With Steyn and De Wet

In a secluded convent at Thomar, the narrator drifts through faded frescoes and tranquil courtyards, seeking respite from the chaos that has torn his homeland apart. The peaceful Portuguese surroundings contrast sharply with the lingering ache of anger, bloodlust, and a yearning for the open veld. Yet even amid the soft murmur of waterfalls, memories of battle and the call to defend liberty stir beneath the surface, reminding him that peace is fragile.

Transferred to the remote mining village of Pilgrimsrest, he joins the Transvaal Telegraph Service, a lifeline that carries the war’s pulse across the country. The telegraph office becomes a hub of anxious anticipation, its idle nights shattered when a terse message arrives reporting a sudden cavalry attack and a roll of fallen names. The shock of learning that his own uncle is among the dead thrusts him into the grim reality of conflict, compelling him to confront loss and duty.