Robin Bridges - The Morning Star

“Of course, my dear,” Papa said. “Petya will be joining you later this evening. He is currently out on patrols with his regiment.” I already knew this. The Preobrajensky Guard was out searching for more of the undead.

I took one last look around my room, making sure I’d remembered everything. I did not know if I’d be able to send for anything I’d forgotten. Papa helped me carry my trunk downstairs, despite Maman’s protests that we had servants for that very purpose.

George was looking at his watch unhappily. He glanced up as we descended the staircase. “Very good,” he said. “My driver can take the trunk from here.”

I followed him silently to the carriage, thanking him only when he helped me inside. It would be a long drive to Gatchina, which was nearly thirty miles outside of St. Petersburg.

As we rolled out of the driveway, he leaned over and picked up my hand, pressing it to his lips. I closed my eyes. It was the same hand Danilo had claimed earlier. Why couldn’t I simply choose to be a good wife to George? But I knew I would never be happy just staying at home and raising a family. Maman had her charities and her social obligations, but I wanted more than the life she had with Papa. I wanted George and I wanted my medical degree too. I wanted everything.

“Katiya, I have a plan.”

I opened my eyes. George was caressing my hand with his thumb and looking extremely serious. I realized we were alone in the carriage on a dark night. The quarters suddenly seemed much smaller. “What are you saying?”

“We are not going to Gatchina. We are going to Paris. We will be married and you can attend whichever medical university you wish.”

I stared at him incredulously. “Have you gone mad? What about your parents?”

“Do you think I will be happy if I continue to obey their every wish for the rest of my life? This is my life, and yours. And I want both of us to be happy. Together.”

“Did you just decide this?” I asked. “I thought your parents were waiting for me at Gatchina.”

“They are.” He smiled. “But I began to make plans of my own last night, when the guards notified us that the crown prince had returned to St. Petersburg.”

“What does this have to do with Danilo?”

George held my hands up between us, the silvery fae sparkle in his eyes flashing in the darkness. “I know he’s been in contact with you. And I know you are frightened of him. He will always thirst for your blood, Katiya. The bond between you two must be severed somehow. I don’t know if it’s even possible while both of you are alive.”

I felt chilled. “Are you saying you want the crown prince dead?”

George let out a frustrated breath. “That would make our lives simpler, wouldn’t it? But no. I just do not want him anywhere around you. I’m taking you to Paris, where I can keep you safe.”

I’d always wanted to see Paris. But not like this, running off in the night like a thief. And certainly not without the tsar’s permission.

“We have passports,” George said.

“But mine is issued under my father’s name.”

“Not any longer. You are listed under mine, as my wife.”

Women and young girls were not allowed to leave Russia without their father’s or husband’s permission. I found it barbaric that even at the end of the nineteenth century, I was considered a man’s property. Still, the thought of running away from all of our problems sounded so tempting.

George was stroking my hand again. “We’ll be married before we reach the border. An Orthodox priest will meet us in Riga at dawn.”

I leaned back and closed my eyes again. I knew my parents had a country estate near Riga. “What if our families come after us? And the imperial guard? Or even worse, Konstantin?”

“Trust me,” George said, his mouth suddenly very close to my ear. My body flooded with a tingling warmth. His lips moved from my earlobe to my cheek and then down my jawline. His hands cupped my face, pulling me toward him. I kept my eyes closed and dwelled solely on the physical sensations. My fingers brushed over the medals on his coat, the golden fringe on his shoulders.

“Katiya,” he murmured. “Once we’re on the train, we’ll have a whole night to amuse ourselves. What will we do?”

I blushed. “Sleep, I’m sure.”

He laughed softly. “Duchess, I love you so.”

It felt so good to hear his laugh. At that moment, I knew I would risk everything to have a life with him, just as he was risking everything for me. “I love you too,” I whispered, pulling him back to me.

I insisted we sleep in separate berths, for I was terrified that the train would be stopped and boarded by the imperial guards or that our families would find us.

George was more concerned about the lich tsar. He insisted on sleeping in the berth below mine. I’d never slept so close to a boy before. Just knowing that he was lying beneath me, listening to his breathing all night long, filled me with fear and excitement. I was terrified and anxious for what the morning would bring. And I wondered and fantasized about our sleeping arrangements the following night.

The rocking of the train lulled me to sleep much faster than I’d expected. I dreamed of the lich tsar and his wife, Princess Cantacuzene. She was laughing at me and telling me that my time was up.

I awoke to bright sunshine and the sound of George coughing. Immediately, I pulled on my robe and slipped out of my sleeping berth. I needed to find him something to drink.

“Katiya?” His voice was weak as he emerged from his berth. “Did I wake you?”

“Of course not,” I lied. “Let me ring for the porter. I’ll get you a glass of water.”

He reached out and touched my sleeve. “No, don’t. I’ll be fine in a moment. It’s always like this in the mornings.” He looked up at me and grinned boyishly. “I hope you can get used to it.”

I couldn’t help blushing, even though his breathing worried me. “How long have you had this cough?”

“Since the duel,” he said grimly. He took my hands in both of his. “I am putting my faith in you, my lady doctor.”

I kissed his knuckles. “I swear I will find a way to make you well.”

The train’s whistle blew and the engine lurched as we sped through the dark green forests of Latvia. We would soon be in Riga. “Hurry up and get dressed, Katiya. We’ve got a priest waiting on us.”

I scrambled into the dressing closet with my baggage and paused. What should I wear today to be married in? Not the blue satin or the brown walking suit I wore to see Dr. Badmaev. And certainly not my imperial court dress, which I would have worn if I were getting married properly in St. Petersburg. I shook out the white linen dress I’d worn to the last ball I’d been to in the Crimea.

Even though it was slightly warmer here than it had been in St. Petersburg, it was still chilly, and I realized Maman would never forgive me for wearing linen in October. Even if she did forgive me for eloping. I finally decided on my soft gray blue silk gown, the one that matched the color of George’s eyes. I had little difficulty putting my hair up without a maid’s help. But I missed Anya all the same.

George was waiting for me in the dining car. “We do have time for a short breakfast,” he said as he took a sip of coffee. “The tea is tolerable and the bread is fresh, but we will have better provisions once we reach Paris.”

But I couldn’t eat. I was sipping my tea impatiently when the train finally rolled into the station in Riga.

George began coughing again and stood up, patting his coat pockets. “I think I’ve misplaced my handkerchief.”

“I’ll get it for you,” I said, rushing back to the sleeping car. I looked in his berth and was shocked to see drops of blood on his pillowcase. Horrified, I snatched up a clean handkerchief and returned to him. “George, you’re bleeding!”

“I cough it up sometimes.” He frowned. “It’s nothing.”

“It could be tuberculosis,” I pointed out.

“Or it could be a Vladiki poison that infected me when I fought the crown prince.”

I wasn’t sure which option frightened me more.

We stepped off the train, arm in arm, and George hired a carriage to take us to the chapel. He squeezed my hand comfortingly. I smiled, trying to be brave. I couldn’t help thinking he was making the worst mistake of his life. But if he was willing to risk so much for me, it would have been cowardly of me to back down. Together, we would face the brunt of our families’ ire. After the lich tsar was defeated and George was healthy.

The young and extremely nervous black-bearded priest refused to marry us before he’d heard both of our confessions. I could not imagine what George had to confess. But I was terrified of speaking to the young man. I had brought dead people back to life. Would it be better or worse for my soul if I lied during my confession? He would surely throw us both out of the chapel if I told him all the terrible things I’d done.

I sat on a wooden bench, twisting my hands, my stomach a mass of knots while I waited for George to finish. All I could hear from the confessional were low, soft male voices. George was taking forever. Mon Dieu, how many sins did he have to confess? My nerves could not handle it anymore, so I stood up and stepped outside for fresh air.

I looked up at the brilliant sky on that golden autumn morning and took a deep breath. The air was crisp, and I could detect smoke from some nearby fireplace. But leaving the chapel was the worst mistake I’d ever made.

A black cloth was placed across my face with a sickeningly sweet and vaguely familiar odor. The last thing I heard as I quickly slipped out of consciousness was a voice, also sickeningly familiar: “We’ve found you, my love.”

I awoke with a throbbing headache and a feeling of dread in my stomach. I was on a train. With Crown Prince Danilo. “What have you done?” I screamed at him, which made my head hurt a thousand times worse. The pain brought tears to my eyes. Or perhaps it was the fact that he’d stolen me away from my fiancé. What would George think? That I’d had a change of heart? I squeezed my eyes shut. Perhaps he could hear my thoughts and would be able to come for me.

“You belong to me now, necromancer.” Danilo’s voice was deadly soft, not like the lich tsar’s had been earlier. And yet I still knew it was Konstantin speaking. He’d claimed Danilo’s body.

“Danilo, can you still hear me?” I pleaded. “I know you must be in there. Fight him!”

The crown prince slapped me across the face with such force I was knocked back against the wooden panel behind me. I saw stars.

I heard a young female voice laughing and opened my eyes. A girl sat across from me, not far from Danilo, dressed in the black habit of an Orthodox sister. The headdress she wore was simple and covered her hair. The girl’s soft, gray eyes glittered dangerously. Was she fae or some more-dreaded creature? I’d have to be wary of her.

“Where are we?” I asked. The bright afternoon sunlight stung my eyes.

“Almost to Trieste,” the crown prince said. “The chloroform kept you sleeping for almost two days. I am sure you must be hungry, Duchess. I will have them bring you a tray.” He nodded at the girl, who slipped out of our cabin.

“Who is she?” I asked the crown prince.

“She is your chaperone, and that is all you need to know at the moment. When she brings you dinner, you must eat.”

I shook my head, and the tiny cabin began to spin. I did not want food. I wanted a bath. And a bed. In my own home in St. Petersburg.

George. I blushed as I realized I should have been a married woman by now. Two days? Had my grand duke tried to look for me? Trieste, Georgi, I thought as hard as I could, hoping he could hear my thoughts from hundreds of miles away. He’s taking me to Trieste.

I received another slap to the face as the veiled girl returned. “There is no reason for you to tell the tsar’s son where you are, my love. He will not bother to come looking for you now that I have you.”

“I don’t believe you,” I said. But deep in my heart I was frightened by Danilo’s words. George would want nothing to do with me if he thought the crown prince had compromised me in any way. And since I’d been unconscious for so long, he would not have been able to hear my thoughts. My hands were bound tightly together; I had no hope of escaping, and no way to defend myself against Danilo.