Whitefire

by Fern Michaels

  The day of the execution arrived. When Ivan rode into the square, accompanied by his guards, he was appalled by the lack of spectators, and immediately called for his guards to produce the young nobleman. When the young man appeared before Ivan, fearing for his life, the Czar spoke. “You were instructed to fill this square to capacity and I can count the number of people on one hand. Where is everyone?” he roared.

  “My Czar, I did as you directed and made known this day to every citizen. They were told to attend. However, if I may, my Czar—I have heard talk that the citizenry is fearful of your wrath. Forgive me, Czar Ivan.”

  “If what you say is true, then we must set the matter straight. Come, you will ride with me through the city while I tell the people they have naught to fear.”

  As they rode Ivan shouted to the populace in a loud ringing voice, “Good people, come! There is nothing to fear, no harm will touch you, I promise! My word as Czar Ivan!”

  Assured by the Czar’s words, the people straggled into Red Square.

  As the citizenry began to move about, the Czar rose majestically and spoke: “All traitors to death!”

  A thunderous roar of approval rose from the crowd, with cries of “Long live the Czar!” The young nobleman smiled contentedly.

  Three hundred prisoners, their chains clanking behind them, were led into the square, the majority of them half dead from previous torturing. To win his people over, Ivan dramatically showed mercy to several of the traitors by freeing them, and granted a few others the right to exile.

  For the most-hated enemies of the state, Ivan saved the greatest and most extreme torture. One boyar was hung by his feet and cut into pieces. A trusted treasurer was placed in iced water and then in boiling water repeatedly, until his skin peeled off him like an eel, while Ivan laughed in delight.

  As the executions continued throughout the day, Ivan’s eyes rolled in ecstasy over the pain and blood of the traitors. At sundown Ivan and his son rode to the home of a dead nobleman, where he ordered the man’s widow tortured until she told where their family treasure was hidden. Ivan’s son then ravished her, giving her fifteen-year-old daughter to the chief guard. Throughout the long night Ivan and his son rode to the houses of the executed nobles and seized their treasure. The wives and daughters of the dead men were given to his guards, who delighted in violating them. Wearied from the ride, Ivan then ordered eighty widows of executed nobles drowned.

  For days thereafter, to add to the disgrace of the traitors, Ivan allowed their mutilated bodies to lie rotting in the square. Hungry dogs feasted on their flesh as passing citizens spat contemptuously on them. Finally the Czar ordered his men to rid the square of the foul-smelling bodies.

  In a remorseful mood, feeling sorrow for the souls of the traitors, Ivan spent hours in church, praying for their souls, and donated large sums of money to the holy institution. Tiring of prayers, he then went to Alexandrov, where he took to his bed pleading exhaustion.

  His days of penance over, Ivan returned in splendor to Moscow, dressed in his finest regal attire. Parading into Red Square with his guards forming columns on either side of him, he rode his stallion up the steps of Terem Palace, directly into the dining hall. Clapping his hands, he shouted, “Tonight I want a feast commemorating my return. Let the cooks prepare the finest in delicacies for my guests. Invite by my special request beggars, thieves, whores, and murderers. Bring them into the palace and have the servants dress them in finery. Inform the boyars they must give their finest clothing to these people, by my order. I want them dressed and seated an hour after dark, at which time we will dine.” His announcement finished, Ivan rode his horse down the marble corridors to his bedchamber and dismounted, leaving the horse in the hallway.

  That evening Ivan dined among the dregs of Moscow society. “For entertainment tonight I have a surprise for all my noble guests. I have summoned the wives of the boyars to dance for us. Ladies and gentlemen, please direct your attention to the middle of the hall,” he cackled, pointing a bony finger in front of him.

  Dressed in beautiful gauzy material in an array of colors, the boyars’ wives minced their way around the hall, trying to cover their bodies with their hands and arms. The ladies, aware that the gauze hid nothing, only accentuating their breasts and thighs, danced with their eyes downcast as the male guests leered at them. Thoughts of tasting their delicious femininity was more than most of them could bear. They shouted obscene remarks to the women as they drank and ate like the lowlife they were. Ivan delighted in every minute of it. “These are my people!” he shouted.

  With a wave of his hand he dismissed the dancing women, to groans of dismay. “Gentlemen, noblemen, please, I have more to dazzle your eyes. Allow me to present my witches and magicians to mystify you. They will perform feats never before seen by man. Bring on the witches and magicians,” he commanded.

  At the height of the magic show, his personal messenger darted into the hall. “My Czar, I beg your pardon, but I’ve come a long way and have news for you.”

  “You dare intrude during the performance!” Ivan bellowed. “Your news had better be worthy of this interruption. What is it? Tell me at once!”

  The messenger rushed forward. “When I stopped in Kiev I was told to deliver this to you, my Czar.”

  Ivan’s eyes scanned the parchment. A loud rancorous laugh echoed above the din as Ivan doubled over in mirth. “I can’t believe that God is this good to me. This announcement is the prize that makes my evening complete. Ladies and nobles,” he said, grinning sadistically, “let it be known to one and all that Yuri Zhuk, my noble emissary, is dead.” He crushed the parchment as convulsions of laughter rocked him. “My emissary was found in a clump of bushes outside Volin, with his tongue and fingers missing. Delightful!” He drooled, his drunken eyes rolling in his twisted face. “Enough, enough of this, back to the witches. Where are my witches? Continue, I order you to continue!” he roared. “Tomorrow I must . . . no, not tomorrow, but soon, I must send for Halya and tell her this delightful news.”

  On Ivan’s orders, everyone drank, feasted, and fornicated throughout the night. Czar Ivan was once again delighting in the affairs of state.

  Chapter 8

  Katerina woke once, shortly after midnight. She stirred restlessly and settled her bruised body more comfortably on the plush carpet. Within seconds she was asleep again, this time deeply and totally, a dark-haired man stalking her through snow. She moaned while she dreamed, as she slipped and fell time and again in her struggles to get away from the man bent on capturing her. As always, the moment his hands were within reach of her she woke, her body drenched with perspiration, her eyes wild and haunted, a scream on her lips. She lay back, exhausted, as tears welled in the luminous amber eyes and flowed down her satiny cheeks. One day soon it would be her turn. When that day came she would sleep again, as when she was a child, peacefully and happily. Slowly, as if they had a will of their own, the thick heavy lashes lowered, and she was again asleep, her cheek pressed into the richness of the carpet.

  The Khan stood over his sleeping niece, willing her to wake. As if she sensed his presence, the doe eyes opened and she stared up at him, frowning, trying to remember where she was. Recognition of her uncle and the warm closeness of the yurt reminded her, and she struggled to her feet.

  “If you have a change of clothing for me I would be grateful, and I would also like a bath if it’s at all possible.”

  The Khan nodded as he tossed her a vivid striped cotton shirt. “The yurt next to this one has bathwater and a light breakfast waiting. When you’ve finished, join me and Prince Banyen by the open fire in the center of the compound.”

  The slim girl worked at her shoulders, trying to loosen the tension and the tightness that had settled over her in sleep. She rubbed at her arms and thighs, trying unsuccessfully to ease the stiffness in her muscles. Perhaps the bath will help, she told herself as she left the tent in search of food and the luxury of warm water.

  Not wanting to
waste time, she removed her filthy clothing and slid down into the oil-scented water with a thick wedge of goat cheese and a chunk of bread. This was indeed a wonder. Now where did the Khan get scented oil? She suppressed a wicked smile at what she imagined was his favorite pastime.

  She ate the cheese ferociously and chewed at the bread as if she hadn’t eaten in days. Later she would gorge herself at the noon meal. For now, she needed her wits about her for the coming hours she would spend with the Khan and Prince Banyen. Just the thought of his name and she trembled. The gold-tinted eyes darkened to newly minted copper as she reached for a length of toweling. She stepped from the round tub onto a deerskin. The moment her bare foot touched the fur she stumbled, and would have fallen if she hadn’t reached out to grasp the rim of the tub. Don’t think about him, she cautioned herself as she pulled on the trousers Stepan had outgrown. The brilliant shirt was tight and felt confining. Her breasts strained against the thin fabric as she tucked the end into the band of the trousers. She longed for a mirror to see the condition of her hair. Sighing, she gathered it into a knot and tied it back with a loose strand of hair from the side of her head. What did she care what she looked like? She was clean, and that was all that mattered.

  When Katerina left the bathing yurt she shaded her eyes against the brilliant sun. She looked around to get her bearings and was surprised to see people moving about, their colorful garb dazzling in the shimmering light. They moved slowly, intent on what they were about. Children ran and played, laughing boisterously as they scampered over piled twigs and strewn rock piles. She was surprised when she received no more than a passing glance from the playful children and busy women. She frowned. Where were the men? Katerina squinted against the glare of the sun and saw that at the very outer perimeter of the compound men were drilling with weapons. Horses whickered softly as men climbed onto their backs to ready themselves for a charge. She was puzzled. If the Khan’s wealth was as great as she had been led to believe, why was he bothering with this ragtag group of soldiers? Money could buy him a fit and ready army. He was up to something. And whatever it was, it had something to do with her, she knew it just as sure as she knew Prince Banyen had . . .

  Skirting the playful children, Katerina picked her way among the yurts, avoiding the chattering women who were busy washing and cooking outdoors. She nodded slightly to the prince and touched her uncle fondly on the arm to show she was ready for whatever it was he had planned. Banyen’s eyes raked her as she skipped along to keep up with his long-legged stride. She said nothing, knowing the Khan preferred that she remain quiet. So—he was taking her to the stockade to show her the prisoners. She was shocked but schooled her face to reveal nothing. Never had she seen or smelled such . . . such . . . Words failed her.

  “Breathe through your mouth,” Banyen suggested.

  The stockade ran the entire width of the encampment. It consisted of poles hewn from the nearby forest. The poles, seven feet tall, were crisscrossed by rough-hewn planks. Overhead, animal hides were laced tightly across the tops of the structure to ward off the hot, scorching sun and biting wind, and the snows of winter. Instinctively she knew that in the summer the bodies of the prisoners baked, burned, shriveled, and stank. In the winter they would shake with the cold and turn blue from frostbite. The lucky ones would survive; the rest would freeze and die.

  The skin on the men was blistered from the heat, and full of sores. Many were sick and dying. She knew the older men would never live through the winter. Ringlets of dried blood formed clusters around their wrists and ankles where the shackles rubbed the skin.

  “Do you wonder why so many prisoners are penned like animals in so small an area? The Khan can only spare a few men for guard duty. You can see it takes at least twenty men to surround and maintain a constant guard. They are relieved of duty three times a day, so sixty men a day are involved in guarding prisoners when they should be doing other things,” Banyen said gruffly.

  “Why don’t you put them to work? Why are they standing so close together? I don’t understand,” Katerina asked softly.

  “Is this what you want, Katerina?” the Khan asked. “Do you still wish my help? There is a tribal meeting I must attend. I’ll join you at the noon meal. Be sure, little one, that you know what you are doing,” he said, patting her arm.

  “I see there are still many questions in your eyes,” Banyen observed.

  Outraged, Katerina took a deep breath. “I’ve seen animals treated better. This is . . . this is inhuman. How can one human being treat another in such a manner? They live and breathe as you and I do.”

  Banyen ignored her words. “As the prisoners die, we move in the outer poles. They are in no condition to attempt escape, not even the healthiest, believe me. If they were fortunate enough to escape, they would be killed instantly.

  “It would not be advisable to see them when they are fed the watered-down mush. They fight and kill to get their ration, many times knocking their bowl over in a desperate attempt to get more. They kill to be chosen for work, and they kill for food. They think nothing of slipping their shackled arms around each other’s necks and strangling one another for more food. We don’t stop them, it’s one less mouth to feed. It’s called survival,” Banyen said coldly. Women! Such outrage over suffering, and yet she recovers quickly enough, he thought. Women always wore two faces. Who was she really concerned for? Was it for his benefit, or did she truly feel sympathy for the prisoners? He admitted he didn’t know, and he didn’t give a damn.

  “Yes, I know the meaning of the word,” Katerina said curtly. She knew the Mongols hated to take prisoners, and when they did they were known to be very cruel, but she had never realized just how much so until now. “What did these men do? What crimes have they committed?”

  Banyen stepped forward, and with the tip of his saber he pointed at a man and ordered him to speak to the lady. “Tell her why you’re shackled and in the stockade.”

  “Murder.”

  “And you, what was your crime?”

  “I stole horses.”

  “You?”

  “I was caught raiding a village.”

  “You?”

  “Murder.”

  “Murder.”

  “Is the punishment the same for all crimes?” Katerina demanded. “The punishment should befit the crime. Tell me, Prince, what is the punishment for raping a woman? Or is it not considered a crime?”

  Banyen grinned. “It’s no crime. However, we have one here who not only raped a woman, he also killed her. Kostya,” he shouted, “step forward.”

  Katerina couldn’t help herself. She stepped near the man and said in a low voice, “Are you here because you raped a woman, or because you killed her? In your mind, what are you being punished for?”

  He was tall and fair-haired, with the bluest eyes Katerina had ever seen. His golden beard glistened in the bright sun. His eyes appeared puzzled, but he answered readily enough. “I didn’t rape the woman, she came to me willingly. Men have no need to rape, only animals and savages do that. Women are plentiful and willing to fall into a man’s arms. While I slept she tried to steal my pouch of coins. I woke and we struggled. She fell and hit her head on a boulder and died. That is why I’m here.”

  “That’s what he says. The girl’s father tells another story,” Banyen said coolly, stung by the prisoner’s words.

  “He goes with me,” Katerina said softly.

  Deep murmurings came from the stockade at these strange goings-on. Who was the woman dressed in man’s clothing? Why was she asking questions, and why did the prince look as if he wanted to commit murder? One man after another was called to step forward and state his crime. All spoke readily, their eyes questioning.

  “You,” Katerina said, pointing a finger at a broad-chested man with small round eyes. She watched the powerful play of muscles on his upper arms and chest as he shouldered his way to take his place near the front of the line. “What is your crime?”

  “My family was dyin
g from hunger. I waylaid a wagon full of grain and killed the men who were driving the wagon.”

  “What happened to your family?”

  “They died from starvation. One babe in arms and two barely able to walk,” he said simply.

  “Your name.”

  “Rokal, mistress.”

  “He goes with me also,” Katerina said quietly.

  “It would appear that you have a soft heart for a sad tale,” Banyen said mockingly.

  “I have no heart,” Katerina said coldly. “But I can judge a man’s worth by the look in his eye. Remember that.”

  Banyen’s eyes mocked her. “I’ll remember.”

  The selection continued till the noon hour, when Banyen called a halt. “Enough for now. Tomorrow you can question the prisoners that are working today. I don’t want you to come to me later and say you were cheated, that the best had the work detail.”

  “Tell me, what happens when the snows come and the weather is bad? Where are the prisoners taken then, to which yurt? I can’t believe you leave them in the stockade.”

  Banyen’s eyes darkened with rage. “They stay right where they are. Fir branches are tacked to the animal skins overhead and to the sides to prevent the wind from driving at them full force. They huddle together for warmth.”

  “That’s inhuman. An animal is treated better than that,” Katerina said viciously.

  “They should have thought about the matter before they committed their crimes,” Banyen said coolly. “I repeat, I didn’t say I approve. It is the way of the league. Only the Khan can change the rules.”

  “It’s wrong. The punishment should fit the crime. These men have nothing to look forward to but their death. It’s inhuman.” She spat.

  “How generous you are with other people’s lives. If you were slain, I wonder what would happen to your killer?”