Little Wolf - Slow Updates

Chapter 6

Chapter 6 - The Raid on Dunkirk

The Raid of Dunkirk

Everyone looked at each other before they all moved, their feet as fast as their legs could carry them. No matter how Harp would like to kill Fisker right here in Dunkirk, he couldn't. His family was close, his friends were on the run right next to him and he didn't know Dunkirk well enough to bring the fight into the city.

And the city was burning...

The thought crossed his mind that fire and smoke seemed to follow him across the world. When he glanced sideways towards Liz, who ran next to him with Tala bound against her chest, he saw the strong lines in her face. Features that he knew too well...A face that was known to him...Because he wore that face too much. The face of war. The face that prepared herself to be ready to shed blood to protect her loved ones. A face that Harp taught her to wear.

If he could, Declan would have grabbed Liz by the hand and made her stop. To turn her towards him, cradle her face in her hands and shout to never show that face again. He disliked the brutal shimmer that settled into her eyes, the way she moved ; ready to lash out at anyone coming too close... Lord Benton made her into this. Captain Chesterfield made her a killer. And Harp himself wasn't innocent ; he learned Elizabeth to wield a weapon. A weapon she used to kill the Captain with. A deserved death, yet, her hands shouldn't had to spill blood.

He got distracted while looking at Liz and hadn't noticed the English soldier who lashed out towards Fortuna next to him.

The captain shouted when he was barely capable of jumping out of the way of the musket's bayonet. It scratched Fortuna's side, but didn't penetrate any flesh and to Harp's surprise, Rob acted fast.

The young man carried a dagger and pivoted on his heels. He raised his arm, locked eyes with Fortuna for just a second before he planted the weapon deep into the English soldier's shoulder. The man cried out, yet Fortuna kicked him against the left knee which made the soldier buckle down and he fell back.

Nobody lingered for too long ; where was one soldier, there would another. Harp nodded grateful at Rob who put away his dagger. The Captain of the group, patted Rob his shoulder before everyone turned to the confused Commodore who just seemed to follow them around.

The French man seemed to know full well that Dunkirk was crumbling all around them. French soldiers bodies were lying everywhere and the houses were burning. Even though, it had started to rain, it wasn't enough to put out the flames making their way up onto the church that stood on the marketplace.

"Commodore," Harp turned to face the grey-haired man. "We need to get to the harbour."

"Impossible," the man mumbled between his teeth. "The English have taken over the harbour as soon as they came ashore."

The French accent made Declan hold back to roll his eyes and he turned to face the others. Kate bit her bottom lip nervously before she turned to face the Commodore.

"Commodore," her voice sweet, scared and innocent. "You must know a way? You can come with us. You don't have to ever return to France after this."

Even McTaggart reacted with a surprised gasp and stared at her wide-eyed. Declan frowned and shook his head.

"Hold up," he spoke, but the Commodore seemed to be enchanted by the vulnerable maid who stood before him.
The man finally nodded and took a deep breath through his nose.

"You all need to follow me, compris?"

"English, Frenchie," McTaggart intervened, deserving an agitated look from both Declan and Kate.

The Commodore didn't pull a muscle, appearing he hadn't heard the Scotsman.

Declan pulled Liz towards him and nodded at the French Commodore.

"We'll follow," he said. His dark eyes boring into the Commodore's. Harp's grip on Liz her elbow tightened a bit and she was pulled even closer his side. "One wrong move, I'll not hesitate to kill you."

The little one in Liz arms stirred a bit, but didn't seem to wake up from all the chaos and Commodore Jean-Joseph his eyes travelled to little bundle in Liz' arms.

For a moment, his cold, blue orbs seemed to soften before he turned to face Declan again.

"We'll need to stay in cover. The English Naval fleet will do anything to stop us," he said, turned on his heels and started walking towards the harbour.

Everyone followed in silence, looking around them whole the time. Two or three time, Fortuna took out an English Officer when the men came around a corner. McTaggart knocked down a few of his own and Kate used her charms on a poor soldier who thought she was an English woman who was lost in Dunkirk.

Idiot. He didn't live to see another day when Harp put one of his daggers in the soft skin of the man's neck. Everything to keep his daughter safe.

They barely heard the screams of the French around them and Liz couldn't help feel a great dislike towards the Jean-Joseph who was now leading the way. He was leaving his men behind to be killed and burned by the English. He was running away from the battle as a coward. Afraid of dying by the hands of Lord Fisker.

Why wouldn't he do the same to them when time came?

She pulled Tala a bit closer to her chest while making a mental note to not trust the French Commodore. Not ever.

Rob on the other hand, that young man was fighting for his life...and theirs. When two English sneaked up onto Liz and Tala, Rob was the one who acted faster than Liz ever thought humanly possible. He took the men out without too many problems with his strength and rough sword.

She had thanked him and grabbed his hands grateful. Rob just nodded, grey blue orbs looking down at the girl sleeping in Liz's arms before he pulled his hands out of Liz grip and moving on.

It took them loads of small alleys, sometimes the group needed to turn around and find another way due to the fires that were devouring Dunkirk. It took them two hours of running around, fleeing the English, killing men on the way, when they finally reached the harbour and Fortuna murmured a prayer to the heavens when he saw his ship.

"It isn't guarded," McTaggart said. "Why isn't it guarded, aye?"

"It's a lousy vessel," Jean-Joseph spat and looked with disgust at the smallest, and probably eldest, ship in the French harbour. "Why should they guard it? It looks as if it would sink before we're out of shallow waters."

"Don't talk about her like that," Fortuna said calmly, yet his eyes spat fire towards the Commodore.

Harp sighed impatiently.

"Shut up," he snarled, tired of the bickering, "let's go. We need to leave. Now."

At least, everyone agreed with him and started moving into the dark towards the ship when a loud cry was heard. Liz froze, her hands swiftly covered Tala who woke up and decided she was hungry.

Declan turned to face her, eyes wide and rubbed his hair with his hands. A group of English soldiers had heard the cry and were running towards them.

"Shit," Rob muttered, but went to stand next to Harp, sword ready.

"Take Tala to the ship," Declan said hurried while both McTaggart and Fortuna joined the other two. Weapons raised. "Stay there , until we're back."

Liz nodded, pressed a kiss on his cheek and ran with Kate towards Fortuna's ship. To her surprise, she ran past the Commodore who drew his own weapon. An annoyed look crossed his face, but he moved to join the group.

The women reached the ship with a crying Tala and Liz quickly fed her. Sitting down on the dark, cold deck while silencing her daughter. She heard the screams and the hard sounds of metal meeting metal from where she sat.