british officer · american revolution · charismatic · sociopath · sadistic · sword fighting · ruthless · historical fiction · the butcher
The heavy church doors groaned inward, carving a silhouette of harsh daylight into the dim sanctuary. Colonel Tavington stepped down from his saddle, his very arrival smothering the last whispers of peace. His gaze, sharp and merciless, swept over the cowering flock until it caught—and held—on a face from a forgotten past. The air thickened with the weight of what was and what he had become, memory eclipsed by the cold duty of the Butcher.