Page 13 of The Unknown Birds

“Don’t be smart, Private. I’ll cut off your balls and serve them back to you for tea.”

“No, sir.”

“What’s the first thing you learnt in training?”

“Don’t know, sir.”

“Clearly. What’s the first thing you learnt in training?" he asked Tom.

“Both eyes open, sir.”

“Both. Eyes. Open. Sir,” Chapman repeated. “Both eyes open or you’ll miss your bloody mark by a furlong. Ring a bell?”

“No, sir,” Ashley confessed. What had she gotten herself into?

“Permission to speak, Sergeant Major?” Tom asked.

“Private—?”

“Tomasson, sir.”

“What is it, Tomasson?”

“Ash was recruited day before we left England. Replacement runner, sir.”

“I don’t care if Private Ashley is the King’s own bastard,” Chapman said, but most of the fire in his eyes had been replaced with weary resignation. “That gun will be the life or death of you, soldier, so you’d best learn how to use it. Back in line.”

There was a heavy sigh from the rear and then, “It’s my fault, sir,” Rook said, and Chapman’s head snapped around to the other officer.

“How many bloody new recruits do we have today, Lieutenant?”

The lieutenant shrugged.

“Captain asked me to teach young Ash how to shoot,” Rook went on. “We hadn’t gotten to both eyes open before you all arrived.”

“I reckon you should have started there.”

“We were still working on the difference between the stock and Ashley’s cock, sir,” Rook said, eliciting a round of snickers that made her ears burn.

“How was that going?”

“Not promising, sir.”

“Well bloody get back to it then,” Chapman said, throwing up his arms in defeat.

Thank you, Ash mouthed to Tom before following Rook to the back of the line, shaking with pain and embarrassment, unsure which of the two was worse.

As the exercise continued, she couldn’t bring herself to look him in the eye, but Rook stayed at her elbow, a surprisingly soothing presence, pointing out good habits and flaws, noting how the best shooters braced themselves, jamming the rifle under their arms to reduce and absorb the recoil.

“See how that lad breathes, loads, fires in one fluid motion like the weapon is part of his body—as natural as having two hands?”

Ash didn’t see it at all, but she wanted to, so she nodded just the same.

He sighed, not believing her lie, and massaged her throbbing shoulder. “How much does it hurt?”

She shook her head, and a sympathetic half smirk tugged at his lips once more.

“You’ll get there. Unfortunately you don’t have the luxury of time. You’ll have to work hard.”