Man at War – Excerpt No. 258

26 May 2026

Aelred had just been seated in Marc’s office when Murphy stormed in. The man looked as though he had seen a ghost, which did not set Marc’s mind at ease.

“Sir,” Murphy said with a quiver in his voice. “You’ll want to see this.”

Without question, Marc got up from his stool and looked at his French counterpart.

“He’ll want to see this as well,” Murphy said.

“Are you up for this, old man?” Marc asked.

Viewed from behind, a senior officer in a dark military greatcoat and peaked cap walks through an open wooden doorway into a stone-walled office. Inside, a younger officer seated at a desk looks up toward him with a neutral expression. The room contains a desk with papers, chairs, framed pictures, and military equipment. The entire scene is captured in dramatic black-and-white with a vintage aged photo border.

Disclaimer: This novel is an work in progress and readers may encounter grammatical errors and inconsistencies. Please view this a draft and not a published work.