Cologne, Germany           1936. Tyning’s hair was matted with sweat and blood. He was scarred by the daily beatings he received at the hands of his Nazi guards, and his stomach rumbled from a constant state of hunger. The Nazis gave him very little to eat. They didn’t want him to have the energy to escape.           When they did bring food, it was stale crusts of bread with an occasional piece of cheese. Once, they had even given him a bit of dried sausage. But all they gave him to drink were infrequent cups of water of dubious purity.           He was being detained in a stone cellar with a dirt floor. The room smelled like dung, with good reason. The guards would occasionally unchain Tyning and allow him to use a corner of the floor for his personal needs. Since no one bothered to clean it up, the pile of waste was taking on a life of its own. At least the insects were more interested in the excrement than they were in him.           He had no bed, no chair and no table, although he wouldn't be able to use them if he had them. He was literally chained to a pillar in the center of the room and had very little freedom to move. The courtesies outlined in the Geneva Convention did not exist here.           There were no windows. The only light he saw was the lantern the guards would shine into his eyes while they shouted questions at him. He repeated, over and over, that he did not have whatever papers they insisted he had stolen. He stated, time and again, that he was not part of some British plot to steal private Nazi documents. He had no good reason for being caught wearing a Nazi uniform, so he said nothing when they asked him about it. That was when the beatings would begin, anew.           Tyning noticed his ring was missing. The Nazis obviously had taken it and had probably offered it to the Führer. He hoped they wouldn't use it to make bullets and then realized the Nazis wouldn't waste gold like that.           He felt like an eternity had passed. He could not remember the last time one of the guards had come down to torment him, but it seemed like it had been longer than usual. Not that he wanted to be tortured or beaten, but it was only when the guards arrived, that he received any kind of food. His stomach was burning with hunger. And his head was burning with fever. He was starting to think he might never get out of this. He wasn't sure if he preferred incarceration or death. *** Share | Code Name: Evangeline is available in its entirety on Kindle Don't own a Kindle? Download a free app to read Kindle books on your iPhone and iPod Touch. Or get the free app to read Kindle books on your PC.