The Flaming Tsar and the Magicborn

Epilogue

1897
Saint Petersburg, Russia

24 hours had passed since the Czar and his magical allies had defeated Brother Dmitriy; the cruel priest in question was currently sitting in a jail cell, awaiting his punishment. Many people had heard about the arrests from eyewitnesses who had been at the church where the fight took place. Anyone who didn't know about the fight or the arrests soon found out.

Vasily stood in front of the door to the cell; he had a sword in his hand. He knew what he had to do. Vasily said to Dmitriy, "I bet you think that you have won, haven't you? All of your secrets have been exposed and all your sins are being addressed by the priests. The head priest is weeping due to these perverse sins, and even the people working for the revolution are calling for your execution."

"What of it, boy?" Dmitriy snapped.

"What of it, you ask?" said Vasily. "All I know that the families who had supported you have been destroyed. You should know who I'm talking about; the Shapiros, the Smirnovs, the Syomins, and the Englegardts. All of them supported you, and now most of them are dead. I'm the only male heir to George Shapiro's fortune since his only son died without a wife or children, and my aunt Lizena will likewise die unmarried and childless. Of the family of Nichollo Smirnov, all but Anastasia, Reuben, and Vladimir are dead. Reuben's wife is expecting a child and Vladimir and his wife are currently raising a daughter. Edik and Miron Syomin are the only remaining members of their family who are still alive. And Jaromir is Count Nikodim's only child, yet he is a bastard. My sisters are slaves to that evil Magorious Hoffelbax, who is the great-grandfather of my littlest sister. I know that you're responsible for the deaths of five of that man's children, and I know that he looks forward to your execution."

Dmitriy glared at Vasily as he continued, "And the czar wants me to inform you that his wife has given birth to their second daughter this morning, and my father and sisters were among the first to offer their congratulations. But there is no place for you now, and you won't be baptizing the Grand Duchess Tatiana Nicholaevna, just as you refused to baptize her older sister Olga. The czar has signed your death warrant this morning, and he wants a public execution."

"That man has no right to demand anything," Dmitriy snapped. "He's a fool who's being controlled by the magical world and that Magorious Hoffelbax. That man is very cruel..."

"...because you killed five of his children and two of his grandchildren," said Vasily. "Hadassah is one of Magorious's great-grandchildren, in case you weren't paying attention the first time I told you that, and now she has to spend the rest of her life without her mother. Since Hadassah's mother Jessica was Nichollo Smirnov's stepdaughter, Nichollo's daughter Anastasia is now paying for her father's sins. She's now a slave, and she'll spend the rest of her life serving Magorious's household, if she's not killed by an angry person who was a victim of the Smirnov family's evil deeds first..."

Dmitriy said, "I did everything I could to help keep you alive, boy. And how do you thank me? By throwing me off the bridge and flocking to the Czar..."

"Nicholas is not Alexander, and he's certainly not his grandfather, thank you very much," said Vasily. "And you better be grateful that they aren't the ones who ordered your execution, even though they should, for all the horrible things you have done while they were your czar."

He then turned away from the priest, leaving him high and dry.

* * * * *

At the same time, Anastasia Smirnov watched as Lara and her son Gavril talking as they strolled around the garden. After the fight had ended, Anastasia was immediately sent to the servant's quarters to wash and dress for the execution of Brother Dmitriy. She frowned, wondering how much damage her parents had done to the czar and his family as a whole.