Tony encountered a scruffy guardsman at the carriage’s sliding door. The uniformed stranger was larger than Tony and put up a thick right hand to bar entry. “State ze business, freund.”
“Give over, pal! You know who I am, and you know Commander Klein is expecting me.”
The guardsmen continued to glare, but then a cheeky grin broke his impassivity. “I kid you, ja? Go inside now.”
It sounded like an order, but Tony knew better than to take offence. The German language was far more direct and efficient than wishy-washy English. He nodded to the guard and then went through the sliding door. The carriage’s interior was mostly uninhabited, bar Commander Klein and a single companion sitting at a table halfway down the aisle. Tony joined them. “Commander Klein, Diane, it’s good to see you both.”
“And vy is that?” asked the commander, blonde hair framing his face like a schnauzer’s muzzle.
“Because I keep expecting a bullet in my head every time I take a step. General Thomas ain’t no fool.”
“That’s exactly what he is,” said Diane, “and he’s going to die.”
Commander Klein reached sideways and patted Diane’s hand on the table. “Such fire for a tiny fraulein, but revenge is a wide arrow that often misses ze target, ja?”
Diane ignored him and turned to Tony, almost frothing at the mouth. “How can you stand to be around that monster?”
Tony sighed. Diane was operating on rage, and rage didn’t appreciate reason. “I understand what General Wickstaff meant to you – meant to a lot of people – but if I go against Thomas, he’ll have me shot. I want to see him punished for what he did, believe me, but we need to be smart about it. Whether we like it or not, he’s the only leader Portsmouth has right now. Lives depend on him. Last thing we want is a power vacuum.”
“He’s a murderer and a tyrant, and the longer he stays in charge, the harder it’ll be to get rid of him. If we act now, thousands will support us.”
Tony nodded. “And thousands won’t.”
“It vud mean war,” said Klein. “Thousands would support your crusade, Diane, ja, but General Thomas arrived with loyal men. The killing would be many. Whoever survives vud be at ze demon’s mercy. I am sorry, Diane, but Tony is correct. General Thomas needs to remain in charge until he can be peacefully removed.”
“And when the hell will that be?”
“As soon as we ready his replacement, ja?”
Diane nodded petulantly across the table. “Tony, you should lead Portsmouth. Thomas’s men respect you, and so will everyone else once we reveal the truth about Wickstaff. You’re the only choice.”
Tony pushed himself back from the table and shook his head. “General Thomas already suspects me. If I make overtures towards power, he’ll realise it right away. Supplanting him is going to take timing and finesse, neither of which I have. I’m heading out of Portsmouth tomorrow morning.”
Commander Klein leaned back against the bench cushion and gasped theatrically. “Heavens, vy?”
“To go find this Mass character that everyone in Portsmouth seems to regard so highly. He’s been away for more than a week, so Thomas has ordered me to go and find him.”
Diane rolled her eyes. “He’s hoping you’ll die out there.”
Tony wished he could disagree. “My orders are to execute Mass and his men as soon as I find him. My death’ll probably come soon after. Two birds, one stone.”
Diane rose from her seat, fists clenched. “Your orders are to do what?”
“To kill Mass.”
Klein eased Diane back down onto the bench and told her to calm herself. Then he stared at Tony beneath his thin blonde eyebrows. “I assume you vill disobey zis order to kill Mass?”
“Of course. I’m not in the business of murdering local heroes.”
“Vy does Thomas consider Mass a threat?”
Diane answered the question. “Because he’s a badass, and when he finds out about Wickstaff, he’ll come at Thomas like a force of nature. I can’t wait to see it.”
Tony nodded. Diane was exactly right. “Thomas has heard the same things we all have about Mass. That he and his Urban Vampires are the best of the best. A dozen of them are currently furloughed in Portsmouth. I’m going to ask them to come join me on the road. If we find Mass, they can take him north to meet up with Maddy. The only problem will be the men Thomas selects to go with me. They’re not going to like the change of plan.”
Diane was wringing her hands on the table, clearly unhappy and still operating in rage-mode. Her words came out like poison. “I still don’t hear anything that ends with General Thomas choking on his own blood.”
“Survival is our mission,” said Klein. “Portsmouth needs to stand ready against ze remaining demon forces, but we three also need to think about our own skins, ja? Diane, see me now when I tell you zat I was fond of General Wickstaff. She demanded nothing of men but bravery and compassion. Zis General Thomas is a man who lacks faith in anything but himself, and I have no time for arrogant men. Their actions stain our history books.”
Tony let his head tilt back and closed his eyes. It was only late afternoon, but he was exhausted. Every night for a week he had lain awake, anxious that his door was going to be kicked in by military police or – even worse – hitmen. He lowered his gaze and sighed. “I used to dream of having a wife and children, of opening a little corner shop in some sleepy village where everyone knows each other.
