- rage fuelled, he knew, by his mounting fear of failure. Damn it, Terboven was not a man to mess with, and only a couple of hours after his meeting with the new Reichskommissar, Kurz was on the line telling him that the most important man in his life had narrowly missed getting a 20mm cannon shell through his guts.
'For God's sake, Kurz, that's the second time one of those flyboys has nearly killed him. We were fortunate he survived the last one. It might be third time lucky for those idiots and then where will we be? We need him alive, Kurz, not spread over some bastard mountain.'
'Calm down, Scheidt,' said Kurz, from his newly requisitioned office in Lillehammer. 'We've just heard. They got the colonel, and seriously too. Even if he doesn't die of his wound - and the odds are that he will - he's out of the picture, as far as they're concerned. Odin is as good as in our hands already.'
'Only if the Allies haven't got him before you reach him,' snarled Scheidt. 'Now, do what you're supposed to do, Kurz, and tell that idiot Geisler to stop his pilots attacking those men.'
Scheidt had heard the panic in his voice and so had Kurz. 'Don't try to tell me my job, Herr Schcidt.' Kurz told him flatly.
'Listen,' fumed Scheidt, 'you do your job and you won't hear me complaining. But if anything happens to Odin before we've had the chance to get the information from him neither you nor I will have a career, let alone a life. Now, you're the SD man here - start using your influence and get Geisler's boys to keep away from them.'
'Stop worrying,' said Kurz. 'We'll find them soon enough. They're not going to get very far up there.'
'That's just not good enough!' Scheidt exploded. 'For Christ's sake, so far you've let them slip through your hands once, and twice nearly had them shot to smithereens by the Luftwaffe. Don't tell me to calm down - tell me what you're doing to find Odin. What troops have you got for the operation? Tell me they're already tracking them down. Damn it, Sturmbannfuhrer, why the hell am I having to ask you all this? Tell me something that gives me confidence - something that makes me believe you're actually trying to get to this man.'
'You politicians,' said Kurz, 'always the same. I'm sure it seems very straightforward to you from where you're sitting on your arse in Oslo, but up here Engelbrecht's division are facing the British and Norwegians - there's been heavy fighting all day. The SD don't have the authority to tell generals to hand over their troops for an operation they know nothing about.'
Scheidt pinched the bridge of his nose wearily. Give me patience. He'd always thought the Sicherheitsdienst were an unintelligent and idle lot. 'Then tell them Terboven orders it.'
There was a sigh at the other end of the line. 'Jesus, Scheidt, of course. That's exactly what I have done, but the entire Army is not at our beck and call. And you're forgetting that we only learnt of Odin's whereabouts this morning, and that's pretty vague - and it was only earlier today that Lillehammer fell. As it happens, I've got a company of reconnaissance troops from Dietl's Gebirgsjager Division, and I've had to pull a lot of strings to get them. They're attached to Engelbrecht's division. They're setting off to hunt for them now.' He paused. 'And they'll get Odin because Gulbrand's out of the picture and those Norwegians aren't going to get far, up on that mountain. Tomorrow morning, Herr Reichsamtsleiter, we'll have an altogether more pleasant conversation.'
It was Scheidt's turn to sigh. 'Just get him, Kurz. Get men up into those mountains, find Odin and bring him to me in one piece.' He slammed down the telephone and slumped back in his chair. A cigarette and a drink, that was what he needed. He leant forward, opened a drawer in his desk and pulled out a bottle of cognac. Having poured himself a generous measure, he lit a cigarette. The smoke danced in front of him, curling towards the ceiling. The brandy stung his lips and tongue, then pleasurably burnt the back of his throat. Argh, but that was good.
He stood up, walked to the window and gazed out over the city. It seemed so quiet, so peaceful. Perhaps Kurz was right. Perhaps he was just sitting on his arse. Was there really any need to remain in Oslo for the rest of the month? Quisling's pride might have been wounded, but he was busy with his new role as Commissioner for Demobilization and, in any case, still had Hagelin, Aall and the other leading National Party members around him. Quisling, Scheidt realized, could do without him for a few days.
He drained his tumbler. Yes, damn it, he would get out of Oslo, head to Lillehammer and oversee the operation to capture Odin. That would shake up that idler Kurz. Scheidt smiled. Already, his mood was lightening.
Another aircraft overhead, higher this time and slightly away towards the valley. It hummed gutturally, then, as the pilot throttled back, the engines seemed to catch and change tone. No firing of guns, no bombs dropped; a reconnaissance aircraft, then. Tanner followed its route until it disappeared from sight. Had any of the crew spotted them? He couldn't know, but he felt as though he was being watched. It unnerved him.
And what the hell were these Norwegians doing up here? He had probed Gulbrand once more, but the colonel had been evasive. Sykes joined him as Tanner scanned all around with his scope.
'Got a spare beadie, Stan?' Tanner asked him.
Sykes tapped the packet out of his pocket. 'There's something funny going on with these Vikings,' he said as he struck a match into his cupped hand. He passed a lit cigarette to Tanner. 'They look terrible and not just the colonel. They've been up here a fair few days. If it weren't for the fact that there're lots of Norwegians in the valley I'd say they're on the run from something.'
'The Bosches?' suggested Tanner, with a grin.
'Course from Jerry, but there's more to it than that. Why are they up here? What's more, who's that civvy geezer? Nah, I tell you, Sarge, there's something going on. Something they don't want to tell us.'
Tanner shrugged. 'Maybe. But right now I don't give a damn what they're doing up here as long as they can help us get back to the battalion.' He blew out some smoke. 'Stay out here a moment, Stan, and keep a dekko. I'm going to get one of those Norwegians and sort out a plan of action. We've wasted enough time already.'
Tanner went back into the seter, where most of the men now sat. The temperature had dropped noticeably and it was cold inside, despite the men now huddled there. The hut was small - perhaps twenty foot by fifteen - a simple wooden structure that had a musty smell of dust and damp pine. There was a door at the centre, and a window to the side from which the thick cobwebs had been removed.
Tanner sighed. Christ, he was tired. Tired and bloody starving. Several of his men were already asleep and they had only been there five minutes - Hepworth was squatting in the corner, his head falling forwards. Tanner stooped over Gulbrand. 'He's asleep,' said Larsen.
'Asleep or unconscious?' asked Tanner. As he said this the colonel groaned. 'Asleep for now.' He stood up again. 'We've got to get him out of here somehow.'
Larsen nodded. He had a pale, lean face, with several days' growth of gingery beard. Like the others, he was exhausted, his eyes grey and hollow.
'Who's the most senior of you lot after the colonel?'
'I am,' said Larsen. 'I've been two years a lieutenant. Nielssen was only promoted last year.'
'Have you got a map?'
'Here.' He delved into his rucksack.
'Look, my corporal's outside. Do you mind if the three of us have a talk?' Larsen followed him out. 'It's after nine now,' said Tanner, blowing into his hands. He could see his breath on the chill evening air. 'It doesn't get dark until after eleven, so we've a couple more hours of daylight. We need to get a move on if we've any chance of catching up with the Allies. But we've got two big problems. First,' he said, to Larsen, 'Colonel Gulbrand. We're not going to get far if we take him with us.' Larsen nodded. 'Second,' continued Tanner, 'we've got a lot of exhausted men in there - or, rather, starving exhausted men - and I include myself.'
'And me an' all,' said Sykes.
'Yes,' said Larsen, 'it is the same for us.'
Tanner eyed him. 'Are you going to tell us what you're doing up here? You look like you've been on the go even longer than us.'
