![]() ![]() Raising an arm, Louis pointed back to the small group of men gathered around the giant tree. It seemed the military liked to keep its secrets to only a select few. Louis straightened, enjoying the shocked expressions on the others' faces. As the men pushed the drums into the field, Louis studied another team laboring around the base of the giant Yagga tree. After the valley had been secured, men with axes and awls had hiked up inside the tree, set deep taps into the trunk, and drained large quantities of the priceless sap. ![]() At the tree, two small steel drums were being rolled out of the trunk's tunnel. These were not Carl Rand's eyes, his father's eyes. Louis pictured the old man sipping his neat bourbons. ![]() Louis remembered his elderly friend from the bar back at his hotel in French Guiana, the survivor of the Devil's Island penal system. He had clearly known inconsolable grief and somehow survived. What do you mean? Nate asked suspiciously.īut finally, it was those eyes, as hard as polished stone. Nathan Rand's gaze was as hard as the Rangers but there was a glint of something more. It was not a plea, but a simple question. What are you going to do with us? Nate said. I swore as a gentleman that I wouldn't kill you or your friends. Louis removed a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his brow. Admirable qualities, even if they were directed at cross purposes to Louis's own. And finally, here at the end, he had proven his loyalty, with a willingness to sacrifice his own life for his team. Throughout the journey here, Nathan had demonstrated both ingenuity and a stout heart, even dispatching Louis's spy. In fact, he found himself somewhat respecting the young man. What is he talking about? Nate asked, directing the question to the sergeant. They sat slightly apart from the remaining members of the Ban-ali tribe. Satisfied, he strode over to the line of segregated prisoners, the survivors of the Ranger team, baking and burning under the sun. military, he said sadly, the emotion surprisingly unfeigned. ![]()
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