Erik looked at him for a moment, then nodded. “Yes. That is a good plan. It will give you time to see where it will be safe to travel.”
Philip emerged from the trees ahead and whistled. Erik turned to look, then motioned for them to move back into the trees.
“I’ll be right back,” he said, turning towards Philip, “and then we’ll get moving again.”
Evelyn moved off the trail with the other two and watched as Erik stood talking to Philip. While they talked, the other soldiers joined them.
“Do you think the way ahead is blocked?” Peder asked in a low voice. “If it is, we will have to go east, further into the mountains. That will take more time.”
“I hope not,” Anna said, glancing at Evelyn. “I don’t think your feet will allow us to go too far off course.”
“They’re fine,” Evelyn assured her. “That salve is wonderful. I’ll leave the bandages on, and it will be all right.”
Anna looked skeptical but was silent.
“What’s wrong with your feet?” Peder asked.
“The shoes I wore weren’t made for hiking in mountains,” Evelyn said dryly. “My feet are covered in blisters. But the woman at the farm this morning was kind enough to give me these boots and some salve and bandages. I’ll be fine.”
Peder grimaced. “I’m sorry. I had no idea. And you’ve been carrying that heavy suitcase too. Here. Give it to me and I’ll give you the small case back. It is lighter and smaller.”
“No. You have your radio.” She smiled at him. “Thank you, but really, I can manage.”
“I think they’re finished,” Anna interrupted them. “The others are leaving.”
Evelyn turned to look, watching as Erik shook hands with the other soldiers. Then they all nodded and waved to them before turning to fade into the trees, all except one. Philip turned and began walking back with Erik.
“Is he staying too?” Peder asked.
“I don’t know,” Anna said, moving out from behind her tree and back onto the trail.
“Philip has agreed to continue on as well,” Erik told them. “It will be better with two of us. He is willing to put off joining the others until we get you safely to Namsos.”
Evelyn looked at the young soldier and smiled. “Thank you.”
He nodded. “You’re welcome. It will be safer with two of us.” He looked at the rifle draped across Evelyn’s torso and smiled faintly. “And, of course, three guns are better than two. Lieutenant Salvesen says you’re quite a shot.”
“She is. But come. We must move. Let’s get ahead of those Germans now while we’re in a position to do so. If we move quickly, we can cover another forty kilometers and reach Skatval.” Erik glanced at Evelyn. “Anna told me about your feet. It’s about an eight-hour trek. Will you be able to do it?”
She met his gaze steadily.
“What’s the result if I can’t?” she asked.
“You won’t make Namsos by Sunday.”
“Then I don’t have a choice, do I?” She smiled wryly. “Let’s get started.”
Bialystok, Poland
Vladimir folded his paper neatly and reached for his coffee. He swallowed the last gulp, then got up from the table. The small restaurant was nearly empty, the only other occupant being an old man who looked as though he had spent his entire life in the fields. He sat hunched over his plate, his eyes down, and paid no attention to the people around him. Not that there were many this early in the day.
Tucking the paper under his arm, Vladimir turned towards the door and left the small café. It was looking bleak indeed for the Norwegians. The German troops had taken control of all the airfields in Norway on the first day of their offensive, allowing the Luftwaffe unlimited reign over the skies. They used the advantage in true Blitzkrieg fashion, attacking the people of Norway with abandon as they paved the way for their troops. There were reports of villages burning as the German forces swept, virtually unchecked, north. The King, Crown Prince, and all their ministers were in retreat, having escaped Oslo before the Germans landed, and were being ruthlessly pursued by the highly trained German paratroopers. What was left of the Norwegian army was in disarray, scattered and ill-equipped to face the elite forces of Hitler’s Wehrmacht. They wouldn’t be able to hold out very long, and if the King and the other royals were captured, there would be an end to Norway.
Vladimir turned to stride up the street. After Grigori had alerted him to Evelyn’s presence in Oslo, he had made some very discreet inquiries of his own. The NKVD had two men in Oslo who kept them well informed, and one of them had confirmed the arrival of the British agent at the airport outside of Oslo on the second of April. Had she still been in the city when the Germans landed in the early hours Tuesday? More importantly, had she been able to get out of Norway before the bulk of the German troops arrived? Or before Eisenjager found her?
He hadn’t forgotten about the German agent who, by all reports, had been set on her trail. If, by some chance, she was still in Norway, she would have to avoid, not only the advancing soldiers and the accompanying SS detachments, but also one of the deadliest men in Hitler’s Third Reich. While he had absolutely no doubt that she could find a way to survive, what concerned Vladimir was that she would get the opportunity to do so. If Eisenjager knew she was in Norway, then so did the SD, and therein lay the problem. They had standing orders regarding the British agent, as Vladimir well knew. He had been informed of the orders by his own protégé firmly entrenched in Berlin. The young agent was up against formidable odds, made more so by the indubitable fact that she had no idea of the threat.
Striding up the street as the gray light of dawn gave way
