The road between Williamsburg and Fort Dunmore had been hacked out of the Pennsylvania wilderness nearly twenty years before during the war with France, and though it had seen some improvement since then, the ride was still rough and unpleasant. Robert Connolly had traveled it many times and was not bothered. He was thinking about the assignment.

Lord Dunmore’s plan was bold, but the carnage it was going to unleash was going to be devastating to many of the settlements along the frontier. Most of the Virginia homesteads had been reoccupied after the Shawnee war, but there was a latent fear that kept everyone on both sides of the Ohio River on edge. It would not take much to set the region on fire once again. Connolly chuckled to himself as he thought about how simple it would be. It made no difference where a person was from, or their culture; humans were the same. Deep down, he knew that all men crave violence.

Connolly looked up at the Ensign who led the four soldiers Dunmore assigned to him as an escort. He did not like having them there. British soldiers surrounding a single man in civilian clothes told every passerby that he was a man of importance, an agent of the crown. This ran con44

trary to the mission. He needed to remain unseen and unremarkable. That was the only way he could move freely.

Connolly thought about the young Ensign. He looked almost childlike in the bright red officer’s uniform but was probably somewhere around eighteen years old. Undoubtedly the spawn of some member of the gentry back in England, sent to America to experience an adventure and further his family’s name. The very idea that there were still powerful people in Europe who viewed America as little more than a playground where their sons could pretend to be soldiers stirred both contempt and pity. Too often, the boys died horrible deaths in places where they should have never set foot. Their families would be told that their son’s lives were bravely given for the glory of king and country. But he knew that it was more likely that they died to further the business interests of powerful men in the bureaucracy or colonial government. Every soldier in the British Army, and every colonist on the frontier, was nothing more than an expendable pawn in the great game of power played by those who would never set foot in dangerous places. But none of that truly mattered. Robert Connolly was paid well, and if that continued, he would do as he was told, take his payment, and forget about everything else. The other pawns were on their own.

Looking around at the thick forest that bordered the road, Connolly nudged his horse with the heels of his expensive riding boots and trotted up next to the Ensign at the front of the small column, “Ensign Ashcroft, may I have a word?”

“Certainly, Mr. Connolly. How may I be of service?” Ashcroft nodded politely as they continued to ride.45

“There is a small creek up ahead. It is one of my favorite spots on the road. I would like to stop there and have a bite to eat. Would that be acceptable?” Connolly asked. As the governor’s agent, he knew he could simply order Ashcroft to stop, but there was no sense in embarrassing the boy in front of the men.

Ashcroft looked down the road, “Do you think we will still make Fort Dunmore by nightfall, sir?”

“I do, Ensign. It is no more than four hours away,” Connolly replied.

“Certainly, then. I am sure the men and horses could stand a break as well,” Ashcroft said.

“Splendid. It is such a pleasant day, and frankly, I am in no hurry.” Ashcroft smiled and nodded respectfully.

When they arrived at the creek, they dismounted and allowed the horses to wade into the cool water to drink. Connolly and Ashcroft pulled some bread and dried venison from their saddlebags and took a seat on two rounded boulders near the water’s edge. In the absence of an order to stand guard, the three soldiers took hardtack and jerky from their kits and sat on the ground in a circle a short distance away. One of the men situated some stones in a ring and built a small fire to make tea. As they waited for the water to boil, Connolly heard them talking about the things that soldiers always talked about; women, drinking, and what they were going to do with their money after the next payday.

The sound of the creek accented the warm sunshine that peaked through the new leaves on the sycamore tree that hung over Connolly and Ashcroft. Neither of them 46

extended the courtesy of conversation to the other. Ashcroft felt it was inappropriate for him to address an agent of the Royal Governor without being asked something first. Connolly was more interested in listening for the movement of men in the woods behind them.

After they finished lunch, Connolly looked at Ashcroft as the Ensign brushed the crumbs off the white trousers of his uniform, “Do you like it here in America, Ensign Ashcroft?”

Ashcroft looked up with surprise and was pleased that he was finally being given an opportunity to speak, “I have only been here a month, sir. Quite honestly, I am still adjusting. It is an immense and wild place.”

Connolly nodded in understanding, “Yes, the scale of America is unlike anything in the world. Where are your people from?”

Ashcroft sat up straighter and smiled, “My father is the Fourth Earl of Balfour. I grew up in Sussex.”

Connolly nodded, “That is wonderful country. Am I correct that you are the second son?”

Ashcroft dropped his chin slightly before catching himself, “Yes, my brother is the oldest. He remains in England and works closely with my father.”

“Was the military your first choice for a career?” Connolly asked.

Ashcroft shifted slightly, “Well, not really. I had always wanted to pursue the law, as a barrister. But my father believed the army presented a better path. He wanted 47

me to search for opportunities in the colonies. The king’s service was a logical choice.”

Connolly looked at the thick mountain laurel behind them and closed his eyes, letting the sounds of the creek carry him to a different place for a moment before returning his attention to Ashcroft. He placed his left hand on the boy’s right arm and looked at him with a sadness that caused Ashcroft to tilt his head slightly in confusion. With a father’s sincerity, Connolly tightened his grip on Ashcroft’s wrist, “I am sorry.”

Before Ensign Ashcroft could respond, the forest exploded with the sound of musket fire. The three soldiers fell dead. One collapsed on top of the fire. Pulling Ashcroft close by the boy’s left arm, Connolly drew a dagger from beneath his coat and shoved it into Ashcroft’s abdomen at an upward angle, just beneath the left side of his ribcage. Twisting the blade slightly before withdrawing it, he then drove the stiletto into the soft tissue behind the chin and watched as life drained from the boy.

Connolly did not let go of Ashcroft’s arm until his lifeless body slowly drooped to the ground. He wiped the blade clean on the Ensign’s immaculate red coat and turned to look at the four men emerging from the forest. All were dressed in a combination of buckskins and linen hunting shirts of varying colors. One wore a tricorne hat. The others wore soft caps like the ones worn by French traders. All had moccasins like those worn by Shawnee warriors. Connolly walked over to Bartholamew Reeves.

“You are late,” Connolly said simply, expressing fact rather than frustration.48

“We got a late start from the fort this morning,” Reeves replied.

Connolly looked at the bodies of the dead soldiers and pointed, “Strip them of their frocks, boots, and equipment. Scalp them all. We must make it look like the Shawnee did this.” Turning to look at Ashcroft’s lifeless body, Connolly thought for a moment before speaking, “Take the Ensign’s scalp, remove his eyes, ears, and nose. Leave everything except the scalp beside the body.”

Reeves nodded and motioned for the men to get to work. After they were done, Connolly went to his saddlebag and removed a knife with Shawnee markings on the handle and plunged it into Ashcroft’s chest. Stepping back to look at the scene, he wondered if the bodies would be discovered before the animals got to them but knew that was unlikely. Lord and Lady Balfour would have to deal with the knowledge that only part of their son would ever return to England.

Reeves and the other assassins mounted up on the soldier’s horses and started making their way south. They left the road behind and followed a game trail that paralleled the creek. When Reeves was almost out of sight, Connolly climbed onto his horse and settled into the saddle. After looking at Ashcroft’s mutilated body one more time, he slowly turned his horse down the path to catch up with the team of assassins that would help him start another war. They too would soon be dead. They were, after all, just pawns in a larger game.

 

From the Back Cover:

Lord Dunmore has returned to Williamsburg and is faced with the realization that the same men he mobilized to fight the Shawnee Nation are now preparing to join the rebellion against King George III and Great Britain. Willing to do anything to keep Virginia under Great Britain’s flag, Dunmore conspires with a mysterious agent to assassinate the leaders of the patriot movement in Virginia before they can launch a full-scale war against the Crown. The intrigue, espionage, and murders produced by Dunmore’s plot forces John Dickinson, Lydia Townsend, Red Hawk, Cornstalk, Logan, and Henri Thevenin, to once again risk everything to protect their families and homes.

As book two in the Fading Darkness series, Beyond the Fading Darkness reconnects readers with the characters they came to love and hate in Through the Fading Darkness. The rich narrative blends amazing history, political intrigue, espionage, and complex characters into a riveting thriller that, at times, feels like it was taken from today’s headlines.

Enjoy the acclaimed novel, Through the Fading Darkness on audiobook. Performed by accomplished voice actor, Scott Fleming, this subscription podcast will transport you back to the Virginia frontier just before the American Revolution.

If you want to get caught up on all the great characters in the Fading Darkness universe, get the full Through the Fading Darkness audiobook on Amazon and Audible today.