Winds of Fire

Chapter 24

Not far from the manor, a truck could be seen driving under the heavy rain, and at its helm was none other than Fiammetta, although disguised as an ordinary civilian. The liberi couldn't lie to herself that she wasn't nervous. The journey through Ursus had been arduous, and it was by sheer luck that she and her fellow Apostolic Knights had reached Shiraziberg without getting caught along the way. However, all of that paled when compared with their first contact with the Russian forces. Soldiers with gear taken out from a sci-fi movie, steel behemoths armed with massive, fearsome cannons and vehicles equipped with so many machine guns that it would make any Sankta shit their pants... They had witnessed firsthand what the Russians were really capable of, and Fiammetta couldn't help but imagine what would happen if those machines of destruction were to roll freely down the streets of Laterano...

-*Beep* Hey, Fiammetta. Are you there?

The voice coming from the communication device broke the liberi from her daydreaming. She grabbed it and, pressing the button, answered.

-Yeah, I'm here. What do you need?

-Oh, nothing. – Replied the guy at the other end of the line. – We called just to check how you were doing at the cockpit.

-Don't worry, I'm completely fine. – Fiammetta said. – But damn, you could have picked someone who excels in infiltration missions, not me.

-Yeah, sorry about that, Fia. – She heard another of her companions say. – A Sankta driving a truck in the middle of Ursus would have definitely raised suspicion, so you were the only possible choice for this task.

-Tch, I hate when you're right.

-I know, but hey, we are all sure you'll do a good job.

-And what makes you think that, Raphael? – Asked the Liberi, a bit cocky.

-Well, one day when we were killing time at the Basilica's canteen Patrizion told us that in one particular mission you disguised yourself as a wandering bard to infiltrate a Victorian count's party.

-Yes, I remember what happened that night. – She replied. – Were my singing skills absolutely pitiful? Yeah, but in the end it did the trick.

-Regarding this... some time ago me and some other colleagues caught wind of a couple of stories regarding that same party. You would be pretty surprised to find out that some in the public liked the performance, specially a group of Leithanian nobles.

-Please, don't me remind me of that, Mateo. – Said another of her companions. - Those dudes came to last week's reception at the Vyseheim Embassy and, oh Lord. They spent the entire f*cking night telling everyone about your performance in at the count's party being the best they heard in their entire lives!

Fiammetta thanked the Law or whoever was up there she wasn't sitting in the truck's back with the rest of her unit, because their comments were making her embarrassed.

-Jeez, what an inconvenience indeed. – The aforementioned Raphael thought. – To be frank, Leithanians are too prideful, and the only redeeming quality of those krauts is that they have good taste when it comes to music.

-Definitely! If would have been a sin to say something negative of our dear Fiammetta's voice!

The laughs of her fellow Gun-knights resounded through the device's speaker. The joy in their voices brought a smirk to Fiammetta's lips... However, when she turned her attention back to the road, her expression hardened. She pressed the button.

-*Beep* Guys, I need to hung up. We're about to face a Russian control. Over and out. *Beep*

The Liberi put the communication device away in the glove box and took a deep inspiration to calm her nerves down. Dozens of meters ahead of her, a barrier with spikes all over its surface blocked the road, and manning it was a group of heavily armored soldiers, who upon spotting the incoming vehicle signaled the Liberi to branch off to the side. She obeyed and stopped the truck in front of them. Immediately, the officer in charge approached the vehicle and, when Fiammetta lowered the window, said.