A Life Less Ordinary

by Scarlett Cross

  They came into a room where a steaming waterfall thundered into a pool of clear water that was so warm they could feel the heat coming off of it. Sunlight glimmered down from high up in the cavern ceiling and Ivan saw a guard move stealthily past, his bow at the ready. Either the Army was already nearby, he knew, or they themselves were being watched. Most likely the latter, because typically these people withdrew to the very sanctuary Ivan wished to be admitted to.

  “Dmitri,” He said, holding the chain as the other man stripped down, even threading it through the neck-hole of his shirt and tossing the shirt aside. “These people…they can save you.”

  “I do not need saving.” He snorted, sinking into the water with a groan of appreciation. “How do I wash with no soap?”

  “Use sand on bottom, believe me, it feels wonderful.” Ivan said, sitting close to the water, aching to get in and have a wash. His turn would come next though. “They will not grant you sanctuary unless you allow them to cleanse evil from your soul. I will have to pass through their initiation again, same as Aleksei and Yuri will. If you do not, they will shut you out to die. Others will come and take you. Creature you saw last night…”

  “Say I do this, this cleansing. What will it give me?” Dmitri asked, crouching so the hot water, which was quite shallow, was up to his neck.

  “Peace.” Ivan said, softly. “It will bring you peace.”

  Chapter 59

  Aleksei tugged uncomfortably at the loincloth he had been provided, not reveling in the lack of clothing. After their wash, they had returned to the caves to find these clean and seemingly newly made garments, laid out for them. Yuri seemed to love his, but then Yuri was given to run around completely naked, regardless of who was present. Dmitri was wrapped in his bear-skin blanket looking disgruntled, and Ivan was sitting cross-legged by a small fire he’d built, staring at the flames. Something was bothering him, but Aleksei could not get him to answer any questions. When six native men hurried into the corridor, seemingly from nowhere, all of them men rose, except Dmitri.

  “It is time, Dmitri.” Ivan said, coming in and unhooking the chain from the ring high up on the wall. “Remember what I have told you…you must agree to this or you will be left to die. It is not where you want to find yourself.”

  Each of the native men picked one of them, except the two leaders, and Aleksei noticed they were all wearing brightly colored beads and ceremonial head-gear. To his surprise, a hidden doorway lay just feet from where they had been sitting all day almost, and now they were led down a long, winding tunnel into blackness. Finally, they came into an antechamber that was almost perfectly round, and he noticed, besides the roaring campfire, a set of four stakes with ropes attached. Three young women, barely clad in leathers, appeared then and set out a wooden bowl at the end of the rectangle of stakes. Ivan had to slap Dmitri on the back of the head for ogling them, but to Aleksei’s surprise, Yuri did not seem in the least bit interested. Of course they had spent a bit longer in the hot springs than they should have, so maybe some of his tension was relieved.

  “Dmitri will go first.” Ivan said and Dmitri eyed him suspiciously. “I have been through it before, Dmitri. I am still alive, and so you will be, too.”

  Finally he allowed himself to be led to the stakes by the women, who bade him to kneel. After a moment’s hesitation, when Ivan tensed because he thought Dmitri might lash out, his half-brother submitted and did as they asked. The young women mixed several oils in the wooden bowl, when they were mixed, one of the women grabbed Dmitri’s hand and sliced his palm, allowing his blood to drip into the bowl. After a few moments, to Aleksei’s amazement, they took on a brilliant, but sinister, red glow. Dmitri’s partner, the native man, had also knelt, but he was outside of the rectangle, facing Dmitri.

  “Turn and face man, Dmitri.” Ivan said, softly, and Dmitri obeyed, though his eye lingered on the women a moment longer before he turned his focus to the man.

  “Ivan…what is happening. Why is that man sitting in front of him?” Aleksei asked, but his own guide motioned for him to be quiet. Apparently, he would have to watch and learn. He sighed. Yuri tried to reach for him but his own guide stopped him and shook his head. To his surprise, Yuri relented immediately, looking as if he were in some sort of daze, his eyes were actually glazed over.

  One of the women handed Dmitri the bowl and indicated he should drink, guiding him until he’d taken a sip, then tilting the bowl so that the native could drink. Catching on, Dmitri then drank again before allowing the native, who had constant eye-contact with him, to drink. The woman gently removed his eye-patch and placed it to the side, but he did not even seem to notice as he finished the glowing, red liquid. Suddenly, though, he grabbed his stomach and fell over, curling into a ball a long, drawn out scream escaping him.

  “He has lot of evil to cleanse.” Aleksei’s guide explained softly. “Yours will not be so horrible.” It wasn’t until later that Aleksei wondered how he had come to understand the language of these ancient people, for their words were neither English nor Russian.

  Ivan moved forward and assisted in binding Dmitri’s hands and legs so tightly he could not move, his head cradled on the knees of one of the women, the ugly scars on his heaving chest were painfully red, they almost looked as if he’d reopened them, though they were glowing slightly red themselves. When Aleksei thought on it, they hadn’t looked that way minutes before. Another of the women placed long, wet leaves over the scars on his chest as another scream came from him. Now the two additional men came forward and the ceremony began. Aleksei’s guide, as well as the other two, steered him, Ivan and Yuri to sit down against the wall.

  As the men chanted and spoke, Dmitri’s guide stood, and for the first time Aleksei realized he was holding a bow, arrow nocked at the ready. What was it he planned to kill, the doctor wondered, would he shoot Dmitri? The man glanced at Aleksei and for the first time, he saw that the native’s eyes were glowing the same brilliant red of the potion. Giving Aleksei a nod of confirmation, he drew the bow and released it right into Dmitri’s chest. Ivan did not stir, only watched passively. Aleksei clapped his hand over his mouth to keep from screaming and Yuri tried to charge to Dmitri’s aid but was stopped by Ivan, who pointed him back to the corner.

  Dmitri gave two or three rattling gasps before finally his breathing stilled, and one of the natives, using an ember from the fire, lit the end of the arrow so that it burned very slowly. Aleksei saw that there was blood dripping from Dmitri’s mouth and where it touched the sand, it sparkled the same glowing red for an instant, which amazed him. A swirling figure rose, then, and both Aleksei and Yuri, especially Yuri, gasped. It was a red, glowing figure of Dmitri, holding a riding crop with studs in it. He turned to Yuri and walked towards him but he could not leave the confines of the rectangle. The native guide stood and nocked another arrow, this one had a reddish glow to it. He drew, fired, and pierced the spirit and Dmitri, who had seemed dead, let out a howl of anguish that chilled Aleksei to the bone.

  “He holds onto his rage…he would not let it go. But is too late now. He must. He must or he will die.” One of the men kneeling by Dmitri said. The woman cradling his head stroked his face gently, her fingers trailing across the scar that had, at one time, been his right eye. Now, another red figure arose, a young Dmitri, barely eighteen, dressed in his full dress uniform, and this memory was strong because Aleksei could see enough of what was around him to know where he was at.

  “Lavrov…” He whispered, though no one seemed notice him. The rage on Dmitri’s face was evident, it was clear the old man was mocking him, something he was very good at, for Dmitri grabbed something in the shadow memory and threw it hard. Only to have it thrown right back at him. He turned and stalked away, the flush on his face making his cheeks glow red. His hands unfolded something, a document, he looked at it with trembling hands, then looked back at something before continuing on. Then, the sequence started over, and this time, the native shot the apparition. This time a
scream did not come from Dmitri, but a sigh.

  “He is finding peace now. But there is one more, one he does not want to rise to surface…” the man by his prone form said. The arrow had burned down now, almost to his chest. Another shape was taking form, but Dmitri was shaking his head furiously, tears streaming down his left cheek, as the right eye did not work, nor did the duct there. The woman spoke soothingly to him and stroked his hair, and finally, he relented and once more Aleksei was compelled to cover his mouth, feeling positively sick when he realized what was happening.

  A young Dmitri, probably no more than seventeen, cornered by an enormous man in the showers at a military training camp. They could see his lips moving, see the terror on his face, and see him pleading with the man for mercy. As the man reached for the towel he was clutching to his lower regions, his guide shot through the attacker and the arrow pierced young-Dmitri’s chest. Now the arrow actually physically piercing him flared such a brilliant reddish-white that Aleksei’s eyes watered and stung. When the flare sputtered, and died, the men started untying Dmitri’s hands. He seemed to sleep, and four men came with a litter and carried him out of the chamber.

  “Yuri will go next.” Ivan announced and Yuri paled, but stood and walked bravely as he could, replacing Dmitri in the middle of the rectangle of stakes. The women mixed his bowl of drink, a new bowl had been brought in, Dmitri’s had been burned in the fire during his cleansing, and Aleksei noted it glowed a deep, rich purple. This seemed to interest the two men greatly and they put their heads together and had a seemingly intense conversation. Ivan glanced back at Aleksei and Aleksei knew this purple was something either important, or frightening, based on his expression.

  Aleksei did not look away once, not even when the ceremonial arrow pierced Yuri’s chest. He was immensely proud that Yuri did not utter so much as a squeak of pain, he simply closed his eyes and gave himself over to the ceremony. Aleksei could only pray he showed such strength and self-control when his turn came. He wondered what color his drink would burn, it was brilliant green, which also seemed to draw the interest of the men. Ivan’s too was special, as it was a clear, pure gold, though only he would ever know this.

  Chapter 60

  Ivan went last, because he knew that the truth on Rosa would be revealed and he did not yet want any of them to know. When the six villagers carried his litter into the warm safety of the subterranean village, he saw that it was night outside through the chimney vents in the ceiling. Most of the villagers had already bedded down, and he was taken to a tent where Rosa moved close to him immediately, not bounding to him as she had once done. When she was folded into his arms, he whispered into her ear.

  “Why did you not tell me, Rosa? When did it happen?” He asked, and she started to sob softly, her tears hot on his flesh.

  “Bumpy ride did it…seatbelt…pressure….I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want you to hate me for my failure.” She whispered back but Ivan only hugged her closer to him. “I can…I am ready…I can try again…the women here say it was just a passing thing, that we will have many young…”

  “Nyet, now is not good time. We are still in grave danger, even here. Once we are free of this country perhaps. For now, just rest…and Rosa? I love you…with all of my heart.” He replied and she immediately rose up and kissed him, long and hard. Breathing a sigh of relief, he allowed her to turn her back to him and spoon up against him, her hair had been washed with the perfumed herbs the women here were fond of and he breathed in deeply the long-missed scent. It was a good scent for her, earthy and natural, sweet and musky, he fell asleep savoring it, a slight smile on his face. His soul and body were at peace for the first time in many, many years.

  Chapter 61

  It took three days before Aleksei could corner Ivan, mainly because Ivan was avoiding him, which he knew, and it angered him. “I want to see him, Ivan.”

  “He is fine, Aleksei. You do not need to see him.” Ivan said, stubbornly, his jaw set.

  “He’s my brother, Ivan, you can’t keep me from him forever.” Aleksei countered. “I’ll just go over there myself, then, if you don’t want to take me.” He eyed the isolated hut at the far end of the enormous cave. Two guards sat on either side, and they were already watching him as if they sensed his agitation.

  “Aleksei…” Ivan sighed and, when Aleksei turned back to him, he was shocked to see Ivan merely looked tired. “I am afraid if he sees you he will lapse back into his obsessive hatred. He has been so…happy and calm since his cleansing…”

  “I…I realize that but…there are so many things I want to ask him…about what we saw in his cleansing, about Lavrov…” One of the guards was approaching and they both turned towards him as he made his way across the room.

  “Man in hut want to see him.” He said to Ivan, though Aleksei did not understand his words, he saw the gesture. “He say they need talk.”

  “Okay, if you insist.” Ivan said, then walked back beside Aleksei. “But I am coming with you and if he starts to get agitated…I am stopping this.”

  “Fine.” Aleksei said, his own jaw set, though with tension more than stubbornness. None of them but Ivan had seen Dmitri since the cleansing, so he was not prepared for what he saw when he stepped inside the hut. Sitting on a bed of furs, looking quite relaxed, was a Dmitri he hadn’t seen in years. Most notably, all of the scars on his chest were gone, and his hair was no longer gray. Instead it was its healthy, rich darkness Aleksei knew was actually more dark red than brown. “I…I do not...”

  “Cleansing heals us, Aleksei. It wipes slate clean, brings us back to better time in life. In Dmitri’s case, it brought him back to before Army, back when he was blissfully unaware of…things. Of course, he does remember everything that has happened to him, so he is young in appearance but older in years.”

  “That is how…” He started but Ivan silenced him, so he turned to Dmitri. “How are you feeling?”

  “Much better now, though they will not yet let me outside of this hut. They do not seem to trust me around their women, but I do not know why.” Dmitri shrugged, when Aleksei opened his mouth to explain he saw Ivan shake his head almost imperceptibly and changed his mind.

  “Dmitri…what I saw in your…cleansing what happened to you in army?” Aleksei asked, taking a seat on the sandy floor, cross-legged.

  Dmitri took a drink of water from a clay bowl to his right, looking like someone desperately stalling for time, but just as Ivan started to speak, he held up his hand. “It was…one of our high command officers who set it up. I…I did not remember much of it for many years, just what you saw in cleansing ceremony.”

  “Why would higher-up have grudge against seventeen year old?” Ivan asked, sitting now, clearly interested.

  “Sergei, or so I was told.” He sighed heavily. “That is why I was pleading with man, which is what you saw. I already knew Lavrov was my father, not Sergei. But of course, man who attacked me on commanders orders, he did not believe me. I was in infirmary for two weeks, and I thought for sure my military career was over. But it was not.”

  “Nyet, you had long career, good career from what I knew of it. When were you discharged? I got out about…five years ago, I think, though I try to forget…” Ivan said and Dmitri looked at him thoughtfully.

  “Do you know, I am not sure? I think was about one month before Yuri came back from America…I am reason…you know this, da?” Ivan nodded, Aleksei shook his head. “Ah, fifty-fifty. You have not told him then?”

  “I have not had time, and do not now. Go on with what you want to tell us.” Ivan said, he wanted to get back to Rosa, he did not like being away from her too long, though she seemed to be doing remarkably better.

  “I was in Black Sea region, at base there…I cannot say much more even here, now. But there was mortar attack…I got knocked out by blast-concussion. That is when nightmares returned and I started to remember what happened.” Dmitri said, not bothering to let Aleksei tell him to continue. Now that he ha
d started, it seemed he just wanted to let it all out. “Base doctors were concerned I might be…cracking up…which I was! But you know how we…how I am. I insisted I was fine. Still, they gave me unexpected leave, and so, I caught train back to Moscow, with one month of downtime to waste, I wanted to see my…to see Sergei.”

  “Does he mean so little to you, Dmitri, that you can no longer call him papa?” Ivan asked, his voice was dangerously soft, clearly he was wounded by this slight, whether imagined or real.

  “Nyet, of course that is not it. I just do not want to confuse…I will call him papa, then. I just thought if I said ‘papa’ Aleksei might think I meant Lavrov and that bastard was no father to me.” He said, then continued with his story. “As I was saying, I could think of nothing more than seeing papa and Yuri, so when I came in I was little bit surprised to find myself in middle of dinner party. As staff fussed over making me comfortable at table near papa…I could not help but noticed how close Aleksei was to Yuri, and then later…I saw them kissing…”

  “And that is what made you do what you did to Yuri?” Aleksei asked, his hands clenched into fists, though he did not seem aware of it. Somewhere in him there was definitely a fighter, he just didn’t recognize it for what it was, but Ivan did and he wondered at it.

  “Nyet. What made me do that was you, I am afraid. You are older, and I saw you as older man who attacked me. I thought you were…forcing Yuri to act that way. I never stopped once to consider that maybe Yuri was happy in that sort of…relationship.” He took another drink and gave Aleksei a very convincing apologetic look. “Plan was to have you picked up by Army, to get you away from Yuri so you could not do to him what had been done to me. But, when time came, you had gone back to London…so they took Yuri on my command instead. One fag was same as another to me…back then.” He added the last too hastily to be convincing to either of his brothers, though they wisely avoided making any eye-contact, keeping their eyes firmly on Dmitri.