Unholy Fire
Page 34
I could feel her spirit with me then in the room. Her presence was so powerful that I could almost inhale the freshly washed smell of her hair and hear her voice faintly calling me over the wind.
Closing my eyes, I felt myself falling away. Perhaps it was the morphine, but in my imagination, the lupine was blooming purple against the pink heather of the meadows beneath a brilliant sun. Massive flocks of gulls were swooping overhead, their shrill cries punctuated by sudden dives to a tempestuous sea.
In my reverie I was on my way to Blackhead, the highest pinnacle, and taking the trail through the dark cathedral woods that form the mysterious heart of the island. As I emerged from the stand of evergreens that fringe the base of the summit, there was Amelie, standing with her back to me, as if waiting for some important signal from far across the sea. She turned to face me, the wind bringing tears to her eyes as she saw me climbing toward her.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
First, my deep appreciation to Bob Krick, an incomparable historian, whose generosity of time, knowledge, and insight into the American Civil War is simply unparalleled in the writing lives of so many of us who are students of that conflict. Also, my gratitude to Kathy Robbins and David Halpern, whose patience, perseverance, and wise counsel enabled me to finally breathe life into this story. And for writers of fiction who have complaints about their publisher or their editor, may I recommend Peter Wolverton at Thomas Dunne Books (St. Martin’s Press), whose unerringly fine instincts and judgment strongly enhanced this book.
And to William Francis “Frank” Bartlett, whose reminiscence of the Battle of Ball’s Bluff helped to inspire this work, as well as to Col. Joe Alexander, who made the historical errors less egregious.
One final note that might be of interest to the reader. Major R. Snowden Andrews, a Confederate artillery officer serving under Stonewall Jackson at Cedar Mountain, actually survived a wound that was just as grievous as that suffered by the protagonist of this tale. He often spoke in later years of benefiting from the “dust therapy,” and survived until 1903.
MORE PRAISE FOR ROBERT J. MRAZEK
Praise for Unholy Fire
“Full of dark twists and turns, this brooding drama underscores the brutal nature of both the physical and the psychological casualties associated with war.”
—Booklist
“The tension is, at times, enough to set a heart racing. A compelling read.”
—Rocky Mountain News
“Unholy Fire is a grand adventure.”
—Susan Isaacs, author of Long Time No See and Shining Through
“A compelling look at the debilitating physical and psychological realities of war and a brilliant portrait of a time in our history.”
—Washingtonian
Praise for Stonewall’s Gold
“Treasure Island meets Cold Mountain … A novel of suspense and intrigue woven into the fabric of Civil War history.”
—Atlanta Journal-Constitution
“Echoing The Red Badge of Courage, Treasure Island, and morte D’Arthur, this tenderly rendered first novel combines the classic motifs of Civil War, buried treasure, and romantic heroism.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Read this book for the sheer pleasure of the storytelling. A simple tale, almost magically rendered. It settles on you with the warmth you once felt from a favorite bedtime story.”
—The Denver Post
“A priceless novel. Mrazek joins a handful of writers who have mined the vast field of the Civil War to produce a must-read book. A great tale.”
—The Washington Times
“A rattling good adventure story.”
—James M. McPherson, author of Battle Cry of Freedom
All rights reserved, including without limitation the right to reproduce this ebook or any portion thereof in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Copyright 2003 by Robert Mrazek
ISBN: 978-1-4976-4667-4
Original cover art and design by Thomas C. Hurd
Distributed in 2014 by Open Road Distribution
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