A Hero in His Own Right
by Dale Harsh
Chief took a position next to the Lieutenant as he laid the material out on the table. The map was already marked but he�d never spent much time on the names of the countries over there. It seemed like the borders and who was in control of �em changed about every other week. He concentrated on the lay of the land, where the mountains and rivers were, how far it was to the coast, or to the places where they might find people willing to help if they got in a jam. �So where�r they sendin� us this time?�
�Romania�
�What!?� Casino snorted. �Why? The Brass runnin� low on vampires?�
Goniff looked up from the desk lighter he was toying with, �Vampires?!�
�Sure. That�s where they come from y�know. Transylvania�s right in the middle there.� The explosives expert pushed himself off the sofa and ambled across the room to the table. �C�mon, I�ll show ya.� He flattened the map out with his hands and tapped a finger on it, looking up at the little cockney who�d joined them and was now starring at him wide eyed. �Right there, see, in all those creepy mountains. You seen the movies in stir didn�t ya? Well, that�s all based on real facts. The place is crawlin� with vampires and werewolves n� stuff like that.�
�Knock it off Casino.� Garrison was about to laugh, until he saw the looks Goniff and Chief were giving their safe cracker. Goniff would fall for any tall tale. Garrison thought he probably liked a good scare, just like a little kid, and would have a good laugh over it when it was all over. Chief�s early background though was tribal, and he knew from what the young man had told him that his grandfather had passed on the legends of witches and shape shifters, evil beings who could change themselves into animals and birds and wreak havoc among defenseless people of the tribe. He didn�t think Chief believed in those stories, but there was no sense in letting Casino get started on them.
�We�ve learned that one of the top resistance leaders in the area has been captured. The Germans are holding him here.� He settled his finger on the map. �An expert interrogator is supposed to be on the way.�
Actor spoke up from his place across the table from the Lieutenant. �And they want us to go in and get him out?�
�You got it.�
�And just how much time do we have to effect this rescue?� The con man knew they wouldn�t have much time. Resistance was stiff in the area the Warden had indicated but it was under German control and their lines of transportation were protected by air cover and a strong presence on the ground. It wouldn�t take long to move an expert to that location, or to take the man away to Berlin for that matter, and they could do it by air or ground.
Garrison glanced around the group. �Intelligence says we only have forty-eight hours to get in there and get him out.�
�Jeeze! Two whole days! They think we�re slowin down or somethin� Warden?�
The Lieutenant�s mouth quirked up in a quick smile. �No. They�re taking it easy on me because I�m just back off medical leave.�
�Thoughtful of �em." Chief leaned in and really studied the map now. "How�r we gettin� in and out?� It looked like it was mostly mountains. Jumpin� in could be tricky but if he bet on things like that, he�d lay his money down on a parachute drop as close as they could get to the target, probably at night.... And with their luck, probably right in the middle of a storm.
�We�re going in by plane. The locals will meet us when we get on the ground....�
�Uh... by locals you do mean the resistance guys, right Lieutenant?�
�Sure he means the resistance guys!� Casino snorted. �They just have pointy teeth and flap around at night.... Hey Goniff, it�s a full moon too. Just the thing for those werewolves.�
�Casino, that full moon will make us much more vulnerable going in. I don�t think I would make too much of a joke out of it.� Actor advised.
�Aw C�mon. We never jump in decent weather.� The group around the table murmured their agreement with that statement. It seemed they were quickly becoming the section experts in jumping in foul weather.
�And I�m afraid we�re holding with tradition on this one.� Garrison said with a shake of his head. �There�s a storm moving into the area, that�s why we have to be ready to go and out at the airfield in an hour. We�re going to beat it, but not by much. They�re hoping that bad weather will slow the interrogator down. So get your gear and meet me out front in fifteen minutes. The truck�s already here.�
The men moved out of the library, talking as they made their way upstairs to their quarters to pick up their gear. Garrison shook his head and laughed at the comments he could hear as they climbed up to their room....
�Say, Goniff, you go on down to the kitchen, see if you can rustle up some garlic, and I�ll go break out that special box a silver bullets they sent over from the armory last month. Chief�ll pack up our stuff. Won�t ya kid?�
�Uh.....�
�Pappy, you better asked Actor to do it. I think we could use some a them oak stakes the gardener�s were usin� the other day.�
�Oak stakes?!�
�Aren�t you gentlemen forgetting the silver crucifix? Goniff, you have managed to obtain one of those on one of your little shopping trips, haven�t you?�
Great, he thought, they were all in on it, even Chief.
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Chief had been right. They were going to be jumping right into the middle of a storm, or at least that�s the way it felt on the plane. As they approached the target the wind and rain intensified as if nature itself was trying to warn them away. The Warden, with hardheaded determination, ordered them to the door and reassured them as they hooked up their lines. They�d meet up with the underground as soon as they landed, do the job and be on their way home in a matter of two days.
The only one that believed that was the Warden and a close look in his eyes revealed a dark shadow of doubt.
The storm seemed to know when they finally arrived over the drop zone. It increased its efforts to thwart their attempt to reach their objective. As the first three men left the relative safety of the plane lightening flashed across the sky and thunder crashed around them, the wind changed direction and the plane twisted and dropped pulling it off course. The fourth man jumped clear.., and then the fifth, just as lightening struck the aircraft causing an eerie blue glow to dance over its metal skin.
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Chief rolled to his feet and gathered the silks without thinking. They�d been drilled on this hundreds of times and jumped often enough that it was automatic now, his mind could be elsewhere, worrying about where the others were, while his body accomplished the task. As soon as he had the fabric gathered into his arms he headed into the trees to hide it away before he set off in search of the others.
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Casino came down just on the edge of a bluff, completely exposed and only a couple of yards from a drop of more than two hundred feet. He shrugged out of the harness tethering him to the chute that was still open, still filled with wind, and still trying to pull him off the edge and down into the darkness. As soon as he released the last buckle the rig took off on its suicidal course. He couldn�t stop it, there was no point in trying. He watched as the thing disappeared into the depths. Dropping down into a crouch he waited for his heart to stop its frantic attempt to leave the confines of his chest.
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Actor finished covering the chute with earth and leaves. Straightening to look around him he started off in the direction he assumed was north. He was sure he�d seen two of the others being carried that way by the winds. The storm whipped sand and rain into his eyes and nearly pushed him off his feet. The bright flash and sound of the plane as it crashed into the hillside behind him was lost in the roar of rain as it made its way towards him.
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Goniff clutched his knees and pushed himself against the rock face, trying to melt back into the small alcove he�d found in the wall of the gorge. The lightening was coming so fast and furious it was almost as if a light had been switched on, but he couldn�t use it to see where he was or search for the others. He could only huddle in to himself, cover his ears and squeeze his eyes shut and pray for it all to end.
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Chief stayed still, leaning against the large tree and just listened. The storm had already blown itself out. The wind dropping from a raging screech to a desolate moan. There was a stream somewhere nearby, he could hear the musical echo of it reflecting off the rocks that lay off to the south, but the fog, trees and mist hid it from view. There was a raven complaining to himself about the weather somewhere far off to the east and in the distance, barely discernible, the bone chilling call of a hunting wolf. He found his knife in his hand as he turned to search the surrounding area for that threat and shook his head at the absurd idea of defending himself against one of the ghosts of the forest in hand to hand combat. Sliding the blade back into its harness he griped his pistol instead, pulling the slide back he checked to make sure the gun was ready. He pushed himself away from the reassurance and safety of the trees and continued his search for the others.
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Casino rubbed the back of his hand over his eyes. The wind had tricked him, dropped off to nothing and then caught him off guard, throwing dirt and stinging sand up into his face, blinding him. He blinked hard and squinted off into the shadows to his right. He was sure he�d seen something, but the grit in his eyes caused them to water, blurring his vision. He strained his ears to hear and pressed back against the boulders that were strewn along the bluff.
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Actor moved quietly along the tree line. He was certain he�d seen something up ahead but was not going to risk discovery by calling out. There was a gorge to his left, the trees giving way to a jumbled boulder field that would provide hiding places for a patrol of German soldiers. He moved forward another few yards and halted, still in the cover of the trees. Wiping wind blown sand from his eyes he squinted into the mist, willing himself to take in the whole scene before him rather than concentrate on one particular form or shadow. He waited for any sign of movement. Holding his breath he could only hear the clucking of a raven somewhere in the distance.
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�Fellas? Hey, fellas!� Goniff called out barely above a whisper. It felt like he was completely alone. The prickling along the back of his neck told him there was no one around to watch his back. Griping the pistol tighter in his hand he moved away from the safety of the small shelter he�d found, dropping into a crouch as the sudden beating of wings sounded to his right. He watched a large rook push up through the damp air and disappear up over the cliff top, its desolate call echoing against the rocks. The freezing rain that had lashed out at them in the night was reduced to a steady depressing drizzle, the frantic wind dropping to a despondent sigh that roused itself into an occasional moan as it met the cliff face or moved through the skeletal trees that clung along the bluff. The little second story man waited. The others would be out looking for him. All he had to do was wait and pretty soon Chief would come sneaking through the trees and find him, or he�d hear Casino cursing and complaining under his breath as he searched for him. Any minute now Actor or the Warden would come striding along that path there and call him to heel for fumbling his landing again and putting them behind schedule. But as the minutes crept past he realized that no one was going to come for him this time. If he was going to be rescued it was going to be up to him to do the rescuing.
As he struck out Goniff wished he�d paid more attention to the Warden�s bloody maps during the briefing. But he hadn�t. He never really did. He didn�t figure he had to. Actor paid attention. Blimey, most a the time Actor already knew all about where they were going, and some a the time he already knew almost as much as the Warden did about why they were going there. And Casino paid attention. Even if he groused about it and made out it wasn�t none of his concern, Casino paid attention. Goniff�d see him going over the stuff after the rest of them were done, if the Warden left it lying around, or slipping into the library after, to look up about it. Oh he�d deny it alright, if he was caught at it, but Goniff knew what he was up to. And Chief! It must be some kinda Indian thing, but Chief always seemed to know where they were, and where they were s�pose to go. Goniff figured if they dropped Chiefy in the middle of the jungles of Africa he�d probably know how to get back. As for the Warden, well, he carried the maps didn�t he? And Goniff thought if the truth came out about it, the Warden probably had everything stored away in his head so the maps weren�t really necessary anyway. He just hauled them around so the other blokes could use them if they needed to. Yeah, Goniff wished he�d paid more attention to the Warden�s bloody maps, now that he was all alone and he had to make the decision which way to go to get out a this mess.
He stopped under a tree to sympathize with himself over his predicament. The storm had blown over, leaving cloud cover and a light wind behind. Rainwater was still dripping from all the branches and it had an annoying talent for finding its way down the back of his neck. He pulled his collar up and hunched down into his jacket and fell to thinking. Nobody said nothin� about jumping into no ravine, so he knew he had to climb out, but he didn�t know which side to pick, and if he picked wrong he�d come up where he�d have no chance of hooking up with the others. He tried but he couldn�t logic his way into a decision. He�d gotten himself all turned around, and if he�d ever known the direction he was headed in he didn�t know it now. He finally just struck off for the far side. It didn�t look so steep over there and he was always one for taking the easy way if he had a choice.
When he got about halfway across he heard a sound that brought him up short, almost stopped his heart. He�d heard dogs howl before, but the high wavering call froze the blood in his veins. Without ever having heard it before Goniff instinctively knew the call of a hunting wolf. And it was coming from the direction he was headed. He turned and retreated back the way he�d come. He could get out the other side. Climbing wasn�t that hard, it was part of his business after all. Besides, one direction was just as good as another when you didn�t know where you were going.
He hadn�t gotten more than halfway back when another sound stopped him cold. The echoing sound of shouting men and gun fire. It didn�t last long. After a bit of quiet he heard another shout, and he recognized what it meant even if he didn�t speak the language. He�d heard it before.... �Hand�s up!� Someone had got themselves caught up top on the other side, and it didn�t take much imagination to figure out who...
�Blimey!� he thought, �Great choice. Wolves on one side, Germans on the other.� He was too close to one for comfort, and too far away from the other to be of any use.... After a moments consideration Goniff chose another direction, straight up. He climbed up into the large tree he�d been leaning against. He�d settle in for a bit and try and figure out what to do next.
The creak of branches and a soft fluttery sound caused him to squint up into the tree top. He expected to see the rook again. Instead his eyes locked onto the bottoms of someone�s boots and he watched, hypnotized, as they swayed in the breeze over his head.. The sharp snap of wind in silk brought him out of his trance. He couldn�t tell who was hanging up there, the fabric of the parachute had shrouded the figure. He couldn�t risk calling out in case he was being hunted. As he searched for the quickest way up he prayed that the reason there was no sound or movement from the bloke overhead was that he�d frozen where he hung when he�d heard those shots, and then the noise Goniff made as he clambered up into the tree, but he had a sinking feeling that he was wrong as he started to climb.
Goniff hadn�t quite made it level with the man when he heard it, the sharp snap of a small twig breaking as someone stepped on it. He froze where he was and looked down, scanning the ground below him. Two men were moving along not fifteen feet from where he sat in his tree. They were dressed in German greatcoats and they carried German automatic rifles. By the way they were moving it was obvious that they were searching for someone. �Me prob�ly,� he thought. He held his breath and shrank back against the tree, hoping his dark clothes would blend in with the rain soaked bark of the trunk. Just as they started to move away the wind kicked up again and caught the silk overhead, causing a loud snap that drew the searchers attention.
Goniff glanced up. The wind pulled at the fabric and set the man turning as it unwrapped from around him. He caught his breath as the Warden was revealed to him. He�d gotten himself tangled in the lines some how and some of the cords twined around his left arm pulling it up over his head. Another cord lashed across his neck, forcing his head down against the raised left shoulder. Goniff started up without thinking, reaching out for his commander, forgetting the men that threatened him from below...until one of them called up to him. He had no idea what the man said, he didn�t understand the words, but here was no mistaking the meaning... Stop! Come down!
�Sorry, mate. Can�t understand a word of it.� he called down as he continued on his way. The order was repeated and the man giving it gestured with his rifle while his friend fixed his sights on the Warden. �No mistakin� that�, he thought as he took a last look at the still silent form of his commander before starting down.
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They were communicating in gesture and pantomime. Goniff would come down a foot or so and stop. They�d point their rifles at him and then jerk them towards the ground. He�d look up and point, and they�d shake their heads and repeat themselves. When he got within reach one of them, the one with the stripe on the arm of his coat, tired of the game and clamped a hand round his ankle and gave it a firm jerk. Goniff was agile enough he managed to land on his feet. The next gesture was universal in this time of war... �hands up�, and they didn�t have to repeat themselves this time. One quick upward movement of those gun barrels and he did as he was instructed. With a German rifle trained on him from either side there was very little else he could do.
While one bloke kept him covered the other patted him down and did it with such economy and expertise Goniff was sure he�d been a copper before the war. The gun the Warden made him carry in the shoulder holster was taken from him, and so was the one Casino had convinced him to carry in his boot as a back up. These were tossed from one man to the other who shoved them down into his pockets as the fella who�d patted him down turned back into a guard and trained his rifle on him while the other one gave him a good looking over. The one with the stripe stepped back and gestured for him to move forward. As he glanced up and opened his mouth to protest the other jabbed him hard in the back, causing him to fall into the fella who stood in his path. He was shoved roughly back towards the one with the rifle.
As Goniff stumbled back he twisted and laid his arm along the barrel of the rifle that prodded him in the ribs. Shoving the business end away with his elbow the little cat burglar grabbed hold, jerking it down out of the hands that held it. He pulled the butt up sharply and connected with the underside of his captor's jaw, sending him sprawling on the ground. Then, in a fluid motion that would�ve caused the Sergeant Major to faint with shock, he pulled the stock into his shoulder and had the rifle trained on the second man before he had time to react.
Now it was his turn to be in control. �Drop it, mate!� and he did his own gesturing with the rifle to make sure the bloke understood him. When the man he held in his sights tossed his rifle into the bushes and gestured towards the fellow that lay stunned on the ground Goniff nodded. As the one with the stripe on his arm knelt beside his companion his hand edged towards his pocket. Goniff saw the move and laughed. �Go ahead. It ain�t there anymore.� As he�d been pushed into the man his hands had found their way into his pockets. The one pistol was a reassuring weight in his own pocket now, and the other was lost. He�d tossed it away in the brush as he�d been shoved back into the second man. The one with the stripe checked his pockets to make sure it wasn�t a bluff, then twisted around and sat heavily on the ground, next to his comrade.
�You crazy English! We must run now. The Germans look for us!�
Goniff blinked hard and stared at the man a moment. �What�s that?�
�We must leave, fool... Many Germans. They will look!�
It was only then he realized the whole incident around the tree had been played out almost silently. Goniff took time to look at the men in front of him. Their shoes were worn, their hair a bit long, they didn�t look like they�d shaved in two or three days, and both the coats they wore showed signs of blood. He�d worn uniforms that looked like that himself. �Who�r you, then?� He didn�t lower his weapon. He wasn�t about to be fooled.
�Toma Petre sent us to find you.� was the gruff reply.
Goniff thought he recognized the name of the man they were supposed to meet, but he couldn�t be sure. He didn�t really pay attention to that sort of thing either. �Where�s this Tom Peter guy?�
�Toma Petre. The Germans took him.�
�That the shooting I heard a bit ago?�
The man with the stripe on his sleeve merely nodded.
�You take off before or after the Germans showed up?�
It took a moment, but the man on the ground decided his courage had just been questioned and his face hardened and started to flush as he rose to his feet. �Before! When the other one said two were missing.�
The barrel of the rifle Goniff held dropped slightly. �What �other�? How many?� But he spotted the idea forming in the dark eyes of the man who faced him and he brought the rifle back to ready. �Don�t try it!�
They stood there a long moment before the man decided to answer. �Three. Toma said there will be five. The tall one said the plane had trouble. Toma sent us to look. Then the Germans came. We were already down.�
Goniff used the strap and shouldered the rifle and a little of the tension left the other man�s face. �You go back and look? You sure they got �em all?�
As he turned to help his companion to his feet the other man answered. �We went back. They didn�t take them all.� And as he straightened he looked into Goniff�s eyes. �Two of our friends are dead.�
�Did it look like the Jerries left anyone behind t�look for us?�
�I don�t know. There were no Germans when we got there. But they look. They always look for us. We must leave, now.�
�Not without the Warden.� To Stripe�s questioning look Goniff gestured back up into the tree and turned to go.
�He is not alive.� When Goniff spun around and stared at him he continued. �We saw him in the tree. Before the Germans came. We watched. No movement. We think the second man will come looking so we come back to watch for you. Still no movement.� The man gazed up into the tree a moment before he said with conviction. �He is dead.�
�I ain�t leavin� him up there."
�We can not stay. You must help us get Toma and your friends back.�
�Me! He�s the brains of the outfit! Him and Actor.� The wooden clucking of the rook stationed in a tree nearby was answered by a call from overhead. Goniff unshouldered his rifle and handed it to Stripe. �I ain�t leavin� �im up there to feed no birds.� And he turned away and started his climb back up the tree. When he got a little higher than the Warden�s head he pulled the knife from his pocket and unfolded it. He�d cut the Lieutenant down and they�d at least bury him decent before they left. The rook and his buddy eyed him from their tree as he reached out and grabbed the lines.
The wind was picking up again and the dead leaves that still clung in the tree rattled around him as he settled in to his work. The branch that held the Warden groaned and the lines creaked as Goniff pulled the man towards him. He�d need to tie him off somehow so he could have both his hands free to cut the cords. He figured he�d use the Lieutenant�s belt and hook it over a broken limb nearby but something was holding him back as Goniff tried to swing him close. He must have come crashing down through the tree top, some of the broken branches had ripped into the cloth of his jacket and pants. Goniff moved higher and carefully stretched out on the limb that reached out over the Warden�s head. He�d cut a few of the lines and use them to pull the man up off the branches before cutting him free and letting him fall to the ground. He tested the cords and found one that was pulled tight and cut through it with his knife. When the last fibers parted the cord slithered through Goniff�s fingers and the Warden�s arm dropped down by his side.
The little man froze. The groan he heard had nothing to do with the branches they were hung up in.
�Warden?!� Goniff tested the cords again and found another one strung tight. He sighted along it carefully and followed it down where it ran across the side of Garrison�s neck. Slashing down quickly he cut it free, and watched as it dropped, allowing the Warden�s head to roll forward. There were two more of the lines that seemed to be caught up around the man�s body and as he cut those lose the Lieutenant�s weight shifted back into the harness he wore, but he still didn�t swing free of the clutching branches. Goniff pulled on the lines, but he wasn�t in a secure position, and he didn�t have the strength to pull the Warden up anyway. He�d have to rig something somehow.
Goniff scrambled back down the tree, dropping the last few feet to land in front of Stripe. �He�s alive up there!�
The other man shot a glance upward and then grabbed him by the shoulder, shaking him. �No! We leave now. You are mistaken. You see what you want to see.�
�You�r mistaken! He�s alive up there and we�re gettin� him down. You didn�t go up an check...� Anger welled up in the little burglar. �You didn�t go up and check! You left him up there for bait! You just left him up there...� His fist lashed out and caught the man on the side of his jaw sending him down to sit in the mud. As Stripe sat nursing the side of his face Goniff jabbed the other man in the chest with his finger. �You! Come with me.� and started away through the trees.
The two men shared a long look. The man on the ground shrugged and nodded and the other moved off after the crazy Englishman. Climbing slowly to his feet the man with the stripe on the sleeve of his coat took his jaw in his hand and carefully opened and closed his mouth. He searched around him and recovered the rifles from the bushes where they had been thrown when the little man knocked him down. He moved away into the brush where he could keep watch on the tree and on the path the other two had taken.
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Goniff made a bee line through the underbrush, back to where he�d hidden his chute. He�d tear the silk into strips and braid it up into rope. He could use the lines to tie onto the Warden�s harness and pull him up away from the branches that held him. If he was lucky he�d have enough length to lower him down to the ground. But he had to work fast. He�d shocked the two blokes into following him but he didn�t think that would last long. He recognized the small cave where he�d weathered the worst of the rain, his stuff was just around to the right. In a moment he�d uncovered his gear and he headed back the way he�d come with the other fella still trailing along in his wake.
When he got back to the base of the tree Goniff let his bundle drop to the ground between them. Leaning down he grasp the edge of the silk and slit it with his knife, tearing the cloth apart with his hands. He glanced at Stripe, � Alright, this is what we�re gonna do...�
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The Warden crumpled like a rag doll when he was lowered to the ground. He hadn�t uttered another sound, he hadn�t moved a twitch. The other men were still convinced he was dead and Goniff was crazy. When Goniff got down on the ground again they hadn�t done anything for him, backing away at the first touch of his clammy skin they stood huddled together whispering. When the little man took him by the shoulder and gently turned him over onto his back he wasn�t so sure anymore either. He was pale and as cold as any stone that sat near by in the ravine, blood soaked into his clothing where the branches had held him and oozed from the abrashions on his arm and neck. When Goniff reached to his wrist to find the pulse where Actor�d showed him, it wasn�t there, and the Lieutenant�s skin felt stiff to his touch. He swallowed hard and with a sinking feeling of dread reached up to the Warden�s neck to check there. He thought his own heart had stopped while he waited and just as he felt it, Stripe pulled at the shoulder of his jacket.
�Leave the strigoi,... I told you, he is dead. Come! We go now.�
Goniff shook him off. �He ain�t dead,,, not yet! You just left him hung up there til he�s near froze.� He cut the lines he�d tied onto the Warden�s harness free and pulled his makeshift rope out of the tree. It didn�t take long to find two nearly straight limbs that had blown out of the trees during the night�s storm. �We�ll rig a stretcher for �im outta these. All we gotta do is get �im some place warm.� Stripe took a step back and shook his head, but before he could voice his doubts Goniff was on his feet, he had a handful of the man�s coat in each fist. �Now�r you gonna help me, or do I have ta knock you in the mud again?!�
The man looked down on the crazy little Englishman. He topped him by six inches, and out weighed him by at least fifty pounds, but he couldn�t match the determination in the eyes that stared him down. Finally he shrugged and nodded his agreement. He�d lost his leader and would be content to follow this madman until he got him back. He motioned for his companion to cover them while they worked and knelt in the mud next to the figure that lay so still. Reaching into the neck of his jacket he drew out the crucifix he wore, kissed it and then leaned forward and pressed it on Garrison's forehead and held it there for a moment. Letting the cross swing free he studied the Lieutenant's skin before rocking back onto his heels and looking up at the cockney who frowned at him in confusion. �What do we do? Tell me.�
Goniff breathed a sigh of relief and reached up to rub some of the tension out of the back of his neck. 'Well, whatever test that was', he thought, 'I guess the Warden passed.' He dropped down next to Stripe and laid the branches parallel, then turned to the rope he�d braided out of his parachute canopy, cutting the lines that were still attached to the ends. �We�ll use these cords to tie the rope to the branches, see.� And he started laying the rope across, wrapping it around the branches until he�d worked his way to the end and started back up to the top. He took a length of cord and secured the rope in place so it wouldn�t shift out of its lattice pattern when they loaded the Warden on and carried him. He watched as the other fella tied off his side and checked the knots to make sure they�d hold. The pickpocket held out his hand and grinned as the other man took it. �Goniff. So, you got a name?�
�Jon. I am Jon Dinuit.� he gestured to the younger man standing guard. �My brother, Luca.� Sitting back on his heels he rubbed at his jaw. �You are a strong leader...Goniff. What do we do now?�
Goniff snorted a laugh and was about to protest, but he saw how the two were looking at him. They were lost, just like he was. They didn�t know what to do next or where to turn either. He straightened his shoulders and tried hard not to look scared. �We gotta find somewhere safe and warm where we can take �im. You fellas got someplace like that?�
Luca spoke up for the first time. �We have caves. Many. We change so the Germans don�t find us.�
�Great! One a them close by here?�
�At the top of the ravine, where the others were caught.�
�Right.� Goniff wasn�t sure it was a smart idea to go up where the others had been picked up, but there wasn�t anything else on offer. He finished tying his side of the stretcher off and stepped over to check the other side. Jon gave way and looked on, waiting for his approval. The little pickpocket patted the bigger man on the shoulder and they worked together to shift the Warden onto the litter. Once they got him settled he stood up and found both of the men looking at him, waiting for him to tell them what to do next. �Uh...� He didn�t know if he was up to telling other blokes what to do. He always sort of hung back and let someone else figure out how to get out of a jam. He was good enough at getting into them alright, but getting out, well, that was another thing altogether...
They were still waiting.
Goniff took a deep breath. �So who�s the best with the rifle?� Luca smiled and placed his palm on his chest. �Right then, you take off first and check to see the way is safe. Jon and me�ll bring the Warden along. Jon, you take �is head, you�r the stronger. Just lay the rifles there on the stretcher with �im where we can get to �em fast if we need to.�
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It�d taken nearly an hour to make it to the top. Goniff and Jon moving slowly letting Luca range out in front of them to make sure the path was safe before they moved forward. They left the Warden in the brush at the top of the path and all of them checked the area where the others had been surprised and taken. They moved the bodies of the brothers� friends out of the clearing, raising a cairn of stones over them since they had nothing to dig graves with. The rooks were back and they�d heard the sound of the wolves hunting along the bottom of the narrow valley. None of them wanted to leave the dead to the scavengers. As they�d gathered stones Jon found a small bag thrown into the bushes. It was the one Actor carried his gear in. They looked but didn�t find anything else. Goniff hung the bag off the end of the stretcher when they picked the Warden up and prayed he�d be able to hand the thing over to Actor soon. What he needed was for the Warden to wake up and come up with one of his plans to get the other fellas away from the Germans.
�You guys know where the Jerries took �em?� he might as well get the information the Warden�d need outta the brothers, save him a little time.
�They have a compound. A castle they took when they came here.� Jon told him. �They take all prisoners there.�
�All a them?� Goniff thought for a moment. �That Toma guy, he tell you why we was comin� here?�
Jon spoke quietly from the other end of the stretcher. �To get Enric Iagar before the interrogator comes for him.�
�They have that guy at the castle too? That where they�r keepin� him?�
�Yes.�
�D�you know if the interrogator�s here yet?�
�He is not. The bridge he has to cross was bombed. He cannot come until they repair it.�
�And how long�ll that take?�
�Tomorrow, maybe.�
Goniff considered it... he was missing something important, he knew he was... Oh, right! �D�you have anymore blokes lose in these hills?� He twisted and looked over his shoulder waiting for Jon to answer but was only met with a blank stare,,, Goniff rephrased his question. �Can you get us anymore help, or did all of your men get picked up with Toma?�
The young man frowned and shook his head. �We are a small band. Six only...� Jon stopped a moment, then stated grimly. �Four only.�
Luca and Jon were here with him, and they said two of the group had been killed, and the leader picked up... �Where�s the other bloke?�
�She stays in the town. Toma wouldn�t let her come with us.�
Luca appeared on the path about twenty yards in front of them and motioned them forward. �No one comes here! It is still safe to use.� When they came close to him he stepped off the path, pulling the brush aside he uncovered the entrance to one of the small caverns the group used.
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Goniff and Jon moved into the cave and let their burden down. The place had been used by the group in the recent past. There were two fire pits cleared in the floor and bed rolls and blankets were still stored along the back wall. There were pots and supplies there too, and a store of wood and kindling, dried food, stuff that would keep a long time. Goniff set about making a fire. He glanced up and found the brothers watching him again, waiting for instructions. �Go back along that path, there, and brush out our tracks so no one�ll be able to find us here.� As Luca moved to do his bidding he waved Jon out too. �You better pull those bushes back across the opening, so no one�ll see the fire. Any chance a fillin� these big pots with some water?� The big man smiled and nodded, grabbing up a heavy pot in each hand as he left their refuge.
Goniff watched as the opening was covered again and listened as the brothers moved away down the path. He shook his head and hoped they were clever enough to brush out the tracks they made when they came back with the water without being told. As he carefully fed the small fire he shifted and looked over at the Warden. �You wanna wake up and take over, mate? I don�t really think I�m meant t�be a leader or hero type.�
Goniff had two small fires burning when the two men got back with their pots filled with water. He�d laid one of the bed rolls between them and had manage to pull the Warden onto it. He�d found a lantern in the supplies and had that lit, and had started stripping the Lieutenant out of his wet clothes. He put on an act Actor would�ve been proud of when the two men got back in the cave. He kept them busy setting the pots on the fire to boil and rummaging through the supplies for food and first aid stuff. At his orders they strung lines up and put the Warden�s wet things up to dry and brought him some old sweaters and a pair of pants the group had left there the last time they�d used the place. It seemed to make the two fellas more confident, havin� someone order �em about... didn�t do much for Goniff�s own sense of security.
The little cockney was worried. Garrison was still icy cold, still hadn�t come round and had only groaned a bit when Goniff had come across the splinters and small branches that had torn through his clothing and gotten themselves gouged into his flesh... That�s what had held him so securely in that tree and Goniff blessed everyone of them. If he hadn�t been caught up that way, he thought, he might�ve just cut him free and let him fall. The little man shuddered to think of it,,, he could�ve killed the Warden without even knowing by letting him drop so he could break his neck. He frowned and ran his finger over the bruised welt that ran along the side of the Lieutenant�s neck and across his throat and wondered if he�d done that already ....The Warden still hadn�t moved.
�How will you get the others away from the Germans?� Goniff shot a look at Jon where he sat warming his hands at one of the fires. The young man just looked back at him confidently and waited.
�Blimey!� Goniff thought as his heart raced. �he really thinks I�m gonna come up with something!� He turned his gaze back on Garrison and prayed for him to open his eyes and sit up and start spouting orders. He�d even pay attention when he scratched one of his diagrams in the dirt.... But the man never made a move. �Bloody Hell!� He chewed on his lower lip as he stared at his commander. What would he do first? Turning back to face the brothers he asked. �There�s a town around here close? Somewhere the Jerries use?�
Luca frowned and answered. �Yes, two miles away.�
�Can that interrogator get here before tomorrow?�
Jon answered this time. �No. There is only one road and the bridge was badly damaged. Tomorrow,,, maybe longer.�
The brothers continued to wait on him. Damn! He hated being in charge! Goniff licked his lips and turned away from their trusting eyes. The Warden would find a way to stop that interrogator. If all a the prisoners were held at the same place then that�s where Actor and Casino and Chief were too. If they let that guy through he might go after them. Goniff couldn�t let that happen. He�d have to find a way, but he wasn�t clever, not like the Warden, not like Actor... Bloody Hell!..not even like Casino or Chiefy. He couldn�t come up with a plan all by himself and make it work... Then something clicked in the back of his head... He couldn�t come up with a new plan,,, but maybe he could come up with an old one. Grinning he turned back to the brothers. �OK! Here it is...�
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