We were rocked by a shell hitting the room directly above us. The outside wall collapsed, taking part of our floor with it. Some of the corpses the captain’s men hadn’t yet removed tumbled out of the gaping hole. Bright sunshine flooded the room, and as the dust began to clear, we could see a line of Ethiopian soldiers charging over a nearby ridge, running down toward the prison. The floorboards beneath our feet creaked and sagged, then stabilized. We were on the third floor. If it gave way, we were done for.
Captain Bonaventure came back with a half-dozen of his men and ordered them to get the wounded Italian soldiers out of the room. “Sisters,” he said. “I must now insist you leave with us.”
Sister Camilla hesitated beside Raji for a moment, then reluctantly agreed. The two nuns picked
