For a full month we'd pursued our quarry. By the time we'd made it to Augsburg, Macher had already delivered the stolen artifacts. A special SS division called the Nibelungen had taken the treasures east, destined for Czechoslovakia.
With the countryside swarming with Nazis either preparing for a glorious last stand or deserters desperate to flee their inevitable destruction by the Allies, we had to move slow. Spending our days hiding in barns and bombed ruins, we followed them past Munich, were nearly struck by an air raid outside of Freising, and had nearly caught up at Landshut. However with the bridges out and the Allies drawing near, the Nibelungen turned south. Now, on the shore of Chiemsee, a Bavarian lake, they'd halted again. This time we'd caught them.
"What's the plan?" Richard asked.
I offered him the binoculars. "Appears to be just troops and weapons right now. They probably want to set up on the far side before transporting the artifacts."
"Less for us to deal with," Peter whispered.
I nodded. "Agreed. The weapons and the cauldron are most likely in the truck parked closest to the centre."
"Look to have a nest setup in that old house to the west," Richard said. "Someone there just lit a match."
"We should expect another one on the eastern side as well," I said. "I'll have Audrey take a look."
"I'll see what they have," came a voice to my left.
I spun, my hand instinctively moving to my pistol before I recognized Audrey's voice. Heart thumping, I released a breath. The shadows beside me appeared to pool somewhat, as if cast by some non-existent tree. Squinting, I could just make out the knight's translucent, crouched form.
"Jesus Christ," Peter growled. "You scared the hell out of me."
"You should be used to it by now," she said unsympathetically. "I found a soldier patrolling our way. With luck, they won't realize he's gone until it's too late."
"Good work," I said. Previous attempts at interrogation had proven useless. Himmler had fashioned the SS into a zealot cult — a perverse Teutonic Order. As the mythological beings they'd been named after, the Nibelungen protected a great treasure. They'd happily die before betraying the cause.
"I'll scout around and find the best point of attack," Audrey said. "How long do I have?"
"Make it fast."
She was gone without a word. The faint crunching of boots on grass was the only sign of her passing.
"I can't believe we've almost got them," Richard said.
Peter grunted. "Don't count your chickens. Any sign of those kesselgeburten bastards?"
I shook my head. "Two of the trucks are reinforced. Possibly those. I doubt the Nazis trust them enough to simply let them wander around."
Countless hours hiding and waiting for nightfall had afforded us ample time to read the captured documents. The cauldron was the first half of the Nazis' hideous plan to create an immortal army. Crafted from ten kilos of solid gold, and inscribed with Celtic spells, it served as some blasphemous Holy Grail. The silver skull rings of the Reich's chosen warriors served as the second half. Upon the wearer's death, they trapped the life essence. The ceremony for the resurrection had been incinerated when we'd burned the truck, and I didn't mourn its loss. The Nazis had used the rings to resurrect their fallen by drowning prisoners in the cauldron filled with human blood. Evidently they hadn't expected them to transform into monsters.
Savage and incapable of speech, the creatures served the Nazis, as they were the only ones who could make more of them. Even then, the beasts were prone to violent outbursts and had killed several of their makers. Afraid of their new super-army, the Nazis armed themselves with silver weapons. Silver being the element of their binding, it could also bring their death. Upon learning the true nature of the nine thousand Totenfomphrings, we'd promptly cut each of them in half, rendering them useless.
Our mission objectives had changed. In addition to retrieving the plundered holy weapons, we had to either capture or destroy that golden abomination.
"Everyone, take one of these." Dennis held out a pair of potato masher grenades, their heads wrapped in gauze.
"What is this?" I squeezed the end, feeling metal shifting beneath the tight binding.
"Little somethin' I made up while waitin' for you to get back from scoutin'. Took some of those cut rings and wrapped 'em up. Recon if more of those big bastards come out, silver shrapnel might ruin their evenin'."
My brow rose. "Very clever."
He timidly shrugged his massive shoulders. "Well, let's hope they work."
"Let's hope we won't need them," Audrey said, tucking one into her belt. She wore two more grenades of the regular variety.
"Are we clear on the plan?" I asked.
"I still say I should take the nest," Peter grumbled.
"Non-negotiable," I said, keeping my voice even.
Richard's eyes dropped away. At least he knew better than to argue.
Peter gave a curt nod. "Understood."
"Good," I said. "Let's have at it. We haven't much time."
Audrey turned and hurried away. She drew Rowlind and ribbons of night wrapped around her. Staying low, the rest of us circled around, exiting the grove of trees and making our way through the cratered field.
Artillery thundered off in the distance. The Americans were close and the Nazis would be alert. Taking point, I crawled to the edge of a grassy berm and lifted my binoculars.
The dome tops of helmets peeked above the low, makeshift wall of a machine gun nest. Scanning further up the line, I let out a curse. A pair of giant, forms moved along the shore, loading boxes into a boat. Checking the truck, I saw that more crates were still being unloaded. There was no way to determine from here which one might contain the weapons.
Make it fast, Audrey.
A single soldier stood in the shadows outside one of the trucks, fidgeting with something in his hands. Audrey appeared behind him and hacked his neck. The man crumpled without a sound and she was again gone. A second sentry, further down the line, fell shortly after.
Minutes crawled. The distant shells thundered faster, the raging battle still miles away but creeping ever closer, unstoppable like a glacier. Three more boxes were loaded. The bright lanterns and beams of headlights meant Audrey couldn't enter the area without notice. The nests had to be eliminated first. I focused my attention to the darkened house on the far side.
Finally, I breathed a relieved sigh as a match lit in one of the windows and moved left to right before extinguishing.
"It's done," I hissed, motioning my arm. "Move!"
Peter hurried up beside me as Richard and Dennis quickly crawled across the open road separating us from the rear of the gun nest.
Giving Peter a silent nod, we moved in a crouch toward the wall of parked trucks.
A loud voice shouted, "Zwei weitere kisten. Schnell!"
We reached the first truck. The sharp stink of urine rose from between the mud-caked tires. It appeared I'd found the latrine. Wrinkling my nose, I braved a peek back toward the nest to see Richard and Dennis slip inside, weapons out. Ten seconds later a helmeted shape rose and moved the MG42 around.
"They're in position." I drew my sword and moved around to the rear of the vehicle. I glanced inside the canopied back, verifying it was empty before creeping between it and the neighboring truck. As I'd thought, half the company had already relocated across the lake, leaving thirty or so men. Four of the giant monsters lumbered through the ranks, towering above young soldiers. I motioned to Peter to move forward when shouting erupted somewhere behind us.