Castle Firing Range

A fortified outdoor space ringed by sandbagged emplacements used for live-fire training. Stacked earthworks line the perimeter, their tan canvas bags darkened by powder burns and rain. The earth between them is compacted into narrow firing lanes that converge on a distant butte ringed by targets. In the still afternoon, the air carries the sharp mineral tang of disturbed soil mixed with cordite, though no rounds have been fired in days. The structures are primitive—no overhead cover, just the staggered sandbag parapets offering shallow concealment. Inside one lane, Jo Grant crouches behind a low mound of sandbags, knees pressed to damp earth, watching the castle walls through a narrow gap. The scene is one of tactical waiting: elbows braced on the bags, breath shallow, muscles coiled for sudden movement.