The guards stared at the determined Catalina, momentarily speechless.No, miss, some of them thought inwardly, didn't you hear? That place is where all the scum of Europe hides. You may not fear death, but we do.
Silence followed.
Catalina's servants, however, were visibly excited. This was the kind of terrain they were accustomed to—forests, hills, uneven ground. During the past months, they had occasionally trained with the Germans, but most of those drills had taken place on the plains, where they always lost. It had been frustrating, humiliating even. Their strength lay elsewhere—in mountains, forests, and chaos.
Now, seeing a land where their expertise truly mattered, their blood stirred.
The officer was conflicted. He knew fighting in the forest was dangerous. But if he chose to withdraw now, his position could easily be taken from him, and that cursed governor would likely make him the perfect scapegoat—to explain everything to the world and to the Hanoverian electorate.
