Maid of Baikal: A Novel of the Russian Civil War

“Very well, then,” Ivashov broke in, “If the boy joins us in time, I don’t object. The Siberian Army could make use of a sturdy lad like him, if he is willing. Meanwhile, we have work to do if we are to elude enemy agents. Zhanna, you must cut your hair short and put on men’s clothing so that you can travel unnoticed. Captain du Pont and I will see to the horses and make other arrangements.”

Now each officer took up his allotted tasks, having discussed them en route to Kostrov’s house in a sleigh separate from that of the governor-general. As Ned set off toward the stables, he noticed the banker cast a wistful glance toward his niece, as if Volkov’s order had not fully registered in his mind until then.

“For the life of me, Zhanna,” he told her, “I do not understand how you can bear to leave your family and risk being lost amid the hazards of war.”

Rising to her full height and standing over her seated uncle, Zhanna replied, “I was born for this, uncle. If I had a hundred fathers and mothers, still I would go!”

“But aren’t you afraid?” he persisted.

“I fear nothing, for God is with me and my Voices will show me the way.”

And in the next moment, Zhanna set off for the kitchen, where Kostrov’s housekeeper promptly grasped the girl by her shoulders and removed the pins from her tightly wound chignon, letting the sable hair tumble over Zhanna’s shoulders. Without a word, the woman raised a sharp pair of scissors to Zhanna’s throat and began to cut her dark tresses off at the jawline.

Chapter 8: The Supreme Ruler

“Novels arise out of the shortcomings of history.”

—Novalis

Musical Theme: Prelude in G Minor, Op. 23, No. 5, by Sergei Rachmaninoff

EARLY FEBRUARY, 1919, IRKUTSK

The four riders mounted their horses outside Kostrov’s stable under a moonless sky and set off for Angarsk before dawn. As Zhanna had predicted, young Borisov arrived on horseback at the last possible moment.

“I awoke from a dream so real I could smell the pines and feel the warmth of the horse beneath me,” he reported breathlessly. “In it I saw Zhanna dressed in military uniform, riding ahead of me and pursued by enemy riders. I awoke bathed in sweat. Twice I went back to sleep and twice the dream returned, along with the most terrible feeling that Zhanna was in grave danger. So I came at once.”

Ned and Ivashov exchanged wide-eyed looks.

“Welcome, Boris Viktorovich. I have been expecting you,” Zhanna addressed the newcomer. “I have my letter of introduction to the Admiral now and am setting out to Omsk with the captains. Will you join us?”

Borisov swallowed hard, then looked through wide eyes to Zhanna and the two officers.

“Now?” he asked, his mouth agape.

“Better today than tomorrow,” she replied. “Is it yes or no?”

“Zhanna, you know very well there is nothing I could refuse you,” Borisov answered with eyes as humble as a weary horse. “Find me pen and paper to write to my parents, and I will remain at your side until you grow sick of me.”

* * *

For much of the way, the four rode in single file through dense pine forest lightly dusted with snow. Ivashov took the lead, with Ned in the rear. In the pale slanting rays of the early morning sun, they looked like ordinary Russians in their sheepskin coats, thick felt boots, and bushy fur ushankas[26] with earflaps hanging down. Zhanna appeared very much like a boy, dressed as she was in black and gray to obscure her feminine figure. Though this was the Siberian taiga, the habitat of wolves, bears, and Bolshevik partisans, Zhanna showed no sign of fear and, to Ned’s surprise, proved to be a first-rate horsewoman.

They arrived at the Angarsk railway station by mid-afternoon without incident. Ned used his affiliation with the Railway Service Corps to secure them a quiet place to wait in a back room of the railway offices, while Ivashov and Borisov fetched them a meager lunch from the station buffet.

The armored munitions train pulled into the station shortly after sunset, hot and soot-blackened, its bow painted with a shark’s snout and bared teeth to intimidate would-be attackers. Ned gave an involuntary shudder as it rolled by and then he followed the train forward to find its American duty officer.