Steve Berry - The Romanov Prophecy

Thorn had early on announced that a cabinet ministry would be appointed to help rule. He'd enlisted Semyon Pashenko as an advisor and charged the leader of the Holy Band with structuring a government. There would also be an elected Duma, one with enough of a voice to ensure that no monarch would have absolute power. The rule of law would be honored. Russia must force itself into the new century. Isolationism was no longer possible.

Now this simple man was sitting on the Diamond Throne, his wife beside him, both looking cognizant of their responsibilities.

The church was filled with dignitaries from around the world. The English monarch had come, along with the president of the United States and prime ministers and heads of state from every major nation.

There'd been a great debate over whether the new tsar would be II or III. Nicholas II's brother had been named Michael and supposedly ruled for a day, before himself abdicating. But the Tsarist Commission had silenced any argument when it decided that Nicholas had been able to renounce the throne only for himself, not for his son, Alexie. At his abdication, therefore, his son and not his brother had become tsar. Which meant that Nicholas's direct descendants retained the sole claim to throne. Michael Thorn, as the nearest male in line, would be known as Mikhail II.

It had been Thorn's friend in the North Carolina Attorney General's office who'd summoned a representative of the State Department to Genesis the day after Taylor Hayes died. The U.S. ambassador to Russia was called, and he immediately appeared before the Tsarist Commission to reveal what had transpired seven thousand miles away. A final vote was delayed pending the heir's arrival before the commission, which occurred three days later to much fanfare and worldwide attention.

DNA testing positively confirmed Michael Thorn as a direct descendant of Nicholas and Alexandra. His mitochondrial genetic structure matched Nicholas's exactly, even containing the same mutation scientists had found when Nicholas's bones were identified in 1994. The probability of error was less than a thousandth of 1 percent.

Again, Rasputin had been right. God will provide a way to be sure of righteousness.

Rasputin had also been right about another prediction. Twelve must die before the resurrection can be complete. First four in Moscow, including Artemy Bely, then the guard in Red Square, Pashenko's associate in the Holy Band, then Iosif and Vassily Maks, finally Feliks Orleg, Droopy, and Taylor Hayes. A procession of eleven corpses from Russia to the United States.

But one more must be added to the casualty list to make twelve.

Alexie, a six-year-old borzoi.

They'd buried the dog in the cemetery only paces away from his namesake, Thorn believing the animal had earned the right to dwell eternally with Romanov ancestors.

Lord's attention was drawn to the altar as Michael Thorn rose from the throne. Everyone else in the church was already standing. Thorn was wearing a silk robe that had been draped across his shoulders two hours before in the first act of the coronation ceremony. He adjusted the folds and gently knelt, while everyone else remained standing.

Patriarch Adrian approached.

In the silence that followed, Thorn prayed.

Adrian then anointed the forehead with holy oil and administered an oath. In a building built by Romanovs, protected by Romanovs, and ultimately lost by Romanovs, a new Romanov assumed the mantle of power, one that had been stolen through murder and ambition.

The patriarch slowly placed a gold crown on Thorn's head. After a moment of prayer, the new tsar rose and approached his wife, who also wore a beautiful silk robe. She stood from her throne and knelt before him. Thorn placed the same crown on her head, then replaced it on his. Thorn then led his wife back to her throne, seated her, and sat beside her.

A steady procession of Russian dignitaries approached to swear allegiance to the new tsar-generals, government ministers, Thorn's two sons, and many of the surviving Romanov family, Stefan Baklanov included.

The would-be tsar had escaped the scandal by denying any involvement and challenging anyone to prove the contrary. He professed no knowledge of any conspiracy and proclaimed that he would have been a good ruler, if chosen. Lord thought the move smart. Who could have come forward implicating Baklanov in treason? Only fellow conspirators, and no one seriously believed they would ever say anything. The Russian people appreciated his candor and he remained popular. Lord knew without a doubt that Baklanov had been deeply involved. Maxim Zubarev had told him so. A willing puppet. He'd questioned whether to challenge Baklanov, but Thorn had vetoed the idea. There'd been enough dissension. Let it die. And Lord finally agreed. But he couldn't help wondering if they'd made the right decision.

He glanced at Akilina. She was watching the ceremony through damp eyes. He reached over and gently grasped her hand. She was radiant in a pearl-blue dress trimmed in gold. Thorn had arranged for the garment and she'd been grateful for his thoughtfulness.

He caught her gaze with his own. She returned his touch with a light squeeze of her hand. He saw affection and admiration reflecting from the eyes of a woman he'd come to perhaps love. Neither of them was sure what was going to happen. He'd stayed in Russia because Thorn wanted him and Akilina nearby. Lord had even been asked to remain on as a personal adviser. Though an American, he came with a stamp from the past. He was the raven. The one who had helped resurrect the blood of the Romanovs. In that capacity, his presence in what would otherwise be a devotedly Russian scene seemed fitting.

But Lord was undecided about staying in Russia. Pridgen amp; Woodworth had offered him a promotion. Head of the International Division. Taylor Hayes's replacement. He would vault ahead of others, but he'd earned the privilege, his name now known worldwide. He was considering that offer, but what stopped him was Akilina. He didn't particularly want to leave her, and she'd expressed a strong desire to stay and work with Thorn.

The ceremony ended and the newly crowned monarchs walked from the church, wearing, just as Nicholas and Alexandra had in 1896, brocaded mantles embroidered with the Romanov double-headed eagle.

Lord and Akilina followed them out into a brisk midday.

The gold onion domes of the four surrounding churches glistened in a bright sun. Cars awaited the tsar and tsarina, but Thorn declined. Instead he shed his mantle and robe and led his wife across the cobbles toward the Kremlin's northeast wall. Lord and Akilina accompanied them and he noticed the vibrant look sweeping Thorn's face. Lord, too, sucked in the brisk air and felt rejuvenation for both himself and a nation. The Kremlin was once again the fortress of the tsar-a people's citadel, as Thorn had come to call it.

At the base of the northeast wall a wooden staircase rose sixty feet to the ramparts. The tsar and tsarina slowly wound their way up, and Lord and Akilina climbed next. Beyond the wall was Red Square. Open cobblestones now spanned the spot where Lenin's tomb and the Tribunes of Honor had once stood. Thorn had ordered the mausoleum leveled. The towering silver firs had been allowed to remain, but the Soviet graves were no more. Sverdlov, Brezhnev, Kalinin, and all the others were dug up and reburied elsewhere. Only Yuri Gagarin was allowed to remain. The first man in space deserved a place of prominence. Others would follow. Good, decent people whose lives would be worth honoring.

Lord watched as Thorn and his wife approached another platform just below the merlons, high enough to elevate them above the wall. Thorn smoothed his suit and turned. "My father told me about this moment. How I would feel. I hope I'm up for this."