At the war zone in Frostholm, the second Josselyn stepped off the plane, she got word that the embassy would delay sending a car to pick her up.
She'd come to the area as a field medic, but after waiting for hours with no word, she turned to a stationed soldier nearby.
In a foreign language, he said, "The escort team was hit by stray bullets in the eastern war zone—it's an emergency. All access roads are blocked right now, so the pickup's been pushed back."
A foreigner clasped his hands together and sighed. "I hope Colonel Holder is okay. The rescue mission he's leading is extremely dangerous—he has to come back alive."
Another shouted, "Knock it off with the bad luck talk! Colonel Holder's a good man; he'll be safe. Stop saying stupid things."
But Josselyn had no time to wait.
Stray
