“Enough of this. We must discuss your wedding plans.”
“Wedding plans?” I felt a sickening, cold wave of apprehension wash over me.
“Of course. I know how young people are these days. So much in love and in such a hurry to start their lives together.” She looked directly at me.
“I am not allowed to wed before my birthday. I believe my father made that clear.”
The queen shook her head dismissively. “Nonsense. I was fourteen when I married my first husband. Fifteen when I had my first child. You must marry my son and bear him the heirs that he needs while you are young and fertile.”
“Heirs?” I asked faintly. The room seemed to spin.
“Strong sons and plenty of daughters. Heirs to spread our dynasty across Europe. When Elena marries the tsarevitch, her children can marry your children.”
“But they would be first cousins. The Church forbids such marriages.” Of all the thoughts flitting through my head at once, that was what came out of my mouth first.
The queen waved her arms. “The Serbian Church will grant a dispensation for our dynasty.”
I could not think of anything to say to her. The woman was mad. “Your Majesty, what if the tsarevitch marries someone else?”
“You mean the German bitch?” She laughed. “Yes, I know all about that one. She is a Protestant and is not willing to change her religion for her precious Nicholas. Besides, there is the little problem of her supernatural … affliction. The tsar and his empress cannot possibly agree to such an alliance. The tsar looks favorably upon our dynasty. Did he not say Nikola was Russia’s one true friend?”
I knew nothing of Princess Alix’s affliction, but everything else the queen said was true. The tsar still considered King Nikola and his wife close allies. Maman had told me he had been quick to approve my engagement to Danilo. I did not see how he could remain fond of the Montenegrins when he discovered they had released Konstantin. “How can you know so much about the Hessian princess?” I asked.
“I have spies everywhere, Duchess.” She stopped stirring her spoon in her teacup. “I even know of your flirtations with the tsarevitch’s brother.”
“Flirtations?” I sputtered nervously. “Your spies must be mistaken. There is no affection between me and the grand duke.” At least, not on his side.
“You are now bound to my son by your blood, and soon you will be bound to him by holy matrimony,” the queen said as she continued to stir her tea. “I warn you, Katerina Alexandrovna, if you want your family to remain safe from Konstantin and the Dekebristi, you will do exactly as I say and begin to act the part of the happy bride-to-be. I will see Militza and Stana happily married before the tsar learns of Konstantin. The Dekebristi will pledge their loyalty to Militza rather than the lich tsar. And Alexander Alexandrovich will owe his life to us.”
I could not stand it anymore. I was tired of feeling helpless. And tired of my loved ones’ safety not being in my own hands. I was still frightened for them, but I was also furious. “Your Majesty, you have no way of protecting my family from Konstantin, and you have no reason to believe the Dekebristi will follow your daughter instead of their old master. You cannot force me to keep your secrets anymore.” I was shaking all over, but I did not lower my gaze. “And you cannot force me to marry your son.”
The queen did not look in the least shocked at my outburst. She smiled. “Dear Katerina, I believe your mother feels quite differently.” She turned and opened the parlor doors behind her, beyond which my mother stood—with Petya and Uncle George.
Maman rushed to embrace me. I wanted to cry with relief when I smelled her familiar Paris cologne. “Katiya! Why did you run off so foolishly? We came as quickly as we heard. The king and queen have been most kind.”
I did not know what my mother had been told, but I was ready to leave for St. Petersburg immediately. “We can leave tonight,” I told her. “I have nothing to pack.”
“Mon Dieu, no! We are here to celebrate the crown prince’s birthday. The king has promised to show us around the city himself.”
“No, Maman,” I begged, looking from her to my brother. “The tsar is in danger. We must return home and warn him.”
The queen laughed. “Dear Katerina. Do not trouble your family with such things. It is time for dinner. Come.”
We had no choice but to follow her. Queen Milena took my mother’s arm and discussed the paintings we passed in the hallway. As quietly as I could, I told Petya about everything. Yes, everything.
My brother was horrified. “Katiya, you should have told me! I would have protected you!”
“How? They told me you would become one of the undead as well. I couldn’t let that happen.”
“Where did you learn this terrible power? At Smolny? Papa should never have let Maman talk him into sending you to that school.”
“Smolny is not to blame. I think I was born with this curse.” I reached out and grabbed his hands. “You must warn the tsar, Petya. Can you get away tonight?”
“And leave you and Maman in the blood drinkers’ clutches? The palace is surrounded by guards. We will all leave together in the morning.”
“Are you sure they will allow us to go?” I asked.
Petya thought silently as we approached the dining room. “We mustn’t tell Maman. Not before we get her safely away from here. She would become hysterical.”
“When is she not hysterical?” I asked glumly.
“You’re right,” Petya said. “Surely at some point tonight, she’ll get upset over some nonsense. We will then tell the Montenegrins that Maman is ill and we must take her back home to her own doctor.”
I knew it would not take much for Maman to have one of her hysterical fits. Telling her about the Vladiki would definitely serve such a purpose. But I also knew that if the Montenegrins discovered I’d told anyone about the Black Mountain ritual, my family would be killed. Petya I could trust to keep silent. Maman I could not.
We enjoyed more local cuisine that night at dinner. Uncle George was happy to discuss military matters with King Nikola and Princess Zorka’s husband.
Young, romantic Anna did not take her eyes off my brother the entire evening. And Danilo never took his eyes off me.
Everyone was excruciatingly polite. My nerves were on edge as I waited for something horrible to happen.
Maman complimented the queen on her beautiful palace. “The grand duchess Miechen has a boudoir decorated in the Moroccan style, very similar to this,” she said.
“Does she indeed?” the queen replied, sipping her soup.
The women discussed wedding plans for Militza and Stana. “Now let us discuss plans for Danilo and Katerina’s wedding,” Queen Milena said as the servants served us glasses of sherry.
Maman did not smile. “I believe this has already been settled. We will not allow Katerina to marry before she is of age.”
“Perhaps you may change your mind if your daughter was found to be in a delicate situation.”
Maman’s face grew white with shock as she realized what the queen was implying. “Katiya, what have you done?”
“Nothing, Maman,” I protested. At least, not what she suspected. I felt violated all the same.
The queen laughed. “It could happen, Duchess. They are young and their passions are hot. It has been difficult for my husband and me to keep this pair apart.”
I shuddered with disgust.
But the queen’s suggestion did frighten my mother. I could almost hear her thoughts.
“I … well …”
“Maman, you know I would never do anything to disappoint you or Papa.…” Besides raising the dead, that is.
“I must speak with my husband.” Maman’s glass of sherry trembled slightly as she raised it to her lips.
“We are already planning two weddings in St. Petersburg for next month. It would be simple to arrange a third as well.” Queen Milena smiled. She knew she already had my mother convinced I needed to be married off immediately. “Cost is no cons
equence, of course.”
“Of course. It does seem the sensible thing to do,” Maman said. She had a glassy look in her eyes as she sipped her sherry.
The queen smiled at me. I had to break her hold over my mother. I would rather die than marry Prince Danilo.
CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO
My brother was right, of course. It had not taken much for Maman to descend into hysterics. Convinced that I was in danger of being compromised by the crown prince, if indeed I had not already been compromised, Maman took to her bed before the end of the evening. Both Petya and Uncle George apologized extensively but insisted that we return to St. Petersburg the coming morning. The Montenegrins had no choice but to let us leave. They had accomplished everything they had hoped for.
Danilo kissed my hand as our families said their goodbyes. “We will be together again soon. And then it will be forever.”
Maman and I argued the entire trip home. She insisted that I be married at Peterhof with the Montenegrin princesses. Uncle George was delighted at the thought of sharing his wedding day with his niece. At least my brother was on my side.
“She is only sixteen, Maman,” Petya said. “Let her finish school, at least.”
“For what? As young girls grow older, they begin to get strange ideas in their heads. And no man wants that in a wife.”
“Oh, Maman.” I could not believe she was saying this. She had always prided herself on her education. She was always reading and trying to improve her mind. “Papa does not feel that way,” I said, crossing my arms.
But when we returned home three days later, Maman and Papa had the most dreadful of arguments. Maman would not be talked out of a hasty wedding.
There had been no sign of Konstantin. The attacks on the Order stopped, and everyone seemed to relax a little. However, there were several undead members still left unaccounted for. Whether Konstantin had found them and was preparing them for battle, no one could say.
Danilo arrived back in St. Petersburg not long after us and came to visit my father.
Papa wanted Danilo to promise him I would be allowed to attend medical school, but the crown prince refused. Danilo smiled and dazzled Papa with his new and improved Vladiki charm. By the time Danilo left my father’s study, even Papa was joyfully handing over large sums of money to Maman for my trousseau. There was no talking my parents out of this marriage anymore. To cry off now would cause an enormous scandal and no suitor would ever offer for me again. As if that mattered to me at all.
The weddings were to be at Peterhof, the grand summer palace of the imperial family, twenty miles outside St. Petersburg. The grounds were beautiful, especially in summer, with several elaborate fountains over a hundred years old. I had been to Peterhof for the grand duke Serge and Princess Elizabeth’s wedding when I was ten. I had fallen into the lion fountain.
The imperial family was currently visiting the empress’s family in Denmark. They would return to Russia in time to attend the weddings. I dreaded seeing George Alexandrovich again. He would never forgive me for releasing Konstantin. And he would have every reason to hate me.
I did not cry when the wedding gifts began to pile up in our parlor. I did not cry when Madame Olga came to the house to fit me for my wedding gown and yelled at me to stand still. I did not cry when I saw Papa’s sad face as he gazed upon the wedding gifts. He may have been won over by Danilo’s powerful charms, but my father did not want his little girl to grow up and move so far away. My heart was breaking.
I did not cry when we visited Dr. Kruglevski’s grave and I laid a rose on it. Papa squeezed my hand. It was my fault that he had lost a very dear friend. He had already asked Anya’s brother Rudolf to take Dr. Kruglevski’s place as head of the Institute of Experimental Medicine. But Rudolf did not have Dr. Kruglevski’s years of experience.
“Papa,” I said, grasping his arm on the carriage ride home. “Are you terribly disappointed in me?”
He looked surprised. “Katiya, you could never disappoint me. Whether you become a queen or a peasant, as long as you are happy, I will be happy.”
I hugged him. “Thank you, Papa.”
“Prince Danilo makes you happy, yes?”
I was glad he couldn’t see my face. “Of course, Papa.” It would make me happy if we were all safe from Konstantin and the Dekebristi. I prayed for Petya and his men as they searched St. Petersburg for them.
Before returning home from the cemetery, we stopped in front of the Tibetan doctor’s pharmacy. Papa smiled and squeezed my hand.
I remembered the last time I had been here, with the grand duke. I hoped he had discovered something useful when he’d talked to Dr. Badmaev. What had he thought when I had disappeared? Surely by now he had heard of my trip to Cetinje. And my wedding plans.
The Tibetan doctor smiled when he saw us, and gave us a respectful bow. “It is good to see both of you.” His empty shop was heavy with the scent of incense.
“Any new information about our friend?” Papa asked.
Badmaev shook his head. “I am sorry. He does not seem to be affected by anything I give him. It is most puzzling.”
“Has he been violent?”
“Of course not. He does not seem to want to leave this area. He doesn’t say much—only calls sadly for his mistress.”
I’d had no idea whom they were speaking of until that moment. “Mistress?” Surely they couldn’t be talking of … “Where is he?” I rushed toward the back, behind the beaded curtains.
“Katiya, wait!” Papa called after me. “This patient has some unknown disease. He may be contagious.”
“Please, I must see him.”
“It is strange,” Dr. Badmaev said, looking at me curiously. “This man did show up the same day the grand duke was here asking about hemlock antidotes.”
“Which grand duke?” Papa asked.
I pushed past both of them into the tiny courtyard in the back. Badmaev had made a sleeping area for Count Chermenensky, who did not seem to enjoy being inside.
“His Imperial Highness the grand duke George Alexandrovich,” the doctor said. “He was investigating the death of Princess Cantacuzene. He seemed to recognize our patient here. In fact, he asked me to take care of him here rather than send him to the hospital.”
Tears rolled down my cheeks. “Count Chermenensky?” I whispered. I did not want Papa to know his name yet if he hadn’t already realized who the undead soldier was.
The count looked up at me with glassy eyes. He had been washed and someone had given him clean clothes. “Mistress? Back?”
“Yes, Your Highness. I am so sorry I left.”
The count remained huddled in his sleeping box, rocking back and forth. “Bad people took you … could not save you … Forgive …”
“No, Your Highness. I must beg your forgiveness for leaving you. Everything is going to be all right now.”
“Mistress not safe … hunted by shadows.”
“Katiya?” Papa stood in the doorway of the courtyard. “Step away from that man, my dear. He is deranged.”
“It’s all right, Papa. He won’t hurt me.” I reached out and placed my hand on the count’s. “Your Highness, what shadows do you speak of? What can you see?”
“Shadows with wings,” he muttered, still rocking back and forth. “Must protect mistress.”
“What is he talking about?” my father asked.
“Count Chermenensky, do not worry. I want you to stay here with the doctor. He is trying to help you.”
“I’m not sure I can help him, Duchess,” Badmaev said softly.
I nodded. What could modern medicine do for the undead?
“Mistress,” Count Chermenensky whimpered. “Must protect you.”
“I’ll be safe,” I promised him. With a pat on his shoulder, I turned to follow Papa back to our carriage. Ancient medicine was what the count needed. The Egyptian necromancer. Perhaps there was still an undiscovered ritual in A Necromancer’s Companion that would help him. But I was running out of time.
After the wedding, I would be taken back to Cetinje and would never be able to help the count, or my family, again.
And Konstantin was still out there somewhere, biding his time. Had he found the Dekebristi and persuaded them to follow him? Or did Princess Militza control them?
“That was quite amazing how you soothed that creature,” Papa said on our ride home. “You have a healer’s touch, Katiya. A gift you are wasting.”
I wanted to laugh. Hadn’t Badmaev said the same thing? But the life I brought to the dead was not a gift. It was not life at all. Perhaps that was the true reason I’d wanted to be a doctor all those years. I wanted to ease people’s suffering and prevent death altogether.
Papa sighed when I did not answer him. “All right, Katiya. I only want you to be happy.”
CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE
Queen Milena and her daughters arrived at Peterhof to prepare for the wedding festivities, and Grand Duchess Miechen held a ball in the Montenegrins’ honor. All the members of the Dark Court would be in attendance. Dariya told me the gossip she’d overheard from her stepmother as we got ready for the ball in my family’s nearby dacha.
“Militza has succeeded in dominating the St. Petersburg vampires,” my cousin whispered. “She will take Princess Cantacuzene’s place as the head of the House of Bessaraba in Russia. As Cantacuzene’s niece, she has a legitimate blood claim.”
“But her sister Zorka is older,” I said. “Wouldn’t she be the rightful heir?”
Dariya shrugged. “Militza has persuaded her sister to support her. She alone knows the secret hiding place of the undead Dekebristi. She believes she can control them with the Talisman of Isis—the same one that was mentioned in your book—and keep them out of Konstantin’s hands.”
It would make Militza almost untouchable.
“Besides,” Dariya said, “the tsar now knows that Cantacuzene broke the treaty of 1825. Miechen thinks Militza will try to renegotiate that treaty with him once she has the undead army in her power.”
“I don’t think there is anything that Miechen can do, other than smile graciously and dance the polonaise with the King of Montenegro,” I said. I hoped I would get a chance to speak with the dark faerie queen at the ball.
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