“My… my family,” the other whispered.
“Unhurt for now. They're in the car behind us. Your wife and your daughters will be safe.”
A loud pop came from somewhere outside. The prisoner spun towards the back window, his mouth agape.
“That was a pistol round. I've heard one before, in my youth. That was a gunshot!”
Harald paused. “Your driver. We had no use for him, I'm afraid. You yourself are quite fortunate. Treason is a capital offense, as you well know.”
“You bastard. You care nothing for the courts. Or the law.”
“It is the law that prevents you from leaving the country, Mister Kaminski. The courts are on our side, believe me. In this case, it doesn't matter. We are on a military operation, and I have been instructed to escort you and your family to Monkeberg Harbor.” Seeing the look of surprise on the man's face, he continued. “Yes, we know this is where you were headed, but I'm afraid your final destination has changed. You are no longer on course to Britain. You are coming with us.”
“Where are you taking me?”
“That is confidential, Mister Kaminksi. In fact, I shouldn't be speaking to you at all. I only wanted to introduce myself because I felt it would be beneficial for our relationship. You are not our prisoner; you remain a citizen of The Republic, as I have already said. You will be our mandatory guest for a few months, however.
“But ah! I have not introduced myself. I am Oberleutnant Harald Dietrich, and I am in charge of your transport.”
Kaminski spat in Harald's face, a thin, wet glob landing on the German's cheek.
For a brief moment, Harald considered smashing the man's nose inside out. In spite of his manners, Harald had been raised to discipline, and he knew how to dish it out. A few of his soldiers had learned that the hard way. Instead, he took a deep breath and wiped the spittle off of his face. Perhaps this man would not be so easy to control after all.
“I will let that pass. I understand you have had your plans laid to waste, and you are very upset. All I can promise is that I will try to make your journey as painless as possible. But make no mistake, you are coming with us tonight, and if you resist, your driver will not be the last to die.”
Harald shot a cold look through the rear window, then got out of the car.
2
It was almost midnight. They walked down a wooden pier that extended as far as the eye could see, watching as men loaded and unloaded various pieces of cargo under the glow of orange lamps. Harald saw sacks of grain and spices, metal artillery cannons, men in knee boots and overalls. A few old-timers sat on crates and whistled as they passed. The reek of sweat and poverty percolated the walk like dust. Then just ahead, he saw their ship.
At thirty-five meters, The Adalgisa was small compared to the others at the dock, but she still looked fierce. Narrow and feral, her two masts stood to the sky like fangs. Rust marks cut across her bow like battle scars. She had a single round smokestack, a barrel crow's nest, and a stocky wheelhouse made for equally stocky men. A massive harpoon gun at the bow completed the picture, looking too large for the rest of the ship.
The crew busied themselves carrying supplies below deck. As Harald neared, a man separated from the group and came to greet him. “Dietrich, my friend!”
“That's Lieutenant Dietrich, now. How have you been Heinrich?”
“I've been making a living. In fact, you could say I was just about to go on making one until I heard from your superiors yesterday.”
“Oh? Did you have plans?”
“Yes, I bloody well had plans! My entire crew is exhausted. Now we learn we're going back to sea without leave? I'll be lucky if I don't have a mutiny on my hands by the end of the night. Some of these men haven't seen their families in months.”
Harald grunted. “They're getting paid. And so are you.”
“Some things are better than money.”
“Money can be used to buy a great many more of those things that are better.”
The other softened at this. He tried not to smile. “Aye, the pay helps. This is more money than most of the men have seen at once.”
“I've never know you to turn down easy money. Whaling is a dangerous business, Heinrich. I thought this would be a vacation for the likes of you.”
One corner of the man's mouth moved. Then, without warning, he reached out and embraced the lieutenant in a great bear hug. “You're too smart for your own good, boy.”
Harald coughed, then laughed. It was amazing how quickly Heinrich had grown into the role of a ship captain. His beard was the color of iron now; it stretched over his face and down his neck. The light brown eyes that Harald remembered were much darker, tinged with the weight of a thousand hard decisions. Heinrich covered his thinning hair with a flat cap with a brown leather peak. It looked German at a glance, but Harald thought it more likely an acquisition from the territories. Like the man itself, it looked faded and gaunt.
“How are your men? Are they trustworthy?”
“It's just a skeleton crew to make room for you, but all of the men are loyal.”
“Excellent.”
“And you? It's time you introduced me to our new passengers.”
Dominik Kaminski stood at gunpoint behind them. Behind him, his wife Magdelena and his two daughters, Lucja, and Zofia. Sergeant Eichmann and the Gestapo agent, Boris Seiler, brought up the rear. Harald introduced them one by one.
“So you're the one they told me about,” Heinrich said, looking at Dominik. “I suppose you are what I expected. You can't always say that when you meet a man. Have they told you where we're going?”
“No,” the man croaked.
Heinrich laughed. “Then to Hell it is. We'll be going to the furthest reaches of the earth, my friend. We'll show you the sights of the damned, terrible things which drive strong men to tears and weak men to insanity. Oh yes. We'll show you fire, and terror, and abominations from the lowest depths of the sea.” He threw his hands into the air and drew a few chuckles from the sailors. “They have seen the unspeakable coils of the Kraken and the many-headed Hydras and have lopped flesh and bone from their steaming carcasses before hauling them to shore, victorious! They are the monster slayers of our time, my good man, and you will see such horrors aboard this vessel to make you croon and cry for dry land. Aye?” he shouted towards his men.
“Aye!” a few of them cried.
“Heinrich, please,” Harald said.
The captain looked fairly at ease with himself.
“I demand to know where you are taking us!”
Harald turned to see Maggie as she stepped forward, past the soldier with the gun. He felt himself tense. “That is not—”
“Near to the southern continent, my lady,” Heinrich interrupted. “We are but simple sea-faring men, and those waters are our hunting grounds. We are being paid to take you to a pier of Mister Dietrich's choosing.”
“It is not my choosing, it is the choosing of our superiors,” Harald said irritably.
“Our children are here,” Maggie said. “You cannot force children on board a ship such as this.”
“I'm sorry madame,” Heinrich said. “I do not have a choice in this, same as you.”
“You have a choice!”
“Even if I said no, they would have gotten someone else,” Heinrich said. “Rest assured you will be safe with us. We are not doing any hunting on this trip.”
“You cannot make us leave the country! We have seen no police. We have been to no jail. This is against the law.”
Heinrich belched. “The law has no bearing, here. Now, who all is coming on board?”
“All of us, save for Private Gantte,” Harald said, indicating the young soldier holding the pistol on Dominik.