Sworn Enemy by A.L. Sowards

Author:A.L. Sowards
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: World War II, War, Love, WWII, Nazis, battle, traitor, faith, Germany, Soviet Union, Hitler, Stalin, communist, french resistance, allies, England, Gestapo, nurse, spy
Publisher: Covenant Communications, Inc.
Published: 2015-10-21T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Six

Iuliana

Iuliana tapped on the door before opening it. “It’s me.” When her eyes adjusted to the dim lighting in the storage room, she found Krzysztof not in the corner she’d recommended but behind her, where he could have escaped or attacked had she been someone he didn’t know.

She handed him a bowl of stew and a thick slice of black bread. Then she took a squat candle from her apron pocket and lit it with a match, shutting the door behind her. “I’m sorry the food’s only lukewarm. Some patrols came by and asked questions. They suspect you’re hiding here, and I didn’t want to stir up suspicion by disappearing during the noon meal.”

“Thank you for bringing it. It smells good.” He sat down to eat. “Will they search the estate?”

Iuliana sat on the floor next to him, placing the candle in front of them. He’d been through a rough night, and it showed on his face. Even in the dim light, she could see his eyes were bloodshot and his eyelids droopy. “I’m not sure. Hauptmann Bloch wants to. He came by this morning with a patrol, and my host turned him away.”

“He obeyed her?”

She noted the surprise in his voice. “Cosmina Ionescu has always cooperated with the Germans and takes it as a personal insult that Bloch wishes to search her home. She doesn’t think she has anything to hide, but she’s stubborn. She told him to produce evidence that her household was harboring fugitives, and he said he’d return with his superior. Technically, Romania is still a sovereign country, so Bloch will have to involve the Romanian authorities.”

“Then I should leave now,” Krzysztof said. “I was arrested by Romanians, so Bloch will get the cooperation he needs.”

“No. Bloch left several men patrolling the roads nearby. They’d see you if you left, and you’d be caught. Besides, you look tired. Didn’t you sleep at all this morning?”

“Not much.”

“Because you didn’t feel safe?”

He shrugged. “I’ll leave tonight when it’s dark.”

Iuliana nodded. “Cosmina would be horrified if they found you here. She’s spent years trying to not antagonize the Germans.”

“You approve of her acquiescence?”

Iuliana thought for a moment before answering. “It’s protected her and her household. I think she’s been wise.”

“Then why did you mark our drop zone?” Krzysztof asked.

Iuliana paused before she answered. Romanian public opinion had been volatile the last decade, seeming to change as quickly as the seasons. Iuliana’s political feelings were complex, but she knew why she’d helped the team. “Because of my late husband.”

“Did he work against the Nazis?”

“I think so. After he helped Tiberiu leave and before he was arrested, Vasile told me if I ever saw a man wearing a green sash and walking a dog near the garden, I was to offer him my help. For a year, nothing happened. I almost forgot about it when I left Bucharest, but Vasile must have planned it for Scorţeni too. Eight hours before you dropped in, I saw the man. His sash was ridiculous—I suppose he wanted it to be visible from a mile away.

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