The Romanov Prophecy Page 0,70

surely enough of an incentive to get them to make the necessary preparations.

A crowd gathered at the rear of the truck facing the tarpaulin, torches crackling in the night. One of them yanked the cover away.

"Shit, that stinks, " somebody hollered.

"The stench of royalty, " another said.

"Move the bodies off into the carts, " Yurovsky ordered.

Somebody grumbled about not wanting to touch the filthy things, and Ermakov hopped onto the bed. "Get these damn corpses off the truck. We have only a couple of hours until dawn and there is much to do. "

Maks realized that Ermakov was not a man to challenge. The men started hauling bloodied bundles and dropping them intodroshkies.There were only four of the wooden carts and he hoped no one counted corpses. Only Yurovsky would know the exact number, but his commander moved off with Ermakov ahead of the truck. The rest of the men who'd come from the Ipatiev house were too drunk or too tired to care about whether there were nine or eleven bodies.

The sheets were removed as each corpse was tossed into adroshkie.Maks watched as some of the men started going through the pockets in the bloodied clothing. One of the men from the execution squad told the crowd about the finds made earlier.

Yurovsky appeared and a shot rang out. "There'll be none of that. We will strip them at the burial site. But anything found is to be handed over or you will be shot on the spot. "

No one argued.

With only four carts, the decision was made that the truck should drive as far as it could with the remaining bodies, with the carts following. Maks sat on the edge of the truck bed and watched the carts roll behind as the vehicle inched forward. He knew they would have to stop at some point, leave the road, and hike into the woods. He'd heard earlier that a burial site in one of the abandoned mine shafts had been chosen. The Four Brothers, somebody called the location.

Twenty minutes passed as the truck rocked forward. Then the tires slid to a stop and Yurovsky leaped out of the cab. He walked back to where Ermakov was leading a cart. The commandant grabbed Ermakov and jammed a pistol into the man's neck.

"This is fucking shit, " Yurovsky said. "The man in the truck says he can't locate the trail back to the mine. You were all just here yesterday. Now, no memory? You're hoping I'll tire and leave you with the bodies so they can be robbed. That will not happen. Either find the trail or I'll kill you. The Ural Committee will support me, I assure you. "

Two from the execution squad sprang to their feet and the bolts of their rifles cocked in the night. Maks followed suit.

"All right, Comrade, " Ermakov calmly said. "There is no need for violence. I will personally lead the way. "

Chapter Thirteen

TWENTY-SEVEN

LORD SAW TEARS INVASSILYMAKS'S EYES.HE WONDERED HOWmany times the events had played out in the old man's mind.

"My father served in Nicholas' guard. He was assigned to Tsarskoe Selo, the Alexander Palace where the imperial family lived. The children knew his face. Especially Alexie."

"How did he come to be in Yekaterinburg?" Akilina asked.

"He was approached by Felix Yussoupov. Men were needed to infiltrate Yekaterinburg. Palace guards were favored by the Bolsheviks. They were showpieces the propagandists used to legitimatize the revolution--how Nicholas's most trusted men turned on him. Many did turn, weak souls scared for their hides, but a few were recruited as spies, like my father. He knew many of the revolution leaders, and they were glad to have him as part of the movement. It was simply luck he arrived at Yekaterinburg in time. Even more luck that Yurovsky selected him as part of the execution squad."

They were sitting at the kitchen table, having finished their lunch.

"Your father sounds like a brave man," Lord said.

"Enormously so. He took an oath to the tsar and lived that oath until the end."

Lord wanted to know about Alexie and Anastasia. "Did they survive?" he asked. "What happened?"

The old man's lips curled into a thin smile. "Something wonderful. But first, something awful."

The convoy moved on into the forest. The road was little more than a rough trail cut through mud, the going slow. When the truck became stuck between two trees, Yurovsky decided to abandon the vehicle and proceed on to the mine using thedroshkies.The remaining bodies from the truck were