The Count released the carrier pigeons in Kleinerbrunn one at a time, sending a familiar after each one. The birds all set out in different directions, supporting what Fabrice had told them.
One pigeon flew to Rotterdam and landed at the port office. It was received by a live-in worker who told them his name was Hubert Duran.
“That’s Christine’s brother!” Jörg exclaimed. “Fabrice must have known, right? Or maybe he was in the dark the whole time.”
“It’s common practice for the person managing the information not to identify themselves. If they chose people from among the survivors at Artois, there’s a good chance of them both ending up in the same role. Perhaps Hubert took this job because he was injured badly enough to keep him off the front lines but didn’t want to be discharged.”
“That makes sense.”
The Netherlands was a neutral country bordering Germany. They took in a lot of Belgian refugees, so it wouldn’t have been hard for Hubert to blend in there.
“It’s an ideal relay point for the French Army,” the Count continued. “But the Dutch are facing food shortages just like Germany. Hubert can’t be having an easy time.”
The Netherlands had tried to maintain good relationships with both Great Britain and Germany prior to the war. However, it sat in the middle of a shipping lane to Germany, meaning that it was also affected by the Allied blockade. Imports into the Netherlands had been delayed, and while the situation wasn’t as dire as in Germany, the Dutch were still struggling to gather enough food.
Jörg decided to take on Fabrice’s appearance again when meeting with Hubert. That way, he would be able to meet the man without raising his suspicions.
“Will you take me with you this time?” Lila asked, but Jörg shook his head.
“I can’t think of anyone you could look like that would make sense.”
“What if I transformed into his sister?”
“You would have an extremely hard time disguising yourself as a family member. He’d see through it very quickly.”
“Lila,” the Count called out, “Hubert will be much harder to convince than Fabrice. He takes a lot of pride in his mission. Leave this conversation to Mr. Huber.”
“But what if something like last time happens?”
“He is not so weak that you need to worry about him.”
“That’s not what I mean. I’m worried because he’s gotten stronger.”
“I’m a monster now, though,” Jörg interjected, “so you don’t have to worry about anything like that.”
“I don’t want anyone who has abandoned their humanity protecting me,” retorted Lila. “Having a monster’s body and having a monster’s heart are two different things. I want you to always keep your human heart, Mr. Huber. If you don’t, then I can’t be your friend anymore…”
The same complex mixture of emotions crossed the faces of Jörg and the Count. People who were monsters in body and soul; people with a human heart in a monster’s body; people with a monster’s heart in a human body—both men has met people who fit all of those descriptions. It wasn’t that one was right and the others wrong; people were the way they were because of their circumstances. It was hard to get Lila to understand such a complex sentiment.
The Count gave a short sigh. “Then hide yourself and go with Mr. Huber. But make sure you stay quiet and just watch. Do not so much as speak to Hubert. And if Mr. Huber’s life is in danger as it was the other day, come and get me immediately. Like a carrier pigeon.”
“Okay.”
“Is that acceptable to you, Jörg?”
“Yes,” he replied. “The most important thing is that Lila stays safe. Now, let’s get started.”
The gently meandering Nieuwe Maas river divided the land between north and south, with ships utilizing the canals spread throughout the city to transport cargo all across Rotterdam. The buildings lining the banks supported roofs with a distinctive sharp curve, and their windows and doors faced out onto the river.
The layout of the city was so different from what Jörg knew that it impressed upon him the fact that he really was in a new country. The buildings’ reflections shimmered in the surface of the water like a heat haze, and waterbirds soared in the air above them. Bare trees lined both sides of the canals, acting as a shield against the cold wind that blew across the water. At the base of the trees, wagtails hopped about, their long tails bobbing up and down, while Eurasian blue tits chirped from the branches before darting off.
The people walking along the riverbank, on the other hand, looked pale. Hunched over with hats pulled low over their eyes, they glanced at the French-looking Jörg showing only the faintest hint of interest.
They couldn’t see Lila next to him in her simulacrum, so Jörg walked in silence. Talking to her would make it look as if he was talking to himself, so he kept his mouth closed. The Schiedamseweg stretched east-west through the city, and Jörg’s quick steps carried him down the long street where he stopped in front of a building. It was an old structure that contained a number of office spaces, and after taking the stairs to the top floor, Jörg knocked on the door of the port office.
No one answered. Yet physical objects meant very little to a monster. Jörg stepped through the door and into the room, soon followed by Lila’s simulacrum.
A man sat working at a desk in the back of the room. From the movement of his hands and the sounds he was making, Jörg could tell he was sending a telegram.