Chapter 2

The woods were dark, even during the day. The trees covered any sense of light, and he found himself circling around and around. His heart was heavy, his body broken, yet still he pressed on. Finally, he found a clearing, with fields of corn. Automatically he knew where he was. "Just twenty miles til I reach father's camp..' he muttered to himself.

Shots were being fired in the distance. He immediately gripped his rifle, his eyes searching left and right. Even though they sounded miles away, he couldn't be too sure. Twigs snapped from behind, and he whirled around, his gun pointed. His eyes flared, but soon weakened as he saw his target. The man, whose gun was also pointed, dropped it to the ground. "Gabriel?"

Tears filled his eyes, and he dropped his gun as well. "Father." The two embraced, Benjamin, a look of both wonder and joy on his face. He squeezed his son tight.

Gabriel cringed in pain, but said nothing. He was too happy to worry about his wound now. His father felt him cringe. He stole back his body from his son, but kept his arms on his shoulders. "Your wounded," he bluntly guessed.

Searching with his eyes, he soon found the bloody stain on his young son's shirt. "It's not bad," Gabriel tried to explain.

Father mode took over Benjamin. "What happened? I thought you were…dead."

"I'm, sorry father. I took a bunch of your militia and we….we tried to get Colonel Tavington. He…he wounded me, and the others are dead." Suddenly both guilt and sorrow laid on the young man's mind, for he was the cause of his friends' deaths.

He refused to look up at his father. Benjamin, who immediately understood, sighed. "Your task was completed. He is dead."

Gabriel turned away. "I know. But not by my hands."

"Then who.." A snap of a branch. Both father and son reared there bodies, alert of the danger. A girl, one that Gabriel recognized right away, sprung her hands up.

"Don't shoot!" She was one of that lady militia. He narrowed his eyes. So that woman was having people following him.

Benjamin lowered his gun and rolled his eyes. "Goodness, girl, what the hell are you doing all the way out here?"

Gabriel answered for her. "Following me."

His father turned to him. "You know her?"

"She's a scout for a most wild little girl. She had this young one follow me to get to you."

The girl looked from father to son, her arms still raised. "Lady Kris thought it best. She didn't think you'd survive long."

Gabriel laughed with scorn. "Of course she wouldn't. Now listen here. You run along back to that insane woman and tell her that I don't need her inconvenient help." The girl continued to stand there.

"Well??"

She bowed her head. "Begging your pardon, sir, but Lady Kris told me to report to Benjamin Martin first."

Mr. Martin straightened his back and looked from girl to boy in confusion. "Uh…report, then." He looked to his son and shrugged his shoulders.

The girl bowed again. "Thank you sir. Lady Kris brings word of the British troops. We have managed to obtain some of their traveling plans; er…routes and strategies they are planning to use, and the like. She told me to give these documents to you.." She took a piece of parchment out of her bag and handed it to him. "She said they would help a lot in our cause."

He stared at the parchment. "How did you get these?" The girl blushed.

"Seducing British troops does have its advantages." His eyes widened, and slowly a smile formed at the edge of his lips.

Gabriel rolled his eyes. "It's madness. This 'Kris' woman started her own militia with no more than girls with batting eyelashes. The only good they could do is get themselves killed!"

A look of amusement spread on the older man's face. "A girl militia ay? Interesting."

"More like foolish."

"Perhaps. Though these parchments speak of their accomplishments. We need all the help we can get, Gabriel."

"Women should be at home cooking and cleaning, not fighting a man's war. Helping in any way will only get them killed." His eyes flared, his voice full of anger. Benjamin noticed, and put a hand on his son's shoulder.

"I'm sorry she's gone, son." Gabriel looked away.

"I don't want to talk about this."

The girl looked at the two, bewildered. Benjamin turned to her again. "Report back to your leader. Tell her and her company to meet at Carey Field tomorrow at noon." The girl nodded and swiftly ran back towards the woods.

He turned back to his son. "Gabriel, come. You need rest for that wound to heal. How did it happen?"

Gabriel turned and walked by his father, his mouth silent.