Free Web NovelDmitri froze.
Because of this woman's eyes when she spoke those words.
Within her grey-blue irises, the flames of the kerosene lamp were reflected as two tiny pinpoints of light.
But behind those two pinpoints of light was something that made Dmitri Andreyevich Volkov—an old fox who had served on the Usar United Military Science Committee for fifteen years—feel a chill down his spine.
It was a kind of certainty that only someone who had seen the entire chessboard would possess.
She said nothing more.
She didn't need to.
The sound of orderly footsteps came from outside the door.
Many boots stepped onto the sodden mud; the sound of splashing water was muffled by the wind and rain, yet the rhythm was distinct and well-trained.
Dmitri recognized it.
Gendarmes.
The door was pushed open.
Four gendarmes wearing dark grey uniforms walked in.
Their uniforms differed from those of ordinary soldiers—no rank insignia, no unit numbers, no medals. The dark grey long coats were sharply tailored, leather holsters hung from their belted waists, and their boots were polished to a spotless shine.
But the most conspicuous feature was the hats on their heads.
Cornflower blue.
In the Usar Union, this color belonged to only one institution.
The Main Directorate for State Security of the People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs.
As the four men entered, rain dripped from their brims, forming small puddles on the floor. The leading officer gave the woman a standard Usar military salute.
"General."
She nodded slightly.
"Take him away."
Dmitri's face changed the moment he saw those Blue-Hat.
It began to turn grey.
A shade of grey that no living person should have.
Two Blue-Hat grabbed him by the arms from both sides.
Dmitri's legs buckled for a moment, his knees nearly hitting the floor, but he stabilized himself with an almost instinctive effort. Fifteen years in the political arena had taught him to maintain his dignity even in his most wretched moments.
He was hoisted up and dragged toward the door.
His boots made a harsh scraping sound against the floorboards.
Three steps.
Then he began to struggle—the pure, instinctive struggle of an animal being dragged to the slaughterhouse.
In the end, he failed to maintain that dignity.
His body suddenly tensed, his shoulders lunging outward as he tried to break free from the Blue-Hat' grip.
His right foot braced against the edge of the doorframe, pinning himself there like a jammed stake.
"Let me go!"
"You have no right—you don't have the authority! I am a member of the Military Science Committee—"
It was the sound squeezed from the deepest part of a fifty-three-year-old man's throat when he realized he was about to lose everything.
The Blue Hat on the left increased his pressure without expression.
Dmitri's right foot slipped from the doorframe, and his body stumbled forward a step.
"I want to see the Supreme Committee! I want to see—"
He was dragged across the threshold. freeweɓnovel.cѳm
The cold wind from the corridor rushed in, carrying the fishy scent of rainwater.
Then he began to scream insults.
"Madwoman! You're a lunatic!"
The woman sat in her chair, unmoving.
"A little brat who climbed her way up through petticoats! Who do you think you are? You think putting on a general's greatcoat makes you a general?"
The woman's hand rested on the armrest; her fingers did not move.
"Half a year! You've only been in office for half a year! You know nothing! You only know how to fight wars—do you think winning a few battles is enough to sit securely in that seat?"
Violent sounds of struggling came from the corridor. Boots kicked against the wall, making dull thuds.
A Blue Hat whispered something, likely telling him to be quiet.
Dmitri did not grow quiet.
"Do you have any idea how many people you've offended? Do you know how many are waiting to see you die? The generals, the commissioners, the people you've stepped on—every single one of them is waiting!"
The woman gazed out the window.
The rain lashed against the glass, blurring everything outside.
"You think you can change anything? You think you can win? This war isn't something you alone can—"
The voice grew further and further away, becoming blurred until it was gradually swallowed by the wind and rain.
The woman's expression never changed.
From beginning to end, she hadn't even spared him a glance.
It was as if those words were mere static coming from a radio, having nothing to do with her, nothing to do with this room, and nothing to do with anything at all.
And then—
The voice suddenly drew near again.
At the end of the corridor, he used every ounce of his strength to let out a roar that was almost a howl. The sound pierced through the hallway, through the crack in the door, and through the wind and rain, reaching clearly into the room.
"You will die a horrible death just like your family!"
The voice echoed twice between the walls.
"Your father is dead! Your mother is dead! Your—"
The flame of the kerosene lamp in the room flickered.
The chair moved.
The woman stood up.
The movement wasn't fast.
It could even be described as slow.
But that slowness wasn't lethargy or indifference.
It was the kind of slowness that came from making a decision in an instant and then executing it with absolute calm.
She walked toward the door.
The military greatcoat slipped completely from her shoulders, piling up on the chair.
The dark grey shirt clung to her thin frame, her long silver hair swaying gently behind her back.
In the corridor, Dmitri was still howling.
"—will also die in the mud like a dog! Your whole family will—"
She stepped out of the room.
The corridor wasn't long.
Gas lamps cast a dim yellow light along the walls, and rain seeped through a crack in the ceiling, forming a thin line of water on the floor.
The four Blue-Hat were dragging Dmitri toward the end of the hallway. ƒreewebηoveℓ.com
Dmitri's uniform had been torn open during the struggle, revealing the white shirt beneath, its collar soaked with sweat.
His face was flushed deep red, the veins in his neck bulging like earthworms, and saliva hung from the corner of his mouth.
He saw her.
His mouth remained open, his next sentence already at the tip of his throat.
But it wasn't spoken.
Because he saw her eyes.
Grey-blue.
The exact same grey-blue as before.
But they were different now.
Earlier, those eyes held a sense of lethargy and nonchalance—a kind of casualness unique to young people who hadn't yet taken the world seriously.
Now, everything was gone.
They were completely clear.
Like stones washed clean by rain.
Like the surface of a frozen lake in winter.
Like a person who had already passed judgment.
"Stop."
Her voice wasn't loud.
The four Blue-Hat stopped simultaneously.
It was as if by instinct.
The corridor fell silent for a moment.
There was only the sound of rain and Dmitri's heavy, ragged breathing.
She walked up to the Blue Hat closest to Dmitri.
That Blue Hat stood to Dmitri's right, his right hand gripping Dmitri's upper arm while his left hand hung naturally at his side—and on that left side, a standard-issue pistol was tucked into its holster.
She reached out.
The movement was very natural.
Like picking up a cup of tea from a table.
Her fingers curled around the grip, her thumb pushed open the holster's buckle, and the pistol was drawn out.
The Blue Hat did not stop her.
He didn't even turn his head.
He merely shifted his body slightly to make her draw smoother.
Dmitri saw the gun.
His breathing hitched.
All the rage, all the roars, all the resentment and struggle froze the instant he saw that dark muzzle.
It was replaced by fear.
A pure, primal fear, stripped ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) of all pretense.
"You... you can't..."
His voice turned into a raspy whisper.
"I am a Lieutenant General... the Military Science Committee... You can't do this without a trial..."
She raised the gun.
The muzzle was aimed directly at Dmitri's forehead.
