Alliance in the Ice - The Guardians of Noindaith

Vindisburg - Soldier Paul

At last we stood at the ferry landing stage and the lagoon lay opposite us. Vindisburg stretched out on the islands in the sea, its brass and copper spires and domes gleaming in the sun. In between, brick-colored chimneys above the houses puffed smoke into the sky, which was blue and covered with fleecy clouds. Seagulls hovered over the water. I thought of my sister, Marie. She was always very excited when she was allowed to take the ferry to Vindisburg. I had to write to her, I would finally find the time in the next few days.

We boarded the ferry, its steam billowing into the air and its gears rattling loudly. Slowly, we left the mainland behind us and headed for the island town. The warm rays of sunshine prickled my skin, a salty breeze ran through my dirt-stained hair. Everything felt like home, even if the turquoise-blue color of the water now had a stale aftertaste in me, it reminded me too much of the glacial ice of the Copper Heights.

Before the war, Vindisburg's shores had been home to workshops and laboratories where the world's most renowned engineers had developed new machines. Today, all the production facilities served exclusively the war industry, and behind the gray factory facades sat the nation's brightest minds, developing new killer machines.

We were approaching the town and I could already see the watercraft in the canals for which Vindisburg was famous. The boatmen navigated the long, narrow barges with an oar through the waters, which were still hazy in the morning. They cut through the waves effortlessly.

The ferry took us to the pier in the center of the city, where magnificent palaces and churches lined up, their facades illuminated by the morning sun. On the squares and bridges in between, people hurried along - the men in frock coats and hats, the ladies in modest dresses with flared skirts and parasols in their hands. You would have thought there was no war going on.

As we marched through Vindisburg, memories of the times when I had studied here came flooding back to me. They had been the best years of my life. In this alley was the Blaue Drossel, where I had met with my fellow students in the evenings to philosophize about God and the world. I had crossed this bridge every day on my way to university. And in that park with the wonderfully fragrant red flowers, where you could hear the cicadas chirping and the sound of the sea at sunset, I had kissed Sophie for the first time. Sophie. Her name alone made me sigh.

I reached into the breast pocket of my shirt and pulled out the two photographs I had taken from the barracks. I put one of them, the picture of my family, back in my pocket. I looked at the other one and my heart warmed.

A woman leaned boldly against a pillar, her chin raised, her dark eyes sparkling. The white dress fell down over her ankles, but was anything but demure. It was tight, emphasizing her voluptuous curves, and flowers were draped over her breasts.

I sighed. Sophie. I wonder where she was now? Safe, I hoped. If I had time, I could go and look for her. In any case, as long as we stayed here in Vindisburg, I had to go back to the place where we had met. The thought of the last evening with her still gave me a thrill.

"What have you got there?" Emil asked, pulling the photograph out of my hand. As he looked at it, he let out a suggestive whistle. "Who is this pretty lady?"

"Hey!" I shouted and snatched the picture from him. While I put it back in my pocket, I decided to go in search of Sophie after the war.

The military hospital was located in a large, white-painted building with an arcade with tall columns in front of it.

"Get stuck in!" Emil snapped at the newcomer.

And so we carried Kaya and the trolley up the wide staircase to the entrance and left her there. While Ahrend walked through the glass revolving door, we lit cigarettes. Through the glass, I saw Ahrend talking to the lady at reception, who was looking at her nails, bored. Finally she picked up the phone, dialed and said something into the machine. Shortly afterwards, a doctor and a nurse came out to see us.