Hearts of Stone (37 page)

‘Long live Greece! Death to Germany!’

He repeated the cry and others took it up until it swelled from hundreds of throats and echoed back from the buildings lining the square, filling the ears of those dying on the gallows. The woman writhed wildly one last time before her strength gave out and she hung there like old clothes, swaying from the creaking beam. Eleni’s father lasted a moment longer and then he too was dead. Their bodies were swaying to and fro and then urine dripped on to the ground beneath as their bowels loosened. Eleni turned away and pressed her face into Andreas’s chest as she began to sob.

‘Take me away from here. Please . . .’

But he stood still and did not reply. When Eleni looked up she saw that he was staring up at the balcony. ‘What is it?’

‘Peter. Peter Muller. Up there. Look.’

She turned her head and forced her gaze not to linger on her parents’ bodies as she followed the direction he had indicated. At the shoulder of the garrison commander the translator had removed his cap and bowed his head and now they could clearly see him for who he was. At the same moment Eleni suddenly recalled the Germans who had pursued her on the hill a few days before, and the one who had had the chance to shoot, and had not. And now she realised how the Germans had identified her and how they had come to arrest her parents. She felt an icy hatred clench inside her chest as she stared at the man who she had once known as a friend.

‘Peter . . .’ Her lips curled as she spoke his name as it if was a terrible curse.

Andreas nodded. Then they saw the young German officer turn to look in their direction. Andreas averted his gaze from the balcony. ‘Come. We have to leave now! Before he can see us. Eleni, come. For the love of God.’

She turned away reluctantly and allowed herself to be led away from the square as the German soldiers approached the gallows to remove the corpses and prepare it for the next prisoners to be executed as the crowd continued to chant their defiance at their bitter enemy.

Chapter Thirty-Four

Y
annis was eagerly awaiting them when they returned that evening but had the sensitivity to offer his condolences to Eleni before he broke his news.

‘The Germans are back,
kapetan
.’

‘Back?’ Andreas cocked his head to one side. ‘Where?’

‘In the valley where we ambushed them. They drove up to the village yesterday evening and spent today clearing the track up to the valley. I watched them until they settled in for the night, up where the sheds are.’

‘How many of them?’

Yannis thought a moment. Like many of those who were raised and lived in the hills his counting was indifferent. ‘Not as many as we fought the other day. Perhaps no more than twenty, and three trucks. They were covered, but I was able to see wooden crates inside one of them. What can it mean,
kapetan
?’

Andreas shook his head. ‘I don’t know. But we must find out. The Germans must be taught a lesson. Send for the
andarte
bands of Christos and Petros. We’ll put an end to whatever it is they’re up to.’

‘Petros,
kapetan
?’ Yannis raised an eyebrow. ‘He is a communist, I don’t trust him. I have heard that his people on the mainland are trying to take over other resistance movements.’

‘Well, they won’t succeed here. Not while I am in command.’

‘Even so, perhaps it would be best not to risk another fight so soon. We lost some good men the other day.’

‘That is our duty, Yannis. To kill the enemy.’

He was about to lead Eleni to the fireplace to make sure she ate something when Yannis barred his path and lowered his voice. ‘The men know what happened in Lefkada today. If we go and kill more Germans they will murder more of our people . . .’

Andreas let his hand slip from Eleni’s back and faced his follower full on, his expression dark and dangerous. ‘We are at war, Yannis. The Germans are mortal enemies who we must destroy. If we don’t, they will be our masters as we shall be their slaves, forever. It is a fight for survival. Many will fall on both sides. That is the nature of war. Now, tell the men to get ready, and send runners to the other bands.’

The older man stood his ground, his eyes pained. ‘
Kapetan
, for every German we kill, they will kill ten of ours. It is as if we were killing our own.’

Eleni took a quick step forward and slapped him. ‘How dare you? How dare you say that to me?’

The other men in the cave instantly turned towards the confrontation with shocked expressions.

‘I saw my parents hanged today. Murdered by the Germans! You dare to accuse me of being their executioner?’

Yannis recoiled, out of her reach. ‘Of course not. Never. You are as a sister to us, Eleni. All of us. You fight as well as any man. I do not question your actions.’

‘What then?’ Her nostrils flared furiously. ‘What do you question?’

‘I question the soundness of fighting the enemy in a way that causes harm to our own people. You know what will happen if we attack the Germans in that valley again. You have seen the ruins of the village, as you have seen the deaths of the hostages they have taken in reprisals.’

‘What would you have us do then?’ she demanded. ‘Sit and do nothing? Wait for the enemy to starve our people to death? They look to us to lead the fight. Their spirit is not broken. In the square this morning they proved that.’ She turned to Andreas. ‘Tell him.’

‘It is true,’ he conceded. ‘The people showed their defiance.’

‘Exactly.’ Eleni returned her stare to Yannis. ‘They showed that they were not beaten. They showed their rage. The more we take the fight to the enemy, the more angry they will become. Our ranks will swell, Yannis, and nothing will stop us winning our freedom and avenging those we have lost.’

He stared back at her briefly before he replied, ‘How much of this is about revenge?’

‘Does it matter? What matters is killing Germans and driving them out of our homeland.’

‘That is what we want. But why shed blood so unnecessarily? The war is going against the enemy. Germany will be defeated in the end.’

‘In the end . . .’ She sniffed. ‘And how soon will that be? Five years? Ten? And are we so craven that we would let others win our freedom for us?’

Yannis shook his head. ‘We are not soldiers, Eleni. None of us are. Except you,
kapetan
.’ He bowed his head deferentially. ‘We are shepherds, farmers and fishermen for the most part. And patriots all. We took up arms to free our country and then return to our old lives. That is what we fight for. It is better to wait and see that day than risk our lives and those of many others just for the sake of proving we are patriots.’

Andreas cleared his throat. ‘There will be time to talk later. Now we must do our duty. I have made my decision, so have the men make ready and send the runners. I will meet Christos and Petros at the shrine above Alatro at midnight. There will be a full moon tonight. Enough light to see our targets clearly. We will take them at first light. Go.’

Yannis hesitated a moment and then lowered his gaze as his
kapetan
glared at him. ‘As you command,’ he said wearily before turning towards the men waiting at the rear of the cave.

Eleni took his hand and offered him a brief smile. ‘Thank you.’

‘This is not just for you,’ he replied curtly. ‘I know my duty. I have been trained to fight the enemies of my country. That I must do, regardless of the cost. Do you understand?’ He lifted her chin and looked down into her eyes, and felt a terrible pity at the pain he saw etched into her face. ‘I do this for Greece.’

‘I understand.’ She forced herself to smile and reached up and kissed him. ‘For Greece . . . I thank you anyway.’

There was still an hour of darkness left as the three bands of
andartes
crept into position. The men led by Petros sealed the mouth of the valley and settled into vantage points on the slopes either side while their much-prized machine gun, captured from the Italians nearly a year before, was set up overlooking the track to ensure that no vehicles or enemy escaped. Another band, led by a dapper former teacher named Christos, took their place to the left of Andreas on the hill that dominated the valley and crept down the slope, stopping well in advance of the German sentries whose figures could be clearly seen as they patrolled the perimeter of the site. The trucks had been drawn up by the sheds and a handful of tents stretched out by the trees at the foot of the cliff. A light glimmered a short way up the rocky surface and Eleni pointed it out to Andreas as they settled into position to await the dawn.

‘What’s that?’

Andreas squinted across the floor of the valley and then shook his head. ‘I can’t make it out . . . Looks like it is coming from inside the cliff.’

‘A cave? I don’t remember a cave . . .’

‘No. Me neither. But it looks like the Germans have found one. Maybe that’s why they are here. Someone’s betrayed the hiding place of another band. One they’ve been keeping secret from the rest of us.’

‘If that’s true then any weapons will be back in our hands in a few hours.’

Andreas turned to look at her lying beside him in sturdy breeches, boots and sheepskin jacket and chuckled. ‘Of all my
andartes
, you are the most formidable.’

She looked at him and he felt his pulse quicken at the sight of her skin, ghostly pale in the moonlight, fringed by her dark hair and pierced by her eyes and fine brows. He felt the impulse to lean closer and kiss her, but she spoke before he could, in a cold, flat voice.

‘If I am, then it is because those devils down there made me so. And they will pay for it. They have robbed me of all that I hold dear.’

Andreas sucked in a breath. ‘Not all . . .’

She shrugged. ‘I have lost too much already. I don’t think I can bear to worry about losing any more, Andreas. Perhaps I have been a fool to love you, when all it means is that I will have even more to grieve when I lose you.’

‘When?’

‘Of course. Do you really think we will live to see the end of this war? It is better that we accept that we won’t. Accept that we are already dead and all that remains is to kill as many Germans as possible.’ Her expression became intense and she cupped her hand around his bristly cheek. ‘Surely you see that?’

‘I see the woman I love. And want to be with, now, and forever.’

She smiled sadly. ‘You poor fool . . .’

He recoiled slightly. ‘Why do you call me fool?’

‘How will you feel when the Germans kill me?’

His brow knitted together and his voice was strained as he replied softly, ‘I would feel that my life had no purpose.’

‘And that is why you should not have feelings for me. That is why I have decided not to risk my affections on any other. Especially not you, Andreas. What happened to my parents is like a blade twisting in my heart. I have never known so much pain, and would not survive any greater hurt. Spare yourself that. Do not love me.’

He stared at her a moment. ‘You make it sound as if I have a choice.’

‘You do. So choose wisely.’ She withdrew her hand from his cheek and shuffled a short distance away to create a small gap between them. ‘It’ll be light before long. Save your strength, and your thoughts, for the fight to come.’

‘Eleni . . .’

‘Quiet. We must do our duty. You said so yourself. So hush now.’

He opened his mouth, not wanting to end the exchange until he had persuaded her to change her mind, but then he saw the absurdity of it. They were lying in wait to slaughter their enemy, or be killed in turn. Against that reality what did their feelings matter? Feelings had no place in this setting, this moment. Such concerns actually endangered them. Eleni was right to that extent, he conceded. Taking a slow, calming breath he settled down with his back to a rock and kept watch on the enemy down in the valley. He concentrated his attention on them and wondered about the light in the cliff face opposite once again. It must be a cave, Andreas decided. If there were weapons hidden there then he would confront the
kapetan
responsible and ensure that it did not happen again. There could be no such secrets between the
andarte
bands fighting the enemy.

Time drifted on and then, before Andreas was aware of it, the faintest grey smudge of dawn was lining the eastern skyline and a moment later a bird called out, the shrill note carrying across the hillside. After waiting for the thin light to grow a little in strength, he stirred and edged forward, taking position between two boulders as he raised his Marlin, eased back the cocking lever, wincing at the click that seemed too loud to his ears. Then he thumbed the safety off and took aim at the nearest of the Germans who was leaning against the side of the truck, lighting a cigarette. A short distance to his side, Eleni raised her rifle, securing the butt against her shoulder.

‘I’ll take the man by the truck,’ Andreas whispered. ‘Remember – wait for me to fire first.’

She muttered a terse acknowledgement and lowered her head, closing her left eye as she drew a bead on another German, sitting cross-legged outside his tent, his rifle lying across his thighs as he looked up at the sky. Two birds darted low over the dig site and his gaze followed their passage and he smiled with delight. Eleni felt a chill in her heart as she watched him, then hooked her finger round the trigger and began to breathe slowly and deeply as she steadied herself to take the first shot.

A deafening burst of submachine-gun fire ripped out and shattered the tranquillity of the dawn. Bullets splintered the wood panel of the side of the truck before Andreas adjusted his aim and caught his man in the chest, hurling him against the truck while his cigarette flew from his fingers and landed in the tufted grass at his feet. He pitched forward. At the first sound of gunfire Eleni squeezed the trigger and the stock of the rifle punched back into her shoulder as the ear-numbing crash of the detonation merged with the sound of Andreas’s weapon. As she worked the bolt she saw the German lurch to the side and sprawl in front of the tent. His rifle fell nearby and he began to reach out for it as Eleni took aim again and fired. The second bullet struck him in the neck and his body jerked savagely and then lay still.

All along the slope the other
andartes
joined in, lashing the German camp with bullets. Two of the men who had been standing sentry were cut down but the others had taken cover and were returning fire as the rest of their comrades snatched up their weapons and ran for shelter. Andreas saw two men race towards the back of one of the trucks and take out a machine gun. He turned his Marlin towards them and opened fire, knocking one down while the other snatched the Spandau and turned to run. He had only gone a few paces before being struck by one of Andreas’s men. Now the return fire began to strike back and rounds zipped through the air close by, some crashing through the undergrowth while others smashed off rocks, sending fragments of stone and dust exploding into the air.

But the sudden onslaught had caught the Germans badly and several men already lay still, while as many were wounded. The survivors were spread out around the tents and trucks and were pinned down under the heavy fire from the hillside. There seemed to be no one in charge, as far as Andreas could see, and he guessed their officer must have been one of the first to be hit. A movement caught his eye and he saw a German burst from cover and scramble, zigzagging, towards the treeline at the foot of the cliff. Andreas aimed a burst at him and cursed as a line of soil spouts erupted to the side of the German as he changed direction. Then he threw himself into a shallow dip beneath the first trees and disappeared from sight. As soon as he had caught his breath the soldier bellowed to his comrades. It took numerous shouts before he had their attention and then acted on his orders. While several loosed a furious fusillade at the hillside the others broke cover and made towards the cliff. Andreas ignored the enemy bullets and fired a burst at one man and gave a satisfied grunt as he was struck down. Another soldier was hit before the enemy went to ground and then provided covering fire for their companions to make their dash.