Chapter 100 Nikolai
They dragged us through the basement corridors like animals.
Viktor was unconscious, blood dripped from his mouth leaving a trail on the stone floor. Pavel limped badly, his leg was broken. Dmitri thrashed against the guards, cursing Ivanov with every breath.
"I will kill you!" A guard shouted, hitting him across the face with a rifle. Dmitri spat blood but kept cursing.
I stumbled between two guards. My shoulders screamed with pain from the knife wounds. My vision was blurry from hitting my head. But I was thinking. Looking for any way out.
The courtyard. That was where Ivanov would execute us. In front of everyone. We had maybe an hour before dawn. One hour to find a way to escape.
"Keep moving," a guard growled, shoving me forward.
We emerged into a holding cell near the courtyard entrance. They threw us inside and locked the door. Viktor collapsed. Pavel fell beside him. Dmitri pressed against the bars, still shouting threats.
I moved to Viktor and checked his pulse. It was weak but steady.
"Will he live?" Pavel asked quietly.
"I do not know," I said honestly. "He needs a doctor."
"We all need a doctor," Pavel said, looking at his broken leg. "But we are not getting one."
Dmitri finally stopped shouting and slumped against the wall. "This is it then. We failed. We are all going to die."
"Not yet," I said.
"What do you mean not yet?" Dmitri demanded. "Look at us. Locked in a cell. We are wounded and heavily guarded. In an hour Ivanov is going to execute us. What exactly is your plan?"
"I do not have one yet," I admitted. "But I am working on it."
"Work faster," Pavel said.
I examined the cell. It had stone walls, iron bars, and one door with no windows. The lock was old but solid. Four guards stood outside. All armed. The odds were impossible.
But I had to try something.
"When they come to take us out," I said quietly. "We will fight."
"With what?" Dmitri asked.
"Our bare hands if necessary." I said.
"That is suicide," Pavel said, rolling his eyes.
"So is doing nothing," I replied. "At least if we fight we have a chance."
They were quiet for a moment. Then Dmitri nodded. "Alright. We will fight."
"I am in," Pavel said.
Viktor groaned and opened his one good eye. "Did someone say fight?"
"We are going to attack the guards when they come for us," I explained.
Viktor tried to sit up and failed. "Count me out. I can barely move."
"Just stay alive," I told him. "We will handle the rest."
The minutes crawled by. Outside we could hear preparations. Voices shouting orders. Wood being hammered. The sound of a crowd gathering. They were building a platform. Or a gallows.
My stomach twisted.
I closed my eyes and thought of Anya. Of her face when Ivanov had taken her. Of her tears when Sonya died. She blamed herself. But it was not her fault. It was mine. I had pushed too hard, moved too fast, let emotion cloud my judgment.
And now we were all paying for my mistakes.
"Nikolai," Viktor rasped. "If we do not make it. Tell Anya it was not her fault."
"Tell her yourself," I said. "We are all getting out of this."
"You do not believe that," Viktor said.
He was right. I did not. But I had to try.
The door opened. Guards entered. They were more than before. At least eight of them.
"Time to go," one said.
This was it. Our only chance. I looked at Dmitri. At Pavel. They nodded.
The guards moved to unlock our cell. The moment the door swung open I lunged. I grabbed the nearest guard and slammed him into the bars. He went down hard.
Dmitri tackled another guard. Pavel swung a chain he had torn from the wall. It caught a guard across the face. Blood sprayed.
But there were too many. They swarmed us. Fists and boots and rifle butts. I fought desperately. Landed a few good hits. Broke someone's nose. Knocked someone else unconscious.
Then something hard crashed into the back of my skull. I fell to my knees. The world spun.
"Enough!" A guard shouted. "Stop fighting or we kill you right here!"
Dmitri and Pavel were already down. Guards held them pinned. More guards poured in. They hauled us to our feet and dragged us outside.
Dawn was breaking. Gray light filtered through clouds. The courtyard was full of people. Servants. Guards. Everyone was forced to watch.
And there in the center was Ivanov. Standing on a raised platform. Smiling. Beside him stood Anya. Her hands were bound. Her face was bruised. But her eyes met mine across the distance.
I tried to send her strength. Tried to tell her everything would be okay. But we both knew it was a lie.
The guards forced us to our knees in front of the platform.
Ivanov stepped forward. "Thank you all for gathering," he said loudly. "These men betrayed me. They plotted against me. The punishment for such crimes is death."
He turned to the guards. "Bring the tools."
My blood went cold. Guards emerged carrying thick wooden rods. Clubs. Designed to beat someone to death.
"We will start with the youngest," Ivanov said. He pointed at Dmitri. "String him up."
Guards grabbed Dmitri. He fought but he was too weak. They tied a rope around his ankles and hauled him up. He hung upside down from a wooden beam. A guard approached with a club.
"Wait," I shouted. "Take me instead. I started this. I planned everything. Punish me."
Ivanov looked at me. "Oh I will punish you. But first I want you to watch."
He nodded to the guard. The club came down hard. It struck Dmitri's head with a sickening crack. His body jerked. Blood poured from his skull.
The guard raised the club again.
"Stop this!" Anya screamed. She was crying. Fighting against the guards.
"Quiet," Ivanov said.
The club came down again and again. Dmitri stopped moving. His eyes stared at nothing. He was gone.
The courtyard was silent except for Anya's sobs.
"Cut him down," Ivanov ordered. "Bring the next one."
Guards cut Dmitri's body down. It fell with a horrible thump. They reached for Pavel. With his broken leg he had no chance. They strung him upside down.
"Please," Pavel whispered. "Please do not do this."
Ivanov smiled. "Examples must be made."
The guard raised his club. The first blow landed. Pavel screamed. The second blow landed. The scream cut off. The third blow landed. There was silence. Pavel was gone.
Viktor was next. He could barely stand. Guards carried him to the beam and strung him up. He looked at me. His one good eye found mine. And he smiled.
"It is alright," he mouthed. "It's not your fault."
I felt sick. If only I hadn't brought them into this.
The club came down and Viktor was gone. Three men, dead. All because of me.
"And now," Ivanov said. He turned to me. "For the main event."
Guards grabbed me. I did not fight. They dragged me to the beam. Tied the rope around my ankles and pulled. The world flipped. Blood rushed to my head. Everything hurt. I hung upside down, staring at the ground.
Ivanov appeared in my vision. He crouched down. "Any last words?"
I looked past him. Found Anya in the crowd. She was sobbing. Guards held her back.
"I love you," I said to her.
Anya's face crumpled. "Nikolai, no. Please. Take me instead. Kill me instead."
"Touching," Ivanov said. He stood and nodded to the guard.
I closed my eyes. Waited for the blow that would end everything. The club was raised behind me. I could feel it in the air. This was how it ended. Strung up like an animal while the woman I loved watched.
The club started to fall.