Vienna had become secure and stable… The price was gruesome, more than many were willing to admit. The number of deaths was still being calculated, but the figure was already staggering.
Tens of thousands of civilians, criminals, brigands, deserters, and revolutionaries had been claimed in the violence, while a few dozen of the Werwolf Brigade were slain in the process, with a hundred or two more injured.
But they could be replaced, their bodies to be issued crosses, medals of the organization granted to those who had perished with valor. Meanwhile, Franz Joseph could only grieve for his city. The destruction, not just to life but to property, had been so much larger than he had anticipated that he could not help but give Bruno a call. The fury in his voice was clear and precise as he tried to pin the blame for the toll this war had cost him and his people.
