Chapter 3b - Take us to your leader
The four of you, led by Jangie, left the village behind them, even evading the posted guards. Yelena felt a pang of hesitation. She was leaving without order nor leave. She was, technically, under the British Captain's command for now, but Zholdin could still have her shot for desertion. The political commissars of the Great Soviet Union were not known for fudging the rules.
Konnikov would intervene. If he was here.
That made her think about the rest of the company. Just a few days ago, they had been a company. Understrength, but still three platoons, a fighting force. Now, their numbers had dwindled down to maybe a single platoon, and that not at full strength. And they kept stretching their forces ever thinner, splitting off a recon troop, and now she was leaving the recon troop behind.
Jangie led her steadily through the night. The sky was clear tonight, revealing stars and constellation neither Yelena nor Lena recognized. No moon was showing - or was there? There were two stars that were both a lot larger and dimmer than the others around them. Maybe this world had two moons? They seemed smaller than Earth's moon.
They walked for about half an hour, going ever deeper into the woods, following a narrow brook running down the hills until they reached a little pond that fed the brook. Behind and around the pond, the hills dropped off in a sheer cliff, maybe three or four men high, creating a bowl that was open on the side the Allies came from.
A fire burned in the center of the bowl, next to the brook and a few more fires were lit around a rough perimeter, providing enough light to navigate the terrain with ease. On the far end, an old tree must have toppled over years ago. On that tree, and apparently quite comfortably, sat another Gnim, a blanket across her legs.
Jangie stopped, leaned on her spear and bowed her head before speaking. [Language unknown: "Conentati Siivil Tralofiv. Etpabe ers red reatheles li ichthiith er me po]Not-Deutsche.[Language unknown: Ain a Oveblesta a Lissna. Ectac on,]"she indicated the Axtzal, [Language unknown: "en Wasntiiou at icaan Icee'filoce, m ingressti of ckev laet oulaveest ureousect o era Ivelarforoun insan eveca enpeon butun Antthatineveday."]
The Gnim on the tree nodded and raised a hand, beckoning you closer.
[Language unknown: "Ournceous e one Om wi Ardardtho, wamaei Ingoveeau. N lo olntur en k, ounantfor. Inesic icsant ic to anain osmiet ndsena le ortwi san wa, ort on unbe liilck. I a caol'ntos as his der res inomck, al ichderati inema eenin m vorthowitsom t ic io in erntwa re."]