Russian Mystique (On Hold)

Mackenzie Kane tried her best to locate Val and Pavel, but both had just vanished. She eventually gave up and called off the guards as well. She returned to the palace and informed the king. She handed the dagger to the heart-broken Nikita. The young prince looked absolutely devastated, tears stained his eyes and, as he took the dagger, more tear drops fell. He turned around and gripped the handle of the weapon tightly in his hands.

Mackenzie held out her hand to him and whispered, “Nikita, we’ll do everything we can to find Val.”

Nikita just walked off, hanging his head and sniffling. For the rest of the day he remained locked in his room. And it wasn’t like he could go out anyway, there was steady rain that fell outside as though the sky was mourning the loss along with the prince. Mackenzie often visited him to check up on him, but the door remained shut and locked.

At one point, she walked over to one of the balcony lookout windows and gazed across the kingdom. She watched the rain fall in large pellets, hitting the dirty below and soaking the earth. She remained there for a little bit, before finally she heard the clicking sound of a door being unlocked.

Mackenzie whirled around and before she knew it, two strong manly arms wrapped around her in an embrace.

“I can’t believe Pavel betrayed me like this…I thought he was my friend!” Nikita stated.

Mackenzie patted him on the back. Again, she wasn’t much of a lover kind or a softy...but she did know pain and she felt sympathy for the young man. And she knew what he was going through. In fact, she’d lost her brother. A group of bandits had attacked her home on the other side of the city and ruthlessly killed her older brother, who’d been trying to protect her.

It had been that cruel twist of fate that had made her become a tough warrior princess for the city. And she loved the taste of victory...as well as justice. She’d tracked down the bandits after all and had executed them without hesitation. And now Nikita had lost his brother, who’d been trying to protect him. Granted Val wasn’t dead, but it was a similar case.

“I know what you are going through Nikita, I lost a brother too.”

“What do you mean?” Nikita looked at her.

Mackenzie guided Nikita’s hands to his sides and then took one of them into her own. She led him back to his room and they sat on the bed together. The warrior princess wrapped an arm around his shoulders and looked him in the eye.

“Believe it or not, I was once as scared as you were. This group of bandits attacked my family and ruthlessly killed my brother. He was trying to protect me from them, but...they didn’t seem to care. I watched in cold horror as the leader snickered wickedly and drove a sharp sword right through my brother’s chest.”

“How horrible? What was your brother’s name?”

“Patrick,” Mackenzie remarked. “Patrick died an honorable death protecting me. While they did kill him, they forgot about me and I was able to escape. I’d never been so heart-broken in my life. I joined up with a few warriors and learned how to fight. When I became strong enough, I tracked down the bandits and made them pay for killing my brother!”

“You killed them?”

“Yes. Without mercy...I don’t kill the innocent, only the wicked. When Pavel is found, I’ll run him through...or I can let you take the reins. One thing I learned, is if someone dishonors you, then they deserve to be punished.”

“I’m not a killer, Mackenzie, but if Pavel kills Val, I’ll use my telekinesis to make him pay.”

“That’s suitable.”

“But I won’t kill him. I don’t kill people.” Nikita was serious. He wasn’t a killer. He’d punish someone if need be, but never kill. He’d been taught that, killing was immoral and wrong, no matter what someone had done.

There was an awkward moment of silence, before Mackenzie turned and faced Nikita.

“Have you tried to use your telepathy on Pavel?” she asked.

“No. I mean, I did try, but he’s a sorceress or something...he won’t let me in his head, and I don’t know how to get in. I think he’s blocked me on purpose.” He hung his head low on his chest and looked down at his feet.

Mackenzie grabbed him by the chin and tilted his head back up to look at her. “Then we should go and find him.” Her eyes sparkled with the thought of an adventure.

“You mean go on a quest?”

“Yeah.”

Nikita shook his head. “Father would never allow it. Besides, if Val’s been kidnapped, who’s to say Pavel won’t come back and “finish the job”. I can’t go out there.”

“You won’t be alone. Trust me. And your father doesn’t have to know. Besides, what if you could save your brother and return a hero?”

“A hero?”

“I can help you, be there as a helper, but you can take most of the credit. Come on, Val would want you to find him…”

“You’re right. If it had been me in his shoes, I’d instantly go to the rescue….I’ll do it! For Val and for the Zadorov name!”

“There you go!” Mackenzie exclaimed, jumping to her feet with Nikita.

“But where do we begin? Where do we go?” Nikita questioned.

“Let’s start at the woods...I ended up in the center of Moscow actually, when I followed as much of the direction of Pavel’s trail as I could. And if I think back to how I tracked down those bandits, I’m thinking that Pavel’s gotta have a lair somewhere...the bandits were in a cave in a cluster of trees, hiding out. Pavel’s gotta be the same way…so let’s check out that cave!” Mackenzie explained.

“Sounds like a plan...poor Val, I hope Pavel’s not gonna kill him…”

****

As soon as Nikita fled the woods, Pavel kicked Val over the head and knocked him out. Then he picked him up and dragged him through the woods, changing into his older wizard form. He hid in a cave momentarily, withdrawing some rope from his cloak. He proceeded to bind Val’s wrists together with it and then he bound the young man’s ankles as well.

Then he scooped him up into his arms and dashed from the temporary hideout. He emerged from the trees, hearing the sounds of the angry guards. He heard footsteps behind him, but he’d made it out of the woods and was standing in the open. He spun around, just as the warrior woman burst from the brush.

She spotted him instantly and darted forward. “Drop Nikita’s brother!”

Pavel snickered however and took off running across the square. She gave chase and closed in on him, readying her sword out in front of her to strike him down. But the wizard man darted into the abandoned Olympic stadium and vanished inside.

Mackenzie skidded to a halt and looked around. “PAVEL!! Pavel Datsyuk!! I will find you, coward!! Maybe not today, but I will find you!”

Pavel crept along one of the tunnels and ducked into an open office. He hid inside, holding his prisoner still. He waiting, listening intently. No footsteps sounded and he eventually walked back to the tunnel and peered out. Mackenzie was gone. He was alone.

He leaned against the side of the tunnel for a breather and a break. He put the unconscious Val on the ground and smiled despicably as he realized he’d gotten away with the first part of his plan.

Val stirred, moaning. He blinked awake and saw Pavel hovering over him with the wicked grin. Val snapped awake and attempted to get away, but realized that his hands and feet were tied tightly by the ropes. “What the hell do you want with me, Pavel?”

“Sweet, innocent Valeri Nichushkin…-Zadorov...” Pavel squatted down and caressed one of Val’s cheeks with his hand. “Soon, Nikita Zadorov will come to rescue you...and when he does, I’ll steal his powers and kill him!”

“NO!” Val gasped and jerked his head away, struggling against the ropes. Pavel cackled, picked him back up and flung him over his shoulder. The young blond man squirmed and struggled but Pavel held him tightly in place, still laughing like a villain. “You won’t get away with it! Nikita will find me, save me and he WILL defeat you!”

“You can certainly think that, my dear boy...and hope that...but Nikita will fall. I’ve been planning this for a while..there’s no escape for him...or you.” With that Pavel walked out of the Olympic Arena with the bound Val over his shoulder.

Val grunted and screamed. “SOMEBODY, HELP!! HELP ME!!”

Pavel ignored him and continued on. They had left the city of Moscow, heading toward the mountains. No one showed up or bothered them and the wicked man was able to get to his lair with no problems. Val had stopped screaming and was now sobbing and just hanging limply on Pavel’s shoulder.

They soon entered a well lit cave at the foot of the mountains and entered it. Inside, a long tunnel twisted and turned, until it finally opened up to a massive villain-style room in a dome shape and looked like a big laboratory. In the center of the evil lair was a large cliche hole with sharks swimming around. Over it, was a metal pole...like where a villain would tie a hero up and then send them plunging down toward the shark pool.

Pavel carried Val over to a bird cage instead and roughly dropped him inside. He did untie Val’s legs and hands but he slammed the door shut and locked him inside the metal bar prison. The villain snickered, taking a step back as Val kicked and pulled at the bars, trying desperately to escape.

“Let me go!”

“As I said, there is no escape. Now, if you can behave, I might allow you to remain unbound...but so help me, if you continue to do that...these,” He held up the ropes in his hand as a threat. “will once more restrain your pretty little wrists. Capiche?”

Val stopped his fierce struggle and nodded. Then he hung his head low and made a sad, adorable look. He pouted his lip and made pleading puppy dog eyes. His baby blues shimmered in the cave lighting. But it didn’t seem to work. Pavel simply rolled his eyes and walked off, passing the shark pit.

Val sat down on the ground into the cage and looked around, scared. What was going to happen to him? Was Nikita really going to fail? This was his fault. He’d been the one to meet Pavel and the one to befriend him...not Nikita. Him. And now, he was regretting meeting the man.

He watched the villain preparing some kind of mad scientist experiment. He had two chairs set up, one for him and one for - Val could only assume - Nikita. One of the chairs had straps on it that would most likely be used to bind and restrain his poor brother. There were two silver helmets connected to a series of tubes and attached to a machine.

Pavel made sure everything was connected properly and set down a remote on the non-strap chair. Then he retired out of Val’s sight for a brief couple of seconds, before he reappeared and held a syringe in his hand. He walked back over to Val and the cage.

“What’s that?” Val asked, somberly and frightened.

“Just something that will help your imprisonment...it’s not going to kill you or be dangerous...it’s just a little potion I whipped up that will help you out. If you don’t want it, tough.” Pavel stuck his hand through the bars and rapidly shot Val in the arm, before he could do a thing. Then the villain pulled his arm out and retired once more to his evil scheme, leaving Val alone.

Low, sad, forewarning Marimba instrumental music played in the background as the young blond man began to sob once more, covering his face with his hands.

Notes

Poor Nikita...


Next up: The Quest for finding and saving Valeri Nichushkin-Zadorov begins! XP