drew a key from his robe and went to the back door. He inserted the key and opened the door. He held the door open. Jeff went through.
The monk looked at Sergeant Cannon and told him, “The king has something very important to tell your colonel. He will only be a short time longer. Follow the corridor to the right. It will lead you to a stairway. Your colonel will be at the bottom. I promise you. He is in no danger. Our visitors will remain in the forest tonight. They have not paid us a visit for three days now.”
“What?” Sergeant Cannon looked at Murph and told him to get Jeff. “What the hell are you talking about now?” Sergeant Cannon wanted to grab the monk by the collar, but his robe never had one.
The monk still spoke slowly, “I thought you knew. The Germans brought the king here. They have his family. He really must do what they say. But do not worry. We trust the king. The colonel is in no danger.”
“Do they know we are here?” Sergeant Cannon needed answers now.
“I do not think so. They have been building their army for days now. The forest is crowded with them. They have left us alone. The men left the king with us a week ago and told us they would not destroy our home if we would cooperate. They know the king will meet his cabinet here in one more day. We have informed them of the danger, but the king assures us of their safety. His only request was to meet with your colonel. Has your colonel not informed you of this meeting?” The monk knew he was not going to get an answer. He seemed content with that.
Sergeant Cannon leaned into the doorway and looked down the corridor. He ducked back into the room when he saw a shadow coming their way. Then he heard Philip’s voice and saw Jeff leading the colonel back toward them. They were not wasting time.
Philip entered the room and closed the door behind him. “I’m sorry, men. The king swore me to secrecy. I owe his father.” When Em saw the look on the colonel’s face, he knew he would not need another explanation. “But right now, we need to get on our way. The king told me something that he suspects is happening as we speak. That son-of-a-bitch Hitler is at it again. When will he realize that it’s over? This plan is not going to work. If we’re lucky, we might be able to slow him down.”
Em sat straight up in his bunk. That night and so many others were embedded in his memory. He recalled how they had made their way back to Antwerp. The land mines they set on the road near the rocket launchers had surely slowed the Germans down, and later, after the battle had taken place, Em found out that Hitler’s army had been turned around right near Dinant. The two divisions of soldiers and tanks and artillery had been making their way through the mountain pass. and two tanks had exploded near Bayard’s Rock. The rock was reported to be a legendary landmark. The local inhabitants were sure their town of Dinant was saved by the legend of Bayard.
The next entry in his journal was four days later.
December 19, 1944, Antwerp, Belgium
A lot has happened in just a couple of days. The American lives lost in the battle for the Ardennes were extreme—one of the deadliest battles in the European war as of yet. We held Antwerp, and Hitler was stopped right near Dinant. At least now, I know that everything that happened was for a reason. We are making a difference.
Colonel Roth found out some information from the king. During his time in Berlin, he had been interrogated, and his family was held captive. The Germans reported him as being free to go as he pleased, but the photographs that were taken were all staged. He was ashamed to tell the colonel about what he had told the Germans. But the information he repeated to the colonel was interesting. He only wanted to tell the colonel because his father had told him that Colonel Roth was a good friend and he could be trusted. When the monks had contacted the Allies and sent for the colonel, they were under the impression that the king would be returning with the colonel. That is why they were under so much secrecy. The king’s protection was first and foremost. The king never knew about the assault that was following him through the forests of the Ardennes. The Germans were making a last-ditch effort to retake Antwerp Harbor. I never realized just how close we were to the front. I think we might have been behind the lines for a short time.
The king told the colonel a story. While he was in Berlin, one of Hitler’s SS officers had been ranting about the führer believing all these old legends. He had been drinking with the king and could not hold his tongue. He let the alcohol get the better of him and ran his mouth too long. The king said he had learned that anything said out loud made its way back to the führer. This officer did not wake up for reveille the next morning. While he was ranting, the king said the officer had told a story about something that had been hidden for centuries. The führer believed that this object was in Belgium. His SS had been searching for it since the initial invasion. The king told the colonel that Hitler was getting desperate and had sent this army to the Ardennes mainly to acquire ownership of this powerful object. Now the colonel will not rest until he finds out what and where this thing is. Tomorrow we will head to northern Belgium to investigate a story about an isolated SS troupe that are holding a monastery captive on the mountain. Everyone agreed that Sergeant Barnes would stay behind with the plane.
January 7, 1945, Antwerp, Belgium
We are still here. Happy New Year! They are calling it “the Battle of the Bulge.” The past three weeks have been agonizing. Hitler’s army was indeed turned around, and rumor has it that the road to Dinant was where they were halted. The Allies are most certainly pushing the Germans back across the border. I can feel that things are changing. Antwerp has ceased being bombed every night. Now, things are eerily silent at night. The winter has dug in. I feel like by the time spring arrives, the world is going to come alive again also. Flying the Skytrain has all but stopped. Colonel Roth is obsessed with finding whatever the king told him about. We have been scouting every monastery within the Belgian borders. All have been quiet and untouched since the war began. The colonel believes that each and every one of them are involved to some extent. We all wonder how the monasteries all seem to go untouched century after century. War after war go by, and secrets are hidden and passed through these mountaintop fortresses, yet none of them ever get ravaged by the atrocities of war. Another mystery.
Of all the things that have happened over the past six months, I am most disturbed by what I have learned about human nature. The things that I have seen men do to one another, without regard to basic human rights, have opened my eyes. I feel like I am no longer the shy, innocent boy from Kentucky who never really understood what war was. It has only been eight months since I graduated from high school. I have seen more than a lifetime’s worth of senseless killing. I have watched my friends take lives. I have not fired a weapon at another man. I think maybe I could, if I was faced with a do-or-die situation. Jeff seems to be the only one who can detach himself from the situation. I can see the effects on every other member of our team. Jack has changed. Captain Murphy was always quiet, but now he never says much of anything. He has even been absent from some of the scouting missions over the past couple of weeks. Sergeant Barnes stayed with the plane most of the time. If he was not tinkering with the plane, then he was eating something somewhere. He can still come up with food and supplies seemingly at any time. The colonel and Sergeant Cannon are always in meetings. We have found some interesting things. There is mounting interest in what we are doing. Everyone has underestimated Hitler since the beginning of this world conflict. He is not only killing on every front. He is also stealing everything he can get his hands on. The things we are finding are old. We have found artifacts dating from every century. Some are already packed into crates. Some are smaller and bound in leather. None of the things we have found so far is what the colonel is looking for.
Em was still restless, so he turned ahead a few pages and kept on reading in his journal. He knew that he would be alone for a while yet. Jack had met some French girl. Em knew that he would probably be gone the entire night. Sergeant Barnes had taken to hanging out in taverns close to the docks. The black market here in Antwerp was reasserting itself. The boats were coming in every day now. The sergeant was making deal after deal and becoming somewhat of an entrepreneur. Em thought that as long as the sergeant kept their plane in good condition, then he could do whatever he wanted. Jeff was the mystery that Jeff was. Even as a black man, he could disappear whenever he wanted.