Note: I’m trying something out with this story, an idea inspired by ‘s note re serials in reverse chronological order. Let’s see if it works!
The old woman was anxious, pacing back and forth before her window. “He should’ve returned by now,” she said, not really to anyone. “Something must be wrong.”
As usual her attendants and courtiers comforted her. “It’s probably only the clean-up,” one of of them, a powerful merchant’s wife, reassured her. “You know how it is. There’s treasure to sort out, prisoners to divide, all of that takes time.”
“I know,” the mother laughed, “My son always brings home so much to me after a battle. It’s a wonder he keeps anything for his men.”
They all laughed at that, a little, but it was the sort of laughter heard around a sickbed when a bad joke is made and one laughs to humor the patient while the end approaches. The laughter trailed away in any case as she returned to pacing and waiting, pacing and waiting. Surely any moment she would see the banners in the distance. That was why he’d granted her the high window, after all, so she would always be the first in the city to see his banners. She would see them, once again, any moment. Surely, if she just waited a little more…
Meanwhile, elsewhere and a short time ago….
Wow. Just wow. You know, this ain’t my fault. Yeah, they lost the battle but that’s not my department anyway, my job is extraction and evac, yeah? So my guy has the safe house all set, okay, safe tent, but look, we’re whaddyacall extra-dimensional, timeline ain’t really a thing we do, kind a guys, you know? I mix the terminology a bit. And I ain’t the only one either. But anyway. So my guy has the tent ready, the other guy’s on the way, everything’s cool, and guess what? The wife. Of course, the wife. Right in the frickin’ head. How was I supposed to know she’d pop one right in the other guy’s frickin’ head? And with a hammer, no less? I mean, honestly, I coulda sworn she was buttoned down. That’s what I get for relying on the boys from intel, y’ know. Honestly, those guys. They study and they do these profiles and they make these fancy workups on their subjects and what do I get? I ask you, what do I get? I get a hammer right in the frickin’ head. Honestly. Now what am I supposed to do with that?
Oh, shoot, here come the cops. I mean, they’re not technically the cops, but if they get involved, then the other guys get involved, and I don’t need that. Not today of all days. Honestly.
The Boss is gonna be so mad about this, let me tell you.
Stay tuned for Reports from the Field, Part Two, coming soon!