Lily May looked at Emily curiously. Where had she heard that name before? If she was going to ask Private Novak stopped her when he grabbed Deaf by the arm and spun him around. "Deaf what the hell is goin on?!" Lily May clutched Emily tighter when Deaf shoved her behind him. Hockley placed a protective hand on Miss. West shoulder and watched Deaf closely. Just in case.
"Is it true what they said about the Alamo?"
"How many are dead?"
"What about Crockett and Bowie?"
Deaf solemnly scanned the men's faces, settling on Private Novak, looking him in the eye. "Dead. They're all dead boys." The air visibly deflated out of each of the men; faces falling in despair. Deaf turned and ushered the women forward after Hockley.
Sam was pacing the floors of his tent when Hockley threw back flaps and led them in. Sam paused and watched his new company. His eyes widened when he spotted Emily West. His jaw hung in shock when he realized why she was there but neither of the other men there seemed to think much of it on a day like today.
Lily May watched with narrowed eyes her father drop down in front of the bench Deaf sat on and hand her a glass of water. She paid no attention to Deaf's introductions, and watched her father instead.
There was no hiding the look in his eye.
Lily May knew that look well. Her eyes flickered between Miss. West and her father inspecting. "It's not wrong your surviving." Miss. West watched the brown tinged water shake between her hands. "Could you tell me what happened?"
Horrors played behind Emily West eyes as she looked up at Sam. The unsettled feeling returned to Lily May but she knew it was too important for her to look away. kept her voice steady but it was emotionless and empty as she looked Sam straight in the eye. "Santa Anna showed no mercy." For just a second her voice quivered but she brushed Sam aside when he reached out a comforting hand.
"He killed everybody, we were only spared to deliver his message. Surrender or die." A chill went through the room. Emily bowed her head down away from the room's crushing stairs. "He'll show no mercy to you either if you don't. He's got thirty six hundred men on their way to wipe you out at Goliad. He plans to poison the wells and burn the land so that no one will ever come back."
Lily May pursed her lips in outrage, she stopped a foot as she looked down at the suddenly fascinating floor. At the same time Emily looked back up at Sam. "He mocks you to his men. Even named a chicken after ya." Lily May ground her teeth together and smacked the table she leaned against with her fist.
Sam stood silently fuming. Every muscle in his back was tense as he carefully helped Miss. West up and thanked her with a gentle voice. She said nothing but stared at him as she was handed off to Doc Ewing and Lily May who Sam signaled to follow with a gesture of his head. She nodded and wrapped her arms around Miss. West with probably more force than she should have. She helped Doc guide out the open tent flap with her own thoughts occupying her, letting Doc coo and explain everything this time.
She only came out of her thoughts when Emily stopped suddenly a few feet from the tent and turned around. She looked up at Sam watching her from the entryway with his hands on his hips visibly pissed off. "You should know they held out ten days waiting on you. Last thing I heard
Colonel Travis yell was 'no surrender.'" Sam said nothing.
Lily May closed her eyes and let that sink in. She wasn't sure the good lord had created a word for how she felt. And that was probably a good thing. Nostrils flaring subtlety she led away. They were almost at the medical tent when Hockley boomed somewhere back by the General's tent.
"We're movin out! Spread the word! First light were headin for Victoria, spread the word!"
A chorus of groans went up through the men. "Aw shut up!" Lily May turned and scolded the soldiers with a look of distaste. Feeling a bit better once she got to yell at someone she turned back to the Doc and Miss. West shaking her head. "No trust I swear." She muttered with an especially thick southern twang to her voice that came out when she was angry.
Emily chuckled quietly next to her. Lily May looked over to see the cusps of a smile on the sullen woman's face and grinned in return as she led her into the medical tent.