77. Cherish

As Ivan tried to help, sending hot calming waves of adoration I tried to shake off the creepy feeling under my skin. Jackson took the lead and addressed the group.

“We knew some of you wouldn’t be cut out for this. But the rules we kill by are the rules we live by. This is your exit, you can walk away. If like Anders it’s not what you signed up for then I’ll give you your gold and you can leave head held high. Otherwise…you keep in line,” kicking the dense, unmoving body of Anders as his blood stained the gravel and met the rivers flow.

“I’m here for the Battalion,” Kharkov said flatly, a chorus which echoed around the men. “Here for the Battalion became a chant, a chorus that soon had every man beating his chest, looking at Ivan with steadfast commitment. He gave a nod, raised his hand and said, “Cherish are you still happy to scout or do you need time to recover?”

“We can wait a day,” Jackson offered, followed by grunts of agreement from the rest. Kharkov’s dark brown eyes trained