CHAPTER NINE
General Asikov sat in his truck on the outskirts of town deep in thought. The search for his old shipmate was proving to be an exercise in frustration. Kuryakin had embarrassed him once before, a long time ago, and he was not about to let it happen again. Besides that, the device he had stolen was the General's key to a promotion out of this region.
Asikov realized his hands were clenched in anger as he thought about his quarry and forced his fingers to relax and open. His driver, sitting nervously beside him, tried not to fidget and kept his hands on the steering wheel.
"This is futile," Asikov stated. "They could be anywhere, but I know that they have to use the train sometime. It's the only way out of here. Driver!"
The young man jerked in surprise. "Yes, sir?"
"Take me to communications. I'm calling in the patrols and re assigning them."
"Yes, sir." He fired up the engine and left the area in a cloud of dust, heading to the communications tent.
***************
Trudy stayed in the wagon, out of sight and by Illya's side, for the rest of the afternoon and night. The gypsies were wonderful; they treated her like one of the tribe, making sure she was fed and comfortable. It was the first true restful night she'd had in days.
The gentle noises of people tending to the animals in the early hours of the morning woke her. She heard goats, roosters, horses and pigs happily receiving their rations, and the sing-song voices talking to the beasts and amongst themselves. She pulled a brightly colored window covering aside and saw that most of the canopies were gone, and everyone was in the middle of packing up the camp.
"Well, they certainly don't wear out their welcome," she said softly out loud as she watched the action.
"Their welcome is worn out the moment they arrive," Illya's equally soft voice commented in return. "There is no doubt that they are leaving with more than they arrived, with items obtained both legally and otherwise."
Trudy dropped the curtain, sat up and stretched. "How are you feeling? Oh, wait, you're fine, right? You're always 'fine'."
She felt rather than saw the amused smirk on his face. "Well, actually, I am fine. There's a lot less pain in the arm, right now, anyway." He held up the arm and wiggled his fingers. "The marching drum brigade in my head seems to be taking a break, and your wrap work on my ribs is more uncomfortable than the ribs. "
"That's three out of four, anyway." She put her feet on the floor and leaned across the narrow aisle to check his eyes and forehead. "Your pupils are fine, but you're still a little hot. You need re hydration. And how are your extremities? Feel any tingling?" All she really had to worry about now was the bullet lodged somewhere near his spine and the infection. If he would only stay still!!
His eyes immediately turned darker. Trudy could feel the personal wall come down between them. "I said I'm fine." Illya replied sternly, trying to sit up. "I need to speak to Favia." She looked at him blankly.
"The leader. Favia. Can you find him?"
"Sure." She knew that any further conversation concerning his health would be pointless, so she helped him to sit and gave him some bread that was left for them as well as a flask of water. "I'll be right back."
When she stepped from the wagon she was amazed at how quickly the camp was being broken down. Everyone had well rehearsed tasks that were completed with flair. The chatter was light and carried a teasing tone that she could pick up even though she didn't speak their language. Letting her instinct guide her, she headed towards a group of men gathered in the outskirts of the camp. Their chatter stopped immediately as she approached them. The man she remembered as the patriarch, Favia, regarded her with a glow in his eyes and a kind smile as he acknowledged her arrival. The other men fell aside, giving her a clear audience. Using her hands to indicate that he was wanted back at the wagon, he nodded, clapped another man on his shoulder as he spoke some last words, and then followed her.
Illya had managed to swing his legs over the edge of the bed to look somewhat recovered and a bit more respectable. Favia greeted him quietly and sat across from him, then looked expectantly at Trudy.
Illya looked her way. "Ah, he expects you to leave us alone," he said evenly.
"Oh, sure," she said, taken aback. She left the wagon quickly. "There's plenty to look at out here anyway. I'm starting to feel like an Army private," she mumbled.
She watched the packing up process a little longer, and accepted a warm cup of what she figured was tea from an old woman who was missing many teeth. The concoction was both warming and relaxing and by the time she saw Favia leave the wagon with a wave almost an hour later, Trudy was in a much better mood. Even the cool Russian couldn't annoy her now! Confidently, she stepped back inside the wagon.
Illya was standing in the narrow aisle, his back to the wagon door, gazing out the small window in the back end. Trudy immediately noticed that he was flexing the fingers of his good hand as it hung by his side as if it was bothering him. When he turned to face her, he stumbled slightly. She noted all this, but kept it to herself. Illya straightened up when he saw her and began to explain what was going to happen.
"Favia has agreed to take us to a place where we can board an eastbound train. It will take a few days, but the spot he has in mind is our best bet. It's away from the prying eyes of the cities and towns." Illya sank down on the narrow bed. "We will be moving to another wagon, though, one that has special compartments for concealing special items."
"Like us," Trudy finished.
"Yes, like us, if need be. I told him that we were being pursued, which pleased him to no end." Illya leaned over to reach under the bed for the navigation device and nearly fell onto his head.
Trudy was next to him instantly, pushing him back into a sitting position. "I'll get it," she said in a no argument tone.
"I guess I need some more food," Illya said softly. "Favia said for us to stay put. His daughter, Maska, is bringing us some breakfast. We will change wagons just before they move out."
It wasn't long before Maska returned with some more hearty fare. Maska was the young woman who set Illya's arm, and the fact that she was giving Illya a critical once-over with her eyes wasn't lost on Trudy; she could see the concern in the medicine woman's eyes.
Maska noticed Trudy looking at her, and also read the concern in Trudy's eyes. The two nodded silently, acknowledging their worries.
Soon after the meal Trudy heard the clopping sound of horses' feet and the wagon shook. Voices shouted outside, and the excitement grew as the wagons were readied to move. Soon a small crowd gathered outside their wagon, and Illya and Trudy were invited to step into their midst. In the center of the crowd, any spying eyes could be blocked, and this was the way they were escorted to their new wagon.
Maska met them in the new lodgings with lots of quilts and pillows, and a small stash of food. She conversed quietly with Illya, obviously giving instructions. Trudy could tell not so much from her tone, but from the pained expression on Illya's face - it was the same one she got whenever she told him to rest. When Maska was finished, Illya replied in a short sentence that made Maska frown. Trudy was sure it was 'I'm fine!' in what ever dialect they spoke.
The new wagon was packed with boxes and other goods, obviously a storage wagon of some sort. Maska pointed out the loose slats on the floor and how, when removed, they opened a space just big enough for one person. She replaced the boards and left. The wagon was in motion within minutes, and the drivers, and old woman and an old man, pushed the curtain aside for a moment and uttered what Trudy thought was a greeting. Illya returned it politely. Before dropping the curtain again, the woman pointed at Illya and one of the baskets of food, and rattled off what sounded like an order. Then she released the drape and they were alone.
"If anyone else tells me to eat up, I'll ..." Illya growled, poking at the indicated basket.
"You'll what? Starve to death? Now's the time to start building up some energy. Looks like we have a little break."
Illya glowered at her. "You're in this plot with them."
"What plot?"
"The one to fatten me up. That's what the old lady up there said, that I needed fattening up."
Trudy giggled. "Well, you do! And what else do we have to do right now?"
Illya shifted as if he was in pain. "First, we'd better make a plan. Obviously, I'm the one going in the hiding space there if the time comes, so you need blend in with the others." He grinned a bit. "Adding some pounds and some years to you will be entertaining, don't you think?"
Trudy saw that his hand was shaking a bit as he reached for a bread roll. "I'm aging faster each day I'm with you!" She quipped as she pulled some pillows over, and they started in on her disguise.
******************
Bratsk left the town on the train. He'd heard enough from the patrols to realize that the train was the only viable way to get anywhere, and that there were several eastbound trains due to pull through this area within the next several days. He figured he could search this train before the next stop, get off at the stop, and then board the next train and search that one. By the time they would be near the coast, he figured he could search all of the four trains going to the area Kuryakin was suspected to be aiming for. He also had a contact at a radar station near the coast that he could telegraph to look for the anomaly his device would create. If Kuryakin used it at all, he could get a good idea where he was.
Bratsk started at the head of the train and began to work his way to back, and no one escaped his scrutiny.
*******************
General Asikov also realized he need to widen his search perimeter, and also focused on the trains. His plan was to dispatch patrols to the various stations between here and the coast, and slowly extend additional men in a larger and larger circle from the town. He knew how sneaky Kuryakin was; anyplace along the train tracks was suspect. Asikov himself boarded the first eastbound train he could find, and decided to take it to the coast, where he would make other preparations in case the crafty blond made it that far.
There was nothing like a hunt to get Asikov's spirits up. He knew the prize would eventually be his.
*******************
And as far as trains went, Napoleon Solo would be very happy to never see another train schedule again. He had poured over the schedules, routes and any other information he could find. He even knew where the unused tracks were, and the names of all the Russian seaports for nearly 200 miles of coastline, and had everything plotted on a big map taking up most of Stevie Inturi's living room wall. He had to do something. The waiting was killing him. If it hadn't been for Stevie's gracious style and wonderful conversational skills, Solo would be out of his mind.
Stevie could talk on any subject, and they managed to cover quite a few in the time he was there. She knew how difficult it was to wait, and made it her goal to try and make the time pass a little easier. And, she found Napoleon Solo to be quite interesting, so it wasn't really a chore.
General Asikov sat in his truck on the outskirts of town deep in thought. The search for his old shipmate was proving to be an exercise in frustration. Kuryakin had embarrassed him once before, a long time ago, and he was not about to let it happen again. Besides that, the device he had stolen was the General's key to a promotion out of this region.
Asikov realized his hands were clenched in anger as he thought about his quarry and forced his fingers to relax and open. His driver, sitting nervously beside him, tried not to fidget and kept his hands on the steering wheel.
"This is futile," Asikov stated. "They could be anywhere, but I know that they have to use the train sometime. It's the only way out of here. Driver!"
The young man jerked in surprise. "Yes, sir?"
"Take me to communications. I'm calling in the patrols and re assigning them."
"Yes, sir." He fired up the engine and left the area in a cloud of dust, heading to the communications tent.
***************
Trudy stayed in the wagon, out of sight and by Illya's side, for the rest of the afternoon and night. The gypsies were wonderful; they treated her like one of the tribe, making sure she was fed and comfortable. It was the first true restful night she'd had in days.
The gentle noises of people tending to the animals in the early hours of the morning woke her. She heard goats, roosters, horses and pigs happily receiving their rations, and the sing-song voices talking to the beasts and amongst themselves. She pulled a brightly colored window covering aside and saw that most of the canopies were gone, and everyone was in the middle of packing up the camp.
"Well, they certainly don't wear out their welcome," she said softly out loud as she watched the action.
"Their welcome is worn out the moment they arrive," Illya's equally soft voice commented in return. "There is no doubt that they are leaving with more than they arrived, with items obtained both legally and otherwise."
Trudy dropped the curtain, sat up and stretched. "How are you feeling? Oh, wait, you're fine, right? You're always 'fine'."
She felt rather than saw the amused smirk on his face. "Well, actually, I am fine. There's a lot less pain in the arm, right now, anyway." He held up the arm and wiggled his fingers. "The marching drum brigade in my head seems to be taking a break, and your wrap work on my ribs is more uncomfortable than the ribs. "
"That's three out of four, anyway." She put her feet on the floor and leaned across the narrow aisle to check his eyes and forehead. "Your pupils are fine, but you're still a little hot. You need re hydration. And how are your extremities? Feel any tingling?" All she really had to worry about now was the bullet lodged somewhere near his spine and the infection. If he would only stay still!!
His eyes immediately turned darker. Trudy could feel the personal wall come down between them. "I said I'm fine." Illya replied sternly, trying to sit up. "I need to speak to Favia." She looked at him blankly.
"The leader. Favia. Can you find him?"
"Sure." She knew that any further conversation concerning his health would be pointless, so she helped him to sit and gave him some bread that was left for them as well as a flask of water. "I'll be right back."
When she stepped from the wagon she was amazed at how quickly the camp was being broken down. Everyone had well rehearsed tasks that were completed with flair. The chatter was light and carried a teasing tone that she could pick up even though she didn't speak their language. Letting her instinct guide her, she headed towards a group of men gathered in the outskirts of the camp. Their chatter stopped immediately as she approached them. The man she remembered as the patriarch, Favia, regarded her with a glow in his eyes and a kind smile as he acknowledged her arrival. The other men fell aside, giving her a clear audience. Using her hands to indicate that he was wanted back at the wagon, he nodded, clapped another man on his shoulder as he spoke some last words, and then followed her.
Illya had managed to swing his legs over the edge of the bed to look somewhat recovered and a bit more respectable. Favia greeted him quietly and sat across from him, then looked expectantly at Trudy.
Illya looked her way. "Ah, he expects you to leave us alone," he said evenly.
"Oh, sure," she said, taken aback. She left the wagon quickly. "There's plenty to look at out here anyway. I'm starting to feel like an Army private," she mumbled.
She watched the packing up process a little longer, and accepted a warm cup of what she figured was tea from an old woman who was missing many teeth. The concoction was both warming and relaxing and by the time she saw Favia leave the wagon with a wave almost an hour later, Trudy was in a much better mood. Even the cool Russian couldn't annoy her now! Confidently, she stepped back inside the wagon.
Illya was standing in the narrow aisle, his back to the wagon door, gazing out the small window in the back end. Trudy immediately noticed that he was flexing the fingers of his good hand as it hung by his side as if it was bothering him. When he turned to face her, he stumbled slightly. She noted all this, but kept it to herself. Illya straightened up when he saw her and began to explain what was going to happen.
"Favia has agreed to take us to a place where we can board an eastbound train. It will take a few days, but the spot he has in mind is our best bet. It's away from the prying eyes of the cities and towns." Illya sank down on the narrow bed. "We will be moving to another wagon, though, one that has special compartments for concealing special items."
"Like us," Trudy finished.
"Yes, like us, if need be. I told him that we were being pursued, which pleased him to no end." Illya leaned over to reach under the bed for the navigation device and nearly fell onto his head.
Trudy was next to him instantly, pushing him back into a sitting position. "I'll get it," she said in a no argument tone.
"I guess I need some more food," Illya said softly. "Favia said for us to stay put. His daughter, Maska, is bringing us some breakfast. We will change wagons just before they move out."
It wasn't long before Maska returned with some more hearty fare. Maska was the young woman who set Illya's arm, and the fact that she was giving Illya a critical once-over with her eyes wasn't lost on Trudy; she could see the concern in the medicine woman's eyes.
Maska noticed Trudy looking at her, and also read the concern in Trudy's eyes. The two nodded silently, acknowledging their worries.
Soon after the meal Trudy heard the clopping sound of horses' feet and the wagon shook. Voices shouted outside, and the excitement grew as the wagons were readied to move. Soon a small crowd gathered outside their wagon, and Illya and Trudy were invited to step into their midst. In the center of the crowd, any spying eyes could be blocked, and this was the way they were escorted to their new wagon.
Maska met them in the new lodgings with lots of quilts and pillows, and a small stash of food. She conversed quietly with Illya, obviously giving instructions. Trudy could tell not so much from her tone, but from the pained expression on Illya's face - it was the same one she got whenever she told him to rest. When Maska was finished, Illya replied in a short sentence that made Maska frown. Trudy was sure it was 'I'm fine!' in what ever dialect they spoke.
The new wagon was packed with boxes and other goods, obviously a storage wagon of some sort. Maska pointed out the loose slats on the floor and how, when removed, they opened a space just big enough for one person. She replaced the boards and left. The wagon was in motion within minutes, and the drivers, and old woman and an old man, pushed the curtain aside for a moment and uttered what Trudy thought was a greeting. Illya returned it politely. Before dropping the curtain again, the woman pointed at Illya and one of the baskets of food, and rattled off what sounded like an order. Then she released the drape and they were alone.
"If anyone else tells me to eat up, I'll ..." Illya growled, poking at the indicated basket.
"You'll what? Starve to death? Now's the time to start building up some energy. Looks like we have a little break."
Illya glowered at her. "You're in this plot with them."
"What plot?"
"The one to fatten me up. That's what the old lady up there said, that I needed fattening up."
Trudy giggled. "Well, you do! And what else do we have to do right now?"
Illya shifted as if he was in pain. "First, we'd better make a plan. Obviously, I'm the one going in the hiding space there if the time comes, so you need blend in with the others." He grinned a bit. "Adding some pounds and some years to you will be entertaining, don't you think?"
Trudy saw that his hand was shaking a bit as he reached for a bread roll. "I'm aging faster each day I'm with you!" She quipped as she pulled some pillows over, and they started in on her disguise.
******************
Bratsk left the town on the train. He'd heard enough from the patrols to realize that the train was the only viable way to get anywhere, and that there were several eastbound trains due to pull through this area within the next several days. He figured he could search this train before the next stop, get off at the stop, and then board the next train and search that one. By the time they would be near the coast, he figured he could search all of the four trains going to the area Kuryakin was suspected to be aiming for. He also had a contact at a radar station near the coast that he could telegraph to look for the anomaly his device would create. If Kuryakin used it at all, he could get a good idea where he was.
Bratsk started at the head of the train and began to work his way to back, and no one escaped his scrutiny.
*******************
General Asikov also realized he need to widen his search perimeter, and also focused on the trains. His plan was to dispatch patrols to the various stations between here and the coast, and slowly extend additional men in a larger and larger circle from the town. He knew how sneaky Kuryakin was; anyplace along the train tracks was suspect. Asikov himself boarded the first eastbound train he could find, and decided to take it to the coast, where he would make other preparations in case the crafty blond made it that far.
There was nothing like a hunt to get Asikov's spirits up. He knew the prize would eventually be his.
*******************
And as far as trains went, Napoleon Solo would be very happy to never see another train schedule again. He had poured over the schedules, routes and any other information he could find. He even knew where the unused tracks were, and the names of all the Russian seaports for nearly 200 miles of coastline, and had everything plotted on a big map taking up most of Stevie Inturi's living room wall. He had to do something. The waiting was killing him. If it hadn't been for Stevie's gracious style and wonderful conversational skills, Solo would be out of his mind.
Stevie could talk on any subject, and they managed to cover quite a few in the time he was there. She knew how difficult it was to wait, and made it her goal to try and make the time pass a little easier. And, she found Napoleon Solo to be quite interesting, so it wasn't really a chore.