Page 16 of Twins for the Secret Prince
“Although Sergeant Bailey no doubt has your safety in mind, I need to be very clear about this — these are the kind of conditions you can expect to encounter. Many times, you’ll be facing this weatherandenemy fire. This training is meant to prepare you for the worse eventualities. Those who want to come hunting with me, raise your hands.”
Eva ignored the dozen or more hands that shot up in the air. “Stand down, Sergeant Billings. There will be no hunting tonight. That’s an order.”
“Sergeants, a word!” Armstrong said sharply, gesturing for Eva and Billings to step away from the camp and follow him.
The three officers stood under the canopy of a large cedar tree. The first lieutenant looked at both of them, his eyes flashing, and then said, “What has gotten into the pair of you? This kind of antagonistic behavior will not stand. Do I make myself clear?”
“But surely you can see that he’s being completely unreasonable?” Eva said.
“Surely you can see that she’s being—” Billings countered before Armstrong interrupted.
“Enough! You are both in danger of insubordination. And just stop and think for a minute about the image you’re projecting to your squads. You’re the very model of indiscipline! This ends now. Your behavior — and I’m talking to both of you — is inexcusable. Now, sort out your differences once and for all. When you come back to camp, you’re going to be the picture of professional harmony. Understood?”
“Sir, yes, sir,” Eva and Pete said in unison, about as unconvincingly as it was possible to be.
“I’ll accept an apology from you,” Eva said through gritted teeth. “But I’ll not stand for a repeat performance of what you just did in front of my squad.Ever.”
“An apology? What, for stepping in and preventing you from letting these weak, lazy, overindulged recruits get away with sitting in front of the campfire all night?”
“Listen, you throbbing lump of testosterone,” Eva spat. “I’m tired of you acting as though you know best all of the time. I’m tired of you, and I’m sick and tired of having to pretend that yourwhite male privilege is just something I have to put up with, and dodge, to get by in this world. I’m tired of—”
Eva didn’t get the chance to continue telling Billings what she thought of him because at that very moment, the air all around them began to bellow, the likes of which she’d never heard before. She barely had time to realize it was the sound of the earth above them giving way before it engulfed both of them and carried them down the mountain in a rush of mud and rain.
CHAPTER 6
PIETER
Pieter had lived through bad weather before, but never had he experienced the deafening, apocalyptic sound of a large section of land giving way, picking up momentum as it moved downhill at lightning speed. He’d never faced anything like a landslide, and to say he was unprepared for what was happening was an understatement. Suddenly, the ground beneath his feet gave away completely, taking him with it on its rapid downward trajectory.
He scrabbled in vain for something to grab hold of, trying to stop himself from being carried away by the river of mud. He squeezed his eyes closed to shield them, covered his chest with his arms to protect his vital organs from being lacerated by large objects, and was swept away. It was like tobogganing, only with more fear and zero fun.
His body hit something solid, and he came to a sudden, abrupt stop. Pieter opened his eyes and saw that his fall had been stopped by a large overgrowth of bush scrub. The impact had knocked the wind out of him, but it didn’t feel like there was any serious damage to his body. He wiggled his toes, then his fingers,and then gently lifted up one arm and then the other, repeating the action with his legs. Relief flooded him as he realized that he’d survived the landslide and impact of the landing without breaking any bones.
He called out to Eva but couldn’t hear a reply over the blustering wind. He stood up on shaky legs and looked in all directions but didn’t see her. He called to her again and thought he heard the sound of his own name in the wind. A few seconds later, he heard it again.
“Sergeant Bailey?” he said.
“Over here,” she called out.
The strong winds made it sound as though her voice was coming from all directions. “Shout out again, so I can find you!”
“I’m right here!” she called, and Pieter whipped his head towards the sound.
He couldn’t stop the snort that emerged when he saw her. She’d landed facedown, and she was covered head to toe in thick, black mud.
“If that was you snorting, you’ll be sorry, let me tell you.”
“It must have been the wind you heard,” Pieter said, trying but failing to suppress a grin. “And anyway, I don’t know if you know this or not, but you don’t exactly look terrifying in that state. More like a swamp creature.”
Eva glared at him and stretched her arms and legs, feeling for any injuries. “The good news is we survived,” she said grimly.
“What’s the bad news?” Pieter asked.
“Take a look around you. We’ve landed in a gully bordered by huge rocks, with a fast-moving river behind us. Our options are to stay here and hope we get rescued, fight our way back up that hill, or let the river carry us downstream to a more appropriate place to set up camp.”
Pieter’s jaw dropped. “Those are all terrible options.”
“Agreed. Even if Armstrong decided to organize a search party in this storm, he’s got a bunch of inexperienced recruits to choose from. And in this weather, I think he’s more likely to wait until morning.”
