Minds of Men (The Psyche of War Book 1)

by Kacey Ezell

Let’s head west a ways, Paul decided. They can’t have every little road and cart track road blocked.

  But they did. At least, that was how it appeared. They found themselves creeping across winter-bare fields and through copses of trees, avoiding the Wehrmacht vehicles that seemed to be everywhere, roaming down every road, shining their headlights into every ditch, under every hedge.

  Dawn found them hunkering under an ancient-looking culvert, mud smeared on their faces to make them less visible. Several times, they heard the voices of soldiers and the rumble of their vehicle engines as they passed overhead. Once, they heard men walking through the forest nearby.

  Are they searching for us? Sean wanted to know.

  If Lina is here, I’m afraid that they are, Evelyn replied, her mind grim.

  You really think she survived? She was strangled!

  We never checked her breathing. I think...I don’t know, but I felt someone back on the beach, and my instincts tell me it was her.

  Whoever it was, they’re definitely searching, Paul put in. We’re going to have to get through this cordon somehow, or they will find us. He didn’t say more, but his thoughts held the flat practicality that they’d held when he thought about killing the Nazi guards. Despite her trust in the man, Evelyn couldn’t help but feel a chill.

  It may come to that, if they don’t ease up tonight, Abram said. We need a solid plan.

  If we could find a smaller roadblock, maybe just one vehicle, just a few men...we could neutralize the guards, then grab their uniforms and truck and make a run for it, Paul suggested. I can show you what to do, to keep the noise down.

  Evelyn suppressed a shiver. Paul’s cool practicality may be necessary, but it still unnerved her. Though when she thought about it, she couldn’t see why it should. Weren’t they all in the business of raining wholesale death and destruction down from the sky? Paul’s criminal skills just brought things in a bit closer. Perhaps it was more honest that way.

  Spooked by her own thoughts, Evelyn gave herself a mental shake and forced her mind back to the reality at hand. All the recent rain had made the ground under their culvert sodden and muddy. While this was excellent for camouflage, it also soaked through their clothes, leaving their skin clammy and uncomfortable. It would be worse when night fell, especially if there was any wind. Unfortunately, with so many Germans patrolling around, there was no way they could risk a fire. Not even one of Abram’s dug out, shielded ones. At least if it snowed, they would have more water to drink. They’d made do with the small trickle under the culvert, thought it wasn’t exactly appetizing. Filtering the mud through her once-lovely blue neck scarf helped some, but it still tasted of dirt.

  Of course, if they didn’t find something to eat soon, eating dirt might become more appealing. Evelyn’s stomach twisted in hunger, and the dull, empty ache in her middle left her feeling listless and distracted...and irritable. Which was the case with all of them. Abram’s snappy reply to her prediction of snow wasn’t the only spark of temper that had flared between the four of them since the terrifying disappointment of the beach. Evelyn did her best to funnel the edge off of everyone’s emotions, but as the situation steadily deteriorated, it was getting harder and harder to keep the net even and smooth.

  She reached out a tendril of thought and ran along the lines that connected her psyche to her men. She drew the negative emotions away, as much as she was able, and laid down a soothing layer of calm. Contentment was a bit too much of a stretch, but she could at least strengthen the connections and try to keep tempers from flashing...

  There it was again. That fluttering probe, like a the lightest of feather-tickles on the furthest extremities of her network. Evelyn caught her breath and held it as she began slowly, steadily reinforcing the strength of her defenses.

  She’s here again, Evelyn whispered, just the barest of thoughts. She’s trying to find us.

  In retrospect, she probably shouldn’t have said anything. Sudden alarm flashed through their minds, which dumped emotional energy into the network. In effect, they lit up like a bonfire for whoever was searching for them.

  Shit! Shit! Be calm, please! Evelyn swore, as she fought to dampen the emotions running hot along the lines of the net. She’ll find us all the quicker if we panic. Breathe deep, be calm, I’m hiding us as best I can!

  But calm was easier said than done. With her physical ears, Evelyn could hear the men shifting in the mud, and Sean’s body radiated tension next to hers. The tickle at the far edge of her senses flared in triumph and then disappeared.

  She’d spotted them. They had to move.

  We’re discovered, Evelyn said, her tone miserable and tense. I’m sorry, it’s my fault. I shouldn’t have said anything.

  What does that mean? Abram asked, his tone short.

  It means she has a location, or at least a direction. She’ll probably have men here soon. We need to get moving.

  Sun’s just starting to go down, Sean put in. We could try for one of the trucks, like the LT said.

  Abram thought for a moment. Evelyn could feel the bewildering array of possible scenarios as they flashed in his mind. The weight of leadership dragged at him, in the certain knowledge he was responsible for the safety of their group. She pushed support his way. Not subtle, but his mind accepted it, and he made a choice.

  Fine, he said. Let’s follow this streambed to the northwest. We’ll find another road and scout out a good roadblock. Evie, can you tell how soon they may be coming?

  Not without reaching out to her and giving her more information. Our best defense at this point is to move, quickly, and keep moving.

  Roger, he said. Paul, as we’re going, you brief us on the best way to proceed quietly when we find a likely target.

  Got it.

  All right, everyone. Stay low, stay quiet, and stay together. Let’s go.

  They crept out from under the culvert as the last rays of the afternoon sun slanted through the foliage overhead. Paul, in the lead, crouched low, folding his tall, lean body down to try and stay in the little creek’s depression. Once again, the sodden ground worked in their favor, as the wet, spongy mud muffled their footsteps.

  The sun continued to sink, and the temperature continued to drop. Evelyn felt the shivers begin at the base of her spine and radiate outward as the chill night air wrapped around her damp body. She sternly told herself to keep moving. It was her best and only defense against both the cold and Lina’s searching malice.

  Darkness stretched up from under the trees and bushes, and night consumed them fully before they came to another road crossing.

  Best guess, we’ve gone maybe five miles, Paul reported back. I think this might have what we’re looking for, though.

  Right. We’ll hole up while you scout for a roadblock. I’m betting it’s behind that bend there to the South, Abram said.

  I think you’re right. Gimme just a minute.

  The rest of them settled into a cramped hollow under a fallen log and watched through Paul’s eyes as he crept south alongside the road. Sure enough, once he rounded a tight ninety-degree bend, two vehicles sat blocking the road, which faced north and south. One had its headlights pointed farther down the road to the south, and one pointed back toward the curve to the north.

  Two vehicles, that’s more than we want to tangle with, Abram said. Evelyn could feel his exhausted disappointment soaking through the net.

  Maybe...but look, Paul said. The way they’re positioned, if we can disable the one truck and get into the other, we can just hit the gas and be on down the road.

  Yeah, but what about the uniforms?

  We get them if we can, but if not, no big deal. We’re headed to Cosca’s right? We’ll say we were hired to drive the truck there for some maintenance.

  And you’re going to say that in German, are you?

  Evie can say it in French. Or teach me to. Hell, man, I’m just trying to get us out of here!

  No, I know. You’re right. I’m just...Abram scrubbed hi
s hands over his face. How many men do you see?

  Paul looked around slowly, knowing three other people were sharing his vision. The site had obviously been chosen because the road widened out after the turn. Trees crowded closely on either side, probably due to the stream they’d followed to get there. One driver sat facing them, looking at the curve of the road as he munched on cheese and bread. His headlights cast stark shadows on either side of the road. Which was sort of a good news/bad news type of situation. Those shadows could help them get very close undetected. They could also conceal more men.

  Like the one that walked out from the trees on the opposite side of the road. Paul crouched slowly, careful not to move too suddenly and catch someone’s eye as the German soldier whistled and zipped his fly as he walked. He shouted something toward the south-facing truck and then sauntered toward the nearer driver. They proceeded to carry on a conversation in a casual, unhurried manner. They both carried Mausers, but they carried them slung. Roadblock they may be, but it was clear that these men didn’t expect to see anything of note anytime soon.

  So like I said, we go in quick and quiet. I don’t know where everyone else is, but they’re not here, as far as I can tell. You guys come this way. I’m going to make my move, Paul said.

  Evelyn felt a bit of startled resistance coming from Abram, but Paul was already in motion. He started creeping toward the truck, his knife out and ready. Abram breathed out a curse and motioned to them to follow the bombardier. They’d just started moving when Evelyn heard the voice of another man calling out between them and Paul. The two men in the truck called back in answer.

  Before she could think better of it, Evelyn leapt to her feet and started running through the trees toward the road.

  Keep moving, she told the men. I’ll distract them!

  Evie! Sean cried, but Abram took him by the wrist and dragged him forward toward the trucks. Evelyn felt the sting of a branch whipping across her face before she burst out onto the road, falling to her knees in front of a clearly very startled German soldier.

  “Please,” she cried in French, the sobs coming surprisingly easy to her as her eyes filled with tears. “Please help me!”

  “Fraulein?” the German asked, confused. He reached down to take her by her arms and pull her gently to her feet. She let him do so, and then she struck, hard, with all the power she could muster. The power of the storm inside her psyche built, and for the first time since she’d escaped from Lina, Evelyn gave vent to the lashing, tossing, battering energy of her mind. She drove her consciousness in past his defenses, which were wide open with compassion and concern for her disheveled, distraught state. Her will slashed his conscious mind to pieces, fragmenting his psyche and causing pain to erupt in his brain. He gave a twitch, and blood began to flow from his nose as her onslaught caused the blood vessels in his brain to burst. He let out a breath of air and crumpled to the gravel at her feet.

  The storm continued to rage, threatening to engulf her with its fury. But she was still linked with her men, though all three of them had frozen, stunned by the sudden violence of her actions. She pushed that away for the moment and focused on the three of them as her anchors: Abram and his leadership and responsibility. Paul and his practical, striking hands. Sean and his loving heart. Her links to each of them steadied her, allowed her to fight the storm back, to force the hurricane back into its bottle, to calm the raging seas of her mind.

  Is he dead? Abram asked.

  Yes, Evelyn said softly.

  Get his uniform and get off the road, then.

  Evelyn did as he said, biting her lip against the tears that threatened to fall. He was angry at her. She’d acted rashly and scared them. She’d used her abilities to destroy, and that was an evil thing. She withdrew as much as she could without breaking the net entirely and focused on the task at hand. It seemed she’d probably better pull the corpse off into the underbrush, but he was nearly twice her size and completely dead weight. So she settled for trying to strip him of his uniform.

  A few moments into the tugging and pulling, Sean materialized beside her.

  Let me help you, he said. The others are taking care of the rest of them.

  And, indeed, in the back of her mind, Evelyn could feel the violence seeping from Abram and Paul as they slashed brake lines and cut throats in the darkness. If she concentrated, she could even hear a scuffling just around the bend. She wanted to reach out, to see if she could sense anyone else nearby, but she was afraid that to do so would only pinpoint their location again. She hadn’t felt the tickling that meant that Lina was searching for her, not since the culvert.

  We’re done here. Come back this way, Abram ordered a few moments later. Evelyn and Sean hadn’t made much progress at all, having just gotten the corpse out of the middle of the road.

  We don’t have the uniform yet, Sean sent back.

  Leave it. None of the others will work, anyway. Better if we just get on the road. I have another idea.

  And, indeed, he did. When they arrived back at the roadblock, they found Abram and Paul busy loading up the north-facing truck with the bodies of the three soldiers that they’d killed. Evelyn could see why the dead soldiers’ uniforms wouldn’t work: they were each covered in blood. Blood which left dark smears on the upholstery of the truck’s cab as the three bodies were crammed inside.

  Go get in the other truck, get it started. I’m going to start this one up and wedge the gas pedal. They’ll go off the road at the curve and hit a tree. Hopefully there’ll be a fire, and it’ll confuse the evidence enough to buy us some time, Abram said. Sean nodded and took Evelyn by the hand, pulling her with him to the other truck. She climbed up into the seat, feeling miserable about it all, but trying to focus on only the tasks at hand. Sean followed her up and turned the key, letting the big engine roar to life. Behind them, they heard the other truck start up, and then Abram and Paul jumped into the truck bed with a couple of loud thumps that reverberated through the frame.

  Go! Abram’s mental shout whip-cracked through the net. Behind them, they heard a sickening crunch as the second truck impacted a large tree off to the side of the curve, followed by another crunch-bang as the truck turned over on its side. Sean stomped on the gas, and Evelyn felt herself pushed back into the seat as their truck leapt forward into the night.

  * * *

  They drove for about an hour, not totally sure where they were going. Sean knew that they had to head south and west toward Guingamp, but that was it. All they knew was that Cosca’s garage lay along one of the main roads between Guingamp and Plouha. At least no one stopped them, though whether that was due to the lateness of the hour or the Wehrmacht markings on their truck, none of them cared to speculate.

  Eventually, they found their way to one of the main highways and turned to follow the signs for the small town where they’d disembarked from the Paris train. It was only a few days ago, but to Evelyn, it seemed as if a lifetime had passed.

  For once, it seemed that luck was on their side. After almost another hour, they caught site of a familiar house and outbuildings as Cosca’s garage came into view. Sean turned into the rutted gravel drive and cut the engine. They coasted to a stop near the truck that had brought them to Plouha.

  Now what? Sean asked. Do we just go up to his door and knock?

  I suppose so, Abram said. I can’t think of a better idea. It’s late. He should be home.

  He should be asleep, Sean put in. He’s probably not going to be real happy with us showing back up here.

  Probably not, but I still can’t think of a better idea, Abram said. So we knock.

  They trooped out of the Wehrmacht truck one by one and went up to the door that led to Cosca’s kitchen. Abram looked at the darkened windows for a moment, then shrugged and knocked firmly on the door. The sound seemed really loud in the night silence. Abram raised his hand to knock again when a glow flared, then dimmed, then steadied inside the kitchen. Someone had lit a lamp.

  The door han
dle turned, and it opened to reveal Cosca’s weathered face. He looked at the four of them, his face inscrutable, and then pushed the door wider in invitation. Evelyn felt a surge of relief as they stepped over the threshold and into the kitchen.

  “I heard about the beach,” he said in French with no preamble. “I wondered if you were caught.”

  “Very nearly,” Evelyn said. “We need to get out of France as soon as possible.”

  “It will be difficult,” he said. “You will likely need to go south, to Marseilles, perhaps. Or over the Pyrenees to Spain. I have some contacts left that have not yet been swept up. I will see what I can do.”

  “Thank you, Monsieur Cosca.”

  Cosca’s only reply was a grunt and a wave of his hand. With no more ceremony than this, he welcomed them in to his house for the second time. This time, he ushered them upstairs to an attic room where they could sleep. Evelyn didn’t realize how tired she was until she caught sight of the old, narrow bed. Cosca left them in the room and returned a few moments later with an armful of blankets. Apparently, he was leaving the sleeping arrangements up to them. Without a wave or another word, he closed the attic door behind himself. They heard the stairs creak under his heavy tread as he returned to his own bed.

  Evie gets the bed, Sean said quickly.

  Naturally, Abram said.

  Someone else can have it...Evelyn started to protest, only to have all three men look at her like she’d lost her mind. She stopped before the thought was fully articulated and gave an embarrassed shrug.

  You’re still a lady, Evie, Paul said on that tight channel that only she could hear. It’s important that we take care of you as one.

  Even when I do terrible things? she asked, and even her mental voice felt small and ashamed. To hide her face before she started crying, she turned and began making up the small bed. I know that what I did to that soldier was wrong...but I was so afraid that he’d alert the others...

  Evie. You think we’re worried about that?

  Abram is. He was so short with me afterward.