Page 94 of Dead Fall

“Amerikantsy,” Harvath shouted back. “Mezhdunarodny Legion.”Americans. International Legion.

“Ne strelyayte,” she said, now in Russian, as she headed in his direction with her hands raised.Don’t shoot.

“Dvigat’sya medlenno,” Harvath cautioned her.Move slowly.

When the woman got close enough, Harvath let his weapon hang from its sling and quickly patted her down while his men kept her in their sights.

Whisps of white hair protruded from beneath her babushka. She was seventy years old if she was a day. Her body was bent and her deeply creased face was worn and weather-beaten. She had a million questions for Harvath, and they all came tumbling out at once.

Despite speaking in Russian, she was upset and talking too fast. He had to ask her to not only slow down, but also to simplify her questions and make them easier for him to understand.

The first question was about the family who lived at the winery.Where were they?He told her that the man and the woman had been killed.

Once again, she grew upset and very agitated.What about the twins? The little girls? What happened to them?

Harvath shook his head and told her he didn’t know. They hadn’t seen any sign of anyone else. The thought that the Ravens might have taken the two little girls and might have been doing God knows what to them made bile rise in his throat.

The old woman was also distraught and Harvath guided her toward a bench and helped her sit down.

After giving her a moment to collect herself, he asked her to tell him what had taken place. As she spoke, he did his best to translate for the team.

“Bad men came. Painted devils. Those who could escape came to the hills. There are lots of caves here. This is where she and a handful of others have been hiding.”

“Painted devils?” Hookah repeated.

Harvath asked the old woman to explain. When she was done speaking, he said to his team, “Several of the men had their faces painted to look like skulls.”

Hookah looked at him. “Are you serious?”

“Are you surprised?” Biscuit broke in. “Those Ravens are sick fucks.”

Harvath agreed. “You’re not wrong,” he said as he turned back to the old woman, and they continued speaking.

As she laid out what had happened, he translated: “They came through this afternoon. Many trucks. Another villager, who had seen them coming, had sent a warning.

“When the men arrived, half went toward the winery, while the other half started looting homes. The villagers who had escaped to the caves barely made it out in time.

“Most of those who remained behind—friends, family, and neighbors—had been taken to the far end of the village and shot.

“A few, who had enclosed themselves in hidden spaces inside their homes, had described how the painted devils had gone through kitchens, dining rooms, and bathrooms looking for alcohol and medicines.”

When Harvath pressed the old woman on any identifying characteristics, beyond the painted faces, she said there was one item all of the men had in common.

“On each of their uniforms, there was a patch,” Harvath translated. “The head of a large, black bird—a raven.”

“Did anyone notice anything else?” asked Krueger. “Maybe which direction they went when they left?”

Harvath asked, but the woman shook her head.

“Is she sure?” Krueger pressed. “Someone must have seen something. Maybe someone overheard a Raven talking. Ask her again. Better yet, let’s get the rest of them out here and we can ask them one by one.”

“You’re pissing up a rope,” said Hookah, exasperated and wanting his colleague to drop it. “They were terrified. All they cared about was staying alive. If they had any actionable intelligence, they would have given it to us.”

The man was right. They had been terrified and their number onefocus had been on staying alive, but Harvath realized that the woman had indeed given them a piece of actionable intelligence.

Removing his map again, he illuminated it with his flashlight and asked her to point out the village that had alerted them that the Ravens were headed their way. She did.

He then asked her how they had communicated.Via cell phone, she informed him.And, before that, had another village warned them?he asked.Probably, the woman replied.We all stay in touch to help each other. At that point, he only had one more question.