‘I will bring them to the basement. When I have settled them there I will return and we will carry out the orders. Until then be silent so that they suspect nothing.’
This man stumped along the corridor and upstairs to the family rooms, and began to knock on their doors.
I was too late.
Chapter 59
‘Go all the way downstairs to the lowest level of the house.’
The Cheka commissar’s order was not to be disobeyed. Keeping my place in the line, I descended from the ground floor to a turn on the staircase. Below me I saw the Tsarina glance into a basement room.
‘Our suitcases and outdoor capes are here,’ she said in relief. She held the door open as the Tsar, carrying Alexei, passed through. ‘We will be together as we travel onwards.’ Imperiously she waved her hand at me before following her husband and son inside. ‘Nina, make sure the girls are coming.’
I stopped and looked up. Above me something had delayed the procession. On the way downstairs the Cheka commissar had ordered the doctor, the cook and the two servants from their rooms to join us. I could hear the voice of the doctor. The cook and the maids were doing as they were bidden, but Dr Botkin was protesting, and the line was stalled in the hall.
Yet the girls came on. Olga led the way and joined me on the half-landing. One of the younger girls stumbled and let out a mewling cry. Olga turned round and climbed back up a few stairs. She raised her hand and stretched it above her head. Her sisters, Tatiana and Maria and Anastasia, reached out to her with their hands. And the fingers of the sisters interlaced with each other. They exchanged whispers in their secret language – closing the circle of their special bond, physically and emotionally.
I hesitated.
In that moment arms grabbed at me. A hand clamped firmly over my mouth and I was dragged through a hidden door.
Chapter 60
‘Stop struggling, Nina, please.’
For answer she kicked my leg as hard as she could. I swore but held her more tightly. ‘It’s Stefan,’ I hissed in her ear. ‘Stefan. You understand?’
Nina relaxed and I loosened my grip on her.
‘What are you doing here?’ she asked.
‘Trying to protect you.’
‘Why?’
‘Because I love you.’
‘You do?’ She twisted round and there were tears in her eyes.
From the other side of the door we heard the sound of footsteps as the remainder of the servants descended.
‘Did you read my letter?’ Nina asked me. ‘I am a Romanov.’
‘Hush!’ I placed my hand over her mouth. ‘I have been at the Front, Nina. I will never wish death upon anyone ever again.’
‘Not even a Romanov?’
‘Not even a Romanov. And especially not you, Nina. If anything happened to you, then I would die too.’
‘I have to help them,’ she said. ‘They think they are being moved to Moscow but the man who came to tell us this is the Cheka commissar who murdered Dr K. I think they are being taken to the basement to be murdered.’
‘You are right.’ I held her close. ‘That is why I came to rescue you.’
‘I must warn them.’ She tried to get past me.
‘You cannot,’ I replied. ‘Nina, you must not. You will get us both killed if you try.’
‘Let me be with them.’
Above us a chair scraped across the floor.
‘Leave them together with their last few minutes of hope.’
‘What about Alexei?’
‘You cannot save him.’
‘But I cannot go without him either; he’s only a little boy.’ She leaned her face against the door. ‘Alexei!’ she whispered. ‘Alexei!’
I half carried Nina out of the cellar and round to the front gate where, true to his word, Fyodor was the lone solider on duty. I could hear the rest of them inside the guard house, talking as they ate their supper. He turned his face away as we went past him.
In front of the house was a grassy field. An oak tree stood by the fence and beside it, as Dmitri had described, was the path leading to the forest. We were almost abreast of the tree when, from its leafy shade, a soldier stepped out.
He raised his rifle. ‘Halt or I shoot!’
Chapter 61
Stefan pushed me behind him.
‘Don’t move!’ The soldier’s voice wavered. He was just a lad, and a young lad at that.
‘I will walk towards him,’ Stefan spoke under his breath. ‘When he shoots at me, you must run along the path to where Dmitri is waiting with horses.’
‘I will not leave you.’ I clung to the belt of his coat.
‘Go! Please, Nina.’ He put his hands behind his back to try to disentangle my fingers. ‘We have nothing to defend ourselves with.’
From the basement window of the prison house came a searing flash.
Fiery red.
The ruby’s light exploded in my mind.
And instantly there was sound there too. Bursts of firecracker noises.
Gunfire!
Voices – insistent … pleading … A rattling, clattering … The howling of a wolf which changed eerily into a thin, distant high-pitched scream.
‘Ah!’ I bent over with the shock. It was the same vision I’d had on the day Rasputin’s daughter had brought me his gift from beyond the grave.
My fingers felt for the Rasputin dagger and I drew it out from the waistband of my skirt.
Rasputin’s words rang in my ears: One dagger to take a life. One dagger to save a life.
I wasn’t able to stab anyone with it. The shortness of the blade meant it was only useful for fighting at close quarters. This soldier could shoot us from a distance. He raised his rifle, tucked it against his shoulder and took aim. Stefan and I were going to die.
And yet … in my hand I held the Rasputin dagger …
One dagger to save a life.
I grasped the dagger’s hilt and, slipping past Stefan, I brandished the blade at the soldier.
‘What have you there?’ He hesitated.
‘A dagger,’ I said, with no clear idea of what I might do next. I could not throw the weapon far enough, and even if I could, it wouldn’t pierce his rough clothing.
Stefan caught at my sleeve. But I shook him off. I had this boy’s attention. Perhaps Stefan could go free and live his life for both of us.
I raised the dagger. The moon shone on the blade and the ruby flashed brimstone-red.
‘What kind of dagger is that?’ Although the barrel still pointed ahead, the boy had lowered his rifle and was walking towards us.
One dagger to save a life.
Suddenly I understood. The meaning of the words was clear in my mind. And I knew what to do.
‘It is the Rasputin dagger.’ I spoke distinctly. ‘A dagger with a single red ruby surrounded by pearls. It is worth more than the Imperial Crown of the Tsar himself.’
‘It’s a fake.’ The boy laughed and once more raised his rifle.
‘Nina,’ I heard Stefan say in my ear. ‘He will shoot us and take the dagger from you.’
‘If this soldier fires his rifle,’ I murmured, ‘it will alert the other men. He knows he’ll not be allowed to keep the dagger for himself. Move away and get ready to run.’
In response Stefan came near and took hold of my free hand. ‘Not without you,’ he said.
‘This is no fake. Look at it,’ I urged the boy. ‘But’ – I lowered my voice and glanced around me – ‘don’t let anyone else hear us. Else they will steal it from you.’
‘How can I believe you?’
‘I was a nurse who cared for the young Tsarevich, Alexei.’ The truth was evident in my voice. ‘And so did the monk, Father Grigory Rasputin. This dagger belonged to him.’
‘Rasputin!’ The name enticed the boy even closer. His rifle was dangling by his side. He was getting ready to snatch the dagger from my hand.
‘Yes,’ I said. ‘It has magical powers.’
‘Give
it to me. Give me the Rasputin dagger!’
‘Here it is!’
I drew back my arm and, with all my might, I threw the Rasputin dagger high in the air – beyond and behind the soldier, deep into the long grass at the side of the path.
As the boy swivelled his head to see where it would fall, Stefan pulled on my hand and we turned and raced away. We didn’t need to look back to know that the boy would not pursue us or shout for help. He’d be frantically searching for the dagger to claim it before his fellow soldiers noticed what was happening.
And so we ran, Stefan and I, towards the forest and freedom.
In order to conceal the murder of Tsar Nicholas, and his family and servants, their bodies were hidden – two of the children in separate locations. This gave rise to the rumour that at least one of the four sisters had managed to escape, and for many years after the Russian Revolution several imposters pretended to be members of the Imperial Romanov Family. It is only relatively recently that DNA tests were conducted to identify what are believed to be the remains of the last members of the Imperial Family. They will lie together, reunited in death, within the special memorial built for the victims of the assassination in the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul in the city of St Petersburg.
Father Grigory Rasputin remains an enigmatic and controversial figure. Lately, material has been discovered which suggests that the British Secret Service may have been involved in his murder, as Rasputin was actively in favour of Russia making peace with Germany. During the turmoil of the revolution, Rasputin’s grave was desecrated. His body was dug up and its whereabouts are unknown.
St Petersburg, the city founded by the Russian Emperor Peter the Great, had its name changed to Petrograd during the First World War in order to make it sound less German. For a time it became Leningrad. Eventually the city’s name was changed back to the original, and is known today as St Petersburg.
After bitter fighting between different factions, the state of the Soviet Socialist Republic was established. In modern times Russia has adopted a more federal style of government.
About the Author
Theresa Breslin is the Carnegie Medal winning author of over thirty books for children & young adults whose work has appeared on stage, radio and TV. Her books are hugely popular with young people, librarians and teachers. Remembrance, her top selling YA novel of youth in WW1, has now been reissued to include Book Notes. The Dream Master was shortlisted for the Children’s Book Award. Divided City was shortlisted for ten book awards, winning two outright.
Also by Theresa Breslin:
GHOST SOLDIER
A thrilling, poignant story of hope and loss set during the First World War.
‘Another must-read novel by one of Scotland’s finest writers’ Scotsman
SPY FOR THE QUEEN OF SCOTS
A story full of secrets, betrayal and murder, set in sixteenth-century France and Scotland.
‘A gripping historical thriller from the brilliant Breslin’ The Bookseller
PRISONER OF THE INQUISITION
A gripping tale of fire, fury, love and revenge, set during the Spanish Inquisition.
‘Unputdownable’ The Times
THE NOSTRADAMUS PROPHECY
A dramatic adventure story set in sixteenth-century France.
‘Terrific novel … Enormously enjoyable’ Guardian
THE MEDICI SEAL
A gloriously rich and authentic story set in Italy in 1502.
‘A superb historical thriller … An enchanting novel about genius, and a gift to an enquiring mind’ The Times
REMEMBRANCE
An epic tale of young lives altered by the First World War.
‘Immensely readable, passionately written’ Guardian
SASKIA’S JOURNEY
A haunting tale of self-discovery.
‘Mesmerising … Truly memorable’ The Bookseller
DIVIDED CITY
Two young rival football supporters are caught up in an attack on an asylum seeker.
‘A cracking good read … A book with far-reaching appeal and universal themes that will encourage young readers to challenge bigotry’ Guardian
KEZZIE AT WAR
A spirited young girl fights to keep her family together.
‘A remarkable story of hope and determination’ Val Bierman
NOMINATED FOR THE CARNEGIE MEDAL
Summer 1915, and a group of teenagers meet for a picnic. But already the sound of gunfire on the Western Front can be heard across the Channel, and soon the horror of the Great War engulfs them. From the grimness of the trenches to the devastating reality seen daily by those nursing the wounded, they struggle to survive – and nothing will ever be the same again.
A powerful, engrossing and truly epic novel of love and war.
With book notes.
SHORTLISTED FOR THE CARNEGIE MEDAL
VOTED FAVOURITE BOOK BY CARNEGIE MEDAL SHADOWING GROUP
Spain, 1490.
Zarita, teenage daughter of the town magistrate, is an only child, indulged and spoiled by her parents.
Saulo, son of a pauper, sees his father wrongfully judged and brutally dealt with. Hauled off to be a slave at sea, he swears vengeance on the magistrate and his whole family.
With the cruel agents of the Inquisition bringing suspicion, terror and death, Zarita and Saulo will meet again, amid the intrigues of the royal court, to face final acts of betrayal and revenge …
RHCP DIGITAL
UK | USA | Canada | Ireland | Australia
India | New Zealand | South Africa
RHCP Digital is part of the Penguin Random House group of companies whose addresses can be found at global.penguinrandomhouse.com.
www.penguin.co.uk
www.puffin.co.uk
www.ladybird.co.uk
First published by Corgi Books 2017
This ebook published 2017
Text copyright © Theresa Breslin, 2017
Girl and Bridge © Mark Owen/Trevillion Images
Church on Spilled Blood © Brian KinneyShutterstock
The moral right of the author has been asserted
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN: 978–1–446–47991–9
All correspondence to:
RHCP Digital
Penguin Random House Children’s
80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL
The Rasputin Dagger Page 27
