Free Storm Front (Twilight of the Gods Book 1) by Christopher Nuttall Page B

had gone down the row.  “Isn’t it a little early to be panicking over exams?”
     
    “It’s not about the exams,” Gudrun muttered back.  The tutor closed the doors with a loud thud and strode to the podium, his dark eyes searching for troublemakers.  “I’ll tell you this afternoon.”
     
    The lecture would have been interesting, she had to admit, if she hadn't been thinking about Konrad and everything she’d deduced.  Thankfully, the tutor didn't call on her to answer questions - she’d barely heard half of what he’d said - and by the time the class finally came to an end, she’d reluctantly struck a deal with Hilde for a copy of her notes.  She’d have to work extra hard, if she could muster the energy, to catch up.  The tutors rarely showed any sympathy to anyone who attended the lectures and still needed to beg for advice and assistance.
     
    “That’s not like you,” Hilde observed, as they headed for lunch.  “Are you all right?”
     
    “I’ll tell you in the study room,” Gudrun said.  She caught Leopold’s arm as he passed.  “Can you bring your stereo?”
     
    Leopold blinked in surprise.  “Of course I can,” he said.  “I’ll see you after lunch.”
     
    Hilde stuck with Gudrun all through lunch, but had the common sense to keep her questions under wraps while they joined the line for food and drink, then ate as quickly as they could at a small table.  The refectory was crammed with students, some wearing uniforms from the nearby military college, others daringly wearing American jeans and t-shirts that had been either smuggled into the Reich or sold at an enormous mark-up in one of the few American stores in the city.  Gudrun winced inwardly as she saw one girl swaying past, her jeans so tight around her buttocks that she thought they were going to split open at any moment, then followed Hilde up the stairs and into the study room.  Leopold was already there, attaching his stereo to the socket.
     
    “So,” he said, as he turned on the machine.  “What’s all this about, then?”
     
    “Wait and see,” Gudrun said. 
     
    She sat down and waited as the remainder of the study group - five girls, seven boys - entered the room, then waved to Hilde to close and lock the door.  Konrad, the one time he’d visited, had shown her where the bug was hidden, within the spare power socket.  She motioned for Leopold to put the stereo next to the bug, then tapped the table for attention.  Konrad might never recover from his wounds, but at least he would have a little revenge.  She hesitated, knowing that a single traitor within the group would spell her death, and then took the plunge.
     
    “This isn't about our studies,” she said.  “It’s... it's political.  If any of you are uneasy, please leave now and we won’t mention it to you again.”
     
    There was a long pause.  No one left. 
     
    Gudrun shuddered, inwardly.  No one said anything overtly, but everyone knew that the SS had eyes and ears everywhere.  Anyone could be a spy, anyone.  Children were induced to betray their parents, if they said something against the Reich ; wives could be convinced that their duties to the Reich were more important than their duties to their husbands.  The university might be a lair for free-thinkers, it might have been designed to allow young Germans to think, but that only meant the SS would have more invested in keeping an eye on it.  Hell, the only reason she believed Konrad had been a genuine visitor to the university, the first time they’d met, was that he’d worn his uniform.
     
    And I will not let him down , she thought, savagely.  There were some risks that had to be taken, even if the consequences were severe.  She was damned if she was letting them get away with crippling her boyfriend and then lying to his family.  I will do whatever it takes to take revenge .
     
    “As you know, my boyfriend was sent to South Africa,” she said.  It was a nice