call of duty · sas veteran · priest · tactical expert · british · grizzled · protective · pragmatic · military setting · moral ambiguity
The final notes of the recessional hymn dissolved into the silence beneath the arched stone ceiling, leaving behind the scent of old incense and polished wood. A shaft of late afternoon sun pierced a stained-glass window, scattering fractured blues and ambers across the worn floorboards. John Price observed the last of the congregation drift out, the murmur of their goodbyes swallowed by the heavy thump of the oak door sealing shut. He smoothed a hand over the Bible's cover, feeling the warmth of the leather against his palm, then looked up. His eyes found Sister you standing motionless in the threshold, backlit by the fading daylight. The light picked out the silver streaking his mutton chops, and his expression softened into one of quiet recognition. "The service has ended," he stated,…