The officer chuckled, delighted at her reaction, and rose to his feet with a final pat on the head to his hound. He opened his mouth to speak when something drew his attention to the door, and he began to shout. One of his soldiers guarding the door had just fallen to the floor, dead.
“I can’t rely on you stupid creatures to do anything right!” he shouted at the remaining soldier. The soldier in the door did not respond, he just continued to shoot down the hallway and then hide around the corner as bits and pieces of the door exploded beside him. “Now, what was I saying? Oh yes, that piece of junk on your wrist…”
CHAPTER NINE
The Nazi soldier walked over to Gabrielle and stood over her. His sense of entitlement and power was overwhelming. Gabrielle wondered for a moment if this was Arawn in disguise, but no, Arawn would never hide his true form from her. He was much too proud for that.
She looked past the man to his dog, who sat like a statue, with only the shallow rise and fall of its chest to indicate it was a living thing. Behind her, the one remaining soldier ducked back into the room as more pieces of wall showered him.
“My master grows in strength. Even more than when you saw him last. With the souls he claims from this war burning within him, you will find your magic less and less effective. Your time has come, Sentient.”
With that, he cocked his leg back and swung it once more for a devastating blow to Gabrielle’s stomach. It didn’t matter that her bracelet was weakening, Fausto and Lyudmila had taught her to fight, and she wasn’t going to let one of Arawn’s meat puppets stop her from getting to Arawn. As the SS officer’s foot came in, she wrapped her hands around his leg and ankle. The smug look on the officer’s face dropped in shock.
“I can tell you one thing,” Gabrielle said as she held the officer's leg. “You’re definitely a lot like your master…you talk too much.” She tightened her grasp and, pulling on his leg for leverage, swung her body around and kicked the one remaining leg out from under him. The officer hit the wooden floorboards with a hard thunk, but that didn’t slow him. He grunted as he tried to wiggle his leg free, but Gabrielle only tightened her grip as she pulled herself around until she was facing him.
“Let….me…go…you…foul…bitch!” The Nazi officer grunted as he moved his leg, attempting to free it from Gabrielle’s grasp. “I promise you will pay for this!” he shouted as he tried to sit up, but Gabrielle pinned him down using all of her strength.
“Well, I can promise you one thing…” Gabrielle shot through her gritted teeth. “Pain!” and with that, she brought her fist around and buried it into the S.S. officer’s face. A crack like someone splitting wood was followed by a popping sound, and the officer fell backward to the floor. Rivulets of blood flowed out of the now broken nose of Arawn’s meat puppet and spilled down his face.
Noticing how loud the deafening quiet of the room was, Gabrielle looked from the corner of her gaze toward the door. The last soldier fell limp into the hallway, his body riddled with holes. In the split moment of extraordinary silence, Gabrielle heard the bolt from a rifle rack from down the hall and a single casing fall to the floor.
“Go! Go and warn your master!” she shouted at the hound as it sprang to life. Gabrielle prepared herself for the animals’ attack, but it just howled and charged toward the muddy window. It crashed through the glass, allowing rays of sunlight to penetrate the room, and it was gone.
“Damnit!” Gabrielle yelled as she pushed herself to her feet and followed the beast’s trail to the window. The bright sun stung at her eyes as they fought to readjust.
“Fool!” shouted the man from behind her. Gabrielle turned on her heels and came face to face with the barrel of a pistol. Gabrielle looked past the iron sight to those red eyes that now burned with a new found rage. The man had found the strength to stand and was leaning heavily on one leg, the other severely injured. Gabrielle let a smile crease the side of her mouth at the thought that she’d hurt him badly. The officer smiled a toothy grin, and the contrast of blood against his white teeth gave him an even more sinister look.
She considered her options to disarm him. His finger was firmly on the trigger, and Gabrielle didn’t think she could get to him fast enough.
Deciding it was best to die fighting rather than in silence, Gabrielle made her move for the barrel of the pistol. Just as her hands found the cold metal and she pushed upward, a shot rang out as the officer pulled the trigger. The gun jerked from her hands, and a wave of heat burned her face.
A stinging pain cut along the side of her scalp. Gabrielle’s head jerked backward, and she fell against the frame of the window. She tried to keep her focus on the SS officer but pain stabbed at her head. Gabrielle’s vision grew fuzzy, but she thought she saw shadows forming around the officer. Arawn. He’s sent more monsters after me. She tried to kick out, but the pain in her head made her dizzy. No. Get away.
As the Nazi officer brought the weapon back toward Gabrielle, a hand appeared from behind the officer. It slid around and gripped his forehead. With a grunt, the officer’s face went slack, and the raging look in his eyes turned into a blank stare. The pistol dropped from his hands, and the officer fell away from Gabrielle to the hard floor.
As he fell backward, Gianni came into focus holding his blade, now sticky with the officer’s blood. Not Arawn’s monsters. Gianni. Friend.
Gabrielle slowly brought her hand to her head. The motion of her arm made her nauseous, but she forced her fingers to where she’d been shot. How am I still alive? The thought was simple, but even that took her confused mind longer to process than it should have. She stood there for a moment with her hand gripping the side of her head as Fausto and Lyudmila appeared behind Gianni.
As she pulled her hand away covered in sticky, red blood, Fausto and Lyudmila grabbed Gabrielle by both arms and helped her to the seat where the dead S.S. officer had been only moments before.
She watched their lips move as they spoke, both to her and to one another, but all she heard was ringing in her mind. How did soldiers deal with this all the time? Gianni pulled Fausto away and motioned for the two of them to check the rest of the floor.
As the two men left the room, Lyudmila pulled a rag from her back pocket and dabbed it along the side of Gabrielle’s head. The contact sent another jolt of pain coursing through Gabrielle, but she gritted her teeth and tried to focus past the pain. The bullet had only grazed the side of her head, searing her scalp. It was only a superficial wound, but the pulsating in her head was a reminder of just how close to death she’d really come today.
Painfully slowly, the blackness in the corners of her vision began to fade, and the ringing in her ears started to subside.
“…very lucky…grazed you…will hurt…” Lyudmila’s rough voice broke sporadically through the humming noise in Gabrielle’s ear. She took the small cloth and pressed it to the side of Gabrielle’s head again, and Gabrielle instinctively reached up and swatted her friend’s hand away. She grabbed the cloth and dabbed at the wound herself.
“Thank you. I am fine,” Gabrielle said, forcing a small half smile. Though she only heard muffled sounds of her own voice in her head, she was sure that she was shouting. Lyudmila smiled back and gave a small, curt nod.
“You. Are. Very. Lucky!” Lyudmila slowly shouted, making sure to punctuate each word so that Gabrielle could hear her. “The. Bullet. Just. Grazed. Your. Head! Barely. A. Scratch!”
Gabrielle gave a tentative thumbs-up and pulled the cloth away from her head to examine it. Relieved that it wasn’t as bad as she’d thought, Gabrielle turned her attention to a burning sensation on her forehead.
The muzzle blast had not only knocked her head backward, but the explosion itself had burned her face as it left the barrel. Tenderly, Gabrielle found a clean spot on the cloth and brought it to her forehead and wiped. The wound stung as she touched it, but she pulled the rag away clean.
The ringing in her ears was nearly gone by the time Fausto and Gianni walked back
into the room. Gabrielle gave a small wave, and their stone military faces softened with relief.
“New hair cut?” Fausto asked as he walked over to Gabrielle. “I think it suits you.”
Gabrielle snorted out a laugh. The bullet had singed a perfect line into the side of her head, burning the hair in that area.
“Yeah, I modeled it after your mother’s,” Gabrielle shot back, and even Gianni couldn’t hold in the laughter. After a few minutes, Gianni walked over to the window and looked out.
“Second floor is clear. No one else in the house by my account,” Gianni announced, as he stared out the window, searching for something. “Looks as though the American’s gave the German’s a good fight. I believe they came away victorious this time.”
“Gabrielle, what were you thinking?” Fausto demanded, his fun loving expression morphing into one of concern.
“I’m sorry…” she began, wishing she still lacked the ability to hear. She knew what she had done was foolish. “I saw something and I…” She trailed away, not sure what she could say that would justify her actions. Gabrielle looked at the floor for a few moments like a child being scorned by a parent until Fausto brought his attention to Lyudmila.
“Oh, and just because you got the second one doesn’t mean I owe you one. We never agreed to…” Gabrielle tuned them out as the two went back and forth for a few moments.
Gianni was still looking out the window, his silent stare making Gabrielle uneasy. He stood with one hand on the windowsill and the other on the rifle that hung at his side, lost in thought. Gabrielle had seen the look before. Gianni called it his “Battle Meditation.” He was going through the fight they had either just had or would be facing and replayed every aspect or ran each set of possible outcomes through his head.
“I have it!” Gianni sprang to life, stepping away from the window and turning to the other three. Lyudmila and Fausto stopped mid-argument, and Gabrielle stood from her chair. She wobbled slightly at first, but after a moment she got her bearings.
“They clearly know we are coming. This trap was deliberately set to snare us. Now, granted the German presence here was not entirely for us as they would never have sent a battalion after four soldiers. Yet, there is no denying that this was meant for us. So, let’s use this to our advantage.” Gianni was filled with life, like a kid who finally figured out how to beat the game.
Oh crap. Gabrielle thought as she watched the gleeful look in Gianni’s eyes spread to his face. Another one of Gianni’s crazy schemes. Gianni was prone to coming up with off-the-wall plans and ideas. They almost always worked but they were extremely dangerous, and someone always got hurt in the process.
“The Americans are also moving in the same direction we are. I say we speak with them and see if they are on a similar mission. If they are, we will bring the fight directly to Hitler. No sneaking. A direct hit would be unexpected as well as have the shock factor that may just disrupt them,” Gianni continued.
He spoke so quickly that there was hardly any space between his words. Every consonant and vowel rolled in one fluid motion. Gabrielle had never seen him so excited before. Especially considering that this battle would be extremely dangerous and would likely get them all killed.
Gabrielle had heard of something similar happening in the trenches during the war. The soldiers called it being “shell-shocked.” Was Gianni losing his mind or brilliant? Either way, it didn’t matter. This plan was the fastest route to Arawn and Gabrielle knew she would eagerly go along with Gianni’s crazy plan.
“What are you talking about? Partnering with the Americans? Have you lost your mind? You are acting like a child in a schoolyard!” Fausto spat, confused about why his father would be so excited to act so recklessly.
“Have I ever been wrong, Fausto? In life, there are many uncertainties. In this war, I have never led us to a battle that we have lost, have I? You must trust me. With the American’s on our side we could actually have enough firepower to survive. Perhaps I may not have to lead my own son, and two women that I have grown fond of as daughters, to their deaths.”
Gabrielle was ashamed. His words ripped at the last remaining heartstrings that had yet to be broken. As she began her adventure and had lived through its events, she’d become accustomed to the flow of nature. Life and death now held little sway in her decisions. She no longer feared death.
It was too easy to forget that, for those around her, death was a very real and very permanent thing. Gianni, Fausto, and Lyudmila didn’t know they were already dead. Their souls were just reliving these moments over and over. Gabrielle had lived and lost several lives, but this was a luxury lost on her companions.
This was not just about defeating her enemy and her inevitable sacrifice, she had to protect her friends. She had to save their souls until she could set them free. She had to be aware of their “mortality” as she chose her next move. Suddenly, her recklessness in the hallway that had almost gotten them all killed weighed heavy on her heart. Stay focused. This isn’t about revenge. This is about saving souls. With her silent pep talk rejuvenating Gabrielle’s purpose, she brought her attention back to what was happening in the room.
“He is right. If there is a chance of us surviving, this would be it. I am not accustomed to asking for help. Especially from a bunch of tank driving, ego-riddled American’s; however, they may just be what we need to end this war,” Lyudmila came to Gianni’s defense.
“Look, Fausto, I almost got us all killed back there because I was too hot headed. Too eager to get into this room and get information about…Hitler…and it almost cost us our lives. We need to be smart about this, Fausto,” Gabrielle chimed in, now all too aware of what could be lost if they didn’t win. “If your father is right, we could not only be the heroes of this war, but you can take that home with you. Imagine the stories you could tell.”
Gabrielle’s words hung in the air. She could sense that Fausto was considering her reasoning and weighing it against his worries. A smile crept onto his face, and he started to chuckle. A low throaty sound became louder and louder as Fausto’s smile grew wider and wider. Gabrielle looked around the room at the others and wondered if both father and son were going mad.
“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s get moving before the American’s get themselves going in the wrong direction!” Fausto took off through the door and down the hall, leaving them alone in the room for a moment. If there was anything Gabrielle had learned about the Arditi as she’d traveled with them, it was that the closer they were to signs of a victory, the harder it was to contain them. This could prove problematic for both their enemy and them themselves.
“I suppose we should follow him before he gets himself shot,” Lyudmila broke the silence. They all looked at one another and then turned and ran through the door after Fausto.
CHAPTER TEN
The night wore on as they moved in the darkness with only the moon and stars for light. Gabrielle did her best to stay awake in spite of the monotonous roar of the tank’s engine and the dull marching of the American soldiers. Sitting on the side of the tank with Gianni and Lyudmila had been a mistake; it made it too easy to succumb to drowsiness. She considered hopping off and joining Fausto who was marching alongside the tank next to them.
Gabrielle tugged at the collar of her jacket and adjusted it to cover her neck to ward off the crisp air that nipped at her nose and fingertips. She’d given up on holding her rifle. The cold steel in her hands only numbed her fingers even more, so she’d resorted to letting it balance on her lap as her feet dangled over the side of the tank.
Gabrielle looked around and thought about how it had been interestingly easy to convince the American soldiers to go along with their plan. Granted, the soldiers had almost shot them at first as their group approached the American line. But, once they identified themselves, Gianni requested an audience with the commanding officer of the American unit, and after twenty minutes of Gabrielle, Fausto, and Lyudmila being watched at gunpoint,
Gianni came back with the good news that they would be joining the Americans.
The commanding officer, a man named Smith, seemed to hold much respect from those in his platoon—a unit that Gabrielle learned soon after their meeting was a branch of the American 761st Tank Battalion that just happened to be in the area to investigate and destroy a German stronghold.
After some discussion with one of the soldiers, Gabrielle realized the unit was already planning on intercepting a group of S.S. soldiers in the same area that the group was going. In exchange for the information Gabrielle had purchased from spies months ago, Smith was open to letting them call some of the shots.
After the agreement was met, they ate with the rest of the battalion as they prepared to make their final moves on the German compound. Gabrielle was so close to Arawn that she was almost able to hear his sarcastic and taunting laughter with every breeze that blew past her.
Soon, it would all be over. She could go home. Although, she didn’t have anyone to go home to anymore. The thought of her mother brought a wave of tears to her eyes, and she wiped them away with the frozen back of her hand. What would happen after her journey was over? Would she go back to Envisage? A fifteen-year-old girl with no parents? She’d end up in the foster system for sure. Gabrielle pushed the morbid thought from her mind, as she always did when she thought of her mother, and decided to focus on finding the three soldiers that had saved them back at the tractor. She had to know if it was Sam.
She looked around at the men she could see from her perch. None of them matched the description of the three men who had come to their rescue. During her search, she picked up on some interesting facts about her fellow soldiers. As she spoke with some of the Americans, she learned as much as she could about them.
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