“Jack! Annie! Wake up!” said Suzette. She stood at the bottom of the cellar stairs. “It is morning. There is news!”

Jack opened his eyes. Where were they? He squinted at the racks of wine bottles against the wall and the table with the flyers and the printing set. Then he remembered: a cellar in Normandy, France. He sat up.

“What news?” Annie asked.

“We just received a message from the London BBC,” said Suzette. “It was the message we have been waiting for. The hour of the great battle is coming! Tomorrow, June sixth.”

“What battle?” asked Jack.

“The invasion of France,” said Suzette. “The invasion by the Allies. The English, Scots, Americans, Canadians, and others will all invade France and drive out the Nazis, starting tomorrow!”

“Really?” said Jack.

“Yes!” said Suzette. “Excuse me, I must get back to Gaston. He is getting more news from the BBC over the wireless.” She hurried up the steps.

“Oh, wow!” said Annie. “Did you hear what she said?”

“Yes, the Allies—” said Jack.

“No, the wireless—” interrupted Annie. “They have a wireless! Once we find Kathleen, we can come back here and send Teddy a message.”

“You’re right,” said Jack. “But now let’s go find out more about that invasion.”

Jack and Annie dashed up the stairs, taking two steps at a time. Gaston was at the kitchen table. Smoking his pipe, he was hunched over a small open suitcase. Inside was a radio with tubes and knobs. Gaston wore a headset and was listening carefully.

“Plan Purple!” he shouted.

“Plan Purple!” Suzette repeated.

“Plan Purple? What’s that?” Jack said.

“It means all the Resistance must act now,” she said. “They must destroy communication lines to keep the Nazis in the south from finding out about the invasion.”

Gaston took off his headset and pointed his pipe at Suzette. “Plan Green—and now Plan Purple.”

“What’s Plan Green?” said Jack.

“We received word of Plan Green a few days ago,” said Suzette. “It called upon Resistance fighters to blow up bridges and train tracks to keep enemy troops from traveling here.”

“Why would they travel here?” asked Annie.

“This is where the Allied invasion will take place,” said Gaston. “Here in Normandy! The Allies will come by air and sea. Tomorrow they will land on beaches not far from Caen, and then fight their way across France.”

“Oh, man. I get it now,” Jack murmured. “D-Day. Tomorrow is D-Day.”

“Listen to me, children,” said Gaston. He pointed his pipe at them. “You must tell no one what we have just told you.”

“We won’t. We promise,” said Annie, shaking her head.

“And you must leave France at once,” Gaston said. “Now!”

“Leave now?” said Jack.

“Yes, return to England immediately,” said Gaston. “There will be terrible fighting here tomorrow. Many bombs will drop.”

“But we have to find our friend Kathleen,” said Annie.

“Ahh! You cannot worry about your friend now!” Gaston said. “You must worry about yourselves!”

“It is quite possible, children, that your friend has already gone south,” Suzette said. “Perhaps she has crossed the Pyrenees mountains into Spain. Many people have escaped that way and found safety.”

“Gaston was at the kitchen table.”

“We have to at least try to find Kathleen before we can leave,” said Annie. “That’s our mission.”

“Then you have only today to find her,” said Gaston. “You must leave France by nightfall.”

“We’d better get going, then,” Annie said.

“Wait,” said Jack. He turned to Gaston. “We have a favor to ask. Can you send a message by wireless to our contact in the SOE and let him know that we must be picked up tonight?”

“Yes, I can do that,” said Gaston.

“And I will prepare food for you,” said Suzette.

“And I’ll get our stuff,” said Annie.

Suzette and Annie left the kitchen. Gaston grabbed a piece of paper and a pencil. “What should the message say?” he asked Jack.

“The unicorn is free—nightfall June fifth,” said Jack.

“The unicorn … is … free … nightfall … June fifth,” Gaston repeated as he wrote down the message. “I like that,” he said, nodding. “The unicorn is free. It sounds very hopeful. It sounds like a message I would like to get about my sons someday.”

“I’m sorry they disappeared,” Jack said.

“Yes …,” whispered Gaston. “As am I.” He shook his head. “Well!” His voice boomed. “It’s wartime! And war is terrible for everyone, is it not?”

“Yes, it is,” said Jack.

“Got everything!” said Annie, returning to the kitchen. She was carrying their boots and Jack’s field pack.

“And here is a bit of food,” said Suzette. She gave Annie a small sack.

“Thanks!” said Annie. She put the sack of food in Jack’s pack. Then she and Jack pulled on their boots.

“It is half past eight now,” said Gaston, looking at his watch. “It will be dark by eight o’clock tonight. So you have nearly twelve hours to find your friend.”

“Oh, we almost forgot to ask you!” said Annie. She pulled out Kathleen’s rhyme. “This is the message she sent about where to look for her.” She read aloud the third and fourth lines of the rhyme:

Three miles east of Sir Kay’s grave,

Cross a river to find a cave.

“So we know we go to Caen first,” said Jack, “since that’s where Sir Kay is buried. And then we’ll head three miles east from there and cross a river.”

“The River Orne!” said Suzette.

“Great!” said Jack. “And then we look for a cave.”

“Yes, but there are many caves east of the River Orne in Mondeville,” said Gaston. “Long ago, they mined limestone rock in that area, creating caverns and tunnels.”

“I wonder how we find the right one,” Jack said.

“I do not know,” said Gaston, frowning.

“Here are the next lines,” said Annie. She showed Gaston the message and read aloud:

Look for knights, and small, round cows—

A crack in a rock beneath the boughs.

“Knights?” growled Gaston. “What does your friend mean? Knights in armor? Knights from the Middle Ages?”

Annie shrugged.

“Small, round cows … ?” said Suzette. She shook her head. “That doesn’t make sense to me.”

“Nor to me,” said Gaston.

“It’s okay. We’ll figure out that part later,” said Annie. “You’ve been a big help just telling us about the River Orne and the caves in Mondeville.” She put the note back in her pocket.

“Let’s go,” said Jack. He took his field pack from Annie and pulled it on.

“Come along, then,” said Gaston. He led them out of the farmhouse into the chilly morning. The windy air smelled of wood smoke. The sky was overcast.

“Do you have money?” said Suzette.

“Actually, no,” said Jack.

“Gaston?” said Suzette.

Gaston reached into the pocket of his trousers and brought out a handful of coins. “French francs for you,” he said, handing them to Jack.

“Thank you!” Jack dropped the francs into his pocket.

“Gaston, they will need bicycles, too,” said Suzette.

“Yes, yes. Come along,” said Gaston. They all followed him to the barn. Gaston stepped inside and came out a moment later, carrying two bikes. “You can ride these. They belonged to our boys when they were younger.”

“Just follow any road to the south,” said Suzette, “and you will come to Caen.”

“Keep to the back roads,” said Gaston. “There are fewer motorcars on them.”

“Which way is south?” asked Annie.

“Wait, I will give you something to guide you.” Suzette slipped back into the house and returned a moment later. “Take this compass. It belonged to Tom and Theo.” She handed a small silver compass to Annie. Then she gave Jack and Annie each a flat black cap. “These berets belonged to them, too.”

“Thank you,” said Annie. When they put on the berets, Jack adjusted his to look like Gaston’s.

Suzette smiled. “Good. Now you look French.”

“If you come to a checkpoint,” said Gaston, “act very calm when you pass the sentries. If they stop you and ask for papers, show them your identity cards. Do not give the V sign to anyone unless you are certain that person is on our side.”

“Many of our citizens do not belong to the Resistance,” Suzette explained.

“In these times, you never know who your friends and enemies are,” growled Gaston. “And that is why you must tell no one about the invasion tomorrow.”

“We won’t, we promise,” said Annie.

“But I’ll tell you guys something,” said Jack.

“What is that?” said Gaston.

Jack took a deep breath, and then said, “The invasion will be a success. Tom and Theo wrote the truth: France will gain back its freedom.”

Gaston gave him a crooked smile.

“Jack’s right,” said Annie. “It might take time, but we know you’ll be free. We know it for a fact.”

Sudden tears filled Gaston’s eyes. He nodded briskly, and then turned his face away.

“Thank you for your kind words, children,” said Suzette, putting an arm around Gaston. “Ride south on the lane running past the farm. Gaston will send your message over the wireless. I hope your SOE contact receives it. And I hope you find your dear friend and take her back to England with you.”

“Thanks,” said Jack. “Thanks for everything.”

Jack and Annie climbed onto the bikes. They rode down the bumpy dirt path away from the farmhouse. When they came to the lane, Annie pulled out the compass. “South—that way,” she said, pointing to the right.

Before they turned onto the lane, Jack and Annie looked back. The French couple was still watching them. Gaston held up two fingers in a V Is for Victory sign.

Jack and Annie each flashed the sign back at him. Then they turned onto the lane and headed south.