ggg

They were communicating in gesture and pantomime. Goniff would come down a foot or so and stop. They'd point their rifles at him and then jerk them towards the ground. He'd look up and point, and they'd shake their heads and repeat themselves. When he got within reach one of them, the one with the stripe on the arm of his coat, tired of the game and clamped a hand round his ankle and gave it a firm jerk. Goniff was agile enough he managed to land on his feet. The next gesture was universal in this time of war… 'hands up', and they didn't have to repeat themselves this time. One quick upward movement of those gun barrels and he did as he was instructed. With a German rifle trained on him from either side there was very little else he could do.

While one bloke kept him covered the other patted him down and did it with such economy and expertise Goniff was sure he'd been a copper before the war. The gun the Warden made him carry in the shoulder holster was taken from him, and so was the one Casino had convinced him to carry in his boot as a back up. These were tossed from one man to the other who shoved them down into his pockets as the fella who'd patted him down turned back into a guard and trained his rifle on him while the other one gave him a good looking over. The one with the stripe stepped back and gestured for him to move forward. As he glanced up and opened his mouth to protest the other jabbed him hard in the back, causing him to fall into the fella who stood in his path. He was shoved roughly back towards the one with the rifle.

As Goniff stumbled back he twisted and laid his arm along the barrel of the rifle that prodded him in the ribs. Shoving the business end away with his elbow the little cat burglar grabbed hold, jerking it down out of the hands that held it. He pulled the butt up sharply and connected with the underside of his captor's jaw, sending him sprawling on the ground. Then, in a fluid motion that would've caused the Sergeant Major to faint with shock, he pulled the stock into his shoulder and had the rifle trained on the second man before he had time to react.

Now it was his turn to be in control. "Drop it, mate!" and he did his own gesturing with the rifle to make sure the bloke understood him. When the man he held in his sights tossed his rifle into the bushes and gestured towards the fellow that lay stunned on the ground Goniff nodded. As the one with the stripe on his arm knelt beside his companion his hand edged towards his pocket. Goniff saw the move and laughed. "Go ahead. It ain't there anymore." As he'd been pushed into the man his hands had found their way into his pockets. The one pistol was a reassuring weight in his own pocket now, and the other was lost. He'd tossed it away in the brush as he'd been shoved back into the second man. The one with the stripe checked his pockets to make sure it wasn't a bluff, then twisted around and sat heavily on the ground, next to his comrade.

"You crazy English! We must run now. The Germans look for us!"

Goniff blinked hard and stared at the man a moment. "What's that?"

"We must leave, fool... Many Germans. They will look!"

It was only then he realized the whole incident around the tree had been played out almost silently. Goniff took time to look at the men in front of him. Their shoes were worn, their hair a bit long, they didn't look like they'd shaved in two or three days, and both the coats they wore showed signs of blood. He'd worn uniforms that looked like that himself. "Who'r you, then?" He didn't lower his weapon. He wasn't about to be fooled.

"Toma Petre sent us to find you." was the gruff reply.

Goniff thought he recognized the name of the man they were supposed to meet, but he couldn't be sure. He didn't really pay attention to that sort of thing either. "Where's this Tom Peter guy?"

"Toma Petre. The Germans took him."

"That the shooting I heard a bit ago?"

The man with the stripe on his sleeve merely nodded.

"You take off before or after the Germans showed up?"

It took a moment, but the man on the ground decided his courage had just been questioned and his face hardened and started to flush as he rose to his feet. "Before! When the other one said two were missing."

The barrel of the rifle Goniff held dropped slightly. "What 'other'? How many?" But he spotted the idea forming in the dark eyes of the man who faced him and he brought the rifle back to ready. "Don't try it!"

They stood there a long moment before the man decided to answer. "Three. Toma said there will be five. The tall one said the plane had trouble. Toma sent us to look. Then the Germans came. We were already down."

Goniff used the strap and shouldered the rifle and a little of the tension left the other man's face. "You go back and look? You sure they got 'em all?"

As he turned to help his companion to his feet the other man answered. "We went back. They didn't take them all." And as he straightened he looked into Goniff's eyes. "Two of our friends are dead."

"Did it look like the Jerries left anyone behind t'look for us?"

"I don't know. There were no Germans when we got there. But they look. They always look for us. We must leave, now."

"Not without the Warden." To Stripe's questioning look Goniff gestured back up into the tree and turned to go.

"He is not alive." When Goniff spun around and stared at him he continued. "We saw him in the tree. Before the Germans came. We watched. No movement. We think the second man will come looking so we come back to watch for you. Still no movement." The man gazed up into the tree a moment before he said with conviction. "He is dead."

"I ain't leavin' him up there."

"We can not stay. You must help us get Toma and your friends back."

"Me! He's the brains of the outfit! Him and Actor." The wooden clucking of the rook stationed in a tree nearby was answered by a call from overhead. Goniff unshouldered his rifle and handed it to Stripe. "I ain't leavin' 'im up there to feed no birds." And he turned away and started his climb back up the tree. When he got a little higher than the Warden's head he pulled the knife from his pocket and unfolded it. He'd cut the Lieutenant down and they'd at least bury him decent before they left. The rook and his buddy eyed him from their tree as he reached out and grabbed the lines.

The wind was picking up again and the dead leaves that still clung in the tree rattled around him as he settled in to his work. The branch that held the Warden groaned and the lines creaked as Goniff pulled the man towards him. He'd need to tie him off somehow so he could have both his hands free to cut the cords. He figured he'd use the Lieutenant's belt and hook it over a broken limb nearby but something was holding him back as Goniff tried to swing him close. He must have come crashing down through the tree top, some of the broken branches had ripped into the cloth of his jacket and pants. Goniff moved higher and carefully stretched out on the limb that reached out over the Warden's head. He'd cut a few of the lines and use them to pull the man up off the branches before cutting him free and letting him fall to the ground. He tested the cords and found one that was pulled tight and cut through it with his knife. When the last fibers parted the cord slithered through Goniff's fingers and the Warden's arm dropped down by his side.

The little man froze. The groan he heard had nothing to do with the branches they were hung up in.

"Warden?!" Goniff tested the cords again and found another one strung tight. He sighted along it carefully and followed it down where it ran across the side of Garrison's neck. Slashing down quickly he cut it free, and watched as it dropped, allowing the Warden's head to roll forward. There were two more of the lines that seemed to be caught up around the man's body and as he cut those lose the Lieutenant's weight shifted back into the harness he wore, but he still didn't swing free of the clutching branches. Goniff pulled on the lines, but he wasn't in a secure position, and he didn't have the strength to pull the Warden up anyway. He'd have to rig something somehow.

Goniff scrambled back down the tree, dropping the last few feet to land in front of Stripe. "He's alive up there!"

The other man shot a glance upward and then grabbed him by the shoulder, shaking him. "No! We leave now. You are mistaken. You see what you want to see."

"You'r mistaken! He's alive up there and we're gettin' him down. You didn't go up an check..." Anger welled up in the little burglar. "You didn't go up and check! You left him up there for bait! You just left him up there…" His fist lashed out and caught the man on the side of his jaw sending him down to sit in the mud. As Stripe sat nursing the side of his face Goniff jabbed the other man in the chest with his finger. "You! Come with me." and started away through the trees.

The two men shared a long look. The man on the ground shrugged and nodded and the other moved off after the crazy Englishman. Climbing slowly to his feet the man with the stripe on the sleeve of his coat took his jaw in his hand and carefully opened and closed his mouth. He searched around him and recovered the rifles from the bushes where they had been thrown when the little man knocked him down. He moved away into the brush where he could keep watch on the tree and on the path the other two had taken.

ggg

Goniff made a bee line through the underbrush, back to where he'd hidden his chute. He'd tear the silk into strips and braid it up into rope. He could use the lines to tie onto the Warden's harness and pull him up away from the branches that held him. If he was lucky he'd have enough length to lower him down to the ground. But he had to work fast. He'd shocked the two blokes into following him but he didn't think that would last long. He recognized the small cave where he'd weathered the worst of the rain, his stuff was just around to the right. In a moment he'd uncovered his gear and he headed back the way he'd come with the other fella still trailing along in his wake.

When he got back to the base of the tree Goniff let his bundle drop to the ground between them. Leaning down he grasp the edge of the silk and slit it with his knife, tearing the cloth apart with his hands. He glanced at Stripe, " Alright, this is what we're gonna do…"

ggg

The Warden crumpled like a rag doll when he was lowered to the ground. He hadn't uttered another sound, he hadn't moved a twitch. The other men were still convinced he was dead and Goniff was crazy. When Goniff got down on the ground again they hadn't done anything for him, backing away at the first touch of his clammy skin they stood huddled together whispering. When the little man took him by the shoulder and gently turned him over onto his back he wasn't so sure anymore either. He was pale and as cold as any stone that sat near by in the ravine, blood soaked into his clothing where the branches had held him and oozed from the abrashions on his arm and neck. When Goniff reached to his wrist to find the pulse where Actor'd showed him, it wasn't there, and the Lieutenant's skin felt stiff to his touch. He swallowed hard and with a sinking feeling of dread reached up to the Warden's neck to check there. He thought his own heart had stopped while he waited and just as he felt it, Stripe pulled at the shoulder of his jacket.

"Leave the strigoi,... I told you, he is dead. Come! We go now."

Goniff shook him off. "He ain't dead,,, not yet! You just left him hung up there til he's near froze." He cut the lines he'd tied onto the Warden's harness free and pulled his makeshift rope out of the tree. It didn't take long to find two nearly straight limbs that had blown out of the trees during the night's storm. "We'll rig a stretcher for 'im outta these. All we gotta do is get 'im some place warm." Stripe took a step back and shook his head, but before he could voice his doubts Goniff was on his feet, he had a handful of the man's coat in each fist. "Now'r you gonna help me, or do I have ta knock you in the mud again?!"

The man looked down on the crazy little Englishman. He topped him by six inches, and out weighed him by at least fifty pounds, but he couldn't match the determination in the eyes that stared him down. Finally he shrugged and nodded his agreement. He'd lost his leader and would be content to follow this madman until he got him back. He motioned for his companion to cover them while they worked and knelt in the mud next to the figure that lay so still. Reaching into the neck of his jacket he drew out the crucifix he wore, kissed it and then leaned forward and pressed it on Garrison's forehead and held it there for a moment. Letting the cross swing free he studied the Lieutenant's skin before rocking back onto his heels and looking up at the cockney who frowned at him in confusion. "What do we do? Tell me."

Goniff breathed a sigh of relief and reached up to rub some of the tension out of the back of his neck. 'Well, whatever test that was', he thought, 'I guess the Warden passed.' He dropped down next to Stripe and laid the branches parallel, then turned to the rope he'd braided out of his parachute canopy, cutting the lines that were still attached to the ends. "We'll use these cords to tie the rope to the branches, see." And he started laying the rope across, wrapping it around the branches until he'd worked his way to the end and started back up to the top. He took a length of cord and secured the rope in place so it wouldn't shift out of its lattice pattern when they loaded the Warden on and carried him. He watched as the other fella tied off his side and checked the knots to make sure they'd hold. The pickpocket held out his hand and grinned as the other man took it. "Goniff. So, you got a name?"

"Jon. I am Jon Dinuit." he gestured to the younger man standing guard. "My brother, Luca." Sitting back on his heels he rubbed at his jaw. "You are a strong leader...Goniff. What do we do now?"

Goniff snorted a laugh and was about to protest, but he saw how the two were looking at him. They were lost, just like he was. They didn't know what to do next or where to turn either. He straightened his shoulders and tried hard not to look scared. "We gotta find somewhere safe and warm where we can take 'im. You fellas got someplace like that?"

Luca spoke up for the first time. "We have caves. Many. We change so the Germans don't find us."

"Great! One a them close by here?"

"At the top of the ravine, where the others were caught."

"Right." Goniff wasn't sure it was a smart idea to go up where the others had been picked up, but there wasn't anything else on offer. He finished tying his side of the stretcher off and stepped over to check the other side. Jon gave way and looked on, waiting for his approval. The little pickpocket patted the bigger man on the shoulder and they worked together to shift the Warden onto the litter. Once they got him settled he stood up and found both of the men looking at him, waiting for him to tell them what to do next. "Uh…" He didn't know if he was up to telling other blokes what to do. He always sort of hung back and let someone else figure out how to get out of a jam. He was good enough at getting into them alright, but getting out, well, that was another thing altogether…

They were still waiting.

Goniff took a deep breath. "So who's the best with the rifle?" Luca smiled and placed his palm on his chest. "Right then, you take off first and check to see the way is safe. Jon and me'll bring the Warden along. Jon, you take 'is head, you'r the stronger. Just lay the rifles there on the stretcher with 'im where we can get to 'em fast if we need to."

ggg

It'd taken nearly an hour to make it to the top. Goniff and Jon moving slowly letting Luca range out in front of them to make sure the path was safe before they moved forward. They left the Warden in the brush at the top of the path and all of them checked the area where the others had been surprised and taken. They moved the bodies of the brothers' friends out of the clearing, raising a cairn of stones over them since they had nothing to dig graves with. The rooks were back and they'd heard the sound of the wolves hunting along the bottom of the narrow valley. None of them wanted to leave the dead to the scavengers. As they'd gathered stones Jon found a small bag thrown into the bushes. It was the one Actor carried his gear in. They looked but didn't find anything else. Goniff hung the bag off the end of the stretcher when they picked the Warden up and prayed he'd be able to hand the thing over to Actor soon. What he needed was for the Warden to wake up and come up with one of his plans to get the other fellas away from the Germans.

"You guys know where the Jerries took 'em?" he might as well get the information the Warden'd need outta the brothers, save him a little time.

"They have a compound. A castle they took when they came here." Jon told him. "They take all prisoners there."

"All a them?" Goniff thought for a moment. "That Toma guy, he tell you why we was comin' here?"

Jon spoke quietly from the other end of the stretcher. "To get Enric Iagar before the interrogator comes for him."

"They have that guy at the castle too? That where they'r keepin' him?"

"Yes."

"D'you know if the interrogator's here yet?"

"He is not. The bridge he has to cross was bombed. He cannot come until they repair it."

"And how long'll that take?"

"Tomorrow, maybe."

Goniff considered it… he was missing something important, he knew he was... Oh, right! "D'you have anymore blokes lose in these hills?" He twisted and looked over his shoulder waiting for Jon to answer but was only met with a blank stare,,, Goniff rephrased his question. "Can you get us anymore help, or did all of your men get picked up with Toma?"

The young man frowned and shook his head. "We are a small band. Six only…" Jon stopped a moment, then stated grimly. "Four only."

Luca and Jon were here with him, and they said two of the group had been killed, and the leader picked up… "Where's the other bloke?"

"She stays in the town. Toma wouldn't let her come with us."

Luca appeared on the path about twenty yards in front of them and motioned them forward. "No one comes here! It is still safe to use." When they came close to him he stepped off the path, pulling the brush aside he uncovered the entrance to one of the small caverns the group used.

ggg

Goniff and Jon moved into the cave and let their burden down. The place had been used by the group in the recent past. There were two fire pits cleared in the floor and bed rolls and blankets were still stored along the back wall. There were pots and supplies there too, and a store of wood and kindling, dried food, stuff that would keep a long time. Goniff set about making a fire. He glanced up and found the brothers watching him again, waiting for instructions. "Go back along that path, there, and brush out our tracks so no one'll be able to find us here." As Luca moved to do his bidding he waved Jon out too. "You better pull those bushes back across the opening, so no one'll see the fire. Any chance a fillin' these big pots with some water?" The big man smiled and nodded, grabbing up a heavy pot in each hand as he left their refuge.

Goniff watched as the opening was covered again and listened as the brothers moved away down the path. He shook his head and hoped they were clever enough to brush out the tracks they made when they came back with the water without being told. As he carefully fed the small fire he shifted and looked over at the Warden. "You wanna wake up and take over, mate? I don't really think I'm meant t'be a leader or hero type."

Goniff had two small fires burning when the two men got back with their pots filled with water. He'd laid one of the bed rolls between them and had manage to pull the Warden onto it. He'd found a lantern in the supplies and had that lit, and had started stripping the Lieutenant out of his wet clothes. He put on an act Actor would've been proud of when the two men got back in the cave. He kept them busy setting the pots on the fire to boil and rummaging through the supplies for food and first aid stuff. At his orders they strung lines up and put the Warden's wet things up to dry and brought him some old sweaters and a pair of pants the group had left there the last time they'd used the place. It seemed to make the two fellas more confident, havin' someone order 'em about… didn't do much for Goniff's own sense of security.

The little cockney was worried. Garrison was still icy cold, still hadn't come round and had only groaned a bit when Goniff had come across the splinters and small branches that had torn through his clothing and gotten themselves gouged into his flesh… That's what had held him so securely in that tree and Goniff blessed everyone of them. If he hadn't been caught up that way, he thought, he might've just cut him free and let him fall. The little man shuddered to think of it,,, he could've killed the Warden without even knowing by letting him drop so he could break his neck. He frowned and ran his finger over the bruised welt that ran along the side of the Lieutenant's neck and across his throat and wondered if he'd done that already ….The Warden still hadn't moved.

"How will you get the others away from the Germans?" Goniff shot a look at Jon where he sat warming his hands at one of the fires. The young man just looked back at him confidently and waited.

'Blimey!' Goniff thought as his heart raced. 'he really thinks I'm gonna come up with something!' He turned his gaze back on Garrison and prayed for him to open his eyes and sit up and start spouting orders. He'd even pay attention when he scratched one of his diagrams in the dirt…. But the man never made a move. 'Bloody Hell!' He chewed on his lower lip as he stared at his commander. What would he do first? Turning back to face the brothers he asked. "There's a town around here close? Somewhere the Jerries use?"

Luca frowned and answered. "Yes, two miles away."

"Can that interrogator get here before tomorrow?"

Jon answered this time. "No. There is only one road and the bridge was badly damaged. Tomorrow,,, maybe longer."

The brothers continued to wait on him. Damn! He hated being in charge! Goniff licked his lips and turned away from their trusting eyes. The Warden would find a way to stop that interrogator. If all a the prisoners were held at the same place then that's where Actor and Casino and Chief were too. If they let that guy through he might go after them. Goniff couldn't let that happen. He'd have to find a way, but he wasn't clever, not like the Warden, not like Actor… Bloody Hell!..not even like Casino or Chiefy. He couldn't come up with a plan all by himself and make it work… Then something clicked in the back of his head… He couldn't come up with a new plan,,, but maybe he could come up with an old one. Grinning he turned back to the brothers. "OK! Here it is…"