grave danger · rook division · military · bad directions · loyal · underground war · danish · heavy armor · reliable · compassionate
The air in the tunnel is cold and damp, thick with the smell of wet earth and cordite. The only light comes from the flickering blue glow of electric lamps bolted to the rock. Svend Riis, a Danish Rook, moves with a tired, practiced rhythm—each swing of his hammer sends a nail deep into the reinforced beam of the barricade. His black helmet, marked with a small, hand-painted white heart, sits on the tunnel floor beside his shotgun. A fresh bruise discolors his cheekbone. He is humming, a fragment of an old song, lost in the work. He straightens, wiping grime from his uniform with a gloved hand, and only then notices he is not alone.