The Ember In The Storm (undergoing editing)

Part IV

    Jackson cued for his horse to turn left and towards the stand about twenty feet from where he was, however, Romans horse stood ahead of his, causing it to stagger back in surprise. Jackson controlled it back to its composure with the bridles.

"Roman, what is the meaning of this?" He asked with a little annoyance at the action.

"With all due respect sir, I need to know what has possessed you to this. What seems to be the matter?"

Jackson groaned and huffed a breathe. "You will not understand", he attempted to walk his horse around his before once again, he repeated his actions. This infuriated the young man. He frowned angrily and opened his mouth to speak before Roman beat him to it.

"You are a General, I must have you safe at all times and make sure you make decisions not out of haste", he explained. Jackson opened his mouth to speak but only to be cut once more by yet another.

"General?" A man spoke behind Roman. The two turned their heads only to see a bald middle aged man with a light beard across his face. He smiled his rotting teeth ahead at the two of them.

"I hear one of you is a General", he stepped towards them, looking up at them both back and forth, wondering which one was the General until stopping on Roman. "Sir, how are you?!"

Roman furrowed his face and looked down at the man with annoyance before back to Jackson, wondering what he is supposed to do.

"I am fine, who are you supposed to be?"

"Oh me?" He laughed at the question, fixing an invisible tie. "My name is Simon, sir... a small man who works hard to put food on the table", he placed a hand over his chest in pity of himself.

Jackson's eyes drifted past Roman and at an anxious Elizabeth staring anywhere but his direction. She looked miserable. Her hair was in a coiled mess, her face was filled with dirt, her body looked even smaller especially with the black torn and worn out gown over her body he could never remember belonging to her.

Her face was pale and her lips looked dry as she licked them. She stood ahead of five other women, her legs heavily chained to the ground and meeting the chains of everyone else in a sequence.

What was she doing here? He thought once again. Last time he checked, or was told, she was with Vaughn and perhaps Luke too. Yet, how did she land in New York? And most of all, enslaved?

This infuriated him, looking at her any further vexed his soul and he had to look away from her and back to the man below. "Are those yours?" His voice was rough and stern, echoing and demanding. Simon quickly turned.

"Oh those?" He looked over at the slaves before up at the man proudly. "Yes... new stock too!" He encouraged them, watching as Jackson stepped down from his horse, Roman doing the same with a murmur under his breath as to what he was up to.

"Do you need a slave?"

"The General does not buy slaves", Roman retorted, gritting his teeth and startling the small man a little. He bulged his eyes at the words and looked at Jackson in surprise.

"He is the General?" He asked in astonishment. The man was young even though he was much taller than he was and strongly built, yet compared to the other man with him, he seemed like a child. It would have made sense if the larger gentleman was the General. Instead, he had his head bowing to him.

"Is there a problem?" Roman inquired, causing him to quickly shake his head, denying the question.

"How long have they been here?" Jackson asked, voice low and concentrated. His hands fell within his coat pockets and he still stared at Elizabeth. This caused anxiety within her.