14
Katyusha woke up all of a sudden, as if jolted awake by an electric shock that had abruptly rebooted her whole body, disrupting her turbulent sleep.
Even before she could glance around, the bumping and jerking akin to what had likely woken her made her immediately understand that she was aboard a coach.
The first things she noticed were the unusually humble interiors of the vehicle, likely to avoid attracting attention, followed then by the sight, behind the glass, of the steppe going by before her sight at a tremendous speed; the driver was likely driving the coach-and-four beyond their very limits.
With them there were also six horsemen, before and after, who, armed as they were, formed a convoy with a rather menacing air, hardly transmitting weakness.
"Rise and shine, Your Highness." said politely Major Cross, sitting before her. "I apologize for my men's rudeness and for the unorthodox methods, but we needed to get away as fast as possible before letting you reawaken."
"Were are we?" she asked in a challenging tone.
"We have just passed Kursk. Now we're going south, towards Sevastopol."
The Major then took from a drawer under the seat some oat bread and a pitcher full of water.
"You'll be surely hungry and thirsty after almost three days. Here."
Katyusha for a moment thought of giving a stoic refusal, but after a lot of hesitating she opted to literally rip out of her kidnapper's hand the food and water, if nothing else to shut up the cannonades coming from her tummy.
"You shouldn't be in the least afraid." said Cross, without letting go of that smile of his. "I promise you that we have no ill intention towards you, nor do we wish to hurt you. You'll be treated with every regard."
"Big words, for a kidnapper." she replied with unusual roughness and a strange light in her eyes. "I hope you are prepared to face the consequences of your actions. Nobody ever dared to kidnap a member of a ruling family."
"Unfortunately, complicated situations require efficient solutions. The war that my country was dragged in is very costly for Her Majesty's coffers, and the United Kingdom has too many problems to be involved in the personal issues between Russia and the Sultanate."
"If you hope to use me to get Sevastopol from my father you are wasting your time. He surely does not believe me so precious. You may even have done him a favor."
"We never intended to negotiate with His Majesty. The design you are a part of is much bigger and much more elaborate."
"I hope that your plot takes into consideration your imminent defeat." replied Katyusha, unusually smirking as a challenge. "Otherwise, it's apparent that you are decidedly underestimating my country's potential."
"Or maybe it is you who are overestimating them." the Major shot back calmly. "You see, the Imperial courts have a major flaw, that is, they have the unfortunate tendency to chat a bit too much."
That answer took Katyusha completely by surprise, so much that for a moment she didn't get that, if that rumour had gotten to her, it could have gotten to anybody else.
"We are aware of the army that the Tsar has mobilized to relieve Sevastopol's garrison, and we have already undergone sufficient preparations. As we talk, ten regiments under Lord Raglan's command are being positioned upon the hills of Sevastopol. If everything goes according to plan, they will intercept the forces of General Liprandi and Prince Menshikov near Balaklava."
Katyusha felt her heart getting stabbed, all of a sudden losing all of her unusual bravado and self-assurance.
"Terribly sorry, Your Highness. Unfortunately the end of this story has already been written."
Nevermore was such an affirmation disproved more quickly.
All of a sudden, a noise of galloping horses sounded behind the convoy, and, glancing towards the back window, Major Cross was able to distinctly see a couple of horses closing in at great speed.
Katyusha looked as well, and, recognizing a familiar figure in one of the two pursuers, her glance was filled with shock.
"Nonna!"
At first Cross thought that it was merely his accomplice having miraculously escaped capture, but that feeble belief died together with one of the guards, by a bullet in his back.
"Alert! We're under attack!"
"Having a conscience is a nasty thing." muttered the Major, losing for a moment his self-control, before peeking out of the window. "You, take care of it!"
The five remaining soldiers detached from the convoy, with three of them that, coming out of formation, charged towards Nonna and her companion, one armed with a pistol, the other two with sabers drawn.
"Leave them to me, you go to your princess." said Virginia, who further spurred her mount right at her enemies.
The pistol-armed mercenary was brandishing a six-shot revolver, further proving how the British had spared no expense for that mission, as it was a weapon that, no matter how new to the battlefield, it had already gotten a fame for its danger.
Virginia had never felt one being aimed at her, but she knew how to behave in such a situation. Arching her back until her forehead almost touched her horse's back, the girl easily avoided the enemy bullets, to answer then by launching one of her thin knives that, precisely lodging itself into the gunman's wrist, forced him to drop it, leaving him vulnerable.
When they were close enough, Virginia jumped up and landed right on top of the gunman's horse, cutting his throat and replacing him on the saddle; his companions, finding their enemy pretty much riding alongside them, tried to hit her with their swords, but with just two slashes she sliced open the throat of one and cut the leg of the other, unsaddling him.
All the while, Nonna had gone past them, and not caring a bit for the shots that the surviving guards were unloading at her she kept spurring her horse at top speed, forcing the driver to push the coach beyond its limits to try and lose her.
"Regret to have to use such drastic measures, Highness." said Cross, tying Katyusha's wrists together and securing them to the bars near the door. "This trek is becoming more and more lively." Then he peeked out again. "And you, try and go faster."
"Sorry, Major, but we're already topping out! Soon the horses will collapse!"
Unfortunately Nonna and Virginia, to recoup the time lost, had pushed their own animals to the limit, and now those poor horses had neither the strength nor the breathe to keep up with the coach, that had instead changed horses just before, at the last staging post.
Luckily for them, Nina and the others had followed their instructions to the letter, using to their advantage a shortcut and their own small dimensions that had made things much easier for their mounts.
Therefore, behind a curve, the escaping convoy found on the road an overturned cart, and the girls ready above it, muskets in hand.
One of the two horsemen, turned to keep an eye on Nonna, did not notice anything, and ended up smashing against the barrier when his horse ground to a halt; his companion and the coach instead managed to stop in time, with the driver that, getting the situation, lost no time and booted it, with nobody caring to stop him.
The last remaining soldier at that point thought that surrender was the better option, and he was immediately reached, disarmed and tied up by Aina.
"Major!" stated Nonna to the still closed coach. "There is no escape! Let Her Highness go!"
Just as Virginia caught up with the others at last, the door finally opened, and the Major slowly climbed down, immediately being targeted by the girls.
Nonna walked up to him, while at the same time gesturing to Nina and the others to lower their weapons.
"It's over, Major. Drop your sword and surrender."
But instead, Cross did draw his sword, immediately imitated by Nonna.
"Does your sister's fate count so little for you? At first it looked like you would do anything to help her out."
"I doubt that Irina would be happy to know I had sold my soul to the devil to save her. Now, surrender."
"I cannot. I have a mission to complete."
Virginia and the others made to step forwards, but Nonna stopped them again.
"Keep away. It's my business."
The two challengers faced each other for a few seconds; then, lightning-quick, Cross tried a lunge that Nonna avoided by sheer luck, proving once more that the Major had not reached his rank because of his pretty face.
"Keep up, my friend. Or this will be a very short clash."
By then it was clear to everybody that putting a Cossack saber in Nonna's hand was like entrusting the scythe to the Grim Reaper; and yet, the girl immediately found herself struggling against her opponent, whose lethality went hand-in-hand with the elegance with which he moved, dodged and struck.
To handle a saber was a matter of agility and reflexes, as much as it was for the foil, but for the latter the reach was decidedly bigger, and to Cross, favored by his high stature and the long arms, a well placed lunge was all that he needed to sent his enemy to meet her maker.
Moreover, the cape that the Major wore upon his right shoulder, other than masking his sword's movements, kept distracting Nonna with its swaying, often placing her in a position where she had to desperately defend; despite that, Virginia and the others refused to intervene, understanding how it was a personal matter between their friend and the weight of her guilt.
Had she dies, the task to complete the mission would have fallen to others; it would have been the rightful punishment for her treason.
In the end her own interior torment seemed to become the cause of her defeat when the Major, having found the right space, was able to rip the sword out of her hand and launch it away, and, raising his hand, prepared to finish her.
"Nonna!" Aina cried, before she was stopped cold in her erstwhile attempt to jump in by Virginia's arm and severe glare.
"Nothing personal, Miss." said Cross, keeping his opponent right at the tip of his blade. "I am sure that the Heavenly Father shall forgive you, whatever the sin you wish to expiate."
"Stop!"
With the power of a boulder thrown at him, Katyusha slammed into his shoulders jumping down the coach, after she had managed to free herself by gnawing at her ropes. That single hesitation was all that Nonna needed to rip the blade out of Cross' hand and turning it against him, piercing him right in his chest with a precise lunge that doomed him.
So, while Virginia and the maids ran to help the Grand Duchess, Nonna was able to witness the death throes of the Major, who staggered backwards, holding onto his wound.
"It seems that your Lady has forgiven you, in the end." said Cross, blood pouring out of his mouth. "But will you be able to forgive yourself?"
"I do now know yet. What I will do from here shall tell."
The Major smiled-
"I'll be awaiting to hear about that... when we'll meet again." And that said, with an almost content expression, he collapsed and passed away.
Nonna stood looking at him for a moment, then she thought of recovering his sword, upon which his name and family seal were engraved as well, in the hope of one day returning it to the British Army; out of love for his country, he had behaved in a way that, perhaps, he himself deprecated, and this was in part worthy of admiration.
Afterwards, however, the thought of Katyusha made her snap back to the situation.
"Your Highness!"
In the few heartbeats that she took to turn around, though, she found Katyusha literally wrapped around her beck, with her tears inundating her shoulders.
"Highness..."
"I knew it! I knew that you'd be back!"
At that the girl was unable to hold back anymore, and, any reverence thrown out of the window, she crouched down, holding her protegé tight.
"I am sorry. I am sorry for what I did. And I am sorry for saying those things to you. Will you ever be able to forgive me?"
"There is nothing to forgive." Then Katyusha looked right into her eyes. "But, you have to tell me. Why did you do that? Was it my fault?"
"No, far from it." the girl hesitated. "Actually... the reason is another one."
"Please, tell me."
"It was for... my sister."
"Do you have a sister?"
"Irina. She's three years older than me. She lives in Kiev with my family. She... is sick. They call it the breathing sickness. To survive she'd need to move to a peculiar climate, that cannot be found anywhere in Russia. But it seems that it's different in Scotland. She needs high mountains, woods and cold, sweet water."
"I see. That's why you did it. They promised you to bring her to Scotland."
Nonna hesitated at that, as if the truth hadn't ended there; a thing that she herself was realizing just then.
"Actually, maybe there was inside me some dark desire. Perhaps... I wished for revenge."
"Revenge!? Against me!?"
"Against the Tsar. My father Vasily was a soldier. A Cossack general. He saved the life of General Paskevič, when they fought together against the Ottomans. But the Tsar didn't like him, and he didn't like the Tsar, so Nicholas accused him to plot against the throne. He would have surely had all of us executed, if not for the love that the people had for my father. So, he just kicked him out of the army and exiled us from Petersburg.
Then, when I grew up, your father thought of calling me to court to have me placed in your service. I don't know why he did that. Perhaps he wanted to show that he still trusted my family, or perhaps it was a way to prevent my father to actually conspire against him."
Nonna clenched her fists, grinding her teeth so strongly that she cut her lip.
"Nonna..."
"Head housemaid..." said Aina.
"I've hated that man with every bit of me, and before I could realize it, I ended up shifting that hate upon you. I smiled at you, I spoke kindly to you, but in my heart I wished to see you suffer as I had suffered myself.
With time your kindness smoothed the edges, but when those British envoys came to me, I am afraid that my hate for your family was the first thing that pushed me to plot against you, despite my telling myself that I was doing that just for Irina.
That said, Nonna fell on her knees, hiding her truth-signed face behind her hands.
"The truth is that I do not deserve to be forgiven, Your Highness. On the contrary, you have every bit of reason to hate me."
Katyusha stood there for a moment, speechless; then, turning her glance sideways, she picked up from the ground Nonna's sword, offering it to its disbelieving owner.
"If expiation is what you really seek, I will give you a way to obtain it."
Everybody remained silent for a while, as in Katyusha's eyes that strange light glowed again, so much that in Nonna's eyes it was as if she was looking at a stranger.
"Forgive me for interrupting the dramatic moment!" Virginia burst out, breaking the silence. "But I'd say that it's high time to get out of here. I'd bet everything there are British agents in the next village. When the convoy won't come, they'll surely come to look for it. I'd suggest to turn right around and go back to Moscow as soon as possible. If you bring back Her Highness alive and well, the Tsar might even forgive you."
"We are not going back to Moscow." was Katyusha's resolute reply.
"What?!"
"The army that my father sent to relieve Sevastopol. It's going to fall in a British ambush. We need to warn them, or the city will not be able to be reinforced."
"But, Highness..." said Nina. "It's almost a thousand kilometers. We'd need days for that."
"I know shortcuts. We can get there in less than three days if we keep riding with no rest."
The girls at first had no words, and ended up looking at the ground; they had already called upon all their courage to embark upon that reckless rescue operation, but the idea of plunging right into the middle of a war was even more terrifying.
"If you don't wish to come, your decision." stated the Grand Duchess sharply, before their reticence. "But I want to go."
"I will come with you." said Nonna. "You can count on me."
"Thanks, Nonna. I was sure of it."
Almost as if spurred on by their guide's decision, the others too stepped up then.
"Did all of you turn mad?" Virginia shrieked, lone dissenting voice. "We're not talking about serving tea and pastries in a palace! Sevastopol right now is the closest thing to hell on Earth! And you wish to walk right into that charnel house?"
"Now that I think about it, who is she?" asked Katyusha.
"It's a long story." replied Nonna. "To keep things short, she's a Piedmontese agent, Miss Oldoini."
"Ah, then you're Padre Ansaldi's ward."
"What?!" she blurted out. "Did you... know about that?"
"Of course. That dapper pretty boy was way too sharp to be just a priest. Anyway, that is my decision. If you want to stop me, you'll need to use force."
"I'll tell you what I'll do." replied the young spy. "I'll leave you right here, right now, and best of luck. By now, the Tsar will already have confetti made out of the alliance proposal with the Kingdom of Sardinia, so by logic any further obligation towards you is officially over."
At that, her glare changed, with her eyes turning into two icy, sharp blades that gave a deathly scare to Nina and the other maids.
"Even better." she hissed, her hand slipping towards the handle of the kukri behind her back. "Perhaps I could even finish what that incompetent guy was unable to complete. I am sure that my kingdom would have plenty to gain in befriending the British crown."
When the determination to protect their mistress surpassed the fear for those eyes, the girls immediately aimed their guns at the girl, placing themselves between her and Katyusha.
"But you won't do that." replied Nonna in a rebuking tone, unflappable. "Because it would mean betraying the Captain's trust."
A growing tension ensued, but it ended up disappearing like a bubble when Virginia at last let go of the blade.
"To hell with that old fart." she grumbled, puffing her cheeks. "He keeps bossing me around even from beyond the grave."
"What does it mean beyond the grave?" Katyusha exclaimed. "Do you mean that..."
The downcast eyes of Nonna and the others were answer enough, but incredibly, Katyusha was unable to cry.
Not because she wasn't sad; simply put, it wasn't the right moment.
Later she would have the chance to mourn his death.
Right now, she had to think about saving her Empire.
"Then, we're all set. Let's go."
"Where?" Nonna asked.
"Balaklava."