Grantville Gazette, Volume 70 Read online

  "It is best you step out of our way."

  "Nein, it is best you explain yourselves. Now." Neustatter delivered the last word with a certain menace.

  "If you interfere, we will report it to Gunther Achterhof."

  That's definitely a threat, Astrid realized.

  "Do not make me explain to Gunther why I had to put three of his men in the ground," Neustatter responded.

  So is that.

  The first man's hand tightened on whatever he had half-drawn.

  "Uh-huh," Astrid told him. "Let go of it. Or I will shoot you." Clients—the train and passengers.

  The second man held his left hand up. "Put it away, Gebhard." He faced Neustatter. "Your guns are going to get heavy."

  Astrid took a couple steps backwards toward the front the car. She remembered two women seated together on the left side.

  "Frauen, slide over, bitte," she requested without turning her head. She knelt on the seat, resting her pistol on the back of the seat. "I can stay here a really long time. So explain yourselves."

  The second pursuer glanced upward and sighed. "Fine," he snapped. "These are the children of Heinrich von Kardorff. He was a ritter in Westphalia."

  "We got him," the first man said.

  "They killed Father," the boy said. His hand slid toward his sword.

  "Don't move," Neustatter growled. "I'm Neustatter. My teams are train guards on this run. Kid, I assume you are now Ritter von Kardorff."

  "I am."

  "And I assume this is Frau von Kardorff, your sister."

  "Half-sister."

  "Ah, so you are mad at her, too," Neustatter observed. "Westphalia. That explains your very proper Plattdeutsch. And over there we have Gebhard in front, the CoC team leader—what is your name?"

  "Klaus Eggers. And that is Hans behind me."

  "What are you waiting for?" a man seated on the right side next to a window demanded. "Shoot them!"

  "For being CoCs? That would be right unneighborly," Neustatter drawled.

  "Take care, old man!" Gebhard threatened. "You could be next."

  A man on the right side of the train stood up. "There are more of us than there are of you," he said in Hochdeutsch.

  "Sit down," Neustatter told him.

  "I will not be spoken—"

  "I will speak to you any way I choose," Neustatter told him.

  Astrid couldn't see him; he was toward the front of the car, and she was halfway back, facing the rear. She wasn't about to look away from where she aimed her pistol.

  "I am not going to listen to a peasant."

  "That is mighty big talk from a burgher in front of so many niederadel," Neustatter observed. "They think the same of you as you think of peasants."

  Klaus laughed harshly. "The adel took their privileges under a supposed agreement to protect everyone else. But here is a burgher standing up to you while the adel remains seated."

  "But as the Constitution says, we are all citizens here," Neustatter countered. "I know the Committees believe that. So tell me about von Kardorff and his children."

  Gebhard spat on the floor. "Von Kardorff was the worst kind of scum. Oppressing his villagers. Crooked deals, cheating on contracts, taking advantage of the young women…"

  "But that is not why we killed him," Klaus interrupted. "Only two things put someone on the target lists: anti-Semitism and witch hunting. Von Kardorff was guilty of both."

  "Go on."

  "He was typical of the adel, living above his means, taking advantage of the labor of the villagers," Klaus growled. "But even that was not enough money. He borrowed heavily from Jews, then made false accusations against them when they tried to collect."

  "Give me money or I will arrange an accident—a legal one," Neustatter summarized.

  "Ja, you understand." Klaus was really getting warmed up now. "He used accusations of witchcraft the same way. That is how he took advantage of the young women in the village. Sleep with him or be accused of witchcraft. Or mother or grandmother accused of witchcraft. He had four Jews and three women killed. That we know of."

  "Ritter von Kardorff, Miss von Kardorff, do you have anything to say?" Neustatter asked.

  "What is 'Miss'?" the woman demanded. "I wish to know if I am being insulted."

  "You should be more worried about being killed," Gebhard stated.

  "Shut up," Astrid told him. "Frau von Kardorff, 'miss' is how up-timers address unmarried women. Neustatter calls me miss whenever I call him herr."

  Frau von Kardorff laughed once. "He is no herr. Even the burgher saw he is nothing but a…"

  "Citizen." Astrid spoke loudly since she still wasn't going to turn her head to address Frau von Kardorff.

  "Bah!" Frau von Kardorff burst out. "What good is being a citizen when the city watch stood aside for the CoC? Is 'citizen' limited to them?"

  "Normally there's no reason for the polizei to stop the CoCs," Astrid stated, still not facing her. "Again, we are all citizens. Which part of that do you not understand?"

  "How dare you turn your back to me!"

  "Frau von Kardorff!" Neustatter snapped. "Step back. If you strike Miss Schäubin, I will shoot you myself."

  "You will have to shoot me first!" the young ritter declared.

  "Ja, I would," Neustatter said. "Since my team are the ones keeping the CoC from killing you and your sister, maybe she should not be raising her hand against us."

  For a few seconds, Astrid heard nothing but the clickety-clack of the train on the tracks. Then Neustatter said, "Sehr gut." Evidently Miss von Kardorff had enough self-control to stand down.

  "Now, Miss von Kardorff, do you have anything to say about the CoCs' charges?"

  Astrid heard nothing for several seconds. She is either furious or ashamed.

  "Our father was not a pleasant man," she finally said.

  Hearing her very controlled tone, Astrid realized it was shame.

  "I cannot speak to the particulars," Miss von Kardorff stated, "beyond hearing him complain about the Jews."

  "An anti-Semite then," Gebhard stated. "So let us shoot them."

  "Suppose first you explain how Ritter von Kardorff's children are involved?" Neustatter requested.

  "They are his children!" Gebhard blurted out.

  "Ja, I just said that. But how are they involved?"

  "If we do not kill them, they will rule over the village. The same things will keep happening."

  "Nein, they will not," the boy stated.

  "We are not going to take that chance," Gebhard countered.

  Astrid heard a train car door squeak open. She realized it was the door to the next car ahead. Someone had made the somewhat dangerous crossing between cars while the train was underway. Then she heard Karl's voice.

  "Where do you want me, Neustatter?"

  "Middle of the aisle," came Neustatter's voice. Once Karl was evidently in position, Neustatter called, "Wolfram, order arms!"

  "Clever," Eggers allowed. "Hans, you cover the one at our backs while I cover the new one. And be alert when the train pulls into Halle. He will have more men in the first two cars."

  After the discussion continued for a while, Neustatter signaled Wolfram. His rifle came back up, and Karl crossed back to the second car. Klaus and Hans took the opportunity to rest their rifles, one at a time.

  Astrid's legs were starting to cramp by the time she heard Karl return.

  "We are five minutes from Halle," he announced. "Sergeant Sandhagen is aware of what is happening back here."

  Eggers turned his head and told Hans something, speaking too quietly for her to hear.

  "The train will stop at Halle just long enough for passengers to disembark and board," Neustatter reminded them all. "You will not have time to bring the local CoC to the station."

  "You will not have time to summon reinforcements, either," Eggers countered.

  "True," Neustatter allowed.

  Half-true, Astrid thought. She had already figured out why Karl had been gone so
long. Of course, the CoC men didn't know that Karl had been assigned to the front of the second car, not to the back…

  "Since we seem to have a stalemate, I suggest we all find more comfortable seating arrangements," Neustatter suggested. "If we ask all the passengers to move to the right side, Ritter and Miss von Kardorff can sit in the front on the left. You men can sit in the back, and Miss Schäubin and I will sit in the middle."

  Astrid listened to the clickety-clack of the train as Eggers thought that over for a full minute. "Okay, but we will take the front and put the reactionaries in the back."

  "Makes no difference to me," Neustatter stated.

  But it does, Astrid thought. Now they will be the ones facing backwards in their seats.

  "Und we will lock the door to the next car," Eggers added.

  Ah, so he saw that part.

  "Fine. I will keep Wolfram on the back stairs. Got to have a rear guard. Which side do you want him on?"

  Clever, Neustatter. Clever. Astrid wasn't sure if there even was a right answer.

  "Left," Eggers said after another minute. "Most of the stations are on the left."

  "What about us?" the burgher who had stood up earlier asked.

  "I regret that our conversation will probably keep most of you awake," Neustatter answered. "But at least you will be out of the line of fire."

  ****

  Friday, June 22, 1635

  Halle

  It was after midnight when the southbound Schwarza Express was shunted off onto the second line and rolled into Halle Station. At the same time, the northbound Magdeburg Express pulled away from the station on the main line.

  "Halle Station! Anyone disembarking?"

  "You could all leave the train here," the burgher suggested.

  "Train guards," Neustatter said. "We cannot leave."

  "I am not getting off the train," Miss von Kardorff declared.

  "Then we stay, too," Eggers said.

  Several passengers left the third car, including the vocal burgher. Two or three people looked like they intended to board but were quickly pulled aside by those leaving the train. Only one man boarded. He found a seat in the back. Neustatter just shook his head.

  "I see no reason to involve the stationmaster," Neustatter said. "If all the rest of you would please move to the right side of the car? And Wolfram, if you would step down and let the Committeemen pass?"

  "Hans, you first," Klaus directed. "And the reactionaries move down the aisle to the back."

  Hans left by the rear door and reentered at the front of the car. Klaus followed, and finally Gebhard, so that at least one of them was always in a position to cover the von Kardorffs.

  "You suckered me!" Neustatter declared when he saw that Gebhard had finally been able to draw his pistol while outside the train.

  "Ja, I did," Eggers acknowledged. He locked the door to the next car as the conductor's cry of "All aboard!" rang out from somewhere forward. Just as he sat down looking fairly satisfied, Sergeant Johann Sandhagen came up the car's front steps. He held a lantern in each hand.

  "I am not armed. But once we cross into Thuringia-Franconia, you are my problem. So I ought to be back here."

  "There is a soldier on the train!" It was the first thing Astrid had heard CoC Hans say.

  "Ja," Neustatter answered. "One military police liaison per train. Surely you knew this?"

  Surely they did not, Astrid realized as the train started to move.

  Sandhagen replaced the lantern hanging at the front of the car, slipped past the CoC men to replace the lantern in the back, and then found an empty seat in the middle on the left side. Neustatter dropped into the seat ahead of him and moved all the way across to the window, his pistol still up, momentarily in a one-handed grip. Astrid took the one behind the sergeant, grateful to finally be sitting down properly. She sat next to the aisle, gun hand casually resting on the back of Sandhagen's seat.

  She heard Wolfram tell the von Kardorffs, "Your turn to sit down. Two seats up from the back, bitte. I have recent experience with hand-to-hand fighting on a train, and I must insist on an empty seat between us."

  Dank schön, Wolfram. Just what I need to be thinking about—Lucas getting shot in the ambush last month. Especially when we roll right past the spot, in the dark, with a swordsman behind me …Oh! Astrid realized something.

  "Did you speak with the stationmaster, sergeant?" Klaus Eggers demanded.

  "Nein. If I wanted to force an end to this, I would have had him hold the train while I summoned help from the camp outside the town. But I did not."

  Astrid saw an expression cross Egger's face. Evidently Neustatter did, too.

  "You boys are not AWOL, are you? Those are SRGs." Neustatter's voice was casual. He held up his left hand when Hans started. "Not my watch. I got out of soldiering. Mostly."

  "So we are back to Ritter von Kardorff's children," Klaus Eggers stated. He was speaking even more quickly.

  Trying to lead us away from that comment about being AWOL, Astrid figured.

  "We cannot let them live," Gebhard said.

  "Why?" Neustatter asked. "Are they anti-Semites? Or witch hunters?"

  "Probably."

  "Probably is not good enough. Everyone has heard of the Committees of Correspondence lists. Either they are on the list, or they are not. Show us," Neustatter challenged.

  Again there was a pause in the conversation, with the clickety-clack of the train the only noise.

  One of the passengers finally broke the silence. "Obviously they are not on your list. Sergeant, I insist these men be arrested at the next stop! And these incompetent guards replaced!"

  "Mein Herr, so far these guards have kept anyone from getting hurt," Sandhagen pointed out.

  "If you will not, I will! I know men in the new prime minister's government!"

  Klaus Eggers shifted to cover the man with his rifle. "You are niederadel!"

  "Sure sounds like it," Neustatter agreed. "Astrid, you have a better angle on him. Wolfram, you cover the von Kardorffs. I have Gebhard and Silent Hans."

  "Neustatter," Eggers warned.

  "What? I have one gun on you and your men instead of two. Stop complaining."

  "If you have contacts in Prime Minister Wettin's government…" Miss von Kardorff began.

  Klaus Eggers interrupted her. "That will mean nothing in the SoTF."

  "Are you of the adel?" the boy demanded. "And you have been sitting here silent the entire time?"

  "He does not want to get involved," Klaus told him. "You are not worth it to him. That is how the adel is."

  "You would let them take us?" The boy's voice rose.

  "Of course he would! He is a coward like the rest of them!"

  The newly-discovered noble reached for something.

  "Freeze!" Neustatter barked. "Either drop that in the aisle or very slowly come over here and sit down next to Sergeant Sandhagen."

  "I will not!"

  "Wolfram, cover the CoCs." Neustatter lunged across the aisle and pistol-whipped the noble. With his left hand he stripped the dirk out of the noble's hand while his right—pistol still in hand—snaked under the man's arm and around the back of his neck. Neustatter hauled the man out into the aisle by brute force and deposited him next to Sandhagen.

  "Astrid, shoot him in the back of the head if he tries anything. Wolfram, you have the von Kardorffs."

  "Impressive," Eggers allowed.

  "The rest of us all seem willing to talk," Neustatter noted.

  "I will …I will …You will hang for this!" The noble started to lunge to his feet, but Sergeant Sandhagen grabbed him by the bicep and shoulder and drove him back into the seat.

  "Let us kill him, too," Gebhard proposed.

  He is driven, almost unhinged, Astrid thought. Why?

  "Astrid?" Neustatter asked.

  "Ja, boss?"

  "We are in Saxon County now, are we not? If someone was killed on a train, who do you think would get to the murderer first, Colonel von
Hessler or the Saxon Ghost?"

  Astrid thought about it. "I say von Hessler."

  "Why?"

  "He has the Levies spread out along the river. Which means they are right along the railroad, too. He would hear anything very quickly."

  "The Ghost finds out everything in Saxon County," Neustatter countered.

  Klaus gave them a very skeptical look.

  Astrid rushed her next question a bit. "What do you think would happen?"

  "Von Hessler would probably just shoot them," Neustatter said. "The Ghost? Who knows? I heard he hanged Saxon officers last year."

  "He is not real," Eggers stated.

  "Sure he is. We met him last month—and the troop of dragoons that rides with him. Miss Schäubin? Five bucks on the Saxon Ghost."

  "Five bucks on Colonel von Hessler," Astrid agreed.

  "Neustatter."

  "What is it, Wolfram?"

  "I saw a light when the train came around the bend. We are coming up on Schkopau."

  "Dank dir," Sergeant Sandhagen said. "This is the Saxon Run. Von Hessler and the Saxon Ghost are not the only ones out there. The SoTF thinks members of the Saxon adel were behind the attack on the train last month. So I need you to point your guns away from each other and cover the doors."

  "The sergeant is correct," Neustatter stated. He got up and moved backward down the aisle, pistol pointed straight up. "Wolfram, keep the left. I have the right. Ritter von Kardorff, I am going to trust you to not draw your sword. Eggers, one of you can watch the nobles, but the other two need to cover the forward doors."

  "This is a trick!" Gebhard exclaimed.

  "No trick," Neustatter said. "We need to be on the alert all the way to Camburg."

  "I will watch the reactionaries," Gebhard declared.

  "Fine."

  "If it is a trick, Neustatter, you would be the decoy." Klaus spoke slowly. "So I will watch the door on the right."

  "Fine." Neustatter said it like he didn't care.

  He probably doesn't, Astrid thought. Oh, yes. "Herr von Adel, remember I am right behind you," she said aloud.

  Facing outward toward a possible external threat put a damper on conversation as the Schwarza Express passed Merseburg, Camp Devastation, and Weissenfels. Sergeant Sandhagen got up and shuttered the lanterns.