The Morning Star

by Robin Bridges

Chapter Sixteen

 

  Danilo escorted me on his arm up to the first-class deck, which held the dining room, the smoking room, and the billiards room. I heard one of the passengers in the hallway mentioning a library as well. I hoped I'd be allowed some freedom while we were on board. It was obvious I could not escape back to Russia from here.

  The dining saloon for the first-class passengers on the steamer was a beautiful mahogany-paneled room with heavy velvet drapes blocking out the blazing setting sun. The plush red carpet was decorated with golden medallions. An enormous chandelier swayed gently as we passed beneath it. We had been lucky to have calm seas on the Mediterranean so far.

  The oyster pie and beef Wellington were both excellent, and I enjoyed dinner despite myself. Of course, it had been days since I'd had a proper meal, and the chloroform was now completely out of my body.

  Danilo signaled to the waiter to refill my glass of wine. "You look beautiful tonight, Katerina. "

  I was suddenly suspicious of the wine. I decided not to drink any more and sipped from my water goblet instead. Ignoring his compliment, I asked, "How long have you been planning this journey?"

  "Ever since I discovered the existence of the sword. "

  "How did you learn of it?"

  "An ancient book of Johanna's. And something Militza discovered during her honeymoon in Egypt. " His voice was strange again. Not quite Danilo's, not quite Konstantin's. He was turning into a completely new personality altogether. The thought frightened me. I would have never believed such a thing possible. "Johanna had a book about the Grigori and their years of service to Vlad Dracul. The Impaler at one time wielded the Morning Star himself. "

  "How did he acquire it?" I asked as the waiter whisked our plates away and replaced them with berry compotes and a plate of cheeses and fruits.

  "He stole it from the Ottoman pasha. Unfortunately, the Ottomans stole it back at Vlad's deathbed. "

  "How did the sword end up in Egypt?" I asked. The compote was heavily spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg and something else I could not place.

  "It's believed to be hidden in the ruins of an ancient Coptic chapel. Or it could be hidden within the Graylands. "

  Coptic? I'd never been anywhere near this far from home before. The thought filled me with despair. George would never be able to find me once we reached Egypt.

  Danilo drank the last of his wine and watched me. His eyes had changed again, and now they were no longer his piercing black, nor were they the emerald green of the lich tsar's. Instead, they'd blended to a grayish hazel. The color was startling against Danilo's olive skin, and not unattractive. That was a disturbing thought that I pushed out of my mind as swiftly as I could.

  "Come, I have a gift for you. " He reached into his coat pocket and drew out a piece of jewelry.

  "That's not necess-" I started, but then I saw what he held in his hand. "How did you get that?"

  It was the Talisman of Isis. It belonged in the Vorontsov Palace with the Order of St. Lazarus. Miles away from where we were.

  He smiled. "Do not concern yourself with how I obtained it. I believe it will prove extremely useful, Duchess. " He stood up behind me and placed the talisman around my neck. I shivered as his cold fingers brushed against my bare skin. As a necromancer, I was the only one who could use the talisman. It allowed me to summon undead beings to my aid. But I was loathe to do so, and I prayed that it would not be necessary.

  "Why do you even need me?" I asked, thankful when he began to pace the room. It made me nervous when he stood so close to me. Konstantin had once been a sorcerer, and if he was using Danilo's body, he would have no problem drawing upon all of his powers and using the Morning Star to fight the bogatyr.

  "Why?" He stared at me with his strange hazel eyes. "Because I must have a necromancer for a bride, Katerina. You shall be the next empress of all the Russias. And the mother of the next heir to the throne. "

  A wave of nausea rolled in my stomach. "I will never marry you," I said. But I was scared and uncertain. I had no way of defending myself against him. What if he took me by force?

  Danilo laughed, my thoughts crystal clear to him. "Your precious virtue is safe, Katerina. For the moment. We shall marry in St. Petersburg in front of the church patriarch and all of the Romanovs. " He stopped his pacing and walked around behind me, lifting a loose curl from my shoulder. "And then, dear Katerina," he whispered in my ear, "then you will be mine. "