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“I will,” I reply. “I’ll time travel once I’ve gone into the woods.”
I hand him the bag and with one last hard kiss, he wades into the water, the prisoners following. I step into the stream and stand in the icy water, watching him go before I climb up the muddy bank on the other side and begin crashing through the brush, swinging a flashlight so the Germans will follow.
As I run, a plan begins to form. I will lead them as far from Henri as I can and then attempt to time travel back to the stream and find him. The problem is that I’ve never jumped particularly far. I’m just as likely to land in the middle of the woods, naked and lost, as I am to land at the place where we separated.
When I’ve gone as far as I dare, I stop and wait for the Germans to close in.
Their shouts grow louder, and when the distant glow of a flashlight hits my face, I take a deep breath and picture the stream. The branches around me shake as they close in and begin to fire, but at last I fade, landing on my ass in the freezing water only a moment later. Naked and shivering, I push myself up and begin to run. The rocks are ice beneath my feet, moss covered and slick. I fall again and again, but my shins and feet are soon so numb I barely feel it.
By the time I find muddy boot prints on the bank, I’m so cold I can barely stand it. I do my best to erase the trail they’ve left as I follow it, branches whipping against my skin the whole way.
Fortunately, it doesn’t take long to find them. They’re so exhausted, and trampling so loudly, they don’t even hear me approach.
“Henri,” I whisper. In the moonlight I see three astonished faces turn. None more astonished and distressed than Henri’s. “Can you give me the clothes and boots inside the bag?”
He marches toward me. “You promised to go,” he snaps. “You promised.”
“I lied.”
His hands land on my shoulders. “Please, Sarah,” he begs. “Go. I don’t want you here for this. You’ve done all you can.”
I know he’s trying to save me. I know my presence here scares him more than the threat of death. But he needs me and if he was being honest, he’d admit it. “You know I have skills that can help you.”
He exhales sharply and tugs at his hair. “You won’t listen no matter what I say, will you?”
His companions shuffle impatiently and I ignore them. “You can’t claim you didn’t know what you were in for.”
His mouth twitches. “I suppose I did.”
“Can you two banter later on?” asks the Brit, his words clipped. “We need to get going.”
My blood heats and I smile, hoping he wants a fight. Hoping he plans to keep annoying me. Give me an excuse to kill you. “You saw how easily I took care of that soldier guarding you? Don’t imagine for a moment I can’t dispose of you just as easily.”
His mouth closes and he turns north.
I’m disappointed that he gave in.
46
SARAH
Soon, the sky begins to lighten, but we continue to move. I haven’t seen anywhere for us to stop, and I’m not sure how long the Germans will search for us before they give up. But I’m troubled by Henri’s labored breathing. He barely reacted to the news that Marie is living with Edouard and pretending to be a nun, a testament to his exhaustion if I’ve ever seen one. My makeshift bandage isn’t doing much for him, and his wound may be the part of this that is out of my hands.
At midday we stop. I pull out the bread and cheese and divide it in sixths, handing one portion to each of them and saving the remainder for tomorrow. I’m feeling too sick to eat right now and they need the food more than I do, but eventually it’s going to be an issue, trying to feed four people on what I brought for two.
“I assume the rest of that food is just for you?” Price asks.
Henri’s eyes were growing heavy, but they flicker with fire suddenly. “Watch yourself,” he growls. “She saved your miserable life, but I’d be happy to end it if your attitude doesn’t improve.”
* * *
It’s nearly dusk when we finally come upon a deserted homestead. Whether we can afford to stop or not, we have to. I’m worried Henri will collapse soon if we don’t. He is stumbling now, his skin almost ashen.
“We’ll stay here for the night,” I tell them.
Henri looks at me with heavy eyes and nods. “We should sleep in the barn, though. If the Germans come, they’ll search the house first. It will give us a small advantage.”
“You killed people,” says Price. As if I killed good people. As if we aren’t in the middle of a fucking war and I didn’t save him from a work camp and certain death. “They aren’t going to just ignore it. We need to keep moving.”
