Tales of Forbidden Love: Tale of Salem [Book 1]

Tarja (2)

The soldiers, who came to our Coven to inform us of death of my Father and brothers, stayed with us for some time. Anatolij Kalganov took their horses into stables and took care of them, he was the best person when it came to take care of animals, any kind of animal really. The group of men, who were companions were taken into one of the houses, where they were given some home-maid alcohol to make themselves warm in the cold weather.

The man who told us the news himself was taken our house my mother. I and Oksana followed her. Inside, the man took of his heavy winter coat and my sister placed more wood into the hearth in the living room. Mother and the soldier at in two arm chairs by the hearth, while me and my sister sat on stairs, which lead to the upper floor of the house where my and Oksana's bedroom were. We were listening to mother and man's conversation.

"Tell me, Sir, how did my husband die?" Mother asked slowly, carefully.

The man looked into the hearth and took a deep breath. "Mistress Vladimirovna," he started "allow me to say, again, that I am greatly for your loss. Colonel Vladimirov was a great man. We have served together for a long time. He lead the troops to numerous battles, and there is no one I would rather serve with. Your husband was one of the best Colonels of the Tsardom. Tsar Grigori himself, with presence of the Patriarch Themselves, gave him the Martyrs' Cross on the battlefield. That is the highest military medal which can be given to the person in our military. Six weeks ago, he was leading his brigade though an abandoned hamlet in the east of our nation, when they were ambushed by the enemy. Eklaran People's Army surrounded them after marched couple kilometers from the hamlet, which made him to retreat back there. Your husband and his men knew no defeat, they always fought to death, nothing less. And this ambush was no different, they fought for almost a whole day, until they were overwhelmed. All three thousand man including your husbands died as heroes of our nation, and we will be forever grateful for that."

The conversation went on for some time. The soldier, who as we came to understand was a General, talked about my father as about great and honorable hero. It was evident in the way of speech of his. It was very obvious that the General loves to talk, and knows very well how to do so.

It was fascinating to listen to the great achievements of my father. It only furthered my admiration for them. I had always been jealous of them being able to go to the military, being able to fight for something. I always knew it was partly to remain out of any suspicion from the clerical organizations, but still.

I always wanted to be there. On the frontlines. Fight alongside them. But I was a woman, there was no place at the army for a woman in Odrana. Unfortunately.

But now, when they were gone, with them was more less my purpose in life. What was there for me in the Coven? Nothing. Anymore. It was a place full of people, and yet it was it was absolutely empty. It was a place of people who had never seen anything outside of the walls of the Coven, well except for Kalganov, who was my only source of a limited knowledge about the outside world. But other than that, no one was ever willing to talk about the world outside, about what the Tsardom looks like, what are the people like, anything.

Kalganov once told me that my mother might tell me something, that she had once been to the world, a long time ago, but as soon as I came to her and asked about it, she shouted me down and we never spoke of it again – that was three years ago. Not a single word from her ever since on the topic.
I always dreamt of father telling me of the adventures they had in the army, so I could make a picture of what the military life is like and the world looks like. But that also became impossible as they are dead.

And so there was nothing for me in the Coven. No reason for me to want to stay there any longer. It caused my desperation for escape to be greater than never before.