Chapter 124: Reinforcements
"For the love of God, please tell me I am hearing it wrong!" I stormed out of the bedroom into the dimly lit corridor of the convent, the last traces of sleep flushed out of my system. The candles along the hallway flickered with each passing gust, their weak light throwing long shadows on the walls.
Too many times I had been roused from sleep to attend to something serious.
I never did get use to it.
God must know this old man deserves at least a moment’s rest.
"I’m really sorry about this, Heneral... but we’ve been attacked..." Sargento Guzman followed close behind, adjusting his belt as he tried to keep up with my brisk, determined pace.
"Attacked?" My voice cracked somewhere between disbelief and fury. But even as I said it, I knew better.
The staccato bursts of gunfire outside shattered any hope of misunderstanding. The reports echoed from multiple directions, a layered cacophony of rifles clapping and voices shouting. This wasn’t a skirmish. It was an exchange of fire between several dozen combatants.
If there was any small comfort to be found, it was that the shots didn’t sound too close. Nothing near the sharp volume of bullets cracking within the streets or yards. That meant the fighting was still at the periphery—our perimeter had not been breached.
"Yes, Heneral," Guzman confirmed grimly, his voice low. "The attack started just minutes ago. Our lookouts spotted them early enough to raise the alarm and prepare defenses. We’re being hit from two directions—north, from the riverbanks, and east, out of the forestline."