Crack. Snap. The sounds of breaking twigs and leaves crunching filled the cool night air. Auguste pushed the colonel down to his knees as the three men squatted silently, listening as the sound approached. Hooves. Auguste recognized the sound of Beau’s distinctive footfalls. He whistled again. A nicker in the distance.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Jean-Luc said. “What are you? Some kind of a super soldier with a super-powered horse?”
Auguste smiled when he saw the familiar smirk on Jean-Luc’s face. He had missed that smile. It was soft and welcoming, a drastic comparison to the hardened glares he had received since that fateful night in the woods almost a year ago.
“Just found me a very obedient horse is all,” Auguste said as the grey gelding appeared before him. “Sure is good to see you, Beau! You have earned yourself some extra carrots!”
“You’d better ride fast, Klaus. When I catch up with you, and I will catch up with you, I will show you no mercy.”
Releasing his grip, he let the colonel loose. He fell forward onto his knees, rubbing his neck where Auguste’s forearm had held him. Jean-Luc raised his gun, locking his head in the sights.
“Colonel. I’m sorry this had to happen. You have always been so kind to me, giving me a home when I had none.” Auguste stepped over and knelt down in front of him, his eyes now level with the colonel’s that blazed with hatred. “I never meant for any of this to happen. You must believe me. I just couldn’t let you kill him. He’s like a brother to me. Please, let us go peacefully. I just want a quiet life. That’s all. Let us both go on our way and forget that we ever met.”
The colonel’s eyes narrowed. “Forget this ever happened? Forget that Germany was betrayed, that I was betrayed by the closest thing I have ever had to a son? Forget that you pressed a knife to my neck and humiliated me in front of my men? Forget it, you say? I’ll tell you what, Klaus.” Rage clouded his dark eyes and Auguste leaned back. “I’ll give you a head start. I may not even start looking for you today or even tomorrow. But know that when you least expect it, when you have settled down into the quiet life you so desire, when you have a wife and children of your own, that is when you will see me again. You will come home to find me standing over the bodies of your bloodied children. You will see your wife, still writhing from the things I will do to her. She will call out my name instead of yours. And before I slit your throat, I will slit hers. You will watch her bleed out in front of you on the ground. You will beg me for death, Klaus. I can assure you of that. So, go now. Be on your way. You are my greatest disappointment and just know... I will be seeing you, Klaus.” His words were like ice in Auguste’s veins.
Auguste swallowed hard. As much as the colonel had viewed him as a son, he had also viewed him as a father and hearing the hatred in his words stung deeper than he could imagine. Auguste closed his eyes, the deep breath he took pushing his chest out. It was her face he saw. Those green eyes and her bright smile. It was her body he envisioned bleeding with the colonel standing above her covered in her blood. When he opened his eyes, he was looking at Jean-Luc. Unable to speak German and understand the charged exchange, he looked scared and confused. Auguste looked back to the dark, odious eyes of the man he had once cared deeply for.
“My name isn’t Klaus. It’s Auguste Pettit. Please know that I am sorry. I’m sorry that I disappointed you. It was never my intention. I’m so sorry, but I can’t let you hurt them.” Auguste held his stare. He watched the colonel’s eyes grow wide as he slid the knife he had concealed in his hand between his ribs and into his heart. Tears filled Auguste’s eyes as the colonel gasped for breath. The look of betrayal would be forever burned in his mind.
But he’d known when he’d looked into the man’s eyes, it was her or him... and he would always choose her. No matter what, over anything. Even his own life. It would always be her. He held the knife firmly in place as the colonel fell into his arms. Auguste pressed his face into the familiar shoulder and tears dripped onto his uniform as he heard the colonel take his last breath. Auguste held him tight, clinging to the last of his life as Lieutenant Klaus and the happy memories he’d shared with the man lying dead in his arms.
He had hoped that he could release the colonel and still get the life he wanted. But he’d known by the determination in those eyes he’d had no intention of letting him go. The hunt for him would never end, and eventually they would find him. Everyone in his life would be at risk and, as much as it pained him, this was the only way to keep them all safe.
Auguste rose slowly as Colonel Schumacher tipped over, falling into a heap on the forest floor. After staring at his body for a moment, he wiped his eyes and looked to his brother, standing before him.
“Auguste. I’m sorry. I know that must have been hard for you. I really am sorry.” Jean-Luc’s eyes were filled with understanding after witnessing his friend protect him by killing a man he once thought of as a father.
“He left me no choice. Let’s go, Jean-Luc. We need to get some space between us and the Germans.” Auguste wiped the last of the tears from his eyes and took a deep breath. “There is a farm I have been working at several hours back in that direction. We will ride there together and I will get you a horse so you can ride to warn the French soldiers of the German plan to attack at Reims. The attack starts on 15 July at 12:10. They intend to take the city of Reims. You must warn them and get them ready to stop the attack.”
Jean-Luc’s eyes widened as Auguste told him of the battle plan. Preparing the French and thwarting the German plan could finally bring this war to an end.
“I’ll fill you in more on the way. Come on.” Auguste swung up onto Beau. Leaning down he reached out his hand. Jean-Luc looked up at him and paused for only a moment before taking a firm grasp of it. They exchanged a look between brothers, and with a tug Auguste pulled him up behind him.
“Let’s go, Beau!” he said as he urged him on. They galloped off through the woods toward Chateau Cheval and away from the horrors behind them.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
“RELAX, BOY. CATCH YOUR breath. We’re almost there,” Auguste said, stroking the soaking wet neck of the fatigued gelding. They’d moved as quickly as his aged legs could run and he needed a walk-break.
“Auguste?” Jean-Luc said when they slowed.
“Yes?”
“Why did you choose me over him? I can see that he meant a lot to you. You could have let me hang.”
Auguste scoffed. “Do you really not understand? You’re more than my friend, Jean-Luc. You’re my brother. I betrayed you before by lying, I know. But I really was going to kill that spy and stay at your side. I would slaughter a thousand Germans, even the one who took me in, to keep you safe. My loyalty to you is real.”
Jean-Luc smiled. “Well, I guess I’ll believe you then... Auguste Pettit.”
Auguste pursed his lips and smiled. “I needed a last name, and since I considered you my brother, I thought it fitting.”
“I like it. It has a nice ring to it. The Pettit brothers. ‘Look out! Lock up your ladies! The Pettit brothers are here!’ Yep. I like it, a lot.”
“Good. Because I’m pretty partial to Auguste Pettit.”
“I’m honored to be your brother, Auguste.” He leaned around, jutting his finger in Auguste’s face. “But don’t you lie to me again, got it?”
“Got it.” Auguste smiled.
“Where have you been all these months?”
Auguste sighed. “Oh, it’s a loooong story, Jean-Luc. Let’s just say you weren’t the only one I unintentionally betrayed.”
“We’ve got time, Auguste, so do tell! Is it a girl? It’s a girl. No, you don’t care about girls. Wait, I know it’s a girl. Is she pretty? Of course she’s pretty, why am I even asking that. Okay, tell me about the pretty girl!”
Auguste laughed for the first time in days and it felt good to have his talkative friend by his side again. “It’s a girl. And yes, she is beautiful. And yes, I love her. And yes, she hates me. And yes, s
he thinks me a traitor and murderer as well. And I need to hurry up and save her before the soldiers arrive. Someday I’ll tell you the whole story but right now we need to ride.” Auguste kicked Beau back into a canter and the two men flew across the field. They would be at Chateau Cheval soon.
They rode past the weeping willow tree by the pond Auguste remembered so well. Beau was puffing now, he didn’t have much left in him. Auguste patted his neck as he encouraged him on the last quarter of a mile. They galloped on, pushing up to the top of the hill overlooking the farm up ahead. When they reached the top, he pulled him to a skidding halt. The sky should have been dark, with only the moon to light the way. Instead it glowed orange with smoke pluming into the sky illuminated from flames engulfing the barn and consuming the grass around the property.
“No,” he whispered, barely able to choke out the breath. The beautiful barn smoldered and the lush green fields were now charred black. The war had spilled over his little sanctuary, this last piece of heaven on earth. Now it lay in ruins. The house, at least, still seemed to be standing. Germans must have come through here. They may even still be here. He glanced down at the German uniform he still wore.
Auguste clucked and walked forward with Beau, inching closer to the burning farm. He rode to the trees where his cabin sat, untouched.
“Get off,” he whispered to Jean-Luc. “Hide here until I come back.”
“I can fight,” he whispered back.
“I know you can. But, right now I’m a German soldier.” He pointed to his uniform. “You’re French. I can walk in unchallenged. You’ll be shot on sight. Just stay here. I’ll call you when I need you. Understood?”
“Fine. But I’ll be ready.” Jean-Luc slid to the ground and grabbed one of the guns before ducking into the bushes on the back side of the cabin. Auguste rode forward, Beau puffing hard beneath him. The black smoke enveloped the property and he and Beau pushed through it, his nostrils burning as it crept up inside them. When he approached the main barn, his heart sank as he saw the flames envelop it and heard the sounds of the wood breaking apart and crashing to the ground. Up ahead he saw a dark figure on the ground. He squinted, trying to make it out.
Sliding to the ground, he approached, pulling out his rifle and aiming it at what appeared to be a man on the ground. The body moved, and he slid his finger to the trigger while he crept through the grass until he got close enough to identify him through the smoke.
“Raulf!” he shouted, racing forward and collapsing on the ground beside him.
Raulf looked up at him, bloody cuts covering his face and a large piece of rubble pressing down on his chest. With a growl, Auguste grabbed the giant piece of wood and pulled it off him. Raulf inhaled a deep breath when the massive wood constricting his chest ripped free. Grasping his hand, Auguste pulled it to his chest.
“Raulf, what happened? Where are you hurt? Are there still soldiers here?”
Raulf took a shallow breath and grimaced in pain. “The soldiers are gone, I think. They came and left this afternoon.” His voice was breathy and forced, vibrating in short spurts between grimaces of pain. “They took all the horses... burned everything down... tried to stop them... Henri... I don’t know where Henri is...”
“Can you walk?”
“Yes. I think so.” He wiggled his toes and bent his legs. “Seems things are still working.”
Auguste grabbed his arm and pulled him to his feet. Raulf scoured him with a quizzical gaze.
“What the hell are you doing in a German uniform?” He raised a bushy brow then clutched his ribcage in pain.
Auguste glanced down and struggled for an answer but then shook his head. “Another time. I need to find Henri. Just get to my cabin.”
“I’ll help.” He took a step but he yelped when he put his full weight on the leg.
“No. You’re hurt. I’ll move faster by myself. Go Raulf. I’ll find you at the cabin. And don’t be alarmed by the French soldier. That’s Jean-Luc. Tell him you’re a friend.”
Raulf nodded and started on his way, limping and grimacing with each step.
Auguste took a breath and took off for the house. When he passed through the raging inferno, he covered his mouth with his arm trying to keep his lungs from burning further from the thick, black smoke. Refusing to slow down, desperate to find Henri, he leapt across a beam from the barn that was engulfed in flames. As he neared the house, he let out a breath ripe with relief to see that it had only suffered minor fire damage, the stone extinguishing the flames before they could reach the shingled roof. Auguste leapt up the stairs and pushed the door open. The darkened room reeked of smoke, but no fires burned inside.
POW! A bullet whizzed past his head, almost grazing his ear. Auguste dropped to the floor and took cover behind an old wooden chest.
“You come here! You steal my horses! You burn my barn! I’ll kill you, German son of a bitch! I’ll kill you!”
Auguste smiled. Henri. He was alive. And as feisty as ever.
“Henri! It’s me! Auguste! Don’t shoot!” Auguste hunkered down behind the chest, waiting for confirmation before daring to lift his head up again.
“Auguste? Is that you? What are you doing here? Why are you wearing a German uniform? I could have killed you!”
Auguste rose slowly with his hands in the air. His eyes searched the dark room until he saw the top of Henri’s head peeking above a tipped over couch, his gun resting firmly on it.
“It’s me, Henri. Don’t shoot,” he said as he made his way across the room. “Are you hurt?”
“Thank God, it’s you, Auguste.” Henri laid down his gun and came around the couch, throwing his arms up and around Auguste’s shoulders. “I saw the uniform and thought they had come back. I’m sorry, son. Why the hell are you wearing a German uniform?” Henri looked him up and down.
“It’s a long story, Henri, and one I hope to live to tell you someday. Right now I need to know if Isabelle is here. Did she happen to come back or is she still in the city?” Holding his breath, he waited for the answer, hoping she was somehow safe back here again.
“No, Auguste. She is safe at her aunt’s and Alexis has gone south with the Cosgroves. Thank the Lord both of my girls are safe.”
“She’s not safe. Germans are about to move through there. They’ll be there by tomorrow night. I need to get there to save her. Beau can’t run anymore. I need a horse but Raulf said they stole them all.”
“Raulf! Where is he? I was so worried!” Henri’s eyes lit up, searching behind Auguste for signs of Raulf.
“He’s injured but safe. He’s back at my cabin. Henri, I need you to listen to me.” The soldier in him returned. His training came back. When in battle, there wasn’t time for small talk. Forward. Always forward. All that mattered was the mission... and right now his top priority was saving her. “Isabelle is in danger. They attack tomorrow night. I must get to her. If all the horses are gone where can I find one? Or a car? Is there a neighbor with a car?”
Henri straightened himself up. “Not all the horses.”
Auguste tipped his head and watched Henri walk through the house and into the library. When he arrived at the wall, his hand slid down the wall-mounted candlestick and pulled. Auguste watched in amazement as the bookshelf pulled away from the wall, opening into a dark room hidden behind it.
“Come,” he said as he grabbed a lit candle and disappeared through the opening.
Auguste followed the soft glow of the light down a wide, stone staircase. Cobwebs covered the ceilings and the damp, musty air felt heavy in his lungs. When he came to the bottom of the staircase, Auguste heard the familiar snorting of horses and the sounds of pawing shoes on the stone floor. As Henri pressed on into the room, his candle illuminated the farthest corner. There, tied to a wall was Chantal. Next to her, the tall, muscular stallion, Le Vent, pawed his agitation, his white socks flashing in the candlelight.
“No one is stealing my two best horses, Auguste. No one.”
Auguste bre
athed a sigh of relief. “You saved them.”
“Raulf did. He saw the soldiers coming and got them in before they got their filthy German hands on them.”
“Henri. I need these two horses.”
Henri nodded as he walked to the wall and untied the lead ropes that fastened the horses to the wall. Auguste approached the skittish stallion with caution. He was a magnificent creature with his long neck, sloping shoulder, strong back and a powerful hind end, all perched atop four legs that rose nearly to Auguste’s chest. The stallion danced beside him, and he slid his hand down the length of his neck attempting to calm him.
“Whoa, boy,” he soothed. “Easy now. I’m not going to hurt you. I need your help, boy. Understand? I need your help.”
The unruly stallion watched Auguste with cautious eyes. He snorted and pawed, pulling back against the rope but Auguste held his gaze, soothing him with a steady hand. The stallion’s hard eye softened, his breathing slowed down, and he stepped forward, nudging Auguste in the chest.
“That’s right, buddy. I need your help. Henri, I’m leading him up. Can you follow with Chantal?”
“Of course.”
Taking the lead rope from Henri, he led the stallion up the stone stairs into the dark library. When they reached the top, Le Vent squealed, his ears pinned tight to his head as he snorted toward the corner. Auguste reached for his gun, his eyes searching the darkness.
“It’s me, Auguste!” He heard Jean-Luc’s voice.
“Jean-Luc! I almost shot you! I told you to wait by the cabin!”
“I heard the gunshot and thought you might need help!”
Auguste shook his head.
“Henri, meet Jean-Luc. Jean-Luc, meet Henri.” The two men smiled and nodded. “Henri is lending you this mare so you can ride and warn the French of the German plans. She’s fast. Be careful. Don’t get caught. The whole war can turn with the information you have. When you’ve warned them and it’s safe you bring her back here, understand Jean-Luc? We meet back here.”
A War Within (Epic WWI Love Story) Page 24