in her mind. She wouldn't make it back and Eli and William would forever wonder what actually happened to her. They could think that she just deserted them. She tried to swallow the painful lump she felt growing in her throat.
"Hey, start that damn fire," the men who held her arm ordered.
Adella realized that while she was running from them, she had run right through their campsite.
Along the trees she could now make out the outlines of a tent and a few lean to's.
"Are you three supposed to be apart from the rest of the king's army?" Adella questioned. She was starting to think that they had to be deserters. But she wanted to play along with their story and not make them angry.
"We're a special regiment. Take a seat," the man shoved her towards a log, not far from a pile of wood and burnt debris on the ground.
Adella sat down reluctantly. She rubbed her arm.
The other man tossed her bag and belongings to the ground as he leaned down to start the fire.
The small fire crackled as it consumed the small sticks and straw, he placed to feed it. As it grew brighter, it illuminated the face of the man who was feeding it. He had an unkept beard and a rough face.
"Why can't I leave?" Adella choked out.
"Because you're suspicious. I think Rogers would be interested to know what is going on," the man who had held her by the arm stated. "You're mighty brave out here alone at night."
"Who is Rogers?" she asked nervously.
One of the men moved to stand in beside the fire. He pulled out a bottle that she knew was probably whiskey. He took a swig, made eye contact with her, and then smiled as he moved the bottle from his lips.
"Here. Want some?" He leaned the bottle towards her.
She shook her head. She was fighting the urge to run. But she was scared of what they might do when they caught her. They would catch her. She was sure of it.
"Who is Rogers?" she asked again.
The man with the bottle sat down beside her and scooted closer to her on the log. He was close enough that his knee was touching hers. She fought the urge to pull away and show just how uncomfortable he was making her.
"He's the Colonel." he took another swig from the bottle.
Adella chewed at her bottom lip.
The man reached over to pull a twig from her hair and she flinched.
She didn't like the way he was watching her.
"I'm Mark. What's your name?"
"It doesn't matter," she murmured back. She looked back to the fire.
"Mark. Back the hell up from her," the man who had caught her grumbled.
"Well she liked to broke my shin so I figure she at least owes me her name," he muttered.
"You didn't have to grab her so hard."
Adella looked to the man, somewhat thankful for his defense.
"Well if I hadn't of, she would have gotten away and we wouldn't have known she was a spy," Mark relayed.
"I'm not a spy," she defended herself again.
Mark placed his hand on her thigh. "Whatever you say, sweetheart."
Adella pushed his hand away, but froze when he grabbed her hand.
She met his eyes. She couldn't help but feel threatened by them.
"Pplease let go," she stuttered.
His mouth twisted into a slight smirk.
"Gentlemen, what in God's name is going on here?" Adella raised her eyes to a large man who had just entered the campsite. It was as if he snuck in. No one noticed him until he spoke.
His accent was from Ireland or Scottland. Adella wasn't familiar with specifics, but she noticed it sounded of something familiar to those areas. He had five or six men following him. They all seemed to stop at the sight of her. She was both thankful and scared of his presence, because it caused Mark to release her hand.
Adella assumed right away that the man had to be the man they had been waiting for. His presence exuded a confidence and control over the other men immediately.
"Where the hell did she come from?" Rogers demanded. "Tell me that you three idiots didn't go and do something stupid-"
Adella stood to her feet as the large burly man walked over towards the fire.
"I'd like to leave," she announced before the other men could answer him. "They are holding me here against my will."
One of the men immediately tossed the uniform to Rogers.
"We found her riding around in the dark. When we tried to question her, she made a run for it. We thought it was suspicious."
Rogers caught the uniform in his hands effortlessly.
"She had this?" he raised his eyes back up to hers. "Why in the world did you have this? Are you a spy?"
"No," she answered sternly.
"Tell me your name and where you're from?" He motioned with his finger for her to come closer.
Adella stayed where she stood.
"I heard a lot of pretty ladies are being used as spies," one of the men who had just arrived called out.
Rogers motioned to her again. "Come here."
Adella uneasily took a step towards him.
"You were wearing this?" he eyed her from head to toe, obviously noticing her boots beneath her dress.
"I know this looks bad," she said uneasily, " But-"
"I asked you what your name was and where you were from," he said coldly.
"...Adella," She said unsuredly. "And…Fort Carolina."
Rogers furrowed his eyebrows at her. "How the hell do you have the privilege of staying there?"
"It's a complicated story really," she tried to keep her composure as the man studied her.
"I think I know who she is," one of his men called out.
Rogers turned.
Adella looked back at the man who had spoken. She didn't recognize him so she watched him curiously.
"She's Tavington's mistress."
Adella clenched her teeth at his words.
"I recognize her from when I went to retrieve the supplies from the fort."
"Is she now?" Rogers seemed to find the explanation amusing.
"Shiiiiiit," Mark muttered from the log beside her.
Adella lowered her head. She hadn't realized that her attempts to keep her family together and keep everyone safe would have given her such a bad reputation everywhere.
"Yeah. The presence of a new pretty woman was all the buzz at the fort. And she came with Tavington. So she wasn't definitely off limits. But She was married to the ghost is what I heard," the man continued.
"Well, hell," Rogers laughed and all of the men began murmuring to themselves and each other.
"Ol Colonel Tavington," Rogers continued. "He put that spell on ya huh? He's always had the ladies fighting over him. I've always been jealous of that man's talent."
Adella stayed silent. She wasn't sure if it was a good thing or not that he knew him, obviously fairly well.
Rogers tossed the uniform back to the man who had tossed it to him.
"Why would you be out here all alone?" Rogers moved closer to her and she could smell the stale smell of his sweat.
"Like I said, It's a long story," she muttered.
He reached out and toyed lightly with a strand of her wavy and tossed hair.
"We have plenty of time," he grumbled.
"I used it to leave the Fort," she said simply. It as unnerving being so close to him.
"Why did you need to escape the Fort?"
"Who are you all?" Adella countered. She was tired of the spotlight being on her and she was desperate to change the conversation.
"Why, you haven't heard of us?" Rogers placed his hands on his hips.
Adella shook her head nervously.
"We're the Queen's Rangers."
Adella looked back at the other men who had come with him. They didn't seem to be a very well put together regiment- not appearance wise anyway.
"That Tavington, I don't know why he's always felt like he was in some sort of competition with me. He always thought his Dragoons could do everything that my Rangers were doing."
Adella didn't like the direction the conversation was headed.
"We used to be the regiment that Cornwallis sent out for intelligence and reconnaissance. But then I hear he'd been sending Tavington out. So apparently Tavington has weasled his way in to Cornwallis's head. I heard he sent Tavington out just the other day and he damn near got all of the Dragoons he had with him killed."
He shook his head. "His Dragoons aren't built for stealth. They're fast and efficient. Some might say as quick as lightning but they aint exactly sneaky or outdoorsy like us. Cornwallis has put us on the back burner because of Tavington and his Damn Dragoons. We're out here twiddling our thumbs, hanging low, waiting for orders that aint coming." He spit on the ground and then looked back to her.
"And ol Tavington is staying at Fort Carolina with his Dragoons…And his mistress apparently," he muttered.
Adella wasn't sure what to do or say so she stayed silent. She was thinking hard of a way to get herself out of the situation she'd found herself in.
"You were really married to the ghost?" one of the original men who had targeted her asked.
"Yes."
"How did Tavington get you in bed with him?" Mark piped up.
"He didn't…force you to go to the Fort with him, did he? Take you to make the ghost mad?" Rogers questioned curiously. "That's an idea isn't it?" he called out to the men around him and laughed.
"No," Adella muttered curtly. "I went willingly."
"Hmmmm," he crooned. "Interesting. Switching sides for lust or espionage?"
"You wouldn't understand," she found herself becoming more and more irritated .
"Oooooh," one of the men who had just arrived called out.
"Now listen here," Rogers began. "We can get the information from you the easy way or the hard way."
Adella nervously crossed her arms across her chest. "You seem to be a reasonable man, Mr. Rogers," She began, trying to sound nicer.
"I can be," he studied her as he spoke.
"I really need to get back to the Fort."
"I'm sorry. We can't let you do that."
Adella sighed uneasily. Perhaps he wasn't as reasonable as she had first thought.
"The way I see it, we don't really know if you were telling the truth. I mean you have direct ties to the Ghost. I think that we'll need to escort you back to the fort. I need some face-time with the ol general anyways," Rogers proposed.
"My son is back there. I have to get back toni-"
"We'll get you back. But the Regiment doesn't travel until morning-" Rogers suddenly looked to his left.
Adella was confused for a moment but then he pressed his finger to his lips and all of his men fell silent as if they were listening.
Confused, Adella watched him as he reached for a pistol at his side. She listened hard. She hadn't heard anything- nothing except the crackling of the small campfire behind them.
Rogers motioned to one of the men behind him and the man went in the direction Rogers had looked in.
She stayed silent, thankful that they were not focused on her at the moment, but she was entirely shocked when she heard a commotion and the rest of Roger's men joined in, in the darkness.
Adella turned in the opposite direction, ready to run and take her only chance, but she heard a gunshot that stopped her in her tracks.
She slowly turned her head, unsure if the shot had been for her or for something else.
"Who the hell are you?" Rogers demanded.
Adella was shocked when Rogers pulled a man from the bushes. He shoved the man to the ground. "Why were you watching us? Go grab her," he motioned to her and Mark moved quickly towards her.
He secured her hands behind her back and held both of her wrists, pushing her towards the man on the ground.
"Do you know him?" Rogers demanded.
Adella's mouth fell open. "No. I have no idea who he is!"
She looked down at him. He looked like a regular young man.
"Tell me the truth girl. I'll gut him right here," Rogers pulled a large knife from a holder at his waist.
The man's eyes were wide.
Adella helplessly shook her head. She couldn't formulate any words to say. She just knew that she was about to see this man murdered in front of her eyes.
"She didn't know I was following her!" The man cried out.
"You were following her? Why?" One of the other man cut in.
"I was just following her. She didn't know I was. I swear it."
Adella's mouth fell open. "Why?" she asked.
She could feel everyone's eyes on her.
"What the bloody hell is going on here?" Rogers demanded dramatically. "This is the most we've had going on in weeks."