Nat Turner roared from his hiding place, tearing through the boughs and brush that hid him so that he frightened Berry Newsom and knocked him down. “They wanted Cherry to tell them where you were, Prophet Nat. Wanted all your papers. They got your papers and your Bible. But no matter how they beat her, she wouldn’t tell!”
He grabbed hold of Berry. “Who was there?”
“Congressman Trezvant, Levi Waller, John Clarke, and the others. Even Thomas Gray.” Nat Turner let go of Berry’s collar. Even Thomas Gray?
“Nathaniel Francis led them. Cut out a plug of her hair before Giles Reese stopped them,” Berry said.
Not his Cherry, not her beautiful black hair! Nat Turner moaned, pressing his hands to his head.
“Giles Reese finally pulled a pistol on them, but he was afraid, too!”
Nat Turner pushed past Berry, past the trees that hid him, making his way toward the road. He would kill them all!
He heard Berry panting to keep up with him. “The others were out of control, Nat! What could Giles do?”
Nat Turner knew the paths, the traces through the woods, but he was blinded. He tripped over jutting tree roots, stumbled over withering blackberry bushes; he charged through the woods. Berry Newsom chased behind him and tackled Nat Turner when he finally overtook him.
“Use your head, Nat! They want to roust you out of hiding! You’ll get Cherry, me, and all the others killed!”
Covered in leaves, the two of them sat on the forest floor, panting. Berry was quiet for a moment. “You’ll get us all killed,” he repeated. “Not that my time is far off. They’re sending me with the freemen to be prosecuted. They’re getting rid of all the freemen, getting us out of the way—to shut us up and steal the land.”
Nat Turner buried his head in his arms. He knew that Berry was right. But the thought of Cherry being beaten and savaged was more than he could bear. Berry seemed to read his mind.
“You’ll only make it worse. She’s all right, Nat.” Berry picked up his hat and knocked the dried leaves off his clothes. “Who are you going to go after, anyway? Cherry might be stronger than all of us.”
Berry was right. It was almost over. There was just one more thing that Nat Turner was required to do.