The bells are ringing,
on midwinter's night.
The moon sets all alone.
And once again,
I try to sleep,
before the morning night—

"Midwinter's Night"—Blackmore's Night

The Red Scare

Chapter XII

Three weeks later, on a November snowy night, Anastasia prepared wine for her guests. Anastasia and Kurando's guest-list consisted of Yuri, Alice, Alexei, Yoshiko, and Roger. Yoshiko Kawashima Romanov had recently returned from Moscow, after checking on the activities of the recently returned Josef Stalin. Yoshiko now prepared to give her report. But while Anastasia prepared refreshments, her youngest, Yuri Inugami, banged pots and pans.

"Yuri," Anastasia began, "you're going to give Mommy a headache."

The two-year-old's response was to grin.

Anastasia smiled, shook her head, and scooped up the child.

Yuri Inugami whined, while his mother carried him across the sitting room—but he appeared to cheer up, when he met his older brother, Alix, and Zachary in Nicky's room.

When Anastasia returned, she noticed Kurando distributing wine to the guests. Anastasia smiled. "Thank you."

Kurando returned the smile. "You're welcome. You seemed to have your hands full with Yuri, so I thought that I would help out."

"Well, thanks again, but it's no more than usual with Yuri." Again, Anastasia smiled. "He just enjoys playing 'music' for Mommy, but his music was starting to give me a headache."

Yoshiko giggled. "I think Nicky was sometimes the same, when he was a baby."

Anastasia maintained her smile. "Yeah." But when Kurando handed her a glass of wine, Anastasia remembered the purpose of the gathering. "Yoshiko?"

"Yes?"

"What can you tell us, about what you learned in Moscow?"

Yoshiko took a sip. "Quite a bit, actually. I had to pay my informant some extra money, but he did look into my questions on Josef Stalin."

"What did he learn?" asked Alexei.

"He found out that Stalin is a much different man, than he was, before he left Russia. When people in the Kremlin ask him where Daniil is—you know, the man who made the soul pact—Stalin says that he had a freak accident, while in Japan. And when people inquire more about the 'freak accident,' Stalin cuts them off. He refuses to talk about it." Yoshiko took another sip. "That's not all he told me."

"What else?" asked Kurando.

"He also told me that Stalin has developed a fearful attitude toward Jewish people. He's not sure why, but Stalin apparently thinks all the Jews are somehow monsters."

Anastasia and Alexei sighed.

"I'm worried about that," Anastasia said.

"So am I," added Alexei, before he took a drink.

"Worried about what?" asked Yuri.

"The Jewish people," responded Anastasia.

"Yeah," added Alexei. "The one thing I hated from both my father and grandfather's governments were how they treated the Jewish people."

"Forgive me," began Yuri, "but since I don't know everything in Russian history, what exactly are you talking about?"

"Wait!" interjected Alice. "I think I know something about that. Didn't Tsar Nicholas II and Tsar Alexander III persecute them?"

Anastasia gestured and took another sip. "Sort of. Our father didn't persecute them, but our grandfather did. But our father was still anti-Semitic."

"How come?" asked Yuri.

"Have you ever heard of our great-grandfather, Alexander II?"

"…I don't think so."

"I think his name sounds familiar to me," Alice said.

"I have," Roger said. "He was the tsar that freed Russia's serfs, and became known as the 'Tsar-Liberator.'"

Anastasia nodded. "Correct. Our great-grandfather freed Russia's serfs…"

"Even though they never should have been serfs," interjected Alexei. "It really pisses me off, when I think about some of the things our ancestors did."

"It does me as well," added Anastasia, "but the reason why I mentioned our great-grandfather, Alexander II, was because he was murdered."

"Murdered?!" Yuri began. "By who?"

"A group of people, who didn't believe he was doing enough to help average Russians—despite the fact that he was actually the average Russian's best friend. Nevertheless, one of the people involved in the plot to kill him was Jewish, so our grandfather believed that there was some kind of 'Zionist plot' against Russia." Anastasia took a final sip. "Our father was not as harsh, but he still did not trust the Jewish people."

Roger nodded, while he finished his wine. "As sad as it may sound, your grandfather and father's attitude toward the Jewish people are not much different, than how Christians have treated Jews down through the centuries."

Alexei returned the nod, while he finished his wine. "That is true."

"There is one thing I don't understand," added Anastasia.

"What's that?" asked Alexei.

"What I don't understand is, it doesn't make much sense to me for Stalin to be anti-Semitic. He's a Communist and follower of Karl Marx, and Marx was a Jew."

Alexei nodded. "Good point."

A moment after Alexei finished his sentence the children entered the room. Each sleepy-eyed child climbed onto the lap of its mother.

"Yoshiko," Anastasia began—while she patted the rears of Nicky and Yuri, "does Stalin have any plans to come after us?"

Yoshiko adjusted Alix, and kissed her above the ear. "I don't think so."

"What makes you think so?" asked Alexei, while he twirled a strand of his daughter's hair.

"Stalin has such a fear of Japan that he wants nothing to do with it, even on official business. My informant told me that Stalin received a message from his ambassador in Japan. Crown Prince Hirohito told the Soviet ambassador that he would like to meet with Stalin in Japan, but Stalin came up with an excuse that he was sick…"

"But how does all of that relate with us?" interjected Anastasia.

Yoshiko smiled, and gestured a finger with her free hand. "Patience, Anastasia, patience."

Anastasia smirked, while she kissed Nicky and Yuri.

"Anyway," continued Yoshiko, "my informant did ask specifically about the Romanov children."

"And what did he say?" asked Alexei.

"He said that he heard Stalin say that the Romanov children are certainly dead. When Stalin was asked what made him think so, Stalin refused to comment. But then Stalin added that if the Romanov children were alive in Japan, he simply no longer cared. He would have nothing to do with Japan. All Japanese business will be handled through his ambassadors."

"So you believe that we're safe?" asked Anastasia.

Yoshiko nodded. "I do. If I didn't, I would have found a way to have Stalin assassinated." Yoshiko paused, while Alix twirled a strand of her hair. "That's not all my informant told me."

"What else?" added Kurando.

"Although he couldn't confirm it, he told me that since Stalin's return to Russia he has become more spiritual. He said that he's heard rumors that a Christian priest secretly enters the Kremlin."

Alexei scoffed. "I don't believe that."

"Neither do I," added Anastasia, "but I can tell you one thing."

"What's that?" asked Kurando.

Anastasia's face became firm, while she caressed her sons. "Even if Stalin does try another attack on us, I won't run. I'll stand and fight!"

Alexei nodded. "You can count me in on that!"

Yoshiko smiled, and with her free hand clasped Alexei's. "Well, I don't think we'll have anything to worry about. But if anything does happen, I can tell that we'll be ready for it. Still, I guess it wouldn't hurt to check out the activities in the Kremlin using the Fountain of Sukune once in a while."

Anastasia nodded. "Agreed."