and the Prior left their hiding place and joined the rest of the group. After Tom explained what he had seen, Sophie looked upset.
“Here’s the thing,” Tom said, noticing how his sister was reacting. “We don’t know if they’ll let us through or not. We either just walk up and see if they’ll let us pass, or we go back to the Commandery and wait until we know that they’ve left the area.”
“Maybe one of us should try first,” Ralph suggested. “If one person can get through, then the rest should be able to get through with no problems; if one person can’t get through, then they’ve only seen one of us, and they won’t know about everyone else – just in case they’re recording the faces of the people they turn back.”
“Who goes first?” Emily asked.
“I will,” Ralph replied.
Tom nodded. “It makes sense. Be careful, Ralph.”
“Will do, boss.”
Ralph got up and started walking toward the intersection. When he turned the corner, Tom and the Prior moved forward to watch.
As Ralph approached the checkpoint, he made a mental note of how many soldiers were there and how they were armed. He had his passport in his hand as he got closer. He didn’t want the soldiers to see him reaching into a pocket and think that he was reaching for a weapon.
When he was about twenty feet from the checkpoint, a soldier stepped forward and held up his hand. Ralph held up his passport. “I’m trying to get to the American Embassy.”
“All Embassies are closed,” the soldier shouted. “You may try again in a few days.”
Ralph hesitated, but before he could say anything, several of the other soldiers pointed their weapons at Ralph. Ralph nodded, turned, and walked back to rejoin Tom and the Prior.
When they were all together again, Ralph told the group what had happened. “No one’s getting through. They told me to try again in a few days.” Turning to Tom, he said, “They’re definitely using Il Nona’s rifles, boss. I recognized the design.”
“I think that we should head back to the Commandery,” the Prior said. “The other party will no doubt have the same result. We can decide what to do next once everyone’s together again. I’ll make sure that there’s food brought in so no one goes hungry tonight.”
It was almost dark when Tom’s party arrived at the Commandery. On the walk back, Emily suggested that the Commandery Knights place some additional surveillance cameras around the city so she could get a better sense of what was going on.
As soon as they arrived at the Commandery, Emily took the remaining cameras from the surveillance system case and handed them to the Prior. “I think that we should also move some of the ones on the building down the street,” Emily said. “Keep a couple of them up there so we can see anyone approaching the Commandery, but take the rest of the cameras and deploy them closer to the government buildings, any broadcasting centers nearby, and anywhere else that will help us figure out what the next steps should be.”
The Prior handed the cameras to the five of his Knights. The Knights left to start placing the cameras around the city.
A few minutes later, Sam and his party returned. They had met a similar checkpoint on the other side of the Embassy and had the same results as Ralph. The Prior sent several Knights to get food and anything else that would be needed to keep their guests safe and comfortable for an extended period of time.
Tom and the other officers of the Order went around to every room, closing all of the blinds and curtains in the building to prevent anyone outside from knowing that someone was inside. Once this was done, they congregated in the Meeting Hall on the second floor, which had no windows.
They had just sat down when they heard someone enter the Commandery through the front door. The Knight who had escorted Ruth to her Embassy called out, and a minute later, Ruth appeared in the Meeting Hall.
“The way was blocked,” she said, taking a seat next to Sam. “Looks like your way was blocked, too.”
“They’re telling people that the Embassies are closed for the next several days and to try again later,” Ralph said.
“They told me the same thing,” Ruth commented. “We tried to find other ways to get to the Embassy, but they had all the ways blocked. They even have patrols on the rooftops to keep anyone from sneaking past the checkpoints that way.”
The Knights who had gone to get food returned, and everyone joined in to prepare the meal. The Commandery had a large kitchen, and the Knights had brought back enough groceries for several days.
Sophie, still a little shaken from the day’s activities, sat down in the far corner of the room by herself. Emily noticed her sitting alone and went over to keep her company. Tom glanced at Liam, who just shrugged helplessly. There was nothing he could do to make Sophie feel better about what was going on.
“What’s wrong, sis?” Emily asked as she sat down next to Sophie.
“I’m scared,” Sophie replied. “I don’t know what’s going to happen, I’m scared, and I want to go home.”
Emily put her arm around her sister-in-law’s shoulders. “Me too,” she said.
Sophie turned to face Emily. “But you’re trained for this kind of thing,” she protested. “You and Tom have been through things like this before. I haven’t.”
“That doesn’t make me any less scared,” Emily said softly. “It just makes me prepared to take more risks. Tom and I aren’t thrill-seekers or danger-junkies, you know. We’re normal people who’ve been through some unusual situations. It’s given us confidence in our skills, but it’s still scary at times. At the battle under the Capitol building, I was terrified when the shooting started. I knew that I was going to die. My gun was empty, everyone else was down, and all I could do was wait for the HSF officers to kill me.”
“What happened?” Sophie asked, wide-eyed. Emily had never talked about what had happened that day.
“Tom saved my life,” Emily replied proudly, looking over at her husband. “We were defending the chamber where the witnesses were waiting. I was outside and Tom was inside. Just as I was sure that the kill shot was coming, Tom and one of the soldiers with him rushed out and took the HSF officers by surprise. He saved my life and the lives of all the witnesses. I haven’t been afraid of much since then – only the thought of losing Tom or Jamie.”
“So you’re really scared, too?”
“Of course I am. We’re in the middle of a South American revolution that’s using mercenaries who tried to get the European locals and Muslim immigrants to start a bloody conflict that would have destroyed Europe for generations; we’re cut off from our Embassy and all communications… what’s not to be scared of? It’s not a question of being afraid, though, it’s a question of what I’m going to do about it. That’s what sets this family apart from other people. We don’t let fear stop us from doing what has to be done. We take the fear, we channel it so it doesn’t get in our way, and we take action to remove whatever’s making us afraid. That’s one of Tom’s greatest qualities, and he got it from your father. You have same quality, even if you haven’t had a reason to use it yet.”
Sophie thought about this for a moment. She had always been considered “fearless” by her friends, even though she had never seen herself that way. But what Emily had said made sense. Her family had been in a number of situations over the years that would have made other people cower in fear, but her family had always faced the fear and overcome whatever was making them afraid. She felt her confidence returning.
Sophie gave Emily a hug, feeling better than she had in a while. “Thanks, sis,” she said. Standing up quickly, she added, “Come on. Let’s give these boys a hand before they make a mess of everything.”
Laughing,