“Gypsies have survived for centuries with these rules, so we continue to use them. They prevent us from becoming ill and spreading disease through the camp,” she explained, as Devorah, Gertrude and Clara listened intently
“Here is how it is done.” Nadya went on, “We drink the water from the highest point, then a little farther down we gather water for the horses, then farther down we use the river for bathing, and at the lowest point we wash our clothes. This way our drinking water is always clean.”
“I have it,” Devorah answered. She was only a year older than Nadya, and they were already becoming fast friends.
“We are so happy to have you join us.”
“You can’t imagine how happy we are to be here,” Devorah smiled.
A messenger on foot brought word for Ion, He said that the Polish underground wished to meet and discuss the next escape venture. They had put all of the elements into place, and they were ready now. Ion took the man walking far from the group who sat in a circle in the center of the camp. Both he and Christian had been expecting this message for weeks, and they’d both been awaiting the messenger’s arrival. Nadya knew the man from the underground because she’d seen him in the past, and she knew what he came to talk about. She glared at the two men as they walked away. If it were entirely up to her, all of these missions would stop. After the courier left, Nadya found her brother and her husband deep in conversation.
“Christian, I’m scared. I don’t want you to go,” she said as soon as she walked up to them.
“How did you know about this already, my sweet little vixen?” Christian’s face broke into a smile as he caressed her hair.
“Don’t tease me. This is serious. You could be killed. Besides, how did that man find us? I hoped when we moved camp we could be done with all of that and just stay out of sight until this nightmare comes to an end,” Nadya said.
“Shmul went to him and told him where we were going. I told him to tell him,” Ion answered.
“Why, Ion? Why not just let it be as it was?” Nadya asked.
“Because we cannot abandon our cause; you know that. Everything we are and everything we believe in depends upon it,” Ion said.
“I am sick to death of ideals. I just want to live in peace with my husband. Is that so much to ask?
“It is Christian’s choice. He may stay here if he so chooses.” Ion crossed his arms at his chest and looked at Christian.
“I promised your brother. I can’t let Ion do this alone. It will be two days, and then I’ll be back. Trust me, please,” Christian said, and he took her hand, kissing her palm and rubbing the soft flesh against his cheek.
“I do trust you, but more importantly, I love you. I don’t want to lose you…”
Placing his hand gently over her mouth to silence her, he said, “I love you too…so very, very much, but can’t you see that this is something I must do? If I stop now, then what kind of man would I be? I could be a coward, and would such a man be worthy of your love?”
“Please Christian, please be careful. If anything happens to you I will want to die too,” she said.
“Don’t say that. If anything should happen, which it won’t, you must go on. You must do this for me.”
“Christian…” she looked at him, worried.
“Nadya, please…”
“Besides all of that, we need the money that this will bring for ammunition. We have so little left after that attack. Can’t you see, Nadya, that this must be done?” Ion said, but even as he spoke his heart broke for his sister.
Finally she nodded in agreement, holding back the tears that threatened to fall.
Chapter 34
Only a few short hours remained until Ion and Christian would leave to speak to the head of the Polish Underground and find out what their entire mission entailed. Christian took Nadya’s hand and led her back to their wagon to spend a few precious hours alone together.
Once they locked the door and Christian took her in his arms, Nadya began to cry. She could no longer hold back the fears that consumed her.
“Christian, I am so afraid that you won’t return if you take this on.”
“Shhhh.” he whispered, “You can’t get rid of me that easily.” He buried his face in her hair, trying to capture her floral scent.
“Nadya, I never thought I could love anyone or anything as much as I love you. I will always come back to you.”
“I know that once you have met with the Poles and you agree to do this then you are obligated to follow through. So, if I let you go, Christian, will you promise me something?”
“The amulet?”
“Yes, and…that this will be your last mission.”
“I can’t promise that, my love, but I will wear the amulet. I will never take it off.” He reached for the necklace that was on the table and put it over his head.
“Kiss me, Christian.”
His lips met hers and he tasted the salt of her tears. Softly, he kissed her face; gently, he caressed her hair. Then he swept her into his arms and carried her to the bed. He lay her carefully down, then he got in beside her. She cuddled into his arms. With his finger he traced the outline of her face, wanting to remember every detail when he was away from her, if only for a few hours. He wondered how he would feel when he was gone for days. She closed her eyes and his lips softly brushed her eyelids. Their hearts beat in unison as they held tightly to each other and to the moment. He made love to her slowly and tenderly, savoring the feel of her skin, the sweet taste of her love and the depth of her beautiful eyes. The hours passed all too quickly, and dusk fell upon the camp. The time had come, and Christian knew he must go.
“Darling,” he whispered, “Your brother is waiting for me.”
“I know,” she answered.
“Stay here…comfortable and safe in our bed. Don’t watch as I leave. I will be back as soon as I can, my love.”
“Christian, if what they are proposing seems to impossible, don’t agree to it. I am begging you.”
He did not answer.
She lay there, her heart pounding in silent panic as she watched him dress. Every second that passed, she prayed that he would change his mind, but she knew that he would not. When he was ready to leave, he walked over to the bed and sat down beside her. Taking her hand in his, he kissed her palm and squeezed gently. “I love you, Nadya,” he whispered, “I will be back soon.” Then he kissed her lips tenderly and left.
She lay there, crying softly. Nadya knew that Christian had a mission in life when she met him, and she knew even now that she could never change him. He was a man of courage, character and integrity…and wasn’t that why she’d fallen in love with him in the first place?
Chapter 35
“Where have you been, Christian? I’ve searched all over for you. We have to meet with the Underground so that you can see what’s planned for this mission,” Ion said.
Christian acknowledged him with a nod, “I’m ready.
“Once again I want you to know for certain that you don’t have to do this, Christian,” Ion said.
“I know that….my only concern is Nadya’s safety while I’m away.’
“She’ll be safe here. The others will watch over her…that I promise. After all, she’s my sister. I love her too.”
As the full moon began to show off her silver sparkle, lighting the sky, and darkness descended quietly upon the forest, the two men prepared the horses that they would ride to the clearing where the meeting had been arranged.
“Please, Christian, be careful. I know this is only a meeting, but no one can say if you will be watched or attacked.” Nadya had left her wagon and came walking over to him as he mounted the beast. Taking the reins in his hand he bent down to kiss her.
“Of course, I will be very careful, but you should not have come out here. I didn’t want you to see me leave. Go back to camp. I will return in a few hours… Sstay with the others and wait for me.”
She turned to walk back to camp, but
as she heard the clatter of the horses’ hoofs meeting the dirt, she turned one last time to see Christian’s back as he rode off with Ion.
Chapter 36
Twelve men from the Polish Underground gathered in the clearing; they were waiting for Ion’s and Christian’s arrival. The temperatures were rapidly dropping, and the men moved about, rubbing their hands together in an effort to stay warm.
The soft beat of the horses’ hooves could be heard as Christian and Ion entered the open field. It had been a narrow path that led them to the area, and now they were hidden on all sides by the thick brush of the trees. The two dismounted their horses and were greeted immediately.
“Ion… Welcome… This is Christian, I presume?” the leader of the underground, a disheveled man with short, unruly dark hair patted Ion’s back.
“Yes, it is… He is the man who delivered the last group that you sent to the guide in the Alps, and without any problems, I might add,” Ion said proudly.
“I can see why… He looks like a German,” the unshaven Pole laughed heartily.
“He is also my brother now… He is married to my sister,” Ion smiled at Christian.
“Oh… So, a congratulations is in order, I see,” the hefty Pole said with a smile.
“Yes, thank you,” Ion nodded. Christian stood beside Ion, watching and listening.
“For this we must have a drink. Mick, bring the vodka.”
The alcohol was strong, but good, and it burned Christian’s throat as he took a hearty swig.
“We have a group of partisans that we need to get into the Ukraine. Their intention is to kidnap an SS officer from Janowska. It has come to our attention that this high-ranking official is stealing the gold teeth from dead prisoners. Then he is storing the gold in a bank in Switzerland. From what we hear, there is quite a sum to be had. Once we have him, we will promise him his life in trade for the account information. After we have retrieved the gold, of course we will kill him. The reason we need your help is that it is essential that we use someone who looks like he could really be an SS officer. The disguise must be very convincing. And from what I can see, Christian would be perfect. You see we need Christian to be the one to go to Switzerland and bring back the money. He must go to the bank with the account information and act as this officer. This job will pay very well, both in currency and in weaponry. In other words, we will take good care of you. But as you can well imagine, it’s a dangerous job. If they should suspect him, he will surely be killed.”
“That is for sure,” Ion shook his head.
“Now that is only half of it,” the man continued, “There are Germans all around the border between the Ukraine and Poland. We have a safe house set up in the Ukraine that the men plan to use as their base; it is there that they will execute the plan for the kidnapping. However, that part of the operation does not concern you. Here is exactly what we want of you. First, we will need your people to escort our men who will be doing the actual kidnapping across the border; you must get them safely into the Ukraine. Then, after we have done our part by kidnapping the Nazi and the SS officer is in our custody, Christian will go to Switzerland. He will impersonate the SS officer that we have captured. Christian will be using this German’s actual papers. We will use Shmul to change the pictures to match Christian’s face. Now, Christian will go to the bank in Switzerland, he will present the papers and ask for his safety deposit box. If all goes as planned, the bank will give him the box and he will take all of the gold and bring it back here. What do you say? Can you do it?”
Ion raised an eyebrow at Christian, and both of the men considered the possibilities.
“We would like to discuss this further,” Ion said as he motioned to Christian and they walked across the field to the other side where they could discuss the matter in private.
“What do you think?” Ion asked.
“I think it’s dangerous, Ion, but we need the ammunition in order to continue; we are very low since the attack on our camp. I say that we must do it,” Christian said.
“Very well, my brother; you do, of course, realize that once they have this Nazi officer…if they can get him at all without getting killed…the rest of the mission is on you. I am not sure if we should take that risk. I don’t like the idea of you going to Switzerland and posing as this SS man. It’s too risky. Perhaps we should agree only to the first part of the operation right now and tell them that we must discuss the second part further before we decide if we are willing to go through with it. If they are willing to accept that, then all right; if not, then we must decline the mission.”
“Yes, that is a good idea. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Right now all they need is for us to transport a group of men to the Ukraine. It would be safer to go by the back roads, but they are using us because they want to move quickly through the border patrols, and I guess they think that because of the way I look I can move us through.”
“I know; that’s what I gathered, because they could go on foot if they chose to. There must be a time element involved,” Ion lit a cigarette.
“We need the money and the ammunition if we are to continue to remain free. Without weapons we are just a waiting target. And I can’t see any other way to acquire them. I don’t mind putting myself at risk, but it is Nadya I am concerned about. I wish that we could send her up through the Alps into Switzerland…but I’m afraid the journey would be too much for her. After all, that’s rough terrain. I have thought of this often, but Ion, as you well know, many don’t make it through the Alps. So the only way that I can see of keeping Nadya safe is to make sure we have enough weapons. I say that we do it,” Christian said.
“The whole mission?” Ion asked.
“Let’s try for just the first part, but I think that we will be forced to agree to the entire mission or they will abort it completely.”
“My sister would kill me if she knew what I was agreeing to.”
“I know, and believe me if there were any other way I would not risk my life, if only for her sake. But if we don’t accept this mission, we will soon be out of currency and weapons. That will leave us open targets the next time the Nazis find our camp,” Christian said as he took the cigarette from Ion and took a drag.
“If this is what you think we must do…”
“It is,” Christian nodded.
The two who’d become brothers in mind and soul returned to the man who awaited their decision.
“We have spoken to each other and we agree to the first part of the mission. We will deliver your men to the Ukraine. Then we will decide if we are going to take on the second half.”
“I’m sorry, but that will not be possible. Once we have this Nazi in our grasp, we must be sure that we have someone to retrieve the money from the Swiss bank. If Christian does not agree to that, then we must reconsider the entire mission,” the leader of the Underground said.
Christian and Ion looked at each other. Gravely Christian nodded. Wordlessly he mouthed to Ion “Tell him yes.”
“We will do it,” Ion agreed reluctantly.
“And now we need to make the arrangements.” The leader of the Polish Underground extended his hand, and Ion shook it. Then he shook Christian’s hand.
“Before we begin… I have a condition… Are your men able to get into town?” Christian asked. “My involvement in this mission is contingent on your cooperation with my request.”
“Some of us are able to go into the city. Others have faces that they recognize. But if it must be done in order for you to agree to this, we will find a way.”
“I would like one of you to purchase a gold ring for me… a small size… It is for my new bride. Only if you can acquire the ring will I accept the job.”
“When do you want it?” the Pole asked.
“Before we leave for the Ukraine,” Christian answered.
“It will be done.”
With the bargain agreed upon, Christian and Ion mounted their horses. They rode away into the darkness of the f
orest.
As they rode Christian and Ion made plans to carry out the assignment of delivering the men to the Ukraine.
“I will pose as an SS Officer… Our story, if we are caught, will be that we are taking these men on a work detail that has been requested by Himmler himself… They will be less likely to ask questions if we use the name of a high official,” Christian said.
“Good thinking, my brother. Am I to pose as a guard or a worker?’
“What do you think?”
“A worker… I look like a gypsy…” Ion laughed.
“But if you are not one of the Nazis and I’m driving, what is to stop the men from jumping out of the truck bed? Last time we handcuffed the group to the seat, and I didn’t feel that was as believable as it would have been if we’d had a guard with a gun sitting in the back of the truck with the prisoners. We were lucky that time; we weren’t stopped. But I think it would be best if you posed as the armed guard. I think you should sit in the back with a gun, so it looks as if you have these men at gun point,” Christian said.
“You’re right… So I must be a Nazi, too… One driving and one watching, yes?’
“Yes, I think that is the best way.”
Chapter 37
When Ion and Christian returned to the gypsy camp, Nadya was waiting. She ran to the horses before the men could even dismount.
“I was worried,” she gazed up at Christian.
“I know, love, but I’m here now. I promised you that I would be back quickly…and see? I’m fine,” He raised his hands in a gesture to make light of the situation. As he and Ion got off their horses, another of the group came to retrieve the animals.
Before he could move a single step, Nadya wrapped her arms around Christian and buried her face in his chest. Looking down at her, Christian saw that she was crying.