"The British asked yesterday for calm," the chief of staff said. "They say the Prime Minister is speaking again with Berlin. They believe a general guarantee can be reached."
"And do you believe it?" General Andrzej. asked.
The chief of staff looked at the table. "I believe in trains and fuel. I believe bridges are either ours or not ours. I believe men get tired by four in the morning. I don't know what to believe about speeches."
A signals colonel, quiet, spoke without looking up. "German airfields to the west are lighting at night. We counted landings. More than a drill. Less than war."
"Thank you," General Józef said.
"Write that down. Less than war. We will use it again."
General Andrzej leaned forward. "Sir, if we hold the forward line and they come heavy in the north, we will not pivot quickly enough. And if we are wrong, the river will save us more easily than the fields. We must begin to move."
"Begin to move," General Józef repeated.
He rubbed his eyes. "Begin how?"
