Chapter XXVI
MASQUERAIDERS
Viktor, wake up!" Romulus said. "Masqueraiders are out. They're searching for us."
Viktor blinked. He was slouched against a building in the dark. Romulus was silhouetted by a dull red glow. The smell of smoke sparked a flood of memories: Kamdrac's house, the ride to Birstov, my family! He shot up to run, but Romulus held him back.
"Viktor, they're safe."
His heart swelled. "My family—are you telling me they're alive?"
"Shhh! Yes. They were at the Good Friday service when the fire started. Your neighbors said they're hiding with the Umskys now. I passed along word that you were alright."
Deep breaths calmed Viktor, but then his stare shifted from House 12 to 13.
Romulus sniffed. "My grandmother wasn't so lucky."
"You lost her!"
"Quiet," he pleaded. "I lost her a long time ago—that's the truth."
"What? But we have to do something—"
"Viktor, we will. We're getting into that castle, stealing the Silent Deal's evidence, and putting the Leopard down—forever. We've got to. And not just for revenge or for your family, but so that no child has to share my fate, because I wouldn't wish it on anyone."
Viktor stared at his blood brother, stripped of poise and confidence. Brokenness was all around them. The card game was life and death now.
"It's near midnight. The Crossbones Clan will expect us soon," said Romulus.
"No, we can't meet them. The twins, Arseni, Andrei—they mean to come with us, especially after what happened to Belch."
"I know. Besides ... our old plan is useless. I don't see how anyone but Masqueraiders can get inside the castle tonight."
No one but Masqueraiders, Viktor thought. "Oh—that's it! We can enter the castle as Masqueraiders. We'll go get the masks—the ones we found in the House of Cards.
"But would the guards check our identity?"
"No, the Leopard has his followers masked for a reason, right?"
"Alright. Wait here." Romulus darted back to the ruins of his grandmother's house and returned a minute later burdened with their supply packs. "I stashed these in her yard in case we needed to get to them fast."
Having no need for their old plan, Viktor threw out his juggling balls, and Romulus, his flutes. Then they set off west, winding their way into Prospekt Street, where the world had fallen into mayhem. Word of fires had spread, and the presence of the Masqueraiders increased the panic sevenfold.
Viktor and Romulus ran through backstreets lined with Brass Art. The mural of the clover-pawed lion flashed past. In front of it, Masqueraiders were searching the pockets of three young boys at knifepoint. The next street down, a foe with a fox mask stomped on the ribs of a groaning peasant. Two other Masqueraiders took a serf by his hands and feet and hurled him through the glass storefront of Barkov's Corner. Another spat on a fleeing woman, kicking her to the cobblestones.
"We have to help them!" said Viktor.
Romulus pulled him along. "We will—by finding the Silent Deal."
They picked up their pace, the House of Cards calling. Nearing Town Square, they cut around a blind corner but crashed into something solid and black. Two heavy figures blocked their path: The Spektor brothers wore vicious scowls.
"Hello, curs," Boris said.
"Just let us through," Romulus said.
"No. Not tonight. I've let you pass one too many times."
"It's not safe out," warned Viktor. "You should go home."
Younger but no less cruel, Fredek chortled. "Speaking of that, I saw your house. How's your mother—roasted like a pig? I'll bet your one-armed granddad crawled like a stinking rat and still went up in flames. He probably started it himself just to burn alive your filthy fath—"
Viktor threw a punch, but Fredek dodged and slugged him in the stomach. Bent over and wracked with pain, Viktor was an easy target. Fredek nearly cracked his jaw with a bone-on-bone punch.
Viktor blinked and found himself lying on his back with Fredek's knee heavy on his chest. Beside him, Boris again had Romulus' arm pinned back, but now Blizzard wasn't there to save him. Viktor felt something cold touch his throat, a knife.
"What are you doing?" Boris said, glancing sidelong.
Fredek moved the blade over Viktor's lips, pushing it down slowly. "Maybe I'll cut through his cheek. Or maybe I'll slice off his nose."
Viktor's eyelashes fluttered madly. He tried to speak, but the knife was pushed harder.
"Brother," barked Boris, motioning Fredek to look up. Both boys stared at the end of the alleyway, smirks spreading over their wide faces. They unleashed a few more punches to keep their victims dazed before dashing off into the night.
The Spektor brothers' flight was mysterious only for a moment, because when Viktor and Romulus glanced up, they saw two familiar Masqueraiders in white theatre masks looming over them. The comedy mask tossed a pair of iron handcuffs to each of the boys and motioned at them with an iron baton; the tragedy mask pulled out two flintlock pistols, one double-barreled.
Being captured was one way to get into the castle, but it might not mean survival. Then again, with loaded guns in their faces, there wasn't much choice: Crestfallen, the boys rose up and silently cuffed themselves. Unfortunately the comedy Masqueraider began to search their pockets ... and lately Romulus had been carrying his playing card to navigate the maze into the House of Cards.
"I—I found it—the king of spades—the one the Leopard desired!" squealed the Masqueraider in a female voice. "We must hood them and take them to Staryi!"
"No. Let's kill them here," said the other.
A chill ran down Viktor's spine. He knew that sickly voice: The tragedy mask fell to the ground, revealing blonde, dead hair, pale skin, and Miss Dimovna's cold, cruel eyes.
"You?" Romulus gawked. "Of all people, the Leopard chose a frail, old witch as one of his Masque—"
She pistol-whipped him in the jaw. "Yes, me. And I daresay you recall your previous teacher."
Viktor was dumbfounded. "M-Miss Shinsky?"
"Ogafia, how dare you—"
"Silence!" Dimovna turned to Romulus. "All year, I had a hunch about you but held my tongue. Yet now I know for certain—you have your father's card. You're Maksim's orphaned son."
"I am," Romulus said proudly.
Dimovna cocked back her pistols. "Yes, and you'll die for it."
"Stop!" hissed Miss Shinsky. "The Leopard must pass judgment on them for the card. Heed the Silent Deal!"
"Oh, the Silent Deal won't be broken. You will have killed in self-defense—it will look like that at least."
Miss Shinsky's mask tilted. "How will it look like—"
BANG!
The force of the bullet knocked Miss Shinsky off her feet. Her cape billowed back as she collapsed, dark blood spreading across the front of her robes.
"What've you done?" Viktor whispered, not believing his eyes. "You witch. You devil. You killed her!"
"No, you killed her, and she killed you," Miss Dimovna corrected, holstering the weapon and cocking back the double-barreled pistol. "That's how people will remember it, at least. See, after I kill you both and plant one pistol in her hand and the other in yours, nobody will ever know the difference. And I'll forget, too."
Tears pooled in Viktor's eyes. "You've gone mad."
"That's right—I have! And you're to blame! Torturing me with your sneers and snide remarks, destroying my reviews, ruining my schoolhouse, humiliating me at every turn: DID YOU THINK I WOULD LET THAT GO?"
Romulus smiled, exposing a mouthful of bloody teeth. "Look at you—you can't even get the right person to kill us."
"What?"
"You begged Captain Ulfrik to finish us, but he ignored you. And the Leopard—he'd rather squash you than actually listen to anything you have to say. You even got outsmarted by a youth for the entire year—by me."
"You smug little baseborn scamp! No serf could ever best me!"
With t
he pistol in his face, Romulus spoke quickly, "Then you must know how I was immune to your raps. The answer lies at the top of my bag."
That mystery had irked Dimovna all year. She couldn't resist: With the pistol against Romulus' cheek, she reached into the bag slung over his shoulder and pulled out not a knuckle guard but a golden ball—a Beehive. Viktor felt a twinge of hope.
"Careful—you'll break it!" Romulus snapped.
Falling for the trick, Dimovna took wicked pleasure in tearing the beehive open like a bread roll. Then came her scream as a multitude of bees swarmed, stinging her fingers and face.
Romulus tried to charge but tripped over Miss Shinsky's cold body. Viktor jutted forward; Miss Dimovna's pistol slammed him in the neck. He sprawled to the ground, his cuffed hands robbing him of balance.
Miss Dimovna pointed the pistol at Romulus on his knees. Her face was swelling and sweaty. "Die now."
Viktor winced, his eyelids barely cracked open as he watched Dimovna pull the trigger. Yet just as she did, her head suddenly snapped forward.
BANG! Ziow!
The bullet missed Romulus by a mile and ricocheted off the alleyway wall, and at the same time Miss Dimovna collapsed, apparently knocked out cold. For a moment Viktor was bewildered, but then he looked up from his teacher's still form to see two girls silhouetted in the night.
Evenova seemed to be smiling. Charlotta, however, was sniffling and held Miss Shinsky's iron baton in her trembling hand. Viktor would have voiced his shock then, but Charlotta launched herself at his kneeling form, wrapping him in a hug that put him on his back. The next thing he knew his cheek was wet with foreign tears and his face and mouth were smothered in silky blonde hair. With his hands locked in place, he couldn't do much but lie there.
"I saw your house burning," Charlotta murmured in his ear. "I was so scared you were dead."
"Me too," said Viktor, feeling such of rush of emotion that his mind and his words were in disconnect. "How did you know?"
"Know to find you?" Charlotta raised her head and stared down at him tearfully. "Once the fires started, we figured you would be in trouble, so we went searching."
"Yeah," said Evenova, "and lucky for you two Dimovna's voice is like nails on a blackboard. We'd have been deaf not to hear her." Evenova pressed against Romulus and—using a key she'd found on their teacher—finally succeeded in unlocking his cuffs.
Viktor saw Charlotta look confused as the key was tossed her way, but then, realizing that his hands were still in manacles, she blushed terribly and shifted her weight off of his chest. She was self-conscious for the rest of the time it took her to free him, but Viktor couldn't help but smile inwardly once he was back on his feet.
"So ... what do we do with the witch?" Evenova asked, poking a passed-out Dimovna with her boot. "She's still very much alive."
"Let her sleep," Romulus grunted, collecting Dimovna's Masqueraider cloak and mask, as well as Miss Shinsky's. "She won't matter if me and Viktor succeed tonight."
"Succeed in what?" Evenova demanded. "What do you want their uniforms for?"
Romulus glanced at Viktor.
"We have to find the Silent Deal," Viktor said.
"You're still going off about that stupid contract?" said Evenova.
"It's not stupid," growled Viktor. "In the proper hands it'll bring down the Leopard."
Evenova put her hands on her hips and took inventory in a whisper. "Cloaks, masks, bags full of weapons. You can't be serious. You're trying to get into the castle!"
Viktor glared. "We don't have a choice. I told you—we have to find the Silent Deal."
"Then we'll help you," said Charlotta, suddenly breaking her silence.
"No you won't," Viktor said.
"Yes, you need us," Evenova said. "Think about it: You need Masqueraiders to escort you in—that's the only way to get past the guards."
"Not if we dress up like Masqueraiders," Viktor argued.
"The guards wouldn't let you in—even if you did show them the card. They want to find the card-holders," said Charlotta.
"But," Evenova said, "with us disguised as Dimovna and Shinsky, we could show them the spades card and bring you two inside. You would be hooded, but your cuffs wouldn't be locked, so once inside, we could all break free and search for this super-silent-important-document thing."
"No, absolutely not! You can't come!" Viktor looked to his blood brother for help, but as usual, Romulus was calculating the problem free of emotion.
"You can come under one condition," he said finally. "After we're in, you have to go back to the gate. Tell the guards we were passed off or that the Leopard has us in custody. I don't care what you say, but after that—no matter what—you must leave."