Vindication and Fury
The winds of the veld carried whispers of the British return, but Pieter van der Merwe and Koen rode among their people with a calm born of defiance. Months had passed since the exodus and the formal declarations of the South African Republic and the Orange Free State. The republics were no longer mere ideas—they were realities, carved from sweat, blood, and stubborn hearts. Koen’s eyes scanned the horizon. “They are coming, Pieter. Slowly, surely, with reports of our independence burning at the Cape. London will not forgive this. They will send soldiers, letters, envoys, and threats. Every one of them will carry the arrogance of empire.” Pieter’s jaw was set, eyes narrowing. “Let them come,” he said, voice low but filled with quiet fire. “We are not a whisper to be ignored. We are men w
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