In the Eyes of the Doll – Part II

"Cut the rope, now!" a man's voice barked.

Langenscheidt felt the weight leave him, along with someone pulling the rest of the rope off of his body. He was completely limp in someone else's arms.

"Give me some space," the same man said.

Langenscheidt was laid on the ground. His arms were moved above his head, and he felt strong, forceful compressions against his chest.

"Come on… come on, start breathing," the voice grunted.

"Standartenführer, shall I call a hospital?" another voice asked.

"Please, do!"

The compressions continued until full consciousness flooded back over Langenscheidt. He sat up, trying to cough and breathe at the same time. He leaned to one side, vomiting up water. Exhausted, he tried to lay on his back, but a tall, square-jawed man in a black SS uniform gently held him up. "Easy, Corporal. Can you hear me?"

Langenscheidt nodded a little. He coughed again, feeling more water being brought up. He looked to his right, seeing the armband on the man's left sleeve read "Zauberei-Abteilung." He is part of the Sorcery Division. Are they investigating von Hielscher?

"An ambulance will be here soon," the man replied.

"I am alright, sir, I do not think that will be necessary."

The man shook his head. "You should still be examined."

Langenscheidt really didn't want to go to a hospital, though he knew the man was right. It was better to be safe than sorry.

"What is your name? What unit did you come from?"

"I… I am Corporal Karl Langenscheidt. I am a guard from Stalag 13."

"Ah, yes, I remember you now. I questioned you about a missing ice Conjurus this past December."

"I do not remember that, sir."

"That is alright." The man gave him a warm smile. "I am Standartenführer Walther Kaschel, head of the SS-Sorcery Division."

"What exactly is the Sorcery Division doing here in Hammelburg?"

"I will answer that once you have had a bit of rest, Corporal."


After his accident, hospitals had become a source of anxiety for Langenscheidt, even if he had to go for a little thing. Upon arriving, he feared he was going to forget what happened, but the drowning was clear as day. He could still see, hear, and feel the river water around him.

Worst of all, he was alone. He was being closely watched by the doctors, but without Kielholz or Westworth, he felt completely isolated.

Nearly an hour went by before he spotted a familiar face in the window. Relief washed over him when Westworth phased through the glass. "Westworth! I never thought I would say this, but… I am happy to see you."

"I'm happy to see you as well," Westworth said. "Are you alright?"

"Von Hielscher tried to drown me. He sedated me with a potion, tied a heavy object around my waist, and threw me into the Franconian Saale. I think I am alright, but the man who rescued me thought sending me to the hospital was the best thing to do."

"Von Hielscher tried to drown you?" Westworth suddenly took on a distant look. "I'm sorry I wasn't there to help you."

"Someone else was. The head of the Sorcery Division, no less. Walther Kaschel."

"I haven't heard good things about Kaschel."

"He did save my life."

"Yes, but he also conducts experiments on magic users. He can't know I exist."

"I will not tell him one single thing about you, I promise."

"You better."

"What is going on back at camp?"

"Kielholz is very angry and very worried. Hopefully, he'll calm down when I go back with news that you're alright."

"No surprise there. He will also want to see me."

"Yes. Be prepared for him to fuss."

"I am." Langenscheidt let out a sigh. "I have no plans to swim anytime soon."

"I don't blame you." Westworth sat cross-legged in the air next to Langenscheidt's bed. "I know you're alright, but I feel that I've failed to protect you. I shouldn't have been so scared to follow you."

"You were right to be concerned about your own safety. Something did feel deeply wrong in that shop. Plus, if the Sorcery Division is getting involved, the situation is probably out of our hands now."

"We don't know if that's why they are here."

"Kaschel told me he would answer my questions when I have had some rest. I have a feeling he is investigating that doll shop." Langenscheidt was quiet for a moment. "Has anyone found the doll at camp?"

"Kielholz found her near Barracks Four. She's back in the box."

"Should I tell Kaschel about her?"

Westworth sighed. "I don't want to, but if the Sorcery Division is working toward the same goal we are, we may have to. Cooperating with them might be easier."

Langenscheidt nodded. "I will be careful, though."

"Alright." Westworth looked toward the door. "Kaschel's coming right now. I'll go tell Kielholz that you're alive and well."

A few seconds after Westworth disappeared, a nurse opened the door, letting Kaschel inside. The tall SS officer politely dismissed her before closing the door, and taking a chair to sit next to Langenscheidt's bed. "How are you feeling, Corporal?" he asked.

"Much better, thank you." Langenscheidt looked down at his lap, suddenly unsure of how to conduct himself. "You saved my life, sir. If… you do not mind me asking, how did you find me?"

"A stroke of luck, I suppose," Kaschel replied. "I was already in Hammelburg conducting an investigation when I noticed something odd in the river. I made my driver stop and when I got to the riverbank, I realized what I was seeing was a man drowning."

"So, if you had not noticed me, I would have died." Langenscheidt paled and rubbed his face.

"Strange how things work out."

Langenscheidt nodded. "Um… you said that you would answer my questions when I had some rest."

"I did. Given that you were found a little under a kilometer away from the shop in question, I do feel that there is a connection. Unless you were trying to commit suicide."

Langenscheidt shook his head. "No, sir, I was not. I was… at the doll shop. I wanted to ask the owner, Mr. von Hielscher, some questions."

"Did you purchase one of his dolls?"

"A friend of mine did, for his niece. The doll came to life last night and we wanted to know if the owner knew anything about it."

"That matches what I was told by a woman who purchased a doll for her daughter a few days ago. The doll began walking around the house. It was locked in the basement until I ordered a team to collect it and lock it in a cell."

"Was anyone hurt?"

"No. The doll did not seem interested in hurting anyone, but to the best of my knowledge, dolls are not supposed to be getting up and walking around, are they?"

"No, sir."

"Precisely. I want to know exactly what von Hielscher is doing with his products."

"Well, he is definitely a warlock. He had a potion that he made me inhale so I could fall somewhat unconscious, and he used a wand to keep me still while I was being taken to the river."

"So, he did attempt to drown you."

"Yes, sir."

Kaschel was quiet for a moment. "He will be taken care of, Corporal. I can assure that. Where is the doll that your friend purchased?"

"Back at Stalag 13, sir."

"I will retrieve it. You and the rest of your companions do not have to lift a finger."

Langenscheidt nodded a little. "Is there anything that you would like us to do?"

Kaschel shook his head. "No, thank you. This is best left to my division to handle. Tell you what—I will bring you back to Stalag 13 when you are discharged from the hospital."

"Alright, sir." Langenscheidt wasn't sure he was comfortable with Kaschel staying in the room with him, but several minutes went by of Kaschel doing nothing except reading papers from a manila folder he brought with him. It was hard not to glance at him occasionally, as his pitch-black uniform stood out sharply against the sterile white of the hospital room. For the most part, Kaschel paid Langenscheidt no attention, though he did at one point ask if Langenscheidt wanted anything to eat or drink, to which Langenscheidt responded, "No, thank you."

Kaschel didn't react when a doctor came in a short while later to examine Langenscheidt. Flashes of his time in a hospital after his flight training accident gradually overtook Langenscheidt's thoughts, and he struggled to concentrate on anything being said to him.

"Give me your wrist, son. Let me check your pulse," a doctor said.

Langenscheidt held out his wrist.

"Your pulse is very rapid. There is no need to be so nervous, son."

Suddenly Langenscheidt saw himself in a much larger room. The infirmary at his training base. He had no thoughts, only fears and a strong desire to simply survive. He knew he was in an infirmary. He knew he injured his head, but beyond that, he wasn't sure what happened the day before, or why there were a bunch of men in white coats around him.

He soon realized he was holding his head in reality, shaking and silently begging for the doctor to leave him alone.

"Is there something wrong with your head, Corporal?" the doctor asked. "Let me see—oh, my… how old is this scar on the left side of your head?"

Langenscheidt hunched in on himself tighter, letting out a slight whimpering sound. "I-I do… not know!"

"Doctor," Kaschel said, firmly. "Leave him alone. You are clearly distressing him."

Few people would have dared argue with such an intimidating figure. The doctor shook his head. "I will try again in ten minutes." He left the room, and Langenscheidt could hear him talking about Kaschel with a nurse outside.

After the two left the hallway, Langenscheidt couldn't remember the conversation happened, or the doctor being in the room period. He looked around the room, seeing Kaschel standing near the bed. "Do you need something, sir?"

Kaschel frowned. "Are you alright, Corporal? You were quite upset over the doctor giving you such a simple exam."

"I was being examined?"

"Yes, and it was clearly very upsetting to you, especially when he noticed a scar on the left side of your head."

Blood drained from Langenscheidt's face, and he suddenly felt sick to his stomach. "That scar… is from an accident I had in training. It is why I am assigned to a prisoner-of-war camp. I sometimes forget things."

"I am sorry to hear that. A doctor was in here, looking you over. You started to panic and you were holding your head."

"Hospitals in general make me think of my accident."

"I see."

Langenscheidt cursed himself for having an episode in front of an SS officer of all people. Having one in front of Inspector Aschenbrener was bad enough, but this was far, far worse. He started to wonder if Kaschel was going to arrange for him to be taken away and have his brain cut out and examined.

"Accidents happen," Kaschel said. "You are fortunate to be alive."

Langenscheidt nodded.

When he got no further response, Kaschel asked, "Shall I get the doctor in here to try again?"

"I… suppose," Langenscheidt said, softly. "Sir."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I want to go back to camp."

"As you wish."

Langenscheidt tried to hide his confusion at Kaschel's kind and calm attitude. He wants something, but what?


There was silence in Kaschel's staff car for the majority of the trip to Stalag 13. Langenscheidt stayed staring out the window. As they approached the gates of the camp, he turned to Kaschel. "What will happen now? Do you have a plan to capture von Hielscher?"

"Not yet. We need to figure out what we are up against first. Going in recklessly against a warlock is never a good idea," Kaschel replied.

That is certainly the truth, Langenscheidt thought, looking in the direction of where Barracks One used to be.

When the car stopped, Kaschel got out first, and walked around to open the door for Langenscheidt. "I will take your friend's doll and be on my way, Corporal. I appreciate your cooperation."

"Not a problem, sir." Langenscheidt left the car. He could feel Westworth trailing him as soon as he started walking toward the guard barracks. In some ways, it was a relief to have Westworth's presence around him again. You said the doll was put back in her box under the bunk?

"Yes, and she hasn't left. Not since the last time I checked," Westworth responded.

Langenscheidt stopped when he noticed Kielholz running at him from the corner of his eye. He opened his mouth to speak, but was grabbed in a hug. "Hello, Erich," he grunted.

Kielholz squeezed him once, then let go. "Are you okay?"

"I will be, yes." Langenscheidt looked over his shoulder. "We can talk later. The SS-Sorcery Division is investigating the dolls."

"Wait, 'dolls?' More than one has come to life?"

"Yes."

"None of this makes any sense. Louisa's birthday is in two days. We have to do something."

"I think we should just find something else to bring. I know this is what she wanted, but we do not know anything about why von Hielscher is putting spirits inside dolls. This could be something much more sinister than we realize."

"Gentlemen," Kaschel said as he approached the two from behind. "May I have that doll, please?"

Kielholz looked up at Kaschel, then back at Langenscheidt. "Under your bunk."

Langenscheidt went into the barracks to retrieve the box. Upon handing it to Kaschel, the taller man placed a translucent blue stone on top of it. "This will keep it contained in the box. Thank you for your help, gentlemen."

"You are welcome, Standartenführer," Langenscheidt said.

Kaschel gave him a small smile before turning to leave the camp. As soon as he was out of earshot, Kielholz said, "I remember him coming here back in December. He questioned both of us about an ice Conjurus."

Langenscheidt nodded. "I only vaguely remember him. He and his assistant were… quite nice for SS officers. Much nicer than the others that have come through here."

"They might be nice, but they still cannot be trusted."

"If they are after von Hielscher, we may be on the same side for once."

"Well, I was talking about this with Westworth, and he brought up an interesting point—what if von Hielscher is doing this because he opposes the Nazis? He could be using an innocent product to get close to important people and—" Kielholz made a slashing motion across his throat.

"Do you think he is part of the Underground?"

Kielholz shrugged. "We have no way of knowing."

"One thing you forgot to mention that I said—" Westworth appeared next to them. "Where is von Hielscher getting these spirits? Is he picking them up from random graveyards, or is he killing people and plucking their spirits as soon as they die? Both are likely. He may have been trying to capture Langenscheidt's when he tried drowning him."

"Why go through the effort of drowning me, though?" Langenscheidt asked. "Would it not have been easier to just kill me inside his store?"

"Less evidence, maybe. He may have a specific method of capturing spirits, especially since they can be quite flighty when they first leave their bodies. It is quite a horrific experience. Anyway, von Hielscher may have panicked when he saw Kaschel's staff car. Kaschel not only saved your life, but your spirit as well."

"I suppose I owe him, then."

"Kaschel is SS," Kielholz said. "I would not get friendly with him."

"He took it upon himself to save Langenscheidt's life," Westworth replied. "That doesn't mean Langenscheidt has to be best friends with him, but it is worth acknowledging."

"Yes, but… I would still exercise caution."

"Absolutely. However—" Westworth looked at Langenscheidt. "Perhaps this is something we can use to our advantage."

"Oh, no, what are you thinking?" Langenscheidt gave Westworth a dirty look.

"Nothing too wild. For once."

"I still want to hear it."

"I need to get inside von Hielscher's head. In order to do that, the curse has to be broken. We rely on the Sorcery Division to break the curse. I go in and figure out just what von Hielscher's plan is. If he's with the Underground, we sneak him out. If not, we let the Sorcery Division handle him."

Langenscheidt kept looking at Westworth, thinking hard. "Can you get into von Hielscher's head without killing him?"

"Absolutely. We need the truth somehow."

"There has to be another way."

"He tried to drown you. I don't think you want to try this on your own."

Sighing a little, Langenscheidt quietly admitted that Westworth was probably right.


Sergeant Schultz approached Langenscheidt the next morning in the mess hall, a concerned look on his face. "Corporal Langenscheidt, Commandant Klink would like to see you in his office."

"Is everything alright?" Langenscheidt said.

"He would not say." Schultz shrugged. "Only that he would like to speak to you in private."

"Alright." Langenscheidt stood up and left the mess hall, heading over to Klink's quarters. He had a feeling that he knew what this was about. What did you do now, Westworth?

"Me? I didn't do anything. Not this time," Westworth replied.

I hope you are not lying to me.

"I'm not, I swear. I have no clue what Klink wants to see you for."

Fine. Langenscheidt walked into Klink's office, finding the commandant having his morning coffee and looking over a collection of paperwork. "You wanted to see me, Colonel?"

"Yes, yes, Langenscheidt, I did. Please, have a seat." Klink didn't look up from the desk until Langenscheidt was seated. "Now, I do not know every little detail about what Standartenführer Kaschel was doing here, other than he is investigating a case of possessed porcelain dolls." Klink gave Langenscheidt a quizzical look. "Would you happen to know anything about that?"

"No, sir. Westworth has nothing to do with this."

"Are you absolutely certain about that, Corporal?"

Langenscheidt nodded. "Yes, Colonel."

"I hope, for your sake and Westworth's, that you are telling the truth. I do not want the Sorcery Division constantly poking their nose in my affairs."

"I understand, sir."

"You could lose Westworth permanently, and you yourself could be in a lot of trouble."

"I am aware, sir."

"Good. So, I can trust that you are telling the truth."

"Yes, sir. Whatever is going on with these dolls is a coincidence and Westworth has nothing to do with it."

"Alright. I am trusting you on this, Corporal, and I hope you do not forget that."

"I will not forget it, sir."

"Thank you. You may return to the mess hall."

Langenscheidt stood, and saluted before leaving the office. He felt like Klink hadn't told him the full story. Surely Kaschel had told him that he had been in the hospital. Surely Klink would have wanted to know why exactly he was in the hospital. Records would have to be given to the medics in the infirmary, right? Even if Langenscheidt hadn't been in the hospital, it was indeed strange that the head of an entire SS branch was escorting him back to camp.

He returned to the mess hall to find Westworth occupying his seat and making Kielholz's tray levitate if Kielholz took his eye off it, to which Kielholz would grumble, "Quit it, you miserable pestilence."

"Yes, please stop being so annoying, Westworth." Langenscheidt took his seat back.

Westworth rolled his eyes, and sat next to Langenscheidt. "So, what did Klink want?"

"He just wanted to know if you were involved with the Sorcery Division's investigation into the possessed dolls."

"Well, I'm not, and that's actually the truth for once."

"We know," Kielholz said.

"I felt like Klink was not telling the whole story. I imagine Kaschel should have told him why I was at the hospital—"

"He didn't," Westworth said.

"What? Why?"

"I don't know, but he said that he found you lost on the side of the road and took you home."

"That does not make sense." Kielholz's gaze flicked between Langenscheidt and Westworth.

"Who all knows what actually happened?" Langenscheidt asked.

"Myself, you, Kielholz, Schultz, Steinhauser, and Kaschel," Westworth listed.

"This seems like a very strange thing to cover up," Kielholz said.

"Perhaps Kaschel did not want Klink panicking," Langenscheidt suggested.

"That would make sense, but you were nearly murdered. I would think Klink of all people would have a right to know why you were gone for almost two hours." Kielholz took a bite of his porridge. "That does remind me, though, I have someone in mind who you should talk to about the curse; remember Colonel Ritschmann?"