Chapter XXI
MAKSIM'S MEMOIRS
Viktor wished he could have stayed and read with Romulus, but dawn was approaching, so he hurried back home and changed for the new day. At school, Miss Dimovna kept an eye on him, no doubt dwelling on the death sentence she'd placed on his head. Then in the evening, Viktor sat and watched healers treat his father's wounds; it would be weeks before Vassi could return to the mines—weeks without pay.
Viktor bit his tongue and bided his time. When night fell, he slipped out of the house, through the forest, and into the Den, desperate to discover what the diary revealed.
"Did you read it?" he asked.
Romulus nodded slowly, sitting on the ground beside a fire of smoldering ashes.
"Does everything make sense now—the Silent Deal—the secret of the cards—the Leopard?"
Romulus looked up with dark eyes. "Here. Read it—alone."
Viktor took the leather journal cautiously. "We can talk about it later, yes?"
"Yeah."
Back at his house, Viktor wrapped himself tightly in a blanket, sat behind his bed, and lit a lone candle. Ignoring Grandpap's snores, he opened the leather book, cast his eyes on the first page, and immersed himself in a different world, the truest form of magic.
Maksim's Memoirs
2 May 1806
My name is Maksim Fammus and today is my twelfth birthday. I am a house serf with my mother in Staryi Castle. Lord Luski is kind and lets me sit in on writing lessons for noble children. This diary is his present to me.
Viktor leaned back, already struck by Maksim's unusual upbringing. As he read on, the boy wrote passages about being a stable hand for Lord Luski. A wild horse had trampled and killed his father, but Maksim seemed set on becoming a master of horses, and his overseer, Agripin, agreed he had the skill. But then came a passage that took both Viktor—and Maksim—by surprise.
18 October 1806
Lord Luski has changed my job. Now I am to befriend his relative, Nocktayl, a boy new to Staryi Castle. He comes from Yekaterinburg in the south. I am sorry to leave the horses, but now I can attend lessons at Nocktayl's side. I have long wanted a friend my age, even if I am to be his servant. I only know Adelaida.
The reference to Romulus' mother took Viktor off guard, yet it was the other name that caught his fascination: Nocktayl. He was sure he had heard it before, yet he abandoned the question in his desire to read on.
13 November 1806
I am trying to learn all I can, but Nocktayl keeps disappearing during lesson hours. He refused to answer tutors. He is an odd boy. Half the time, he is quiet and fearful. The other half, he is angry. Lord Luski told me to have patience. He said Nocktayl is orphaned and has no other home. I tried to tell Nocktayl how my father died, but that only made him more upset, for he said an animal killed his father also.
21 November 1806
To try to gain Nocktayl's trust, I showed him some of the secret passages I know in Staryi. I wish I had not. I think he uses the passages to steal and spy.
23 December 1806
Today I learned Nocktayl is smarter than I would have ever guessed. I went to his room in one of the tall towers and found his notebooks lying open. The pages were covered in practice strokes of the simplest Russian marks! Nocktayl was illiterate when he first came to the castle! I think he has learned arithmetic just as easily. It makes me wonder, what else he has hidden?
1 January 1807
Nocktayl was furious when Lord Luski gave us the same fur coats as a New Year's Eve present. In return, he insulted my mother. Now I want nothing to do with him.
7 January 1807
Ever since the New Year's church service, Nocktayl has begun to quote verses about the Trinity, but the way he whispers them makes me feel uneasy. Often he talks about reasoning and knowledge and dense subjects. He refuses to go to tutoring. He shuts himself up in his room, or else the castle library.
11 January 1807
Lord Luski has had enough of Nocktayl. He sent him away to St. Demetrius, a gymnasium school in Great Perm that will educate him for university when he comes of age. Still, I dread the summer months when he will return to Staryi Castle.
Viktor read on. In the following months, Maksim happily returned to the stables, studied, and spent free time with Adelaida. But soon summer rolled around.
1 June 1807
Nocktayl is back for break. He seems older and surer of himself, and when I asked him what was different, he said his old best friend from Yekaterinburg had also been sent to study at St. Demetrius in Perm. Apparently this friend is a brilliant student because Nocktayl would not stop talking about this boy, Leo Pardus.
The journal slipped out of Viktor's grip, nearly knocking over the lit candle. Now he knew where he'd first heard the name Nocktayl: In the Legend of the Leopard.
And this is it, Viktor realized, a firsthand account of the story Zindelo told us in the gambling Parlor! Nocktayl was the nephew the Leopard framed for murdering his uncle and aunt—Lord and Lady Luski. Maksim was the house servant Nocktayl was jealous of. And the Leopard was Leo Pardus, an actual friend of Nocktayl's from his boarding school!
Viktor stared at the crusted pages with morbid curiosity. Surely Maksim would record these life-altering events in his journal, but did he explain their buildup? Did he discover the Leopard's secrets or his obsession with cards? Viktor dug deeper.
5 June 1807
I am back to my old job as Nocktayl's servant. Already he has surpassed me, mastering the Trivium, the study of grammar, rhetoric, and logic. He brags that he and Leo Pardus were mentored by an older boy, Timofey, who is teaching them Latin and Chinese and Arabic. They started some secret project far beyond normal coursework.
7 June 1807
Something is not right. Nocktayl says Leo Pardus "the Leopard" wants to keep Timofey's work a secret and plans to turn the older boy into a ghost! Nocktayl wouldn't explain more.
10 June 1807
Boxing has been added to our lessons, but I cannot spar with Nocktayl—he is too skilled. He claims the Leopard taught him how to fight at St. Demetrius. He says the Leopard is unbeatable.
15 June 1807
I regret landing a cheap punch on Nocktayl's jaw. He only felt anger. Our trainer had to rip him off me. After, Nocktayl whispered that the Leopard had taught him how to control pain, how to lock it in different places in his head.
23 June 1807
Lord Luski saw all my bruises and put a stop to our boxing lessons, locking Nocktayl away in his room. In my pity, I snuck him food and listened to him talk about magic and legends and war. He said Russia is helping Britain and Austria fight Napoleon, who is the greatest military leader ever. But then again, he also says the Leopard will be more powerful than Napoleon one day.
1 July 1807
Art lessons have replaced boxing, and today I finally glimpsed the sketchbook Nocktayl keeps secret. Inside were dark drawings of leopards and crowns and cryptic scrolls. When I asked, Nocktayl told me the symbols were the Leopard's marks, which would one day be a source of endless power.
7 July 1807
Today things became stranger. Not far from the castle, Nocktayl and I found a hot spring in a cavern with a secret entrance. We decided to swim, but when Nocktayl took off his shirt, I saw something horrible. His body is covered in dark scars and wounds, the result of sparring with the Leopard using real weapons. He said the Leopard had marks too, but they were of a different nature, given for wrongdoings. I don't know what to do.
Viktor snapped back to his room, cold sweat beaded on his brow. One word burned in his mind: Tattoos—that had to be the Leopard's secret project! Timofey had taught him the foreign languages he had wanted the words in, and Nocktayl had drawn the designs. And with his strange beliefs, the Leopard thought the marks gave him some type of power! Maybe that was why he wanted to turn Timofey into a ghost ... to keep his secret safe ... or else to carry out another crime, which would earn him another tattoo.
&nbs
p; Viktor pictured the adult Leopard, the animalistic fiend at the Christmas boxing match, and shivered. Carefully, he read on. The summer ended quickly, and Maksim went back to his usual routine. Then another familiar name caught Viktor's eye: Feliks.
Feliks' father was a trader for Staryi Castle, which started the boys' friendship. Interestingly enough, it was Feliks who introduced Maksim to playing cards. They played Preferans long into the nights, and Maksim reported how clever Feliks was at the game—and handling cards in general—though he swore he didn't cheat.
But how is this connected to the Leopard's cards? Viktor wondered. And Feliks ... what bet did Maksim make that resulted in your early death? His anticipation built as Maksim turned fourteen, spring turned to summer, and Nocktayl returned.
4 June 1808
Nocktayl's proud mood swings are worse than ever. He says the Leopard draws in the brightest St. Demetrius students. This time it's a boy named Ambrosii, the son of an expert in horticulture. I wonder if Ambrosii will end up like Timofey, wherever he is.
8 June 1808
Nocktayl locks himself away in his room. On his door, he carves some of the Leopard's symbols: A leopard, plant, and feather. I am almost positive he is using my old secret passages to sneak out at night.
17 June 1808
Things are worse than I suspected. Nocktayl says Leo Pardus is spending his break in Aryk's woods so they can continue their work together. Needless to say, I am bewildered.
Chills ran down Viktor's spine as he compared himself to Nocktayl. We both have a friend who lived alone in the forest ... and was respected at school ... and needed aid in a secret task. Not liking where his thoughts were headed, Viktor turned back to Maksim's Memoirs.
6 July 1808
Because I always lose Nocktayl when I follow him into the forest, tonight Feliks and I stole into his room when he was gone. Sometimes Nocktayl disappears from inside of his room, so I know he must have a large hiding place, yet we found only a loose floorboard. Hidden were dried plants and a list of herbs with Ambrosii's name at the top. The second note was worse: It was titled Ghosts and had two names listed—Timofey and Ambrosii!
22 July 1808
Eager to send Nocktayl away, Lord Luski told him that if he completed gymnasium school soon, he might be sent to a preparatory department of Moscow University. Nocktayl is close to mastering the Quadrivium, the study of arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy—an incredible feat for a boy his age.
Greater time intervals began to pass between entries. Over the next year, Maksim searched the forest for signs of the Leopard's shelter and befriended Leonid Nikifor, the son of a trapper, who took him to many hidden spots in the forest. Yet even under waterfalls, along the edge of cliffs, and deep in bear caves, there was no evidence of any makeshift dwelling. Maksim, Leonid, and Feliks played cards nightly, but nothing came of their brooding over Nocktayl and the Leopard.
2 April 1809
St. Demetrius closed early this year, but Nocktayl somehow completed the Quadrivium, though his state of mind is disturbing. Often I catch him muttering to himself, debating over whether to trust Leo Pardus.
16 April 1809
Today Nocktayl was in a boastful mood and answered my questions. Yes, the Leopard is living in the forest again. Yes, they met another useful friend at school. This time, it is an assistant tutor, Daniil, a devilish young man who stole from his father, a famous jeweler. Nocktayl says the Leopard has manipulated Daniil, but he fails to see that the Leopard does the same thing to him.
13 May 1809
Nocktayl continues to sneak out, but cuts to the northeast. Feliks knows a good bit about the mines and thinks Leo Pardus might be living in an abandoned tunnel. Yet our searches continue to fail.
4 June 1809
There is a pattern developing—if only I knew where it leads. Tonight I snuck past Nocktayl's door, which bears a new carving of a shovel. Just as before, he had stockpiled supplies under the room's floorboards. This time it was full of gunpowder, rocks, and minerals.
He had another list of rare materials, this time with Daniil's name at the top. Now there are three names on the Ghost list: Timofey, Ambrosii, Daniil.
Viktor, too, felt a pattern. The lists, the plants, the rocks, the sneaking around ... It sounds just like Romulus and me ... but were Nocktayl and the Leopard also building defensive weapons ... or was it something bigger ... something more terrible?
19 July 1809
I know why St. Demetrius closed early—a triple murder! While taking Lord Luski's coat, I found an old letter he had received from the headmaster of St. Demetrius, explaining to parents and guardians that two students and an assistant professor had disappeared in March—all signs pointing to the Kama River. Today I know that Leo Pardus is a murderer, and Nocktayl is his accomplice.
20 July 1809
Lord and Lady Luski don't believe me! Neither does my own mother! Even I am starting to question my sanity. How can Nocktayl have a murderous friend that I've never seen? How can I prove the guilt of a ghost? Lord Luski sent Nocktayl on the long journey to Moscow University just hours after I confessed my beliefs. Undoubtedly the Leopard will find a way to travel with him. Now Feliks, Leonid, and I are alone with this dark knowledge. We have failed.
A triple murder! Viktor tried to calm his breathing. It was no wonder why Romulus had looked so drained after reading the journal. He flipped through several blank pages: The next journal entry was almost two years later—Maksim was seventeen when Nocktayl returned home.
25 June 1811
My guilt is nothing like Nocktayl's. His transformation is self-evident. His skin is bleached white, his eyes sunken and black, his voice cold, and his mind under some great burden. Amulets are chained around his neck; strange talismans bind his wrists. I believe the Leopard's control over him has redoubled.
Viktor read on, again seeing the pattern worsen. Nocktayl slid out of the castle at night and spent his days alone. In his room, Latin books bearing the Moscow University building crest were piled on his bed, showing fantastical creatures—the dragons and serpents and cursed beasts from tales of old. Other books contained information on occultists and their black practices, or else Slavic mythology. The Ghost list under his floorboard had grown two more names. It now read: Timofey, Ambrosii, Daniil, Koldan, Karp. Viktor drew the same conclusion Maksim did—two more murders had been committed! Then came the most disturbing passage of all ...
5 August 1811
It all started with an epiphany. I realized where the Leopard might have lived all these summers: In the hot spring in the secret cavern Nocktayl and I had wandered into as boys in the journal entry of 7 July 1807! Because its entrance lay so close to the castle, I had never thought of the place while searching deep in the forest and mines.
At dusk, I snuck down the gully entrance and into the cave. Nothing could have prepared me for the terrible things I found. Around me, there were tens of makeshift cages fashioned out of tree branches, stacked in twisting rows and holding pitiful, squealing animals. Wicked instruments rested on tables, creatures splayed out and dissected, their carcasses rotting. Herbs grew next to the hot spring, their plots shaped in strange symbols. Rocks and minerals were piled around the gardens, near barrels that held steaming brews.
With panic in my heart, I was ready to smash cages, dump barrels, and release the trembling birds and rabbits and fawns—but then I felt a knife on my throat. Expecting the Leopard, I was startled to see Nocktayl. Yet I had courage enough to accuse him of everything—the studies and the secrets and the murders.
For a moment, it looked like there was repentance in his eyes, but Nocktayl answered with the words I feared: He said it was too late, that the Leopard had grown too strong and could not be stopped. He said if I tried, the Leopard would kill my mother. He warned that if the Leopard ever found me here, he would surely kill me.
11 August 1811
Against my every instinct, I have remained silent to protect my mother. Now that
Nocktayl has left for Moscow, I returned to the cave and found the cages and barrels burned, and the animals burned alive. I feel a sickness creeping into my heart.
Viktor wished he could stick his head into the page and scream at Maksim to act, to fight, to bring Nocktayl and the Leopard to justice, and, in doing so, save countless lives, including his and his future wife's. Alas, Maksim could not hear Viktor though the pages of history.
13 October 1812
Nocktayl returned with tidings of war. Napoleon has invaded Russia with his Grand Army. Moscow University has been burned to the ground. Nocktayl seem unregretful, as if this is all going as planned.
15 October 1812
I am a fool. Nocktayl has helped the Leopard murder again. This time a girl, Elizaveta, has been added to the Ghost list. She must have taught them about remedies, because Nocktayl has strange concoctions bottled under his floorboards. The time of silence has ended. Leonid, Feliks, and I are organizing the evidence we will present to the authorities.
16 October 1812
At dusk, Nocktayl sought me out in the serf quarters. The scene was reminiscent of last summer, in the cavern, when it looked like he was on the brink of crumbling. He stood there for a moment with sunken, red-rimmed eyes, greasy hair hanging over his face, choking on his words. Then suddenly his face morphed in confusion and anger, and he slunk away.
I have no doubts: The Leopard has Nocktayl under a spell that disturbs both mind and muscle. I fear something dreadful will happen. At dawn, I'll approach the authorities.
The next passage was stained with tears, some of them recent, some decades old. Viktor understood both sets, and his own tears slipped off his cheeks, adding to the page pooled with sorrow. He knew what was coming.
17 October 1812
Woe is me! I was too late. I have lost everything. My poor mother is dead. Lord and Lady Luski are dead. Nocktayl killed them. He poisoned them with his evil concoctions. Had guards not held me, I would have slit his throat before he could be tried in court. All the way, he cried and kicked, screaming that it was the Leopard who was to blame. That coward, Leo Pardus! Let him come out of the shadows and face me!
24 October 1812
Roman Talanov has inherited Staryi Castle. He hears the rumors of the Leopard that haunts this town and is suspicious of the castle serfs. Thus he offered us a choice: Enter the darkness of the mine pits, or join the Russian Army's militia. Adelaida refused to marry me in my current pitiful condition, so I chose the latter, as did my companions.
Leonid will fare fine, for he was born to do battle and wield weapons, but I worry for Feliks, whose card-sharp cleverness only stretches so far. Above all, I fret over Vitaly, a young man I have befriended who is pure of heart but weak in limb. I would die to protect them in war, and in case I do, I shall leave this diary with my love, Adelaida. Farewell.
In a passage three years later, Viktor saw that Maksim did indeed return with his friends from war, but not the old Maksim. The new Maksim had seen the outside world, and now that he was forced into the darkness of the mines, he despised Aryk even more. His town had become haunted, cursed by the Leopard, a soul who had never left. Each ruler after the next was driven mad or slaughtered while decent nobles fled, leaving devious men in their place. Short, sparse passages made the years tick by as Maksim and his friends continued a lifelong search for their foe. Finally, stability came when Master Molotov took over, but Maksim quickly realized that Molotov was working under the Leopard, because Staryi Castle doubled in size, guards, and protection. It was being transformed into a fortress.
Nevertheless, Maksim found solace with friends. He began to court Adelaida and soon married her, while his friend Feliks courted a Gypsy woman over the following years. At night, Maksim, Feliks, Leonid, and Vitaly would play cards and discus war and memories and ideas. Soon many miners were joining in on their games and stories, eager to hear the quartet speak of the lands far away from the Ural Mountains. The brief calm lulled Viktor into a false sense of security, but then came a final series of passages that shattered the illusion.
19 September 1822
I have discovered the Leopard's secret! All these years, throughout all these entries, it was right under my nose! I could have ended this long ago, yet it took me breaking into the castle a decade later to finally understand! Now I will avenge everyone who fell under the Leopard's power, even the boy Nocktayl, whose fate I pity above all. For my enemy murdered many souls to conquer Aryk, and Nocktayl was nothing but his shield, and now Master Molotov is nothing but his shadow, both sources through which he has exercised his wicked power. I will bring him down.
1 October 1822
A powerful idea has taken root in my mind, an idea too bold to ever record on paper. As far as gambles go, it is riskier than a misère, but the payout is priceless.
14 April 1823
My idea is indeed in full effect, yet I am wary to write of it. Leonid, Feliks, and Vitaly are the only people I can talk openly with—besides, of course, my love, Adelaida.
2 January 1824
My trips to St. Petersburg are becoming more frequent. I have met with many old friends from war for counsel and instruction. My absence in the mines is skillfully concealed.
27 May 1825
Adelaida and I will have a child! She has already befriended a young midwife and is full of joy. Yet my own joy makes me fearful! For the time draws near. Danger is upon us.
19 November 1825
I am worried over Feliks. After years of absences and broken promises, his love refused to wait for him any longer. She disappeared from Kasta Way weeks ago. He is in the blackest of moods. I fear he will act rashly, for his thoughts turn to the Guantlet, a deathtrap for any gambler.
14 December 1825
Good-bye, my dear friend Feliks, master of Preferans and bravest of kings. Until we meet again, I leave you my memoirs, so that my voice might ever be near your ear. Your sacrifice will not be in vain. The Leopard will fall. Our hope lies in the House of Cards.
Viktor flipped forward only to find empty pages. Maksim had indeed buried his journal with his friend. His thoughts bursting at the seams, Viktor was about to blow out his candle when a scribble on the last page caught his eye. It was an age-old Russian proverb speaking of the power of three: God loves trinity.
Viktor stared at the quote for some time, then tucked the diary into his shirt, crawled into bed, and drifted into tumultuous sleep, twisting at the sight of the hanged man and running from leopards into the shelter of the Brass Art alley.