November 11, 1918. Inside a freight car the French military had established as their headquarters in the forests of Compiègne outside of Paris, Germany signed an armistice agreement with the Allied powers. This concluded the Great War. The railway carriage had been the dining hall of the French marshal.
The armistice came into effect at eleven a.m. Central European Time. When the hour struck, the sound of gunfire stopped across the continent.
The following day, the Austro-Hungarian Empire also transitioned to a republic. The Austrian emperor Karl I relinquished his rights of dominion over Austria and Hungary, the two countries split, and each became responsible for their own fates as republics.
Over the little more than the four years and three months that the war lasted, the Allied and Central powers mobilized a total of approximately sixty-five million soldiers, with 8.02 million dying either in the fields or in hospitals. That number doesn’t include all those who went missing, people who lost their lives during the revolutions each country experienced, everyday citizens slaughtered by invading armies, or all those who died of starvation.
Lila’s homeland of Poland declared independence in November of the same year, with Józef Piłsudski inaugurating the Second Polish Republic as its head of state. The Polish people rejoiced at the long-awaited reemergence of their motherland, and many returned home from their scattered locations.
One hundred twenty-three years had passed since Russia, Prussia, and Austria had partitioned their homeland.
In the lounge of Xandra’s inn, Lila looked satisfactorily through her cashbook and said, “Considering my age and the short amount of time I was working, I think I’ve saved up quite a lot of money, don’t you? I can use it to live in Poland.”
The Count lay on a bed that had been brought into the lounge. He had been in a bad state ever since taking sustenance from Nil in Berlin and had slept most of the day through. Xandra continued to give him medicine, but it didn’t quell his queasiness, and his face still writhed in agony.
A new idea occurred to Jörg. He wondered if perhaps the Count’s relaxed lifestyle wasn’t just an attempt to suppress the power of the ancient blood, but a result of him feeding off bad monsters to remove them from human society. Each feeding weakened him, and he would need Xandra’s medicine to recover.
He wanted to ask the Count about this directly, but he kept quiet because he knew the Count would evade the question. His tendency to not clearly convey his true thoughts was both a good and alienating quality.
His head resting on a pillow, the Count looked at Lila. “The adults will return from around the world and rebuild Poland piece by piece. You’d best leave it to them for the moment. I’d like to know what you plan to do once you go back.”
Lila set down her pen, closed the cashbook, and looked up from her desk. “Honestly, I’m not sure of the best way for me to live my life. I don’t even really know how old I am.”
“I can use my magic to make you any age you want. If you want to go to school, I can make you look the right age for that. Once you have your papers in order, come see me, and I’ll fulfill my duties as your guardian.”
“Thank you. If I can, I’d like to become a teacher and help young kids learn.”
“Oh, really?”
“I believe that education will stop us from creating mindless or monstrous people. By that I mean improper education makes it easy for people to become fools or monsters. I want to fight against that.”
“It’s a dream for the future.”
“Or I could become an editor at a publishing house for children’s books. I want to make a lot of books for children. Adults will read them, too, right? I met people from all sorts of countries at the Eiffel Tower, and they taught me so much. I want to create books that people in other countries can read.”
“That’s a much better job than being a spy. If you ever need anything, you’re welcome here anytime. I’d be happy to give you advice.”
“Thank you. But I don’t think I’ll be coming back often.”
“What about the farmland in Romania?”
“I plan on keeping it. I’m going to manage it and sell the harvests. If possible, I’d like to use magic to ensure that normal people can’t find their way inside. If war ever breaks out again, I’d like the people to use it like they just did.”
“Then it would be better to buy the land outright.”
“Can I?”
“It was originally my land. I know the owner well. It would be easy to arrange.”
“Thank you so much!”
“‘Deep in a mist-covered valley, a man protects the firma de aur for all eternity. His name is Count George Silvestri. We are the only ones who know this secret.’ How does that sound?”
“Perfect.”
“You know, if you are going back to Poland, you might want to consider using a new name.”
“Why?”
“Just Lila might not be enough. You need a name for your life in Poland. How would you feel about me giving you a new one? To celebrate your new life.”
“I’d love it. Please.”
Lying on his bed, the Count raised his right hand. Wiggling his fingertips as though trying to grab hold of something, he muttered, “Angelika Kowalska. That is your new name. Use it well.”
“Thank you.”
The Count next looked to Jörg. “Jörg, what do you plan to do now?”
“I’m going to go with Lila to protect her. I’m her bodyguard, after all.”
“You still haven’t repaid your debt to me.”
“I’ll transfer money to your bank account every month, so please let me leave the inn.”
Lila chimed in from beside him. “Mr. Huber, don’t put too much on yourself.”
Jörg asked, “Do you not want me as your bodyguard?”
“I want to live my own life and not depend on anyone. So I don’t want to tie anyone to me.”
“But it’s my job. It always has been.”
“You’re going to start a company, right? You’ll be really busy. You can just come check in on me when you have the time.”
“Would I get in the way if I went with you?”
“That’s not what I mean. What I want to say is that I want you as just a regular friend. What do you think?”
“I’m German, though. Can you be friends with a German?”
“Yes. I’m not scared of them anymore.”
Just then the air swirled, and barely comprehensible words filled the room.
“That’s the pack of monsters in the room,” the Count said. “They’re staying hidden so as to not surprise Lila, but they’re all saying good-bye.”
The voices sounded tearful, perhaps because they were sad to see Lila leave. So they were telling the truth earlier when they called her their friend.
The monsters’ voices climbed to a feverish pitch. And with that, their now-clear words resonated inside Jörg’s head.
“Good-bye, good-bye, little human girl.”
“Once you leave this inn—”
“Your eyes will most likely—”
“Never see us again.”
“What you call monsters—”
“Are just illusions living in your dreams.”
“But that doesn’t matter.”
“Go and live as a human.”
“Live as a true human, for the rest of your days.”
“We’ll meet again someday,” Lila said to the monsters. “I’ll never forget you.”
She then turned to Jörg and said through a smile, “Mr. Huber, would you please cut my hair?”
“Sorry?”
“I would like a barber to cut my hair. Before I leave this inn.”
“You’d let me do it?”
“Of course. I’m sorry to have made you wait so long. It would be my pleasure.”
The memory of the day Lila refused his offer of a haircut rose vividly in Jörg’s mind. Two years had passed since then. Their relationship had certainly improved, but honestly, a considerable chasm still lay between them.
That was fine.
Because even if that gap never fills, humans can walk the same path together. They can still look toward the same future.
Jörg nodded and smiled wide. “Thank you. I shall give you the most perfect haircut. I promise.”
✦ ✦ ✦
1 (Obleute here refers to Revolutionäre Obleute, the Revolutionary Stewards, an organization of leaders from metalworker associations around Berlin. Obleute translates into English as “representatives.”)