The Assassins by Alan Bardos (best novels in english txt) 📗

to his dismay, he realised that the attempt had failed. He returned to his position on Lateiner Bridge, where he heard conformation that the bomb hadn't killed the tyrant.

*

Trifko Grabez stood by the Emperor’s Bridge, in some turmoil. After the pastry shop he'd gone with Ilic to the boarding house to get his weapons and poison, but Ilic had still tried to persuade him not to take part in the assassination. Trifko had been so desperate to get away from Ilic that he'd forgotten to ask him for his potassium cyanide. It was probably still in Ilic's pocket, he reflected. He would have to use his pistol now to take his life.

However, Trifko wasn't so sure he could bring himself to do anything, Ilic's arguments had thrown him into confusion. Trifko had walked around in the park trying to find Princip and gather his thoughts. In the end, he felt he must take part in the attack. When Trifko heard the explosion, he relaxed, assuming that the others had been successful.

Then, when the first two cars of the motorcade zoomed past, Trifko knew he would have to act and he readied his weapons. He looked at the crowd - there were a lot of old people and children who'd be hurt in the blast. He saw an acquaintance and as they greeted each other, Trifko froze as it dawned on him that if he attacked the tyrant, his friend would be implicated.

He watched, unable to act, as the Royal car went past.

*

Johnny mingled in the crowd, trying to avoid the photographers and police who were out in force at the scene of the explosion. There was no sign of Cubrilovic or the others, or the man who'd tripped him up with his bloody great feet. Johnny had half expected an apology.

He was slightly dazed and he couldn't understand why the bomb hadn't gone off when it hit the Archduke’s car, if it hadn't been the spiked one. Johnny supposed that Nedjo had been too carried away to count to ten before throwing his bomb.

The bomb had exploded by the left back wheel of the car it had rolled under, badly damaging its underside and blowing a hole about a foot wide and six inches deep in the granite road. The passengers from the car were being treated at the doctor's surgery and it looked as if about twenty people had been injured altogether, but Johnny was relieved to see the Royal car drive off up the quay, the feathers of the Archduke’s hat flapping in the wind.

Johnny thought he saw Libby enter the Bank of Austro-Hungary, on the corner of Cumurija Street and he debated whether or not to go and see her. In the end, he decided to follow the Archduke - there would be time to make things up with Libby later but he had to get to City Hall. He'd done it somehow; he’d saved the Archduke's life and now he had to claim his reward.

Chapter 36

Breitner held on to the side of the Archduke’s car for dear life. He hadn't been so scared since he'd left the Seventh Hussars. The sense of balance he'd developed riding horses in those turbulent years, stood him in good stead now, as the car rushed towards Appel Quay.

His hand had been scratched by a bomb fragment; it wasn't a serious wound but it was bleeding a lot. One of the Duchess’s ladies in waiting had given him a handkerchief, so he was able to cling to the Royal car without leaving a bloody handprint.

The bomb attack had taken Breitner by surprise, coming from the wrong side of the embankment, and he felt that the least he could do now was to protect the Archduke until he reached safety.

Colonel von Merizzi, the Governor's aide-de-camp, who'd been keeping a watchful eye on Breitner up until then, wasn't so lucky and had received a nasty gash on the side of his head.

Breitner grinned sombrely - he should have known that Johnny couldn't be trusted to spike the bombs. At least the plot was out in the open, Breitner mused and there couldn't be any more blatant evidence of a plan to assassinate the Archduke. All that remained was to ensure that Franz Ferdinand stayed locked away while the army was called in to clear the streets and then to get him safely out of Sarajevo.

The car arrived at City Hall without further incident and with some relief, Breitner leapt off the running board to allow the Royal couple to alight from the car. The Lord Mayor of Sarajevo, Fehim Effendi Curcic, was standing at the head of Sarajevo's leading religious and civic representatives, who were lined up on either side of the red carpeted steps, in ascending order of importance.

For a moment, Breitner thought that the Lord Mayor had gone mad. He was continuing the Archduke's visit, as if nothing had happened. Breitner observed the scene with growing dismay, as the Royal couple reached the top of the steps and the Lord Mayor proceeded to give his prepared speech of welcome.

'Your Imperial and Royal Highnesses - our hearts are full of happiness on the occasion of the most gracious visit with which Your Highnesses have deigned to honour the capital of our land...'

'Herr Burgermeister!' the Archduke interrupted him. The calming shock of the explosion had gone and the Archduke was in full fury. 'I came to Sarajevo on a friendly visit and I get bombs thrown at me. It's outrageous!'

The Lord Mayor looked stunned. He'd been in the second car of the motorcade, which had carried on along Appel Quay after the bomb had gone off. Breitner presumed the Lord Mayor must have thought the explosion was part of the twenty four gun salute.

Sophie pressed her husband's arm and whispered something to him, as he continued to berate the hapless