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Sharpe's Sergeant	By : Sable899 Category: S through Z > The Sharpe Books Views: 1683 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own the Sharp series of books that this fanfiction is written for, nor do I know Sean Bean. I do not make any money from the writing of this story. This story is fiction.

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Chapter 32 Steinmetz, 1822

Harper and Fredrickson silently trailed Ducos until he disappeared into a grove of dense evergreens. Working their way around in search of an opening through which they could observe him, they froze when they heard several voices coming from the thick green cover. The voices were all speaking French, leaving it up to Fredrickson to decipher what was going on. Several long minutes later, satisfied he had gotten the gist of their plans, he motioned Harper to follow as he backed away and headed for the site of the caves.

“There’s at least four, five at the most,” Fredrickson described, “in addition to Ducos. He’s got a barrel of powder primed up in amongst the other barrels inside. He plans on waiting until Zara gets the gateway open and the Colonel makes it into the cave to set it off. It will blow the place to hell and back, and Sharpe along with it. He’s sending his men this way to flank us.”

“How in the bloody hell did he know when we would be here?” Jamie Sharpe wondered aloud to the gathered group of would-be rescuers, “If anyone has any ideas what we should do, now’s the time to speak up.”

“Ducos’ known about you all along, Jamie,” Fredrickson answered, “this whole thing is his doing. He set up the plot to lure Sharpe here, fully expecting the curse of the caves to claim him like it did them poor devils we found here dead. He just never counted on the fact that Sharpe’s is a charmed life. He’s been in worse fixes than this, even been declared dead a time or two, but he just comes waltzing back into the thick of things every time.

“Well, Ducos knows all of you are here,” Harper motioned around the gathered circle, “but he don’t know about Fredrickson and me. Zara, is it possible to open the gateway before midnight?”

“Yes. Not as easy, but can be done,” Zara Pyecroft nodded in confirmation, “at sundown. I will have to move to inside the cave though.”

“Septimus, you eliminate the threat of the powder charge,” Jamie jumped in as he quickly grasped an idea, “When the charge doesn’t go off, Ducos will want to find out why. You get Zara hidden out of the way and let him go on by you.”

“I’ll get on it right now,” Pyecroft didn’t wait for an answer but quickly headed off into the nearest cave.

“Awright, the idea is to make it appear as if we are all inside the cave,” Jamie began outlining his rapidly developing plan, “Dally, Doggett and Cade, you get into the best possible concealed firing positions. Zara, as soon as Septimus is ready, you can start whatever it is you have to do. Sundown is less than an hour away. General Calvet, Uncle Pat and Major Fredrickson, you’ll be with me in the cave. Just as soon as Zara gets that gateway open, we’re going through to fetch the Colonel back. We know Ducos will be waiting for us, but he won’t know that we know and he won't know that the gateway will be opened long before midnight.”

“And in the meantime, I’ll just go ramble about the woods a bit and see to it that Ducos comes alone,” Harper decided with a glint in his eye.

“I could do with a bit of a ramble myself,” Fredrickson cheerfully joined in.

Steinmetz, 2007

“Sean isn't with you?” Camden inquired as soon as Rich Moore appeared, “I thought he was supposed to be done early today?”

“There was a bit of a mishap on the set,” Rich explained with a sideways glance in Sharpe’s direction, “seems this scene where Meg is supposed to slap him got a bit out of hand. She...aaahh...she...she cold-cocked him instead and he went down like a sack of potatoes. He was out cold for a couple of minutes.”

“What?” Camden exclaimed just as Sharpe let out a low chuckle, “Why would she do that? Is he all right?”

“He’s fine. He said he’d be along as soon as they finish another take,” Rich assured, “He’s got a horse, so he’s just going to ride on down as soon as they wrap for the day.”

“Well, never mind, he’ll get here when he gets here, I suppose,” Camden decided as she heard another vehicle arriving, “That’ll be Smitty with Zara.”

A few moments later, Smitty and Zara appeared, having parked the vehicle some ways up the road out of sight. A very surprised Camden and a somewhat startled Sharpe were nearly speechless as they saw Camden’s old buddy Orry following along behind Smitty.

“Now don’t you even think I couldn’t figure out something odd was going on around here, Cammie!” Orry scolded with a huge grin before she could say a word, “Smitty’s no damn good under duress, don’t you know? Just a little pressure, a threat or two, and he spilled his guts.”

“Damn you, Orry!” Cammie cursed even while smiling at the thought of having her old friend on hand and giving him a big hug.

“And this is Colonel Richard Sharpe, I presume?” he asked, extending a hand in welcome. Sharpe hesitated a moment before accepting the offered hand. His green-eyed glare softened and a flash of his illuminating smile completed his acceptance of the assistance that Orry was offering. “Smitty spun a great tale that sounded just a bit too far-fetched, but I figured anything that far-fetched just had to be the truth.”

“Okay, everyone, listen up,” Camden began her briefing; “Orry, Smitty, and Rich, you guys will take up covering positions. Sharpe and I will be up on that ledge over there. Once Zara has opened the gate, we wait exactly ten minutes. Anyone coming through from the other side probably won’t wait and should have made a move by then. Once we’re sure it’s clear, we can secure the cave so the Colonel can enter. No one is to take any hostile action until positive identification has been made on anyone who might show up. That goes for you too, Colonel. Hopefully, Sean will be here by then. Rich, I’d like you to look after Zara and get her out of the way in case things get hostile.”

The only unnatural sound in the vicinity was that of Zara’s voice as she chanted the words that would open the gateway while the sky began turning a vibrant orange as the sun dropped low in the sky. The words were foreign and ancient, from a time before the memory of man. The woods fell silent as the faint evening breeze stilled and the birds took flight from the eerie monotone. Slowly, a roar began to build from somewhere deep within the cave, a sound not unlike that of an angry ocean crashing against a rocky coast. It grew in intensity until suddenly, just before the sun began to slide beneath the horizon, it stilled to a faint whisper.

Camden’s little band of men held their positions while long minutes ticked by. Before the required ten minutes were up, four figures emerged from the darkened entrance, moving into defensive positions to either side.

“Hold!” came Sharpe’s commanding voice from his hidden perch upon spotting the silver buttons of a Rifle officer just as the sound of a horse at a slow canter approached over the gravel road. The command was instantly recognized by the four figures and weapons were checked as they froze in place.

Sean pulled his horse up and dismounted just as Sharpe and Camden emerged from their hidden positions. The four men dropped their weapons as they tried to make sense of the sight before them. Duplicate Richard Sharpes stood before them, complete in every way; green jackets, red sashes, worn boots, the signature swords at their sides. Shaggy blond hair fell into hooded green eyes as the familiar smiles flashed. They stood the same, moved the same, held their shoulders the same, and had the same scars on the right cheek and over the left eye.

“Blood-eh ‘ell, Jamie,” Sharpe exclaimed as he realized the lead figure in the Rifle officer’s uniform was his own son, “Ya took yer grand old time coomin’ fer me!”

“Well, bugger me!” Jamie exclaimed in amazement.

“Jesus, Joseph, and Mary!” Harper cursed.

“Mon Dieu!” Calvet went in turn.

“The Devil you say!” Fredrickson swore as they all converged on the Sharpe that had recognized Jamie instantly.

“How can this be?” asked Jamie, still amazed after backslapping and hugs were over, “two of ya? What sort of magic is this?”

“Tis a long story, best saved fer later,” Sharpe advised as an aggravated Camden elbowed him aside as she stepped forward to make her presence amongst so much rampant testosterone known.

“Damn you, Sharpe! I might ‘ave known you’d find yerself a woman..." Fredrickson never finished his comment for just at that moment an enraged and bellowing Ducos emerged from the dark of the cave.
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Sharpe's Sergeant