Minds of Men

by Kacey Ezell

This is survival, Paul, isn’t that what you always say? I’m not proud. I just want to survive. Put me down.

  Finally, he complied. The leaden exhaustion she could feel in his arms probably had something to do with it. Without a word or a thought, Sean skidded back down the trail to them and helped lower Evelyn to the ground. Something sharp dug into her palm, but she gritted her teeth and ignored it as she forced herself to climb up toward Abram’s outstretched hand. Paul followed her, and Sean brought up the rear, though he’d already scaled that particular part once.

  The climb seemed to take forever.

  The whole time, Evelyn feared someone was watching them from afar, preparing to pick them off like crows sitting on a fence. She kept pouring her strength into the net, trying to mask the feel of them from the outside. Normally, this would be enough to defeat even the most strenuous of psychic searches. However, this was Lina, who had penetrated Evelyn’s mind once before. Lina knew the flavor of her thoughts, and even though it was more difficult to link with a woman than it was to link with a man, Lina was more than powerful enough to do it. Their best hope was she didn’t know for sure they were there...not until they had enough distance to make a difference.

  So Evelyn kept pushing them on. Even when Paul stumbled twice, nearly dropping her. Even when Sean cut his arm open on a hidden branch. Even when Abram called a halt at the top of the cliffs and proposed they stop for a minute and come up with a plan.

  No, we have to keep going. She can find us if we’re too close.

  Evie, the sun is about to come up. We have to go to ground. She’ll definitely find us if we get picked up by some patrol, Abram said. We’re all exhausted, we need rest and a plan. Let’s find a place to hole up. I don’t want to go back to Madame Bertrand’s safe house. It won’t be safe, for us or her.

  All right, Evelyn acquiesced. Fear still hammered at her, but she could feel fatigue fraying the edges of her mind. That would diminish their psychic defenses, too, if Lina came looking. Despite the fiasco on the beach, Evelyn had to think they’d gotten lucky. If Lina had done more than just preliminary probing, she would have found them.

  So maybe it wasn’t Lina after all.

  But that rang false in Evelyn’s mind. She knew better. She’d felt that whisper light touch and recognized the iron strength behind it. Lina had been there...and somehow, she’d managed to escape her once again.

  * * *

  Fatigue and satisfaction tangled together in Lina’s mind as she pulled her uniform straight. It had been a long night with a lot of physical activity, and she felt worn out. But for the first time since that hellish night in the forest, Lina felt an upwelling of joy within her breast.

  She’d found her.

  “Lina!” Neils said, opening up the door to his office and greeting her with a smile. “Back so soon! You must have news. One moment, my dear. Let me say farewell to our friend here.”

  He pushed the door slightly wider and Lina took a step backward to allow the other occupant to exit his office. The woman who emerged looked vaguely familiar. A singer or an actress or something. Someone fairly highly placed within Parisian society. Neils was working all angles, it seemed.

  The woman passed Lina without making eye contact and sailed out the door without a single word. Lina looked after her for a moment, amused.

  “What a bitch,” Neils said softly. Lina looked at him, shocked. Neils wasn’t usually the type to use such language about a woman.

  “I am sorry, my dear, but she really is. These Parisians, they are so haughty. You would think they had conquered our country, rather than the other way ‘round. Come in, please. You do have news?”

  “I do,” Lina said. She followed him into the now-familiar office and, at his gesture, sank down into one of his chairs with a sigh. “I apologize, Herr Sendler, but I’ve been up all night.”

  “I imagine you have! Here, let me get coffee, and then you can fill me in.” He stepped out of the room long enough to have a short conversation and returned with a smile.

  “Sophie will bring us coffee and some cake. You do look done in, dear Lina. So tell me, how did our operation go?” he asked as he seated himself at his desk.

  “Decidedly well, Herr Sendler,” Lina said, forcing herself to keep the exultation out of her voice. “The Garreau girl’s information was invaluable.”

  “They were at Bonaparte Beach, then? And they were...what? Intending a rescue by sea?”

  “It appears so. Our batteries fired upon a British gunship offshore, though with no confirmed hits. We did, however, prevent the extraction of any of the probably thirty airmen gathered on the beach.”

  “I’m sorry,” Neils said, sitting up abruptly. “You said...thirty?”

  Lina nodded and gave him a moment to let the number sink in.

  “Our spotters said at least that number, probably more. The visibility was, as you can imagine, quite poor, what with the rain and the fog. But they led several groups down from the cliffs. I was surprised, too, but more and more of them just kept coming.”

  “And how many were captured?”

  “Twelve enemy airmen and two collaborators. The wife of one of the collaborators is also in custody, though she insists that she knows nothing. She is also eight months gone with child.”

  “I see,” he said. “I will ensure she is treated appropriately and given medical care for her confinement.”

  “I think that would be best. She is lying about not knowing anything, but I do not think she knows much. Certainly not as much as her husband.”

  “And do you think he knows enough to allow us to further break open this escape ring?”

  “It is possible, Herr Sendler, but I have something better than that in mind,” she said. Then she fell silent as someone tapped lightly on the door.

  “Come!” Neils barked, impatience making him sound sharper than he normally did. Sophie opened the door, her eyes wide and worried.

  “Ah, Sophie. The coffee. Thank you, my dear. Will you pour for Oberhelfer Sucherin?” he asked.

  Sophie nodded silently, and put the tray down on the desk with tentative movements. Her hand trembled slightly as she poured Lina’s coffee, causing the china to rattle just a bit. For just a moment, Lina considered reaching out, scanning to see why this normally placid woman was so nervous. But she was in Neils’ employ. Certainly he must have vetted her. Scanning her would be impolite. Lina must really be tired if she was considering such a breach of etiquette. She looked up and met the girl’s eyes with a smile. Sophie gave her a tiny smile back and handed her the cup of coffee.

  Lina took a long drink. Partly, it was an excuse to allow Sophie to leave the room before she continued speaking, but partly it was because she needed the kick of the hot, savory beverage. When Sophie had closed the door behind herself, Lina looked up at Neils once again.

  “You were saying?” he asked.

  “Yes. Some of the fugitives on the beach...they are known to me. Because of this, I made the executive decision to allow them to escape the trap we set.”

  “I assume there is some reason for your...sympathy?”

  Lina gave him her cold smile and set the cup down.

  “It is not sympathy, Herr Sendler. Because they are known to me, I can more easily track them. I let them go as...beaters, perhaps. Or bait, if you don’t mind a hunting metaphor. I am confident if we follow where they lead us, we will not only capture them in the end, but we will also uncover much more of their network.”

  “And you are confident you will be able to find them again?”

  “Indeed, yes.”

  “Why?” Neils leaned forward as he asked the question, putting his elbows on the desk, his eyes dark and intense with interest. Lina drew a deep breath.

  “Because, I have linked with them before. One of them, at least. The girl.”

  “What? A girl?”

  “One of their number is an American psychic named Evelyn Adamsen. I and my escort of six Fallschirmjager captured her and two of
her countrymen after they bailed out of their wounded bomber. Somehow, the Amis are using psychics to assist them in their bombing missions. I was not able to get to the details of why before she...” Lina stopped suddenly, as a fist of grief and pain constricted her throat. She couldn’t speak of it. She couldn’t breathe...She saw Neils’ eyes go wide in alarm. She swallowed hard and looked down.

  “My escorts were killed. I was nearly killed and left for dead. I must find her, Neils. She must answer for what she took from me.”

  “Lina,” Neils breathed. “I knew this was personal for you...but this sounds like more than duty. This...a personal vendetta?”

  “Yes,” she said fiercely. “And I know it is wrong, but I do not care. Because I can use her to take down these enemies of the Reich. My work will not suffer...indeed, my emotional involvement only makes me stronger in this case. I have been inside her head! She cannot hide from me, not for long, and I will follow her at a distance, and we will snap up every traitor, every collaborator, every enemy that dares to give her aid or comfort!”

  “Lina,” Neils said again. “I understand what you are saying, but do you not see how this could be a danger to you?”

  “No! What...how?”

  “You are too close...”

  “No! Did you not listen...?”

  He cut her off with a sharp cutting motion of his hand.

  “Yes, Oberhelfer, I did listen,” he said, his voice stern. “And let me tell you what I heard. You are consumed with the thought of catching the woman who hurt you, and I cannot blame you. But neither can I risk you on a chase across Europe. I had misgivings about sending you out to Brittany last night, if I am honest. If I lost you, my operation would be severely degraded here. You are not a combat soldier, Lina. You are a highly-trained specialist, and you are too valuable to lose.”

  “You will not lose me, Herr Sendler,” she said lowly. “I give you my word.”

  The head of the Paris office pursed his lips in thought, then took a deep breath.

  “Convince me,” he said. “I will not make any promises...but convince me you can do this with minimal risk to yourself. What is your plan?”

  Lina drew in a long, shaky breath, and forced her agitation to calm. She must be in control if she were to win the right to go after the Ami girl. It had been a mistake to allow Neils to see her passion. He thought it made her weaker. In the depths of her mind, Lina knew he was wrong. The blazing hatred she felt could only make her stronger...but she would bank it, make it smolder. She was the most powerful psychic the Reich had ever trained; she could certainly control herself.

  “I know her location to within a few kilometers,” Lina started. “She must still be in the vicinity of Plouha.”

  “How do you know this?” Neils asked, interrupting. “She could have snuck out in the time it took you to travel back here.”

  “I had the local authorities impose a complete travel lock down. Unless she went cross country on foot, she has gone nowhere. And if she has gone cross country on foot...well. My range is very good, mein Herr. Especially because of the link I mentioned earlier. She cannot outrun me, even with this detour back to Paris.”

  “On what authority did you impose the lockdown?” he asked.

  “Yours,” she said, without a flinch or hesitation. “Even with our arrests, there are a number of fugitives from the beach for whom we have not accounted. The authorities did not question in the slightest.”

  He just looked at her.

  “You sent me to do a job, Herr Sendler,” she reminded him. “My personal motivations do not change that. I would have imposed the lockdown anyway, even if she had never been on Bonaparte beach.”

  Another long look and then a nod. She went on.

  “I will return to Plouha and assist with the interrogations there. I will locate her, and when I do, the travel restrictions will be lifted. When she moves, I will follow in her wake. I will find who helps her, and I will funnel that information back to you.”

  “And how far will you follow her?”

  “As far as she goes, Herr Sendler. Until she is close to slipping beyond our borders.”

  “And then?”

  “And then,” Lina said softly. “If you will help me, I will take her.”

  Neils steepled his fingers in front of his mouth and said nothing for a few moments. Lina sat unmoving under his gaze, imposing a kind of iron calm on herself. Her instinct was to be anything but calm. If he didn’t allow her to do this, then she would have to find some way to chase the Amis on her own...

  “Fine,” he said, the word dropping like a stone into the stillness between them. “I am still concerned, but I have seen what you can do, Lina. I brought you here to bring down this network, and your plan will do it. One condition, however. I will accompany you every step of the way. To protect you. From yourself, if necessary.”

  And how do you plan to do that, mein Herr? She wanted to ask the question, but long ago Lina had learned discretion was the better part of valor, so she nodded and said nothing.

  * * * * *

  Chapter Sixteen

  It was nearly three days before they could get out of the area.

  They spent the first morning hiding in an abandoned barn. The structure wasn’t entirely sound, and Evelyn feared that the weathered timbers might all come toppling down on them as they slept, but it was out of sight, and that was good enough for Abram. The four of them huddled together in a corner of the dilapidated structure, behind a pile of dirt and cast-off farm implements, and waited out the remainder of that wet, windy day. As the hours wore on, Evelyn’s stomach began to cramp in hunger, and she thought longingly of Madame Bertrand’s pies.

  Perhaps we should go back to her house? Sean offered at one point as the afternoon sun slanted through a break in the clouds just before it set. I think I could find the way.

  Too dangerous, Abram said. For us and for her. We’ve been hungry before. We’ll be all right for the day.

  Are we moving on tomorrow? Paul asked.

  That’s my thought. Unless Evie’s not up to it.

  I’m fine, Evelyn said firmly. My ankle aches, but it’s not as bad as it was. It’s not even swollen...much.

  Right, then that’s what we’ll do. We’ll wait until tonight, then we’ll move on down the road. If we can get back to Guingamp, we can find that Cosca fellow again. I think he’d do better than Madame Bertrand.

  After that exchange, Evelyn decided she’d better try to get some rest before they went out into the murky night. She composed herself for sleep, but uneasiness coated her mind. Though she kept it from the men, she remained certain Lina was out there, hunting them. She didn’t know if the other girl would be able to find her or not...but she was not at all sanguine about her ability to evade detection. After all, it had always been easy to find Mary in a crowd, simply because they’d been linked so many times. She’d only linked with Lina once...but it had been an especially intimate link.

  Nothing you can do about it now, Paul said, on the tight channel he knew how to use. So much for keeping her worries from the men.

  She’s out there, Paul. I know she is.

  Maybe she is. And maybe she’ll find us. And if she does, we’ll fight. We’ll protect you, Evie. You know that.

  I know, Paul. But I don’t know if you can protect me from her.

  Why?

  She’s strong. She’s so strong...I’ve never met anyone who could hold me inside my own mind like that.

  Never?

  No.

  And yet, you defeated her once.

  Evelyn froze, shock reverberating through her mind like ice water.

  What?

  You defeated her once, didn’t you? She’s so incredibly strong...but that makes you stronger.

  I don’t understand.

  Paul was on watch, sitting a few feet away from where she lay curled between the sleeping forms of Sean and Abram. He shifted and turned to look directly at her, though his eyes were in shadow.
/>   It’s like this, Evie. You know how you stop being afraid of the monsters in the dark? You become the scariest monster out there. You took everything she threw at you...and you still destroyed her. Or very nearly. That makes you the most fearsome thing in the dark. She can’t beat you, or she would have done it already. Remember that, Evie.

  I...all right...

  The corner of his mouth lifted in a slight smile, and he shifted so the last rays of the sun slanted through the barn-wood boards to light up his face.

  Good. Now get some sleep.

  * * *

  Sometime after midnight, they vacated the barn and set out into the night. The soaking rain had finally passed, and the air felt cold and crystalline against Evelyn’s face.

  I smell snow, she told the men. We’ll want to get under cover before it starts.

  Well, you be sure and tell me when it’s about to start, Evie, Abram said rather tartly. I’ll do my best.

  Hey, LT, ease up, will ya? Sean immediately leapt to Evelyn’s defense as she recoiled, stung by the frustration and exasperation flowing from their leader.

  I’m sorry, sir, Evelyn said. I didn’t mean anything by it. I was just trying to help.

  Evelyn felt Abram’s mental sigh soaking through the lines of the net.

  I’m sorry, too, he said after a moment. I’m just frustrated.

  We all are, Paul said. But it does nobody any good to sit and snipe at one another. Let’s keep moving. The road to Guingamp is just ahead.

  Paul was right. Not quite an hour later, they came upon the small, narrow road Cosca had driven. Unfortunately, the road was blocked by a pair of trucks bearing the symbol of the Wehrmacht. They idled side by side, their headlights illuminating the dirt of the road from both directions. Evelyn counted four soldiers standing out in front of the trucks.

  There are probably several more patrolling nearby, Paul added, in response to her thought. I don’t think we should go this way.

  Let’s head west a ways, Paul decided. They can’t have every little road and cart track road blocked.