“Lieutenant Salvesen!” Philip emerged from the trees breathlessly. “It’s our own troops!”
Erik turned to him quickly. “What?!”
He nodded, trying to catch his breath. “Yes. I saw several I recognized, but they’ve been joined by many I don’t know. They aren’t wearing uniforms.”
Erik scowled. “New recruits?”
“More than likely.”
“How many?”
“There had to be at least fifty on this side alone.”
“Did they see you?”
Philip shook his head. “No.”
“Good. We can’t take the time to explain what we’re doing.” Erik turned to look at the others. “We need to keep moving. We must try to make it to Steinkjer before the Germans take it. After this, they will come looking for a fight.”
Anna made a choking sound and his face softened slightly. He reached out and put his hands on her shoulders.
“Look at me,” he commanded. When she lifted her face to his, he brushed tears off her cheeks. “You should never have seen that. I’m sorry that you did.”
“Why did they keep shooting?” she demanded. “They massacred those men.”
He nodded slowly. “Yes.”
“But why?”
“Because if they hadn’t, those same men would have massacred us,” he said softly. “Perhaps not today, or tomorrow, but eventually. I don’t say that I agree with the order to continue firing, or that it’s an order I would have made, but I understand it.”
Evelyn swallowed her nausea and turned to make her way back to the path, forcing herself to focus on moving instead of the horror she had just witnessed.
“I will never understand it,” Anna said, shaking her head and pulling away from him. She turned to follow Evelyn back to the trail. “If a man surrenders, you take him prisoner. You don’t kill him. They’re no better than the Germans!”
Erik made no reply but turned to follow the others back to the trail. He looked at Peder.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
Peder nodded grimly. “Let’s just get moving,” he said shortly.
Erik nodded and turned to lead the way, his eyes meeting Evelyn’s briefly. In that brief second, she saw her own horror reflected in his dark eyes. He may understand the reasoning behind what had just occurred, but he was just as disturbed by it as they were.
Somehow that eased her own shock and grief and she turned silently to follow him. This war was just that: a war. And she had just witnessed the senseless slaughter that accompanied war. It was the first time she had ever seen someone die, let alone a large group of someones. They were brothers, fathers, sons and husbands. It didn’t seem to matter that they were the enemy. It was just horrible.
As she trudged through the snow next to a silent and visibly upset Anna, Evelyn knew that she would never forget what she’d just seen. She also knew that it was just the beginning and she would undoubtedly see more men, and women, killed before this war came to an end.
She just hoped and prayed she had the strength to make it through it all.
London, England
Bill looked up when a shadow fell over the table. He was sitting towards the back of the Savoy Grill, enjoying a solitary lunch. The only person who knew where he’d gone was Wesley, but it wasn’t Wesley standing next to his table.
“Jasper!” he exclaimed, setting down his knife and fork. “What are you doing here?”
“I hope you don’t mind but Wesley told me where to find you,” he said. “May I join you?”
“Of course.”
Bill watched as he pulled out the chair across from him and sat down. Jasper’s bushy eyebrows were drawn together in such a way that he instinctively knew that this unexpected lunch date was not a purely social one. Suppressing a sigh, he sat back and considered his boss, resigned.
“What’s happened now?” he asked.
A wry smile passed over Jasper’s face. “Is it that obvious?”
“You prefer to eat alone as much as I. If you’ve searched me out, there must be a reason, and given the current climate, I can’t imagine that it’s a very good one.”
“Quite right.” Jasper looked up as a waiter approached and glanced at Bill’s lunch of poached fish. “How is the fish today?”
“Very good.”
“I’ll have the same,” he told the waiter, “and a whiskey and soda.”
The waiter nodded, moving away, and he turned his attention to Bill.
“I’m glad to see you out of the office for lunch,” he said. “I know I’m not one to cast stones in this regard, but it really is necessary to get out of that building once in a while.”
“Good for the soul?” Bill asked, his lips twisting as he reached for his knife and fork again.
“Something like that, yes.”
“I suppose it does me good to clear my head a bit,” he admitted, cutting into his fish. “Of course, now you’re here to clutter it up again, I’m sure. Do you plan on telling me what brought you, or shall I guess?”
“GC&CS decoded another message,” Jasper told him.
Bill looked up sharply. “Henry?”
Jasper nodded but remained silent as the waiter approached the table again, bearing his whiskey and soda. Bill watched as the man set the drink down in front of Jasper before turning to leave again.
“They know about Namsos,” he said, once the waiter was out of earshot. “At least, they know there will be an evacuation attempt, and they believe Jian is the intended target.”
Bill stared at him, his lunch forgotten.
“How the bloody hell did they find out?” he demanded in a low, fierce voice, his brows snapping together. “You said the entire operation was classified!”
“It is.” Jasper reached for his drink, his face grim. “Not only was it imperative that no one know about the extraction of your agent, but no one is supposed to know about the landing that will take place at the same time. If the Germans realize that troops will be landing, it will be
