“This is all assuming I can get this car going again,” Peder muttered, straightening up. “I’ve found the problem. It’s not a hose.”
“What is it?”
“I think there’s a crack in the head gasket.”
Evelyn’s heart sank even further. If that was the case, this car wasn’t going anywhere soon. At least, not safely.
“Is that bad?” Anna asked, looking from Evelyn’s grim face to Peder’s. “What does that mean?”
“It means we’re not going anywhere right now,” he replied. “If I can figure out a way to...”
He broke off abruptly and stared at something behind them, his eyes widening and his face paling. Evelyn felt a shiver streak down her spine and she spun around quickly. Four men in uniform and carrying rifles had emerged from the trees a few yards away. Her heart thumped, then settled down as she noted that the military uniforms were not German, and no iron cross was in sight.
Anna let out a gasp beside her and began running towards the soldiers.
“Erik!” she cried, leaving the road and running through the brush and over frozen grass towards a tall man in the middle.
Evelyn looked at him curiously. Anna’s brother looked nothing like her. Where her hair was dark, his was blond, and where she had a slender frame, he was solidly built with broad shoulders. He stood a few inches taller than the three soldiers with him, and Evelyn had the distinct impression that he was someone who would be ruthless in a physical altercation.
Now, however, a huge grin was spreading over his face, and he broke away from the others, moving forward quickly.
“Anna!” he exclaimed, holding out his arms. “Anna, thank God!”
He caught her up in a hug and half swung her around, laughing.
“I’ve been so worried!” he said, setting her down. “We heard they’ve taken Oslo. What are you doing here?” He looked over to Evelyn and Peder. “And who are they?”
Anna took his hand and pulled him towards the car. “Erik, this is my friend Marlene. She works at the embassy with me. And you remember Peder?”
Erik Salvesen stared at Peder, recognition dawning on his face. Another grin spread over his lips and he moved forward quickly, holding his hand out.
“Peder! I didn’t recognize you at first! How are you?”
“As well as can be expected, I suppose,” Peder replied with a smile and a shrug, shaking his hand firmly. “And you?”
“The same.” Erik turned to nod in greeting at Evelyn, then looked at Anna. “But why are you here? Where are you going?”
“I don’t really know,” she confessed. “We fled Oslo before the Germans arrived. Peder found out about the invasion and came to tell me late last night. We collected Marlene and then we drove to a rise over the fjord. We saw the German warships waiting just outside Oslofjorden.”
Erik stared at her, then glanced at Evelyn. “You saw them? You saw the ships?”
“Yes. They were just sitting out there, silently. I realized that they were waiting for dawn to attack, and so we left. Marlene is trying to get out of Norway and back to England. She wanted to try for the Swedish border, but I wasn’t sure they would allow people through once they realized what was happening.”
Erik made a disgusted sound in his throat.
“They’re not,” he said shortly. “They turned the King away, or so we heard.”
Anna’s mouth dropped open and they all stared at him, aghast.
“What? They refused refuge to King Haakon?!”
Erik nodded grimly and looked at the open side hood of the car. “Yes. The last we heard he was going north to the mountains. At least he and the ministers are safe, for now. What’s wrong with the car?”
“I think it’s got a cracked head gasket,” Peder said. “I don’t know if I can fix it.”
Erik glanced back at his fellow soldiers, then looked at the three of them.
“This isn’t the best place to be stranded,” he said grimly. “The Germans landed at Trondheim. There was no real fight. We had no warning and were caught completely unprepared. They’ve taken the city and are moving into the surrounding areas. Soon these roads will be patrolled by Germans and it won’t be safe.”
“What about the army?” Anna asked. “What about your regiment?”
“We’re scattered around. We retreated and my commanding officer was killed, along with several others. We’re trying to team up with another unit in the north, but we’ve been busy avoiding capture.”
“Are the Germans close, then?” Evelyn asked, breaking her silence.
He looked at her. “Close enough. They’re coming up from Bergen, and in from the coast. We’re in a safe pocket right now, but I don’t know how long that will last. They’re meeting almost no resistance to slow them down. If we can contact one of the other units with a radio, we might be able to coordinate something, but we’ve been separated from our signals team.”
Peder looked up. “A radio? I have my radio with me.”
Erik raised his eyebrows. “What? You brought it with you?”
“Yes. I’ve been trying to reach London for Marlene.”
“And were you able to?”
“Not since we saw the ships in the fjord. I got through then, but haven’t been able to since. If you give me the frequency, I can try to reach your unit.”
“That’s the best news I’ve heard all day,” Erik said with a grin. He looked at the car again. “If this has a cracked head gasket, you’ll never find somewhere for parts to fix it before this road is flooding with Nazis.”
“But what else can we do?” Anna asked.
Erik was quiet for a moment, his brows drawn together in a frown. He glanced back at this companions.
“Wait here for a minute,” he finally said, turning to go
