Blood of Honour

the point. He was being blackmailed, and that was unforgivable. And it was crazy to be heading out like this, however much he sympathized with Pendlebury’s reasons. Bloody hell. And who was he going to take? It felt like a suicide mission, yet he knew there was something in Liddell’s suggestion. He reckoned Captain Pendlebury had virtually no chance of getting through on his own, but by creating a diversion, those odds might lengthen a fraction. Would it be worth it? Christ only knew.

‘Sergeant!’ Tanner called, once they were through the arch. ‘Sergeant Sykes!’

Sykes appeared. ‘Yes, sir?’

‘Organize five volunteers and get them down here, iggery!’

‘Volunteers? I don’t like the sound of that.’

‘Just do it, Sergeant,’ barked Tanner.

At the noise, Captain Peploe emerged from the bastion. ‘What’s going on?’ he said, striding briskly towards Tanner and Liddell.

Liddell cleared his throat. ‘Captain Pendlebury is attempting to break through enemy lines, sir, so I suggested Tanner take a patrol with him to try and cause a diversion.’

‘You did what?’ said Peploe, incredulous. ‘But it’s broad daylight. What the hell is he thinking of? What were you thinking of, Mr Liddell?’

‘His mind is made up, sir. It’s the only way he has any chance at all of getting through.’

‘Where is he?’ said Peploe. ‘He’s not taking my men.’

‘Sir,’ said Tanner. ‘Mr Liddell is right. We won’t dissuade him. I know it’s foolhardy but he hasn’t a chance without us. Perhaps if we get close to the Jerry lines and create a diversion, it might distract the enemy while Captain Pendlebury slips through.’

‘Well, I damn well hope you’re intending to go too, Lieutenant,’ snapped Peploe.

Liddell looked taken aback. ‘The CSM has volunteered to lead it, sir.’

‘But it was your idea.’ Tanner could see that Peploe was livid. ‘You lead by example, Lieutenant. You can’t send good men out on a patrol like this and not go too.’

Liddell’s eyes darted from the captain to Tanner. Then he took a deep breath. ‘Yes, sir,’ he said. ‘Of course, sir.’

Sykes now appeared from the bastion with McAllister, Bell, Atkins and Hill, all men from 1 Section. ‘Your volunteers, sir,’ he said.

‘Well, you can bugger off, Sergeant,’ said Tanner. ‘I only need four men now.’

‘But I’d like to come, if it’s all the same to you.’

He glanced at Peploe, who nodded.

‘Jesus,’ muttered Tanner. He sent Hill back onto the walls, then briefly explained their mission. ‘Now, I had a bit of a recce earlier,’ he added, ‘and I think there may be a way through, a little further to the south. There’s a house on the main road that I’m pretty sure is their CP, but we’ve got to get past their pickets first and then get Captain Pendlebury over the river, where I’m pretty sure most of them are lying up. Getting over the river’s going to be the tricky bit, but there’s a lot of those maize fields and, as we now know, the crop’s tall enough to crawl through. Before that there are groves and vineyards and broken ground. If we use it well, with a bit of luck we’ll be all right.’ He paused, patted his webbing, then said, ‘You all got enough ammo?’ They nodded. ‘Good. Leave helmets behind, and anything that might chink or make a noise.’

While the men were sorting out their gear, Peploe took Tanner aside. ‘I’m sorry, Jack. This is a bloody awful mission.’

‘It’ll be all right, sir.’

Peploe glanced at Liddell, shook his head, then led Tanner back to the truck waiting in the shade of the arch of the Canea Gate.

‘Do you really need to do this, Pendlebury?’ he asked.

‘Yes, I’m rather afraid I do,’ Pendlebury replied. ‘It would have been better if Brigade made a big push tonight, but unfortunately the brigadier was having none of it.’ He smiled. ‘But when it’s all over, I’ll stand by my promise, Peploe. I’ll show you round as many of the sites as you care to see. And they’re stunning. You won’t be disappointed.’

‘Thank you.’

‘It’s worth fighting for, this island – for its people, for its beauty and for its antiquity. The thought of the Nazis crawling all over Knossos or Karfi is repellent. We can’t let them get their grubby little hands on them.’ He adjusted his eyepatch. ‘All those years I spent digging up the past, studying and learning about the lives of those ancient warriors and now I’ve become a warrior myself.’ He chuckled. ‘I never thought I had it in me. To be honest, it’s all been rather instructive. I think I understand them better now.’

Pendlebury agreed to leave Satanas and Alopex at the gate, and let them continue on their own. Tanner watched the two Cretan kapitans embrace their English friend with an affection that was clearly heartfelt.

‘And you,’ said Alopex, pointing a finger at Tanner’s chest. ‘Don’t get yourself killed. That is my honour, OK?’

Tanner had a mind to knock him down there and then; he was not in a good mood. Instead, he snarled, ‘One more jibe out of you, and I’ll not wait for this to be over. I’ll take this bunduck here and shove it up your bastard Cretan arse.’

Alopex made to take a swing, but it was Satanas who pulled him back. They spoke quickly and angrily, then got into the pick-up and drove off.

‘And you like these people, sir?’ Tanner said to Pendlebury, as they watched the car head away, a cloud of dust following in its wake.

‘I do, yes.’ He laughed. ‘They’re kind, fun-loving people, fiercely loyal, but proud. You have to understand, Tanner, that there is a strict hierarchy system in Crete. It’s quite feudal, really. Each village or town has its one family with the chief, the kapitan. Other families must accept that heredity. Satanas is the kapitan of Krousonas, Alopex of Sarhos. Krousonas is a larger, more important place than Sarhos and that is reflected in Satanas’s status. These men expect respect and loyalty – it is a code they have grown up with since birth. If they are insulted they have an obligation to see that slight avenged. You insulted Alopex, so he has to avenge it. What would his men think of him if he did not? His honour would be slighted again. And I’m afraid that means a blood feud.’

‘But he insulted me first. I wasn’t looking to pick a fight.’

‘That’s irrelevant to him. This is his country and he is a kapitan. He feels he can say anything to you. Clearly, he chose the wrong man to insult, because now you both find yourselves in a situation where neither of you can back down. Don’t get me wrong, I understand it from your point of view. In some ways you’re like a kapitan in your company – you don’t want to lose any face in front of your men.’

‘A man’s pride can get him into trouble, sir, but respect is important. Respect and honour. These are things I’ve also been taught to value. I’ll fight him if I have to, but I’m not backing down. I’m damned if I’ll ever apologize to him.’

‘Then maybe you two are more alike than you know. But I suspect he already does respect you.’

‘He did fight well last night, I’ll give him that.’

‘And it sounds as though you have a grudging respect for him too.’

Tanner grinned. ‘We should concentrate on the job in hand now, sir, don’t you think?’

‘Quite so, CSM, quite so.’

They had been weaving through the narrow alleys of the town beyond the walls but were now approaching the town’s edge. The stench from the bodies lying in what had become no man’s land was now even stronger. The heat had seen to that. Somewhere to the south, shots rang out.

‘They’ve been spotted,’ said Pendlebury. He looked worried for a moment, then said, ‘Oh, I’m sure they’ll get through.’ There were a few more shots, but a small cloud of dust could be seen rising just above the greenery and it appeared to be still moving southwards. Tanner, too, felt sure they had got through and, not for the first time, wished Pendlebury had gone with them. It was amazing how obtuse really clever people could be.

They paused by a low, flat-roofed building, where open country spread away from them on the far side. The sun was still high. Sweat covered their faces, and flies buzzed in front of them. On the wall above a scrawny grey