“Now stay dead, you bastard,” said Sheppard.
A couple of minutes later, Ivanov and his men brought out Mrs. Alekseev’s body. It was wrapped respectfully in a blanket.
Sheppard placed his hand on the blanket. “Don’t you worry none ma’am, I’ll make sure your secret and your granddaughter stay safe with me. You have my word on it,” said Sheppard respectfully.
In silence, the men made their way back to Shipov’s train. Sheppard was too exhausted to even notice the wreckage of the once mighty Red train and its dead occupants strewn all around it.
CHAPTER 23
GOING HOME
Sheppard trudged along. His mind was clouded. His body seemed to ache in every joint and muscle from all the punishment and abuse it had taken over the past day. He was holding on to a corner of the blanket containing Mrs. Alekseev. He wasn’t sure what to do next, but he knew that everything had changed in his life, that the rules of the game had been rewritten the instant Nadya lost her grandmother.
“Sir, sir, are you okay?” asked Campbell as he walked over to see his battered companion.
Sheppard looked up at Campbell’s wide smile and felt relieved to see him standing there. “I’m all right, I guess. Harry, we need to find somewhere to place Mrs. Alekseev.”
Campbell looked down at the blanket. “Damn. That’s just not fair. I’ll empty out one of our crates; she should be able to lie inside.”
“Thanks, Harry. By the way, it is good to see you again. It’s been a long few days,” said Sheppard with a grin.
“Yeah, me too, sir,” replied Campbell, as he shook Sheppard’s hand and then headed off towards the back of the train to find a makeshift coffin for Mrs. Alekseev.
Shipov called out, hobbled over to Sheppard, and then offered him his hand. “You are one lucky man Christopher Sheppard. I think you must be part Cossack,” Shipov said, grinning from ear to ear.
Sheppard shook Shipov’s hand and then wearily looked the colonel in the eye. “Yuri, we’ve done it. But at what cost? Your men, Mrs. Alekseev, so many others killed and for what?”
“Christopher, we can mourn the dead and philosophise on whether we did the right thing or not later,” replied Shipov. “For the moment, I need you to get that arm looked at and for us to get moving before first light.”
A delicate hand touched Sheppard’s shoulder. “Mister Sheppard, can I take a look at your wound?” asked Elena with a smile on her face.
Sheppard was suddenly very fatigued and wondered when he would bottom out and pass out from exhaustion. “Pardon?”
Elena flashed her first-aid bag in front of Sheppard’s face. “Sir, I need to check your wound.”
“Oh, sorry Elena, yes of course, please carry on.”
Elena carefully removed Sheppard’s shirt and then examined his shoulder. “It’s nasty looking but not very deep, and thankfully quite clean,” said Elena. “His knife must have been very sharp. It looks like he cut about a six-inch gash into your shoulder. I can tell you this captain, it is lucky that he wasn’t an inch or two closer. He might have taken your whole arm off.”
Sheppard winced as Elena poured iodine straight into the open wound.
“Come now, sir, a brave officer like you shouldn’t fret over a little ointment,” said Elena, toying with Sheppard.
“You try this next time then.”
Elena finished cleaning and dressing the wound. “Good as new, sir,” she said as she helped Sheppard put his shirt back on.
Sheppard thanked Elena and then went in search of Nadya. It did not take long for him to find her. She was standing with Campbell beside the makeshift casket containing her grandmother. He moved beside her and placed his good arm on her shoulder. She nuzzled in and placed her head on his shoulder.
“I am so sorry, Nadya. If I could have given my life for hers, I would have,” said Sheppard.
“I don’t know what to do Christopher. She was my whole life. I have never been alone,” Nadya sobbed.
“You’re not alone. I’ll take care of you. I promised your grandmother that, and I will live up to it, you have my word on it.”
Nadya reached up, took Sheppard’s hand, and squeezed it tight. “I know you will Christopher. I trust you.”
They both stood there silent, lost in thought.
“Sir, I’m sorry, but we need to load Mrs. Alekseev onto the train and get ready to leave,” said Campbell, trying not to sound callous to Sheppard and Nadya.
“Right you are Harry,” replied Sheppard. He then turned and looked down the train. “Private Zakharov,” he bellowed.
Elena came at the double. “Yes sir.”
“Please escort Miss Alekseev on board and then remain with her until relieved by Mister Campbell or myself.”
Elena saluted Sheppard and then took Nadya by the arm and led her away from her grandmother.
“Care to give me a hand, Harry?” asked Sheppard as he positioned himself at one end of the crate.
“Of course sir,” relied Campbell, picking up the other end.
Both men lifted up the crate and then gently placed it inside an open door of the train. Sheppard gave orders to two waiting soldiers for the remains to be placed out of sight.
Shipov moved down the length of the train, giving orders to his men to get a move on. Upon seeing Campbell and Sheppard standing there, he walked over to them.
“My friends, we need to get moving. There was a junction about ten miles back. According to my map, it leads east to Harbin—and safety.”
Sheppard took one more look around at the devastation. Fatigued and saddened at their losses, he climbed ever so slowly onto the train, trying to avoid further injury to his shoulder. He and Campbell found an unoccupied corner near Nadya and Elena, and then collapsed onto the wooden floor.
“Well sir, do you think it’ll be as easy as the colonel says? You know, getting from here to Harbin,” asked Campbell.
Sheppard grabbed an abandoned greatcoat and formed it into a makeshift pillow. “God, I hope so Harry. I can’t take much more of this.” He laid his weary head down and instantly fell asleep.
Sheppard felt his leg being pulled. He thought it was just a dream, but it persisted no matter how much he wished it away. A distant voice filled his mind, and soon Sheppard recognized a familiar voice.
“Sir, sir, I’m sorry to wake you, but I need you to get up. Colonel Shipov says he wants to talk with you,” said Campbell as he continued trying to shake Sheppard back into the world of the living.
“Damn it Harry, please stop it. I’m awake, I’m awake,” answered Sheppard, slowly opening his eyes. As he sat up the pain seemed to seep out of a thousand wounds on his bruised and battered body. His stomach rumbled loudly. “Harry, please be a good fellow and find us something to eat, would you?”
Campbell pulled a couple of tins of appropriated Red Army rations from behind his back. “Already way ahead of you, sir.”
Sheppard found Shipov forward on the lead flat car.
“My God Christopher, you look like death warmed over,” said Shipov, only half-joking.
“Colonel, I’ll have to agree with you on that one,” Sheppard said as he sat down and continued to devour the tasteless grey meat out of the Red Army-issued can in his hands. He stopped eating for a moment, looked skyward, and saw that the sun was already high in the sky. “Yuri, what bloody time is it?”
Shipov glanced at his pocket watch. “It’s just after four in the afternoon.”
“I can’t believe it. I slept for close to twelve hours. I must have been well and truly knackered.”
“Christopher, it will take us a day or so to reach the border, and then a day or so to make it to Harbin,” said Shipov. “We must stop and bury our dead.”
Sheppard looked down at his feet, as if trying to avoid the subject. “Yes, of course Yuri, you are quite correct. What’s your plan?”
“Sometime just before nightfall we will stop the train and bury our honoured dead. Christopher, that includes t
he late Mrs. Alekseev. I need you to tell the girl that she must leave her grandmother behind. It’s heartbreaking I know, but we have to. She’s been standing vigil over her casket ever since first light this morning.”
Sheppard knew that Shipov was right he just didn’t know how he was going to break the news to Nadya. “Alright, Colonel, I’ll sit here for a minute or two to collect my strength and then tell her,” said Sheppard.
The train carried on through the wide-open expanse. Each hour brought them all one step closer to safety.
Sheppard walked back, asked Elena to join him, then, just as Shipov had said, he found Nadya sitting on a stool keeping guard over her late grandmother.
“Nadya, why don’t you come and sit with me for a while?” said Sheppard.
“I want to be here, with grandmamma,” Nadya replied, looking down at the makeshift casket.
“It’s going to be all right, Nadya. Elena can stand guard for a few minutes. Can’t you, Elena?”
“Not a problem, sir. I would be honored to stand by such a brave woman for a while. Please take a break and have something to eat, before you fall down,” said Elena to Nadya.
Sheppard led Nadya by the arm until they found a space at the back of the carriage with a little privacy. They sat down together. Sheppard took her hands and then looked into her sad bloodshot blue eyes.
“Nadya, I know you don’t want to hear this, but we must bury your grandmother tonight, along with some of Colonel Shipov’s men.”
“No!” wailed Nadya. “She must come with me.”
Sheppard wrapped his arms around Nadya and tried to comfort her as best he could. “I’m sorry Nadya, but this needs to be done, and it must be done tonight. Your grandmother would understand.”
“I can’t leave her, not here,” said Nadya. Tears streamed down her face.
“She won’t be alone. Several brave sons and daughters of Russia will be staying behind, guarding her forever,” consoled Sheppard, holding Nadya tight to him.
Nadya buried her head in Sheppard’s chest and began to sob uncontrollably.
Father Grigory solemnly walked beside the open graves. His long hair and grubby beard did not look so odd anymore when compared to the filthy and unkempt appearance everyone else also exhibited. Grigory led the assembled company in prayer and then stopped at each grave, giving his blessing before moving along to the next.
Major Baranov had organized a firing party, and as each body was laid in the ground, his men fire off a salute to their fallen comrades.
Sheppard stood beside Nadya and was surprised by how strong she looked on the outside, considering the fact that she was now literally all alone in the world. The Reds had murdered both her real father and her adoptive family. Sheppard knew that she must be feeling awful, but on her face, she wore a practiced expression of stoic resolve for all to see.
When the service was over, Sheppard walked back to the train and left Nadya alone with her grandmother for a while. He found Shipov and Campbell discussing the plans for the journey ahead.
“A truly incredible girl,” said Shipov, looking back at Nadya.
“Yes, she’s well and truly one of a kind,” replied Sheppard truthfully.
“Is it true? Can she really foretell the future?” asked Shipov.
“Oh, I’m not sure about it, but she honestly believes it,” replied Sheppard.
“Interesting.”
“Anyway, changing the topic, what were you two discussing before I sauntered over?” asked Sheppard.
“Sir, I was asking the colonel about our prospects from here on out. I don’t want to tangle with them Reds anymore,” said Campbell.
“Well, what about it Yuri?” asked Sheppard.
“Before we started on our little journey across Asia, my sources told me that, should we make it this far, our only problem from here on out would be from local Mongolian or Chinese warlords operating their mini fiefdoms along our route.”
“So, we’re not out of the woods yet, are we?” asked Sheppard.
“None of this sounds good to me,” moaned Campbell.
“Ah, gentlemen, you have little faith. Remember our friend from the embassy in Constantinople. The one with the gold,” said Shipov.
“Yes, of course I do. Odd little fellow,” replied Sheppard.
Shipov rubbed his injured leg and then continued. “Well, his gift, or should I say the British government’s gift of gold was just for this type of challenge. In a word gents, we are going to buy our way out of Mongolia, and when we reach the border we will hand this train or the gold over to the most powerful warlord we find in exchange for transport to Harbin.”
“Well, Yuri, you seem to have thought of everything,” said Sheppard, quite amazed at Shipov’s resilience and resourcefulness.
Sheppard left his companions and walked over to Nadya Alekseev. He placed his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close to him. “You did well today Nadya. Your grandmother would have been very proud of you.”
“I wanted to cry Christopher, I really wanted to, but I did not think such a thing would have been proper in front of so many strangers,” said Nadya as she bent down, picked up some loose earth and then tossed it back onto the grave.
“You may be a special young woman, but there is no shame in crying Nadya, it’s only natural.”
Reaching over, Nadya took Sheppard’s hand in hers. “Now what Christopher? What are we going to do?”
“I don’t know; I truly don’t know. I'll work something out. I have family all over the world you know.”
Sheppard and Nadya stood over Mrs. Alekseev’s resting place, not saying a word as the sun slowly set in the west.
CHAPTER 24
LOOSE ENDS
Sheppard couldn’t remember the last time he had felt so relaxed. His cabin on board the steamship Dallas was nothing special, but compared to what he had become used to over the past couple of months, it was the height of luxury. Campbell was on the other side of the hallway from him, and Nadya and Elena were sharing a room adjacent to Campbell. Sheppard finished washing up and then put on his new clothes bought with what was left of the gold that they had started out with in Constantinople. He still felt the wound in his shoulder ache, so he put his shirt on slowly and then headed out onto the main deck to talk with Shipov. He found him talking with a few of his men, so he strolled over and joined the conversation.
“Ah, Mister Sheppard, so kind of you to join us,” Shipov joked.
“Well, Colonel, to tell you the truth, I was so comfortable in my room that I nearly didn’t,” replied Sheppard.
Both men had a good laugh.
“Yuri, can we talk alone for a few minutes?” Sheppard said, taking Shipov by the arm.
Sheppard led Shipov to the starboard railing, where they stood watching the ship’s crew complete their loading before heading out to sea.
“Yuri, are you sure I can’t convince you to come with us?”
“Sorry, Christopher, we have been through this several times already. I have made up my mind. I, along with Grigory, Ivanov, Baranov, and what’s remaining of my men, must carry on.”
“But Yuri, there are so few of you still alive. There is no way that you can defeat the whole Red Army all by yourselves. I know you don’t want to hear it, but Yuri, you’ve got to face the facts—the war is over. You’ve lost. Look around you. The world has abandoned Russia.”
“Christopher, I am a Russian and I will die a Russian. We, my men and I, are in full agreement on this. We will stay in Harbin and do what we can for our country and our families.”
Sheppard knew there was no way he could ever change Shipov’s mind. With a smile, he offered his hand. “Colonel, I think this is sheer folly, but so far you seem to have the devil’s luck. Perhaps your luck will hold.”
Shipov took Sheppard’s hand and shook it firmly. “Goodbye, Christopher Sheppard, I hope that you find happiness in the world.”
“You too, Yuri, you too. Oh, by the way, find a way to kee
p in touch. I figure I owe you a favor for all you have done for me.”
“A favor? What on earth could you do for me?” said Shipov, with a grin on his weathered face.
“That’s easy. All you have to do is ask. I’m from a filthy rich family, so, by extension, I am also filthy rich. I don’t have a real job and bore easy, so don’t be shy about asking.”
“Goodbye, Captain Sheppard.”
“Until we meet again, Colonel Shipov,” said Sheppard, saluting the colonel.
Shipov returned the salute. Then, with his small band of soldiers, he left the ship and walked off into the milling crowd on the busy dock.
Sheppard watched them leave, feeling sorry for his compatriots. They had given so much and in the end gained nothing. Their homes were gone and they had no prospect of ever living peacefully in Russia ever again. Sheppard took a deep breath of salty air and started to think about what he could do to help Yuri and all the other men who had saved his life in Mongolia.
Their trip across the Pacific from China to San Francisco was quiet and uneventful. Harry Campbell, true to form, stayed in his cabin below decks for most of the journey, while Sheppard and Nadya spent many days roaming the ship, lost in each other’s company.
As before, the only way to travel over the wide-open expanse of a large country was by train, so Sheppard and party bought passage from the west to the east coast of the United States.
“My God, this country must be as big a Russia,” said Campbell as he watched the Great Plains fly past the window of their train carriage.
“Russia larger,” retorted Elena proudly in broken English. She had proven to be a quick study and her English improved with each passing day.
“Well, I didn’t mean to offend anyone. When you grow up in London, the outside world just seems so damn big,” explained Campbell.
The Last Eagle (A Christopher Sheppard Adventure Book 1) Page 28