Enemies and Traitors: The Norsemen's War: Book One - Teigen and Selby (The Hansen Series 1)
Page 1
By Kris Tualla:
Loving the Norseman
Loving the Knight
In the Norseman’s House
A Nordic Knight in Henry’s Court
A Nordic Knight of the Golden Fleece
A Nordic Knight and his Spanish Wife
A Discreet Gentleman of Discovery
A Discreet Gentleman of Matrimony
A Discreet Gentleman of Consequence
A Discreet Gentleman of Intrigue
A Discreet Gentleman of Mystery
Leaving Norway
Finding Sovereignty
Kirsten’s Journal
A Woman of Choice
A Prince of Norway
A Matter of Principle
The Norsemen’s War: Enemies and Traitors
The Norsemen’s War: Battles Abroad
The Norsemen’s War: Finding Norway
An Unexpected Viking
A Restored Viking
A Modern Viking
*****
A Primer for Beginning Authors
Becoming an Authorpreneur
Enemies & Traitors
The Norsemen’s War
Book 1:
Teigen & Selby
Kris Tualla
Enemies and Traitors: The Norsemen’s War is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Published in the United States of America.
© 2016 by Kris Tualla
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, except for brief quotations used in critical articles or reviews.
ISBN-13: 978-1539806301
ISBN-10: 1539806308
This book is dedicated to the brave and resolute
men and women of Norway who
did not roll over and give up
when their country was invaded by Germany
on April 9, 1940.
The characters in this story represent only a small fraction
of Norway’s World War II resistance,
but while they are fictional, the events are real.
I also dedicate this book to the tour guides and residents
who bragged to me about Norway’s resistance at every chance.
Without them, I never would have known.
And lastly, I dedicate this to any readers who had no idea
that any of this happened.
Chapter
One
February 9, 1942
Oslo, Norway
Teigen Hansen slid the paper across the worn top of the Oslo Secondary School headmaster’s desk. “Absolutely not. I will not agree to this.”
Overlærer Oskar Jung glanced sideways at the German officer wearing an expertly fitted Nazi uniform and hovering at the edge of his desk, but Teigen refused to look up at the man. He barely restrained himself from spitting on the officer’s shiny black boots.
Oskar focused his attention on Teigen and leaned forward a little. “You do understand that every teacher in Norway is required to sign this Declaration of Loyalty.”
Teigen kept his voice calm and his eyes level. “I have heard the radio announcements, yes.”
“And yet you are refusing?”
The light in Oskar Jung’s eyes did not match his stern tone. That intrigued Teigen; perhaps he was not going to be fired on the spot for remaining loyal to occupied Norway.
Teigen nodded slowly and quoted bits of the declaration—he wanted his point to be very clearly made, no matter how the Neanderthal in brown responded. “I am. I will not sign any declaration of loyalty to the Nazi regime. And I will not agree to promote my students’ understanding of Nazi ideology.”
The German officer cleared his throat. Loudly.
Teigen deigned to look up at the man out of the corner of his eye. “Perhaps you need a glass of water,” he said in perfect German.
The man startled, then glared at him and answered in the same language. “Perhaps you need to understand what is happening in the world.”
Teigen ignored the taunt and addressed his principal. “Are we finished?”
Oskar nodded as he carefully folded the unsigned declaration. “There will be a letter in your mailbox tomorrow stating that you refused to sign this.”
Teigen rose slowly to his feet. He straightened his back to make the point that at six-foot-six he towered a full half-a-foot over the glaring SS officer. “I understand.”
He turned to leave the principal’s office when the officer barked in German, “You have not been dismissed.”
Teigen waited, looking over his shoulder at the officer. “Was erwarten Sie von mir?” What do you require of me?
The German clacked his heels together and extended a stiff right arm. “Heil Hitler.”
The expected response was obvious, but Teigen was damned if he’d give it. He dipped his head, flashed a crooked grin, and answered in Norse. “Of course.”
Then he spun on his heel and exited the small office, closing the door behind him.
*****
Teigen trudged through the snowy streets of Oslo toward Elsa Borg’s home. The skies still held the fading green and lavender tones of dusk, though at four-thirty in the afternoon the lazy sun was already tucked in bed.
As was common, he passed pairs of bundled-up Nazi soldiers patrolling the area. Teigen kept his eyes lowered, trying not to accidentally provoke one of them; but the scarf covering the bottom half of his face hid his irrepressible sneer.
The summons to Jung’s office today was expected. Each one of his fellow teachers was summoned individually, but none of them knew what the outcome would be—only that those who dared to express their opinion aloud all claimed that they would refuse to sign.
Teigen paused at Elsa’s gate. The lit windows in her parents’ solid stone townhome invited him in, but what occurred at the school today made him hesitate. What would he say about it?
Since that horrible dawn in April two years ago when German warships sailed simultaneously into five of Norway’s major port cities, nothing had been the same. Hitler’s invasion was a complete surprise, and Teigen’s peaceful and neutral homeland was subdued in a matter of hours.
After the unwelcomed Nazi occupation, each of his countrymen had to choose how to respond: resist, roll over, or remain invisible. The Borgs determinedly chose the latter.
Refusing to sign the Declaration of Loyalty, however, was decidedly not the act of an invisible man.
“Then I won’t mention it,” Teigen resolved as he pulled his scarf down. His breath formed a cloud in front of his face as if trying to hide him from what might come.
He pushed open the wrought-iron gate and stepped up to the front door. Elsa pulled it open before he finished knocking.
“Hello, darling!” His grinning fiancée wrapped her arms around him and kissed him soundly on the mouth. Teigen tasted the bite of aquavit on her tongue. She leaned back and grabbed the arms of his coat. “Come in before you freeze.”
Teigen laughed and stepped out of the way of the big wooden door which she swung closed behind him. “You keep that up and I’ll stay warm forever.”
Elsa’s blue-gray eyes twinkled up at him. “My pleasure.”
She took his coat and scarf and hung them on the rack in the
entryway before looping her arm snuggly through his. “You’ll never believe it—we got beef for the stew tonight!”
While the Borgs hadn’t thrown their lot in with the Germans, their lack of overt objection to the occupation occasionally paid off. Every now and again their Nazi-controlled butcher would be instructed to hold back provisions which were normally reserved for the German soldiers and allow Wilhelm Borg to purchase them. The price was dear, of course, but Wilhelm would do anything for his wife and their beloved only child.
Teigen’s stomach rumbled as the rich aroma of beef stew wafted toward him; his daily luncheons of lefse and herring had long grown tiresome. He leaned sideways and kissed the top of Elsa’s head as she led him toward the dining room. “You spoil me, Elsa.”
Her smile shifted and the glint in her eyes made his chest tighten. “I love you, Teigen.”
“And I love you.” Glancing toward the closed kitchen door, he paused, turned, and took her face in his hands. He slowly kissed her the way she deserved to be kissed.
It was a mistake, of course. It only reminded him of the intimacy that had been denied them since Elsa was forced to live with her parents.
Their wedding had been set to take place in early May of nineteen-forty, just four weeks after the invasion. At that point in time no one in Norway knew what the Nazi occupation meant to their lives, so their marriage was postponed. Elsa moved back into her parents’ home a year ago rather than risk living alone as a single woman in a city full of enemy soldiers without much to do except frequent the many taverns.
Teigen backed away from the kiss before his reaction could not be hidden. He rested his forehead against hers and sighed.
“How much longer, Elsa?” he whispered.
“It would help if you moved to a decent apartment,” she countered.
He straightened. “You know I can’t afford more than the boarding house. Our wages have been cut again, and everything in Oslo is controlled by the brown bastards.”
“Watch your words, Teigen.” Elsa’s brows twitched and she glanced at the kitchen door.
“If we married, we could live here with your parents,” he pressed the option once more.
Elsa shuddered. “I’m not at all comfortable with that arrangement, and you know it.”
Teigen shook his head, his brow lowering. “Then we remain at this stalemate.”
The kitchen door swung open and Dina Borg carried in a steaming tureen. She smiled up at her future son-in-law. “Good evening, Teigen. Did Elsa mention our good fortune?”
“If she hadn’t, my nose would have informed me the minute I opened the door.” Teigen reached for the heavy pottery and set it in the center of the table for the older woman. “Forgive me if my stomach speaks up and says the blessing.”
Dina laughed. “I do love your sense of humor.”
With a grumbled clearing of his throat Wilhelm Borg entered the room from his study, newspaper in hand. “Good to see you, Teigen.” He shifted his attention to his wife. “Is supper ready?”
*****
To his credit, Wilhelm didn’t mention the newspaper’s recent headline until after the main meal was finished and the sweet soup was served. Made of stewed dry fruit mixed with tapioca and cinnamon, Teigen could take it or leave it. But it was Elsa’s favorite.
Wilhelm pushed his empty bowl away and took a sip of the weak coffee which was substantially reinforced with aquavit. He set his cup down and his gaze pierced Teigen’s.
“So what do you make of this new teachers’ union and loyalty declaration, Teigen?”
So much for not mentioning it.
“I understand the Germans’ point,” he hedged.
Wilhelm’s eyes were darker than his daughter’s and they examined his much less warmly. “But you will sign it, of course.”
Teigen looked at Elsa and Dina. Judging by the pleasant expressions on their faces, they obviously expected him to answer in the affirmative. But his honor was on the line as a teacher, a man, and a Norwegian.
He returned his steady regard to Wilhelm. “No, Wilhelm. I will not.”
“What?” Elsa’s eyes rounded in shock. “Why not?”
Teigen was struck speechless by the question. Elsa knew him well, or so he thought. How could she ask him such a thing?
“It’s not as if you have to agree with them,” Wilhelm pressed. “Just say the words.”
That outrageous suggestion loosened Teigen’s stuck tongue. “No!”
He looked around the table, stunned, and leaned forward. “My students trust me when I teach them the structure of an atom, and they would trust me if I started spouting Nazi propaganda. I won’t do it. I can’t do it.”
Dina laid a calming hand over Teigen’s fist which rested on the embroidered tablecloth—a fist that formed without him realizing it. “Don’t be too hasty. You do have time to think about it.”
Teigen’s shoulders slumped and he leaned back, forcing his fists to relax. “No, I don’t. I was asked to sign it today.”
Elsa looked stricken. “So soon?”
“This is Oslo, not Kirkenes,” he reminded her. “Once that traitor Quisling announced his edict it only took a few days to print and disperse the paperwork around the city.”
“Watch your words,” Wilhelm growled.
Teigen snorted. “What else would you call a self-serving Norseman who aligns himself with Hitler for his own benefit?”
“Didn’t the other teachers sign?” Elsa was clearly distraught and trying to bring the conversation back to the matter at hand.
Teigen shrugged. “I don’t know. Several said they wouldn’t, but when a Nazi sergeant is standing over you it can be intimidating.”
“A Nazi officer was in the room when you refused?” Wilhelm paled. “So they know?”
Teigen met the older man’s gaze. “Yes. They know.”
“You have to change your mind!” Elsa yelped. “Sign it first thing tomorrow morning when you go to work.”
He stared at her, incredulous. “And why would I do that?”
“Because it’s the safe thing to do, Teigen,” Wilhelm stated. “And the wise thing to do.”
“We all just need to get through this war any way we can,” Dina chimed in. “When it’s over we can go back to being who we really are.”
The realization of how the two years of occupation had affected the Borgs hit Teigen in the chest like a cannon ball. Were they always like this? Or had he simply never noticed their timid lack of conviction?
“Isn’t that what the German people are telling themselves?” he grumbled.
“Teigen!” Wilhelm’s palm hit the tabletop making his coffee cup rattle. “That is unacceptable!”
Teigen’s gaze moved around the table again, resting for a moment on each of the three Borgs with whom he had shared the last five years of his life. He shook his head slowly.
“I won’t sign it. And I won’t promote Nazi ideals. There is nothing you can say that will change my mind about this.”
Wilhelm rose slowly to his feet. “In that case, I withdraw my permission for you to marry my daughter.”
Elsa’s brows flew together and her regard shot to her father. “Pappa!”
He raised one hand to shush her. “I cannot allow you to marry a man who does not have your safety and well-being as his number one concern.”
Teigen felt his world unraveling even more quickly than the day the Germans invaded. Elsa had been his rock, his closest friend, the deepest love in his life. Suddenly that was all slipping away.
“Elsa,” he implored. “Marry me anyway.”
“I forbid it!” Wilhelm shouted.
Teigen rose to his feet and held out his hand to Elsa. He met her worried stare with as much calm determination as he could muster at the moment. “Please. Come with me.”
Dina started to cry.
Elsa jumped up and ran around the table. “Have you lost your mind?” she growled.
She grabbed his arm and pulled him toward the
entryway. She tossed his scarf and coat in his direction and jammed her arms into her own. Then she threw the door open and stomped outside.
What the hell just happened?
Teigen followed her into the frigid night and closed the door gently behind him. He was afraid of shaking the foundation of his world any harder than it already was.
“What has gotten into you, Teigen?” Elsa fumbled with the buttons on her thick woolen coat.
He hesitated, looping the scarf around his neck and letting his own garment hang open as he conjured a response. So many new thoughts tangled like barbed wire in his mind that the press of icy air helped sort them out.
“Regarding what?” he asked at last. “Regarding the loyalty issue? Or suggesting that you marry me in spite of your father?”
Elsa still struggled with her coat. “Both!” She looked up at him, her cheeks wet in the moonlight. “You want to remain true to your own loyalties, but you ask me to throw mine aside?”
It was true, she had a point. But… “My loyalty to Norway and her people has nothing to do with you—a fully grown woman of twenty-five—not obeying your father!”
Elsa threw her hands in the air, the fight with her buttons abandoned. “What about your obvious willingness to risk our future by not cooperating with our captors?” She coughed a wet sob. “I thought you loved me!”
“I do love you Elsa.” Teigen reached for her but she backed away. “I have loved you for years,” he offered.
Elsa gasped and froze, her expression shifting ominously. “Is this about Tor?”
Teigen felt a familiar stab of envy. “What the hell does my brother have to do with anything?”
“When the Germans attacked, he ran off and joined the Norwegian army that same day. You—” Elsa pointed a stiff finger at him. “You had to stay behind and make sure your parents’ business was taken care of.”