Part 28 (2/2)
Grey was happy to drink to that. The apple brandy was just as fragrant and fruity as when he'd first sampled it in the icy farm pond.
And it had just as much of a kick.
When Grey and Pierre left the house to bed down the horses and find a good place to test a grenade, Ca.s.sie sat down at the table with Jeanne to make their test weapons. She'd brought several pounds of gunpowder and yards of fuse with her. Jeanne watched warily as Ca.s.sie made a paper funnel to pour the powder into the first jug.
”That isn't going to explode and blow up my kitchen, is it?”
”No, gunpowder is very stable. The grenade won't explode without the lighted fuse.” After Ca.s.sie poured in the powder, she cut a length of fuse and slid it through the mouth of the jug, then corked the bottle very tightly. It looked quite innocent when she was done. A small brandy jug with a cord running out of it. ”I'll make a couple more with different fuse lengths and amounts of gunpowder.”
As she started on the second, Jeanne asked, ”How soon will you raid the castle?”
”As soon as possible.” Ca.s.sie delicately funneled the gunpowder into a jug. ”Preferably within the next two or three nights. The moon is waxing, and each night will be brighter.” Frowning, she cut a length of fuse. ”Plus, my instincts are saying that the sooner this is done, the better. For all your family's sake, but especially Pere Laurent's.”
Jeanne nodded gravely. ”He had become stronger while here at the farm, but he is frail. Imagine the horror of being back in the cell where he spent so many years!”
”I'm trying not to think of it.” Ca.s.sie bit her lip as she made a third test grenade. This would be a chancy operation, with far too many variables. She hoped Pere Laurent was on good terms with the divine, because they were going to need all the help they could get.
That night they all tromped into the forest to test grenades. Even Jeanne came, not wanting to miss the action. Grey and Pierre had found a test site on a wilderness slope opposite the village and the castle. Even though they were miles away, sound traveled, and they didn't want anyone to be alerted to the use of explosives.
A light rain was falling, which meant the explosions would sound like thunder. As Ca.s.sie picked her way through the woods with a s.h.i.+elded lantern, she gave thanks for such ideal test conditions.
After half an hour of hiking, they reached the site. A pair of rocky outcroppings had a pocket of soil between them where several trees about the height of the castle walls grew. Not only could they practice their throwing, but they could see how much damage the grenades did to the rocks on the other side while taking shelter behind the outcropping on their side.
Ca.s.sie eyed the trees. ”Shall we start by tossing stones about the same weight to test our throwing abilities?”
Grey nodded. ”Earlier Pierre and I collected some that seem about the right weight. They're piled over there.”
He set his lantern on the ledge of rock behind him and hefted a stone. After tossing it up and down a couple of times, he hurled it over the trees. The stone cleared with s.p.a.ce to spare and clattered against rock on the other side.
”Not bad,” Pierre said as he chose a stone. After testing the weight, he threw. It cleared the trees by a huge margin. He hadn't been lying about his good throwing arm.
Ca.s.sie was next. Her stone didn't clear the trees by much, but it was an adequate throw. Next came Jeanne. Determination on her face, she wound up, threw-and the rock crashed into the tree's budding branches.
”I think it's good you'll be dining with the magistrate,” Grey said with a grin. ”Are we ready for live ammunition?”
Ca.s.sie produced three grenades that she'd packed in a canvas carrier bag with towels for padding. ”I've put different-length fuses in these. I think they will explode in about five, three, and two minutes, but I'm guessing and want to test my guesses.”
She lifted the one with the shortest fuse. ”This is another test-less gunpowder. A smaller charge will be useful for blowing in the postern without attracting as much notice as the explosions in front. We'll also need one if we must blast our way into the cells. I don't want to kill the people we're trying to save. Pierre, since you have the best arm, you can throw this one with the shortest fuse after we've tested the other two.”
Pierre nodded, pleased. Grey started by lighting the longest fuse with the lantern flame, then tossing the grenade. They joined Jeanne behind the rocky outcropping and covered their ears while Ca.s.sie counted down the time mentally.
KABOOOM!!!!!!!! The ground shook and air and sound battered them even behind their barrier.
After the rattle of falling debris ended, Grey said, ”Let's look at the damage.”
They found that the grenade had left a small crater, tossing earth and stones away and cracking the stony outcropping. Grey put a warm hand on Ca.s.sie's shoulder. ”Is this what you expected?”
”Yes, though the fuse burned faster than I expected. I'll have to cut longer fuses.” Ca.s.sie threw the next grenade, which had about the same amount of explosive power. Pierre's low-gunpowder version seemed to have the right power for use on the windows. As they studied the smaller crater it made, Grey said, ”We have our a.r.s.enal.”
Voice throbbing with excitement, Jeanne said, ”Your plan seems more real now. Perhaps my family will be free in a few days!”
Ca.s.sie didn't bother to say that grenades were the easy part.
Chapter 45.
Two days later, all the arrangements had been made and the raid was set for that night. Pierre and Jeanne had already left in a cart to meet the magistrate, and Grey and Ca.s.sie were in their small bedroom preparing the equipment they might need. Ropes; a short, heavy crowbar; weapons. Grey frowned, wis.h.i.+ng they were better armed.
He would carry the heavier equipment and most of the grenades in a pack they'd devised to sling over his back, leaving his hands free. He double- and triple-checked the contents, his nerves taut even though he and Ca.s.sie had had endless discussions about the possibilities and refining their list of materials. ”Is this kind of tension like going into battle?” he asked. ”How long does it take to become used to it?”
Ca.s.sie hadn't yet changed into her black male clothing, but even with drab hair and a plain brown gown, she was lovely. Calm, sure of herself. He missed the red hair.
”We are going into battle, so tension is normal,” she replied. ”Though you're twitchy now, as soon as the first grenade explodes, your nerves will steady and you'll be fine and dangerous. We've planned as much as we can. Now it's in G.o.d's hands.”
”I hope G.o.d wants to save one of His better priests, and us along with him.” Grey surveyed his pack. ”I wish we had firearms.”
”We discussed that,” she said patiently. ”We couldn't have carried a rifle through France without being noticed, and one rifle wouldn't have been much use against a squad of soldiers. Pistols aren't very accurate, especially at night when we're moving as fast as we can. I have a knife, and I know how to use it.”
”Firing a weapon can make the enemy take cover and buy time even if one has only one shot,” he pointed out.
”True.” She patted her smaller bag, which held the rest of the grenades. ”But we do have explosives, if not firearms.”
He looked out the window at the darkening sky. ”Is it time to go yet?”
She laughed. ”Not yet. You're as impatient as a child who has been promised an ice at Gunter's.”
”I've never done anything like this.” He perched on the small bed opposite Ca.s.sie's. Jeanne and Pierre had made it clear that they didn't mind what sleeping arrangements their guests made, so he and Ca.s.sie were sharing the room that had belonged to the two Boyer daughters. They'd used only one of the narrow beds, which was crowded, but they'd wanted to be as close as possible. A single bed was sufficient for making love.
”One's first experience of war is difficult,” she observed. ”But everyone has a first time. At least you're no green seventeen-year-old soldier who has never faced the enemy before.”
”I'm not so much afraid of being a coward,” he said slowly as he puzzled out his concerns. ”But the stakes are so high! I'm afraid I'll fail and it will hurt others.”
”Life and death are the highest stakes there are,” she said calmly. ”But we all die eventually. I hope it's not tonight, but would either of us choose not to be here?”
”As I said in England, this is something I must do.” He scowled at her. ”But you don't have to. You could be safe and learning how to spend money in London. Haven't you ever thought of retiring from this most dangerous game?”
”I have,” she said, to his surprise. ”When I visited Kirkland to chastise him for letting my cousin know I was alive, he told me it was time to leave spying behind. I've done n.o.ble work and helped my country, but Napoleon's doom is inevitable.” She smiled a little. ”Though he was very complimentary, he made it clear that my services were no longer needed.”
Grey's brows arched with surprise. ”Interesting. Even more interesting that you didn't mention this to me earlier.”
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