1 comments/ 19967 views/ 6 favorites The Girl with No Name Ch. 01 By: caligula97236 Chapter One -- The Apple Thief Danka Siluckt woke up before sunrise, as always. She carefully got out of her bed to avoid disturbing her younger sister, Katrínckta. She cast her sibling a resentful look, irritated that Katrínckta got to sleep in most days, a privilege she couldn't ever remember having. Danka stumbled around in the dark, trying to grope for her work outfit. The first item she located was her peasant's vest, hanging from a wooden peg that had been wedged between two logs in the wall. She slipped the flimsy garment over her shoulders. The vest was not a top that would have been considered appropriate for a young woman in most European countries at that time: it was sleeveless and completely open in the front. It's only function was to protect the wearer's back from the sun: it was not designed for modesty or fashion. Danka felt around the wall before placing her hand on the second part of her work outfit, a worn and very dirty brown skirt. She pulled the skirt up over her hips and tied the drawstring. The skirt, never an attractive piece of clothing to begin with, most definitely had seen better days. Threadbare, torn, and tattered, it was little more than a rag. It was in such poor condition that Danka thought about taking it off again and not bothering with it. If she were to just stay home and work around her parents' homestead, she would not have worried about the skirt. However, on this day her duties would force her to leave home and work closer to town, so she figured it needed to stay on. The next item she put on was her work boots. The boots were the only part of her outfit that had any value at all: if nothing else, at least Danka's father saw to it that all of his children's feet were properly protected against their harsh living conditions. Finally, she retrieved her mother's hat. Danka would be working outside all day, so her mother had given her permission to use it. The hat was a typical peasant's hat, with a broad brim designed to completely protect the wearer's head and neck from the sun. Danka had heard that in other countries men and women wore different work hats, but in Danubia a peasant's hat was a peasant's hat. The sun in the fields was as harsh on women as it was on men, so there was no reason a woman's hat should be any different from one worn by a man. Danka cast another resentful glance at Katrínckta, as the younger girl stretched in her sleep and sighed with the satisfaction of the luxury of now having the bed to herself. Dishonored little brat...I ought to grab her hair, drag her out of bed, and make her come to work with me. But no...Danka didn't dare do such a thing. She would dutifully go off and work, while Katrínckta would sleep in and then spend her day at the pond pretending to feed the family's ducks, but in reality just soaking her feet in the water and staring at the flowers falling from the trees or the birds flying in the sky. Katrínckta was worthless, but if Danka dared lay a hand on her, their mother would immediately take the younger girl's side and brutally punish Danka. Oh yes...lovely Katrínckta ...delicate Katrínckta ...sweet Katrínckta ...always Mother's favorite. Danka quietly picked up her shovel. She resisted the urge to raise it over her head and slam it against her sister's sleeping face. That would be nice...I wonder if she'd be so pretty after a hit to her teeth with this shovel...if she didn't have her teeth, then they'd all think I'm the pretty one... Danka struggled to open the rough heavy door that led outside. She decided to leave it open and let the daylight wake her family. It was just starting to become light, a clear early summer dawn that promised a hot day. The young peasant then unlatched the door to the chicken coop. As the fowl squawked and filed down the ramp, Danka walked behind the dilapidated structure to check on an important secret she was keeping from her parents. Buried, in a broken cup, she kept a stash of copper coins. She had saved 15 coins so far...and hopefully by the end of the day she'd add a couple more to her collection. She knew that what she was doing was risky, but she needed a decent dress if she could hope to get married. If her parents ever could afford a dress, Danka knew that Katrínckta would be the daughter to receive it. Katrínckta would be the one to get married, while Danka would be expected to just keep working. No, that wasn't going to happen. Danka would have her own dress, regardless of her parents' wishes, and she would get married first. She grabbed a feed bucket before leaving for work. The feed bucket would be needed for her plan to get a couple more copper coins. Danka emerged onto the muddy path that connected her family's homestead to the outside world. She passed the duck pond her parents shared with another family of peasants; then passed several other dilapidated cottages. They were all the same: hovels made from stones and logs, hidden under trees and bushes, and surrounded by flocks of ducks and chickens. Some had vegetable gardens, but none of the properties was large enough to support a real farm. These were the dwellings of the lowest class in Danubian society...the day laborers. Carrying her shovel and bucket, Danka followed a somewhat better road that was roughly paved with flat stones, passing larger properties. There were several orchards and wheat fields, all neatly kept and surrounded by fences or stone walls. The houses were attractive, and instead of duck sheds, rabbit hutches, or chicken coops, the farmers had built real barns. Danka came up to an apple orchard and jumped the fence. She looked around for the best apple, which would be her breakfast. She was not worried about the orchard owner, because Danubian protocol allowed a poor person to take a single piece of fruit or a vegetable from a rich person's property per day. The tradition was ancient, based on the Church teaching that the poor have the right to sustenance. Danka hid the apple core under some leaves and took a second apple. Now, she did have to be concerned about the owner. She looked around before committing herself to the second piece of fruit, because protocol only allowed her to take one apple, not two. One apple was sustenance, but the second one was theft. Well, thought Danka...that's just too bad. There will be more theft from this orchard when I come back...a lot more. When she finished her second apple and had hidden its remains, Danka resumed her trek to work. She walked along a tree-lined road towards the provincial town of Rika Heckt-nemat. By Danubian standards the town was large, boasting a population of nearly 20,000 people. Only the capitol, Danúbikt Móskt, and the eastern city of Rika Chorna were bigger. The city was built on a hill, with its medieval walls still standing, a relic of an age before cannons. On the south side of the town there was another irrelevant relic of the town's past: a stone pier and row of docks that at one time serviced river barges, but now faced nothing but an open field. For centuries Rika Heckt-nemat had been a major river port, but four decades ago, when the Rika Chorna river flooded and changed its course to the north, the city was left landlocked. What had been a riverbed now was a series of swamps that were gradually being drained and converted to farmland. Hence the city's new name: Rika Heckt-nemat, which translated to "the river doesn't flow here anymore." ---------- Danka approached a group of workers whose task for the day would be to dismantle part of the now useless pier and move the stones to a site where the town council had decided to build a well. Most of Danka's fellow workers were men. There were only a few women present, and of them, Danka was the youngest and by far the prettiest. She resented being expected to do such arduous work. I'm not a man, she thought bitterly: why should I be treated like one? However, she also knew that she would not be working as hard as most of the others, because undoubtedly, as soon as her male co-workers realized that she was still unmarried, they would vie with each other to give her small favors and even perform some of her duties. She smiled and flirted with a couple of the nicer-looking laborers, to encourage them to help make her day easier. Even though none of the men really interested her, Danka figured there was no reason she shouldn't take advantage of her appearance while she still was pleasant to look at. Wearing a ridiculous-looking tri-corner hat and an equally absurd felt coat, a city councilman approached the work site to explain the day's tasking. Accompanying him was a servant lugging sacks full of hard-boiled eggs and small loaves of bread, which put the workers in a better mood. At least this man had the decency to pass out food before passing out orders. As the workers sat and ate, the councilman explained what he wanted. The town was building a new well, cistern, and aqueduct; a project that would take advantage of the ample supply of stones and bricks from the remains of the old pier. The workers would be divided into a group responsible for tearing apart the pier, another to dig the holes needed for the cistern and well, and a third group that would move the materials needed for the new project. The councilman pointed at Danka, telling her that because she had brought a shovel, she would be part of the digging crew. A few minutes after finishing her egg and bread, she joined a group of 30 workers filing out to the planned well site. Danka knew that no one in her group would be participating in actually building the new infrastructure. Their task simply was to get everything set up for the builders' guild. According to the view of the townsfolk, the laborers were dishonored and uneducated rabble, good for nothing except tasks such as moving rocks and digging holes. Their Path in Life was to sit in their cottages among their chickens and ducks, and wait until they were needed for a project. Once the project was finished, they were expected to return to their cottages and stay out of everyone else's way. ---------- Danka spent the morning at the edge of an ever-deepening hole, glumly moving shovelfuls of dirt into a wheelbarrow. She did not have the hardest task of the group, but still, it was not a pleasant way to spend the day. The worst part of her job was knowing that her parents would not allow her to keep any of the money she was earning. It was her mother who had arranged for her to be here and who had negotiated her salary. Therefore, Danka's parents knew exactly how much she was earning and would demand she surrender all of her pay upon returning home. After all, she was part of the household and Danubian tradition dictated that everyone in a household had to contribute to everyone else's well-being. While Danka may have burned with resentment that her younger sister was not with her at the work site, her parents did not see anything wrong with that. There would be enough money in the family to marry off one daughter, not two. If that daughter could be married to a husband who owned land; that would benefit everyone. So...the plan was to save Katrínckta for marriage and use Danka for working. Danka didn't say anything, but she had no intention of spending the rest of her youth working for her parents and watching them dote over Katrínckta. As soon as she could afford a proper dress, her plan was to leave home and move into town. She wasn't sure what she would do next, but she had convinced herself that the only thing she needed to find a decent husband was to change what she was wearing. After-all, she remembered the legend of the servant girl who, with nothing more than some magic, managed to transform her work outfit into a bridal gown, and in doing so got the heir to the kingdom to marry her. Her expectations were not so lofty, but surely she could wander the city in her new dress and attract some handsome young guild member or city official. Why not? The girl in the story did it... ---------- The pace of work slowed as the day got hotter. Shortly before noon, the city councilman returned to the work site, this time accompanied by a female city guard and a couple of wretched-looking criminals tasked with carrying the mid-day meal for the work crew. The woman looked about 30, was very tall, and was dressed in the long gray dress and white tunic used by all female guards in the Duchy. In her hand she held a leather switch. She had a haughty expression and carried herself with an air of severe elegance. It was evident the two criminals were very afraid of her as they struggled with their heavy loads of food. Danka could see why as soon as they approached. Their bodies were covered with welts from their merciless mentor. After the food had been distributed they knelt, staring at the eating workers with gaunt faces. The guard turned to her miserable wards and Danka heard the following: "You see, dishonored ones, how people who work get to eat. Look at that delicious food and think about how much you'd like to have some. Think about how that bread would taste in your mouth. Just think, if only you weren't wearing a collar, how you too, could be sitting with these people and enjoying your meal. Think about it." The guard ended her statement with a savage blow to the back of each criminal, striking so hard that they cried out. Danka realized that the guard's performance was not just to torment the criminals: it also was meant to scare the workers into staying out of trouble. ---------- As soon as the guard and the criminals had departed, the workers passed around a jug of wine and lay under a tree to rest. There was no rush to finish the well, so they would take a nap and resume working when the sun wasn't so strong. Danka did not join the others. She excused herself, picked up her bucket, and walked back to the orchard where she had eaten her morning apples. She casually strolled along the fence, checking to see if any of the orchard's employees were in sight. Yes, unfortunately, a few women were picking fruit, but none close to the road. Danka decided to take the risk. She set down the bucket and slipped under the fence. Crouching to stay out of sight, she snuck up to a tree and carefully pulled down an armload of apples. She quietly moved them to the fence; then returned to pick some more. As soon as she had taken about 30 apples and moved them to the edge of the property, she slipped back under the fence and carefully placed the fruit in her bucket. Trying to stay calm and maintain a neutral expression, she walked back towards the town. Instead of returning to her work site, however, she approached an inn just outside the south gate. She went around to the back where the kitchen was located, looking for a childhood acquaintance who now was working as a serving wench. Danka traded the apples for two copper coins. It was a fair deal with no questions asked. The serving wench needed cheap apples and Danka needed the money. Danka returned to digging site just as her work-mates were waking up. Perfect. Another two coins were safely in her possession. ---------- Danka did not hurry home after she and the other workers were dismissed for the day. During her mid-day foray into the apple orchard she had noticed how many apples there were and that many of them were in perfect condition for picking. Surly the orchard owner's employees would not have time to harvest them all. Surly another bucket-full of fruit would not be missed. Another chance to sell some fruit...and another chance add coins to her collection... Why not? The pedestrian traffic along the road was much heavier at dusk than it had been at noon, so Danka had to carefully time her entry into the orchard. It helped that a group of children had entered to help themselves to one apple each. Danka followed them and helped them pull down better pieces of fruit. As soon as the children finished and continued on their way, Danka crouched, waited for a few moments, then started grabbing apples and quietly placed them in her bucket. In spite of her caution, she was being watched. Farmer Tuko Orsktackt crouched only a few fathoms away, drawing upon his former career in the Grand Duke's forest archery battalion to observe the thief without being detected. Danka blissfully shook the branches and continued to pluck fruit as the property owner noted, in careful detail, what she was doing. Farmer Orsktackt was a meticulous man, and wanted to make sure his legal complaint against the thief was completely accurate. Danka moved back to the fence with her bucket full of apples. Instead of heading home, she returned to the inn and exchanged her loot for another two coins. Four coins in one day...an excellent take for such an impoverished girl. And to think...tomorrow she'd get another four coins. She'd have her dress bought within just a few weeks at the rate she was going. Farmer Orsktackt quietly followed her to the Inn, and observed enough to make sure he was correct in his assumption the girl was selling the fruit instead of taking it to her family. Excellent. There would be no appeal for clemency, no sad stories about starving children or sick parents. As soon as Danka left, Farmer Orsktackt entered the inn and bought a beer and one of his own apples. Yes, indeed, this apple came from his orchard. He now had everything he needed to send the pretty young thief to the pillory. ---------- Danka returned to her parents' house to spend what would be her final normal night with her family. As always, nothing but unpleasantness awaited her. Her parents greeted her by demanding to know why she had returned home after dark. Not satisfied at Danka's claim that she had tried to take a shortcut and ending up getting lost, Danka's father struck her across the face and accused her of having a lover. A lover...oh...if only that were true...if only...and it will be, soon enough. I'll show you...all of you...when I'm in the city with my fine dress and I get married and have my nice house...I'll see to it that Katrínckta wears a collar and spends her entire life shoveling pig shit...and I'll make you watch. I'll show all of you... Dinnertime came and went. Danka's father sat in the only chair the family owned, while Danka, Katrínckta, and two younger brothers sat on the floor. They ate out of a pot with a large spoon they had to take turns sharing. It was a wretched existence, but it was the only one the Siluckt children had ever known. Later that night, when she closed the chicken coop, Danka added four coins to the broken cup and covered it back up. Then she took off her clothes and got in bed with her sister, the person she most hated in the world. ---------- Early the next morning, Farmer Orsktackt stationed two of his employees within sight of the fence and instructed them to report to him immediately as soon as they saw a very pretty, but very poorly dressed, young peasant woman carrying a shovel and a bucket enter the property. Sure enough, shortly before sunrise Danka showed up, ate her allotted apple, and then took off for work. Curious to see where she was going, Farmer Orsktackt followed her towards the town. Hmm...interesting...so it turned out she was an employee of the city council, working on that new irrigation system. More evidence to damn her at trial, given that Farmer Orsktackt was one of the project's most important financial contributors. On top of everything else, the orchard owner was a personal friend of the city councilman in charge of the work crews. Farmer Orsktackt decided to pay a visit to his friend instead of dealing with the hassle of going into town and trying to get an appointment with a court official. Each saluted the other by thumping his right fist against his left shoulder. After exchanging greetings and getting an update on the progress of the digging, the farmer inquired about the girl with the bucket. The Girl with No Name Ch. 01 "You mean the pretty one? Yes, her mother was the one who set her up with this job. I assigned her at the pit to shovel dirt into the wheelbarrows. Not the best worker, but the men like looking at her, so she's good for morale." "Well, I have some bad news for you. There's a bit more than her not being a good worker. She's also been using that bucket of hers to take apples out of my orchard. She started two weeks ago...slowly...but yesterday it got worse. She came in twice, and each time left with a full bucket. Last night I followed her to the inn near the south gate, and found out that's where she's selling them." "Very well. I'll have her arrested. As soon as my wife shows up, I'll have her go out to the pit and take the girl to court." The farmer thought for a moment. "I don't want to do it that way, Councilman. What I'd prefer is to catch her on my property. Have a guard actually see her stealing the fruit. That way she couldn't deny anything and we could make an example out of her." "True...true. But I'm not going to have a city guard waste time sitting on your orchard waiting over a bucket of apples. We do have other concerns, you know..." "I'm not asking you to have anyone wait. I know for a fact that she'll go during the mid-day break. All you have to do is have someone go to my farm just before you let your crew rest. As soon as she shows up and fills the bucket, you'll have her." "Very well. I'll do as you suggest. And the guard I'll send will be none other than my wife. I'll send Anníkki just before I release my workers for the mid-day meal. Assuming your little thief shows up, my wife will handle her appropriately." Farmer Orsktackt tightened his lips. "Handle her appropriately..." He had heard stories about the councilman's wife. Anníkki was a meticulous guard, but had a reputation for cruelty. He saluted his friend and left the work site, beginning to wonder if he was really handling the girl's stealing in the best way. ---------- Danka spent a second morning sullenly throwing half-shovels of dirt into waiting wheelbarrows and thinking about her next apple heist. She began to think about strategy; the possibility she could take more than one bucketful at a time, hide the extra apples somewhere, and make two treks to the inn. Another possibility was to obtain or make a large cloth bag and perhaps put more apples in that. Anyhow, that would have to wait...for today she'd still have to content herself with just one bucketful and two coins per trip. While Danka was thinking about apples, copper coins, and the dress that would change the Path of her Life, the councilman's wife showed up with her two starving criminals carrying sacks full of food that was not for them. Her husband pointed towards the well and told her about Danka and the plan to catch her. Anníkki cheerfully set off towards the orchard, flexing her switch as she walked. As soon as she was out of sight, the councilman told the two criminals to take two food rations for themselves before handing out the rest to the workers. He felt sorry for the unfortunate wretches, but did not like confronting his wife on such matters. Without saying anything, the two men ate like ravenous animals. ---------- Danka ate her mid-day meal with the other workers. Then, as the others lay down to sleep, she grabbed her bucket and set off for the orchard. When she snuck up to the fence, she was pleased to see that no orchard workers were in sight. Excellent. That would make everything so much simpler. She'd grab her apples and sell them, and maybe even have time to relax before the afternoon work shift. Had she been older and less naïve, Danka would have sensed that something wasn't right and that she needed to leave immediately. It was too easy, with no one around. Instead of sneaking back and forth with armloads of apples, she simply took the bucket with her and within a couple of minutes had it filled with the best fruit. She hopped the fence and started her trek back to the inn. Her heart stopped when a man in Farmers' Guild clothing and a city guard stepped onto the road in front of her, blocking her path. "Good day, little thief! And just where do you think you're going with my apples?" Danka panicked. She tried to run, stupidly thinking that she could outpace her pursuers while still holding on to her shovel and apples. It was true that Anníkki could not go after her, because a foot chase was considered unbecoming for a female city guard. However, female guards had the right to order any nearby man to chase and apprehend a criminal, and it was already understood that Farmer Orsktackt would be the one to catch and restrain the thief. He caught up to her immediately. Danka screamed and threw everything down. The bucket hit the road with a clang and apples rolled all around her. It didn't help. The farmer grabbed her arm and dragged the struggling girl to where the guard was standing. Danka resisted, incoherently protesting that she was innocent. To her horror, she saw the guard unwinding the leather strips that would be used to tie her hands. "Take the girl to the fence. Face her to the railing and hold her arms." Farmer Orsktackt obeyed, moving his struggling captive to the fence. Danka cried and desperately kicked at his shins while the guard wrapped one of the girl's wrists with a strip, expertly knotted it, then wrapped the other end around the fence railing. She secured Danka's other hand. To make sure the thief had no chance of pulling herself free, Anníkki secured her wrists with a second set of ties. "Pick up the girl's things and bring them over here. Make sure you get all the apples." Danka cried and helplessly pulled against the binds while Farmer Orsktackt returned to the spot where she had thrown down her things. As soon as he returned, the guard grabbed Danka's hair and jerked her head back and forth. "Who is your Master, you dishonored little tart? Who pays for your living?" The guard slapped the prisoner hard across the face. "Tell me, before I break your neck!" "I...the...the councilman...he..." "That is correct! And do you know who I am?" "City...honored...city...guard...Mistress..." "Yes, a city guard, but I am also the councilman's wife! Do you understand me? You are in the employ of my husband! You dishonored his name...and the city's name...and my name...with your vile and loathsome actions!" "Please Mistress...I didn't...I... AIEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" The guard had picked up her switch and struck a savage blow on the criminal's thighs, just below her skirt. Danka continued to cry while the guard grabbed her vest and tore it off her shoulders. The fabric was old and gave way easily. The guard then tore at the girl's skirt, ripping the worn cloth. She produced a small knife and cut the drawstring. She tossed the shredded garment on the ground, next to the ruined vest. Now wearing nothing but her boots, Danka was shaking with fear, so strongly that her captors could see her body quivering uncontrollably. The sight of a scared naked girl brought out pity in the farmer, but had the opposite effect on the city guard. The guard had worked herself into a sadistic frenzy and seeing the offender helplessly tied to the fence, stripped bare, and paralyzed with fear animated her. The guard's next target was Danka's hair. She roughly pulled at the girl's braids while she screamed. She landed a very hard slap across the peasant's face before finishing undoing her hair. "Now the world sees you for what you are, dishonored tart! You are a loose-haired savage slut!" The guard picked up her switch and viciously slashed it through the air. Danka screamed from panic while the guard ran her hand up and down her naked bottom. "Girl-meat. Dishonored girl-meat, meant for my leather. Prepare to suffer, dishonored thieving little tart!" The guard struck hard as Danka screamed and pulled at her bonds. She twisted and jerked her body, but the bindings held tight and she could not evade the cruel blows. The guard smiled as she tapped Danka's naked bottom and struck another cruel blow. The crack of leather on bare skin echoed throughout the orchard between the thief's shrill screams. Farmer Orsktackt was both fascinated and horrified by the girl's punishment. Seeing the girl with her hair unbraided was a unique experience, because never had he seen a Danubian woman with her hair loose. The peasant was very attractive and had a nice body, so seeing her aroused him. However, the extent of her suffering, and the knowledge that he was responsible for making it happen, made him sick with guilt. He had not expected the councilman's wife to tie her to the fence and whip her with the switch on his property, and certainly he had not expected her to undo the thief's braids. After 30 hard strokes, the guard paused. Danka has sunk to her knees and was sobbing uncontrollably. "Very well, you miserable dishonored lying slut...now I'll let you talk. You sold the apples at the Inn near the south gate, correct?" The guard concluded her question with a cruel swipe at the girl's welt-covered backside, crossing multiple weals and eliciting another shrill scream. "Y...yes...Mistress...I sold...the apples...Inn..." "For how much?" "Two copper coins...per...bucket...Mistress..." "How many coins do you now have?" "Mistress...Please...AIEEEEEEEEEEE!" "I'll ask you again. How many coins do you have?" "Nineteen...Mistress..." "Where?" "Chi...chicken coop...house....AIEEEEEEEEEEE!" "Hmm...so your father will be happy to know that his dishonored little slut liar is keeping stolen money on his property! I'll make sure he knows..." Danka sobbed, not just from the pain, but from knowing that her dream was gone. Her father would either use the money on Katrínckta or have to return it to Farmer Orsktackt. She screamed when the guard grabbed her hair and pulled her to her feet. The guard struck savagely several more times and Danka sank back to her knees. When the girl's sobs died down, she continued the interrogation. "How many times did you steal apples from this orchard?" "I...I don't...maybe ten...eleven..." The guard grabbed Danka's hair and again jerked her to her feet. "Yesterday...how many times?" "Two times, Mistress." "What time?" "Lunchtime...after work, Mistress." "Now. Why did you steal the apples? What did you want to do with the money?" "Buy a dress, Mistress...AIEEEEEEEEEEE!" "Buy a dress? Why?" "Go...in town...be nice..." The guard pulled Danka to her feet yet again and struck hard. "You miserable dishonored slut...so you wanted to buy a dress to go whoring." The guard raised the switch. At that point Danka cared about nothing except trying to avoid any more blows. She sobbed and confessed to something that was blatantly untrue, that she wanted the dress to work as a prostitute. At that point the farmer interjected: "Guard Anníkki...please. The girl's confessed. There's nothing more to be done here. I'm a busy man and I've seen enough. I insist you take the criminal to court." The guard gave the farmer a disgusted look, angry that he cut short her fun. However, he was right. The girl had confessed and there was no point in interrogating her any further. She untied Danka's hands from the fence and secured her wrists behind her back. With a firm grip on her arm the guard led her towards the gate and a holding cell inside the city. The farmer, deeply regretting his part in the arrest, reluctantly followed, carrying Danka's boots and her bucket filled with his apples. As they approached the gate, a couple of Danka's neighbors passed by. When the girl tried to put down her head and hide her face under her loose hair, the guard kicked her in the backs of her knees and forced her to kneel. She grabbed the captive's hair and forced her to look up. "Tell these men your name and what you did." "I...I'm Danka Siluckt...and I...stole apples..." "She'll go on the pillory tomorrow. Make sure her family knows, so they can see their daughter's dishonor." The Girl with No Name Ch. 02 Chapter Two -- The Dishonored Outcast In the Grand Duchy of Upper Danubia, all accused criminals had the right to a trial. Serious offenders, people facing either the collar or the death penalty, automatically were assigned a Spokesman. Spokesmen were court employees whose duties included trying to find mitigating circumstances and exculpatory evidence for trial, and then to manage a convicted criminal's life following the trial. Officially, the Spokesman assumed custody of the criminal after conviction, and worked as their client's legal protector and mentor. Petty criminals such as Danka always had a hearing to determine guilt and the circumstances of the crime, but did not have the right to a Spokesman. Their punishment only lasted a single day, thus in theory there wasn't much at stake, even if a person was wrongly convicted. A day of public humiliation and then release back into the custody of the family -- no big deal. The reality was much more complicated, because a person's life, especially a woman's life, often was ruined as the result of punishment for a "petty" crime. Danka knew that, with her unsympathetic family, she'd face a hostile reception after her release. She knew that her life would never be the same. Her trial lasted five minutes. The guard dragged her before a bored local magistrate and explained her crime. Farmer Orsktackt, the trial's main witness, answered a single question; were the charges against the peasant Danka Siluckt true. He sullenly responded that they were. He was under oath, so he couldn't say anything else. As much as he wanted to complain about Danka's treatment and argue that maybe she had been punished enough and should be let go, he never got the chance. He was dismissed and that was the end of his participation in the trial. The sentence was what everyone expected: the peasant Danka Siluckt would spend the night in a holding cell and the next day would spend about eight hours on the pillory. At the end of the day she'd be released into the custody of her family. A court scribe copied the sentence and Danka's name onto several sheets of cheap parchment. One copy would be attached to the courthouse door, one attached to the pillory in the city's plaza, and one delivered to the Siluckt household. Guard Anníkki led Danka to the holding cell. She untied the prisoner's hands, but then chained her wrists to the wall. She smiled coldly. "You may think you were dishonored today, but you weren't. You haven't experienced true dishonor. Tomorrow you will. I will humiliate you in a way you never imagined. I will destroy your dignity, and destroy it so thoroughly you'll never recover. So, sleep well, Danka Siluckt. Tomorrow will be the most horrid day of your life." ---------- Farmer Orsktackt went home feeling very disgusted with himself. He couldn't believe something as simple as dealing with the theft of some apples could turn into such a mess for both his conscience and his reputation. He now felt responsible for the peasant Danka Siluckt, since it was his complaint that got her into so much trouble. He now wished with every bit of his soul that he had never talked to his friend the councilman; that he had just dealt with Danka himself. Protocol limited Farmer Orsktackt's options for getting the peasant Danka Siluckt out of the mess he got her into. Since he filed the charge, he could not appeal for clemency, nor in any way be perceived as trying to protect her. But he did have to help Danka if he possibly could. His perception of morality and justice had been violated by his own actions. Somehow he needed to set things straight. He went to bed with his wife, but as soon as she was asleep, he got up, went outside, and spent the night praying to the Lord-Creator for some guidance about how he should handle the following day. The only response he received was a very strong feeling that he needed to be present for the peasant Danka Siluckt's punishment and bear witness to what was about to happen to her. He received no other insight. So, the next day he rode his horse to the city gate and stabled him at the inn where Danka had sold his apples. He bought a bottle of apple cider and walked into the city. He took a look at the pillory and noted the peasant Danka Siluckt's punishment declaration. The chains swayed in the wind and two ladders leaned against the frame, in anticipation of the day's sentence. "Lord-Creator...what have I done?" ---------- Danka spent a totally sleepless night. She was terrified of what would happen to her the next day, but she also was extremely uncomfortable. The welts and bruises covering her backside throbbed and made it impossible to sit. However, she couldn't stand up because the chains restraining her hands were too short. If she lay down, she couldn't bring her arms down to her sides. She was hungry, and as the night wore on, increasingly thirsty. When the next morning finally came, she was totally exhausted. She waited in terror as it got lighter and lighter outside. Finally the cell door opened and Guard Anníkki, accompanied by two male assistants came into the room. One of the men unlocked her chains. He pulled her to her feet and held her roughly while the other tied her hands behind her back. Guard Anníkki said nothing, but her cruel smirk made it obvious that she had not forgotten her threat from last night. "...the most horrid day of your life." Guard Anníkki took charge of the prisoner, firmly grabbing her arm and digging her fingers into Danka's skin. Danka did not resist. Her terror had subsided into a numb depression and she was physically exhausted from the ordeal of the last 24 hours. The group exited the courthouse and emerged into Rika Heckt-nemat's main plaza. Already a crowd of curious residents had gathered near the pillory, anticipating the day's entertainment. The guard forced Danka to get on her knees while she gave a speech that she had prepared specifically to humiliate her prisoner as much as possible. She mentioned Danka Siluckt's full name over and over. She talked about Danka's ridiculous desire to have a dress and to pretend she was something other than what she was: a dishonored menial worker. One of the male guards pointed a crossbow to her stomach, letting her know that if she resisted, he'd shoot her and she would die an agonizing death. Danka obediently climbed up the ladder when the moment came. The guards secured her wrists and stretched her arms over her shoulders. Tears flowed down the dishonored girl's cheeks as she felt the ankle irons wrap around her legs and heard the locks click shut. She was completely exposed, with her arms spread over her head and her feet resting on small platforms a half a fathom apart. She felt the chilly morning air blowing between her spread thighs against her exposed vulva. She could feel hundreds of eyes studying her body. Against her will she listened to various comments about her appearance and had to endure a multitude of sexual jokes. Danka said nothing as the sun rose higher and the air became much warmer. Her arms and legs started cramping from being forced to hold an uncomfortable pose for hours on end, without being able to move. She could move and flex her arms a little, but she couldn't move her feet. Increasingly her body was protesting against what she was enduring. Her back and shoulders started hurting along with her legs and arms. She thrust her head back and forth and heard the laughter of some of her spectators. She didn't care. By mid-day the cramping was so unbearable throughout her entire body that she no longer cared about the crowd watching her. The cathedral bell announced noon and Guard Anníkki called up to her in a tone of feigned sympathy. "Do you need a break, Danka Siluckt? Would you like something to eat? To drink? You are due a short break, you know..." "Please Guard Anníkki..." "Yes, poor girl. We will accommodate you." To Danka's surprise, the male guards actually climbed the ladders and unlocked the pillory's cuffs. They actually were going to let her down for a while. The men rubbed her shoulders for a few seconds to get the circulation going in her arms. The prisoner was hugely relieved. She knew that the afternoon would be much worse, but for the moment she was on the ground and had the use of her arms and legs. She was horribly thirsty and drank a large cup of cold well-water. Guard Anníkki waited, ready to play a horrible trick on the culprit. In her hand she held a freshly-baked bread roll. It looked like an innocuous snack, but the bread was full of strong spices that would burn Danka's mouth as soon as she bit into it. The bread was important for the guard's plan to totally humiliate the peasant Danka Siluckt and make it impossible for her to ever have a normal life in Rika Heckt-nemat, even as a dishonored day-laborer. The guard calmly watched as Danka drank he first cup of water. She set down a large pitcher next to the cup before handing her the bread. Danka was so hungry that she took two large bites out of the roll before the burning started in her mouth. The burning quickly became unbearable and Danka instinctively reached for the pitcher. She drank cup after cup of water, desperately trying to calm the fire in her mouth and throat. She drank so much water that her stomach became stretched. As soon as the pitcher was empty, the Guard Anníkki told her companions to grab Danka's arms and force her back up the ladder. A few seconds later the culprit was restrained spread-eagle, her arms above her head and her feet resting on the two small platforms. Now the truly horrid part of the worst day of Danka's life was about to begin. She had a pitcher of water in her stomach, water that very quickly would settle into her bladder. The pressure started building within half-an-hour of her returning to the pillory. The unhappy girl realized that she had been horribly tricked, but there was absolutely nothing she could do about it. Her muscles had started to cramp again, but that discomfort was nothing compared to the agonizing pressure on her bladder. She looked down at the guard, who held up the pitcher and smiled in triumph. At first Danka thought, that if she put every bit of effort into holding her urine, she'd be able to make it until the end of the day. However, as more and more water seeped into her bladder, she realized that wasn't going to happen. The cathedral bell struck one. It was just one o'clock. That meant she had three hours to go. No, there was no way she would make it. The crowd watching her was much larger than it had been in the morning. 2000 residents, a tenth of the city's entire population, crowded the plaza after having finished their mid-day meal. Danka grit her teeth in a futile effort to avoid pissing in front of all those people. It was no good. The only thing she managed to do was make the rush much worse when it finally came. Danka sobbed as a torrent of urine poured out of her and splashed on the paving stones at the base of the pillory. The flow was loud and copious, clearly visible to anyone who happened to be watching at that moment. To the Danubians, who were the most fastidious of all the Europeans when it came to that sort of thing, there was no way that Danka possibly could have disgraced herself any worse than relieving herself in front of so many spectators. The crowd started laughing. The mocking laughter seemed to go on forever, especially when Danka lost control of herself a second time and sent another stream splashing on the pavement. When the laughter died down, the mood of the crowd quickly became much uglier, especially among the women. The spectators whistled low and hissed to express their disapproval at the dishonored criminal. A group of boys ran out the gate and in a few minutes returned with bunches of stinging nettles tied to the ends of long poles. Guard Anníkki nodded her permission and the boys began rubbing the poisonous leaves over Danka's skin, especially between her legs. As the stinging intensified, she screamed. By the time the boys tired of tormenting the captive with the nettles, several workmen had brought in wheelbarrows full of sewage and pig manure. They positioned their disgusting cargo in front of the pillory. A group of vagrants who didn't mind getting their hands dirty picked up handfuls of the sewage and flung it at the hapless criminal. The crowd clapped and whistled their approval every time a handful of excrement hit Danka in the face. By far the worst insults came from the women standing in the crowd. How dare this filthy dishonored slut try to become one of them...how dare she... The clock struck two. Danka's punishment still had two hours to go and the crowd was trying to think of something else that would further degrade the pathetic girl chained up in the pillory. Guard Anníkki quietly left the plaza and returned to the courthouse. Her task of ruining Danka Siluckt's life was now completed, so she saw no point in sticking around. She figured that the crowd might kill the peasant, and if they did, she didn't want to be present to take any responsibility. Farmer Orsktackt was completely distressed over the spectacle in the plaza. Already the girl's life was ruined, but now the spectators, especially the women, had worked themselves into a frenzy. He had seen this happen a couple of times before; the darkest and ugliest side of humanity, the lynch mob. 2000 people had the chance to direct all of their anger and frustration in their lives against a single hapless target, an ignorant peasant girl who had no chance of defending herself. Tightening his lips and cursing himself for having caused the hideous affair, Farmer Orsktackt realized it was up to him to put an end to it and take custody of the criminal. He approached a trio of city guards. "Listen! I will not have my property and my name dishonored! If you can't dispose of that criminal with dignity, then I will! Take her down, put her in a wagon, and take her to my property! I'll deal with her!" Farmer Orsktackt did not give the guards time to rebuff him. He placed a half-silver piece in each of their hands. "As you wish, Farmer Orsktackt." "Yes, it's what I wish! Put that girl in a wagon without injuring her, and take her to my property!" With their cross-bows drawn, the three guards stepped in front of the pillory. They screamed at the crowd to step back, threatening anyone who did not obey with an arrow to the chest. Bewildered and angry at the guards' sudden change of attitude, the mob pushed backward, murmuring in protest. Danka was pitiful sight, as she hung limply in her chains and the slime from rotting garbage and sewage dribbled down her body. Her filthy hair covered her face. The guards ordered a servant to bring buckets of water and pour them over the culprit before taking her down, so they wouldn't dirty themselves too badly when they threw her into the wagon. Danka was only partially aware of what was going on, but the cold water splashing against her body and over her head brought her back to her senses. Rough hands tightly held her arms to prevent her from falling as the guards un-cuffed her and lowered her to the ground. The guards tied her arms behind her back and dragged her towards the south gate. Her limbs were numb and she could barely move. In spite of her escort's kicks and threats, she couldn't get her legs to work. So, two guards carried her, each grabbing her by an arm and by her hair. Some of the spectators wanted to follow, but the guard covering their departure pointed a crossbow at the townsfolk and ordered them to stay back. "We're taking her to the river! The show's over! Go home!" The guards hoisted Danka into a cart normally used to haul pigs to market. After dumping her face-down on filthy straw and fermented manure, they tied her feet together. They concealed their cargo with a horse blanket and set out for Farmer Orsktackt's property. Trying to avoid drawing attention, Farmer Orsktackt picked up Danka's boots and bucket while everyone else was distracted. He hid both items in a sack and followed the wagon out the gate. Then he got on his horse and rode ahead to his farm. A few minutes later, three city guards arrived at Farmer Orsktackt's orchard in a very smelly cart carrying an equally smelly occupant. They untied the girl's wrists and ankles before dumping her on the ground. They saluted the farmer and returned to the city. The went to the same inn where Danka had sold her stolen fruit, got drunk, and invented a story about how they threw the dishonored apple thief into the Rika Chorna river. They claimed that they had killed a truly evil criminal, because the dishonored girl cried out for the Destroyer Beelzebub to save her before drowning. The men got so drunk and told their version with such convincing detail that they ended up believing it themselves. The Girl with No Name Ch. 03 Chapter Three -- The Fugitive "Master Tuko. This poor girl...surely you don't plan to take her to the guest cottage like this..." "No, Servant Helgakct. I don't want her in the house until she's cleaned up. And make sure her hair's properly braided before I talk to her." "As you wish, Master Tuko." Servant Helgakct brought a washtub to the front door of the guest cottage and filled it with water, while another servant helped Danka get up and walk to where she would have her bath. Danka sat through her bath in a painful daze, neither cooperating nor resisting as the two servant women bathed her and washed her hair. They decided that she was so dirty that she needed a second bath, and ordered her to stand shivering in the darkness while they dumped and refilled the tub. When they were convinced that Danka was adequately clean, they took her inside and made her sit while they combed and braided her hair. Danka's new braids were tight and intricately woven; much better the loose careless job her mother always did on her. Only after Danka was clean and had her hair decently braided did the two women offer anything to eat. She ate a delicious stew with a strange dark brown meat in it. When she asked about the meat, the servants told he she was eating beef. It was the first time in her life she had ever eaten beef. After dinner, on the insistence of the servants, she did something else for the first time: she had to learn how to properly clean her teeth, using a thread and a small brush with salt and water. Danka was sore, badly bruised, and very tired, but she felt considerably better after her bath and her meal. She had recovered enough to wonder about her situation. She was worried, but no longer terrified. She assumed that had the farmer planned to kill her or harm her in any way, his servants would not have taken the trouble to bathe her and fix her hair. She looked around the cottage and wondered what she would do about something to wear. There was no clothing anywhere in sight. Her own outfit had been reduced to shreds, so, even if she could return to the fence to retrieve it, there wouldn't be anything remaining that she could put on. She could only hope that someone would bring her some clothes before she had to leave the cottage. When the servants began to clean up and there still was no hint that they were going to bring her anything to wear, she hesitantly asked. "You will need to speak with the Master about that. He specifically instructed us not to provide you with anything to wear until he has a chance to talk with you. You can cover yourself with that blanket, if you so desire." Danka got in bed and pulled the cover over her. She now understood that, until further notice, she had become a prisoner of the orchard owner. A well-treated prisoner, but a prisoner, nonetheless. "Master Tuko wants you to rest. He will return your items to you tomorrow, but for now, you must rest and recover from today's ordeal." "Yes, Mistress." Danka was worried, but fatigue had over-taken her. She was lying in the most comfortable bed she had ever seen, let alone used. She was clean and well-fed. Her muscles ached horribly, so she had no desire to move. She went to sleep. For the first time in her life, she slept well past sunrise. ---------- Danka awoke in broad daylight. Servant Helgakct was sitting at the cottage's table, embroidering a shawl. As soon as she noticed the guest was awake, she summoned a co-worker with a tremendous whistle and handed her the shawl. Danka badly had to pee. Servant Helgakct pointed towards an outhouse. There still was no hint of any clothing in the cottage, no more than the night before. However, Danka was desperate. She nervously stepped into the bright sunlight and ran to the outhouse. When she finished, she ran back. "Please Mistress. What am I to do about something to wear?" "Child, as I told you last night, you must speak with Master Tuko about that. You will have breakfast, and then he will talk to you." Danka's attention was drawn to a plate of eggs, fruit, and bread. A cup of hot liquid sat on the table. It was bitter, but Danka enjoyed it. For the first time in her life she tasted tea. Servant Helgakct advised the guest to get back in bed and continue resting until the Master came. The peasant was still very stiff from the previous day's ordeal, so she complied. The bright sun came through the door and she could hear the apple pickers singing as they went about their work. Danka wondered... had she simply come to the property a week ago and asked for employment, if Farmer Orsktackt would have given her a job. As soon his servants finished cleaning up from Danka's breakfast and took out the dishes, Farmer Orsktackt entered the cottage. Accompanying him was Servant Helgakct, carrying Danka's bucket filled with apples and her boots. Danka instinctively pulled the cover up to her eyes. The farmer ordered his employee to return to the house. Then he grabbed a chair and sat next to the bed. "I'd imagine that you're wondering why I brought you here, as my guest, since I was the one who set up your arrest. Would you like me to answer that question?" Trembling, Danka nodded under the blanket. "Answer me properly, girl. And uncover your face. You are dishonoring yourself by not conversing in a normal manner." Tears started rolling down Danka's cheeks at hearing the word "dishonored". How could she become any more dishonored than she was already? However, she complied with her host and lowered the blanket to her neck. "Now speak, if you wish for me to answer your question." "Yes... Farmer Orsktackt... why...am I here?" "I had to bribe three city guards to retrieve you. I didn't know what else the mob was going to do to you and I didn't want to find out. So, I paid them to take you out of the city, and here you are. For the moment, you are safe." Danka said nothing. She had no idea how she should answer the man who first condemned her and then saved her. "I want you to understand that what happened to you yesterday was not what I expected. All I wanted was to force you to stop stealing my fruit, and perhaps make an example of you so that others wouldn't try taking my harvest. I did expect that you'd spend a day on the pillory, but that was all I thought would happen to you. The rest of it, I mean, the crowd, and the way the councilman's wife treated you, your parents, was not what I intended. I now deeply regret having brought the guards into our affairs. As I said, the only thing I wanted was for you to stop stealing my fruit." "I...I apologize about stealing from you, Farmer Orsktackt." "The fruit no longer matters. You've been punished many times over for your crime. There's nothing more to be said about that. There's nothing more to be said about any of your life here. It's over. The whole town thinks you're dead. And your parents...you understand that your parents officially disowned you?" Danka shook her head. "Answer me properly, girl." "They...actually disowned me?" "Yes, and your father sought the city's permission to kill you if you ever attempt to return to your family's property. You're dishonored, and he doesn't want that affecting the rest of your household. To enforce the request, the city council lent him a sword." Danka stared blankly as tears streamed down her cheeks. A sword. Her own father was planning to kill her just because she no longer was of any use to him. Now she really knew how little her parents thought of her. "I could never imagine doing such a thing to my children, but I am a rich man and could afford to keep a dishonored relative. I know your family's situation is different. You're no longer useful to them, so they need to be rid of you. And...also...to help themselves to the coins you saved, no doubt." The farmer continued: "Not that the sword matters. Like everyone else in Rika Heckt-nemat, your father thinks you are dead, that you drowned when the guards threw you in the Rika Chorna. So...your existence as Peasant Siluckt's daughter has ended. You will leave this city and you will start a new life with a new name somewhere else. I am returning your bucket to you, filled with fresh apples. I put a note in there explaining that I gave them to you, if any guard stops you. I had my seamstress clean and repair your boots. Tonight, after you have rested and recovered, you will walk out the east gate of my farm, follow the path that keeps you away from the road, and you will keep going until you've eaten all of your apples." "I...I'm grateful...I mean...that you saved me...and that you want to help me...but I don't understand, Farmer Orsktackt. I'm just a dishonored thief. I'm nothing now, not even a well-digger. I dishonored myself on your land, and I wanted to steal from you as much as I could. Why are you helping me?" "I have my reasons. Part of it is my eldest daughter is almost your age. Next month my wife will braid her hair for the first time. She will have a nice celebration and I will present her with a fine dress. The neighbor's boy is interested in her, so, I presume, after her hair is braided and she has her dress, I will allow him to court her. In other words, she'll have all the things you wanted. That's important, because when I saw you tied to the fence, and later on the pillory, I imagined how, with nothing more than a change in the Path in Life; that could have been my own daughter, and not you." "There's more. Some of it I can explain to you, and some of it I couldn't explain to anyone. As an archer in the Grand Duke's battalion, I did things... I mean...we all did, that each of us will have to answer for on the day we hold up our mirrors before the Lord-Creator. I can't change any of that. Now, you have become another part of the Path of my Life that I must justify when I hold up my mirror. You are a thief, but you had your reasons to do what you did, and I don't believe your soul is broken. I don't want to be responsible for your death. I want you to live. I want you to leave this city, find a new Path in Life, and prosper. So, I will provide what you need to safely escape. What becomes of you after your escape will be the result of your own decisions." Danka wondered how, as a young woman travelling alone, she could possibly go anywhere. She had never been any further from her house than the city market, the town cathedral, and her work site. She hadn't even gone as far as the northern or western districts of Rika Heckt-nemat, nor had she ever seen the Rika Chorna, which now flowed to the north of the city. The farmer was wondering the same thing. How on earth would the ignorant girl sitting in front of him ever be able to fend for herself? Well, she'd just have to. Whatever fate awaited Danka, he had to send her on her way and see to it that she never came back. Neither he nor the girl had any choice. She'd have to leave, and that departure needed to be as soon as possible. None of the townsfolk could know that she was still alive, nor could anyone find out that he had rescued her. If his neighbors realized he was sheltering a criminal, and above all a criminal who had stolen from him, he'd be dishonored and expelled from the Farmer's Guild. It wasn't just Danka's life at stake, nor just his own. He also had his family and the Guild to think about. Farmer Tuko Orsktackt had traveled across the entire Duchy, first with the Duke's archers' battalion and later to buy supplies and tools for his farm. He was well-aware that a lone peasant girl was an easy target for every rapist, slaver, and brigand travelling the road. He dared not give her any money, nor any decent clothing, because such things would make her worth killing. The land-owner could think of only one way Danka could get away from Rika Heckt-nemat and survive long enough to establish a new life somewhere else. It was a completely dishonorable solution, but one that would be very effective. The Farmers' Guild had an important secret that its members occasionally used when they needed to move gold or diamonds from one city to another. It was a fake Public Penance collar. By the mid-1700's the Danubian Church already had re-introduced the pre-Christian method of performing Public Penance, in which a person who wanted to atone for sin humiliated himself by surrendering his clothing and anything else that could be worn. Instead of clothing, the sinner wore a metal collar that marked him as being in the custody of and protected by the Danubian Church. A person wearing a Church collar was prohibited from wearing anything else. Brigands avoided persons performing Public Penance because they never had anything on them worth stealing. Anyone touching a woman performing Penance would be forever condemned by the Lord-Creator to the Hell-Fire, and the worldly punishment for such an offence was crucifixion. Danubian society took Public Penance very seriously, which meant that anyone performing it was protected by a multitude of taboos and the full authority of the Church. A person wearing a Church collar was completely safe almost anywhere. Tuko Orsktackt had, in his possession, a fake Church collar that could be unlatched and taken off as easily as any necklace. It had been made for him several years before by a Guild artisan and its purpose was to disguise him while he was travelling with large amounts of the Guild's money. In theory the collar was an accountable item that the other Guild members could demand to see at any time. However, Tuko had a dispute with two other Guild farmers the previous year and now someone else was tasked with carrying the group's coins. Tuko's replacement had his own collar, so it seemed that the Guild had forgotten about the one still in his possession. There was some risk involved, but Farmer Orsktackt calculated he could give his collar to Danka. That would allow her to freely travel the roads, with everyone assuming she enjoyed Church protection. "Girl, you haven't been anywhere. Not even as far as the top of the nearest hill, I presume?" "No, Farmer Orsktackt." "So the journey that you face frightens you. Is that not so?" "Yes, Farmer Orsktackt." "I'm worried about it as well. I'd accompany you if I could, but I can't. There is only one thing I can do for you, and that is to provide you with a disguise that will grant you safety as you travel." Tuko placed the collar in Danka's hands. "Not even my family or my servants know I have this. You must not let anyone see it until nightfall. Never...never let anyone see you putting it on or taking it off." "But...Farmer Orsktackt, this is all you're giving me? I can't..." "You may think you can't, but you have no choice. If you go out on the road, by yourself, wearing anything but this collar, you'll be dead or enslaved by the end of the day. It's safe passage for you. It comes with a heavy price, but it's safe passage." Tuko explained how the collar worked and even divulged its purpose, to disguise Guild members when they were transporting large sums of money. Tuko hated betraying a Guild secret to a peasant, but he felt that it was necessary for Danka to understand how important the collar was and the sacrifice he was making by entrusting it to her. The collar was an extremely valuable item that had to be treated with great care. It could not be replaced. "You'll have to go to the mirror and try out the collar. Practice putting it on and taking it off. Then you'll need to practice putting it on and taking it off without looking. When you're crouching outside a city gate or hiding behind a tree, you won't have the benefit of using your reflection." Danka reluctantly pushed aside the blanket. Given her circumstances, trying to display modesty around Farmer Orsktackt was not possible. Anyway, he already had seen her figure in its entirety, so there was nothing more to hide from him. She stood up, positioned herself in front of the mirror, and started fiddling with the collar mechanism. She realized that Farmer Orsktackt was studying the welts on her backside, but she tried to ignore him. Danka was surprised and fascinated by her reflection. She was pleased by how sophisticated she looked, now that her hair was braided by a woman who actually cared about doing it properly. The young peasant also realized how much she looked like her sister. As much as her mother kept calling Katrínckta "the pretty one", actually the two daughters were almost identical. Danka practiced with the collar a couple of times; then turned away from the mirror to practice using touch only. The farmer nodded approvingly when she completed that task. "There's another thing you must know before you leave. Can you read?" Danka blushed and twisted her hands. "Answer me, girl. Can you read?" "No, Farmer Orsktackt." "Well, there's no time to teach you how to read, but you are going to have to learn the alphabet so you can recognize letters. Maybe it's something you can practice whenever you're sitting alone and have nothing else to do. I'll have my servants' tutor instruct you. Put the collar away. Don't let her see it." Danka spent the next several hours learning how to copy and draw letters. She discovered the mystery of all those strange lines, that each shape represented a sound. She was quick to memorize the alphabet and remember which sound each letter corresponded to. The tutor regretted not being able to spend more time with Danka, because it was obvious the girl could have been taught to read within a few weeks. Farmer Orsktackt returned with troubling news. The guards' story about her calling out to Beelzebub just before she drowned had made its way through Rika Heckt-nemat's population. Suddenly everyone was very worried that her corpse had not been seen floating in the Rika Chorna. The city was in a panic about it, with guards and volunteers searching the shore downstream for any trace of Danka's body, just to verify that she was indeed dead and that Beelzebub had not rescued her. "I was going to suggest you follow the river to Danúbikt Móskt to see if you could get a job there. Now you can't go that way, because several hundred people are looking for you. You'll have to go east, upstream, towards the mountains." Danka noted with growing concern that the sun was getting lower in the horizon. The farmer observed the day's impending end as well. "Eat, and get some rest. I'll wake you at midnight and will accompany you as far as the first hill." ---------- The full moon was directly overhead when Farmer Orsktackt woke his guest. "Put on your boots and collar, girl. It's time." "Yes, Farmer Orsktackt." As the peasant pulled on her boots, her host explained what else was in the bucket besides apples. He had given her a supply of salt and a brush to allow her to keep her teeth clean, a knife that could be used for both cutting food and a dagger, and a forged Church letter to go with her collar, granting her access to any chapel to spend the night. "There is important protocol you must remember. Whenever you talk to a Church official, you have to kneel and wait for that person to address you. That's part of the collar. If you forget to do that, the Clergy will become suspicious. Don't worry about making up stories or excuses. They're not going to ask you anything, not even your name. They might ask you for your letter, which you'll have. But they won't ask you any questions. Your sin, and your penance, is between you and the Lord-Creator." Danka finished putting on her collar, made a final adjustment to her hair, and sadly looked at her host. Farmer Orsktackt picked up the bucket. "You must forget your name. Don't refer to yourself as Danka. And your family, they mean nothing to you now. So rid yourself of that legacy. My advice? Don't make up any new name. Let people call you whatever they want. Then, when you must move on, forget...and let the next person call you whatever he wants to. If you don't give away your life's story, you'll be very surprised at the fictitious Paths in Life people decide to ascribe to you." The Girl with No Name Ch. 03 They stepped outside and walked across the moonlit orchard. They crossed a vegetable garden and reached the property's east gate. The farmer opened it, and with that Danka began her wanderings. He led her along a small path that made its way across a sheep pasture before exiting onto a road that passed several wheat fields. Ahead loomed a forested hill; its dark mass looking very ominous in the night. "People are scared of the woods. That's why you're often safer among the trees than you'd be anywhere else." They continued along the forested part of the road. It was so dark they barely could see. The farmer walked very quietly, employing the habits he had learned years before as an archer. Now they were going uphill. Danka was scared, because she knew that as soon as they got to the top, she'd have to continue alone. They passed the summit and stopped in a clearing facing to the east. The moon already was well to the west and there was a hint of light in the eastern sky. Danka had forgotten that summer nights were very short and that she would not be walking in the dark much longer. Danka already was much further from her home than she had been in her life. Everything was very strange: the hills, the moonlit river, and the distant lights that marked the next town. Her fear went away: she now was very curious to explore her new world. "This is where we part ways. I have just enough time to return to the town and report to the city council. Today I will join the others and search for your body." Danka smiled shyly in the pale moonlight. "I'd ask you to forgive me for ruining your life, but from what I understand, you didn't have much of a life to ruin. You wanted to escape from your family, and now you've done it. You may want to look at your life in that way." "I...I suppose you're right, Farmer Orsktackt. I did...I wanted to get away...I mean...I even prayed about it..." "Then the Lord-Creator granted you your wish, is that not so? Not in the way you were expecting, but when the Lord-Creator grants a wish, it never is in the way a person anticipates. Before you go, there is one more thing I want you to think about. You've seen the dark side of humanity and suffered the cruelty people can inflict, for no good reason. It just happens and you need to be ready for it. Don't trust anyone...but keep your heart open. Occasionally you will cross paths with people who will be nice to you. They are out there...the few decent people, and you must be prepared to share kindness when you come across it." The farmer tapped his companion's collar. "What's the most important thing to remember about your disguise?" "I'm not supposed to tell anyone about it, and never let anyone see me put it on or take it off, Farmer Orsktackt." "What's another thing to remember?" "Get on my knees when I talk to the Clergy. Show them the letter if they ask me about it, but don't say anything else, Farmer Orsktackt." "Good. The first village with a church where you can sleep is about a day's walk from here. You'll get there before sunset. As soon as you enter, go to the Church. Get some sleep there, and then you can think about where you will go next." The farmer had so much more he wanted to tell the young peasant. So much more, but there was no time. They had to part ways. He didn't know how to say goodbye to her. He abruptly turned and walked back the way he came, without saying anything. She watched him until he disappeared into the trees. She picked up her bucket, turned east, and walked towards the first faint light of the pre-dawn. The Girl with No Name Ch. 04 Chapter Four -- The Penitent The road re-entered the forest, so for the next hour Danka continued walking in darkness. She had to go slowly to avoid tripping and to avoid wandering off the road. However, the birds were singing, so the spooky silence of the deepest part of night had passed. When Danka emerged into another cleared area, the sky was already bright. She crossed another sheep meadow and passed an inn. Several men were outside, getting their horses and mules ready for the day's travel. They all stared at her and several made admiring comments: "It's a pity all the lasses don't run around like that one." "It's an even greater pity all the lasses don't look like that one." Not knowing what else to do, Danka picked up her pace and moved away from the inn as quickly as she could. That morning she passed many men and boys on the road. They were from all sectors of Danubian society: farmers, squads of the Duke's soldiers, trading caravans, vagabonds, stage coaches, and the occasional noble. There were a few women and girls on the road as well, but they were always accompanied by at least one man carrying a weapon. All the men and boys stared at her with unabashed lust; all the women and girls stared at her with blatant curiosity. At first Danka was terrified by all the staring, then she merely found it irritating. By mid-day she began to enjoy the attention. She had been almost invisible at home, but here, in this strange province, everyone seemed interested in her, or at least in looking at her. A Priest and Priestess approached Danka. She remembered to kneel, placing her hands in front and touching her forehead to the ground. The Priest blessed her and handed her a piece of bread. Free bread...hmmm...that was one benefit of Public Penance that Farmer Orsktackt had neglected to tell her about. By midday her arms became sore from carrying the bucket and she was hungry. She realized that she had forgotten to eat. She ate some of her apples and continued; her bucket now somewhat lighter. Throughout the afternoon she continued to eat apples as she walked. She passed through several villages, looking around at all the new buildings and people with fascination. In one peasant's farm she saw goats for the first time in her life and wasted half an hour staring at them. As the sun started to get low in the horizon she witnessed a stage coach accident; a wheel from an overloaded stage coach collapsed, causing the vehicle to fall sideways and spill its load of passengers and cargo. She watched the ensuing fight between the driver and several passengers, which came to an abrupt end when one of the horses ran off and everyone set out to capture the animal. It was a fascinating spectacle for a young person who had spent her life just working in her family's garden and doing odd jobs. As sunset approached she entered another large village. She realized that she had wasted too much of her day looking at all the new sights and that nighttime had caught up with her. She was about to panic about that when she noted the steeple of a church. She remembered her collar and Farmer Orsktackt's promise of a free night's bed wherever there were clergy members. She approached the church, located the Priest, and remembered to kneel. Sure enough, after glancing at her letter the Priest took her to a cottage inhabited by three apprentices, a young man and two women who were only slightly older than Danka. The trio tasked the visitor with cleaning the kitchen and handed her a bowl of stew and a loaf of bread. She cleaned her teeth at the well before going to sleep. Danka stayed at the village for three days. The apprentices offered her free lodging and food in exchange for cleaning up and washing clothing and bed linens. In the afternoons they helped her practice drawing alphabet letters. At the end of the third day she spelled out her first word: "A-P-P-L-E". On the fourth day she continued walking east, with her supply of apples greatly diminished. The next large provincial town was about three days' walk past the first village. Danka knew exactly what she needed to do before sunset: go to the next village and report to the local Priest. She was in no hurry, so she could take her time looking at all the new and fascinating sights along the road. To most travelers, the road was no different than any other stretch of the western half of the Duchy, but for Danka, who was seeing everything for the first time; the trip was one of wonders and surprises. She passed an orchard with strange orange fruit and for the first time in her life tasted a peach. She took a ferry across the Rika Chorna River and spent a pleasant morning bathing and napping on the northern shore, feeling the warm breeze on her naked body as she ate a couple more apples. The bucket was much lighter when she finished her break. She only had six apples remaining, which meant that she would not be able to continue past her next stop without having the money to buy some food. She was not particularly worried, however. She figured the Clergy members at the Church would help her, and possibly assist her in finding employment. She spent the rest of the day walking to the next town, the provincial center Starívktaki Móskt, which in Danubian meant "City of the Ancients." The town received its name from a pre-Christian temple, which looked like the Temple of the Ancients in the capitol but was much smaller. The local temple was a favorite pilgrimage site for people who did not want to go all the way Danúbikt Móskt to visit the main one. There were a couple of cathedrals in the town as well, so Starívktaki Móskt was an important center of the Danubian Church, second only to Danúbikt Móskt. The town was attractive, but in a way totally different from Rika Héckt-nemát. The architecture in Danka's hometown mostly consisted of multi-storied brick and stone buildings, typical of what would be seen in other Christian countries at the time. Many of Starívktaki Móskt's buildings were pre-Christian, and many of the newer ones copied the style of the older structures. Rika Héckt-nemát was much more enclosed than its neighbor to the east. Starívktaki Móskt had wider streets and the fronts of most of the houses had pillared entrances and large windows. The houses in Rika Héckt-nemát were grey, brown, and blue; while the structures in Starívktaki Móskt were mostly white and bright yellow. Danka wandered around the town with a bewildered expression as she took in all the new sights. The day was drawing to a close, so Danka made her way to the Temple to see about a place to sleep. She knelt before an old Priest and Priestess, who immediately complained that her kneeling posture was incorrect. She needed to stretch her hands out in front and keep her forehead to the ground. More importantly, she needed to arch her back and spread her knees. "You've been dishonoring your duty to the collar by not presenting yourself properly. You will understand that your duty to the collar is total submission, and your posture must be one of complete humility and the abandonment of all modesty and pride." To drive home the lesson, the Priest left Danka in her corrected kneeling position while he attended other duties. Several people walked in and out of the temple while the Priest was absent. The men always walked behind Danka and studied her exposed bottom-hole and vagina at their leisure. Yes indeed, the corrected kneeling position was one of absolute exposure and submission. Finally the Priest and his partner returned. "Now speak. What do you need from us?" "I'm traveling and I request a place to sleep, Priest." "What else do you want from us, Penitent?" "I'd appreciate a meal, Priest." "Yes, and what else do you want from us?" "I...I'd like to know if there's work for me, Priest." "...and what else, Penitent?" What else? What else could there be? Well...Danka wouldn't mind a husband, preferably one with a nice house in the city, but she knew better than to say that to Clergy members. She thought about her efforts to learn the alphabet...maybe that's what they meant. She decided to try "learning" as an answer, but needed to phrase her request with as much humility as possible, since it seemed that was what those two were after. "I'm ignorant...I don't know very much, Priest, and I need to learn...what...what the Church has to teach me." "Now we're coming closer to what you really need. You said it yourself: you're ignorant. Yes, you are. If you don't even know how to kneel correctly and are putting your worldly desires ahead of your service to the Creator, then your ignorance dishonors you. That collar means something, girl. It's not just so you can walk around from Church to Church asking for a free bed and free meals. You'd better straighten your priorities, or I'll take that collar off your neck and send you away with nothing. Do you understand me?" Danka trembled, terrified that the Priest would carry out his threat and discover she was wearing a fake collar. Fortunately for Danka, the Priest misinterpreted her fear and assumed she understood that she had offended the Creator (he did not use the more common term "Lord-Creator") and was ready to comprehend the true meaning of Public Penance. "Y...yes...Priest...I...under...understand." "Very well, dishonored sinner. You will be granted your selfish desires. You will clean your dishonored body, you will fill your dishonored stomach, and you will rest your dishonored head. Tomorrow you will wake up, and we will address your obvious ignorance." He whistled in a pattern of high and low whistles, summoning a totally naked female seminary student. The young woman knelt, using the correct position. "Apprentice, you will take this visitor to the dormitory. Attend to her needs. She is blatantly ignorant, so don't assume she knows anything. Teach her, and correct her." "Yes, Senior Priest." "Rise. On your feet, both of you." "Yes, Senior Priest." Danka was taken aback by the Priest's rough, insulting treatment. She was more worried about his apparent insight; that he suspected something was not right about her arrangements with the Church. She wanted to flee, but knew that running off was absolutely the worst thing she could do. It was possible the Church would send someone after her. Even if the Church did not pursue her, she'd never be able to set foot in Starívktaki Móskt again. However, what most held her were her physical needs. She had to eat, sleep, get cleaned up, and hopefully find employment. If she spurned the Church, that night she'd have nowhere safe to sleep, nothing except her last apples to eat, and the next day would wake up with no options except going back to stealing. The residence for the female seminary students was much larger than the one where she had stayed in the village. There were eight official apprentices and four penitents living in a large whitewashed stone house that looked very ancient. It had a courtyard that boasted its own well and a stone bath. In the back the house was a dining area and the nicest kitchen Danka had ever seen. To both the left and the right of the entrance were sleeping quarters. The apprentices slept two in each room while the penitents shared a larger communal room. The courtyard was full of drying bed linens. The bedding was only one of the duties of the penitents. The penitents had to earn their keep: in exchange for meals, beds, and religious instruction they had to maintain the house and keep everything clean. The arrangement was acceptable for the penitents. Church protocol mandated that penitents had to perform menial tasks for the Clergy as part of their sentence. To be a penitent was to accept humility, abandon all pride, and serve others. Serving seminary students was not an onerous life. Yes, the women spent a large portion of their day working, but the work was clean and not physically taxing. The women had clean beds to sleep in, ate well, lived under the Church's protection, and were free to leave whenever they wanted. Danka was the youngest woman among the penitents. There was a shy woman only slightly older than her who had an illegitimate child and had been disowned by her family. There was a woman who must have been about 30 who, like Danka, had been sentenced to the pillory for petty theft. There were two other women in their forties who had become accustomed to the Public Penance lifestyle and had served the seminary students for years. The two older penitents ordered Danka to pull off her boots and undo her braids. She had to go through both a ritual and physical cleansing before she could enter the household. While the two younger penitents prepared a bath, the older women and Danka presented themselves to a seminary student for the ritual cleansing. The seminary student issued the normal prayers for knowledge and enlightenment, but, like the Priest, she surprised the newcomer by using "Creator" instead of the usual "Lord-Creator" to refer to the Church's supreme-being. She then released the subordinates to allow Danka to bathe, have her hair re-braided, and be accepted into the household. After her bath, Danka knelt upright while one the older women started fixing her hair. She asked about the seminary student's strange prayer and her refusal to use the Lord-Creator's entire name. "Child, we are Old Believers. We use the prayers of our ancestors, not the prayers of the Romans. The Creator is the true name of the Master of the World. 'Lord' and 'God' came from the Romans, which is why we don't use it." The penitents showed Danka their dormitory, which contained eight beds plus a makeshift crib for the baby. The newcomer set down her bucket and boots next to one that was unoccupied. She realized her remaining apples weren't going to stay fresh much longer, so she offered them to her companions. As she pulled out the last of the apples, she noticed a small piece of folded cloth at the bottom of her bucket. She decided to leave it alone. She could see what it contained when the others weren't looking. At dinner eight apprentices entered the dining hall. They were young, serious, educated women. Just like the penitents, none of the trainees was wearing a stitch of clothing. Nudity was not a requirement of studying for the Church priesthood, but during the summer there was a practical reason for it. The initiates were each issued a single dress at the beginning of their education. That dress had to last during four years of study: if it wore out before the initiate took her vows, the Church would not replace it. The purpose of the restriction was to encourage the initiates to pay attention to detail and care for every item issued to them by the Church. In practice, the custom forced initiates to wear their dresses as little as possible during warm weather so they'd last through four winters. The five penitents knelt while the seminary student who had brought Danka to the house introduced her to the others. In keeping with Church tradition, no one asked Danka where she was from or why she was performing Public Penance. Even her name was of no interest to the apprentices. Danka was surprised when she and 30-year-old were ordered to set 13 places at the table and not just eight. She expected, because they were serving, that the penitents would eat separately. They had to serve the apprentices first, but the trainees did not touch their food until the penitents had filled their plates and sat down as well. Danka later learned that because the women shared the household, they shared the dining table as well. It was a very strange experience, eating in a formal setting with other women who were obviously from a different social class. The apprentice who had introduced the newcomer took note of the way she ate. The Senior Priest had repeatedly referred to Danka as ignorant. Judging by the way she hunched over the table and ate with her hands, it seemed his assessment was accurate. If she didn't know how to eat properly, what else didn't the new girl know? She decided to find out after dinner. If the new penitent had issues, it would be to everyone's benefit to find out about them before she talked to the Senior Priest the next day. The apprentice requested that Danka be excused from cleaning up so she could talk to her. The apprentice planned to ask her some questions about basic theology, but on a flash of intuition she realized the first thing to find out about the newcomer was if she could even read. She ordered Danka to accompany her to the house library and ordered her to sit at a study table. The apprentice opened a printed copy of The Book of the True Path, turned several pages, and told the newcomer to read the following passage: The Destroyer enters the Realm of the Living through the mouth of the liar. Danka went pale. She trembled and started sweating. "Read, Penitent. Tell me what this line says." "Apprentice...I...I mean...I can't." "You can't read?" "No, Apprentice. I can't." "So you really have no idea what you're doing..." "No, Apprentice. I don't." "So the Senior Priest was right about you." "Yes, Apprentice." "Very well. Normally it's not my prerogative to ask such a question, but in your case I need to know. Why are you wearing a Church collar? What did you do to convince anyone the collar was appropriate for your Path in Life?" Danka shook, terrified that the Apprentice was about to figure out her secret. Her only option was to divulge a portion of the truth. The Apprentice tapped her shoulder. "Speak. What did you do to convince anyone the collar was appropriate for your Path in Life? Not a difficult question to answer, Penitent." Danka started crying. Between sobs, she answered. "I...I was stealing apples...from a farmer...he called a city guard...they arrested me...she whipped me...I...I confessed...stole...sold the apples..." "Why were you selling stolen apples?" "...because I wanted a new dress..." "Why did you want a new dress?" "My parents...sister...I have a sister...they want her to get married...me to work...so she could get married...I wanted...to get married first...dress...go in the city...find a husband..." "So let me make sure I understand. Your parents were making you work so your sister could get married. You didn't think that was your Path in Life, to work so your sister could benefit. So you stole apples and sold them, to buy yourself a dress. That is correct?" "Yes." "And with your dress, you were going to walk into the town, and some rich man was going to see you and fall in love with you. That was your intention?" "Yes." "And you thought just having a dress was going to change the Path of your Life? Why did you think such nonsense? Who told you that?" Danka told the apprentice about the story she heard, the tale of the serving girl with the magic dress who went to the King's ball and got the Crown Prince to fall in love with her. The Apprentice was so taken aback by the stupidity of Danka's assumption that for a moment she couldn't react. Finally she pressed the newcomer for additional information. "So, you were caught by the farmer and a female city guard, correct?" "Yes, Apprentice." "...and what happened? Apart from the whipping, I mean?" "Pillory..." Danka responded quietly. Then, remembering what the mob did to her...the very people she had been hoping to impress and whose society she wanted to become a part of...she broke down crying. The apprentice decided to stop interrogating the Penitent at that moment. It was not difficult to guess what happened next. She had seen multiple pillory punishments. Usually they were uneventful: the criminal spent a day exposed to the city; then wore a penance collar until the family accepted the offender back into their household. There were instances, however, where the spectators went beyond simply observing and started taunting the helpless offender. Once the insults and jeering started, the taunting could get out of hand very quickly and the crowd became uncontrollable. There usually was no particular reason the spectators got out of control; sometimes it just happened. The Girl with No Name Ch. 04 The apprentice assumed she knew the outcome of Danka's punishment. When the spectators started attacking her, it was likely a Priest intervened and ordered her taken down. Since the girl was dishonored beyond redemption in her hometown, the Clergy member issued the penance collar so she could get away and make a new life somewhere else. That would explain why she had no theological knowledge. The apprentice thought it was extremely irresponsible to send a penitent away with no instruction, but she could understand the Priest's reasoning; the dishonored girl had to leave as quickly as possible. The apprentice was right about everything concerning Danka except for one important detail. She did not receive the collar from a Clergy member: she received it from the very man who had her arrested. Danka's crying made the apprentice assume that whatever happened to her on the pillory must have been traumatic and that no further questions were necessary. The peasant girl was very fortunate that the apprentice did not bother to ask who issued the collar. The apprentice waited for the penitent's crying to subside before moving on to another topic. "I don't see how we can address your ignorance if you can't read. Do you at least know the letters?" "Yes, Apprentice." "You know how to read and write letters?" "A little, Apprentice." "Very well, let's see what 'a little' means to you." The apprentice brought a wooden tray full of fine sand and a stylus that Danubian children used to learn the alphabet. Paper was too expensive to waste on simple learning and writing practice, so typically a student used the stylus like a pen to draw letters in the sand. "Draw me the letter 'A'." Danka easily drew the letter. "Now draw the next five letters in the alphabet..." Danka complied. The apprentice smoothed the sand and told her ward to write more letters. "If you know any words, I want you to write them out for me." Danka wrote the word "A-P-P-L-E". "How appropriate. That's your first word. Not a bad start. So, you've been practicing?" "Yes, Apprentice." "Now. I will have you write some letters to make some words. I want you to sound them out and see if you can figure out what they are." The apprentice patiently spelled out several words letter by letter, giving the student time to draw them. The words were simple; such as "cat", "sun", "bird", and "nut". Danka struggled with sounding them out, but eventually pronounced all of the words correctly. Early the next morning, the apprentice took Danka to the old temple and addressed the Senior Priest. Danka was still terrified that he would figure out her secret, but now she had the apprentice on her side. The two women knelt in the appropriate position, with their legs spread, their backs arched, their hands extended in front, heads to the ground, and bottoms spread and completely exposed. When the Senior Priest gave them permission to kneel upright, the apprentice requested that both she and the penitent have the day off for writing lessons. The response was that the two women could have the mornings to work on the lessons and Danka would be tested at the end of each week to check her progress. So, that was it: Danka now was committed to learning how to read and write. The apprentice spent the rest of the morning having Danka practice the sounds associated with each letter and writing simple words. They only stopped when the cathedral bell announced it was mid-day. The lessons became part of the daily routine of Danka and her mentor. She worked hard and learned quickly, earning the respect of her tutor. The apprentice noted: "You may be ignorant, but you're definitely not stupid. That may sound like an insult, but it's not. I'd rather be ignorant and smart than educated and stupid. I have seen plenty of stupid people with education and I can attest such people are tools of the Destroyer." By the end of her first week she had completely mastered the alphabet and could spell and write one-syllable words. Learning, like her exploration of new places, became an adventure for the young peasant. Just like her trip to a new province, the world of letters and written words opened up an entirely new part of Danka's brain, forcing her to think in ways that had never occurred to her when she was still with her family. She was changing and realizing facts about the real world, the most important of which was now knowing that buying a new dress would have made no difference whatsoever in finding an upper-class husband. Upper class women had different skills and knew a bunch of things that Danka had yet to master, only one of which was reading. After cleaning up from lunch, the five naked penitents settled down for their midday nap. Danka waited for the others to fall asleep so she could finally see what was in that folded cloth sitting in her bucket. When she opened it, there was a piece of parchment with a note and...a silver coin. Danka had never touched a silver coin, let alone have one in her possession. By the standards of her family's neighborhood, it was a huge amount of money. Now she truly understood how much Farmer Orsktackt wanted to make amends for what had happened to her. She could not understand the note, but it was written in block letters instead of cursive script to allow her to interpret it as quickly as possible. Now she had a specific assignment in reading, something she'd have to master and practice to understand. She practiced tracing the letters in her writing tray until she had the pattern memorized. Then she'd sound out each letter and try to interpret the words. On the first day she figured out C-O-I-N, T-H-I-S, and Y-O-U. The others were beyond her grasp at the moment, but now she was able to sound-out, read, and write three new words. ---------- Danka was the constant companion of the apprentice for the rest of the month. In the mornings she labored with her efforts to learn how to read, sounding out and writing longer and ever-more complicated words. The apprentice was impressed with her ward's progress, and also by her determination. Yes, the peasant had arrived as ignorant as a rock, but she was determined to overcome her deficient upbringing. The apprentice liked having Danka with her. She continued to talk to her in a condescending manner and always looked at her as a social inferior, but still she enjoyed Danka's company. She could talk freely and test how to express Church doctrine in a way that an ignorant person could understand it. She practiced singing hymns with her ward and in exchange learned several bawdy peasant camp-fire songs. The girl's very roughness fascinated the fastidious apprentice and opened her understanding of a social group she had only seen from a distance. During the afternoons Danka accompanied the apprentice on her rounds about the town. She especially enjoyed going to the market and haggling with the vendors over the price of food. The apprentice, coming from a wealthy family, was not worried about saving the Church money during her purchases, an attitude which mystified the peasant girl. Danka instinctually contested every purchase and astonished her mentor by forcing the vendors to cut their prices in half. The apprentice read passages of both the Bible and the Book of the Ancients and explained to Danka the difference between the two books. She explained that there were two competing factions trying to assume control of the Danubian Church. The faction that controlled Danka's hometown of Rika Héckt-nemát and Rika Chorna was called the "True Believers", while the faction controlling Starívktaki Móskt and the main Temple in the capitol called themselves the "Old Believers". The "True Believers" mostly followed Christian beliefs, including the idea that the Lord-Creator existed in the form of a man and had a son called Jesus, and that Jesus, or the "Son of Man", was the person to whom most prayers should be directed. The Old Believers countered that the idea that the Creator could have a human form and also have a son, who was executed by human soldiers of all things, was ludicrous. The Old Believers took most of their philosophy from the pre-Christian Book of the Ancients. They drew some ideas from the Bible, mostly from Ecclesiastes, Psalms, and Isaiah, but their main focus was the Bible's predecessor, the book that outlined the more ancient beliefs of the country. The apprentice was very clear where she stood in the conflict. "We are not part of Rome. Therefore, it makes no sense that we should accept the Roman Lord and pray to his executed son. It just makes no sense." ---------- Danka spent the rest of her time working with the other Penitents. She did not particularly enjoy being with them because their only conversations focused on chores. Protocol determined that a Penitent could not talk about herself or her life. Danka already knew penitents kept quiet around Clergy members, but she was surprised that the penitents also kept quiet around each other. Weeks went by and she knew no more about her companions than she did when she first met them. At first the silence was hard on Danka; to live with people she really could not converse with. Later she realized how much the silence worked to her advantage, because after the initial scare she had with the Senior Priest, no one questioned her motives or her right to live under the protection of the Church. Whatever her faults, she was accepted as a full member of the household. Three times a week all of the women associated with the Temple gathered in the Cathedral to sing. Priestesses, seminary students, and penitents combined their voices in religious hymns and "formal" music. The majority of the songs were unaccompanied by instruments, but each woman's voice had a unique role in the songs. From the first day, the music director expected Danka to fully participate and learn where she needed to add her voice to each composition. Danka felt more at peace with herself during the singing than at any other time of the day. She was part of something much bigger: just one voice among many, and yet with a unique role. She applied herself during the songs, determined to add her part to the women's collective effort. The music itself, sad, beautiful, and peaceful, calmed her nerves and helped her to push aside the trauma of her exile and the stress she was under trying to become literate. She felt enchanted with the Creator's peace during the practices and was always disappointed when they ended. ---------- For several days after arriving, Danka wondered if there were any male seminary students or male penitents working for the Temple in Starívktaki Móskt. At the end of the second week a group of dirty naked young men returned to the Temple with a wagon train loaded with supplies. There were over 20 men altogether. The majority were wearing penance collars, but eight were not. The eight un-collared men knelt before the Senior Priest and waited for him to look over several purchase documents related to the group's outing. Danka noticed the eight female seminary students waiting anxiously with bouquets of flowers, including her mentor. As soon as the men were dismissed, each paired up with one of the women. Following protocol, the women gave the flowers to the men and the men gave a basket of fruit to the women. They left to eat together and chat about the trip. Danka later learned that Danubian Priests and Priestesses, especially among the "Old Believers", were expected to marry upon graduating from the seminary and before taking vows. That was why there was always the same number of male and female trainees attending a seminary at any time, because an unmarried person could not join the Clergy. Courting a marriage partner during seminary studies was as important as pursuing theological topics, given that Priests and Priestesses spent their lives working in pairs and were expected to have a close and flawless relationship. The two older female penitents led the men to a Temple storage annex to offload the supplies. Unlike the seminary students, there was no relationship at all between any of the male and female penitents. Most of the men did not even live on Temple property, but instead were staying with family members. Their life circumstances were different from the women as well; most expected to wear their collars no more than a year or so and then resume normal lives. The women lived with the Clergy because their situation was much more long-term and their families had rejected them. ---------- After two months of struggling with the strange world of letters and words, Danka was more-or-less literate. She had so pleased the apprentice that the trainee approached the Temple Senior Priest and asked to be given several pieces of parchment and an ink-well. Now Danka could practice writing on real paper with a real quill, instead of scratching letters in sand. Over the next several days the peasant filled every spot on the sheets with letters, words, and sentences. The apprentice triumphantly returned to the Clergy with the papers, showing them that she had managed to teach an illiterate adult how to read and write. Now...finally...Danka could decipher Farmer Orsktackt's letter. Laboriously spelling and sounding out each word, she read the following: If you are reading these words, then you will understand I was correct about you and that it is your Path in Life to be much more than the peasant I saw in my orchard. I do not know what your Path in Life will be, but I am confident it is not to dig wells and steal apples. The Lord-Creator has much more planned for you. I am giving you a silver coin. I ask that you keep it with you and not spend it unless your life depends on it. The purpose of that coin is to keep you alive, should the need arise. This way, no matter what your struggles, you will never be completely destitute, you will always have what you need for an emergency. Just remember, once the coin is spent, it is spent. You will discover that life is like your coin. Once you spend your precious time on something, that time is spent and you will never have it again. Remember to appreciate every moment and every opportunity the Lord-Creator has granted you. I wish you safe passage and happiness. I did what I could to give you the chance to escape. The rest is up to you. Tuko Orsktackt - Rika Héckt-nemát Farmer's Guild Danka folded the letter and picked up the coin. She spent a long time staring at it, memorizing every detail. She had wondered what to spend it on. In spite of the apprentice's skepticism about her plan to buy a dress, she had thought about using it for that purpose. However, there would be no dress purchase, because Danka now realized she was obligated to keep the coin with her. Its purpose was to save her life and it could not be spent on anything more trivial. Danka was so immersed in her day-to-day activities that she failed to notice the passing of the summer. She did not keep track of dates, but had she been working outside she would have noticed the changes among the plants and animals signaling that autumn was fast approaching and the unpleasant dark days of winter were only weeks away. She didn't think about any of that: she was too immersed in her literacy and theological studies to notice anything going on immediately outside the Temple. At the end of August, her seminary mentor assigned her first full-length book: a theological training manual for children about to become teenagers. The assignment signaled that by the end of the summer Danka was reading at the level of a 12-year old. On the first day of September hundreds of nervous-looking children and their parents gathered in the town plaza, while the seminary women, the penitents, and several Priestesses stood on the Temple steps singing Church hymns. The ceremony was for the annual Departure from Childhood, a ritual that, during the 1700's, was held once each year in most of the provincial towns. Traditional Danubian society considered a person as a child until the age of 12 and an adolescent over the next three years. Adolescence was the most difficult period of a Danubian's life, because young teenagers no longer could live the care-free existence of a child, but did not yet have any of the rights of an adult. The girls would not braid their hair, nor the boys shave their heads, for another three years. However, they were about to experience the difficult reality of assuming adult responsibilities. The 12-year-olds were wearing black prayer robes and each was carrying a toy. Each was accompanied by a much younger child, either a sibling or a cousin. The 12-year-olds and their companions assembled at the steps of the Temple, while the other family members knelt in the Temple plaza. The Senior Priest and his wife stood on the steps, waited for the choir to finish their last song, and addressed the public. His speech was the one he gave every year about the Creator's Path in Life and personal transition. He began with one of the few passages from the Christian Bible's New Testament that was still quoted among the "Old Believers": "When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. And now abides faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity." The Priest paused for several moments as the assembled children fidgeted nervously. Finally he continued: "The time has come for you to put away your childish things. It is your Path in Life. Whatever joys you had as a child have passed. Your Path in Life now will be totally different. The Creator commands that you put away all childish things." The older children responded by handing off their toys to the younger ones. The younger children scampered back to their families, each happy to have something that had been treasured by their older sibling. The custom stipulated that the item given away had to be the adolescent's favorite toy or childhood item, the loss of which officially marked the end of the first phase of the Path in Life. The choir sang another hymn before the Senior Priest continued. There was a lengthy prayer to the Creator, asking for guidance for this year's group of adolescents, along with the hope their lives will be charitable - that the presentation of the toy will be only the first selfless act out of many throughout their lives. Danka recalled with bitterness the year she turned 12. She had to give up her only doll to her sister, who passed it to a friend who immediately lost it. That was the day she learned that her Path in Life was indeed to serve. She would give and Katrínckta would take. The Lord-Creator had determined that she would give charity, but not expect any in return. As a result, Danka's bitterness against both her family and the Lord-Creator festered over the following three years. If that is my Path in Life, then I will find a different Path in Life. I have no reason to accept the Lord-Creator's plans for me. I hate the Lord-Creator and I'll say that to his face if he ever has the courage to confront me. If I have to suffer the Hell-Fire for it, then I'll just deal with it when the time comes. Now she was watching other adolescents forced to surrender their childhood. She felt sorry for them, because her own life after turning 12 had been nothing but hardship and misery. She wondered how many of those girls standing in black robes would be stuck in equally grim Paths in Life. ---------- The passing of September 1 reminded Danka that the summer had ended and that the weather would be changing within a few weeks. Already she noticed the days rapidly shortening and the nights becoming less and less comfortable for being outside with no clothing. When she arrived in Starívktaki Móskt her intention had been to stay just a few days, but the lure of living in a comfortable place and learning how to read encouraged her to postpone her departure. The Girl with No Name Ch. 04 She expected the Clergy to tell her to move out at some point. However, by the end of the summer it seemed that was not going to happen. She was doing what she was supposed to do and earning her keep. The seminary student rarely left the Temple grounds without having the penitent go with her, which pulled Danka away from the more routine chores in the house. If the other penitents resented Danka continuously leaving, they never said anything about it. It was clear she was following the orders of her mentor, not acting on her own. During most of her time at the Seminary, Danka's only real interaction with anyone was with her mentor. The relationship was a strange one: Danka was not only the trainee's unofficial student, but also her personal assistant, sidekick, companion, servant, and confidant. She could never be completely sure how she would be treated when the trainee whistled at her to set down what she was doing and depart on yet another outing. Usually the seminary student was totally bossy and condescending, but there were other times she shared her doubts and frustrations, treating the penitent in the same way she'd treat a close friend. For Danka the interactions were a welcome break from the silence of her companions and kept her from getting bored, even when her mentor was not being pleasant with her. More importantly, whenever Danka had to talk to any of the Clergy members, the seminary student took it upon herself to go with the penitent and speak on her behalf. Danka was still very intimidated by the Priests, so it was a relief not to have to converse with them. ---------- Right after the Path in Life ceremony for the 12-year-olds, the Church women's choir began practicing for important celebration that the "Old Believers" had revived, the Day of the Dead. The Day of the Dead was important to both factions of the Danubian Church, but all of the details, even the date on which it was held, differed. The "True Believers" celebrated at the beginning of November, the date it was celebrated in other parts of Europe. The "Old Believers" celebrated on the date of the September equinox, in deference to pre-Christian traditions. During the mid-eighteenth century, the Old Believers held their version of the Day of the Dead in two places, the capitol Danúbikt Móskt and the provincial center Starívktaki Móskt. In both places Temple apprentices and penitents commemorated the equinox by painting their bodies with chalk and charcol to assume the appearance of dead spirits. The body painting was very simple, but the resulting appearance was totally sinister, halfway between a ghost and a skeleton. Starting in the mid-1800's the number of marchers and the length of the march would increase considerably when the Ministry of Justice mandated that collared criminals also would participate each year they wore a Ministry collar. However, the judicial reforms of the late 1700's had not yet taken place and during Danka's life collared criminals had little contact with the Danubian Church. After sunset the townsfolk gathered in the Temple plaza and knelt in their traditional black prayer robes. There was a lengthy service while the penitents and seminary students slowly marched around the plaza carrying torches. The torches were the only light in the city that night, because all other fires and lanterns had to be extinguished. It was common for the torch bearers to have visions during the march, and that night Danka had one. The fire from the torches merged into a massive fire in her imagination. It seemed all of the Duchy was burning...city after city. Among the burning ruins she saw thousands of bloody corpses. When she recoiled from them, they reached out to her. She screamed and tried to step back, but there were just as many corpses behind her as in front. There was no escape. Suddenly everything went black. She was standing alone in a forest clearing. A large owl was staring at her. "You know your true Master, Danka Síluckt. It is I." "No. I don't. I don't know you." "Ahhh, but you do, Danka Síluckt. Remember what the scripture says: ' The Destroyer enters the Realm of the Living through the mouth of the liar'. You will not escape from me, liar." Danka woke up. She was still marching. No...no...no... That was just a bad dream... had to be... no relation with reality... best to forget... yes... forget... not tell anyone... bad dream... just a bad dream... just stay at the Temple... focus... forget... try to forget... ---------- Note: The Danubian Clergy was completely unaware of the ruse being used by the Farmer's Guild involving counterfeiting penance collars to safeguard their currency couriers. Had anyone from the Danubian Church realized that Danka was wearing a fake collar, the resulting scandal would have huge. It is likely the Clergy would have taken Danka to the Great Temple in Danúbikt Móskt and she would have been interrogated until she gave up the person who gave her the collar. The Danubian Church then would have investigated the Farmer's Guild and tracked down the artisans that were making the group's collars. The Church leaders would have approached the Grand Duke to request the execution of the artisans and the dissolution of the entire Guild. By 1750 Public Penance had become extremely important to the Old Believers as they sought to restore ancient practices to the Duchy's faith. Even in modern times, wearing the penance collar with devotion and piety remains one of the most sacred tenants of the modern Danubian Church. Using a collar for something as worldly as moving money would be considered a heinous act of blasphemy in Danubia. So, what motivated Farmer Tuko Orsktackt to give up his guild's counterfeit collar, considering the risk it involved? The answer was that there were some circumstances unique to Rika Héckt-nemát's society that set the town apart from the rest of the Duchy, most notably the inhabitants' tendency to fall into bouts of mob hysteria. The panic over the Beelzebub story was typical of the town's behavior at the time. The fact that Farmer Tuko Orsktackt was willing to take such a huge risk by giving Danka his collar indicates the extent of the danger he believed he had placed himself and his family in by rescuing her. - Maritza Ortskt-Dukovna - The Girl with No Name Ch. 05 Chapter Five -- "The Bloody One" There was an interruption of Danka's studies from the end of September until the end of October. The Church staff, like everyone else in the country, had to put forth all of their energy into harvesting and preserving food for the winter. The men hauled bushels of firewood and charcoal, along with fruit, vegetables, and vinegar to the women's residence throughout the month. The women toiled to convert fruit into preserves and pickle as many vegetables as possible. Danka was familiar with the fall harvest routine, but it was nice to have a large well-supplied kitchen as a workspace and decent food and seasonings as ingredients. In the middle of October, Danka received a nickname from the Temple's top Clergywoman. Among the students and penitents, she was the only one that had no qualms about slaughtering animals. Danka's lack of sympathy towards livestock served her well in a household of squeamish companions: every time someone showed up with an animal the others were very happy to turn over the task of killing it to the newcomer. Chickens, rabbits, sheep, pigs...it didn't matter. The young peasant was quick with the knife or the cleaver and the animal was dead before it had a chance to realize what was happening. Danka received her nickname on an occasion when the Senior Priestess visited the residence, immediately after she had killed and gutted three pigs. The penitent was a savage sight at the moment, standing with a large knife and her body and face completely covered with blood. She immediately knelt, but the Priestess was so amused that she ordered her to stand up and return to work. From that moment, Danka was known as "the bloody one" instead of "the new visitor". Receiving an identity from the Senior Priestess was an important accomplishment, because it demonstrated that the Clergy members had fully accepted the new penitent as a member of their community. She was not "new" anymore. The danger of anyone questioning her Public Penance had long passed. ---------- The coming winter became more of a hardship for the penitents as November passed and the weather became increasingly colder. The seminary students put on their dresses, but the penitents did not have that option. No matter how cold it was outside, they were prohibited from wearing any clothing. In theory the restriction included shoes, but in reality none of the Clergy were so cold-hearted that they would force penitents to walk around in the snow with no protection for their feet. Danka still had her boots and for the first time in four months was allowed to put them on. Danka's world shrunk considerably after the first snowstorm. She and the other penitents spent as much time as possible in the kitchen, the only warm spot in their residence. The only other place to go was the study room, which had a fireplace. So...when she was not working, Danka read the books that the seminary student had assigned. "The bloody one's" lessons resumed after the fall food-preserving rush had ended. The seminary student was as determined to teach as the penitent was to learn. She had mastered basic reading, so now it was time to move on to calligraphy, arithmetic, and the use of the abacus. During December, the penitent's mornings were split between the three topics. She enjoyed arithmetic and learning the abacus, but hated calligraphy. Her clumsy hands rebelled against the art of fine writing, so the penitent decided to ignore writing and concentrate on math. By the end of the year Danka had mastered adding and subtracting. The seminary student was not pleased. She was determined to force the penitent to learn how to write cursive, because Danubians did not consider a person was truly literate without having that skill. She came up with a plan to force Danka, on her own, to want to switch over from writing block-letters to formal script. The winter solstice and new year were approaching, along with Christmas. (The Old Believers were not enthusiastic about celebrating Christmas, but there also were True Believers living in Starívktaki Móskt, so the Temple included Christmas in the December celebrations to keep everyone happy.) The multiple celebrations meant that lots of hymns and announcements had to be written on parchment and passed around. The seminary student volunteered to write out a portion of the announcements and tasked "the bloody one" to assist. Danka was directed to write page after page of lyrics. For several days she struggled to keep up writing in her usual block letters. Certainly her ability and comfort writing block letters increased with all that practice, but she was unable to keep pace with anyone else. She regretted not having learned calligraphy as she watched the seminary student and her companions write out page after page with relative ease. As Danka labored in frustration, the trainee glanced at her with an expression that clearly stated: "Now you can see why knowing how to write is important. This time, I'm not going to offer to teach you. When you are ready, you will have to ask." Finally Danka did break down and asked to restart the calligraphy instruction. While the change of attitude was too late to help her during the preparation for the December festivities, she was determined that the following year she would not have to go through the embarrassment again. She paused. The following year...was she planning to still be with the Temple that far into the future? So...what would the following year bring for "the bloody one"...the girl with the knife...the outcast...the former peasant...? Where would her Path in Life take her? ---------- The new year came and went. The final round of religious festivities was followed by several feasts that offered "the bloody one" the chance to try several foods she had never tasted before, including imported nuts, dates and figs. There was endless singing, poetry readings, and listening to music. For the first time in her life, Danka actually had fun during the end-of-the-year holidays. Considering her alternatives, she began the new year under seemingly ideal circumstances: she was well-fed, living in a safe place, and rapidly making up for her deficient upbringing. The final task of learning how to write cursive was daunting and hugely frustrating, but she forced herself to push forward, knowing that her mentor had gone through great effort to obtain parchment and ink for her practices. The winter passed with her sequestered in the reading room, painfully writing over paper that already was covered many times over with letters from previous practices, or working on the new mathematical topics of multiplication and division. When she was not practicing, Danka was reading. She now had the ability to read directly from the holy books of the Danubian Church. She memorized some Psalms from the Christian Old Testament, as well as key passages from the Book of the Ancients and the Book of the True Path. She could read the text from hymns, which helped her during the Temple's singing practices. In March, Danka's mentor handed her a book that described all of the important places in the Duchy, including areas in Lower Danubia that had been lost to the Ottoman Empire. Danka didn't have a clue what the Ottoman Empire was, so the apprentice handed her another book about Danubia's history. Now, this truly was amazing, being able to learn about different times and different places without actually going there. The descriptions of cities like Danúbikt Móskt, Sumy Ris, and Rika Chorna made "the bloody one" anxious to see them. They sounded like fascinating places, with all those people and stuff to look at. ---------- "The bloody one" didn't think about how quickly nine months had gone by until her mentor started talking about the upcoming celebration of the March equinox. She tasked the penitent with producing copies of the Senior Priest's sermon, along with hymns and various announcements related to the day's events. Danka was reluctant to assume such an important task with her writing skills still not completely developed, but the student responded: "You will serve the Creator as I have instructed, I will be satisfied with your work, and that's the end of it. Why learn if you're not planning to use your skills to serve the Creator?" So, for several days, Danka slowly and laboriously copied the text as instructed. She didn't produce her copies at a fast pace, but that was not a concern for her mentor. When she finished, the student looked over the sheets and congratulated Danka. "You are now literate. You can read and write. Your Path in Life will demand that you work on your skills and improve, but my part is finished." Then she added: "We will go before the Senior Priest. I want to show him that you have completed this portion of your Path in Life." A few minutes later, Danka nervously knelt beside her mentor in front of several Clergy members. When the two women knelt upright, the student handed her ward's papers to the Senior Priest. After examining them, he addressed "the bloody one". "You declare before the Creator these papers are the product of your efforts?" "Yes, Senior Priest. It is my handwriting." The Priest handed the penitent a copy of the Book of the True Path and instructed her to read several paragraphs he chose at random. Danka complied and read aloud. He directed his attention to his student. "You have done well, Apprentice. Your student is indeed literate and you have pleased the Creator and the Church with this tasking. You may consider it completed." "Thank you, Senior Priest." "The bloody one" now understood the trainee's motive for teaching her was not completely altruistic. As part of the requirements for taking vows, all Danubian Clergy apprentices were required to teach at least one completely illiterate person how to read and write. When they left the Temple, the apprentice noted Danka's disillusioned expression. She understood why the penitent would be upset, upon realizing it was not out of friendship that she had spent so much time teaching her. The apprentice also knew how, as a future Priestess, she needed to respond. "Penitent, you will understand that whatever emotion you felt for me was displaced. I am not the one who gave you the opportunity to read. That opportunity came from the Creator. I was merely the Creator's instrument to fulfill the Divine Purpose in your Path in Life. If you wish to express gratitude, you should go into the Temple and give thanks to the Creator." ---------- The equinox celebrations included the annual Blessing of the Crop Seed, in which all of the nearby farmers brought in a portion of the seed they wanted to plant for an official blessing from the Senior Priest. The event also was an opportunity for the Church to pass out experimental seeds, both for plants which had been cross-bred and for imported plants that were entirely new. The Church maintained several experimental farms around the Duchy where penitents and apprentices worked with plant-breeders to find better crops and farming techniques for the country's farmers. The experiments incorporated an important part of the Old Believers' theology. The Creator had prepared the Earth for humans long before giving life to the Ancients, who were the ancestors of humanity. The Ancients were all-knowing, but their descendents rebelled against them and the Destroyer forced the younger generation to forget everything they had learned from their parents. The Creator recalled all of the Ancients to the Realm of the Afterlife. The Creator then commanded it would be up to the humans left on the planet to recover that lost knowledge, to learn how the Earth worked and how best to live in it. As a result, the Danubian Church was much more open to scientific discovery than its counterparts in the rest of Europe. To the Danubian Church, every new understanding of how a scientific process worked brought humanity closer to the Knowledge of the Ancients and ultimate redemption. Crop experimentations that resulted in better food were especially important for recovering what was lost in "humanity's great rebellion". The return of warm weather also meant the return of the male penitents, most of whom had wintered with their families. Leading them was a very handsome, and very pompous young man dressed in new clothing and riding a horse. Danka noted the apprentice's disapproving look when the young man knelt in front of the Senior Priest. More shocking was a very faint hiss, so quiet that only Danka could hear it. It was very obvious the trainee did not like him. The apprentice later explained the young man was the son of the Senior Priest and that his name was Bagatúrckt. "He's traveled all over...Vienna, Warsaw, Florence, Berlin... and in one of those foreign cities the Destroyer broke his soul. That man is lustful, proud, and greedy. He's everything we are not supposed to be. The Senior Priest is a fine man, but the Destroyer blinds him every time he is around Bagatúrckt." "Bagatúrckt didn't study for the Priesthood?" "He can't. The children of Clergy members cannot become Clergy themselves. That protects us from the vices of the nobility and keeps the Church open for everyone, not just a few favored families. When you behold a dishonored tool of Destroyer like Bagatúrckt, you can understand that policy is wise, very wise indeed. Bagatúrckt would bring the Destroyer into the heart of the Temple if he could take vows." "You...you really hate him, Apprentice?" "I do. We are not supposed to hate, but I hope the Creator understands that my hatred of Bagatúrckt is quite justified." ---------- As the weather became warmer, the apprentices put away their dresses and resumed their summer-time lives of constant nudity. The exception was Danka's mentor. Her dress was in sorrowful condition, but she kept wearing it. The same was true for her fiancé: his robe was threadbare and torn, but he did not seem worried about preserving it for another winter. The reason became obvious when the apprentice cheerfully announced that she and her fiancé were getting married on the last day of April. The very next day Danka's mentor and her husband would be ordained as Clergy members. (May 1st was the traditional day that the Danubian Church ordained Priests and Priestesses, while June 21st was the traditional day new apprentices entered seminary studies.) ---------- The wedding was simple and humble, as demanded by Danubian Church protocol. The only people present were the Senior Priest and his wife. The couple was married in their apprentice outfits: there was no special dress for the apprentice. The only other person present was Danka, who the apprentice had selected to hold a bouquet of flowers and her wedding jewelry. The couple exchanged vows on their knees. They stood up and Danka handed the traditional Danubian marriage jewelry to the groom: a silver ring, a silver necklace, and a silver hairpiece. The new husband took the items one-by-one and placed them on his wife and clergy partner. The entire affair was over in less than half an hour. The couple disappeared for the rest of the day to consummate their marriage. The induction into the Priesthood on the following day was much more elaborate. The families of both the new Priest and the new Priestess were present, along with the Temple's entire staff and several town officials. Danka and the other Temple women sang while the new Clergy members knelt naked for the last time in their lives. They handed over their tattered apprentice robes for the ritual burning. Once the old clothing was reduced to ashes, they received a final the blessing of the Senior Priest. Then, the Temple's other Priests and Priestesses brought out new clothing, a long black robe with golden embroidery for the new Priest, and a black dress with red trim for the new Priestess. The clothing totally changed their appearance and how the rest of the world would see them. There were several other gifts for the new Clergy members, including new copies of the Church's holy books, staffs, and ritual cleansing bowls. The couple would take the items to their new home, but they would remain property of the Church. Danubian Priests and Priestesses did not own anything. They were committed to a life free of material possessions and lived off the generosity of their parishioners. Immediately after ordainment the new Priest and Priestess would travel to a provincial village and take over a church from a Priest and Priestess who were old and whose health was failing. A squad of city guards showed up with two spare horses and a pack mule to escort the couple to their new home. "The bloody one" was the last person in the Temple to say goodbye to the new Priestess. According to protocol, she now had to kneel, just like she would with any other member of the Clergy. When the Priestess told her to stand up, Danka couldn't think of what to say. Finally the Priestess spoke: "Penitent, the Creator cares much more about you than you realize. And...I too, am blessed for having known you. Your friendship was a gift that will stay with me." The young Priestess did something not common among the Clergy, she kissed the penitent's hands. She then joined her husband and the guards as they mounted their horses and disappeared from the penitent's life. Danka knew that she should have been happy for her mentor, but she was not. The apprentice had been her only friend in the Temple. The others had accepted her, but treated her with indifference. She knew that, with the apprentice out of her life, she'd have to assume the silent and isolated lifestyle of the other female penitents. She didn't want to live like that. ---------- Many of the Temple staff noted special goodbye given by the new Priestess to "the bloody one" and the penitent's teary expression as the entourage left the Temple. Among them was Bagatúrckt, the Senior Priest's flamboyant son. He noted how pretty the young penitent was, how she stood out among the drab women of the Temple. She was the perfect image of naked innocence, a young woman who clearly had no experience with men. He wondered if she was a virgin. She certainly looked like one. Bagatúrckt's weakness was women. They fascinated him and he wanted to experience being with as many as possible. He wanted them, desired them, and momentarily loved each one he had been with. There had been countless Danubians, along with Poles, Prussians, Florentines, Austrians, Magyars...all of them lovely...each worthy of a poem or a song. He collected experiences with women in the same way other men collect books or antiquities. And from each woman he learned something, details about the feminine sex that assisted him with his next conquest. Yes, there had been so many, all of them beautiful, each in her own way. And now, looking at the naked little penitent kneeling at his father's Temple, Bagatúrckt knew who was destined to be the next object of his desires. Before moving on an intended lover, Bagatúrckt observed her and people surrounding her to gather as much information as he could. His initial observations already had provided a lot of information on "the bloody one". Her nickname and how she got it indicated that she came from a lower-class background, because the daughters of nobility and guild members almost never killed farm animals. The girl's behavior during the departure of the new Priestess was that of a person who had lost her only friend. (Too bad it had to be with that particular apprentice, because that might complicate things. However, Bagatúrckt knew the "the bloody one's" mentor did not like to talk about herself, so it was unlikely she had divulged much information about their time together.) It seemed the penitent did not talk much with anyone else in the Temple and was totally intimidated by the ordained Clergy members. The Girl with No Name Ch. 05 As he led the male penitents to Temple gardens and conversed with them, Bagatúrckt picked up more information about "the bloody one". The new penitent had shown up the previous summer after walking into town from the west, carrying a bucket with a few apples. Whoever collared her had not given her any instruction about Church protocol. She was so ignorant that initially the Clergy were suspicious, but immediately she arrived, the apprentice took responsibility for the newcomer and prevented anyone else from the Temple from interacting with her. Whenever the apprentice went anywhere, she took "the bloody one" with her. It seemed she enjoyed going out and getting away from the Temple. She spent the winter learning how to read, write, do arithmetic, and sing. Prior to showing up at the Temple she was completely illiterate. Bagatúrckt volunteered to escort the female penitents on their outings to the Temple gardens. The men did the heavy work, but the women were tasked with maintaining the flowerbeds and collecting the flowers that decorated the Temple during the summer. He observed "the bloody one" as she moved among the plants. She seemed sullen and lost in thought. Obviously she needed some cheering up. He started slowly, asking "the bloody one" about her work in the garden and what she thought of it. Unwittingly Danka gave him a lot of information by responding that Temple work was very light compared with what she had been used to before leaving home. "Your home is to the west of here?" "Yes, Master." "So...how do you find your life here? Not in the Temple, but in Starívktaki Móskt? Does the city please you?" "Yes, Master." "Starívktaki Móskt is a nice city, but I find it small and a bit restrictive. I've seen other places...had dinner at the Duke's castle, and visited the lands beyond...to the west." Bagatúrckt noted the curious look in the penitent's eyes. "I understand that you find strange places interesting as well, is that not so?" "Yes, Master...but I've just read about them. I...I haven't traveled much." "That's a pity, because a young person ought to travel. There are so many things to see. It's sad to see a beautiful young woman like you pass her life away picking flowers in a garden." Danka blushed at the thought of being called beautiful by someone as handsome and sophisticated as the son of the Senior Priest. "You are beautiful, you know. I hope people have told you that, because it is true." The penitent blushed again, because no...no one had told her she was beautiful. Whether or not it was true, people just didn't say things like that at the Temple. "You...you really think so, Master?" "I truly do. And please...I am not your master. It would greatly please me if you use my proper name, Bagatúrckt." "Yes... Bagatúrckt." "You are a rose in a field of dandelions and daisies. You are a swan among the ducks. You are a cathedral among the cottages. Yes, that is the nature of your beauty." Danka was dumbstruck. Never before had she heard anyone talk like that, and certainly not to her. Bagatúrckt took note of the girl's expression and continued: "You are a gift the Creator has bestowed upon the world, and woe will come to those who fail to appreciate the Creator's blessing." The penitent totally forgot about her mentor's hostile reaction when she first saw Bagatúrckt. In her eyes the man was the nicest one she had ever met. He certainly knew how to make an ordinary girl feel special. Who else in Danka's life had ever bothered to do that for her? Before leaving, he kissed her hand and departed with a promise: "I will write a poem for you tonight and bring you a present tomorrow." Bagatúrckt would indeed write a poem from the penitent, although it was more accurate to say he would plagiarize one for her. The young man had studied poetry in his spare time and had a supply of poems stored in his memory that he could use on his conquest of the moment. It didn't take much to write out someone else's poem on a sheet of parchment with a couple of name replacements and hand it to some unsuspecting woman or girl. That night he grabbed 30 sheets of parchment from his father's study and wrote out 30 different poems that clearly referenced the penitent. He had not bothered to ask her name, nor did he need to know it for his intentions. Not knowing her name made the poems sound more mysterious anyway. During his time at his father's temple, Bagatúrckt became "the bloody one's" world. True to his words, he had a poem for her each time he saw her. And there were presents as well: dates, salted almonds, Turkish delight. Increasingly he touched her, starting with her hands, then moving to her arms, shoulders, and back. Danka was so enamored with him that she never thought of resisting or trying to slow him down. Bagatúrckt had a specific plan for the penitent. Because she was a virgin, he wanted to take her somewhere he could truly enjoy the experience of deflowering her. He did not want a quick tryst on a hillside or hidden in the woods: he wanted to save the penitent for a truly special round of sex. He would open her, as a present to himself. He would be the first man to enjoy her body and was determined that he would enjoy everything she had to offer. He would indulge his desires and take away every bit of her innocence. Then, he'd dispose of her, either by returning her to the Temple or finding some other relatively safe place to leave her. It wouldn't be the first time he had done that. Bagatúrckt did not see anything wrong with what he was doing. In his mind he showed every woman he had been with what it was to have true sexual pleasure. When he tired of them, always made sure they were left in a safe place. He knew the apprentice totally hated him, but couldn't understand why. They had a good time while it lasted and he made sure that she was safely brought back to the Temple before moving on. ---------- Bagatúrckt considered himself a man of the Enlightenment, but in reality he was a dilettante. He dabbled in pseudo-scientific projects and belonged to various groups of like-minded men around central Europe, which was an important reason he was traveling so much. During the summer of 1751 he wanted to travel into the mountains at the northern edge of the Duchy to explore and search for some special alchemy ingredients. Specifically he wanted to find and bring back samples of a rare mushroom that only grew along a single streambed in northern Danubia. The plant was known as the "the joy of the Ancients" and it was a unique species of hallucinogenic psilocybin mushroom. By the mid eighteenth century it already was rare, and botanists believe it later went extinct around 1820. Bagatúrckt's friends in Vienna doubted the existence of "the joy of the Ancients", so he wagered a purse of gold that he could find, preserve, and deliver samples of the unique hallucinogen. Bagatúrckt wanted a trustworthy companion who was used to living outside and dealing with harsh conditions, so his best option was to find a peasant girl to accompany him on the trip. It was obvious that among the women of Starívktaki Móskt, there couldn't have been a better candidate than "the bloody one". She was pretty (which mattered the most), but she also understood outdoor life and could do things like cook over an open fire and handle dead animals. She wasn't close to anyone in the Temple and it seemed no one in the Temple would greatly miss her if she left. Also, she admired him (which was only natural and appropriate) and was willing to do what he told her to do. After securing two horses, Bagatúrckt's next concern was getting "the bloody one" out of the Temple. For that, all he needed was the permission of his father. The Senior Priest acquiesced, as he always did whenever his son wanted something. Sure...you can take her. Probably will do her some good to move about...she seems a bit restless anyway. Bagatúrckt approached the penitent with the happy news; that she'd have the chance to travel with him and see one of the most beautiful areas of the Duchy. They would travel to the northern provincial capitol of Sevérckt nad Gorádki and then keep going, into the highlands and the very edge of the country. He talked about the towering mountains and waterfalls, thick forests and ancient trees...about a land of mystery and magic. And she was going to see it. So, on the first day of June the Senior Priest's son, accompanied by his favorite Temple penitent, departed Starívktaki Móskt. They were riding horses with special Church markings to ward off the Destroyer and potential attackers. Besides, Danka was still wearing her penance collar and remained naked, which further discouraged anyone from bothering her and Bagatúrckt. Danka's collar was another reason Bagatúrckt found her useful as a traveling companion. Because she didn't know if she'd be returning to the Temple, Danka took her bucket, along with a copy of the Book of the Ancients and the items Tuko Orsktackt had given her. Traveling by horse, Bagatúrckt and his companion embarked on a two-day journey northward. They traveled through numerous villages and traversed countless farms and orchards. Bagatúrckt talked endlessly about his travels, rightfully assuming his companion was eager to hear more about the outside world and the experiences of a bold adventurer. When they stopped, he indulged himself kissing her and caressing her body. She was eager to be touched and eager to give herself to him. She shivered with pleasure when he fondled her breasts and touched her thighs. They stopped for lunch and she listened to another poem he had dedicated to her. She cuddled in his arms and enjoyed the feeling of protection. As he held her, she imagined being married to the fine man, serving him and being everything a good wife should be. She'd go with him to all of those foreign places and do everything to make his life wonderful. She would strive to be the best wife she could be. Now she knew why she had to endure so much suffering. The Creator was testing her and preparing her for best man a woman could possibly have. She no longer feared the future. She was happy, and she knew that there would be many more years of happiness with her beloved Bagatúrckt. ---------- Note: "The Bloody One" sounds more awkward in English than it does in Danubian. The Danubian word for blood is "grobáckt". The name "Dekgrobáckta" would literally translate to "the woman covered in blood". "Dek" is an affirmative prefix that is widely used in Danubian and converts many nouns into adjectives. The "a" at the end of an adjective often converts it to a nickname that describes a woman or girl. - Maritza Ortskt-Dukovna - The Girl with No Name Ch. 06 Chapter Six – The Graveyard of Virtue The architecture of Sevérckt nad Gorádki was similar to the northwestern section of Danka's hometown of Rika Héckt-nemát, where the city's wealthier families lived. However its setting was completely different. Instead of sitting in a flat river valley, Sevérckt nad Gorádki was built on a hill and surrounded by steep hills and mountains. The only fields were located along the road approaching from the south: the forests began immediately on the north side of the town. The city's inhabitants were mostly wealthy, because apart from working as a house servant, there was nothing in the area for poor people to do. Bagatúrckt took his companion to a friend's house, which was one of the largest in the city. The friend was absent on a hunting trip, but he had left instructions with the servants to let Bagatúrckt stay overnight and use the guest suite. The servants led the travelers to the nicest room Danka had ever seen. For the first time in her life she saw vases that had been imported from China and rugs imported from Persia. There was a huge fluffy bed with the covers turned down. Bagatúrckt ordered the servants to bathe his woman, re-braid her hair, and make sure she had something to eat. The experience turned out to be very strange and unsettling, because the servants told the penitent that she was to keep her hands at her sides and let them wash her and fix her hair. She stood quietly as the women soaped and lathered her body, paying special attention to her vulva and bottom. They volunteered only one observation: "everything must be perfect for the Master." Even after eating, Danka was not allowed to clean her own teeth. One of the servants held her wrists while the other carefully rubbed fine salt mixed with mint extract around her teeth and gums. In the meantime, he retired to the bathhouse and got cleaned up as well. He did not bother to get dressed. Oddly enough, even though they had just spent two days traveling together, she had not yet seen him unclothed. In a few moments that would change. When Danka entered the room, she was a bit shocked to see her love naked, even though she fully expected to surrender her virginity that day. She was excited...she was about to find out what it was to quit being a girl and start being a woman...and with the best man she possibly could have. Bagatúrckt started out tenderly. He wanted to make sure she was aroused and relaxed to make the session as pleasurable for him as possible. Virgins didn't come along very often, so he was careful to take full advantage of one whenever he had the opportunity. He moved her hand to his stiffening penis. "Grab it. Not too tight. Move your hand up and down, slowly." When Danka complied, he went completely erect within seconds. He moved his fingertips to her vulva, gently tracing the opening to make sure she was wet. Yes, she was. He touched her clitoris and teased her. Good. The girl was ready. "Lie on the bed. Spread your legs. You will understand the first time will hurt, but that pain is the Creator's way of letting you know you are fulfilling your duty to me. Your suffering is a blessing in the eyes of the Creator. You would be wise to remember that and obey what I tell you." The mood of the room immediately changed as soon as Bagatúrckt got on the bed. He pushed the penitent's thighs upward so he could get in better. He rammed into her as hard as he could. She felt the tissue inside tearing apart and was shocked at the pain. She cried out and tried to push him back, but he grabbed her hands and pinned her to the bed. He grunted and thrust as hard as he could...over and over. After-all, for a woman to understand her place with him, it was important to make the first time as painful as possible. Danka cried out again, from both pain and terror. She felt like she was being completely torn apart. "Bagatúrckt! Please! Hurt!" He slapped her hard across the face. "Of course it hurts! It's what you deserve!" She felt his penis pulsating as he climaxed and unloaded his first round of sperm. He pulled out of her and she instinctively covered her injured vagina. Blood was coming out. Her upper thighs were covered in red. It seeped through her fingers and soaked her pubic hair. Bagatúrckt didn't give her the chance to worry about her injuries. He dug his fingers into her hair and yanked her off the bed. Danka was crying as he positioned her in front of him. "Put my penis in your mouth. Lick it off and suck until I'm hard again. I'll break your neck if you dare bite down on me." Danka gagged on the taste of semen and blood, but she was terrified and desperate to obey. In a few minutes he was hard again, ready for another round. "Get on the bed. On your knees. Just like you would at the Temple. Kneel before the Creator, Penitent." Danka complied, even though she was shocked at the blasphemy. She spread her knees, arched her back, and extended her arms in front, lewdly exposing her bloody crotch. She was crying and trembling with fear. Bagatúrckt was totally aroused at the sight of blood trickling down her thighs and the girl's submissive posture. Her trembling body and quiet sobs added to the erotic spectacle. "Stay in position. Do not move. If you want, you can cry out, but do not dare move." Bagatúrckt picked up a heavy strap and struck hard at the girl's upturned bottom. She screamed and he hit her several more times. She was sobbing loudly and her whole body was shaking. Lovely...the blood, the welts, the crying, the fear...this was what made fucking a virgin so great. It was what made spending several weeks patiently seducing her worth it. Bagatúrckt was more than ready for a second round. His penis was as hard as before, ready to pump another batch of semen into her. He moved behind her and, as roughly as he could, pushed inside. He was determined that nothing would remain of the girl's virginity when he finished with her. He was rewarded with more crying and more blood, although not nearly as much as the first time. Bagatúrckt left the room to get cleaned up. Danka remained on the bed, lying on her side with her hands between her legs. The pillow beneath her face was soaked with tears, and the sheet beneath her body was soaked with sweat and blood. She couldn't believe how much it hurt. She was in shock, because she had not expected sex to be so...awful. She certainly hadn't expected her lover to be so...awful. Danka dozed off. She woke up when Bagatúrckt re-entered the room. He was still naked and had yet another erection. She noticed that he had a shiny glob of pig-fat on his fingertips. "Lie face-down on the bed. Take that pillow and put it under your hips." Danka was bewildered at the command. When she moved too slowly, Bagatúrckt picked up the strap. The penitent quickly moved to get the pillow under her and position herself as directed. It didn't do her any good. She screamed when he laid two cruel blows across her naked backside. "You will learn to obey me, girl. You're mine now...until I say otherwise. I expect complete obedience." "Yes...yes, Bagatúrckt." "...until I say otherwise..." Those words were another severe blow to Danka's illusions, but she had other things to worry about. Bagatúrckt got on the bed and spread his lover's bottom-cheeks. He dabbed the pig lard around the girl's anus and put some on the tip of his penis. He pushed down, using his bodyweight to force himself completely inside. Danka's sphincter and intestines immediately protested in pain. She struggled, but he pinned her arms to the bed and held her tight. Once again, he wanted the experience to be as painful as possible so she would remember it for the rest of her life. When he finished, he hit her with the strap again and left the room. Danka curled up into a fetal position and resumed crying. She would not be able to get back to sleep. The raw pain in her violated sphincter and the deep ache in her intestines added to the burning coming from her vagina and the welts from the strap. Besides...what other horrible things was that awful man going to do to her? Just hours before she had been full of love and was giving thanks to the Creator, but now that love and gratitude were gone. She hated the Creator. She hated herself. She most certainly hated Bagatúrckt. She remembered the words of her the young Priestess, spoken just a couple of weeks before: "...we are not supposed to hate, but I hope the Creator understands that my hatred of Bagatúrckt is quite justified." Yes, Priestess, your hatred of him is justified...very justified. So...you couldn't have warned me? But Danka knew the answer to her own question. The Priestess did try to warn her, but was trying to avoid being too obvious. Anyhow, even had the Priestess been more direct about the warning, she wouldn't have listened. ---------- The house servants entered the room at sunrise and ordered Danka to accompany them to the bath house. She struggled to get out of bed while they watched with indifferent expressions. Danka blushed upon seeing all the dried blood, semen, sweat, tears, and smeared feces on the bed sheet. The servants didn't react, apart from pulling off the bedding as soon as she was on her feet. She tried to cover herself, but two women ordered her to put out her hands. They grabbed her wrists and led her out of the room. A warm bath already was awaiting Danka when she entered the bath house. An older servant placed a chamber pot in the corner and ordered the guest to relieve herself before getting in the tub. "It'll hurt and you won't want to do it, but you have no choice. You'll heal faster if you get all the piss and shit out of you now. It might feel like your Path in Life has ended, but it hasn't. All the virgin lasses go through this and all of them survived. You'll survive as well. You're no different than any of the others." "The others? How many others?" "Many. Every time the Master or one of his friends finds a virgin lass, they take her up to that room. They even gave a nickname to it: the 'Graveyard of Virtue'. "...and Master Bagatúrckt?" "He doesn't come here as often as the Master's other friends, but Master Bagatúrckt's Path in Life has taken him to the foreign lands, where he indulges himself, to be sure." "...but...he's come here with other girls...virgins?" "Yes, but today is the first time we've seen him in two years." "Two years? And...the last time...did he have a girl with him?" "Oh, yes he did. And that one was special. A seminary student from the Temple in Starívktaki Móskt. I heard him tell the Master of the house it took him months to convince her to come up here. He was quite proud of himself, proud that he indulged his desires with a virtuous woman of the Church." As she sat on the chamber-pot, wincing while she painfully emptied her intestines, Danka thought about what else she should ask. The servant attending her seemed chatty and she needed to take advantage of that. The penitent was still devastated and traumatized, but she knew feeling sorry for herself wouldn't help her. She needed to extract herself from the grasp of Bagatúrckt, but she was in a strange town and couldn't do anything without more information. She decided to ask some more questions about the seminary student as soon as she finished and got into the bathtub. "I...I was curious...how did he...convince a Temple apprentice to come up here? And, how did he get her out of the Temple?" "The same way he convinced you to come up here, I'd imagine. Poetry...love talk...gifts..." The servant thought for a moment. "Yes...and with the seminary student Master Bagatúrckt talked about the Lord-Creator and the forest...yes, that's it...he used the name of the Lord-Creator to seduce her. He talked about the forest and how she'd see the best and most beautiful place the Lord-Creator had given to the Realm of the Living. And he did take her there, but I'd imagine, after what the Masters did to her, she no longer cared." "Masters? As in...more than one?" "Oh yes. Master Bagatúrckt humiliated that student as much as he could. After he deflowered her, he wouldn't let her bathe until he took her before our Master and two others who were visiting at the time. He made her show herself to them and then asked her what she thought the Lord-Creator would say about her virtue, now that the only memory of it was the dry blood running down her thighs. She cried and the men made fun of her. Finally, he did let her bathe. He indulged himself with her again. On the third day he took her to the chambers of the my Master and then presented her to the others. On the fourth day, as promised, he took her to see the forest." "But...I don't understand...why? Why would he do that...to a seminary student? Why humiliate her like that? What did she ever do to him to make him hate her so much? And...what did I ever do?" "That question is easily answered. Master Bagatúrckt hates virtue. More than anything, he hates women who consider themselves virtuous. Everywhere he sees virtue, he tries to destroy it. My Master and the others feel the same way about virtuous women, although perhaps not as strongly as Master Bagatúrckt." There was a pause and the servant continued: "Master Bagatúrckt did not hate the seminary student and he doesn't hate you. He hates no one. But he hated your virtue, which is why he brought you to this house. Now...let me ask you something. Did you go through the door into that bedroom willingly, or did he force you?" "I...I guess I went in there willingly." "You guess, or did you enter that room according to your own wishes?" "I went in there because I...I thought he loved me. I wanted to give myself to him." "Which is indeed what you did. You willingly went through that door, and you willingly presented your body for him to enjoy. That is the way it has been with all of you. There is not a single woman who ever was forced into that room. Each one of you walked in there willingly." "But it was because we were tricked..." "No, not because you were tricked. You went in there because you only saw what you wanted to see. The only deception was the deception you inflicted upon yourself." "But...I did it out of love..." "Yes, just like all the others, you did it out of love. That is a problem, isn't it? Love is very dangerous. Love can be a blessing from the Lord-Creator, or a curse from Beelzebub the Destroyer. Of the two, which do you think is the most common?" "I guess...for me it would be the curse." "Not just for you. For most people it would be the curse. That is the lesson you will take away from this house. Love is a curse much more often than it is a blessing." "So...what should I do now? Can you help me escape?" "There's no need for you to escape. Master Bagatúrckt already took from you what he wanted. He'll keep you for a month or so, and then he'll find a place to leave you. I advise you to stay with him until that time comes, because he will want to be assured you are safe." "Safe? How can I be safe? He just ruined my life!" "Remember what I said earlier. He hates virtue and wants to destroy it. If there's no virtue left in you, you'll be more than safe with him. He'll want you to stay alive and pass that lesson to others." "I don't want to stay with him for a month. I don't want to see him...ever. I'd rather..." "Yes, you'd rather die, I know. All of you say the same thing. And if you die, what good would that do? Do you really want to hold up your mirror to the Lord-Creator with your Path in Life as it is now? I wouldn't. When the month passes and you are left to make your own decisions again, you can fix most of what was broken in that room. Not all of it, obviously, but you'll be surprised how much the simple passing of time can repair your soul. And if Master Bagatúrckt wishes to take you into the forest, you should go. It has places that are worth seeing and knowledge you'll never obtain in the city." When Danka did not reply, the Servant added: "There is something I can do for you to make sure you pass the next month without having your life disrupted any more than it is already." The servant pointed at a set of shelves near the door. Mostly they contained soaps and perfumes, but there was one shelf containing some small brown ceramic jars. "Take a couple of those jars on your way out and put them with your other belongings. As soon as your insides heal from 'the loss of your virtue', you need to take a finger-full of that paste and rub it completely around your womanhood. You need to rub it on the inside, as deep as you can. Do that once each day and if you can, right before sex. Do it right, and that paste will prevent you from getting pregnant." "Paste? That actually works?" "I don't know how it works, but it does. You might have noticed on the way in, this town does not have nearly as many children as most places around the Duchy. The only children who live here are the ones that were actually wanted by their mothers. If a woman doesn't want a baby, she uses Babáckt Yaga's paste, and the moon passes her by." "Babáckt Yaga? Who's that?" "She's an alchemist who lives up in the mountains. She's been there as long as I can remember, and I'm not young. Her alchemy is something to behold, because her potions can heal many of the curses Beelzebub the Destroyer has inflicted on us. Her potions can't heal everything, and she'll tell you that herself. But many evil things can be healed...or simply prevented, including an undesired baby. I'd imagine you don't want to carry Master Bagatúrckt's child?" "No." "That's how I can help you. Take two of those jars. You will need to wait until your injuries heal, or that paste will burn your insides. But once you've healed, you should be able to use it with no problem." Danka stood up and reluctantly took two jars. "I will take you back the 'graveyard of virtue'. I know the masters, and I can tell you something important about all of them. They become bored very quickly. Do what Master Bagatúrckt says. Don't resist him. Don't challenge him. Don't let him see your suffering. Follow that advice and he'll probably return you to the Temple before the next moon." As she accompanied the servant to the guest room, Danka pondered the advice. She had no reason to mistrust the servant: if anything the servant had placed considerable trust in her by giving her those jars of Babáckt Yaga's paste. She'd follow the advice concerning Bagatúrckt. She'd hide her emotions, put up with his depravity, hope Babáckt Yaga's birth-control paste actually worked, and wait for him to dispose of her. Bagatúrckt returned to the 'graveyard of virtue' a few hours later, after Danka had the chance to eat, rest, and accustom herself to her unpleasant circumstances. He ordered her to get on her elbows and knees on the edge of the bed and hold that position. He roughly fondled her sore vulva and shoved his fingers into her vagina. She bit her lip and closed her eyes, but stayed quiet. "Hmmm...not much blood. Looks like you've healed." "Yes, Master Bagatúrckt." In a flash of inspiration, Danka decided to call her lover "Master Bagatúrckt" instead of "Bagatúrckt". She would distance herself as much as she could every time she had to talk to him. She would address him with the formal form of "you" instead of the familiar form, once again, as a means of establishing social distance. She would be obedient in the same way a servant had to be obedient, but she would be cold and indifferent around him. She would consider herself his servant, not his lover. He took off his clothes and roughly took her from behind. The experience was painful for Danka, because she was not aroused and still was recovering from losing her virginity the night before. However, except for a few grunts, she did not make any noise. Frustrated by the lack of emotion, he grabbed the strap and hit her across her upturned bottom. She cried out each time she was hit, but struggled to keep still and keep her crying to a minimum. The Girl with No Name Ch. 06 "So you enjoy the strap, my little slut?" "I am here to please you, Master Bagatúrckt. My body is for you to enjoy. What I want doesn't matter, does it?" Bagatúrckt was at a loss how to proceed. He had wanted to further humiliate the penitent, and then drag her before his friends, to break her and make her cry even more. The seminary student had been a lot of fun...crying, praying...insisting that she loved him...and totally incredulous over everything he did to her. It seemed the peasant girl wasn't falling for any of that. She would not resist anything he wanted to do to her, but she would obey him as a mistreated servant, not as a hurt lover. Her attitude about having sex with him would be exactly the same as if she were ordered to sweep the floor or gut a chicken. He ordered her to lick his penis. She obeyed and managed to get an erection out of him. He pushed her to the bed and entered her. She lay quietly, neither cooperating nor resisting, as she waited for him to finish. She thought to herself - I just have to get through this...just get through it...a month...the house servant told me it'll be a month...I hope it's not any more than that... Bagatúrckt was completely disappointed. He left the room and did not return until sunrise the next day. He went out drinking with his friends and did not mention the peasant girl he had deflowered and who was still locked up in the guest bedroom. With her quiet sullen obedience, it was very possible the others would have made fun of him had he attempted to pass her around. ---------- Bagatúrckt decided to head into the mountains a couple of days sooner than he had originally planned. Breaking the peasant girl had turned out to not be nearly as much fun as he anticipated. However, as much as he wanted to get rid of her, he still needed an assistant to accompany him into the mountains, to attend to things such as cooking and grooming the horses while he searched for his mysterious mushrooms. The couple rode into the hills overlooking Sevérckt nad Gorádki. The view was exciting: rolling sheep pastures rising higher and higher, leading up to the dark forest beyond. The day was beautiful and clear, allowing Danka to look south and observe the entire central region of the Duchy. She could see portions of the Rika Chorna River in the distance and, if she had a telescope with her, she would have been able to make out Rika Héckt-nemát and Starívktaki Móskt. It was fascinating to be able to see so much at once. For a few moments she enjoyed herself as she managed to ignore the fact she was traveling with a man she loathed. As they entered the forest, Danka's attention was turned to keeping up with Bagatúrckt and trying to maintain control of a horse without knowing anything about riding. The spectacular view vanished: now there was nothing to look at except huge trees and her companion's back. They traveled slowly, because Bagatúrckt frequently stopped to look at a compass, consult a map, or write some comments in a journal. The terrain became much steeper as the afternoon wore on. Finally, just as the sun was setting, they arrived at clearing with a small alter and a campsite where they would spend their first night. "Get us enough firewood to make it through sunrise. You are responsible for maintaining it. Also, start a pot of water to boil and fix us a portion of the dry meat in my saddlebag." "Yes, Master Bagatúrckt" Bagatúrckt gave Danka an irritated look but said nothing more. After they ate and Danka washed their utensils, Bagatúrckt went to sleep. Danka looked at the sleeping man with complete disdain and hatred. Her acting and the effort to hide her emotions had been perfect, but still she was devastated by what he had done to her and by what he had planned to do to her. Now he was silent and helpless. It was nice to not have to hear his voice or deal with his stupid ideas. Although her nemesis now was asleep, Danka never contemplated seeking revenge by attacking him. She still considered herself inferior to most of the people surrounding her. She may have become literate over the past year, but she remained an impoverished unmarried young woman with no title, living in a culture dominated by married men who owned property. Regardless of what he had done to her, Bagatúrckt remained a "Master" who was socially superior to her. After-all, he was the son of a Senior Priest. It was safe to assume that if she killed him and was caught, she'd face execution regardless of the motives or circumstances. Besides, she could not imagine the Creator was pleased with her, living a life of lies under a fake collar. Maybe what had happened was the Creator's way of punishing her for all the lies she had told over the past year. Certainly a murder would not improve her prospects in the After-life. Another issue weighing on Danka was the reality that she had little experience dealing with men or boys. What she had witnessed during her childhood would not have persuaded her that women had any rights. She was used to seeing her father routinely beat her mother and many of her neighbors doing the same to their wives and daughters. She had no way of knowing whether Bagatúrckt's treatment of her was acceptable in the view of Danubian society. She suspected that it was not, but her past experiences gave her no guidance. As she tended the fire, the main question in Danka's mind did not concern Bagatúrckt at all. She was more worried about whether or not she should return to the Temple in Starívktaki Móskt. Apart from a safe place to sleep, there was nothing waiting for her there. The seminary student who had mentored her was gone and she had no other close friends. She certainly would never have any respect for the Senior Priest or Senior Priestess, considering they had raised a son who was so depraved and whose soul was so broken. She didn't want to study for the Priesthood, nor end up like those two older women who had spent most of their lives in the same place and doing the same thing, year after year. She understood that it would be better not to go back...but if she didn't, then what should she do? ---------- The following day the couple continued their journey, passing through a forested valley and crossing in front of some spectacular waterfalls. Their trek took them northwest and towards several streambeds. Bagatúrckt began searching in earnest for his mushrooms, following maps and copies of journals. A couple of times that day he ordered the peasant girl to get on her hands and knees. He'd take off his pants, enter her, and mercifully was finished within a few minutes. Neither he nor the girl considered it making love. For him it was little more than stress relief, for her it was nothing more than one of her obligations as his servant. At the end of the second day they made camp in a clearing near a stream. It was an idyllic spot, worthy of a poem. Bagatúrckt scribbled one into his journal while the peasant girl collected firewood. As he watched her, he admired her naked body. He decided to include a few lines about her as well, even though he no longer was very interested in her. Still, she could be the source of fantasy and go well into a poem... Danka started the fire, cooked, and ate a silent meal with Bagatúrckt. When he dozed off, she took the utensils to the stream to wash them. She decided to jump in and rinse off. It was a lovely evening, with a moon that was almost full and fireflies dancing in the woods all around her. An occasional bat or swallow passed overhead. A much larger shape passed over, completely silent. Danka's heart stopped, because it was way too large to be a bat or swallow. She must have been imagining things. The shape passed over again, this time very close. It looked like a bird, but incredibly large. She tried to figure out where it went as it vanished into the black forest. The bird flew over a third time and landed on a branch near the river. Danka couldn't run: it seemed the streambed held her feet tight. Whatever that bird was, she'd have to face it or chase it off. "Hello? Bird? Is that..." A pair of huge eyes, illuminated by the moonlight, suddenly emerged into the peasant's view. She was so scared that her knees shook and her breathing became difficult. She felt very cold. From a distance she heard the hooting of an owl. Then the one close to her answered with a loud hoot that shot straight into the girl's bones. The eyes, which seemed suspended in the darkness, did not budge. They became the only thing she was able to see. Nothing more than a pair of large hostile eyes. Then the owl spoke to her. He did not speak through hoots or by making any other sound. He spoke to her soul. "You know your true Master, Danka Síluckt. It is I." "No. I don't. I don't know you." "Ahhh, but you do, Danka Síluckt. Remember what the scripture says: ' The Destroyer enters the Realm of the Living through the mouth of the liar'. You will not escape from me, liar." Danka said nothing, but the cold terror completely filled her soul. The voice continued: "You tried to ignore the warning last year. You convinced yourself it was just your imagination. Thought I would just go away. Why would I do that, Danka Síluckt? Why would I just go away and leave you in peace? Why?... Why?... Why?..." The owl's final words faded into hoots. The bird took off and flew over her head, so close that she felt the brush of air from his wings. ---------- The couple traveled deeper and deeper into the mountains, checking streambed after streambed. Bagatúrckt collected samples of rare mushrooms, but for several days the "the Joy of the Ancients" eluded him. He did not despair, because he knew the mushroom would be hard to find. His Vienna friends would not have wagered a purse of gold had they suspected searching for "the Joy of the Ancients" would be easy. He had all summer to locate his elusive treasure and a girl to make his life comfortable during the search. He liked the forest, at least during the summer and enjoyed writing in his journal. Danka, meanwhile, lived in mortal fear. At dusk, everywhere she looked, she saw owls. Usually they were ordinary owls, but every so often, she'd see that owl, the one that carried the Destroyer's messages. She knew the Destroyer was watching her and waiting...but waiting for what? Was her own death approaching? Danka thought about the separation of her soul from her body, as she followed Bagatúrckt from streambed to streambed. If her death was about to happen, was that necessarily a bad thing? Was there any joy in life that she'd be leaving behind? Anyone she cared about or who cared about her? Did she really have anything to live for at all? Two nights later, Danka stood in another streambed after cleaning up the remnants of dinner. A large black bird approached in the darkness, flew over her, and landed in a branch near the water. The cold feeling returned. When she tried to move her feet, the ground tightly held her ankles. The bird looked at her. Once again the moonlight illuminated his eyes. "Danka Síluckt. Our Paths in Life merge again." "Yes, Owl. You're...you're planning to separate my soul from my body?" "Not yours. At least not yet. Someone else's, perhaps. Maybe I'll grant you another wish." "Another wish? You haven't granted me any wishes. My only wish is for you to go away." "Liar. Of course I granted you a wish, liar." Danka momentarily saw her mother, uncontrollably sobbing and cradling a body. It was her sister, Katrínckta. Danka's sibling had her hair braided and was wearing a white dress, but she was no longer pretty. Her face was horribly swollen, with darkened features and an agonized appearance. Danka saw her mother's expression in detail. She was shrieking and mad with grief. The illuminated eyes reappeared. "So you see, Danka Síluckt, I do grant wishes." The owl took off and flew over Danka's head. A cold gust of wind swept by as the bird passed. The ground released Danka's feet. She fell on her hands and knees and threw up. She drank some water and tried to clean her teeth. She returned to the campfire and contemplated Bagatúrckt's sleeping body. That reminded her... Babáckt Yaga's paste...she hadn't the chance to put it in that day. She went to her bucket and retrieved a jar. Once she finished she returned to tend the fire. It seemed that eyes were staring at her, but she knew that nothing would approach her in the presence of Bagatúrckt. A wish...well, I wouldn't mind seeing this man dead... That thought was answered with a sensation of extreme cold sweeping through her body. ---------- The next day Bagatúrckt took his companion past a waterfall, the highest they had seen so far. He decided to leave the horses tied near the stream and find a way past the cascading water, to see what was above it upstream. They spent the entire morning climbing a steep slope, but by noon they had made their way into to a picturesque valley with vegetation Danka had never seen before. She looked at the mountain beyond, and noted that its top was covered with grass and moss, not trees. She would have been curious to go that way...see why there were no trees, but she figured Bagatúrckt would not be interested in exploring in that direction. Bagatúrckt took off his pants and ordered her to get on her hands and knees. As always, she complied, but she was irritated he had to spoil her memory of the lovely place by wanting sex at that very moment. He finished within a few minutes and pulled his clothing back on. Danka rinsed off in the frigid water. When she glanced around at the nearby rocks, she noticed a strange sight among all those strange plants; mushrooms totally different from any she had ever seen. They were metallic bluish-green in color and perfectly round. They were one of the strangest things she had ever seen in nature: they really did not look like something a person would expect to see in the Realm of the Living. She wondered if she had found what Bagatúrckt was looking for. She was not thrilled about helping him, nor did she want to see him destroy those beautiful mushrooms, but she did want her outing with him to end and to have him depart from her life. "Master Bagatúrckt. I found something. Some weird mushrooms. Maybe it's what you're looking for, Master?" Bagatúrckt approached. As soon as he saw the mushrooms his expression changed. Danka was frightened, because his look was one of unrestrained evil glee. "Yes. This is it. This is what I wanted. And they doubted me. All Vienna will know me now. The purse...it's mine...all mine...the gold...mine." Bagatúrckt ordered his companion to stay with the first batch of mushrooms while he wandered up and down the stream looking for more. He returned with a cloth sack half full of specimens. He then proceeded to pick all of the mushrooms where Danka was sitting. She looked at him with disgust. If his purpose was merely to prove the existence of "the Joy of the Ancients" then, why not just take a few samples and leave the rest? Why did he have to clean out the entire streambed? "All mine...'the Joy of the Ancients'...belongs to me...yes..." Of course, there was not a single word of thanks to Danka, the person who actually discovered the mushrooms. After-all, she was nothing more than a servant and not worthy of sharing any credit. The return trip was difficult. The slope was very steep, there was no marked trail, and both the man and the woman were weighted down. He had the bag of mushrooms that he had to be careful not to bump, and she was weighted down with everything that he had carried up. It was dark by the time they returned to the horses. Bagatúrckt laid the mushrooms out on a cloth while Danka stumbled around looking for firewood. As soon as she had a fire going, the master pulled the cloth close to the heat to begin the process of drying the fungi. He and the servant spent the entire night carefully brushing off the dirt and separating the stems from the tops. The next day was hot and sunny, so Bagatúrckt decided to stay in the clearing and try to dry his loot as much as possible before returning to Sevérckt nad Gorádki. They stayed two days. Except when she had to pick berries or collect firewood, Danka finally had the chance to sleep. She was exhausted from having spent days riding all day and tending fires all night. She also found it hard to close her eyes in the dark after being totally traumatized by her nighttime visions. During the day everything seemed different, which allowed her to rest. Bagatúrckt was too worried about his mushrooms to worry about his companion. He built a stick platform in the sun, where he laid the cloth to allow the air to circulate underneath. He carefully counted the specimens and drew pictures of some of them. Danka knew that if she tried to take any samples or even touch them without permission, her master would kill her. Not touching "the Joy of the Ancients" was fine with her. She suspected the mushrooms were cursed by the Destroyer the moment they were picked and had no desire to be anywhere near them. On the third morning after harvesting the mushrooms, Bagatúrckt announced that he was ready to return to Sevérckt nad Gorádki. The mushrooms were dry enough to transport. The master carefully rolled up the cloth with the mushrooms tucked inside and looked around for a good container. He spotted Danka's bucket. Without asking her permission, he grabbed it and pushed in the rolled cloth. He took no notice of Danka's other belongings lying at the bottom. He mounted his horse and tied the bucket to his saddle. Danka despaired at the thought of those evil mushrooms being kept in her bucket and her bucket being take away from her, but she said nothing. All she could hope for would be that she'd have her possessions returned to her as soon as they returned to Sevérckt nad Gorádki. They moved quickly in the direction from which they came, covering in a single day the same distance that had taken them four days coming out. Darkness fell and Bagatúrckt reluctantly dismounted. They already had covered more than half the distance towards Sevérckt nad Gorádki, but the rest of the trip would have to wait until the next day. They couldn't go any further in the dark. Danka was not thrilled about stopping. She could feel the Destroyer's presence, a premonition confirmed by the occasional dark shape flying overhead. She heard the twittering of bats...but it was not the bats that scared her. It was the owl...that owl...the one that was waiting for her. Fortunately they stopped at one of their previous campsites where there was some spare wood left over from their last fire. Danka gladly lit it and started dinner. While the peasant girl was cooking, the master examined some of the mushrooms, to make sure they were still dry and fresh. He decided to keep three tops and three stems in his hand before putting the others back into the bucket. He set the bucket next to his bedroll and contemplated the magic he held in his hands. "'The Joy of the Ancients' is mine now. I am worthy of it, and it is worthy of me. My Path in Life is to deny myself nothing, to experience every pleasure the Realm of the Living has to offer. This is it: the joy that the Ancients left behind, the joy that transcends mere mortality. I found it, and I will share it, but before I do, I will not be denied. I will indulge...experience...it is my Path in Life." Danka watched as, one piece at a time, he placed the mushrooms in his mouth and thoughtfully chewed them. For a while nothing happened, apart from Bagatúrckt staring blankly into the fire. His gaze eventually grew more vacant, but apart from that he seemed very relaxed. His mouth started to move, as though he were speaking silently. The fire was starting to die, but Danka was terrified at the thought of wandering into the darkness to find more firewood. She was as immobilized by fear as he was by his trance...or by whatever it was that was happening to him. The Girl with No Name Ch. 06 "Honor and greatness are mine...honor and greatness are what I deserve...my Path in Life...lead the Enlightenment....my honor..." An owl...that owl...landed on a branch overlooking the clearing. "Why?" "What? Girl, what did you say?" "I didn't say anything, Master Bagatúrckt." "Why?" Bagatúrckt angrily looked around: "Who said that!? Who's questioning me?" Shaking with fear, Danka pointed at the dark shape sitting above them. "Why?" "Ha! Beelzebub! You! You came to take what is mine? That won't happen, pathetic spirit! You're nothing! A bird! A fucking owl! You can't do any better than become a dishonored bird, you loathsome, tiny, puny, helpless, pathetic apparition?" "Why?" Bagatúrckt ran to his horse and unsheathed his sword. "You won't mock me, pathetic apparition! I'm so much more than you! I am the Creator! I'm more than the Creator, I'm the God of Rome! I'll strike you down and eat you for breakfast, pathetic Beelzebub!" "Why?" "How dare you! Now I will chase you! Now I will kill you, Beelzebub!" Bagatúrckt mounted his horse. It was obvious that he was completely insane, believing he had transformed into either the Creator or the Roman God. However, he was more than simply a madman riding around on a horse. It seemed there really was something much larger in him, struggling to get out. And, why not? After-all, he had defiantly eaten food reserved for the Ancients. Perhaps that food was far more than a human body could withstand. Mocking Bagatúrckt, the owl flew from one side of the clearing to the other, passing immediately in front of the master's face. He chased the bird, but the owl took off again and flew towards the stream. "Why? Why?" "How dare you! How dare you defy me! I will cut you, Beelzebub! I will cut you!" Bagatúrckt led his panicked horse into the stream, but the owl changed course and flew back towards the camp. It landed on Danka's horse. The animal shrieked in panic and tore itself loose. Danka screamed as her horse galloped along the path and disappeared into the darkness. Bagatúrckt was wild with rage. He crashed around in the woods as the owl flew ahead of him, barely keeping out of his sword's reach. He was howling like a mad wolf. The sounds coming out of his mouth were no longer those of a human. Danka stood helplessly as her master rode through the dark woods around the camp, screaming and cursing. The owl re-emerged into the clearing, with a man savagely swinging his sword in pursuit. The horse nearly trampled the penitent. The owl flew directly towards Bagatúrckt and openly challenged him. The man backed his horse directly into the fading campfire. The horse shrieked upon feeling the embers' heat and became as uncontrollable as his rider. He charged back into the trees. Suddenly in the distance there was a tremendous crash of breaking branches and thrashing leaves. The horse whinnied and re-emerged into the clearing, riderless. He did not stop. He ran towards the path and, like Danka's mount, galloped along the trail that led to back to Sevérckt nad Gorádki. The sound of hoofs became fainter and fainter. Danka was left standing in total silence. As much as she hated Bagatúrckt, she was hoping to hear his voice, even if it was nothing more than a moan or a call for help. For a long time she listened, but the only sounds reaching her ears were the normal sounds of the nighttime forest. No. He was not going to call out to her. She'd have to investigate, go in the direction of that crash, and see what happened. With every bit of courage she could summon, she carefully picked her way through the trees and brush, feeling her way through the darkness. She touched countess tree trunks, but eventually her hand landed on something at eye level that was not a tree. It was a large object that was not fixed to the ground, but hanging. She explored with her hand and realized she was touching a boot. Yes, and there was the other one. She felt upwards and touched a pair of legs clothed in thick trousers. She tugged at the corpse, but apart from swinging it a bit more, she was not able to budge it. And a corpse it indeed was; there was no question she was touching a body that had been separated from its soul. She let out a shriek as pulled back her hand. The sinister cold feeling swept through her body. She couldn't breathe. Calm...calm...breathe...must breathe...calm...go back...wait... She immediately realized how bad her situation had become. Yes, she had hoped to see Bagatúrckt as a corpse, but not like this. Now she was alone, in a pitch-black forest, with no weapon except a dagger that was not even with her, no food, no supplies, and no horse. She didn't even have a fire, because she had neglected to keep it burning. Instinctually she groped her way towards the clearing, although really there was no point, because without a fire the clearing was no safer than anywhere else. The worst detail was that she couldn't see anything. The leaves completely blocked the sky and all source of light. She continued stumbling around, but she had lost all sense of direction. She was so panicked that she forgot about the first rule of being alone in the forest: to be a quiet as possible and listen for anything or anyone approaching. Finally Danka did see light. It was a strange orange color. She was so desperate to see something, anything, that she instinctually stumbled towards it, without thinking it was very likely that light would be leading her towards, and not away from, danger. She continued pushing through the brush. To see...just to see. The light moved down and vanished. Danka despaired, because now she was hopelessly lost. She couldn't control her breathing and was letting out panicked gasps. She tried to hold her breath. To her horror she could hear the sounds of movement all around her. The orange light reappeared, much closer. She screamed when she saw what it was, an illuminated skull. When she turned around, there was another orange skull behind her. There were two more on either side. "Beelzebub... Leave me alone! What did I do? What did I do, for you to torment me like this?" An old woman's voice answered back. "Trespasser, don't you dare speak the name of the profane one in this forest!" "You're...you're not Beelzebub?" "I told you not to speak that name! And no, I am not!" "Who are you?" "And who are you, trespasser?" "I...I'm a penitent...from the Temple...in Starívktaki Móskt." "You're lying, trespasser. You're not from there. They don't use the Christian name for the profane one at that Temple. So, tell me who you are, trespasser, and where you're from. If I have to call you 'trespasser' again, it will be the last time anyone will call you anything." "I...I'm Danka Síluckt. I'm from Rika Héckt-nemát, originally. But I was at the Temple. I'm not lying about that, Mistress." "Very well, Danka Síluckt. Are there any other names in your life? Other things people might have called you?" "No, Mistress...well...at the Temple they did call me 'the bloody one', because I was the only penitent that butchered animals...the others didn't like doing it." "Very well, Danka Síluckt, 'the bloody one'. You will now explain to me why you are in these woods...what brought you here." "I came here with my master." "Who is your master, Danka Síluckt, 'the bloody one'? What was his business in this forest?" "He's...his name is Bagatúrckt. He's from..." "I know Bagatúrckt. And I know where he's from. And I know who he serves. Do you know?" "Yes, Mistress. I know who he serves." "Which is why you were calling out to the profane one..." "No, Mistress. That wasn't the reason. It's...I was being chased. I wanted to be left alone." "So, Danka Síluckt, 'the bloody one', where is your master now? Can you lead me to him?" "I think he's dead, Mistress. And it was...the...profane one...who killed him." Danka explained the circumstances of Bagatúrckt's death and the escaped horses. "We saw the horses. They ran by us as we were coming up the trail. Now, we will return to your campsite and find your master, or his body. If Bagatúrckt is dead, that would be good news for the Duchy, but bad news for me, because I wasn't able to kill him myself." The group's leader moved her skull-lamp in front so Danka could see her face. She was dressed in black clothing. She looked very old, but her eyes were still clear and powerful. Her hair was completely gray, but it was done up in braids just like the hair of every other Danubian woman. "Danka Síluckt, I want you to understand that your fate is in my hands. I have not yet decided what your fate will be, because I haven't learned enough about you. I may spare you, and I may not. Either way, the decision will be difficult. If you can accept that I now control your destiny, I won't have to restrain your hands. But, restrained or not, you will understand that you'd have no chance of escaping." "I...yes Mistress...I know that." Oddly, the old woman's words calmed Danka considerably, even though she had just spoken of the possibility of killing her. The terrible cold feeling that tormented her over the past several days had vanished. "Come." The old woman's three companions led Danka though the forest. Even though she knew that her life was still in danger, she felt at peace, partly because she was grateful not to be stumbling around in total darkness. It also was a relief to know she was traveling with people who had declared themselves enemies of both Bagatúrckt and Beelzebub the Destroyer. The skull-bearers and their captive made their way to the path. They turned left and walked several minutes before arriving at the dark campsite. Danka looked up and noticed the sky was beginning to lighten. Light...sun...oh yes...so happy not to be in the dark... "From this place, can you tell me in which direction you think Bagatúrckt was riding, when his soul separated from his body?" Danka pointed in several directions as she spoke: "He started fighting with the owl here...then rode in that direction...then that way into the stream...then he came back...was over there...and then he went that way...and that's where I heard the crash...and his horse came out there...and ran off in that direction..." "When we have the benefit of light, we will investigate your claims. Meanwhile, you will state your business with Bagatúrckt." "He was looking for mushrooms, Mistress. A special kind he called..." "...the Joy of the Ancients." "Yes, Mistress." "I trust you were unsuccessful in your quest?" "No...Mistress. That's not true. He did find a place with a bunch of those mushrooms. He got enough to fill a bucket." "A bucket? That's impossible. There's only one place that has so many...and there's no way you would have found it." "There was, Mistress. A stream, in a pretty place...with a lot of strange plants. It was above a waterfall, really high up." Danka could tell, even in the faint pre-dawn light, that her captor was dismayed upon hearing her last words. "Show me your bucket, Danka Síluckt" "It's over there, where Bagatúrckt set up his bedroll." The old woman signaled to one of her followers to retrieve the bucket. She was horrified when she opened the cloth and looked inside. "Mercy of the Ancients...by the mercy of the Ancients...what have you done?" "I...I was thinking he shouldn't have taken so many, Mistress, but..." "Taken so many? Do you realize...have any idea...what you just destroyed?" "Not really, Mistress. I just know that Bagatúrckt wagered a purse of gold in a foreign city...I think it was called Vienna...that he'd find some of those mushrooms. And when he found them...he wanted to take as many as he could." "You don't have anything else to say for yourself?" Danka realized that she had participated in something terrible. She also understood that she probably was only a few minutes away from meeting the Creator in the After-life. And yet, she was strangely calm. She'd tell her captor what happened, find out what was so important about those mushrooms, and then face judgment. In detail, she described her trip with Bagatúrckt. She described his obsessions and "the graveyard of virtue". She talked about her conversations with the house servant in Sevérckt nad Gorádki and the trip into the forest. She talked, not to plead for her life, but to explain the facts. She concluded: "I didn't want anything to do with those mushrooms, Mistress. I always thought they were evil, from the moment they were pulled from the ground. When I watched Bagatúrckt eat them and saw what happened, I realized I was right." By the time Danka finished, it was light enough to see through the trees. The old woman again asked where Bagatúrckt had been when Danka last saw him. The trespasser led the others towards the spot she thought he had been killed. After looking around for several minutes, she saw him. His body was hanging, with his neck wedged in the fork of a low tree branch. The old woman's companions struggled to take down the corpse. It was not a pretty sight, because the neck was distended and the face bloodied and deformed from the blow. Danka noticed the dead man's sword lying in the brush. She picked it up, and without understanding why, held it out for her captor to take. The old woman seemed surprised, but she accepted the sword. The assistants dragged the body to the campsite. They stripped off Bagatúrckt's fine clothing (which they would sell), turned the body over, and drove a stake into his back. One of the assistants left for a few minutes and returned with a large square piece of wood and an inkwell. The old woman wrote: The love of money is the root of all evil. Because I loved money, I stole from the Ancients and destroyed what can never be replaced. I showed my evil face in their presence and received what was rightfully mine. Do not mourn for me, because I was a tool of the Destroyer, and this is where my service to the Destroyer led me. I am now safely in the Destroyer's arms, enduring the Hell-Fire. The old woman turned to Danka. "You are ignorant about the mushrooms. Later I'll explain their significance. I will trust that your were a mere witness, nothing more, to your former master's depravity. As angry as I might be, I cannot condemn a bystander. I will ask you a question. If I spare you, do you think you can atone for what your master did to the Ancients?" "I don't know, Mistress. I'll try, if you tell me what to do." "Then we'll start by having you address me properly. I'm not a 'Mistress'. The people of these woods call me Babáckt Yaga." "Yes, Babáckt Yaga." "The next thing you will do is take off that counterfeit penance collar. I'll let you keep it for the future, but for the time you are in my service, you are not to wear it or show it in my presence." Danka was shocked that Babáckt Yaga knew right away her collar wasn't real. It had fooled everyone else, but not the old woman. Reluctantly she took it off. Babáckt Yaga picked up the bucket and handed her skull staff to Danka. Her followers gathered the other items scattered around the campsite and emerged onto the trail. As she carried one of Babáckt Yaga's staffs and walked behind her followers, Danka realized that her Path in Life had changed. She would not be returning to central Danubia, at least not any time soon. The staff she carried symbolized that she now was committed to staying in the mountains and serving Babáckt Yaga. ---------- The two Temple horses were captured by the townsfolk near Sevérckt nad Gorádki. A junior Priest from the town's cathedral took the horses south to Starívktaki Móskt. The Temple's Senior Priest read through his son's correspondence and found a stack of poems. They were all dedicated to "the bloody one". He must have loved her dearly to have written all those beautiful poems. Leaving Bagatúrckt's writings at the Temple, the Senior Priest frantically returned with the messenger to Sevérckt nad Gorádki. A group of Clergy members left the town to search the trail for the unfortunate Bagatúrckt, and also for the penitent who was the subject of his admiration. They finally found his badly decomposed body, at a campsite with a stake wedged in his back and a wooden sign with a very sinister message next to his head. Obviously poor Bagatúrckt had been horribly betrayed and murdered by that evil penitent. Yes, from the first day he saw that peasant girl, the Senior Priest had known that something wasn't right about her. Unfortunately, he failed to act on that suspicion. That failure to confront true evil had cost him dearly: the life of his favorite son. Bagatúrckt was buried with honors at the cathedral in Sevérckt nad Gorádki. When the Senior Priest finally returned to the Temple in Starívktaki Móskt, the place was full of hushed gossip about the evil penitent girl who had destroyed the life of a fine young man. More rumors came in from the west, from Rika Héckt-nemát, which recently had lost almost its entire population to the plague. There had been an evil peasant girl there too, the one who set off the sickness by calling out to Beelzebub the Destroyer when the city guards tried to execute her. The rumors speculated that the peasant girl who killed Rika Héckt-nemát's people and the penitent who killed the Senior Priest's son must have been the same person, a true servant of Beelzebub the Destroyer. ---------- Note: Most likely the owls Danka saw were greater highland owls, a species of owl that inhabit old-growth forests and currently are protected under Danubian law. The Danubian word for "why" is "somú". Traditional Danubian folklore associates the hooting of the greater highland owl with the origins of "somú", which was one of the first questions given to humans during the Epoch of the Ancients. - Maritza Ortskt-Dukovna - The Girl with No Name Ch. 07 Chapter Seven -- The Initiate Babáckt Yaga and her followers walked in silence throughout most of the morning. At the beginning there were only three companions, two young men and a middle-aged woman. Eventually they were joined by a young couple armed with longbows and carrying four dead hares and a sack of roots. Another older man later joined the group, lugging several fish. All of Babáckt Yaga's companions were dressed alike. The women wore black, long-sleeved dresses with dark red aprons, while the men wore black robes. The women's aprons and the men's robes were embroidered with a red skull. Everyone carried a real skull mounted on a long staff. Even in daylight, the group had a very sinister appearance. Danka nervously followed the others, very self-conscious about being the only naked person in the group and not wearing a Church collar to give legitimacy to her nudity. She continued to be scared, traveling with the strange group and unsure if Babáckt Yaga really was planning to spare her life. However, she had no choice but to follow. She knew that she could never hope to escape from a group of people who undoubtedly knew the woods as well as they knew the insides of their homes. Also, even if she had been presented with the choice, Danka really did not have much desire to escape. Mentally and spiritually, she was exhausted from the traumatic events of the past two weeks. The more she thought over her situation, the more she realized that she had nowhere to go. Even if she could return to Sevérckt nad Gorádki, what would she do there? The first thing people would ask her was what had happened to her master Bagatúrckt. The thought crossed her mind that, if the horses had been re-captured, she might already be considered a fugitive. The group traveled along the main trail for a while, heading back in the direction towards Sevérckt nad Gorádki, before turning onto a side path that led north. As soon as the alchemists were out of sight from the main trail, they stripped off their clothing, consolidated everything into a cloth bag, and handed it to Danka to carry. As they ascended into increasingly steep terrain, the naked alchemists made frequent stops to collect berries, herbs, and roots, which they carried in sacks that grew heavier as the morning wore on. At midday the terrain flattened out and the group emerged into a cleared area. There were several well-kept gardens surrounding the strangest house Danka had ever seen. The structure was round instead of square, but what made it truly bizarre was that it was four fathoms above the ground, perched on top of three large tree trunks. The roots of the trees extended above the ground, reminding Danka of enormous birds' feet. Suddenly Danka remembered...as a child she had heard stories...of a witch who lived in a house in the forest that stood on huge chicken feet. Babáckt Yaga did not give the newcomer a chance to rest. She collected the hares and fish from her followers and ordered the captive to accompany her to an open shed that contained a kiln and an outdoor kitchen. Danka was perplexed that she did not see any firewood: instead she noticed a large pile of black rocks. Babáckt Yaga directed her attention to a stone table. "Very well, 'bloody one', I wish to see for myself if your Temple nickname was justified. Clean these animals so we may eat." Danka expertly skinned and gutted the hares before preparing the fish. Babáckt Yaga carefully observed the newcomer and seemed satisfied that Danka had told her the truth, at least as far as handling meat was concerned. The next detail the alchemist wanted to know was how well Danka could cook. Babáckt Yaga called over one of her female followers and ordered her to start cooking, with the newcomer to assist. She ordered the captive to assist the woman normally assigned to prepare meals. The cook questioned her and figured out that Danka knew some recipes and seasoning techniques that were unique to the Danubian Church, thus verifying another portion of the newcomer's claims. The cook ordered Danka to pick up some of the black rocks and move them to the stove. The rocks were unlike anything she had ever seen: heavy, totally black, and powdery. The cook then shocked her assistant by throwing the rocks into the oven and setting them on fire. "A secret of the Ancients. We call it cave-charcoal. It's special charcoal the Creator placed in the ground for us, and it burns much better than anything we'd get from trees. When the winter darkness descends upon us and the cold blows off the mountains, you will give thanks many times over to the Creator for this present we have taken from the ground." Hearing those words helped calm Danka's nerves, not because cave-charcoal was going to keep her warm over the winter, but because the cook apparently took it for granted she would be with the group (and thus still alive) at the end of the year. ---------- While her captive was busy with dinner, Babáckt Yaga sadly spread the mushrooms on a drying rack to make sure they were completely dry. Later she would take other measures to ensure they would be preserved indefinitely, until she needed them for medicines and potions. Given the scarcity of the species, the supply was enormous, but it also represented the destruction of a large percentage of the world's remaining living specimens. Babáckt Yaga's only consolation was that at least she recovered the mushrooms and had them for her own use; that they had not been taken to Vienna. However, they were irreplaceable. There would be no new mushrooms sprouting up the following year to replace the ones that accursed fortune-seeker had destroyed. A purse of gold...how absurd...a purse of gold...if only that ignorant dilettante had known... "the Joy of the Ancients" was worth far more than any amount of gold. Even though he was dead, anger against Bagatúrckt and his loathsome pseudo-scientific friends in Vienna welled up inside the alchemist. A purse of gold indeed... ---------- Danka did not have her midday meal with the others. She was not yet an accepted member of the group and thus did not have permission to share their table. She ate alone, sitting at the base of one of the trees that held up that strange suspended house Babáckt Yaga called home. She noted the drying mushrooms and wondered about her bucket. She had seen the alchemist taking it up into the house with Bagatúrckt's items, so presumably it was still there. After the midday meal, three followers stayed behind to clean up, while the others departed the compound. (Later Danka would learn that Babáckt Yaga had planted rare herbs and fungi all around the area surrounding the settlement, and it was up to her followers to check on the plants to make sure they were healthy until it was time to harvest their ingredients.) The compound was completely empty, apart from three people in the kitchen area. Babáckt Yaga approached the newcomer and ordered her to follow her inside the raised house. She pulled a rope and a ladder came down automatically. The interior of the building was very carefully laid out, to take advantage of every bit of space and still provide a comfortable work and research area. The furnishings were simple, but were made from fine materials and expertly crafted. One wall was completely covered by bookshelves filled with books written in various western European languages. Another wall was completely covered by shelves containing jars and expensive-looking vases full of alchemy ingredients. There was a writing desk and a table filled with very strange-looking glassware. There were assorted storage trunks. Babáckt Yaga directed Danka's attention to neatly folded stacks of black and dark red linen. "You will take one red cloth and one black cloth. Your first duty to me will be to prepare a dress for yourself. In the forest we live uncovered, as we have been created. Among the non-believers we show ourselves in the cloth of our forbearers." Danka took her cloth and looked at Babáckt Yaga, waiting for further instructions. "You will understand, as long as you do not speak to me as a liar, the Ancients have called upon me to spare you. They do not want your blood, because the blood of the ignorant and the blood of the bystander is unacceptable for the nourishment of the earth. Do you understand me so far?" Danka was frightened and bewildered by the alchemist's talk of blood, but she managed to respond that she understood. Babáckt Yaga knew that her captive was not truthful; that she really had not understood. "You just lied to me, Danka Síluckt. You are trying my patience. Answer honestly. Did you understand what I just said?" "I...I guess...I mean...not really... Babáckt Yaga..." "That's better...somewhat, Danka Síluckt. An important rule for seeking knowledge is to never falsely claim you understand something when actually you don't. You didn't understand what I just said because there is no way you could understand, given your ignorance. You don't comprehend the ways of the Ancients, so how could you comprehend my words?" "Yes, Babáckt Yaga." "Very well, I will give you your first lesson about the ways of the Ancients. I said that you were ignorant and a bystander. I did not say you were innocent. You participated in the destruction of something precious, something that cannot be replaced. Your actions were under duress and characterized by ignorance, but those facts do not change the outcome of what happened. In your case, punishment is not appropriate, but the Ancients will call on you to atone for what you did. You will understand that punishment and atonement are different?" "Yes, Babáckt Yaga. That's one of the things the Priests taught me at the Temple." "Good. Now, to enlighten you about 'the Joy of the Ancients'. The name humans gave to those mushrooms is unfortunate and erroneous. Those mushrooms don't bring joy; they provide something much more important. When properly prepared with other ingredients, they provide restoration. Those mushrooms actually have regenerative powers. I will give you an example: myself. Would you like to guess how old I am? Try, Danka Síluckt. Guess how old I am." "I'd guess...maybe...you'd look around 60...maybe 65... Babáckt Yaga." "That is the age people guess, for the most part...except that my vision is still clear and my hearing is that of a lass. The truth is that I was born in the year 1642. I am 109 years old. I am growing older as the years pass, but the regenerative powers of the mushrooms have slowed the aging process in my body. I've calculated that I age one year for every four years a normal person ages. To understand the mushrooms, you must understand that what is a blessing for me, and a few other select Followers, is a curse for the mushrooms. The mushrooms live many decades and mature very slowly. That also means they reproduce very slowly. When we harvest a mushroom, we have to prepare for its replacement. We know how to replace the mushrooms, but the process is difficult and not always successful, so we are very sparing in our harvesting. It would be tempting for all Followers to receive the longevity potion, but we understand such a thing is not possible. I was granted that privilege because of my research, my ability to perform medical operations, my knowledge of foreign languages, my work as a translator, and my potion-making skills. My Path in Life is to pass as much of that knowledge as I can to my apprentices. People come into my life, they learn skills to fight the Profane One's curses, most of them eventually depart, and living among the Christians they apply those skills." "You'd...maybe...you'd teach me some things... Babáckt Yaga?" "It's possible. First, you will be called upon to atone for your offense against the Ancients. Once you have demonstrated your willingness to protect the remnants of the Old World and have proven your ability to learn, there is knowledge you can take away from here that would help you combat the Profane One. Now. To return to the topic of the mushrooms. Every passing year there are fewer and fewer of them, because fortune hunters plague these forests. They seek the mushrooms for pleasure, which is a great tragedy. We were hoping to speed up the reproduction of the mushrooms to prevent their extinction. I am convinced such a thing is possible, and then the restorative powers would be available to more people. Bagatúrckt's actions set back that goal, possibly forever. That streambed was the only place that I know of where the mushrooms were reproducing on their own." Danka felt sick. She took a breath, struggling with the feeling that she needed to add a grim detail about her outing with Bagatúrckt. "You are troubled, girl. Speak your mind." "I hate to say this, but I was the one who spotted the first mushroom. Bagatúrckt had just entered me, and I wanted to wash his filth out of my body...so I went into the stream...and saw...I don't know, Babáckt Yaga...maybe he would've found them anyway...but it was I...I who spotted the mushrooms...I wasn't sure if it was what he was looking for...but I pointed them out...and his whole face changed...like he was possessed." There was an uncomfortable pause in the conversation. Babáckt Yaga broke the silence. "Had you known what I just told you...and what Bagatúrckt did to the streambed, what would you have done?" "I would have thrown some leaves over them, Babáckt Yaga, and kept quiet. But I didn't. Something you should know, I guess." "What you said confirms what I thought about you. You were a bystander. You were ignorant. You're not guilty, but you're not exactly innocent, either. You do not deserve punishment, but you do need to atone for your part in what happened." "Yes, Babáckt Yaga." "As of today, you will begin preparation for atonement. I will tell you what you need to do when the moment comes. I will call upon you to perform some duties that will seem strange, and appear to contradict some of what you learned at the Temple. I am not saying that anything taught at the Temple is wrong, but you will need additional knowledge for your life in the forest. The ways of the Ancients, the knowledge of pre-Christian times, are things that cannot be taught by those who do not follow the Ancients: not by the True Believers, nor by the Old Believers." Danka thought about the numerous pieces of knowledge she had learned during her year living as a penitent. She wondered...not only about what she had learned so far, but about the people who had taught her. She had questions. However, at that moment she was unable to articulate them. Babáckt Yaga noted her captive's pensive expression. "Perhaps you'd like to know what I think of the Senior Priest at the Temple in Starívktaki Móskt. Perhaps that is as good a starting point as any." "Yes, Babáckt Yaga." "His character is flawed, which partly explains Bagatúrckt, both how he was raised and his father's blindness to his greed and depravity. And yet, as flawed as the Senior Priest is as person, he does wish to understand the Ultimate Truth. Unlike many Christians, he respects the Ancients and has never deliberately acted against them. He wants the Danubian Church to represent our people and our traditions, so he has formally renounced the teachings of the Roman Church. Those are my observations. He is a flawed man who seeks direction from the Creator. That's the best answer I can give you." "Yes, Babáckt Yaga." There was another uncomfortable pause, with the alchemist seemingly lost in thought. "As for his son, it is a pity...that the Profane One decided to separate his soul from his body and deny me that privilege. Bagatúrckt's blood would have made a fine gift, a fine gift indeed, for the Ancients." Danka looked at Babáckt Yaga with a totally bewildered expression, unsure if she understood correctly. Would she have offered Bagatúrckt's blood to the Ancients? "The time will come when you understand what I meant by my last comment, when you are closer to atoning for your actions." Babáckt Yaga changed the subject. "Your Path in Life has led you here, because it is the wish of the Ancients. Your first duty will be to prepare your dress. Your second duty will be to learn how to sing as the Ancients sang, in what the Christians call 'archaic Danubian'. You will leave my alchemy lab and seek out Jasnáckta, our best seamstress. She will guide you through the steps needed to prepare your dress." ---------- Danka spent the following two weeks putting together her outfit. She already knew how to sew and repair poor-quality clothing, but her previous experience was useless for preparing a dress suitable for the Followers of the Ancients. The uniform had to be made with care and respect. So... for two weeks Jasnáckta patiently guided the newcomer, cut-by-cut, measurement-by-measurement, and stitch-by-stitch as she prepared the clothing that would become her identity anytime she left the forest and appeared in public. Later there would be other duties, such as gardening, food gathering, cleaning, and repairs, but all of that would wait until her dress was ready. Danka started with another duty the day after arriving: singing. Every night after dark she joined the other women among the Followers practicing hymns that were thousands of years old. The hymns were different from the songs she had learned at the Temple in Starívktaki Móskt: very mysterious and with a pagan sound that was almost sinister. Among the songs she learned was an ancient calling of seduction used in pre-Christian temples: Man's first woman had fruit in her garden... Sweet fruit no man would resist... She knelt and offered her very best... He came to her to indulge... Sweetness beyond what he had known... Man and woman joined... I have fruit in my garden... Sweet fruit no man will resist... I kneel to you and offer my very best... Come to me and indulge... Sweetness beyond what you have known... Man and woman joined... During the time she worked on her dress, Danka continued to live completely naked. After having spent a year wearing a penance collar, she was used to not wearing anything made from cloth. However, in the camp of the Followers of the Ancients she did not even have her collar or her boots. Both items were locked up with her bucket. As she walked around in the woods or performing her duties, completely devoid of any human-made object on her body and her bare feet in constant contact with the ground, she learned what it was to live in a true state of nature. The black dress and dark red apron felt very strange when Danka tried them on for the first time. In the warm summer weather the items were hot, uncomfortable, and felt unnatural. However, the outfit would become an important part of Danka's life, giving her identity and marking her as a member of a group most people would not dare to offend or cross. As she held the finished outfit and ran her fingers over its tight stitching, Danka saw irony in her Path in Life. Twelve months earlier, her journey had started because she wanted a fine dress that would attract young men to her. Now, for her trips to Sevérckt nad Gorádki and the surrounding villages she did have a fine dress, but its purpose was totally the opposite of what she had sought. No eligible young man would dare approach her or flirt with her while she was wearing a uniform that identified her as a Follower of the Ancients. She would be marked as a member of a cult that maintained itself aloof from average Danubians. ---------- Two days before the summer solstice, Babáckt Yaga and most of her followers traveled to a secret location to conduct celebrations and sacrifices. The only members of the group who did not travel to the holy site were the uninitiated apprentices. There were five young people in circumstances similar to Danka: they had their outfits but had not yet earned the embroidered skull logo or staff. For the uninitiated, the days around the solstice were a time for relaxing, to go berry picking and fishing, to wander about, or just to sleep. The Girl with No Name Ch. 07 Among the uninitiated was a reserved young man called Káloyankt. He was from the town of Sevérckt nad Gorádki and spoke with an educated accent. Danka had caught his attention from the moment she entered the settlement. Now, with the others gone and little to distract the newcomer, he decided to invite her fishing. Danka accompanied him, out of boredom more than anything else. Her feelings about going with Káloyankt were mixed. It wasn't hard to figure out what he wanted, but still, the idea of having a friendship with another follower greatly appealed to her. With several weeks now separating her from the year she had spent at the Temple, she wondered how she tolerated living that entire time with just one person to talk to. Also, she was curious to see what being with an upper-class young man would be like, compared with the wretched impoverished men of her youth and the self-centered dilettante Bagatúrckt. Káloyankt seemed relatively trustworthy and if things with him went badly, she could talk to Babáckt Yaga. Danka followed Káloyankt along several trails to a pond that she already had visited a couple of times. Both Danka and Káloyankt were completely naked: even their feet were uncovered. They strolled in absolute silence, listening for any changes or possible dangers in their environment. When they arrived at the pond, they went swimming before sunning themselves on some rocks and preparing their fishing lines. It turned out that Káloyankt had invited Danka on the outing because he needed to talk. He started by asking her about the house she had visited in Sevérckt nad Gorádki. Danka was evasive with her answer, but she gave away enough information for Káloyankt to understand that she had indeed been there. Then he surprised her: "You know...that fortune hunter you were with...that 'master' Bagatúrckt...he was a friend of my father. When I was a teenager, I saw him...several times...at my father's house." "Your father...it's your father who owns that house?" "Yes." "...and set up that room? ...and hired the servants?" "Yes." "So...then...you know...you know what happened to me with Bagatúrckt?" "Yes. I don't need to ask you about the details, because I already know. I saw what went on in that room many times when I was a boy. I watched...never spoke up about it...never tried to warn any of the women. I watched my father and his friends...never did anything, but I always felt guilty about it. Then, last fall during the equinox...the Creator spoke to me...told me I needed to get out of the house....renounce my father and his fortune....go to the woods, and confront my Path in Life." "Which brought you here?" "Yes. Just like you...well, in some ways the same and in some ways different. I came here on my own, but I didn't know what I was looking for. I got lost, and Babáckt Yaga found me...just like she found you. And...serving the Ancients became my Path in Life." "But you don't have your skull." "No. I haven't atoned for my father's actions, so I don't have my skull." "But really, what do you have to atone for? You didn't do anything..." "...and did you? What did you do? You were a bystander who watched a dishonorable act and did nothing. You are neither guilty nor innocent. I am the same as you. A bystander. A witness. Neither guilty nor innocent." The conversation was interrupted by a catch, a fine large perch that would feed them both. They landed the fish and returned to the settlement to cook and share a meal. The next day was the day of the solstice. Danka had agreed to go with Káloyankt for a second outing. She wasn't interested in talking about Káloyankt's father, but she wanted to share some of her experiences at the Temple and get another person's perspective. Also, noting his interest in her, she figured she'd make love to him if he asked. She administered herself a dose of birth-control paste...just in case. She followed him to the pond, admiring his naked backside as he walked. She resisted the urge to touch him as she realized that she was aroused and wanted him to take her. He seemed different from Bagatúrckt: hopefully sex with him would be different as well. They picked enough berries for a snack before going to the pond. They swam, frolicking with each other before returning to the rocks to dry off in the sun. Káloyankt couldn't keep his eyes off Danka. She truly was a lovely sight: a woman at the very beginning of her youth, her body fit from her constant movement and evenly tanned from long hours outside, and fine delicate features that were so different from the usual drab appearance of a peasant-girl. Káloyankt found everything about Danka desirable, even her rough unrefined rural accent. She was a girl of nature, totally different from the sheltered indoor women inhabiting the fine houses of Sevérckt nad Gorádki. Danka was not sure what to expect, but she was looking forward to having sex with Káloyankt. He was precisely the type of man she had been hoping to attract the year before. She sat quietly, waiting for him to begin. She had not yet discovered that women can initiate love-making just as easily as men. Káloyankt began by running his hands over Danka's body. He kissed her, starting with her neck, then moved to her lips. He was hard by the time he kissed her breasts and sucked her nipples. She responded by running her hands over his back. From the beginning his bottom had excited her, so her hands moved to that part of her lover. She actively explored him, which was something she had never tried with her first lover. Káloyankt ran his fingers between the girl's thighs and over her vulva. She was wet and gasped with pleasure as he touched her. Danka lay on her back as Káloyankt entered her. He thrust hard, over and over. His love-making was rough and vigorous, but that was what Danka expected. So far she had not experienced tender sex. She gasped with delight as pleasure overwhelmed her. For the first time in her life, she experienced an orgasm. A few minutes later the couple was rinsing off in the water. They still had to catch their next meal, so the romantic moment of love-making transitioned to the practical task of sitting quietly and waiting for a fish. During the wait, they talked. Danka talked about her year at the Temple and her lessons with the seminary student. Káloyankt was very impressed when she told him that in less than a year she had learned to read, write, do simple arithmetic, use the abacus, obtain a fundamental understanding of music, and memorize numerous hymns. "If you could do all that in just a year, I think you'll learn alchemy very quickly. I know that as soon as she returns, Babáckt Yaga will start teaching you some of the recipes. You'll have to start learning the plants and formulas. She'll test you to see how well you can remember things. If your memory is good, you'll become responsible for tasks that are much more complicated." ---------- Danka Síluckt was beginning to understand that she was blessed with an exceptional memory and the capacity to grasp new ideas and concepts very quickly. During her year at the Temple she had been held back by having to direct all of her efforts into learning how to read. Having mastered that basic skill, during her service under Babáckt Yaga there was nothing to interfere with her ability to learn a wider variety of subjects. She could remember simple recipes after having seen them just once, so within a few days Babáckt Yaga had her studying recipes that were more complicated. She received instructions on how to measure temperatures, weigh ingredients, calculate time, and work with fractions. Babáckt Yaga watched as Danka prepared medicines, with no guidance apart from following a recipe book. She understood the importance of identifying plants: when tasked to go out into the forest and find ingredients, she always returned with exactly what was needed. Working the gardens was not a challenge for Danka at all. Her previous experience as both a peasant and seeing the experimental Church gardens in Starívktaki Móskt prepared her for working the gardens in Babáckt Yaga's settlement. She already had a basic understanding of plant selection, so new ideas such as cross pollination and breeding plants for specific traits were easy for her to grasp. Danka took pride in her work and her learning. She fully understood the importance of mastering potion-making and taking great care with the details of every recipe. She remembered the servant's words about her instructor: "...her alchemy is something to behold, because her potions can heal many of the curses Beelzebub the Destroyer has inflicted on us...many evil things can be healed...or simply prevented..." She was excited to think that the mystery behind those potions had vanished; that she now knew how they worked and even how to prepare some of them. ---------- In the middle of July, Danka and Káloyankt left the forest with Babáckt Yaga and four fully initiated Followers. It was the first time since her arrival that Danka would leave the woods or see anyone other than a Follower. The group walked directly south, taking several steep and perilous shortcuts to hasten their trip. Before exiting the forest they put on their uniforms. As soon as they emerged into the open, they mounted a wagon driven by two guards who were waiting for them. The Followers rode the rest of the distance to a small town called Nagorónkti-Serífkti and their destination, the settlement's church. The Priest explained that an apprentice and three hired workmen had been on the roof making repairs, unaware that the beams were not strong enough to support the weight of four men. They fell through and sustained injuries ranging from broken bones to severe lacerations. The men were lying on cots in the main chapel because the Clergy had been afraid to move them. Danka would later learn that the Priest had to make a difficult decision to request assistance from the Followers. Nagorónkti-Serífkti was settled by True Believers, the faction of the Danubian Church that least got along with the Followers of the Ancients. However, the Priest needed to help his men if at all possible and only the Followers had the medical knowledge to do anything for them. Between the four men there were two broken legs, three broken arms, several broken fingers, and some serious lacerations. Babáckt Yaga was relieved, because all of the injuries could be fixed. She directed her followers' attention to the man who was bleeding the most, knowing that he needed attention first. Danka watched as Babáckt Yaga set up some glassware and mixed several ingredients. Her assistants poured alcohol into a bowl and demanded boiling water and clean linen be brought to the operating site. The alchemist directed Danka to hold a mask to the injured man's face. He became sleepy, which would help keep him calm while his injuries could be sewn up. For the first time in her life, Danka watched an operation that actually closed an open wound. The Followers, including Káloyankt, moved to setting the broken bones. Babáckt Yaga administered a drug she called opium to ease the pain and then applied her chemical mask. It was a difficult and grim task to stretch out the limbs and set them in wooden frames, but Babáckt Yaga seemed satisfied that the limbs would all heal, which was not always the case, depending on the nature of the fracture. Danka was present just to observe, but she marveled at what she was witnessing, the actual repair of injuries. She had seen neighbors die from similar mishaps in her parents' settlement. It was a shock to find out those deaths could have been prevented had anyone among the day-laborers possessed the equipment and knowledge the Followers of the Ancients were using. After making sure the patients had woken up, Babáckt Yaga issued some more opium and instructions for caring for the injuries. When the Priest asked her about payment, the alchemist responded: "You know my payment, Priest. It's the same as always. The Ancients demand the blood of the desecrater. When desecraters pass through this town, you will send them in my direction and you will advise me." "As you wish, Alchemist." "I have another demand, Priest. It has been two years since I cut the children here. I trust you have not had any cases of the pox?" "No, Alchemist, we have not." "I brought my pox potion. At sunset I want you to ring your bell and gather all the people of Nagorónkti-Serífkti. I will cut any children or youth that were not cut two years ago." ---------- The townsfolk gathered in the church square as the daylight faded. Danka noted that many of the older people were marked with smallpox scars, but none of the younger people had suffered the affliction. The last smallpox epidemic in Nagorónkti-Serífkti had passed two decades before. As the townsfolk pushed their terrified children towards the church, Káloyankt explained to Danka that Babáckt Yaga had spent many years studying diseases and had learned some interesting details about smallpox. It turned out that cattle had a similar version of the sickness and that Babáckt Yaga had figured out it was possible to create an antidote for the human smallpox from the cow version. She did not dare tell anyone the antidote came from sick cows, because no one would have accepted vaccination. The public would be vaccinated, but in a way that was acceptable to the thinking at the time. The Priest conducted a brief service and issued a series of prayers while the Followers prepared the vaccination knives and the solution. The residents needed reassurance that the Lord-Creator had approved what was about to happen to their children, so the event had to be preceded with religious fanfare. The unvaccinated children were marched in single file towards the alchemist and her assistants, accompanied by hymn-singing and holy fires. Danka had expected to be a mere observer, or perhaps assist in a minor way. However, Babáckt Yaga ordered both her and Káloyankt to step forward, strip off their clothing, and kneel in front of the long line of children. She uncovered a small metal rod with a saw-tooth end, dipped it in a jar of ointment and placed it against Danka's left shoulder. Then she looked towards the sky and screamed: "Beelzebub! The Lord-Creator and the Son of Man cast out your vile presence! Never shall you touch this lass with your evil pox!" Danka winced as the knife tore into her skin, leaving a small bleeding cut. Babáckt Yaga whispered: "Now you wear the mark that will protect you from the pox. Do not touch your shoulder. Stand behind me, with your left side facing the people so they can see your injury. Do not move until I give you permission." Babáckt Yaga cut Káloyankt's shoulder in the same manner, and screamed the same chant to the Roman Christian God and his son. The naked initiates quietly stood behind their mistress, as proof she was not about to do anything to the local youth that she would not do to her own followers. For the rest of the night, Babáckt Yaga cut the shoulders of children and shouted: "Beelzebub! The Lord-Creator and the Son of Man cast out your vile presence! Never shall you touch this child with your evil pox!" The accompanying pain from the procedure and screaming of each patient were interpreted as confirmation of the casting out of a curse, not as a simple medical procedure. As she watched the proceedings and resisted the urge to touch her throbbing shoulder, Danka was able to look upon religious ceremonies and spiritual fanfare from a totally new perspective. Babáckt Yaga spent the entire night lying. Her Pagan beliefs did not accept in the divinity of the Roman Son of Man, and for her using the Roman name Beelzebub to refer to the Destroyer was an insult to the Danubian cosmos. She didn't believe in her own theatrics, but she had to perform for the people so they could accept what she was doing to their offspring. Babáckt Yaga had her own faith and her own world-view, but that view was not accepted by the True Believers. Faced with a practical task that she needed to accomplish, she hid her beliefs and put on a performance that met the spiritual needs of a town of Christians. ---------- By the end of the summer Danka had embraced her Path in Life as an initiate of the Follower of the Ancients. She remained intimidated by Babáckt Yaga but at the same time deeply admired her. The old woman's knowledge of the world seemed limitless. She was anxious to share with others, and Danka had become her favorite student. The girl learned fast and her ability to remember new ideas and information was exceptional. So, Danka's daily life became one of constant learning, mostly of things that were practical and could help people in the real world. She started reading Babáckt Yaga's translations of foreign scientific works and frequently used a dictionary to look up and learn complicated words she did not understand. Whenever she came across any strange word or concept, she wrote it down and memorized it. Danka spent some of her time alone reflecting on what had happened between her and Bagatúrckt. The trauma from her ordeal with him was fading, but she came out of the experience changed. The best comparison she could think of was her hometown Rika Héckt-nemát and the flood that took place decades before. The town, the people, and the Rika Chorna river were there before the flood and remained after the flood, but when the river changed course, the area was not the same after the waters receded. Eventually life went back to "normal", but "normal" preceding the flood differed from "normal" following the flood. So...how was Danka different after her own flood, the one that swept away her virginity and much of her naivety? Her ideas about love, trust, and finding happiness through another person certainly changed. Before Bagatúrckt she had believed that her happiness depended on finding it through another person. She also had been convinced love and sex went together. By the end of her first summer in the forest her emotions were hardening, making her less vulnerable to the whims of the men in her life. She also understood that love and sex could be separated: in fact often the two had nothing to do with each other. She took that lesson to her relationship with Káloyankt, that she could have sex with him without necessarily being in love with him. She spent the summer making love to Káloyankt whenever they had a few minutes to spare. She enjoyed her time with him, but as the summer progressed she realized her feelings towards him were ambiguous. She couldn't figure out why that would be, because she admired him and knew that had she met him just a year earlier, she would have been desperate to marry him. However, in the settlement of Babáckt Yaga, marriage was not a priority for any of the Followers or the initiates. They had a multitude of other worries and just didn't think about such things, so neither did Danka. It was clear that Káloyankt was deeply in love with her, but he too adhered to the unspoken custom of the Followers; that as long as he was working in the forest, marriage was not a priority or something to be discussed. Still, Danka did enjoy the sex. Babáckt Yaga showed her a book from a place called India that had pictures of different sexual positions. She was eager to try them during her escapades with her lover. He obliged, happy to be with a woman that constantly had new ideas and wanted to try new things. However, the constant experimenting with new positions planted a subversive idea in Danka's thoughts. Káloyankt was not the only man in the world. What would having sex with other men be like? Did different men have different styles of making love? Was there any difference between making love to a young man and an older one? Between a noble and a farmhand? The Girl with No Name Ch. 07 By the end of the summer Danka realized something about herself that would have shocked her just a few months before: that if the opportunity presented itself, she'd be willing to have sex with someone other than her current lover. Not just willing, but it was something she actually wanted. She looked around at the other men in the settlement, noting the differences in their physiques and wondering how they might differ from Káloyankt if she had the opportunity to offer herself to them. ---------- During the last week of August, Babáckt Yaga ordered Káloyankt, Danka, and three other initiates; a young man and two young women, to her study. Two older men also were present; the two Followers who had been with Babáckt Yaga the longest and enjoyed their leader's full trust. The initiates knelt as the alchemist made an important announcement: "The Priest from Nagorónkti-Serífkti contacted me with some interesting news. A group of fortune-seekers is coming up into the forest today. They are travelling to the ancient Alter of the Equinox, because they are planning to raid relics stored in the cave. The Priest gave them a map to the site, which is the same map I gave him the day we cut the children. With your assistance, we will intercept the fortune-seekers and capture them. If we are successful and their blood is pleasing to the Ancients, you will have the opportunity to atone for your offenses. That includes you, Danka Síluckt, especially you. Perhaps you will be pleased to know the men we are planning to capture are from Vienna. They are friends of your former Master. Therefore, you will assume the most important role in bringing them under our control. Have you memorized the Temple Song of Seduction?" "Yes, Babáckt Yaga." "Let's hear you." In archaic Danubian Danka sang: Man's first woman had fruit in her garden... Sweet fruit no man would resist... She knelt and offered her very best... He came to her to indulge... Sweetness beyond what he had known... Man and woman joined... "Excellent. You've learned well, Danka Síluckt." Babáckt Yaga address the other two women. "I want to hear you sing with her. Follow her. Merge your voices as much as you can. Sing, as though you were one." Danka led as her companions sang along, carefully following her voice. They adapted their voices to the pitch of Danka's voice in a technique Babáckt Yaga called "spiritual merging". The effect was music that sounded supernatural, which was exactly what would be needed for the Followers' plans. "All three of you have pleased me with your efforts and your learning. If the Ancients bless us, tonight you will atone for your actions and tomorrow you will earn your skulls." Babáckt Yaga ordered Káloyankt to leave the house. She unbraided Danka's hair, handed her a scarf to hide it under, and a comb that she would use later that night. The members of Babáckt Yaga's settlement dressed in their dark clothing. The Cult members carried their skull-staffs and other items needed for the night's outing, while the two other female initiates walked out carrying small lamps and a supply of special lamp-oil. The only item Danka carried was her comb. Káloyankt, his fellow initiate, and two other men assigned to serve as lookouts already had departed. They went out disguised as brigands, wearing light brown clothing and soft shoes that had been chemically treated to confuse sniffing dogs. They quietly observed their prey: three heavily-armed Austrians on horseback guarded by two Danubian mercenaries and accompanied by a servant leading two heavily-loaded mules. The group had four large hounds with them. Word of Bagatúrckt's fate had reached Vienna by the middle of July, so this group was not about to take any chances. Káloyankt later commented that a better way for those men not to take any chances would have been to stay in Vienna. The first challenge to resolve was neutralizing the hounds. The scouts laid out pieces of drugged meat in places the dogs would find them, but where their masters would be unlikely to see. The meat was in small amounts and hidden inside the skins of squirrels. The purpose of the ruse was not to poison the canines, but to drug them so they would continue walking with the group, but not be alert enough to respond to noise or sniff out any danger. The next part of the capture would depend on calculating exactly where the group would be when dusk fell and they would stop for the night. There were three clearings the mercenaries could choose from as likely locations to set up a camp. By late afternoon it appeared they would be approaching the second one just as it was starting to get dark. Babáckt Yaga scouted a location where Danka and the other two women could set up after sunset, a small cleared area on a hill overlooking the camp that would be visible, but difficult to access quickly in the dark. Followed by their now-listless dogs, the group set up camp while the mercenaries looked around the woods to search for possible danger. They found nothing...certainly the dogs did not sense anything out of the ordinary, so the group tied their horses and lit a fire. Meanwhile, Danka and her companions snuck to the hillside and placed their oil lamps in a circle. The oil had been chemically treated to cast pale green light on Danka's body. Following Babáckt Yaga's previous instructions, Danka took off her dress and knelt in the middle of the circle of lamps. She uncovered her hair and started combing it in the dark. After her accomplices lit the lamps and retreated into the darkness, she began to sing: Man's first woman had fruit in her garden... Sweet fruit no man would resist... She knelt and offered her very best... He came to her to indulge... Sweetness beyond what he had known... Man and woman joined... After the first stanza, the other women accompanied her to add mystery to the ancient song of seduction. Danka continued to comb her hair and proceeded with the next verse. I have fruit in my garden... Sweet fruit no man will resist... I kneel to you and offer my very best... Come to me and indulge... Sweetness beyond what you have known... Man and woman joined... The Danubian guides had been prepared for just about anything, but they had not been prepared to see a naked forest nymph singing a Pagan tune on a hillside. It was an illusion, it just had to be: there was no way that weird green light illuminating the girl could be natural. And the singing...was it one voice or several? Danka continued, in an ancient language none of the trespassers could understand: I keep my garden under water... With sweet fruit you will not resist... I reach my arms to the surface... I will pull you to the depths... Deeper and deeper into my garden of pleasure... From which no man ever returns... In the dim light Danka could faintly make out the bewildered faces of the five men as they approached through the thick brush, each with a sword or crossbow in his hand. One of the Austrians pointed a large musket at her. A black cloth slipped over the face of the man farthest to the rear and he disappeared from view. The next face to vanish belonged to the man carrying the firearm. As he passed out, a Follower quickly grabbed the weapon to prevent it from being fired. In quick succession each of the remaining faces vanished behind black cloths. The captives remained unconscious while the Followers immobilized their hands and feet. Another group of Babáckt Yaga's assistants captured the mule-handler and took control of the horses. The operation went perfectly. With no struggle whatsoever, five heavily armed fighting men, an assistant, numerous weapons, fine horses, four hunting hounds, and expedition supplies had been seized by the Followers. Danka and her companions continued to sing, until Babáckt Yaga realized that she needed to tell them to stop. The other initiates extinguished and collected the lamps while Danka got dressed. Within minutes the Followers had the campsite cleaned up and were moving north with their unconscious prisoners. The captives had to be carefully monitored during the journey, to make sure they stayed alive but without regaining consciousness. The group spent a night of non-stop walking and climbing, passing through groves of thick trees and finally emerging into a large open meadow. Standing alone on a small hill was their goal, the Altar of Blood-nourishment. They arrived at the holy site shortly after sunrise. Above ground the holy site was little more than the altar itself, built under a small stone roof supported by pillars. However, the ground underneath was filled with an ancient labyrinth of tunnels, chambers, and passages. The underground complex was enormous, comparable in size to the catacombs of Rome. And yet, it was a secret that only a few dozen living souls knew about. The captives were taken into separate cells where Babáckt Yaga would interview them. She spoke fluent German, so she would be able to talk to the Austrians with no problem. Although she was convinced all the treasure hunters were worthy of being sacrificed, she needed to be absolutely sure. While she waited for the captives to wake up, Babáckt Yaga called together the five initiates who had participated in the capture. She told Káloyankt and the three others they had earned their skulls and would become full members of the Cult, an event that would be celebrated on the day of the fall equinox. She answered Danka's question before she had a chance to ask. "As for you...not yet. I have another tasking for you." She dismissed Danka's companions and continued: "Today, you must determine the fate of a man. Will he go on the altar and bleed with the others, or will he leave the forest? You will make that determination." Danka wasn't sure how to react. Having such a huge responsibility thrust upon her was not something she could have anticipated. It certainly was not something she wanted. The alchemist continued: "I am convinced five men in that group have offended the Ancients many times over. Unless one of them has a huge surprise for me, at midnight I will drive my knife into five bodies. The sixth man, the mule driver, is the one I don't know about. He might be a willing party to the fortune-hunters, or he may be like you, an ignorant bystander. You will talk to him, determine what is in his heart, and then you will decide what to do with him. I will honor any decision you make, even if I think it is incorrect. However, I will expect you to explain, in a clear detail, why you made the decision you made, what specific facet of his Path in Life he shared with you that made you decide whether he is worth sparing or not sparing. Before you run-off and spare him with no consideration, you will need to remember that he must be kept silent concerning what happened here. So think about it. If you spare that man, how will you ensure he will not talk about us or seek to avenge his companions? If you condemn him, how will you justify your decision when you hold your mirror before the Creator? So, that is your dilemma, Danka Síluckt, the riddle I place at your feet. Answer it correctly, and you will atone for your offense against the Ancients and earn your skull." "Yes, Babáckt Yaga." Danka accompanied a Cult elder to the underground passageway, full of resentment that while the others were going to receive their skulls with no further effort, she was going to have to pass an extra and extremely difficult test of character. Later she would realize Babáckt Yaga had a very good reason to put her through the ordeal of deciding the mule-handler's fate. It was true the others were going to be initiated with no further tests, but they had been serving Babáckt Yaga for nearly a year and already had proven themselves. Danka had been with Babáckt Yaga a mere three months, so the alchemist was convinced an additional tasking was necessary to determine if the newcomer was ready to join with her companions. Babáckt Yaga was very impressed with Danka's ability to learn quickly, comprehend new concepts, and memorize everything from hymns to plant species to alchemy formulas. She was a gifted girl, so the Cult leader wanted to bring her into her closest circle of confidants as quickly as possible. However, she couldn't justify doing so unless the newcomer could prove she was capable of gathering enough information to make a difficult decision. Carrying an oil lantern, the elder led Danka through several dark passageways to a small cell. He opened the door and ordered a very frightened young man to come out. Danka knew that before she talked to him, she needed to establish her superiority. With her rough lower-class accent, that might be a problem if the mule-handler was a guild-member. On a flash of inspiration she ordered him to strip. That should take care of it, thought Danka. Guild-member or not, if he's naked and I'm wearing my dress, I'm the one in control here. Danka's idea worked. The man cowered in terror as soon as he finished undressing. Danka announced that she wanted to take him outside for a while to talk. The elder tied his hands behind his back and blindfolded him so that he would not know how to navigate the passageways. Upon exiting, Danka requested the elder to take off the blindfold and untie his hands. The initiate ordered her captive to kneel. "You are not free. You need to understand that. You will do whatever I tell you. If you take a look at those woods, you will see they go on for a long way in every direction. We know the trails and you don't. So, you are no closer to escaping than when you were locked in that cell. Do you understand?" "Yes Mistress." "My title is 'Initiate'. I am an initiate of the Followers of the Ancients." Danka was thrilled at the thought of referring to herself with a title. She realized she actually had a title. She was an initiate of the Cult of the Ancients, and if she completed her current assignment, after the equinox her title would be "Follower of the Ancients". She'd no longer be a peasant or a laborer; she'd be a woman with a title and an assigned place in society. "Yes, Initiate." "That's better. Now, who are you?" "My name is Tihomirikt...I'm from the borderlands south of Hórkustk Ris...but...I don't live there anymore. I had to leave..." "Why?" "Foreigners came up from the south...from the other side of the border...they drove everyone out of our town...killed my father...my uncle...and so we went north...my mother...my aunt...cousins...my younger brother...and we're staying outside Danúbikt Móskt." "So, what brought you here? Why are you working for Austrian fortune-seekers?" "When we camped outside the capitol, the Grand Duke's men gave us some food, but they told us we'd have to leave if we couldn't find work. They asked if any of us were guild members. My father was, and I was an apprentice...we belonged to the Horse-Trainers' Guild...but my father was dead...and I hadn't completed my final tasking to become a member...and all of the men who could vouch for me were killed, so the only proof I had was my word." "Very well, you claim you have training as an apprentice with the Horse-Trainers' Guild, but you have no way to prove it. You did not answer my question. Why are you working for foreign fortune-hunters?" "The guards told me that traders' caravans in Sebérnekt Ris were looking for horse handlers. So, I left my family and went north to see if that was true. It wasn't, but there were some people who wanted a worker to handle their pack-mules. I decided to take the position. I hated it. I dishonored the memory of my father and the Horse-Trainer's Guild by accepting a mule-handler's job, but I wanted to make sure my family didn't have to move again. So, the two guides from the Duchy, the ones who are working for the foreign fortune-hunters, hired me to lead their pack-mules and care for their horses." Interesting story, thought Danka, assuming it's true. In just a few sentences Tihomirikt provided her with a lot of information that she would have to verify. She didn't know much about the situation along the Duchy's southern border, but she had heard rumors that many Danubians had fled their homes over the past year because of an invasion from a foreign monarch who called himself the Lord of the Red Moon. She ordered Tihomirikt to stand up and follow her to the edge of the meadow. She glanced at a gully with a small stream that flowed into a rocky pool. She noted that her captive smelled as bad as his mules and his stench irritated her. She ordered him to bathe, while she watched. When he finished, she ordered him to kneel in front of her while he shivered and the water dripped off his body. She was totally fascinated by what she was doing. For the first time in her life she was giving orders to a man who was obeying her. There was no hint of resistance or resentment coming from Tihomirikt, because he understood that he was very likely to die unless he pleased his captors. Danka's thoughts were in turmoil. She knew that she had to verify Tihomirikt's story, without knowing much about the Horse-Trainers' Guild and without having seen any of the places he had mentioned as part of his travels. She had no way of knowing whether he really had a family, or whether or not they were refugees living outside Danúbikt Móskt. She pondered how to question him, but realized that the best way to proceed would be to use his experiences to satisfy her own curiosity about the cities of western Danubia. She'd simply encourage him to talk about his life and give descriptions of all those new places. Then she'd make him talk about the Horse-Trainer's Guild and how they educated their apprentices. Finally, after she had gained his trust, she'd find out about the fortune-hunters and figure out how much he knew about their plans. It turned out Tihomirikt badly needed someone to talk to. His life was ruined and his employers had insulted and mistreated him. He moved back and forth in his narrative, talking about his father and his lost town, talking about the fine horses he had trained with, talking about the fearful flight northward and refugee life in the capitol, and his fear of the unfamiliar mountains of northern Danubia. It turned out he was nothing more than a hired-hand of the fortune-hunters. He didn't know what they were seeking, nor did he really care. He just wanted the experience to be finished, to receive his pay, and return to his family. So...in Danka's mind, one question was answered. Tihomirikt would not make a suitable sacrifice on the Altar of Blood-nourishment. He would have to be released. Her dilemma now was to figure out how to ensure he did not pose a threat to the Followers after he was freed. As she pondered how Tihomirikt should be released, she admired his body. She was curious to touch him. Since he was her prisoner and forced to do whatever she wanted, she knew she could satisfy her curiosity without fear of him forcing himself on her or rejecting her. She was in charge. She ordered him to lie on his back on a flat rock, close his eyes, and extend his hands over his head. She traced his chest and thighs with her fingertips. He became erect immediately. Curious, she touched his penis and ran her fingers over his testicles. "Have you ever been with a woman, Tihomirikt?" "No, Initiate. I haven't." "I'd imagine it's something you dream about, isn't it?" "Yes, initiate." "Life is full of strange dreams, Tihomirikt. If you knew me...you'd know that is true, in my life especially." "Yes, Initiate." Danka took off her apron and laid it over her captive's face. Then she took off her dress and tossed it aside. Finally, she returned to massaging his already-hard penis. "You are dreaming now, Tihomirikt. You will not dare wake up until I give you permission. Do not move your hands and do not uncover your face. Remember, dreams can become reality and reality can become dreams." The Girl with No Name Ch. 07 Danka was about to satisfy something that she had been curious about for several weeks. She wanted to know what it would be like to make love to a man by straddling him, by being on top instead of having to assume a submissive posture. Making sure he was hard enough to push completely inside, she lowered herself over his erect member. She rocked back and forth, completely enjoying a new sensation, not just how his penis felt inside her, but also the feeling of being in control during sex. For the first time, Danka was in completely in charge of her love-making. The tremendous psychological rush pushed her to have the best orgasm she had enjoyed since losing her virginity. He moaned and she felt his semen pumping into her. When he finished, she ordered him not to move while she rinsed off in the pool. She then put on her dress and retrieved her apron. When she finally allowed him to open his eyes and sit up, he looked totally bewildered, as though he was unsure if he really had entered her or if he had been dreaming. Without saying anything more, she ordered the captive to return with her to the tunnel entrance. He was terrified when he realized that he was about to be blindfolded and taken back to his cell. As soon as her prisoner was locked up, the Ancients enlightened the initiate about disposing of him in a way that ensured he would never pose a threat. The Followers of the Ancients would have to give up some of the booty they had captured from the fortune-hunters, but Danka knew that would be of little concern to Babáckt Yaga. Sure enough, when she shared her plan with the alchemist, she could tell Babáckt Yaga was very pleased with her judgment. "You're plan is as good as anything I could have concocted. You scheme balances wisdom, mercy, and caution. As soon as we can tranquilize him and collect what we need, I'll have him taken out of here." "Am I going with him, Babáckt Yaga?" "No. If it were any other night, I'd hold you responsible for escorting your prisoner. However, tonight you will have to bear witness to the appeasement of the Ancients, so the Great Spirits demand that you stay with us at the Altar." Tihomirikt's masters would not be so lucky. Their conversations with Babáckt Yaga confirmed they were nothing more than grave-robbers. They had education and titles and were pursuing their loot in the name of "knowledge", but they remained grave-robbers. Their Paths in Life were offensive to the Followers of the Ancients. Only the flow of their blood could atone for what they were planning to do. ---------- Danka took her place among the other women shortly before midnight. The female followers stood in a circle around the Altar, dressed in their black outfits and wearing hoods to obscure their faces. Each woman held her skull-staff, which cast off a sinister orange light. The altar area was illuminated by oil lamps with oil treated to burn red. The lighting was designed to highlight the terror of the sacrificial victim: the dim red altar surrounded by a circle of orange skulls, accompanied by a chant that had not changed in 5000 years. The women's role was to recite the ancient Blood Hymn while the male Followers brought out and restrained the subjects. Like the women, the men were dressed in black and their faces obscured by hoods. The group's leader was completely naked, but her body was covered with white chalk highlighted with charcoal dust. The make-up was similar to the body-paint used by penitents during the Day of the Dead, but more elaborate and thus more scary-looking. Danka sang with the others, holding a staff she had borrowed from one of the male Followers. In spite of the grim event she was about to witness, the main thought running her mind was the satisfaction that she was about to have her own staff, with its unique skull, crafted in her honor. The staff would show the world and the Ancients that she was a fully-accepted "Follower". She was excited and proud, and also without much pity for the sacrificial captives. If she felt any sympathy at all, she whispered "Bagatúrckt". Her former master's name became her personal chant. Whenever she was called upon to neutralize pity, the memory of the tormentor who had taken away her innocence was all she needed. The victims were brought out and sacrificed one-by-one. The men brought out the first fortune-hunter. He screamed and viciously struggled when he realized where he was being taken and what was about to happen to him. The screaming and the struggle were part of the sacrificial ritual. With difficulty the men managed to position their subject on the altar and chain his wrists and ankles. They cut open the victim's shirt and marked a spot near the heart where Babáckt Yaga would plunge her knife. The leader showed up, carrying a large and very crudely-made bronze dagger. Danka vaguely wondered how many victims that dagger had entered over the centuries. Babáckt Yaga's most trusted elders helped her get on the altar and straddle the fortune-hunter. He was screaming maniacally. Perfect. In archaic Danubian, the old woman shouted: "The dirty blood of the vile offender will cleanse the earth! Ancient ones, we implore you to accept this red river of life, a gift for the nourishment of the world!" The leader expertly plunged the knife into the exact spot marked by her assistants. The screaming suddenly stopped. She plunged the knife a second time into the victim's neck, severing the artery and producing the flow of red river needed to sustain the cosmos of the Cult of the Ancients. The stench of fresh blood hit Danka's nose. It didn't bother her in the least. It was the same smell she experienced every time she had to butcher an animal for dinner. Like her companions, she continued to chant as the body was taken away and the next screaming victim brought to the altar. Bagatúrckt... Bagatúrckt... Bagatúrckt ---------- The next morning Tihomirikt woke up in an unfamiliar village, sleeping under a tree next to the local Priest's house. His head ached in a very strange manner and it took him a long time to completely come to his senses. He realized he was lying on a comfortable bedroll and dressed in elegant clothing. A sword and an expensive Austrian musket lay at his side. He looked around for his employers, but didn't see anything except a fine horse...like the ones his father used to train. Where was he? Was he dreaming? Or had he been dreaming and just woken up? Did he have employers to whom that horse belonged, or was the horse his? Was the musket his? How could he be wearing expensive clothing, if the clothing wasn't his? What about the mules? Had there been mules? He looked around. No mules...just the horse... There had been a girl...a completely naked green nymph singing on a hillside ...or was she the cult member wearing a black dress? The nymph and the girl looked alike...but no...there were no such thing as nymphs...or...were there? Had he made love to a nymph? ...or the girl in the black dress? Both? Neither? His thoughts returned to his outfit, his musket, and his horse. What a strange dream. I need to get my bearings...figure out where I am... He looked in his saddlebag. It contained a stock of dried food and three pieces of gold. Gold...my family...I must go back and make sure they are well... Before Tihomirikt left the village, he stopped at the city square to purchase sheets of parchment and an ink-well. The girl in the forest...the one of his dreams...he'd have to write about her so he wouldn't forget. ---------- Note: At this point in my narrative, as a researcher I must insert a comment about the Cult of the Ancients and the popular distortion of history. Nineteenth-century romanticists and historians tried to obscure the reality that human sacrifice was an integral part of the Followers' beliefs, a practice that dated back five thousand years. When the Cult of the Ancients formed, human sacrifice was common throughout Europe. The ancient Danubians conducted human sacrifices as well. The children's storybooks, poems, and songs that romanticize the Followers, as well as commercial tour-guides who lead excursions into the North Mountain National Park, fail to mention that reality. However, one cannot understand the Followers of the Ancients without accepting the fact they obtained the skulls they carried on their staffs from sacrificial victims. It is also important to remember that the Followers were much more sparing with their sacrifices than most pre-Christian cults. An average peasant or villager had nothing to fear from the Followers, which partly explains why human sacrifice in the forests of northern Danubia was tolerated and continued centuries after the practice had died out everywhere else. Finding and capturing suitable sacrificial subjects was challenging, because only the blood of those who directly offended the Great Spirits was acceptable. The blood had to be from an able-bodied adult who, through his own decisions and deliberate actions, had physically harmed a Follower or who had desecrated or intended to desecrate a Holy Site. During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, fortune hunters, especially foreigners who did not respect ancient Danubian lore, were the main source of victims for the Altar of Blood-nourishment. The challenge for the Followers was that usually fortune hunters were aggressive, well-armed, and traveled in groups. Identifying, luring, and subduing such victims was difficult and dangerous, but was also an important part of the sacrificial ritual. It had to be that way, because the blood of a person who was helpless, weak, or innocent would bring a curse to the Ancients instead of nourishing the Earth's life-cycle. - Maritza Ortskt-Dukovna - The Girl with No Name Ch. 08 Chapter Eight -- The Student Danka and her fellow initiates eagerly awaited the Fall Equinox, when they would give up the title of "Initiate" and become fully accepted members of the Cult of the Ancients. To mark the change in their status, they would wear the Cult of the Ancients' skull on their formal outfits. They handed over their dresses and tunics to the group's most experienced seamstress, who carefully embroidered the skull that would tell the world that the wearer was a fully-accepted Follower. Equally important was the skull-staff. Following the sacrifice of the five fortune-hunters, one of the elders cut off their heads and took them to a secret chamber under the Altar of Blood-Nourishment. He spent several days cleaning the skulls before soaking them in a special solution to harden the bone. He drilled holes at the base that would allow the skulls to be mounted on staffs. Finally, he coated the skulls with a special sealant that would prevent them from getting stained and make them as sturdy as a hard piece of wood. The skull-staff issued to a new Follower was nothing more than a simple wooden pole, but most Followers learned wood-carving and eventually carved designs or pictures into their staffs during their free time. One way for a Christian to tell how long a cult-member had been a Follower was to look at their staff. The most elaborately carved staffs belonged to Followers with the most experience. However, the season did not give the Initiates much time to think about what life would be like after they became fully accepted Followers. The first three weeks of September were an extremely busy period for everyone in Babáckt Yaga's settlement. It was the last opportunity to bring in food, harvest a final batch of alchemy ingredients, and haul wagonloads of mysterious cave-charcoal. The final cave-charcoal trip took more than a week and was the most unpleasant event in September: the roads already were muddy, the wagon wheels were constantly getting stuck, and the loads were unbelievably heavy. Káloyankt reminded Danka that as bad as lugging the black rocks might be, the trip would save the Followers from having to spend the winter chopping wood for fires. The activity in the kitchen was frenetic, the final chance to preserve food that would allow the Followers to survive the winter. The kitchen had been in an open building all summer, but just before the cave-charcoal trip, the settlers enclosed the structure with a set of ingenuously-made wooden panels. The building would become a warm refuge from the bitter weather outside: not just a place for cooking and eating, but also a place for study and singing practice. ---------- The trip to the Altar of Blood-Nourishment was an unpleasant slog along muddy trails passing through endless groves of trees obscured in cold fog and mist. It was hard to believe that just a few weeks before the area had been so green and pleasant. Danka and the other initiates were hugely relieved when the Altar finally came into view. The Followers went through the secret door and into the underground labyrinth to rest and change into dry clothing. The ceremony took place at midnight. The Followers were arranged just like they were during the sacrifice: the men immediately around the altar and the women standing around them in a circle, holding their staffs and chanting. Everyone, with the exception of Babáckt Yaga and the five initiates, was dressed in their formal black clothing. Babáckt Yaga was covered in her black and white ceremonial paint, while the initiates were naked. The newest members trembled as they waited in the cold night air, but the equally-naked alchemist didn't seem bothered by the temperature in the least. Danka expected Babáckt Yaga to spend a long time shouting prayers and incantations, given her normal penchant for ceremonial flare and drama. However, on that night Babáckt Yaga seemed very humble and subdued. One by one the initiates knelt in front of her while she took their hands and silently prayed. Danka was the first of her group to pray with her mentor. As soon as she knelt and took the old woman's hands, her world went black. The large hostile eyes from the forest re-emerged. As always, the eyes took over her world and were only thing she could see. "I have returned, Danka Síluckt. You see, I didn't forget you." "Of course you didn't forget about me. I never thought you would. Now I know you won't leave me in peace. But I've accepted it." "Perhaps, Danka Síluckt, perhaps you have accepted my presence. But that doesn't mean your Path in Life will ever be any easier. Learning brings knowledge, and knowledge brings despair. I have blessed your Mistress with much knowledge, more than any other living mortal. And yet, she is no happier for it. I granted her many extra years of life, but those years have brought her no joy. Like your Mistress, you will be blessed..." "I wouldn't call anything from you a blessing. And my Path in Life is my own, not yours or anyone else's. Now...I call upon the Ancients to cast you out..." The eyes slowly faded and vanished. Danka knew that it was nothing more than a reprieve. The Profane One would return...of that she could be sure, but at least now she knew it was possible to fight back. When her consciousness returned to the Realm of the Living, her eyes met those of Babáckt Yaga. The old woman's expression did not change, but it seemed that she was fully aware of what had just happened in her initiate's inner world. Somehow, she knew. With a slight tug of her hands, Babáckt Yaga silently ordered Danka to stand up. An elder brought her the black dress, now complete with a finely-stitched image of a skull. "You will dress. You now have earned your rightful place among the Followers of the Ancients. The Ancients will bless you with knowledge, and burden you with responsibility." Danka was extremely grateful to get dressed and finally cover her body against the chilly wind whipping around the open meadow. Babáckt Yaga picked up a newly-crafted staff, complete with a real skull, the skull of a man who had been alive, just three weeks before. The skull contained a finely crafted oil lamp, which was vented through the eye sockets and designed to be resistant to being blown out unintentionally. An elder lit the lamp. The alchemist held out the staff. "In much wisdom there is much grief, and increasing knowledge results in increasing pain. This staff brings burden and responsibility into your life, not peace and happiness. Perhaps the Ancients will allow you a few moments of happiness as you progress through your days in the Realm of the Living, but happiness is a gift, and a very fleeting one at that. Do you accept that the Path of Your Life is not the blind pursuit of pleasure?" "I accept that, Babáckt Yaga. The blind pursuit of pleasure is not my Path in Life." "Then you will take up this burden. Everyday, for the rest of your time among the living, you must earn the right to carry it. Learning is never finished. Acquiring knowledge is never finished. And the struggle to serve will never be finished." Babáckt Yaga handed the staff to Danka. The women let out a long wail. When the eerie mournful noise finally died down, Danka left the altar and took her place among the Followers. She waited for her fellow initiates to receive their outfits and staffs. As each of her companions took up their burden, she celebrated by wailing along with the others. The Followers spent the night sleeping in the underground passages before closing them up for the year. The next day they took precautions to hide the entrance and to clean the holy site to remove all evidence of their most recent visit. ---------- As soon as they returned to Babáckt Yaga's settlement, most of Danka's companions prepared to leave the mountains for the entire winter. Within days they departed, taking with them pack loads of alchemy ingredients and medical equipment. The majority of the Followers took up residence in the houses of wealthy provincial citizens instead of constantly making the arduous trek up and down snow-covered mountain trails. No matter where they went, the Followers could always rely on a patron to provide free room and board, which was a small price to pay for having a doctor readily accessible to their families and friends. Hosting a Follower also provided honor and prestige within the community, because the Followers attended the medical needs of anyone nearby who needed their services. ---------- Winter came earlier, stayed longer, and was much harsher in the northern highlands than in the cities in the Duchy's western valley. As the nights grew colder and a storm of sleet hit the compound, Danka realized that she would miss the comparatively mild climate of Starívktaki Móskt. While the valley-dwellers still enjoyed the gentle sunshine of the early fall, in the mountains the tree leaves already had turned with the cold frosty weather. The colder climate forced the Followers to give up their habit of not wearing clothing in the settlement and while wandering in the nearby mountains and streambeds. However, even during the winter the Followers sought to set themselves apart from conventional society. They didn't wear their formal Cult clothing, but instead wore fur-lined leather shirts and boots. If the temperature outside remained above freezing, they wore nothing else, which meant they remained naked between their knees and their waists. Danka thought the cult members looked very odd, their bare thighs and bottoms contrasting with their fur-covered feet and torsos. Even in the coldest weather the settlers rarely wore any type of trousers, but instead protected their bodies with outer robes that were black and similar in appearance to the hooded prayer robes used by worshipers in the Danubian Church. Babáckt Yaga's settlement was quiet after her doctors departed for the winter. The only people remaining were the ones who most recently had joined the Cult and still needed training, and a few older members who had retired from travelling. The older members spent their days educating the younger ones, making sure their knowledge and skills were passed on before their Paths in Life ended. The medical training over the winter was intense and often depressing. The camp kept a supply of preserved headless bodies from sacrificial victims for the young Followers to practice on and dissect. The young members also practiced on live animals such as pigs, which had to be deliberately injured. Sometimes the senior Followers cut the pigs with swords or daggers, and sometimes they pushed an animal off a platform onto rocks to break its bones. Then it was up to the younger Followers to anesthetize the struggling and squealing subject to evaluate and treat its injuries. Any animal about to be butchered for meat was injured and operated on several times before finally being killed. It was cruel and unpleasant work, but at the time there really was no other training method available. Babáckt Yaga could not afford to place her group's reputation in jeopardy by having her newest students train on human patients and risk making a mistake. Training for operations and attending injuries was only a small part of Babáckt Yaga's education for her newest subordinates. She left the physical training to the elders. For her, understanding alchemy was much more important than being a good field surgeon. She already had introduced the newcomers to creating basic medicines. Now that they had their skulls and were fully accepted in the Cult, they could be trusted with preparing more sophisticated medicines and working with the most expensive and hard-to-obtain ingredients. One of the first recipes that the three women learned was preparing the Followers' much-coveted birth-control paste. "No matter where you go, with this knowledge every woman, from harlot to baroness, will seek your favor and friendship." As the snow fell and the cold wind whipped around the settlement, Babáckt Yaga gathered the five newest members of her group into her laboratory and library. Over the years she had collected a copy of every book on medicine and alchemy known at the time, including ancient texts written in Arab, Greek, and Latin. She had inherited part of the collection, but during her life had greatly expanded it. She also had translated many of the Greek and Latin texts into Danubian and wrote commentaries on the effectiveness of the medical procedures and how to improve upon them. Whenever she finished a translation, she had a Follower make a copy and had it sent to an associate who maintained a library and printing press in Sebérnekt Ris. As an example of her work with translations, Babáckt Yaga directed her students' attention to a couple of old books lying on her study table. The titles were in a foreign language: Historia Plantarum and De artificiosis extractionibus liber. The books were in horrible condition: very worn and with the pages covered with annotations handwritten in Danubian. "Two hundred years ago a young man called Valerius Cordus conducted research on plants and their medicinal uses. He wrote extensively and recovered much of the knowledge that was lost during Humanity's Great Rebellion against the Ancients. My Path in Life included translating these works into the language of the Duchy to ensure his knowledge is available to our people. The Paths of the Followers' Lives calls upon us to expand upon what people like Valerius Cordus discovered. I say expand, because there are many plants unique to the Duchy that Valerius Cordus did not know about. So, we've studied his experiments and applied them to Danubian plants. Also, we've imported and cultivated the most useful foreign plants described in his works and refined his medical research. Year after year the Followers have built upon his knowledge, and in doing so, we are acting in defiance of the Profane One. The day will come when the Profane One will tire of my efforts and end my Path in Life, but until that day comes, I will continue my work to recover what has been lost, and your Path in Life is to assist me in that effort." So...during her first winter as a Follower, Danka's duties included copying translations that would be sent to Sebérnekt Ris, where they would be printed for further distribution. She perfected her penmanship and continued to expand on her vocabulary. Strange to think, just two years before she had been completely illiterate, and now she was transcribing complicated medical studies. ---------- An important arrangement that the settlement's remaining residents had to make for the winter was sleeping. There were three sleeping houses, but at any given time only two were occupied. Every month the houses were rotated so that one could be left "fallow". That meant the structure was evacuated, swept out, and the windows left open to freeze any insects or rodents that had taken up residence inside. The Followers took clean bedding, bathed, and set up in the house that had previously been unoccupied. Danka learned why Babáckt Yaga took such extreme precautions. In a country where fleas, lice, and bedbugs were still extremely common, the alchemist was determined to keep such vermin to a minimum in her settlement. She was convinced that blood-sucking insects carried many of the "Profane One's" curses; most notably bubonic plague. By the mid-1700's the Danubians had figured out that bubonic plague was associated with rats, hence they started calling the sickness "the rat plague" and began measures to reduce the number of rats in their settlements. After decades of observations and reading, Babáckt Yaga suspected that it was not the rats that directly brought the plague to humans. She had figured out that both rats and humans were affected by the same disease, and looked for a possible common cause. Finally, through a series of experiments with groups of sick and healthy rats, she determined that the rat plague was caused by a blood-poison that was transmitted by fleas, not the rats themselves. Ridding an area of rats certainly helped control the plague, but what really mattered was ridding an area of fleas. She researched other blood-poisoning curses of the Profane One, and had decided that insects, especially fleas and mosquitoes, were the Profane One's messengers that carried blood poison from one person to the next. Thus, the way to stop the Profane One from poisoning blood involved minimizing the number of blood-sucking insects. ---------- Each sleeping house was heated with a metal stove for cave-charcoal. However, the heating was inadequate: during the coldest months it was just enough to keep the rooms' temperature from falling below freezing. The beds helped, because they were enclosed with thick covers on top and around the sides. All of the beds were large enough to fit two people comfortably, so to conserve warmth each Follower slept with another person, either their closest friend or a lover. So...a final detail that Danka needed to arrange was finding a person to share her assigned bed. Danka knew that she needed to take Káloyankt as her sleeping partner. After having spent the previous winter enjoying a bed to herself at the Church Temple, she was not thrilled at having to return to sharing one. Unfortunately, the cold did not give her or anyone else a choice in the matter. She had to have another person to keep her warm while sleeping, and Káloyankt was the logical choice. It was what he expected and what everyone else expected. Rather than risk hurting his feelings and spurring possible gossip among her companions, Danka announced that she would pass the winter with Káloyankt. Káloyankt was, of course, elated. Now that she officially shared his bed, he considered her as "his woman". During the long winter nights he was guaranteed sex whenever he wanted it, because Danka acquiesced anytime he touched her and sought to arouse her. Danka and Káloyankt were young, vigorous, and in excellent health. Under their dark canopy they practiced every sexual position imaginable many times over. Káloyankt was under the impression that sharing a bed and having sex with Danka would solidify their relationship, with the end result being marriage whenever they were ready to leave Babáckt Yaga's settlement and venture forth into the world. Danka fully understood her lover's expectations, but the more time she spent with him, the more her doubts about the relationship increased. She couldn't understand why, because Káloyankt was the type of man she was looking for. He was educated, intelligent, and the son of nobility. He was a good sexual partner and a vigorous lover. He respected her and did not seem to hold her peasant upbringing against her. And yet...and yet...Danka spent many sleepless nights troubled by her own illogical emotions, even as she lay in her lover's arms and felt his breath on her body. She couldn't imagine staying with him past the spring. He was a part of her present, but if she couldn't force herself to love him, how could he be part of her future? ---------- The daily routine of studying chemistry and medicine, learning new alchemy formulas, preparing potions, practicing surgery on cadavers and injured pigs, spending several hours copying translations, and practicing hymns and chants in archaic Danubian left Danka's companions mentally exhausted at the end of each day. Apart from learning, the Followers had to attend to their physical needs in a hostile environment. They had to prepare meals, care for their livestock, and keep their living area clean. There were time-consuming setbacks, such as the day four pigs escaped and only two were re-captured, and the night an extreme cold snap killed a third of the settlement's hens and burst a cistern. Even in a well-run settlement, winter was a time of hardship. The Girl with No Name Ch. 08 As the months went by and the winter solstice approached and passed, Babáckt Yaga noted the progress of the newest Followers. If they became tired or discouraged, she eased their training or shifted their responsibilities. She did not expect the same results for everyone, knowing that different people learned at different paces and had different strengths and weaknesses. The alchemist was most impressed by Danka. She seemed to be the most promising recruit to enter the Cult of the Ancients...ever. The peasant girl was used to physical hardship, so the challenges of winter life did not trouble her in the least. She did not flinch or hesitate when confronted with an injured animal: she calmly sedated the subject and set about sewing up wounds or splinting broken limbs. She could evaluate internal injuries and tell if there were wounds that were untreatable. The girl was extremely smart. By the beginning of 1752 her vocabulary matched that of many people who had years of formal education. During those darkest months, the young Follower transformed into a different person. She was determined to erase her identity as a "peasant girl". Her Pagan beliefs and newly-acquired knowledge gave her confidence in her own abilities, which pushed her to pursue increasingly challenging subjects in her studies. Babáckt Yaga calculated that, at the rate she was progressing, within just a year Danka would fully understand all of the subjects needed to be an alchemist; including botany, chemistry, and working with mathematical formulas. The detail of Danka that impressed Babáckt Yaga the most, however, was her desire to learn for the sake of learning. She never tired of spending time alone with Danka because she saw so much of her own personality as a young woman in the new recruit. Whenever Danka showed up under the alchemist's laboratory, she could count on the ladder dropping and receiving a call to climb up. She was desperate to learn and Babáckt Yaga was eager to teach. After her companions had gone to bed for the night, Danka visited her mentor to receive instruction in archaic Danubian. She didn't just want to sing in archaic Danubian; she wanted to be completely fluent in the dialect of the Ancients. She also wanted to learn Latin and German. She became interested in maps and in learning about the countries surrounding the Duchy. She wanted to know about history and understand why times changed from generation to generation. Babáckt Yaga, whose memories went back a century, appreciated the opportunity to share stories of a forgotten lifetime with a person whose journey in the Realm of the Living was just beginning. ---------- At the beginning of February Babáckt Yaga began the process of preparing a new batch of longevity potion from her supply of dried mushrooms. The first step in that process was deciding how much of the potion to make. For the first time in her life, alchemist had a huge supply of specimens from "The Joy of the Ancients". Although the stock of the potion's key ingredient was enormous, it was destined to be the final harvest. Because of the way the mushrooms grew, the species was unlikely to ever recover from the previous summer's slaughter. There was another consideration. The potency of preserved specimens of "the Joy of the Ancients" peaked about six months after they were dried, but then gradually weakened. Babáckt Yaga was not sure how long finished potion would last, because she had never tried keeping it in storage for more than a year. Well, she would just have to take that risk. She decided to convert most of her mushrooms into longevity potion. The next decision she would have to make was determining who would be given the potion over the following year. When taken properly, the potion's effect on a subject was to slow down the normal aging process by three fourths. That meant a person taking the treatment over a four-year period would only age one year. If the patient stopped, the aging process resumed at a normal rate. Over the years she had administered the potion to herself and others, Babáckt Yaga had not noticed any negative side-effects. She would continue giving the potion to herself, of course. There were a couple of elders working on medical research who also would receive the potion, to give them time to finish their work. There were some researchers in Sebérnekt Ris, and her old friend Fítoreckt, who was the Followers' leading alchemist in the northwestern part of the Duchy, who also would continue with the treatment. After giving the matter some thought, Babáckt Yaga decided to add her student Danka Síluckt to the list. The girl had her faults, but those faults were the result of her having to come to terms with the conflict between her talent and the limitations she was facing. Of all the young people who had passed through the settlement over the years, Danka Síluckt showed the most potential, by far. With her gifted mind and hunger for learning, it made sense to give her some extra time to develop herself. Maybe...maybe Danka Síluckt could even take over the settlement some day. Even with the longevity potion, Babáckt Yaga wasn't getting any younger. She had been able to delay the inevitable, but death would come to her, potion or no potion. She had to think about a successor. Maybe the peasant girl was that person, the one who would guide the Followers into their uncertain future. On the night of February 14, Danka ascended the ladder to receive her extra hours of instruction from her patron. As usual, she brought with her a kettle of boiling water, expecting to serve tea to the alchemist and to herself. Instead of the normal mint and herb mixture, Babáckt Yaga ordered the student to open a ceramic jar and remove two spoonfuls of blue powder. The concoction tasted bitter, but left a pleasant sensation that would last several days. After finishing their drink, Babáckt Yaga commented: "The Realm of the Living is changing, Danka Síluckt. For many years I have pondered where our Path in Life is leading us, and I asked for a sign to illuminate the future. I did not request the illumination because I harbor any illusions that I can benefit by seeing what will be. I am old and my Path in Life will end shortly. I asked for illumination so I could understand in what direction to point those who will come after me. I received my answer last summer, with my failure to protect 'the Joy of the Ancients'. The Realm of the Living's connection to the Old World is fading, disappearing little by little. That process has been going on for many centuries, but I am convinced you will live to see its completion. The Ancients have decided to no longer speak to the Realm of the Living through the Followers. They will continue to speak, but it will be through others, not us." "Do you have any idea who 'the others' might be, Babáckt Yaga?" "Yes. You might think I am discouraged by the passing of the Old World, but really I am not. I think the Ancients will eventually speak through the Danubian Church, or through the Old Believers, to be more precise. Many Christians are looking at us...the people who represent the Old World, and are taking interest in what we have to say. They don't want our rituals, but they do want our knowledge. So, when the final Follower puts down his skull for the very last time, and the Blood of Life Nourishment flows no more, we will continue to contribute. The riddle is how to make that transition." Danka pondered how to respond. At the moment she intensely disliked the Danubian Church. Now that she had experienced the relative freedom that came with living as a Pagan, she was disgusted by the restrictive lifestyle of the Christians, even if they were Old Believers. However, deep down she knew the real reason of her dislike of the Church stemmed from her memory of Bagatúrckt and his father's failure to control him. Did she really have the right to judge the entire Church based on a single traumatic event in her life? Her thoughts jumped to a strange question: "Do you think that maybe...the Followers would join the Church?" "Some already have. Two years ago I sent two young men to the Seminary in Starívktaki Móskt, and last year, just before my Path in Life crossed with yours, I sent a young woman to the Great Temple in Danúbikt Móskt. I will send another one of your companions to the Great Temple in the spring. So...we are trying to make the transition." "You...are you telling me...that maybe I should study for the Christian Priesthood?" "Not at all. You'd never make a good Christian. You have the heart of the Old World beating in your chest. But in your lifetime, you will experience the transformation that is coming among our people. You belong to the new era, but the Ancients will grant you a glimpse of the old. You must bear witness to everything you see and teach anyone who wishes to learn. You must remember everything the Ancients choose to show you and acquire the skills needed to serve the Duchy. However, your Path in Life is not to just stand around learning, watching, and remembering. You have the Power to heal. You, Danka Síluckt. Your Path in Life will be to fix what seems broken beyond repair; to restore what no man thinks can be restored. You will carry the knowledge of the Old World with you so you can re-build part of the new one. That is why I have started giving you the blue tea. I need to hold back the Profane One and buy you some extra time to learn as much as you can. When you have learned what you need to learn, you will leave this settlement and fulfill your Path in Life." "Among the Christians?" "Yes, among the Christians, but not as a Priestess." "Babáckt Yaga...I don't want to live among the Christians. I'm really happier here. I like being a Follower." "Who said anything about your happiness? It's not your Path in Life to seek happiness. As long as you pursue happiness, it will evade you." ---------- As long as I pursue happiness, it will evade me. Yes, that was indeed the reality of Danka's life. She thought about those harsh words as she returned to the sleeping house. She made love to Káloyankt, before spending yet another sleepless night in his arms. I'd be happy with this man. He loves me and would give me the life I always wanted. I really want to love him. I want to stay with him...and yet...I can't. I know I'll never love him, because the Ancients wouldn't allow it to happen. I know I could be happy with him, but it is not my Path in Life to be happy. Instead of bringing him joy, I'd be destined to bring the Destroyer into his life...to make him miserable. Danka had only one consolation: she had no reason to break up with her lover for several more months. She'd have to wait until the summer, when they'd be sleeping in separate beds. Then she'd follow her Path in Life and disengage herself from a relationship that offered her the life she had so desperately sought just two years before. ---------- The days were getting longer. The sun came out occasionally, giving Babáckt Yaga's settlement a welcome break from the dreary mist and snowstorms of winter. Patches of bare ground appeared and the snow disappeared from the trees. The nights were still cold, but they were not so long, so heating became much less of a problem. Shortly the trails would start to clear and the Followers' isolation from the outside world would come to an end. Whenever she had time, Danka continued her studies. By the early spring she became interested in learning what she could about religion and mythology. As a Follower, her first priority was understanding her own religious heritage. She became familiar with all of the stories of the Ancients and could recite them from memory. She was able to read and understand archaic Danubian, but was determined to master speaking it and writing it as well. She wanted that connection with the Old World, to know that had she lived thousands of years before, she would have had the skills to fit into the ancient culture. She also became interested in the faiths of the modern world. She finished the studies she had started the previous year in Starívktaki Móskt by memorizing the texts of the Danubian Church, and fully understood the theological differences between True Believers and Old Believers. She examined the information that Babáckt Yaga had on other religions such as the faith of the Ottoman Empire, which the Danubians referred to as "the Followers of Mohammed". Danka began forming opinions on the various religions and assessed their strengths and weaknesses. Danka even became interested in the mythology of non-Danubian people. She already was familiar with the Danubian Church texts including the Christian Bible, the Book of the Ancients, and the Book of the Correct Path, but now she had the opportunity to learn some more about Pagan times throughout Europe. She read Babáckt Yaga's translations of Norse sagas, Slavic folk-tales, and the mythology of the ancient Greeks. The Greek stories didn't impress her, because it seemed the Greek gods were nothing more than ordinary men gifted with extraordinary powers they didn't know how to use properly. But then...Danka did come across a mythical figure that caught her attention: the Hebrew demon Lilith. Noting her student's intense interest in Lilith, Babáckt Yaga directed her attention to the sources and references she had available on that topic. The direct mention of Lilith in the Old Testament book of Isaiah was frustratingly brief, but there were other sources in Kabbalistic writings such as the Zohar that provided additional information. For a woman to have that level of cosmic power, to terrorize pious men and actively defy and confront the Christian God, made Lilith into an object of admiration and fantasy for Danka. "That's what I want. To do what Lilith did. I want the power to terrorize the pious." "That is not your Path in Life, Danka Síluckt. I know what you seek. You would seek pleasure through vengeance against those who dishonored you. And just how do you expect to do that? The man who most dishonored you is already dead. As for the others, you have no way of knowing whether they continue to live, or if they have already held up their mirrors before the Creator. You have no way of knowing. Since you fancy yourself following a being who defied the Roman God, then I will quote passage from the Roman Bible: So I turned to consider wisdom, madness and folly; for what will the man do who will come after the king except what has already been done? And I saw that wisdom excels folly as light excels darkness. The wise man's eyes are in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. And yet I know that one fate befalls them both. Then I said to myself, "As is the fate of the fool, it will also befall me. Why then have I been extremely wise?" So I said to myself, "This too is vanity." For there is no lasting remembrance of the wise man as with the fool, inasmuch as in the coming days all will be forgotten. And how the wise man and the fool alike die! So I hated life, for the work which had been done under the sun was grievous to me; because everything is futility and striving after wind. "I recite this to you, Danka Síluckt, for a simple reason. Nearly two years have passed since you left Rika Héckt-nemát. What news have you received since your departure? How would you know if anything in that city remains as you remember it? How would you know if anyone there remembers you? And, whether or not anyone does remember you, what difference does it make?" Danka wasn't sure how to respond. She thought about saying that she understood and would give up on her thoughts of revenge, but to do so would entail lying. She had learned never to lie to Babáckt Yaga. Finally the old woman broke the silence. "You have done well, not to speak the deception that is in your heart. You ponder seeking power over the pious so you can seek revenge. I fear, eventually you will take action. I can see that very clearly. I cannot dissuade you: only you can dissuade yourself. However, remember my words...the day you act on your fantasies, your life as you know it will be ruined. Your Path in Life will change, and you will have to begin anew. Remember my words when that happens." ---------- Note 01: During my research I came across seven manuscripts that I believe were handwritten by Danka Síluckt. There are two journals in the medical school in Rika Héckt-nemát that are directly attributed to the founder Vesna Rogúskt-Orsktacktna. I also found two translations in the Church library in Sebérnekt Ris and three more translations in the Royal archives, that appear to have been written by the same hand. I had my theory verified by handwriting experts, who studied handwriting samples from all seven books and confirmed they were scripted by the same individual. The manuscripts show a clear progression in the author's penmanship, with the works in Rika Héckt-nemát being the most recent and with the best handwriting. - Maritza Ortskt-Dukovna - Note 02: The final known samples of "the Joy of the Ancients" (amanita danuvius-caeruleum) were harvested by scientists working at the university in Sebérnekt Ris in 1811. Along with six specimens of "the Joy of the Ancients", scientists collected many other fungi, including numerous samples of the highland green moon-cap (amanita danuvius-viridis), which is "the Joy of the Ancients'" closest living relative. Because of their appearance, the two species were mis-classified at the time and have yet to be re-named. In reality they are not closely related to any other species of mushroom. Both species grew and reproduced extremely slowly, but unlike its extinct relative, the highland green moon-cap has the good fortune to be poisonous and to not possess any medicinal value. The last alleged sighting of a specimen of the "the Joy of the Ancients'" living in the wild was in 1820. It is hard to say whether the 1811 scientific expedition contributed to its extinction. I doubt it, because only six specimens were collected and amateur fortune-hunters were hunting for the mushrooms as well. In 1935 the Danubian government ordered the transfer of the remaining dried specimens to the National Museum of Natural History for better preservation. More recently, the Danubian Ministry of Science sent the samples to geneticists in Germany to see if the plant's genetic code can be reconstructed. There are some DNA fragments that do not appear in any other plant, including the highland green moon-cap. It appears some genetic information has been permanently lost, even from the best-preserved specimens. Efforts to fully decode the genetic make-up of "the Joy of the Ancients" have proven unsuccessful. It is hard to over-emphasize the tragic loss resulting from this extinction. I did not go into details in the main narrative, but prior to the late eighteenth century, the Followers of the Ancients conducted extensive research on various medicinal properties of "the Joy of the Ancients". The plant had other benefits to humans apart from longevity. For example, the Followers used a mixture of spores combined with ether to cure several severe cases of tuberculosis. One of Babáckt Yaga's journal entries also claimed one of her elders had been able to reverse cancer development. Unfortunately, the Followers' research was held back by the dwindling supply of dried mushrooms, which became completely unavailable after 1800. - Maritza Ortskt-Dukovna - The Girl with No Name Ch. 09 Chapter Nine -- The Follower of the Ancients The first two Followers among those who had left the settlement for the winter returned in the middle of March. The men braved several days struggling up mountain trails covered with icy mud, leading four pack mules loaded with spices, dried fruit, books, and correspondence from Sebérnekt Ris. The men's arrival was a time of excitement in the settlement as its residents spent their meals reading letters and listening to the newcomers' updates on events around the Duchy. One of the men, a middle-aged field-surgeon named Ermin, also brought some bad news. In October he had left in the company of his pregnant wife, but returned as a widower. In January the wife had suffered a miscarriage and died of blood-poisoning a few days later. Ermin was distraught, because he was unable to help her and never managed to figure out what happened. He spent the day after he arrived with Babáckt Yaga, carefully describing his wife's symptoms and the measures he took trying to save her. The Cult leader kept a journal in which she detailed unsolved medical cases, and now faced the unhappy task of adding one of her Followers to its contents. Danka never understood why, but of all the middle-aged men in the settlement from whom she had received instruction over the previous summer, she had liked Ermin the best. He had traveled widely and was interesting to talk to. He also was an excellent instructor for the newcomers, patient and capable of explaining complicated subjects so that anyone could understand them. If an initiate did not grasp what he was teaching, he did not automatically assume it was because of his pupil's stupidity or stubbornness. Precisely because Danka liked Ermin, Babáckt Yaga tasked her with helping him unpack and setting up his bath. The alchemist figured that Ermin needed to talk and knew that Danka was an excellent listener. She also calculated that being alone with Ermin might help Danka begin winding down her relationship with Káloyankt. She disposed of Danka's current lover by sending him on a fishing expedition with another young female Follower. So...Danka accompanied Ermin to the bathhouse. She took his clothes and dropped them in a tub of hot water as he settled into the bathtub. She stripped as well, taking advantage of the heated water to wash her own clothing. She then covered his head with soap so she could shave his face and scalp. He had not been shaved since the end of January. He sat quietly while his young companion cleared away two months' growth of hair. After she finished shaving Ermin, Danka told him to just relax while she dealt with their clothing. The Followers had constructed a rolling device to extract water from wet clothes that was much more efficient than trying to wring them out. She noticed her companion staring at her body as she moved about the room. She couldn't fault him for it: after having spent two months alone, he couldn't be expected to look away from the bare figure of an attractive young woman. Danka realized she was somewhat attracted to him as well. The years had taken their toll and he was not particularly good-looking, but she liked his personality and appreciated his talent for teaching. Most importantly, she found him interesting to talk to. She patiently listened as he described what happened to his wife and his own feelings of guilt and sadness. His situation was frustrating, because he understood medical knowledge was advancing and eventually the ability to help a woman in his wife's situation would be developed. That was fine for future generations, but didn't do him any good. As she passed the clothes through the roller, she continued with the conversation. Her background did not give her much experience for expressing sympathy, so she did not try to comfort him with kind words. Instead she encouraged him to go into technical detail about what went wrong with his wife's pregnancy and what would have been needed to save her. She prompted him to talk as a doctor and a teacher, not as a grieving husband. As always, she wanted to learn. As Ermin's teaching instincts took over and when he continued to talk about the miscarriage as a medical practitioner, his emotions began to recover. Danka returned to her companion to rinse off his head and make sure she had not missed any spots. She decided to rub some more soap on his back. Without thinking about what she was doing, she massaged his shoulders. When she inadvertently brushed his skin with her breasts, he reached up, grabbed her arm, and pulled her to his front. He looked up at her with a hungry expression. Suddenly, the mood in the room completely changed. "You do understand, young lady, that it's been over six months for me. I have not touched a woman for six months. If you wish to tempt me, there will be consequences." Danka was shocked. She hadn't really thought about sex, but how could she have been so oblivious? She was naked, with a naked man, in a warm room, and had just spent the last hour letting him watch her as she went about her duties. Finally, she was massaging him. Yes, that would indeed be tempting for any man. Yes, there would be consequences. She realized that's what she wanted. She glanced into the bathwater and noted that he was hard. She wasn't sure what to say, but with her free hand she caressed Ermin's arm. So...it was decided. She would give herself to him. That afternoon her body would belong to Ermin, not Káloyankt. Ermin let go of Danka's arm. He knelt in the bathtub and grabbed the girl's shoulders. He kissed her hard on the neck and ran his wet hands up and down her back. He stood up, kissed her passionately, and ran his hands over her bottom. She massaged his penis, making it as hard as she could. And yes, he was hard. He certainly would have no trouble entering her. The bath house was not set up for love-making: there was no comfortable place to lie down. Danka noted a sturdy worktable. That would have to suffice. Actually, the table gave her an idea. She placed her hands on the surface, spread her legs, and looked back at him. She assumed the traditional submissive love-making position. She looked back at him and smiled. I'm yours...take me...I surrender myself to you... Neither lover really understood what was going on in Danka's mind at that moment. There was no hesitation, nor a single thought about Káloyankt. She was desperate to give herself to Ermin. Without saying anything, he placed one hand on her shoulder and caressed her bottom with the other. He explored her vulva and slipped his finger into her wet pussy. He teased her clitoris and ran a fingertip around her trembling sphincter. He continued to tease to make her desperate...to make her truly want it. Finally, he pushed her down onto the table and motioned her to arch her hips to expose herself as much as possible. Six months...he had waited six months. He thrust very hard as six months of pent-up desire and frustration poured out of him into Danka's eager body. She squealed with pleasure and he grunted loudly. Oh yes...so good... Babáckt Yaga stood near the back wall of the bath house listening to her two subordinates. She was deeply satisfied. Hopefully, Danka would realize on her own that her Path in Life did not include staying with Káloyankt. He was a fine young man, but it was not his destiny to be Danka's husband. The alchemist knew that his Path in Life would take him back to Sevérckt nad Gorádki. He would take over his father's house and help transform that city. To fulfill his Path in Life, he needed a girl acceptable to the town's nobility. Danka wouldn't suit him, nor would life among the spoiled aristocrats suit her. They needed to separate. Now that Danka had betrayed her relationship with Káloyankt, hopefully leaving him would be much easier. ---------- The next day Danka had finished some outdoor chores and was about to return to Babáckt Yaga's study to continue working on transcribing a book. It was still too cold to walk around naked, so she was wearing her coat and boots. As usual, she was bare between her waist and her knees. She saw Ermin repairing a fence. She could tell by his expression that his mood had greatly improved. She now understood the reason that Babáckt Yaga had wanted her to be alone with him and was strangely excited to see him. It wasn't that she simply wanted another round of sex: she wanted something more that she really couldn't define. She realized that she wanted him to take her again. She wanted to submit to him, a desire she had never experienced with Káloyankt. The two Followers exchanged some comments about the day's chores, before the conversation shifted to the book Danka was working on. Ermin gave the young woman some observations about the translation, but was distracted by the strange look in her eyes. Without really thinking about what she was doing, Danka placed her hands on the fence and smiled. Ervin's penis started to stiffen. He grabbed her hand and led her behind a storage cabin, to a spot that was hidden from the rest of the camp. There happened to be an abandoned barrel partially buried in the ground, at perfect level for what the two lovers wanted to do. Danka got on her elbows and knees, exposing herself as much as she could. Ervin caressed her bottom and teased between her legs. Already she was wet, but Ervin made an odd comment, originally meant to be a joke, that set loose a wild fantasy in her thoughts. "You really are an undisciplined temptress, young lady, distracting me from my duties and ignoring your own. Perhaps your bottom is more suited for touch of the birch rod than the touch of my hand." Her heart pounded at the thought of submitting to discipline from him. As her lover's hand gently stroked her bottom, she went wet thinking about what it would be like to endure the birch rod. To be alone with him in a hidden part of the forest, to be bent over, feeling his fingertips on her unprotected skin, but knowing that the sharp sting of the birch rod was only moments away...yes...she knew that she wanted it, as long as it was Ermin wielding the switch. She thought about the anticipation, of going out among the birch shoots and finding the perfect rod, peeling off the bark and cutting it to the right length. Oh yes...then she'd shyly hand it to him...and surrender herself. Ervin's fingertips gently traced her wet labia and teased her clitoris. He was surprised by how wet she had become. Her breathing was coming out in gasps. Fascinated by her reaction, he patted her bottom and added: "You haven't answered my observation, young lady." "I...I'd like that..." Danka was shocked by her own answer. Yes, it was something she suddenly craved, but she couldn't imagine confessing such a strange desire. "Yes my love, you would like it, wouldn't you? Naughty girl...I knew it. Then I'm obligated to accommodate you. As soon as the snow clears I'll take you to the birch grove and we'll spend a nice long afternoon there." With that he entered her. She experienced a delicious orgasm as her thoughts filled with the strange fantasy that she was destined to share with her newest lover. ---------- Káloyankt returned from his fishing trip in a strange mood. He was eager to make love to Danka, but there was something very strange about what he was doing. It seemed he was desperate, as though he wanted to prove to either himself or to her that they were still a couple and still committed to each other. Danka wondered if he suspected her relationship with Ermin. However, she reasoned it was much more likely that he had cheated on her by making love to his fishing companion, which would have been fine with her. Instead of paying a visit to Altar of the Equinox, the Followers spent March 21 through March 23 stranded in their settlement. A late winter storm covered the entire northern mountain range with heavy wet snow. Nearly half a fathom fell in less than a day, forcing the followers to spend their time cleaning off rooftops and clearing paths instead of giving honor to the Ancients. The leader retreated into her study which, during a moment of crisis, was unusual for her. No one saw her for three days. When she emerged, she was sullen, morose, and appeared depressed. She seemed reduced in stature, as though she had lost something in her soul. She had nothing to say at the moment, apart from announcing that she had decided to send three of the newest Followers to the seminary in Danúbikt Móskt. Out of five recruits, only Danka and Káloyankt would remain behind. After a moment of silence, one of the young women asked: "So...we shall not be working in the villages this summer?" "No. That is no longer your Path in Life. Your Path in Life will be to serve the Ancients through the Danubian Church. You'll be safer there than anywhere else." The young Followers looked at each other. Safer? That was an odd thing for her to say... ---------- Babáckt Yaga's settlement remained isolated for two weeks following the late snowstorm. The snow started to melt within a few days of the storm, but on March 30 the temperature rose and there were two days of heavy rain. The snow was now gone, but the paths were covered in deep mud and washed out in many places. It wasn't until the second week of April the Followers began using the trails. Meanwhile, in the settlement Danka continued with her studies and her daily chores. She also struggled to balance the two men in her life. Unlike her relationship with Káloyankt, from the beginning both Danka and Ervin knew their affair was just that, an affair. There was not a chance they could stay together. And yet, he excited her, for reasons she could not have explained, even to herself. She loved being submissive to him in a way that never would occur to her when she was with Káloyankt. With her younger lover she would never even think of assuming the submissive love-making position, but with Ervin it seemed to come naturally. As for the promise of a birching in the woods, had Káloyankt suggested such a thing, she would have brushed him off with a joke. Had he insisted, she would have become angry. And yet, with Ervin, the promised afternoon of discipline and love-making in the birch grove was something she very much anticipated. As she lay awake, pondering the strange twist in her love life, she wondered what it all meant. She could only hope it wouldn't end badly. She was still known as "Káloyankt's woman" around the settlement and her partner seemed totally oblivious to what she was doing with the Elder. Ervin was tremendously helpful with being discreet. He had his own reason to be quiet: the older women would have disapproved had news about his relationship with the peasant girl become public. ---------- On April 15 the entire settlement packed up for travelling. There were 50 Followers from Babáckt Yaga's compound and the area surrounding Sevérckt nad Gorádki. The Followers' first destination was the town of Nagorónkti-Serífkti. They spent several days in a frustratingly slow descent as they led pack animals loaded with books, manuscripts, equipment, partially prepared ingredients, and finished potions. The trek down the mountain was uneventful, apart from its physical difficulty. Upon emerging into the flat farmlands of the Western Valley, the Followers put on their formal garments, picked up their skulls, and marched solemnly along the road leading to their destination. They marched at night with their skulls lit, singing ancient hymns in a ritual that had been going on for 5000 years. Along the roads, groups of True-Believer Christians stood quietly and gawked. Upon arriving in Nagorónkti-Serífkti, Babáckt Yaga's group greeted more of their brethren and set up camp. The town continued to be surprisingly receptive to the Cult of the Ancients, in spite of it being full of True Believers. The Followers had the local Priest to thank for the welcome, given that he was much more concerned about what the Followers could do for his parishioners than he was worried about their Pagan beliefs. The Followers spent three days in Nagorónkti-Serífkti. During that time, Danka and her companions had little to do, so they took advantage of their free time to walk around the town and the surrounding area. She felt very proud of herself as she showed off to the locals, especially to well-dressed young women and men that were her age. Strange to think, just two years ago they would have dismissed her as an illiterate and dishonored laborer. Had she approached them, they would have hissed and kicked her. Now, they were intimidated. Yes, now, when she looked at them, they were actually afraid of her, afraid of the haughty-looking girl in the sinister back dress. And the skull on my staff...yes it is real...and I saw the man to whom it belonged when he was still alive. You'll never match any of that. None of you. Her thoughts wandered to her hometown of Rika Héckt-nemát. It was not far from Nagorónkti-Serífkti; just a couple days' journey south. Could she go there? Oh, how would she love to return in her Cult outfit and show off and then...and then...and then what? Well, if she went back unaccompanied and her neighbors remembered the Beelzebub story, it was quite possible they'd finish what they started: strip off her outfit, tie her hands, and throw her into the Rika Chorna. That thought made Danka understand a very important reality: her Follower's dress only protected her and gave her status if she was with other Cult members. As soon as she was alone, she'd be just as vulnerable as she was while wearing her laborer's clothes. So...Danka was smart enough to understand that returning home in a Follower's dress wasn't going to do her any good. Her Mistress would never approve such a trip and even if she did, the girl's status as a Follower would be irrelevant. Rika Héckt-nemát was a city of True Believers, where the town council was even more hostile to the Followers of the Ancients than the leaders of Sevérckt nad Gorádki. However, the temptation of seeking status and power so she could seek revenge did not leave Danka's thoughts. She wondered: if I can't do it as a Follower, then how could I do it? She tried to suppress the idea, but it stubbornly resurfaced. Status...power...revenge... ---------- The long solemn line of Followers marched west from Nagorónkti-Serífkti. They traveled slowly, in single file, with their skulls showing their presence and lighting their way. Each night additional groups of Cult members joined the main procession. They sang ancient hymns and chanted as they marched. They only traveled during darkness and stopped to set up camp as soon as the sun came up. During the day, the Followers not tasked with cooking or attending pack animals engaged in the usual medical routine; spreading out among the nearby villages to vaccinate the locals against smallpox, perform surgeries, and sell medications. The Cult doctors were welcomed by most of the local villagers, in spite of their strange songs and sinister-looking clothing. Babáckt Yaga's subordinates adjusted their prices according to people's ability to pay and were perfectly willing to accept trade goods or workers' services in lieu of silver. When performing operations or delivering a baby, they only demanded payment if the procedure was successful. Even villagers who were totally destitute received attention. The Followers always needed help digging out cave-charcoal, so many of the poorest clients trekked up to the mountains to spend a couple of days pulling black rocks from the ground as reimbursement for medical attention for family members. With Káloyankt accompanying her as a bodyguard, Danka spent most of her mornings in village squares or marketplaces selling finished potions and recipes. The birth-control paste was the favorite; Danka could count on selling all of her jars within an hour or two of presenting her wares. Nervous young women, many of whom were keeping their purchases secret from their husbands or fathers, furtively approached her with silver coins as soon as they discovered what she was selling. The Girl with No Name Ch. 09 The procession left the Western Valley and turned northwest, travelling several days along a winding road through hills and mountains. On the final day of the journey the Followers did not stop when the sun came up, but instead continued moving towards their destination of Sebérnekt Ris. In the distance Danka could see the East Danube River and a huge waterfall on the northern the horizon. Above the waterfall there were yet more hills, most of which lay beyond the Duchy's northern border. Sebérnekt Ris was situated in a stunning location, on top of a hill with the main road passing by to the east and steep slopes running to the East Danube River to the west. Danubia's northernmost city guarded the only route that connected the Duchy to north-central Europe. The waterfall blocked the river as a possible transportation route, so the only way into the Western Valley was by travelling along the road. There was a fort with a cannon battery facing to the north and the main city had two walls encircling it. The city was surrounded by gardens that concealed traps and defensive positions. Assuming that a foreign army could ever force its way past the cannon crews guarding the border defenses, they would still have to conquer Sebérnekt Ris before moving south. Danka knew through her history studies that during the reign of King Vladik the Defender there had been two major invasions passing through Sebérnekt Ris by armies from the Holy Roman Empire trying to conquer the Danubian capitol. On both occasions the invaders had captured the town and killed most of the inhabitants, but there they remained trapped, unable to make it past the rugged terrain and King Vladik's guerrilla archers. It was interesting to see the place in real life and try to imagine how it must have been when the King's Royal Army was battling the invaders. Babáckt Yaga's old friend Fítoreckt ran the town's university and print shop. Both institutions were set up inside a large compound that included a bathhouse and bakery. The instructors all wore Cult of the Ancients uniforms, but many of the students were dressed in ordinary civilian clothing. Students stepped outside to unload the pack mules, while the travelers entered the compound to bathe, change their clothes, eat, have sex, and sleep. The trip was an annual event that mixed religious fanfare, getting all of the Followers together in one place and delivering translations and medical research for printing. Following a huge feast there were singing competitions with sweet-cakes given out as prizes. Danka and her two companions from the previous year won prizes by singing the seduction hymn they had used to capture the Austrian fortune-hunters. The singing was followed by the annual naked dance. All of the Followers, the elders and leaders included, stripped and spent the next hour dancing rhythmically around several bonfires. The dance was followed by the Great Fire Benediction, where everyone had to make love to at least one person he or she had never met. Danka was thrilled and took full advantage of being able to experiment with different partners and without worrying about any consequences or obligations. She wore herself out having sex with six men, ranging from an initiate from Sebérnekt Ris to an Elder working in Nagorónkti-Serífkti. The next morning Danka was one of the first Followers to wake up. She was surrounded by hundreds of naked, sleeping bodies. The entire compound reeked from the stench of stale sex. Danka knew that undoubtedly she must have been among the most offensive, with the sweat of six men covering her body and their semen dripping out of her vagina. She didn't know what to make of her situation, now that she was alone with her thoughts. Her body ached and her vulva was raw, but she certainly had no regrets. No Christian could ever do what she had just done. Her thoughts wandered to the uptight Seminary student in Starívktaki Móskt, the one who had taught her how to read. She'd love to see that judgmental woman's expression if she only knew what her former student had just done. With that the young woman rushed to the bathhouse to bathe ahead of the waking crowd. She passed Babáckt Yaga, who was lying with her arms around a young man who couldn't have been any older than Danka. The leader's century-old body was not a pretty sight. Danka smiled and suppressed a laugh. Not bad, Alchemist...110 years old and you're still going...not bad at all... ---------- Some of the Followers began departing the day after the Great Fire Benediction, mostly medical staff who would be working in the villages surrounding Sebérnekt Ris. Meanwhile, Babáckt Yaga and Fítoreckt organized the annual trading expedition that would cross the border. There were items the Followers could not obtain in Danubia, such as amber, copper, jade, chalk, dyes, and several alchemy ingredients. For those items they would exchange medicines, Danubian mushrooms, potions, magnifying glasses, fine linen, and vanity items such as crafted jewelry. A total of 40 Followers would travel north, leading teams of pack-mules and driving several wagons. They changed out of their Followers' uniforms for the trip. The men put on Trader's Guild outfits and the women wore average Danubian dresses. The trip was extremely important, so both Babáckt Yaga and Fítoreckt would lead the others. Danka was thrilled as she sat in a wagon riding next to Káloyankt. Never could she have imagined that she'd actually have to opportunity to leave the Duchy and see a foreign land. Her excitement built as they traveled north of Sebérnekt Ris and passed over a ridge between two hills with steep rocky cliffs. There was a small fort on the road itself, but the more important defenses guarding the route were higher up. Danka knew that the Kingdoms of Austria and Poland, both of which were much larger and more powerful than the Duchy, lay on the other side of the border. However, there had been no foreign invasion attempt since the early 1500's because of the region's topography. The cliff-sides were a perfect defensive location, in which the Danubian Royal Army had constructed underground forts filled with captured enemy cannons. The Duchy had been fortifying and improving their positions for two centuries. As long as there were enough soldiers to staff the forts and operate the gun batteries, the northern border now was impenetrable. After passing the fort and cliffs, the Followers could again see the East Danube River, but now they were above the waterfall. They descended a short slope leading to a small tributary of the main waterway. The smaller river formed the Duchy's northern border. The region to the north was covered by low hills, most of which were treeless and were being used as sheep pastures. A stone bridge, guarded on both sides by garrisons of border guards, spanned the river. On the opposite side, about half an hour's ride north of the border, was the town that was the trading expedition's destination. The group stopped on the Danubian side of the bridge. They split up: Babáckt Yaga would stay behind with the group managing the animals, while Fítoreckt would lead the group making the crossing. Danka would go with the group crossing over because of her experience with bartering and because she had studied German and Slavic. The young woman had her doubts concerning her abilities, but was determined to do her best. She knew having to trade with foreigners was another of Babáckt Yaga's challenges that she'd have to pass. Káloyankt explained that the foreigners were scared of witches and would be very likely to burn the alchemist alive if she fell into their hands. Therefore their Mistress had to stay on the Danubian side of the border. He explained how the trading would be arranged: the Danubians crossing over would take a single wagonload of wares. After those items were sold or traded the wagon would return and a second wagon would transport another load. The precaution was necessary to prevent the entire caravan from being attacked and robbed. "They need what we're bringing. They'd prefer to slit our throats and take our things for free, but they can't do that if we have only a small portion of our trading goods with us at a time." ---------- Danka didn't know what to expect on the opposite side of the bridge. Unconsciously she had expected everything to be exotic and beautiful, for the Duchy's northern neighbor to be a land of beauty and mystery. The foreign land was none of that. The trading group found themselves surrounded by stench and squalor as they passed filthy hovels and hoards of malnourished sick children. She observed the peasants working in the fields and noted that the women were much more heavily dressed than Danubian peasants would be. All of the women were wearing aprons, long sleeves, and headscarves. As a peasant's daughter, Danka couldn't imagine working outside in such an outfit on a hot day. The Danubians entered the town. The inhabitants were different from the visitors in every way imaginable. Everyone, except people who were obviously poor, seemed way over-dressed. The women wandered about in large frilly dresses and covered their heads with shawls. The men wore heavy coats with multiple rows of buttons. The hair of both sexes was totally different from the hairstyles of the Duchy. Instead of shaving their heads or cropping their hair short, the male foreigners wore their hair in long pony tails. A few official-looking men had an abundance of white curly hair, which Danka later learned were actually wigs. The women had their hair done-up, but it was not braided. A big difference was the use of hats. Many of the foreigners wore them as symbols of status, which contrasted with the Danubians. In the Duchy hats were a practical item worn by workers and peasants. Guild members wore them as well, but average citizens, especially women, tended not to use head garments. There were plenty of soldiers milling about. They wore colorful uniforms with tall black hats and carried huge muskets, contrasting with the soldiers of the Duchy, who wore tunics and had light comfortable uniforms designed mostly for running and mobility. Danka winced at the stench of the foreigners. Unlike the Danubians, they didn't bathe and they didn't wash their outer clothing. Many of them were missing teeth and the odor coming from their mouths was something to behold. The traders passed the town's cathedral. The priests were all men, dressed in black and carrying crucifixes, in a similar manner as the True Believers in the Duchy. The foreigners moved their hands in front of their chests upon passing the entrance of the church. Danka later learned the gesture was to form an imaginary cross and it was related to the execution of the Son of Man, who the foreigners called Jesus Christ. There were several statues of a woman inside the cathedral which Danka knew through her reading represented Jesus' mother Mary. It was interesting and a little frightening to see all those statues and the veneration of the Virgin Mary in real life. The local leaders were hostile to the Danubians, especially the priests, who viewed them as heretics. The average residents were simply curious about the strange-looking traders. The Danubian men were dressed in trader's tunics, wore their hair extremely short, and had shaved their faces. Even stranger were the women, who were wearing nothing more than traditional white dresses and shoulder shawls, with nothing covering their heads or arms. They casually spoke to their men with confidence and behaved in an arrogant manner unbecoming of a proper Christian woman. The Followers entered the town market to set up in several stalls they had previously rented. Danka and three older female Followers would barter, but had instructions to only interact with foreign women. They were not to have any conversations with men, because the Danubians had a separate stall set up for male customers. Meanwhile Fítoreckt and an assistant would barter with the local tradesmen to sell their linen and other bulk items. Danka's language studies helped her while she was talking to the foreign women. She couldn't speak well, but she spoke just enough to communicate. She was the youngest member of her trading group, but of the four she was the most talented for haggling and bartering. She cajoled the customers and forced them to admit the Danubians were offering goods that could not be bought from anyone else. "Our lives are short, and the Lord has numbered our days. Do you really wish to wait until next year to buy what we are selling? Is not the silver you spend today worth the year you will have ahead of you to use your purchase?" Danka noted what strategies worked to convince the foreign women to part with their silver and what was less effective. As the day progressed she became better at what she was doing, to the point that her companions let her do all the talking and contented themselves with assisting. The foreigners tended to underestimate the young Danubian, but quickly learned the girl was extremely shrewd. The Followers had three wagons they were using to move their trading goods across the border. They emptied a load of Danubian goods in the marketplace and waited until the wagon was filled with foreign items. A mounted messenger returned to the Danubian side of the border to tell his companions to send the next wagon to the bridge. The new wagon waited until the first one had safely crossed back into the Duchy before proceeding north. A group of foreign priests entered the marketplace to watch the Danubians with disapproving expressions. When the church bell struck four, they approached Fítoreckt. "You've stolen enough from our people, you thieving heretic. Now take your whoring women and remove your satanic presence from our town. You have defiled and insulted us long enough." Fítoreckt ordered the women to pack up immediately. They loaded their few unsold items into the waiting wagon. The Followers were ready with an armed escort to get everyone safely across the border. The women sat in the wagon while the men guarded them with crossbows. Now that the day's trading had ended and the Danubians had nothing more to offer the foreigners, their situation had become considerably more dangerous. The local priests were disgusted by the presence of Danubian heretics in their city and wanted nothing more than to kill all of them. The locals could have attacked and slaughtered the Followers with the smallest provocation. The only thing holding them back was knowing that if the traders were killed, they wouldn't be back the following year with their goods. Danka noted the hostile expressions of the townsfolk and the bewildered stares of hoards of dirty, starving children as she rode out of the foreign town. What a thoroughly miserable place, she thought to herself. So this is what the rest of the world is like? Danka was enormously relieved when the expedition crossed the bridge and returned to the blessed territory of the Duchy. So...now she could say she had seen a foreign land. Yes, it was true that her foreign experience was nothing more than spending a day in the marketplace of a town right on the other side of the border, but that was enough for her. She had learned many things during her trip, the most important of which was what it meant to be a Danubian. She could take pride in who she was and where she was from. The Duchy had plenty of faults and problems, but life there was certainly better than it was on the outside. Danka was thrilled when she and her companions passed through the protection of the cliffs guarded by those blessed cannons and fortifications. As the expedition climbed the hill returning to Sebérnekt Ris, she was grateful to the gun crews and border guards. Yes, if what she saw and experienced in the foreign town was the life the foreigners had to offer, it was best to keep them out. ---------- Two days after the trading expedition returned to the Followers' compound, Danka and Káloyankt had to say goodbye to their three companions who, along with six other newly-initiated Followers from other places, were heading to the capitol to become Seminary students in the Great Temple. A sympathetic Priest provided them with identity papers giving them new names and biographies that did not mention anything about their membership in the Cult of the Ancients. In Danúbikt Móskt their lives would totally change. Not only would they have to suppress many of their beliefs and customs as Followers, but they'd also have to find marriage partners. Babáckt Yaga and Fítoreckt had warned them not to attempt to marry among themselves. They'd have to find different partners and maintain a professional distance from each other. Danka, Káloyankt, and Ermin were part of a group remaining behind in Sebérnekt Ris when Babáckt Yaga and her entourage returned to the forest settlement. They became a medical team that performed surgeries, mostly on laborers and farmers suffering from broken bones or bad cuts from work-related accidents. They vaccinated children, treated infections, and performed autopsies. In the middle of June, Ermin and his assistants were tasked by the local magistrate to determine the cause of death of a guild member who died under suspicious circumstances. Ermin determined that, sure enough, he had been poisoned. The Follower was called as a witness at the trial of the man's nephew, who was suspected of wanting to take over the victim's business. With the assistance of Danka and Káloyankt, Ermin had conducted his own investigation and found out where the nephew had purchased the ingredients to make the poison. The verdict was guilty and the sentence was separation of the soul from the body. For the first time in her life Danka witnessed a public execution. At noon on the day following the trial the man was tied to a post. Five city guards with longbows lined up and in quick succession shot five arrows into the prisoner's chest. ---------- The Summer Solstice was approaching. Now that Danka and Káloyankt were officially Followers of the Ancients, they would travel with the others into the mountains for the annual celebration, to be held at the Altar of Blood-nourishment. Fítoreckt led his group to the sacrificial site along a narrow road approaching from the west; a section of the secret path Danka had not previously seen. She realized that she now knew the entire route running along the northern mountains from Sevérckt nad Gorádki to Sebérnekt Ris. If she ever needed to secretly move from one of those cities to the other, she didn't have to travel the main road passing through the western valley. The Followers spent the first day of the Solstice celebration completely naked. The day was filled with singing, dancing, and a feast. After sunset the elders lit the red lanterns and the celebrants spent the shortest night of the year having sex. As usual, the rule was that everyone had to make love to at least one person they had not previously met. Danka made love to seven men that night. She decided to add a rule for anyone who wanted to copulate with her. Her lovers would have to lie on their backs and she would straddle them. Some refused, but she was pretty enough that plenty of others acquiesced. She totally loved being on top, feeling the pulsating penis pumping semen into her eager body. She experienced seven wonderful orgasms with her seven lovers. She was very sore towards the end, but she pushed herself and was rewarded with pleasure. When she finished, her vagina hurt, but the pain had resulted from something what was forbidden among the Christians and thus made her feel stronger. This is the way Lilith fornicates, she thought to herself. This is the way she does it, and this is the way I will do it. The Girl with No Name Ch. 09 After spending the second day of the Solstice celebration resting, bathing, finishing off the previous day's feast, and performing various rituals honoring the Ancients, the Followers dressed in their formal Cult outfits and prepared for the main part of their gathering. Over the past two months the Cult had captured eleven men who would be sacrificed. Nine of the men were fortune hunters, and the other two had attempted to kidnap the daughter of an Elder, without realizing who she was. Danka proudly held her skull-staff and chanted with her companions as the terrified, struggling, screaming victims were dragged onto the altar one-by-one. Her Mistress was ready with her ancient dagger, naked as always with her body covered with chalk and charcoal in a pattern that made her look half-way between a skeleton and a ghoul. She stared into their eyes with a wild and cruel expression as she raised the knife. The red fire reflected in her eyes made her look truly demonic. The victims, every last one, screamed in terror as the Cult leader plunged the blade into their chests. It had to be that way, because ancient custom dictated that a victim had to be screaming when he was killed. ---------- Ermin, Danka, and Káloyankt returned to Sebérnekt Ris with Fítoreckt's group after the Solstice instead of travelling on to Babáckt Yaga's forest settlement. Danka was perplexed by the arrangement. She had spent the past month wondering why she and Káloyankt were staying behind, why the others had left for the Seminary in the capitol and she hadn't. Babáckt Yaga and Fítoreckt knew their young disciple would be curious and that they owed her an answer. Fítoreckt offered to take Danka to the top of the hill so she could see the waterfall. Káloyankt, who already had seen the waterfall the previous year, spent the day in Sebérnekt Ris helping Elders prepare medications. Danka and Fítoreckt mounted horses and rode up to the crest of the hill. The Elder allowed the girl to sit quietly and appreciate the scenery. She could see the lands of the foreigners to the north and the Duchy to the south. On the western shore of the East Danube River there were steep cliffs that made crossing the river from that direction impossible. She realized that Danubia was a natural fortress, a land in which its inhabitants could live in peace because it was so difficult to get into. Soon enough she would learn that peace was truly a gift from the Creator, a very fragile gift that could break at any time. "Danka Síluckt, your Mistress asked me to bring you here so you can see for yourself some of the work of the Ancients and the Creator. But you also have questions, which you should now ask and I will attempt to answer." "Well...Alchemist Fítoreckt...I guess I'm curious about...the Great Temple...and us...why everyone...the young people...are having to go there." "The answer is that the Ancients have revealed to your Mistress and me that the remnants of the Old World are about to vanish. We, the Cult of the Ancients, are destined to disappear with the passing of those remnants. And yet, somehow the Old World must continue to safeguard the well-being of the Duchy. Our final tasking from the Ancients is to figure out how we can contribute when, as a Cult, we are no more. The only answer is to place our people in the heart of the Danubian Church. It is from there our inheritors will continue to guide the future of the Duchy. The Cult only has a few hundred members, while there are hundreds of thousands of Old Believers. So, if the Ancients indeed wish to continue watching over the Duchy's people, who do you think they would favor?" "I...I guess they'd favor the Church, Alchemist." "Exactly. They'd favor the Church, not the Cult. Your Mistress would say that it is not our Path in Life to question why that should be...why after being served for so long the Ancients would turn their backs on the Cult and favor the Church. She would argue that it is our Path in Life to simply accept what is happening with humility. I know the answer, however, even if your Mistress would argue that I am speaking with arrogance. Alchemist Babackt Yaga lives completely in the traditions of the past, and that is how she trains the people whose Paths in Life cross with hers. From your time with her, you know what it is like to live in the manner of the days of old, when our people lived among the trees. You can also understand that time has passed. Most people don't live in the forests anymore. The future of the Duchy will be in the villages and cities, not in the Realm of Nature. The Ancients need to follow our people into the reality of the New World, but they cannot do so through the Followers." Fítoreckt paused to make sure Danka didn't have any questions or comments. She did, but couldn't put them into words. The Elder continued: "Alchemist Babackt Yaga understands the will of the Ancients as much as I do. She also understands that her Path in Life is about to end, and when that happens the traditions of the forest will become nothing more than memories. A month ago she ceded leadership of the Cult to me, and the Elders voted in secret to allow that to happen. So, I am the one leading our transition, the one who is moving our people into the Danubian Church. It is our Path in Life to influence the Church by having our people join their Clergy. So, I have seen the future and am making the arrangements. With every passing year the Church will serve the Creator and the Ancients more and serve the Roman God less. The Ancients are finding their voice for the future, and the Followers in the forest are destined to be no more." "Then...if it's our Path in Life to join the Old Believers' Priesthood, why aren't you sending me and Káloyankt? And...why just the two of us? I mean...Alchemist Babáckt Yaga told me she didn't want me to stay with him...with Káloyankt, that is. Did she change her mind on that?" "Not at all. Soon your Paths in Life will separate and the only thing you will keep of each other will be memories. Your lover's Path in Life is to wait until his father dies, and then to return to Sevérckt nad Gorádki and take over his family's household. He will become an important and influential man in that city, and when the time comes, he will use his wealth and position to serve the Ancients. He will live in comfort and dote upon his wife and children. Exactly the life you envisioned for yourself, is it not?" "Yes, Alchemist. The life I want..." "It is not your Path in Life to be his partner. You already know that. It is not your Path in Life to sit in luxury and watch your children grow and pass your time embroidering and listening to music and reading novels and gossiping with your friends. That life does not suit you. If you seek it, you would become a tool of the Profane One and bring grief into your household." "So...what is my Path in Life?" "We don't know. The Ancients have not yet revealed your destiny to us any more than they have revealed it to you. Your Mistress has desperately sought an answer concerning what to do with you. All I can say is that you must continue learning and improving your knowledge. Our time is short and you must bear witness to your world and learn as much as you can." ---------- At the beginning of July, Ermin led a team of Followers to a farming center with a large water-mill called Dagurúckt-Tók. The town was about halfway between the nation's capitol and Nagorónkti-Serífkti. On the map it appeared tantalizingly close to Rika Héckt-nemát, which lay to the southeast. However, the two city councils bitterly rivaled each other and citizens from each town were prohibited from visiting the other. The feud was so severe that the residents had torn down a stone bridge along the road connecting the two towns in the early spring of 1750. The Clergy members of Dagurúckt-Tók were Old Believers and welcomed the Followers. The welcome was warm and appreciative, unlike the grudging tolerance granted by the Senior Priest of neighboring Nagorónkti-Serífkti. They were housed in a residence owned by the local Clergy and received the best food produced in the town. The city council provided a wagon and several mules to assist the Followers' vaccination campaign and attending injuries. The Followers spent the next two months attending to the medical needs of Dagurúckt-Tók and the surrounding villages. Danka perfected her skills performing simple operations and re-setting broken bones. She assisted Ermin as he prepared smallpox vaccine and ether for surgeries. She attended several births, including one during which she and another female follower managed to save a baby who was born with the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck. Over the summer Danka continued to make love to both Káloyankt and Ermin. At the beginning she tried to keep her relationship with the Elder secret from her younger partner. She could not keep the sexual part of her relationship with the older man secret because of the close proximity of everyone's rooms, but did try to hide the emotional part. It was accepted that Followers were not monogamous in their sex lives and Ermin was a widower. However, as the summer progressed, Danka understood that she increasingly enjoyed Ermin's maturity and was bored trying to converse with Káloyankt. Káloyankt did not help his situation with his reaction. He was smart enough not to openly confront Danka about Ermin, but he insisted on having sex with her as much as possible. She responded by forcing him to lie on his back so she could pretend to be Lilith when she was with him. She forced him to assume submissive positions for love-making and he always complied. The more he went along with her demands, the more the relationship began to deteriorate. It was as though he had lost all of his backbone with her. She lost respect for Káloyankt and understood the time had come to completely disengage herself from him. Instead of simply telling her lover that she did not want to have sex with him anymore, she decided to see if she could leave him in the arms of another woman. Dagurúckt-Tók had a perfect candidate, the Senior Priest's daughter, who had braided her hair immediately before the Followers arrived in July. She had noticed the girl looking at Káloyankt and also at her, with a jealous expression. So...the Priest's daughter was interested in Káloyankt. Good. He had a lot to offer her. Perhaps it would help if her father knew about Káloyankt's background and that he came from one of the wealthiest families in Sevérckt nad Gorádki. Danka struck up several conversations with the Priest and spent a couple of days setting up a meeting between her lover and the Clergyman's daughter. At first the Priest thought she was trying to seduce him, but no...it seemed the Follower just wanted to talk. They discussed politics and differences between various city councils. Danka kept pushing the conversation to Sevérckt nad Gorádki. Finally the opportunity came for her to mention that one of her fellow Followers was from that city and heir to a large fortune. The Priest took the bait. He and his wife decided to have the young man eat dinner with his family. That certainly was a bizarre situation, a Follower sitting at the table of a Priest. The Clergy members quickly verified that Káloyankt indeed came from a wealthy family. From that day forward they invited him to dinner on a daily basis. He wanted to refuse, but Ermin angrily insisted that he had no right to jeopardize the good relations the Followers enjoyed with the town council in Dagurúckt-Tók. "You will accept the honor of sitting at that Priest's table and you will serve the rest of us by doing so. You will behave yourself with that family and do everything you can to accommodate them." Káloyankt approached Danka to explain the situation and beg her to forgive him. Danka responded with words and thoughts that seemed not really to be her own: "There's nothing to forgive, Káloyankt. Don't you understand the will of the Ancients? It's not your Path in Life to stay with me. You can't offer a life that would suit me. And you need to take a hard look at me. I'm a peasant. I'm a peasant with some education, but I'm still a peasant. How well do you think I'd fit in with all your fancy neighbors in your father's house?" "I don't care about him, or the neighbors, or his house. He's dead to me. That life is no longer mine. I belong in the forest. The only person I care about is you." "Then you need to stop caring about me. I'm telling you it is not my Path in Life to be your wife. That honor belongs to another woman, not me. And you already know who she is." "The Priest's daughter?" Danka nodded. "No. I don't want her. I don't love her." "You don't love her? Do you think that matters? Do you think what you feel for me matters? Because it doesn't! You need to find a respectable wife who is acceptable to your father's friends and then you need to go home and assume your responsibilities to your family! That is your Path in Life! You're not going back to the forest, you're not going back to Sebérnekt Ris, and you are not staying with me! You have your responsibilities to go home and redeem your family's name from the dishonor of your father! You need the right partner to do that and that person is not me!" "...and my feelings for you don't matter?" "No! They don't!" "I mean...it almost sounds like...that you don't love me...that you never loved me..." "It doesn't matter, Káloyankt! Why can't you understand? It doesn't matter whether I love you or not! I can't stay with you! It's not my Path in Life! It's not yours, either!" Káloyankt sat quietly, his eyes full of tears. Danka coldly concluded the conversation. "I'm planning to spend the night with Ermin. Meanwhile, you need to prepare for your dinner with the Priests and their daughter. She loves you. I don't. Remember that the next time you talk to her or think about me." With that, Danka left the room. As soon as she stepped outside, she felt sick. She was horrified by the shabby treatment she had inflicted on a wonderful man who she really did care for. She resisted the temptation to go back and beg him to forgive her. She knew that she did what had to be done, but it was no consolation. She hated herself, every bit as much as she hated herself when she gave her body to Bagatúrckt. ---------- Two weeks later Káloyankt received word that his father had died. Included in the correspondence was a will that stipulated he would inherit his family's fortune, but not until he married a Christian wife in a Christian ceremony. The will also stated that the servants would not be paid until the conditions of the will were met and Káloyankt presented himself to the local Priest with his new wife and paperwork proving she was a Christian married in a Christian Church. The will did not stipulate that the wife had to be a True Believer; just that she had to be Christian. Káloyankt knew that he was obligated to go home and take care of his family's servants. He understood his Path in Life and his duty to those who depended on him. He proposed to the Priest's daughter and she accepted. The entire town turned out for the wedding and the city council provided an armed escort to make sure the bride and groom made it safely to their new home in Sevérckt nad Gorádki. As she watched the entourage depart, Danka wondered about the very suspicious timing of the death of Káloyankt's father and the conditions stipulated in that will. Very interesting that the father would die precisely at the moment the Followers needed Káloyankt to return to Sevérckt nad Gorádki. Very interesting that the will would clearly insist on him having a Christian wife precisely at the moment such a partner was available. Not a True Believer, just a Christian. Babáckt Yaga knew everything there was to know about poisons and quietly entering people's houses. She also was an expert at forging documents. It wasn't hard to figure out what really happened... ---------- Káloyankt spent his remaining time in the Realm of the Living serving the Ancients and the Creator. He took his father's place in the Sevérckt nad Gorádki city council. A few years after he returned home, he used his family's influence to assist the Old Believers when they seized control of the local church from the True Believers. He was kind to his wife, and later to his children and grandchildren. However, during all the years he lived with the Priest's daughter, he could never love her. His heart always longed for Danka. He spent the rest of his life writing mysterious stories, poems, and songs about his lost love of the forest. He published his work under various pen-names, giving the residents of Sevérckt nad Gorádki the impression they were written by different men. The works were infinitely depressing and became favorite reading throughout the northern part of the Duchy. Káloyankt had to keep his writings and his feelings secret from his family, so he never mentioned himself or Danka by name. When fans of the various writings talked about them and speculated about the ideal girl and the author's tragic love for her, they usually referred to her as "the girl in the poems, the one with no name". ---------- Note 01: One of a wife's duties to her husband in traditional Danubian society was shaving. Normally a woman would shave her husband's face once per week and her husband's scalp once every three weeks. If a man lost his wife, he would not shave for 60 days as a symbol of mourning. A man who was not yet married, widowed, in the military, or traveling could be shaved by any available woman, as long as her social status was inferior to his. - Maritza Ortskt-Dukovna - Note 02: In traditional Danubian society, a man of higher social status normally took a woman of lower social status from behind. The lower-class woman presented herself to her partner in the customary submissive position before sexual intercourse. As mentioned in the main narrative, she placed her hands on a table or other surface such as a fence and bent over to display her backside. According to protocol, once she assumed the position, she could not speak or move her hands until given permission. It was understood that when a woman presented herself in such a way, her lover was free to do with her as he saw fit; to include vaginal intercourse, anal intercourse, or punishment. The submissive posture was not commonly used by women having sex with a social equal, which would have made Danka's behavior under those circumstances unusual among the Followers. - Maritza Ortskt-Dukovna - Note 03: The Christians living just north of the border were hostile to the Danubians because Sebérnekt Ris was run by Old Believers who were heavily influenced by the Followers of the Ancients. The Old Believers were increasingly turning away from Christianity and adapting pre-Christian beliefs, something that foreign Christians looked upon with horror. The True Believers in Danubia were the most "Christian" of the three religious sects in the Duchy at the time. They accepted widely held beliefs concerning the divinity of the Son of Man and the virgin birth. Mary and other Christian Saints were venerated as Ancients, but even among the True Believers the Virgin Mary did not have the same importance that she had for Christians living outside the Duchy. Only men could officially be priests among the True Believers. Unmarried women could become nuns, which in practice allowed them to serve as Priestesses. The practice contrasted with the Old Believers, who insisted on having an equal number of Priests and Priestesses, all of whom had to be married to other Clergy members to be ordained. - Maritza Ortskt-Dukovna - Note 04: Death by arrows was the only accepted form of execution in the Duchy at that time, and it was considered a point of honor for a group of guards to kill their prisoner with the first volley. The attitude of Danubian culture towards killing a prisoner was to do it as quickly as possible and avoid being overly gruesome about it. The Danubian method of killing criminals to minimize suffering and gore contrasted with most of Europe throughout the Middle Ages and the period of the Enlightenment. It is interesting to note the method of execution changed only once during the Duchy's history. In 1790 the Grand Duke ordered that five muskets would be used to kill prisoners instead of five longbows. The Girl with No Name Ch. 09 Firing squads of police officers using modern rifles remain in use today. In recent decades the number of executions in Danubia has ranged from 6 to 9 per year. Offenses warranting capitol punishment include un-provoked murder, sexual assault on a child, treason resulting in damage to Danubia's national security, an overt act of war against Danubia, and being the leader of a criminal organization that has committed acts of violence. All executions are now carried out in the courtyard of the Central Police Station in the nation's capitol. Danubia is the only member country of the European Community in which criminals are still executed, because leaving the nation's judicial system intact was one of the Parliament's conditions for joining the EU. There is no system for imprisonment and it is unlikely Danubian culture would ever accept the practice of jailing criminals. The only way criminals can be punished in Danubia is by judicial collaring or death. - Maritza Ortskt-Dukovna - The Girl with No Name Ch. 10 Chapter Ten – The Messenger Danka felt very restless and ill-at-ease after Káloyankt departed Dagurúckt-Tók with his new wife. It was strange to consider how different the girl's life would be from that of Danka...almost completely opposite. Her parents were keen on marrying her off as soon as her hair was braided, and her very first suitor became her husband. She would never find out what falling in love with more than one man would be like, nor would she ever experience the traveling, hardships, and various adventures that had been Danka's Path in Life over the past two years. She would never be humiliated or have to run away from anything. The only hardship she'd ever have to endure would be childbirth, which was a hardship common to all women. Danka wondered if Káloyankt might become bored with his wife, but she knew him well enough to understand that if he was bored with her, he'd keep those emotions hidden. The other Followers did not know that Danka had set up her lover's new relationship precisely to get rid of him. Initially most of her companions thought it was Káloyankt who had left Danka, to take advantage of replacing her with a girl who was much closer to his social class. By the standards of Danubian society such a move would have made sense for a young man in Káloyankt's situation. Danka figured it would be best to let people believe whatever they wanted to believe. If anyone asked her about her lover, she simply responded: "What happened was between me and him. It was the will of the Creator that forced us to separate. If you must know, consult with the Ancients, and perhaps you will receive your answer." Her attitude was misinterpreted by her companions and the townsfolk as typical peasant's stoicism. Ermin vaguely hoped that now, with his rival out of the way, he might convince Danka to become more committed to him. She did consider him as her primary lover, but she had no intention of limiting with whom she would have sex. She made herself available to the town's most important men, starting with Káloyankt's father. Since she had introduced his daughter to her future husband, the Priest allowed Danka to use a secret hidden outdoor courtyard to rinse off after finishing her operations for the day. Danka knew the Priest was probably watching her, but she didn't mind because the courtyard was secluded and a nice quiet spot to gather her thoughts. Now that Káloyankt was gone, she wanted to see if the Clergyman was indeed watching her, and if so, would it be possible to seduce him. She spent longer periods of time in the courtyard, alternating between bathing and sunning herself while reading. She read in languid seductive positions, spreading her legs and casually running her hand over her thighs or massaging her vulva. She paid attention to the Priest whenever she talked to him, noticing he was increasingly nervous. She casually commented: "It's really nice in the courtyard in the afternoon, Priest. I wish to thank you for letting me use it. It seems such a pity you couldn't enjoy it as well." The next day Danka passed through the church instead of entering the courtyard from the back. She gave the Priest a seductive smile and proceeded to her bath. Overcome with desire, he looked around to make sure no one was watching at that moment, and then followed her. She entered the courtyard, leaving the door ajar and quickly undressed. She knew the Priest was watching. She approached a stone bench and placed her hands on it, with her bottom facing the door and her audience. The Priest had gone too far to back away. The young Follower knew he had been watching her. She knew he wanted her. The man's desire took over and he entered the courtyard, shutting the door behind him. She looked over her shoulder to give him a seductive smile. He placed his hand on her bottom, massaged her backside for a moment, and pulled off his robe and hat. Already he was hard. He fondled the girl's labia and touched her clitoris. She was wet and ready. He entered her and thrust, letting out a series of strange-sounding grunts. Danka had a hard time suppressing a laugh. She spent the night making love to Ermin, but her mind was on what she would do with the Priest the following day. Now that she had succeeded in seducing the Clergyman, her next step was to take away the illusion that he was in charge of what was happening. She figured that he'd come into the courtyard as soon as she had her dress off and that it would not be necessary to assume the submissive position. She was right about that. The moment she was naked, there he was. She did not give him a chance to take off his robe, but instead hugged him and lifted it off. His hat fell to the ground and rolled across the tiles. She hugged him and caressed his hardening penis. Holding and controlling him by his erection, she guided him to the stone bench and pushed him onto his back. She massaged his chest to keep him from trying to get up. Then she mounted him and positioned herself so he'd enter her. Again he made those weird grunting noises, but Danka was too caught up in her own fantasies to notice or care. I'm in control. This man is doing what I want, copulating in the way I have chosen. This is what Lilith did...and this is my Path in Life. I will become Lilith...I will seduce the self-righteous and strip them of their illusion of piety. ---------- Danka never bathed in the courtyard again. She was done with the Priest and was ready to move on to her next target, a town councilman. He was followed by the director of the local builder's guild, two other councilmen, and the town's largest land-owner. Danka's pattern was always the same. She initially seduced her target by finding an excuse to take off her dress and assume the submissive position. During the second love-making session she silently insisted, through caresses and positioning her lover onto his back, on being on top. She became hungry for more lovers, more experiences, and finding the most powerful men. All men are weak. It doesn't matter how pious or important they might be, they're all weak. They can't resist the vagina. I will control them...I will have power... Ermin was aware of Danka's actions, but he failed to do anything about the situation. He was involved in his own extra affair, with the widow of a local landowner. Just like Danka, he had illusions of greatness through sex. He was hoping to assume control of the woman's estate, from which he would create a safe-haven for Cult members in the heart of the Western Valley. He let Danka have her adventures, figuring there would be no harm in allowing her to have some fun. ---------- During the final week of August, Danka was working on the leader of the town council, the most important man in Dagurúckt-Tók and the oldest man she had ever tried to seduce. She entered his study and flattered him into thinking that she considered him attractive. In his case she did not even bother with letting him first take her in the submissive position. He was too old to achieve a spontaneous erection, so she laid him on his back and massaged his penis until he finally managed to get hard. She mounted him and placed her hands on his chest. He smiled and grunted. She felt his penis weakly pumping into her vagina. Then her world went black, and a pair of cruel yellow eyes took over her vision. The Destroyer laughed...and faded away. The old man suddenly jerked, let out a gurgling gasp, and went limp. His arms fell to his sides and his eyes stared blankly into space. Danka felt her heart jump into her throat when she realized her lover was not breathing. She pushed his chest and tried forcing air into his mouth. Nothing. She jumped up, realizing the councilman's soul had just separated from his body. Terror welled up inside her. She tried to revive the official several more times, but he remained inert. He was definitely dead. Danka frantically put on her Follower's outfit and dressed the corpse. The body seemed unbelievably heavy as she rolled it around and pulled on the clothes. Sweat poured down the girl's panicky face as she tried to remove all evidence of what had just happened. Danka's mind was blank from terror. She no longer felt like the all-powerful Lilith. She ran outside, holding her head with her hands, trying to think of what to do. Ermin...she'd have to tell Ermin what happened and see if he could think of something. She ran around the town asking for him and finally found out that he was setting the broken arm of a guard who had fallen off a ladder. He handed off the operation to his assistant and followed the girl outside. Danka frantically told Ermin about the official's death. She was so frightened that she did not try to hide any details from him. She knew that she was in deep trouble and that her only hope was to rely on him to come up with a solution. He didn't say anything to admonish her, because that would have to come later. His only response was to tell her they needed to return to the council building and confront the town's leaders with the truth. The town's clergy, guild leaders, and council staff already were gathered outside the city hall. Several assistants angrily pointed at Danka as soon as she was in their sight. They had seen her running from the building just before they found their leader dead. The guards ran up to the Followers with their crossbows drawn, but Ermin calmly held up his hand. "You will listen to me! We are returning, are we not? If we wished to flee as common murderers, would we be here, of all places? Would we not be running away from this city as fast as we could? We are delivering ourselves into your hands. Your elders will listen to us before you release your bolts!" Ermin led Danka into the main council chamber. The city's leaders were sitting at their chairs, minus their senior chief. Danka trembled, partly because she had seduced the majority of the men sitting at that table. Ermin suggested they order the guards out of the room and close the doors. Fortunately the elders acquiesced. Ermin told Danka to explain what happened. With tears in her eyes and a trembling voice she described the heart attack and her efforts to revive the councilman. The experience was unnerving and humiliating, because she had made love to several of her listeners in the exact same manner. None of the councilmen had known that she had seduced any of the others. The looked at each other and realized they all were implicated in Danka's behavior. Ermin broke the silence: "The Senior Councilman's soul did indeed separate from his body because of a heart attack, my Lords. That is the truth; it was a simple heart attack. I deeply regret our failure as doctors, but he was 65 years old, and his time in the Realm of the Living had to end. This girl exhausted her knowledge doing what she could to revive him. When her efforts failed, she ran to advise me so I could determine if anything more could be done for the gentleman. I regret to say that nothing more can be done, that the man's soul separated from his body. I therefore request your permission to remove my subordinate from your city. It is best that we deal with her, which we will." The council sat quietly for a moment. Finally the first member Danka had seduced spoke: "Yes, it is best that you leave, Follower, as soon as you can pack your belongings. Be gone by sunset. Get that dishonored girl out of our sight and don't let her talk to anyone on your way out. You will understand that she is never to return to this city. We don't want you back either. Someone else in your group will take charge. Stay quiet about this and get out." Ermin gave Danka an angry look, because now his own ambitions had been disrupted. He couldn't work on seducing the widow if he wasn't allowed in the town. He saluted the council members and left the chamber. Danka said nothing as she followed him. The Followers loaded and mounted two mules (which they had to purchase) and rode out of Dagurúckt-Tók. They were away from the town and headed north within an hour of leaving the city hall. Danka said nothing, but was terrified as she wondered how the Followers disciplined a member who had brought dishonor to the Cult. Ermin was indeed angry at Danka. He could not fault her for having sex with other men if he was doing exactly the same thing with other women, but her behavior had been totally reckless. The Followers were extremely lucky the scandal had happened in Dagurúckt-Tók, where there was enough goodwill that the entire Cult would not be judged by the actions of a single member. Had the incident happened anywhere else, it was very likely the group, or at least Danka and Ermin, would have ended up tied to posts in the city square with five arrows sticking out of their chests. Ironically, it was also fortunate that Danka had seduced so many of the council members, men who did not want their own humiliating involvement with their guest to get out. The official story was that the city elder had a heart attack and young Follower had been summoned to save him. She failed and the council members were angry at that failure. The locals were skeptical. Now...why would the town council be angry at a doctor who couldn't save an old man who died from natural causes typical of a person that age? Wasn't that unreasonable? The sexual portion of the story came out, mostly as guesses and rumors. Several conflicting versions of the councilman's death at the hands of the young temptress circulated around the town. The young Follower's sexual appetite and abilities were greatly exaggerated, especially when various men who had never met her falsely claimed to have been her lovers. She became the girl-demon of Dagurúckt-Tók, the cruel seductress of the valley. Eventually the tales became totally fanciful and Danka became a semi-supernatural being, in many ways similar to her heroine Lilith. ---------- Ermin and his assistant rode north for three days. He was very worried that two lightly-armed civilians, sitting on a pair of slow-moving pack mules, could be easy targets for brigands. When possible, he and Danka traveled with groups of traders or anyone else who happened to be going in the same direction. The practical concern of traveling delayed anything he wanted to say concerning her behavior in Dagurúckt-Tók. Danka was extremely grateful for the respite, but all too soon the two Followers passed the final village and the wooded mountains loomed ahead. Following custom, as soon as they were out of sight from the open fields, Danka and Ermin stripped off their clothing. They rode a short distance into the trees before stopping to give the mules a chance to drink from a nearby stream. Danka, now naked and feeling very vulnerable, waited for her companion to say something. He glanced at her and commented: "Do you remember our conversation last April, when we talked about the birch grove?" "Yes, I remember that." "I'm sure you'd agree it's time we pay that location a visit, don't you think?" Danka felt a shiver running through her body. So...they would spend the promised afternoon in the grove, but it would not be an afternoon of erotic play. It was obvious Ermin planned to inflict real punishment. She understood, under the circumstances, that she deserved a whipping. She was actually relieved; if Ermin punished her, then it was less likely she'd have to endure punishment from Babáckt Yaga. She suspected chastisement from her Mistress would be infinitely worse than anything Ermin could inflict on her. After a few moments of silence, she desolately looked at her companion. "When you're finished, do you think you can forgive me?" "I'll try, Danka. That's all I can promise right now. I'll try to forgive you. I'm well-aware that harboring anger won't serve either of us." The nearest birch grove was about an hour's ride further into the forest. It was an idyllic clearing, a rare spot where the sun's light and warmth reached through the leaves and illuminated the ground. The Followers would be making camp in that location. It already was mid-day and Ermin knew that by the time he finished, there would be no point in loading up the mules only to have to unload them a couple of hours later. After the animals were unsaddled and the camp was set up, Danka quietly and sadly looked at her mentor, awaiting further instructions. He handed her a small sharp knife. "You'll need to select 10 good rods and prepare them. Cut the pieces about a half-fathom in length, peel off the bark, and leave them in the stream to soak. Make sure there are no sharp points sticking out. That's very important, no sharp points. I don't want to cut you." While Ermin set up a cooking fire, Danka proceeded to the willows. She searched around and found the first four suitable-looking candidates. She followed her companion's instructions by making sure the switches were properly cut on both ends. She peeled off the bark and trimmed the bumps. The implements were not heavy, but she knew the force of the blows would be concentrated along a thin line and the pain would be very sharp. She put the prepared switches in the cold water and looked for the remaining six. As she found and cleaned additional implements, she thought about the saying "pride is greatest before the fall". She was humiliated, not by the fact a man who she cared for felt justified in switching her, but by her belief that she did deserve to be punished. She did not feel that she had done anything immoral, but she jeopardized the Followers' good standing in a friendly town through reckless behavior, which was much worse. As her stomach churned and her bottom tingled in fear, Danka thought about her past. She had not been punished since the day she was arrested, but as an adolescent, she was used to whippings. Both her parents punished her for the slightest infraction, real or imagined. However, they never used switches. The nemesis of her backside had been a heavy leather strap that her father used to haul bundles of firewood. The loud crack of the leather and the screams of the older Síluckt daughter were a familiar sound around the day-laborers' settlement during the years prior to her departure. After cutting the final switch, she pulled the others out of the water and carried them to the campsite. She had wondered what a whipping from birch rods would feel like. Well...she was about to find out. She approached Ermin. Near the edge of the clearing there was a thick log lying on the ground, from the remains of a large tree that had toppled over a few weeks before. Ermin was standing next to the log, indicating that was where he planned to punish his companion. "I'd prefer not to have to tie you. If you can obey my instructions, that would be best for both of us." Danka responded by holding out the switches. Ermin took them and gave each one a test swipe through the air. The girl flinched at the swishing sound. He tossed one switch aside because it was too thick, but was satisfied with the others. He was pleased the girl had not attempted to choose implements that would be too light. All of the rods would hurt when applied to her unprotected body. Ermin took the first switch and tapped Danka's hands. He used the rod to point at the log, indicating he expected the girl to firmly place her hands on the top. With a couple more taps between her legs he motioned that she needed to spread her feet. She stood quietly, trembling slightly, but otherwise was motionless. The elder touched the switch to her base of her bottom and gently rubbed it on her bare skin. He positioned himself, drew back, and delivered a sharp blow to the girl's naked bottom. Danka tensed up and held her breath as the pain mounted, but did her best not to move. Ermin watched as the welt from the first stroke rose and darkened on her skin, to gauge how hard he needed to hit. Satisfied by the first weal, he tapped her bottom and struck hard a second time. Tears welled up in Danka's eyes, but she didn't cry out or try to move. She was stoic and used to suffering, so she was able to stay quiet through blows that would have sent a city girl running and begging for mercy. The Girl with No Name Ch. 10 After the first 10 strokes Ermin tossed aside the first switch because it was beginning to show signs of wear. He massaged the rising welts on his companion's trembling bottom. She was covered with sweat and tears were running down her cheeks, but she had not cried out or made any noise. He went very slowly delivering the next ten blows; striking hard, waiting for the welt to appear, tracing it with his fingertips, positioning himself, and delivering the next stroke. It was clear from Danka's heavy breathing, sweat, tears, and trembling that she was suffering, but she was determined to face her punishment with as much bravery as she could. Ermin was completely aroused by the time he tossed aside the second switch and picked up the third. Danka was the perfect image of submission, with the cruel welts accentuating her very sexy position. He struck hard and slowly through an additional ten blows, before tossing aside the third switch. Danka's bottom was badly marked up from 30 hard strokes, but her thighs and shoulders were still uninjured and ready for additional discipline. However, Ermin couldn't continue. He was too aroused by the sight of the girl in front of him. He ran his hand down her back and fondled her welt-covered bottom. Then he slipped his hand between her legs and explored her sweaty vulva. Danka surprised both him and herself by becoming wet and aroused. She stood up and spent a long time kissing Ermin and holding him tight while he fondled and squeezed her sore backside. He bent her over the log again and ordered her to spread her legs, but it was to enter her, not to continue punishing her. The sex was rough, hard, and painful, but both partners gasped and groaned with an exquisite orgasm. So...that was Danka's punishment for causing such a huge scandal: a mere 30 blows from a birch rod. The remaining switches went unused and Danka's shoulders and thighs were spared. Ermin knew that he was letting the girl off way too easily, but he couldn't help himself. She was just too sexy for him to resist. As he climaxed and pumped semen into her, his resentment exited his body through his penis. The girl had caused all kinds of trouble with her behavior, but he just couldn't stay angry at her. ---------- Ermin and Danka spent the next two days working their way towards Babáckt Yaga's settlement. Danka walked most of the way, not keen on having to sit in a saddle with her entire weight pressing on her welts. Ermin followed, happy to watch his partner's attractive naked body as she walked along the path. During the trip they stopped several times to rest the mules and have sex. Danka carefully observed her mentor and submitted to his desires whenever there was a hint that he would want to make love. She wanted to make sure his anger had passed and that he'd forgive her. Also, they still had to explain to their Mistress why they had to return a few weeks early from their summer assignment. Danka needed Ermin to be as supportive as possible when that moment had to be faced. By the second day it was apparent that Ermin had indeed forgiven Danka. He deeply cared for her, even though their relationship was nowhere close to anything considered "normal", even among the Followers. At their final stop before reaching the settlement, he took her in his arms and held her. He didn't say anything; he just needed to hold her. ---------- When they entered the familiar streambeds in which the Followers had planted so many of their alchemy ingredients, Danka noticed that Ermin seemed very worried. His concerns had nothing to do with the scandal in Dagurúckt-Tók. He could feel that something wasn't right. As they came closer to the settlement, Danka smelled a whiff of smoke. It was not the familiar smell coming from the kitchen's cave-charcoal, but smoke from wood instead. When she shared her observation with her mentor, he responded by digging into his saddlebag and unpacking two sets of brigand disguises. He loaded a crossbow while Danka got dressed. He then took out a wooden box and a sling. He handed the box to Danka and told her to open it, but to be very careful handling the contents. The box contained four hollowed-out goose eggs. Two of the eggs had a yellow stripe painted on their shells and the other two were marked with a red stripe. "When I tell you, you'll need to hand me an egg. I'll let you know which color. Do NOT bump them and keep them upright. When I toss it, put your face to the ground and cover your eyes." They left the mules behind and cautiously made their way towards the settlement. The smell of smoke became stronger. They heard men's voices, mixed with an occasional bang or crash and the whinnying of horses. Ermin motioned for Danka to wait while he crept ahead to see what was going on. Danka spent the longest moments of her life waiting for him to return. When he came back his face was ashen and his eyes wide with terror. However, he was not about to retreat. He slung his crossbow over his back and prepared his sling. He whispered to the girl to follow him and reminded her to be very careful handling the box of eggs. The voices grew louder and the smoke grew thicker as the two Followers approached the settlement. Danka peeked through the bushes and observed three burning roofs, from the sleeping quarters that had been set on fire. There were several corpses on the ground and five more hanging from the large tree that was closest to Babáckt Yaga's study. She also made out a crudely-built cross that appeared to have a body hanging on it, although she couldn't be sure because the cross was facing the other direction. Danka noticed that Ermin was trembling. Doing everything he could to stay calm; he checked his sling and stuck out his free hand. "Yellow egg. Cover your face when I throw. Then get a red one ready. With the red, cover your ears." When Danka handed Ermin the egg, he placed it in his sling and stood up. He swung the sling several times before releasing his projectile towards the camp. Danka put her face down and covered her eyes just in time protect her sight from the brightest flash she had ever seen. Immediately the compound was filled with screaming. As soon as the flash subsided, Danka remembered her instructions to hand over a red-striped egg. Ermin took it, stood up, twirled the sling, and released it. The flash was much less, but there was a tremendous bang that made Danka's ears ring. Ermin shouted: "Yellow egg!" Danka's hands shook as she managed to extract the second yellow egg from the box, nearly dropping it. Again Ermin stood up and swung his sling. A couple of arrows flew in his direction, but he managed to release the egg and duck in time to avoid the flash. "Red egg, then the crossbow satchel!" Ermin released the final egg and threw himself onto the ground. Danka knew she needed to cover her ears against the bang, which seemed to rattle the earth and sent the men and horses in the camp screaming. Ermin took the crossbow bolts and pulled the weapon off his shoulders. He was not a good shot, so he had to get close to the edge of the camp to aim at a target. He picked a man who seemed to still be able to fight and aimed at him. He missed the man's chest, but managed to hit his thigh. The assailants were still alive, but after two blinding flashes and two explosions they were in no condition to fight effectively. Danka was so scared that she had pissed herself, but she knew that she could not keep hiding while Ermin struggled with his crossbow. She noticed that two nearby men were screaming with their eyes covered and that one of them had dropped his sword. She ran out of the bushes, grabbed the weapon, and clumsily hacked at their necks. Ermin managed to get off another shot and nailed a man in the stomach. Danka saw three blinded horses crazily running towards her and barely had time to get out of their way. The panicked animals charged into the woods with a series of tremendous crashes as they ran into trees and bushes they couldn't see. Words could not describe the chaos in the settlement at that moment. Half of the buildings were on fire, the blinded assailants and their horses were staggering around, and dozens of escaped farm animals were running in every direction. Danka saw Ermin frantically trying to reload his weapon. She held out her sword to him and screamed: "Forget the crossbow, use this!" Ermin took the sword and proceeded to attack three assailants who had started to recover from the explosions. Danka grabbed another sword and frantically hacked at two more men who were crawling around on the ground. The fight was over within minutes. Ermin and Danka ran around the compound together and hacked eight more men to death. They looked up at the corpses in the trees, all of them Cult elders. The corpses of a few more Followers were on the ground. Then their attention turned towards the cross. The person tied to it was Babáckt Yaga. She was still somewhat alive, but her hands had darkened from lack of circulation and her shoulders were horribly extended. Ermin and Danka knew they were still in extreme danger. Undoubtedly the only reason they had re-taken the settlement with relatively little effort was because the majority of the camp's assailants were scouring the woods looking for more Cult members. Still, there was no way they could leave their leader hanging on a cross while they made their escape. With great care and effort they managed to untie her hands and take her down. They took her into the wrecked kitchen, where Ermin managed to administer some opium to lessen her pain. It was clear she would not survive, but Ermin hoped that she might be able to tell him what happened and who was responsible for the attack before her soul separated from her body. When she had recovered enough to realize she no longer was hanging on the cross, she opened her eyes and tried to figure out who was with her. "Pain...such pain...release..." "Alchemist. We are here, Ermin and Danka. Do you understand? Ermin and Danka. We took you down. They crucified you." "Yes...crucified...like Son of Man...ironic...ha..." "Who did this? What happened?" "Don't know...find out..." Ermin was about to ask something else, but Babáckt Yaga gasped and struggled to speak. "Instructions...my study...hidden...third board left of window...hollow...take them...go...get out...escape..." Babáckt Yaga tried to speak some more, but it was obvious she had spent what little energy she had issuing her final statement. Ermin ordered Danka to run to the lab and find out what was in those instructions. She climbed into the room, for the first time going up there alone. The place was completely ransacked with everything broken and lying on the floor. The collection of books, representing centuries of hard, careful research, lay torn apart and discarded. The barrels and jars of alchemy ingredients had been broken open and the room smelled toxic. Danka used a metal spoon to pry at the boards to the left of the window. One of them opened up, and a set of folded letters fell out. Danka was just about to leave when she noticed her bucket lying under a pile of discarded linen. Next to the bucket were her other belongings: the letter from Tuko Orsktackt, the forged Church letter, the silver coin and dagger he had given her, and most important of all, the counterfeit penance collar. After tearing up the study so badly, how was it possible those idiots could have missed an item as valuable as that collar? There was another precious item remaining in the room, worth far more than even a counterfeit penance collar. Tossed under a broken chair, but still intact, were two jars of mysterious blue powder. Danka suspected the assailants must have assumed their contents was paint or dye and thus not worth taking at the moment. She replaced the lids and put the jars in her bucket. The other valuable ingredients, such as the imported ephedrine and opium, were missing and the jars containing them smashed. Danka looked around the study, knowing it was the last time she or anyone else from the Cult would have a chance to see it. She pushed some torn books out of the way and saw a brass portrait holder. There were two small portraits inside, of a young man and a young woman that had been painted in the style of the previous century. She assumed the woman must have been her Mistress at a younger age. She wondered about the man. Well, she'd have time to pursue that mystery later. She dropped the portraits into her bucket and continued looking around. There was nothing else of value in the room that had not either been destroyed or looted. She climbed down the ladder and ran back to the kitchen. Ermin was calmly sitting next to Babáckt Yaga's corpse. While Danka was absent he had given the alchemist a final strong dose of opium to allow her soul to separate from her body in peace. When Danka handed over Babáckt Yaga's letters, Ermin briefly glanced through them. He thought over what to do next. After a few seconds, he glanced at Danka's bucket, remembering it was the same bucket she had been carrying when he had first seen her at the beginning of the previous summer. The bucket reminded him of the girl's fake penance collar. "Did you find your Church collar, by any chance?" "Yes." "Then you need to return to the mules, put it on, and go back down the mountain. I need you to take these letters to Alchemist Fítoreckt. You need to leave immediately. May the Ancients bless and protect you." "But...what about you?" "My Path in Life is to remain here and exact our Mistress's vengeance on our assailants. These men were not here alone. I suspect there are others, and they're coming back as we speak because of the noise we just made. I'll destroy the settlement when they return. Those are my final instructions from our Mistress. So you need to go." "I'm not leaving you." "Yes, you are. Alchemist Fítoreckt needs to know what happened here. You are the only one who can carry that message. You can't do anything for Alchemist Babáckt Yaga, or for me. But you can safeguard the future of the Followers. Only you can save the others. So you have to go. Those are your orders." Danka hesistated. Ermin raised his hand in the Followers' benediction salute. "In the name of the Ancients, I am ordering you to go to Alchemist Fítoreckt. You are sworn to obey. Now go!" Danka took a deep breath and reluctantly returned his salute. Ermin had given her the strongest and most direct order an elder could give to a Follower. She had taken the oath, so she had to ignore her desire to stay with Ermin and die by his side. Already he had turned away from her and had broken into a hollowed-out a section of the kitchen's wall. He was connecting some pieces of stiff string that had been soaked in a special flammable wax. He ran outside to the alchemist's study, opened a hollowed out section of a supporting tree trunk, and fiddled with more pieces of string. Danka took a final look at Babáckt Yaga's agonized face and contorted body. She grabbed her bucket and ran out of the settlement. She ran through the woods with new resolve. She had to avenge her companions, but to avenge them she had to survive long enough to complete the journey to Sebérnekt Ris. She owed it to the others to live, because sacrificing her life would accomplish nothing. She understood that Ermin did want to save her, but he was much more interested in making sure the surviving Cult members knew what had happened to Babáckt Yaga's settlement so they could protect themselves and avenge their dead. Danka jumped along the stones and ducked under logs as she made her way back towards the mules. She knew the area extremely well and was experienced at moving quickly through the forest. When she got to the animals, she needed to make a decision. She had to continue moving as fast as possible, but realized she couldn't if she was riding one mule and trying to lead the other. She pulled Ermin's belongings off his animal. She discarded his saddle but kept the saddlebag. She untied the spare mule and tossed aside the bridle and reins. She could only hope the animal would wander off and perhaps serve as a distraction. She remembered Ermin's order about the collar. She also remembered that her clothing was covered in blood and her trousers were soaked with urine. It would never do to have anyone see her in an outfit splattered by blood and reeking of piss. She pulled off her soiled clothes and threw them next to the abandoned saddle. For the first time in more than a year she put on her Church collar and assumed the disguise of a naked penitent. She covered her bucket, tied it to her saddle, and led the remaining mule down the hill. The Ancients blessed her by making the animal cooperative. Danka had been moving downhill for a half an hour when she heard a series of explosions coming from the direction of Babáckt Yaga's settlement. The mule was unnerved by the noise, but fortunately did not panic or buck. Danka suddenly felt very sick. It was obvious that Ermin's Path in Life had just ended and the settlement, which had been the center of her world for the past 15 months, had become nothing more than piles of burnt wreckage. She calmed the mule and kept going. She needed to continue moving through the rugged terrain as quickly and inconspicuously as possible. She was frustrated by having to lead an animal that was slowing her down, but she knew the mule was necessary to transport her items and would greatly assist her as soon as she got to a decent road. Danka only stopped when it became too dark to continue. She knew better than to start a campfire; she still was too close to the Follower's settlement and anyone who might have survived Ermin's explosions. Instead, she lit an oil lamp to have just enough light to reorganize the saddlebags. She disassembled the skull staffs and secured the skulls inside her luggage. She also had to hide her Follower's dress and Ermin's robe. She knew it would be better to discard Ermin's items altogether, but was not sure whether such a precaution was allowed. She spent as much time as possible on her packing, because she knew that as soon as she closed her eyes, the Destroyer would be paying her a visit with the usual visions and taunting. The memories of that horrid day would torment her dreams for years. She would remember the suspended corpses of people who had educated her and with whom she had lived. There were the memories of Babáckt Yaga hanging on the cross and her deformed body when she was taken down. There were the faces and gaping wounds of the men she had killed. Yes, that was another detail to torment Danka's soul: she had killed or participated in the killing of a dozen men. Not only had she seen death; she had inflicted it. She hadn't much time to think about killing while it was going on: she was too scared and the situation was too chaotic for her to have any moral reservations about swinging her sword. Well, now she did have time to think about it. "I'm alone," Danka muttered to herself: "Alone with myself. I hate being alone." "Why?" Danka looked up. An owl, that owl, had settled onto a branch overlooking the clearing. She stood up. "Why?" The ground grabbed Danka's feet and the large yellow eyes emerged from the sitting owl, filling her vision and blocking out everything else. "Why? Why, Danka Síluckt? Why are you such a hypocrite and a liar?" "I don't understand. Thanks to you, I'm now a murderer, but why are you calling me a hypocrite and a liar?" "Stop pretending you don't understand. First you tell me to be gone, that you want to be left alone. Then...sitting by yourself with your little oil lamp, you tell the world that you hate being alone. So, which is it? Do you want companionship, or do you not want companionship?" The Girl with No Name Ch. 10 "I...I do, but from the Realm of the Living." "Oh really? From the Realm of the Living? I can send you companions from the Realm of the Living, if you so desire." "No. I don't want anything from you." "So what I say about you is true, isn't it? You are a liar and a hypocrite. You cry about being alone...but then you reject companionship." "Why would I want anything from you? What kind of companions would you send? The ones who killed my Mistress? Why would I want that? Why? Why? Why?" Danka had become angry from the taunting. "Why don't you just end my Path in Life, if that's what you're planning to do? Why wait? Why? Why? Why?" Danka realized she was shouting into the dark. The owl had vanished and the ground had released her feet. She was exhausted and actually managed to sleep for a couple of hours before daylight returned and she was able to continue her journey. ---------- She descended along the same path that she had followed with Ervin just a couple of days before. She even passed the birch grove where he had switched her. It was strange to think the scandal on their minds at that moment was totally irrelevant now. However, seeing the birch grove was a relief, because it meant that she only had an hour of traveling ahead of her before she emerged onto an open farm road and could mount her mule. The pace of her trip picked up as soon as she emerged into the cleared area of the western valley. She avoided Nagorónkti-Serífkti, not wanting anyone to know what had happened to Babáckt Yaga before she had the chance to deliver the news to Fítoreckt. She received numerous curious stares, because a person performing Public Penance normally did not ride animals. Several people even asked her what she was doing. She responded that she had been tasked with delivering the mule to its owner in Sebérnekt Ris and was riding the animal to hasten her journey. Whenever she passed a member of the Danubian Clergy she had to dismount and kneel, something she had to force herself to remember to do, given that the Danubian Church had not had any claim of authority over her for the past 15 months. Danka rode the entire day and only stopped after dark. She stayed at a village church, where she rested and stabled her mule. The animal needed a break and a decent meal of hay. Danka slept in a room with a couple of other penitents. She spent the next day traveling non-stop and, for the sake of the mule, had to spend the night at another church. She hated having to disguise herself: she would have preferred traveling openly as a Follower. However, pretending to be a Church penitent had its advantages. She had free food and lodging along with the protection granted by her collar. Also, she enjoyed journeying openly in the nude, with the warm late summer sun shining on her body and the breezes caressing her bare skin. She arrived at her destination in Sebérnekt Ris mid-afternoon, after three days of traveling. Just outside the town she remembered to duck behind a barn, take off the penance collar, and put on her Follower's dress. She re-assembled her skull staff and led her mule through the city gate and into the university compound. When she found Alchemist Fítoreckt, he was clearly distressed, but did not seem surprised by the news. "So...this is it. This is the year the Old World vanishes. Your Mistress was correct about that." "Alchemist? She was correct about what?" "I'll explain later. Go to the head seamstress, turn in your Follower's gown and tell her to give you a normal dress. You will hand over your staff and Ermin's items as well. Get cleaned up and find yourself a bed-chamber in the student dormitory. After you've done all that, report to the library and speak with the senior transcriber. I want you to describe, in as much detail as you can remember, exactly what happened at Babáckt Yaga's settlement. I need description: who you saw, where the bodies were positioned, the outfits of your assailants, what everyone looked like, and what happened moment by moment from the time you entered until the time you left. He's trained to extract memories and details, so he'll be asking you questions." While Danka was getting cleaned up, Fítoreckt called his messengers. They were to travel to all of the sites where Followers were working to warn them to avoid going in the direction of the forest settlement. Instead, as soon as they could tactfully break away from their assignments, they were to disguise themselves and travel to Sebérnekt Ris. ---------- Danka spent the late afternoon reliving those awful minutes in the settlement as she described in minute detail everything she had witnessed, done, or experienced. When the transcriber was satisfied there was nothing more he could extract from her disjointed memories, he dismissed her and told her to return to Fítoreckt's study. She was surprised to see him dressed in a civilian's tunic. He told her to close the door and to take a seat. Instead of asking her how she was doing or trying to exchange any pleasantries, he got to the point. "You remember the details of our conversation in the spring, correct?" "Yes, Alchemist." "I wanted to make sure you understood the reality the Followers were facing and the impending demise of the remnants of the Old World. I told you what I believed you needed to know at the time, but there is an important detail I chose not to share with you. I felt it would have done you no good to burden you with that knowledge, even though it was knowledge concerning your Path in Life." Danka wasn't sure how to respond, so she waited for Fítoreckt to continue. "During my time in the Realm of the Living, I have known a single person who was able to predict the future. Knowing the future is a curse I would not wish on any soul, that I can assure you. Your Mistress was the one cursed that ability. When she made a prediction, she never made a mistake. Of course, she was sparing with what she shared, even with me. She understood that knowing the future is something not to be desired by anyone. Anyhow, she told me some things about you; predictions that turned out to be completely accurate." "...of things that have already happened, Alchemist?" "Yes. For many years she had suspected that she was the final guardian of the remnants of the Old World. She also knew that a single person would bear witness to both her death and the destruction of the realm she represented. From the moment she first saw you, she knew the Ancients had designated you to be that person. In your face she saw her own death. So, over the past year, she and I have been preparing for the end. What happened in your Mistress's settlement came as no surprise to me at all." "But...the men...who were they?" "Mercenaries...hired by the Priest of Nagorónkti-Serífkti. He's a True Believer, you know..." "...but I thought he always treated us well." "Yes...he did. A perfect ruse, wasn't it? He found out everything he needed to know about us and our habits and, when the moment came, he sent his people to destroy the settlement." "But...why?" "Hubris. He wants to become the Arch Bishop of the True Believers. If he can extend his control into the forest and seize control of our holy sites and destroy them, think of what that would do for his reputation...not just among the True Believers, but for the Roman Church. I understand he's been in contact with them. He fancies himself as the Christian leader of the entire Duchy, and as such, feels that it is his Path in Life to annihilate the Cult of the Ancients. He plotted this for many years." "So what do we do?" "First, we safeguard our people. The True Believers are planning to move against any Follower they can lay their hands on, but we are popular in most places and they'd have to capture or kill us in secret. That gives us a few days. Also, Ermin (and you) complicated their plans by killing so many of their mercenaries. Those men will take a few weeks to replace. Meanwhile, we send out our messengers, disguise our members, and bring them to Sebérnekt Ris. We will assume new identities and go back out, but not as Followers. So, the Cult of the Ancients won't survive, but its people will." "After 5000 years? You're giving up after 5000 years?" "It is our Path in Life. It's what the Ancients desire. The Old World is no more: it died with Babáckt Yaga, its final guardian. But no, we are not giving up. We will exact revenge on our worldly opponents and we will safeguard the Duchy's future. We can only accomplish that by first safeguarding ourselves, starting with you." Fítoreckt handed Danka several documents. One was a forged identity certificate from the Senior Priest in Starívktaki Móskt confirming that she had braided her hair with the blessing of the Danubian Church under the name Jadránka. Another paper, which she'd have to take to the local cathedral for a signature and a stamp, would confirm her enrollment in the local university under that name. "I am very pleased to have you with us, Student Jadránka. Go ask the Priest for his blessing, then report to the professors to receive your class assignments." Danka dumbly looked at the papers, then at Fítoreckt. "Do you have a question, Student Jadránka?" "I...I guess not, Director Fítoreckt." "Then run along and finish your registration. You've already missed a week of classes and you have some catching up to do. I always thought the people of Starívktaki Móskt had a reputation for punctuality. You're setting a poor example for your city by showing up a week late. Under normal circumstances I'd not let you finish enrolling, but I understand you encountered problems during your journey here, so I will make an exception for you." "I...thank you, Director Fítoreckt." "Now, run along. Obtain the signature and report to your professors. I don't have the patience of Job." Danka reluctantly left her dean's study and made her way to the cathedral. She no longer was Danka the Follower of the Ancients. In an instant she had become a totally new person, Jadránka the university student from Starívktaki Móskt. ---------- The Cult of the Ancients mysteriously vanished from the Realm of the Living during the first week of September, 1752. Throughout the Duchy, Followers quietly left their assignments and were never heard from again. By the middle of the month, the familiar black uniforms and skull staffs that identified the Duchy's leading medical practitioners had completely vanished. In most places where they had worked, the Followers left very little evidence they ever existed at all. The fate of the Cult of the Ancients became a favorite enigma of Danubian society and lore. The Followers always lived in mystery and, after 5000 years, they vanished in mystery. "So...what happened to the Followers of the Ancients?" "Well, what happens to a breath of air, after the words which it carried have been spoken?" The Girl with No Name Ch. 11 Chapter Eleven – Lilith the Avenger Jadranka, formerly known to the world as Danka, presented herself to her professors. She recognized two of the instructors from the Followers' celebrations she had attended earlier in the year. However, there was no special interaction with them. The Cult of the Ancients had dissolved, its members had cut themselves off from their pasts, and to the committee she was just an ordinary student. She spoke to a panel of academics to demonstrate which educational topics she had mastered and which ones she would need to pursue over the next year. After admonishing her for arriving a week late, the university staff grilled her about her education so far. Although not a word about her former life was mentioned at the hearing, the professors were well-aware that Jadranka had been a protégé of the dean's associate, the Cult leader Babáckt Yaga. Therefore she would have a foundation in field medicine, chemistry, botany, classical readings, and Danubian history. It turned out she also knew archaic Danubian and had a working knowledge of German and Slavic. After having been forced to stand for several hours, an exhausted Jadranka finally received her curricula for the next year. She would be placed in the advanced course for chemistry and medicine preparation, the advanced course for archaic Danubian, the intermediate course for algebra, the intermediate course for German, the intermediate course for field surgery, and the beginners' course in chronicles and report writing. Jadranka also would be enrolled in the beginners' course for a topic referred to as "land studies", which covered topography, soil and rock identification, weather studies, astronomy, map-preparation, and rudimentary structural engineering. Europeans were only beginning to understand hard sciences such as geology during the 1700s, but in the Duchy the study of the earth was enthusiastically embraced by a culture which was trying to unlock the mysteries the Creator had left in the Realm of the Living. The professors handed the new student a list of books she would have to retrieve from the library the following morning. She also received a list of study supplies that included parchment, ink, quills, a lamp and oil, and measurement instruments. Dean Fítoreckt showed up when the meeting was about to conclude. He escorted Jadranka to the bed-chamber she had selected and told her to move her things to an upperclassman's quarters. Jadranka was stunned when she saw the new room and realized it was assigned to her. It had a bed with curtains, a wardrobe, a study desk, a bookshelf, a private wash basin, and a private chamber-pot. The floor had a rug and the walls had tapestries. However, the detail that made the room truly luxurious was a glass window. Jadranka touched the glass. She had never slept in a room that was graced by a glass window. She remembered her bucket and the items she had taken from Babáckt Yaga's study. She handed the portrait and the two jars longevity potion to her dean. He opened the picture holder and stared at the portraits. His eyes became watery and he struggled to keep his voice under control. "Babáckt Yaga was correct about you. It truly was your Path in Life to bear witness to the demise of the Old World. It is a blessing...truly a blessing...that you rescued these paintings." "Who's the man in the portrait, if I may ask, Dean?" "My uncle. From a long time ago...hard to believe it's been so many years. He married her, according to the Old World traditions. And years later, I left my family and followed him into the Cult." "What happened to him?" "Knowledge brings despair, Jadranka. It brought despair to him, just like it brought despair to me and will bring despair to you. And yet, you must pursue knowledge, just like I did...just like my uncle did. It is your Path in Life." Jadranka knew better than to pursue the topic. Dean Fítoreckt changed the subject. "You proved to the professors that you qualify as an upper classman, not a beginning student. They made that determination, not me. So, like any other upper-level student, you have the privilege of this room." ---------- Less than a week after she saw her Mistress, her lover, and the forest settlement for the last time; Student Jadranka started classes. There was no settling in. The day after she arrived she picked up her books, carried them to her room, and joined the other students in the lecture halls. The university's routine was structured to allow the students to focus on their education and nothing else. The school had professional cooks to prepare meals and collared penitents to clean the linens, heat bath water, sweep out the rooms, and clean the chamber pots. The schedule was grueling: Jadranka's first class started at 7:00 in the morning and her last class ended at 8:00 in the evening. Between classes she read, wrote reports, and memorized course material. She struggled to keep up with the deluge of new information being pushed at her, but she was satisfied knowing the professors took her seriously. As long as she could keep up with the classes, no one questioned her background or her rough peasant accent. Jadranka's manner of speaking during her time at the university was unique among the students. She still had the accent of a peasant, but her vocabulary matched that of any leading intellectual. It was strange for her listeners to hear complicated words and concepts being spoken with such rough pronunciation. The student did consider trying to work on her speech, but she was so overwhelmed with other subjects that she did not believe softening her accent was a priority. To counteract their sedentary lifestyle, every day the university forced the students to engage in physical exercising. In the mid afternoon of each day they had to run a full circle around the outer walls of the city, regardless of weather conditions. Apart from special leather running slippers, the students performed their laps completely naked, in full view of the city guards and anyone else who cared to step outside the city gates to watch. Failing to attend a run without medical justification was a serious offense at the school, punishable by wearing a collar for a week for the first offense, 25 strokes of the switch for the second offense, and expulsion from the university for the third offense. The students received military training from the Royal guardsmen stationed at the nearby defensive fortifications as part of their education and as a responsibility for being residents in a town close to the border. On Saturdays they had to perform drills that involved manning the city walls, running over rooftops in the event they needed to avoid enemies in the streets, using flags and hand signals, and carrying injured patients. In addition to the Saturday drills, weapons-training was given three days each week. Sebérnekt Ris was perilously close to hostile territory so, if the place were ever invaded, it would be important that everyone knew how to fight in a war, women included. The citizens of the city took it for granted that if they were ever invaded, it would be best to fight to the death. The Danubians understood, from the stories of the invasions in the early 1500's, it was likely any prisoners would be tortured and any captured women would be raped before being killed. Along with the basics of operating a crossbow, a longbow, and a musket, Jadranka also learned the basics of using a dagger and a sword. The sword training was the only part of her new life that she truly hated, because every time she picked up a sword she had to endure flashbacks of those terrible last minutes in Babáckt Yaga's settlement and traumatic memories of clumsily hacking men to death. However, she always forced herself to pick up the weapon when it was her turn to practice. Whatever trouble she might have had with nightmares or memories, she'd have to keep those thoughts to herself and pursue her duties. Post-traumatic stress disorder was still unknown at the time. Discipline at the university was strict for almost every aspect of life, not just military training and exercising. A student could not miss a class, cheat or lie under any circumstances, drink alcohol, fight, leave the city without a document signed by the dean, or disobey a professor, city guard, or Clergy member. Failing tests and not completing assignments was considered an act of disobedience against a professor and thus a punishable offense. The school maintained a punishment bench where offenders were switched. Most of the offenders were young men who were first-year students, and the most common offense was leaving the campus without permission. Whenever a student was punished, the faculty posted a message in the morning to notify the other students about the event. Switchings were always administered at noon. 15 minutes before the punishment, the student had to undress and stand on the punishment bench with his hands behind his head while the audience gathered. At noon the offender bent over the bench with his bottom facing the spectators. The strokes were always administered a minute apart, which was timed with a small hourglass. The university women, especially the upper-level students, watched the punishments for entertainment if they didn't have any pressing duties at the moment. They did not openly taunt the offenders, but they quietly discussed the whippings and compared the young men's bodies and how bravely they endured their chastisements. Jadranka was fascinated by seeing young men her age being forced to endure punishment, and then stand facing the women with their naked bodies and teary faces. Very rarely did she miss the opportunity to witness a switching. There was one activity that was not restricted among the students: sex. The students were free to engage in relationships and visit each other's bedchambers, as long as their sexual encounters did not interfere with their studies. The alchemist's shop maintained a steady supply of birth-control paste, so there was little risk of pregnancy among the women. The staff looked upon sex among their students as a legitimate form of stress-relief, certainly better than drinking or gambling. Jadranka was one of the most sexually active women at the school. Her fantasies about being Lilith returned full-force within days of her enrollment. Very quickly she forgot about the scandal that her behavior had caused in Dagurúckt-Tók. She made love to anyone whose Path in Life crossed with hers, as long as the man was willing to lie on his back and allow her to copulate by straddling him. She made love to professors, senior students, and first-year students alike, only insisting that her partners assume a position that allowed her to fancy herself as Lilith. She especially enjoyed having sex with young students who had just been punished. Disciplined men usually remained humiliated and submissive when she approached them, which was precisely what she wanted. She loved making them stand with their legs spread and hands on a wall while she caressed the welts on their bottoms and slowly teased their penises until they were erect. Then she'd make them lie on their backs and wait, making them desperate before finally straddling them. Jadranka never invited any of her lovers into her bed-chamber. That room was her space, a place where she could be alone with her studies, her body, and her thoughts. Also, she wanted to control how long she spent with her lovers and did not want to deal with having to coax a man out of her room once she was finished with him. So...she always went to her lover's bed chamber if he was a student; or to his study if he was a professor. ---------- Jadranka was careful to avoid any mention of the Cult of the Ancients whenever she was around the dean. However, she suspected that Fítoreckt had a final matter to settle before the Followers completely vanished into the void; avenging the death of Babáckt Yaga and the elders in the forest. She also wondered what would happen to places such as the Altar of Blood Nourishment and the Temple of the Solstice. She could hardly imagine those locations simply being left abandoned to be looted by fortune-hunters. The student received her first hint that the Cult of the Ancients was not completely forgotten at the end of her first week at the university. When she returned from her first afternoon of military drills, a package was sitting on her desk. When she opened it, she took out a small jar of blue powder and other ingredients needed to make the special tea. She had turned over all of the mixture taken from Babáckt Yaga's study without giving any thought about keeping any for herself. Fítoreckt had secretly thanked her by returning a portion of the potion. She calculated there were enough doses in the jar to last about 20 years. ---------- The Equinox came and went without any fanfare. The True Believers were watching to see if the Cult of the Ancients was planning any special events. They were deeply disappointed when the day passed without any Followers showing themselves in public. That seemed very strange. Perhaps there were far fewer Followers than originally estimated, or perhaps more died in the forest than was evident from the dismembered bodies that had been recovered from the witch's burned-out settlement. Through his network of informants, Fítoreckt monitored the True Believers. He noted they seemed much more relaxed after the Equinox had passed. The during the second week of October, the Priest of Nagorónkti-Serífkti felt confident enough to organize a group to go into the mountains and locate the Altar of Blood Nourishment. It would be destroyed and a cross built in its place, the first step in a plan to eliminate all vestiges of paganism and eventually claim the entire Duchy for the True Believers. Fítoreckt knew that he had to act before the True Believers had a chance to locate the Altar. During the month following the raid on Babáckt Yaga's settlement, the surviving leader of the Cult of the Ancients had not been sitting quietly: he had been gathering information on his nemesis to retaliate. His most important informant in Nagorónkti-Serífkti was a laundress whose duties included washing the linens in the Priest's house. Although the Priest was not married and did not have a partner, the woman frequently had to wash semen out of both the bed sheets and the man's nightshirt. The True Believer Priest was very worried about the linens and had paid the servant in silver not to say anything about them. Another informant who cleaned the town's church provided another useful piece of information; that each day the laundress had to clean bed linens, the Priest was in the chapel frantically praying to the Christian saints to protect him against the evil female demon that was causing him to sin. Fítoreckt figured out what was going on: the Priest was having wet dreams and was terrified that Lilith was paying him visits. Fítoreckt reflected about Lilith. He remembered the fascination that Babáckt Yaga's protégé had with her. The girl's obsession with Lilith was still a central part of her character, confirmed by gossip Fítoreckt was hearing about the way she insisted on making love. The dean put on his Follower's robe and sat at his desk to contemplate the final task the Ancients had given him as the Cult leader and the clues they had given him to accomplish his duty. Interesting how the Ancients have asked me to avenge Babáckt Yaga. I must do so through Lilith...and in my university I have a Lilith. That girl will fulfill her Path in Life. Through her, the Ancients will avenge the murder of our Mistress of the Forest. ---------- Jadranka received a note from the dean to visit his office at midnight. She wondered what was going on, but figured the summons was related to her sexual activity. Either she was about to admonished for her behavior, or the dean wanted to make love to her. It would be interesting to see which it was. When she arrived and knocked, no one answered. She worked up the courage to open the door. An ancient oil lamp was lit, emitting a red flame. In the dim light Jadranka could see a Follower's skull staff and a folded black dress sitting on Dean Fítoreckt's desk. There was a note on top of the dress. You will serve the Ancients. Put on your dress and light your staff. When your staff is lit, I will come to you and speak. Jadranka did as she was instructed. She changed into her Followers' dress and lit the lamp in her skull. Fítoreckt emerged from the darkness. Jadranka was both scared and happy to see him wearing his Follower's robe. So...the Followers weren't completely gone after-all. Jadranka saluted him, held out her staff in the manner she had been taught by her Mistress, and knelt. It felt good to be a Follower again. "The hour has arrived for us to avenge your Mistress. You will play the most important role in our act of vengeance. Is that your wish, Follower Danka Síluckt?" "Yes, Alchemist Fítoreckt. That is my wish. I place myself at the command of the Ancients and I will do as you instruct." Fítoreckt handed Danka a trader's dress to wear as a traveling disguise. They left Sebérnekt Ris with a dozen other former Cult members, riding horses in the direction of Nagorónkti-Serífkti. The rode quickly, so fast that Danka had trouble staying on her horse given that she was not an experienced rider. The group traveled the same route she had followed two months earlier when she was riding her mule, but they were traveling much faster. When they approached the path that led into the forest, the other Followers veered to the north, but Fítoreckt and Danka continued in the direction of Nagorónkti-Serífkti. The two Followers arrived mid-morning at a small farm house just outside the town. The structure was humble on the outside, but much larger on the inside. The place had a huge multi-chambered basement containing a dormitory, storage rooms, and a study. Fítoreckt ordered Danka to rest and recover from her jarring ride. Shortly before sunset Fítoreckt showed Danka maps of the town and drawings of the layout of the Priest's house and its interior. Danka and her mentor joined a couple of other disguised Cult members and entered the town after dark. They scouted the area around the local church and the Priest's house to memorize access routes, practice their escape plan, and make sure the items they needed for their ruse were properly stored and well hidden. The trip included a trial run into their target's house. The Priest's two dogs, which had been drugged, peacefully slept while a terrified Danka snuck into the man's sleeping chamber and silently crawled up to his bed. She carefully memorized the locations of all the objects in the room and crawled up to the window, which would be her escape route. The Priest slept fitfully as she moved about. Finally she returned to door and slowly backed down the stairs, careful to avoid creaking boards. Danka spent the next day practicing her lines and moving about wearing nothing but a pair of shoes shaped like bird's feet and a large pair of fake wings. At sunset she unbraided her hair, combed it out, and hid the back of her head under a shawl. She had long fantasized about being Lilith. Now, to avenge the death of her Mistress, she would play that role in real life. Danka dressed in her traders' disguise to enter the town, but would change into her Lilith outfit upon arriving near the Priest's house. As she emerged outside, four mounted men rode up to the farm house carrying cloth sacks. The sacks contained human heads, taken from members of the expedition of True Believers who had been sent into the mountains to find the Altar of Blood Nourishment. It seemed there were a lot of heads, at least 30. Fítoreckt was extremely pleased. Even if they accomplished nothing more that night, already their vengeance against the True Believers had gone extremely well. The Girl with No Name Ch. 11 When she arrived near the Priest's house, Danka was greeted by four followers dressed in tightly fitting black clothing with their faces and hands painted black. They took her trader's outfit and handed her the wings and bird feet shoes. Danka's naked body trembled in the chilly autumn air, but she forced herself to stay silent. She pulled off her headscarf, trying to ignore the fact that three men and a woman were seeing her with her hair undone. It was a gross indecency, but one that was necessary for Fítoreckt's plan. The three men snuck in first, lugging heavy sacks full of human heads. A few minutes later they re-emerged, their sacks now empty. Danka went in next, following the woman. One of the men followed her, holding her wings to prevent them from brushing against any objects in the house and making noise. Danka and the man waited silently while the woman carefully uncovered the Priest and pulled up his nightshirt. She gently and patiently masturbated him, managing to make him hard without waking him up. He was still asleep when he climaxed and the smell of semen filled the room. Danka marveled at what her companion had managed to accomplish. The orgasm was Danka's signal to sneak up to the bed and straddle the Priest. The woman quickly lit two green oil lamps, giving Danka a completely surreal appearance. "Lilith" placed her hand close to the Priest's chest and grabbed his wet penis. He woke up with a start and a terrified grunt. The "demon" placed her hand on his chest and pushed him down, while her two companions reached up from under the bed and immobilized his arms. The Priest started to scream, but Danka put her hand over his mouth. "You must be silent, my love. Do not be afraid. I am here for you. I am your beloved, and the owner of your soul. So do not fear..." Danka uncovered the Priest's mouth and brought her face close to his. He was so terrified that he lost control of his bladder. Danka felt the hot piss flowing against her thigh. She was totally disgusted, but relieved that Fítoreckt's ruse seemed to be working so well. She continued. "You have served me very well, my love. You have done everything I could have wanted. I have had many men, but you truly are the good servant. You have killed and betrayed for Satan without remorse...you have brought the darkness into your city. We could not have asked for more." Danka caressed the Priest's hair and kissed his terrified face. With a wild look in her eyes, she stared at him in silence. He was violently shaking from mortal fear. "And, best of all, every night, just for me...you were my loyal lover. You truly are special. I appreciate that you loved me and none other. I am grateful...so the moment has come for me to show my face." Danka stood up, allowing the green lamps to illuminate her entire body. Her wings swayed back and forth. "I now leave you, my love. But remember who you belong to. Remember, your soul is now sheltered in my womanhood, and there it will remain...forever. The next time I see you, we will travel to the underworld...together...and in the eternal darkness I will love you...FOREVER!!!" Danka jumped off the bed. The window flew open. She hopped onto the windowsill, spread her arms, and fell forward. Outside, two black-clad Followers were waiting to catch her. The men pulled off her wings and the trio vanished into a narrow alleyway. In a well-rehearsed movement, they dressed Danka in a two-piece set of clothing normally worn by lower-class boys and quickly tied her hair. She hid her head under a peasant's hat and the three set out running along the back allies of the town. Danka could hear maniacal screaming coming from the direction of the Priest's house. As soon as "Lilith" flew out the window, Danka's two bedroom companions extinguished the oil lamps, grabbed them, and silently scurried down the stairs and out the Priest's front door. They ducked into a neighboring house, changed clothes, and ran out the back door. They met up with Danka and her escorts near the city armory. Fítoreckt was waiting to lead the group to safety. A city guard opened a supply door as the Followers approached. They jumped into the armory's basement and followed a hidden passageway that lead out of the town. A drainage gate, normally bolted shut, was open to allow their final escape. A city worker pulled aside the grate. "Everyone's here?" "Correct. No one else is coming." "Praise be to the Ancients. May the Old World protect you in your journey." "Thank you. May the Ancients bestow their gratitude upon you. We won't forget what you've done for us." The worker knelt, took Fítoreckt's hand, and placed his forehead against the leader's fingers. The alchemist gave the worker a quick blessing and the group ran through a wheat field. As they fled, the town's church bells started ringing and they could hear shouting. Meanwhile, the worker bolted the grid back in place and tossed some branches to cover it. ---------- The town of Nagorónkti-Serífkti woke up to the crazed screams and curses of their Senior Priest. It was obvious to everyone that his soul was possessed by Beelzebub the Destroyer. He was shouting incoherently about the Roman Satan and having sex with a female demon. The guards tried to calm him down, but when he saw several young women in the crowd, he screamed: "Women! Satan sent the young women to destroy the world! Kill them! Kill the evil harlots! Kill all the women! Must destroy them all! Burn the witches!" The Priest threw himself at his dumbfounded female spectators, but the guards firmly held him and immobilized his hands. He viciously struggled, foam forming in his mouth. The townsfolk didn't know what to make of the bizarre spectacle, but they certainly weren't about to kill all of the city's women. Finally the chief councilman decided to enter the Priest's house. A moment later he came back out, with an ashen face and his eyes wide with horror. Inside the house was an altar to Beelzebub the Destroyer and two barrels full of human heads. They were from the town citizens the Priest had convinced to go into the mountains and destroy the Pagan sites. It wasn't hard to figure out what happened. The Priest must have been in the service of Beelzebub the Destroyer all along, and he lured the town's best Christian men into the mountains so his could murder them and use their heads for satanic rituals. When Beelzebub the Destroyer took possession of his soul, the Priest went mad. Not hard to figure out. The councilman decided to confirm the Priest's service to Beelzebub the Destroyer, by having him interrogated by relatives of men who had participated in the altar expedition. Sure enough, with the right amount of "encouragement", he confessed. The townsfolk were so infuriated they burned him at the stake, the first time anyone in the Duchy had been executed in such a manner since 1499. After failing to control the enraged mob and the town's leaders, the other Clergy members working at the Church in Nagorónkti-Serífkti fled in terror. For two months there were no Clergymen at all in Nagorónkti-Serífkti. When the Grand Duke was informed about the situation in Nagorónkti-Serífkti, he asked the Senior Prophet of the Great Temple in Danúbikt Móskt to send people to replace the disgraced Priests from the True Believers' church. The new Clergy members were Priests and Priestesses from the Old Believers' faction. That was fine with everyone in the town. After what they had been through, no one in Nagorónkti-Serífkti wanted anything to do with the True Believers or their patrons from the Church in Rome. ---------- Alchemist Fítoreckt wanted to believe that the Followers' revenge against the men who had killed Babáckt Yaga was a sign that the Cult of the Ancients could return and reassert itself as part of the Duchy's society. However, the answer he received was firmly "no". The Old World was gone and it was not coming back...ever. The Ancients had granted the Followers their final wish, to avenge the death of Babáckt Yaga and the settlement elders. Following that moment of revenge, there would be nothing else. The Ancients were determined to no longer speak through the Cult. Alchemist Fítoreckt knew why; he had even explained the facts to Jadranka, when she was still known to the world as the Follower Danka. Time moved forward, never backward. So...it was up to Alchemist Fítoreckt, the last leader of the Cult of the Ancients, to close it down permanently. The Altar of Blood Nourishment was indeed destroyed, but by the Followers themselves, not their enemies the True Believers. The Cult members took apart the structure stone by stone and took all of the pieces underground. They were careful not to damage any of the stones or bricks and numbered them so the site could be rebuilt, should the Realm of the Living ever want the Followers to return to the practices of the Old World. However, as the Cult members sadly took down their holy site, they knew they were dismantling the last vestiges of the Old World itself. The Altar and the beliefs it represented would be reduced to nothing more than a stack of stones and building materials buried underground. The Followers handed over their skull staffs and Cult clothing. The personal items would be stored underground along with the stones from the Altar; in the unlikely event they could ever be reused. The Followers, standing outside in the bitter cold wearing ordinary winter clothing, sadly watched as Alchemist Fítoreckt rigged the explosion that would cause the entrance of the passageway to collapse. The chambers would remain intact, at least for a while, but the entrance would be destroyed, buried, and planted over. Once vegetation grew over the site, no fortune hunter would ever find it. ---------- Danka, now having returned to her new life as Student Jadranka, immersed herself in her studies throughout the rest of the autumn and the entire winter. She impressed all of the university's professors with her ability to remember detailed information and to grasp new concepts. She also impressed the university with her willingness to help others. She mentored new students and tutored classmates who were having difficulty with course material. Helping others helped Jadranka develop her own abilities to explain complicated subject matter, which in turn was of tremendous usefulness when she had to take exams and recite her knowledge of class material. Student Jadranka spent part of her spare time during the winter transcribing Babáckt Yaga's unpublished research and editing texts for printing. Apart from the dean, Student Jadranka had known Babáckt Yaga better than anyone else at the university, so she knew how her Mistress would have wanted to phrase and express the contents of her notes. The work was important, but also very painful for the transciber. It seemed that Babáckt Yaga was speaking for a final time from the grave. When the transcriptions were finished, she'd have nothing more to say. As the snow fell and the cold mountain wind whipped around the university, Jadranka often sat by her window, contemplating the bitter weather outside. She was extremely grateful her mind was being given the opportunity to develop and be challenged with new information, but she sorely missed life in Babáckt Yaga's settlement. She missed the late-night sessions with her mentor...she missed the chores and the rough medical training...and she missed her lover Káloyankt. She had known from the beginning that she could never stay with him, but she still deeply cared for him and missed him. There had been an emotional bond with him that she had not been able to find with anyone else. She spent the winter making love to many men, but she couldn't feel attached to any of them. She wasn't sure why, but by the beginning of March, sex was starting to bore her. After months of being as active as possible, it seemed that every love-making session was like every other love-making session. Worse, it seemed that the male students were indistinguishable from each other. The professors were somewhat more interesting, but none of the older men saw her as an intellectual equal. She wanted to talk, but there was no one to talk to. Fortunately, Student Jadranka's academic performance did not reflect her increasingly restless state of mind. As the winter months passed and the days lengthened, she continued to perform extremely well in her classes. She finished editing Babáckt Yaga's final journals and wondered what to do next. Dean Fítoreckt, anticipating a possible crisis over the sudden lack of extra work, decided to send Jadranka into the city as a member of a team of university doctors and medical students. The group also visited the fortifications on the border and attended the needs of the Royal Guards and the cannon crews. The student took special interest in the cannons and how they operated, and in hearing stories about how King Vladik was able to retake the area after the second invasion from the Holy Roman Empire. The men talked confidently about their defenses, but seemed worried about the military situation on the other side of the Duchy, south of Danúbikt Móskt. In mid-March, Jadranka even had the opportunity to cross the border. A foreign landlord, smart enough to not trust the medical practitioners in his own country, had contracted the university in Sebérnekt Ris to send doctors to attend his wife while she had a baby. The landlord sent his own escort to bring in the Danubians, so they traveled safely. While on the man's estate, the Danubians attended other medical issues of family members and servants, including vaccinations, a couple of operations, and disinfecting bedrooms. The trip to the foreign manor was considerably more pleasant than the previous year's trading expedition, but when she returned to Sebérnekt Ris, Jadranka and the others realized they had brought back lice. ---------- On the first day of April, 1753, Jadranka abruptly stopped having sex with her classmates. She had long been bored with her lifestyle and her memories of Káloyankt and Ermin made her realize that she'd never find a partner if she continued making herself available to every man who came her way. What she had been doing might be acceptable for a Follower, but the Cult's Path in Life no longer was available to her. The Cult of the Ancients was gone and Jadranka understood she had to find a new identity. With no serious relationship and no group with whom she could say she belonged, she did not have an assigned place in her country's society. She felt adrift, every bit as much as she had felt adrift during those first days of traveling between Rika Héckt-nemát and Starívktaki Móskt. Her only consolation was that as long as she remained a student, the problem of not having an identity was not as serious as it would be if she were still wandering the country roads. Jadranka was not only bored with sex. She became bored with the entire university and its monotonous routine of classes, studying, military practice, and daily runs. She knew that her performance would be satisfactory through the end of the academic year in June, but she pondered whether or not she really wanted to return for the 1753-1754 school year. Ironically, the visits to the fortifications and the foreign manor made her less satisfied with her academic life by reminding her of the world that existed beyond her bed-chamber, the library, and the lecture halls. Jadranka's problem was feeling unable to talk to anyone about her feelings. She fully understood that she needed to be grateful to Dean Fítoreckt for setting her up with free enrollment and residency in a very nice room. For a young person from a dishonored and impoverished background, her situation was ideal. But she was increasingly restless and dissatisfied. Why? Her thoughts returned to her heroine Lilith and the power she held over the righteous. Power...that was one thing Jadranka did not have. As a woman in Danubian society, she never would have any power, assuming she wanted to lead a "respectable" life and marry a man capable of taking care of her. She had been right about Káloyankt: at first glance he had been perfect for her, but she could not have tolerated living the restricted life of an upper-class wife, even if she could have ingratiated herself into his neighbors' society, which was highly doubtful. She had hoped to achieve power through sex. Before scandal overtook her in Dagurúckt-Tók, using sex to control men seemed a promising Path in Life. That belief seemed to be confirmed when she played Lilith during the Cult's final act of vengeance against the Priest who had sought to destroy it. She had tried the same strategy at the university, with no results. She pleased her lovers and for a while pleased herself, but after months of continuous copulating, her standing in the university was exactly what it had been the day she enrolled. So...what did the university offer? Yes, she was developing her intellect, but for what purpose? The best she could hope for upon graduating would be a position as a scribe for a city official or being the doctor of a wealthy family. In either situation she would live out her life as a pampered servant, taking orders from some man or some woman whose social status was higher than hers. Already she was taking orders, constantly standing in front of her professors trying to satisfy them with how much she had learned. The entire routine was irritating her more and more. ---------- Note: Geologists surveying the northern mountains with seismic imaging located a series of caves and tunnels deep under the location believed to be the former site of the Altar of Blood Nourishment. However, after consulting with the Grand Prophets of the Danubian Church, Prime Minister Vladim Dukov prohibited any further exploration and ordered the area to be incorporated into the National Park System. The Danubian Church is now officially responsible for administering the location. The site will never be excavated and will never be made accessible to anyone, even archeologists. The only existing map of the area based on the recent imaging is stored in the vault in the Prime Minister's office. - Maritza Ortskt-Dukovna - The Girl with No Name Ch. 12 Chapter Twelve – The Fruits of Hubris Towards the end of May, Jadranka accompanied her classmates on an expedition into the wild territories to study and identify rock deposits and land formations along the northern mountains. Some of the places she already had seen when she was a Follower. The freedom of the open country beckoned her, reminding her of the previous year when she ran about the woods in the nude. Without thinking about what she was doing, she took off her dress and folded it into her saddlebag. None of her classmates even considered doing such a thing. Instead they stared at her with bewildered expressions, wondering why she would want to act like a penitent or a collared criminal. Jadranka, who had assumed a completely rebellious frame of mind, defiantly responded: "This is what I'm accustomed to and what I believe. I am in the Realm of Nature and therefore my body must be liberated in the sun. I have spent nine months cooped up in an uncomfortable dress and locked away in my bed-chamber. Now I plan to enjoy this realm the Ancients have granted me." Jadranka's statement and desire to rebel against her classmates had just committed her to spending three weeks as the only naked person in a large expedition of well-dressed elitist students. The others felt uncomfortable talking to her, so she spent most of the trip working and making observations by herself. She regretted taking off her clothes without checking to see if any of her classmates would do the same, but she was convinced that to humbly get dressed again and conform to the group would make her look even more foolish than she looked already. She tried to convince herself that she was determined to make a statement to defend the customs of the Followers of the Ancients, especially to the classmates who knew she had been a member of the Cult. Well...let them see the freedom we enjoyed... Whenever she was working alone, away from disapproving glances of her stuffy classmates, Jadranka did enjoy being naked; feeling the sun and mountain breezes on her uncovered body after having spent the last nine months cooped up in university buildings. She satisfied her desire to run in the nude across open fields and jump along the rocks. She loved plunging into cold streams, not having to do anything more than taking off her shoes. She was enjoying being naked outdoors so much that her thoughts returned to her counterfeit penance collar. She'd like to put it on, but she'd have to leave Sebérnekt Ris and go where no one knew her. Leave Sebérnekt Ris. Why not? As long as she had her collar, she could go where she wanted and was assured of having meals and places to sleep from the Danubian Church. The collar carried with it a huge range of restrictions and limited what she could do, but in some ways it would give her much more freedom than she currently had. It would be nice to just wander and explore; not having to worry about schedules, professors' demands, and passing the next exam. Jadranka wondered where she could go. She couldn't go back to any of the towns she had visited over the previous three years, nor did she have any desire to do so. She had been almost everywhere between the Rika Chorna river and the northern mountains, with an important exception. She had not yet seen the nation's capitol, Danúbikt Móskt. That would be perfect. She'd travel there as a collared stranger, rely on the hospitality of the Danubian Church, and see all the wonderful sites that city had to offer. ---------- The trip into the mountains had socially isolated Jadranka and gave her a bad attitude about her classmates. Her soul burned with resentment over having to conform to a multitude of small-minded people whose intellect obviously did not match hers. The more she pondered feeling alienated from the others, the more she was convinced she needed to get away for a while and see something not related to university life. So, she'd put on her penance collar and go traveling. Her original plan was to leave Sebérnekt Ris at the beginning of July and return in the middle of August. She'd explore the capitol and the surrounding areas, satisfy her curiosity, and hopefully, after two months of relative freedom, come back with a better attitude about pursuing second year of classes. Perhaps two months of wandering would have satisfied the craving she had for freedom. Unfortunately, Jadranka's craving for freedom was matched by her desire to wield power and influence over others. As the third anniversary of her departure from Rika Héckt-nemát came and went, she bitterly remembered that day on the pillory and the powerless existence she had endured when living with her family. She still felt powerless in Sebérnekt Ris; constantly following the orders of professors and military instructors. Although her circumstances and living conditions had greatly improved over the past three years, she remained completely unable to control anything going on around her. She knew she was more intelligent than most people in the Duchy, so why should she settle for spending her life taking orders? Shouldn't she lead instead of follow? It was galling to think that, as an elder among the Followers, she could have led, regardless of the fact she was a woman. That option no longer was available. Jadranka walked by the local cathedral and noticed a Priestess administering blessings and leading a group of worshippers dressed in black prayer robes. She hadn't given much thought to the Danubian Church as a possible Path in Life, but she knew Priestesses had as much power over their parishioners as their husbands. She thought about that haughty seminary student Starívktaki Móskt. Undoubtedly, at that very moment her first mentor was enjoying exercising power over her community. Of course...I hadn't really thought about it, but I can join the Danubian Church, become a Priestess, and find my place in society. I will be powerful and reign above others. I'll put on the black dress and no man will dare disobey me. That's where I will find my Path in Life...as a Priestess. Jadranka didn't give much thought to the rigorous instruction that apprentices for the Danubian Clergy had to endure in their seminaries. She was convinced the education she already had obtained would allow her to bypass much of the training the Church ordinarily gave its Apprentices. After-all, she was educated and much smarter than most people, and surly the Prophets would understand that the Creator had sent her to assume a special place among the Clergy. The obsession took over Jadranka's thoughts and filled her soul with hubris. For the first time since thinking that simply owning a nice dress would allow her to ingratiate her way into her hometown's elite society, her ambitions became detached from reality. If she wanted personal freedom, she certainly would not find it in the conformist culture of the Danubian Church. Yes, Priestesses did work alongside their husbands as equals and could command any civilian man, but the only power they exercised was carrying out the orders of the Prophets in Danúbikt Móskt. A large portion of the training Clergy members received in the seminary was to ensure they carried out the will of the Church, and not their own will. Had Jadranka bothered to talk to the Priestess, her illusions about using the Church to wield power would not have survived the conversation. Subconsciously, she was aware of that. She also knew the Priestess would be very angry at the thought of a university student wanting to become an apprentice in the seminary to pursue her own desires and not those of the Creator and Prophets. From the very beginning Jadranka would have to lie to conceal her motives for joining the Clergy. Another illusion that would not have survived a conversation with a Clergy member would have been the timing of her plans. If she had wanted to enter the seminary that year, she would have needed to make the arrangements in April. Already it was July. Jadranka was aware of the schedule, but had convinced herself that her knowledge was so extensive that she could join the 1753 class with no problem. ---------- Jadranka understood, before going anywhere, she needed to talk to Dean Fítoreckt. However, he had become increasingly withdrawn and not very approachable. She already knew that he was very old, but until recently his features had not shown their age. By the summer of 1753, it seemed that most of the life had gone out of him. The cunning and determined man she had known over the past year had faded away, leaving behind a soul that had overstayed its time among the Realm of the Living. Dean Fítoreckt didn't seem to want to do much anymore: he contented himself spending hours standing at the window of the dean's office staring vacantly into the distance. She noticed he always stared east, towards the mountains and the former home of the now-defunct Cult of the Ancients. Perhaps he should have been satisfied with everything he had been able to accomplish: running a respected university, dissolving a doomed religion with a minimal number of deaths, assuring the safety and the continuing relevance of the remaining Followers, avenging Babáckt Yaga and her group of elders, and routing the Cult's enemies from one of their most important strongholds. None of that mattered nearly as much as knowing he was the final leader, the custodian forced to oversee the demise of an institution that had been part of his nation's soul for 5000 years. Now everyone he cared about was dead or in hiding. Only he remained, a forlorn old man (probably the oldest person on the planet) standing alone at his window, staring out at a world where his existence no longer had any purpose. The dean knew his Path in Life had ended, even if his time in the Realm of the Living had not. Like a ghost at daybreak, he was fading in silence. No, thought Jadranka, there's no point in trying to talk to him. That man is already dead. And when he holds up his mirror, what will remain to keep me connected to the university? Who in Sebérnekt Ris can I rely upon to help me find an acceptable Path in Life? I don't belong here. I deserve better than anything this university can offer me. I will join the Clergy, and from there I will fulfill my Path in Life. ---------- During her final weeks in Sebérnekt Ris, the student didn't talk to anyone at the university. She ate alone, during hours the other students were least likely to be in the dining hall. She avoided the library and the bathhouse, so her classmates were not sure if she was even still on campus. She left the campus for several days to wander around the hills overlooking the waterfall and the cliffs that protected the Duchy's northern border. As a true child of nature, she wore no clothing, not even shoes, and filled her stomach with mushrooms and berries. Her path crossed with a squad of Royal Guards patrolling the border. They were bewildered by the site of a naked wild girl in the forest. When the leader asked her what she was doing, she signaled that she would be willing to have sex with him, and with all of the men, if they so desired. She had not had sex with anyone since April, and suddenly the desire hit her full-force. She didn't know the soldiers, so she didn't see any harm in satisfying both herself and them. When darkness fell and the men set up camp, she stayed with them and shared a meal. She slept briefly, but then woke up thinking: what am I doing? I'm not acting like a Follower: I'm acting like a common harlot. I need to stop this. I need to leave Sebérnekt Ris before I go mad. I need to pursue my Path in Life. So, with no words of goodbye to the sleeping soldiers, she left them. She carefully made her way along the trails with nothing more than moonlight to illuminate her route. At sunrise she found her dress and returned to the university. She returned to the bathhouse to clean up and change into a fresh outfit. When she exited, one of her professors confronted her. "Student Jadranka, you were away from the compound for five days. Did you ask anyone for permission to leave, or permission to go up into the hills?" "No, Professor, I did not." "Well, at least you're not dishonoring yourself with a lie. You do understand the consequences of an unauthorized absence from the university." "Yes, Professor." "You are an upperclassman. You need to be setting an example, and instead you go running off, like some boy who's just had his head shaved! Do you have anything to say for yourself?" "No, Professor, I don't." "Very well. You're aware that you'll have to go before a discipline hearing. I'd imagine, since you've so thoroughly disappointed the standards we'd expect from an upperclassman, you'll not receive much leniency. But, before I gather the others, perhaps it would help if you'd tell me why you were in the hills alone. What were you doing there?" "I was fucking soldiers, Professor. I fucked an entire squad of them. That's what I was doing, if you really need to know." The professor was stunned by the young woman's vulgar language and defiant confession. Speaking in such a disrespectful manner would add to her punishment. Not only did her words shock him, but also the fact they were coming from the mouth of an upper-classman who, until that moment, he had considered one of his most promising students. He felt betrayed, considering the effort and time he had invested making sure she could advance through his course material as quickly as possible. "Student Jadranka! Have you gone mad? You're already facing a switching and several months of the collar! What are you trying to do, be expelled from the university?" "My name is Danka, Professor. Danka Síluckt. Student Jadranka is a false name for me. And you won't need to trouble yourself with your stupid discipline hearing and you won't need to expel me from the university. I'm leaving on my own." With that Danka turned away from the professor, which was another act of disrespect. A student never turned away from a faculty member until being formally dismissed. The professor was shocked and infuriated, but there was nothing he could do. The worst thing he could threaten her with was expulsion from the university, but the girl had already decided to expel herself. He said nothing more, but would have to report the incident to Dean Fítoreckt. Danka returned to her room in a very strange and destructive mood. Ordinarily she would have been horrified by what she had just done. However, her frustration with university life and her delusions of importance made her feel completely liberated at the moment. She had taken control! Those professors no longer had any authority over her! She was Danka, not Jadranka, and no longer subject to university restrictions! Her bucket already was packed. She always kept her most important belongings in it, precisely in the event she needed to flee and only had time to grab one item. She thought about what to do about her dress. It belonged to the university, so she'd leave it. She threw it on her bed and put on her boots. Students and professors stared at Danka as she walked out of the university. She was naked except for a pair of peasant's work boots. The only item she carried with her was a battered swill-bucket. She left without saying goodbye to anyone, even Dean Fítoreckt. She walked through the busy streets of Sebérnekt Ris during mid-day. She drew attention, being naked but not wearing a collar. Normally nakedness was a symbol of either shame or humility, but Danka's gait and expression displayed neither. Her attitude seemed to be: yes, I'm naked. I am displaying myself to you, in the manner of the Old World. There is nothing you can do to stop me. Danka continued her trek southwards until she reached a grove of trees concealing a trench that was part of the city's defensive fortifications. Making sure no one was watching at that moment, she went into the trees, put on her penance collar, re-emerged as a penitent, and returned to the road. She had been walking south for an hour when a farmer passed by, driving a wagon loaded with barrels of salted meat for the capitol. He asked the penitent if she would like a ride. She gratefully accepted, and with that the Path in Life she had led in as a university student Sebérnekt Ris came to an end. ---------- By the time Danka left Sebérnekt Ris, almost all the men from the squad of soldiers with whom she had shared the previous night were dead. Only one badly injured Guard remained alive to relate what had happened. The squad woke up to find the strange naked girl of the forest had completely vanished. As they packed up and departed their camp, they chatted about her, wondering who she was and where she could have gone. They had been travelling for an hour when they ran into a patrol of foreign soldiers. The two groups immediately engaged in combat. It was a routine border skirmish, although it had been several years since a foreign patrol had ventured so far south into the Duchy's territory. Two Danubians were killed immediately from the foreigners' musket fire, but the survivors quickly retreated into the trees and deployed their crossbows. The skirmish continued the rest of the morning, as the Danubians crept up to the foreigners, fired their crossbows, and fled, hoping to lure their enemies into ambushes. The foreign commander was familiar with Danubian tactics and prevented his men from sacrificing themselves among the trees. So...the two squads simply continued shooting at each other. Every so often a foreigner fell to a crossbow bolt or a Danubian fell to a musket ball. By noon all of the Danubians were dead or badly wounded and only three foreigners survived. The noise of the musket fire had alerted another squad of Danubians who spent nearly an hour trying to locate the source of the combat noise. They arrived in time to kill the three remaining foreigners, but too late to do anything to help their comrades. The second squad found only one survivor who was not mortally wounded. They took him to Sebérnekt Ris, where the doctors managed to save his life. However, one of his legs had to be amputated. After he recovered, the man requested not to be discharged from the Royal Guards. Since he no longer could walk, was re-assigned as a sentry to one of the cannon batteries. The crippled guard spent many nights looking north into enemy territory and thinking about the strange naked forest girl who had seduced his unit the night before their deaths. He wondered if she was a disguised witch who had brought a curse upon the squad. The story and speculation about the seductress circulated among the Royal Guards. Over the years it became a favorite topic for songs and tall tales to help the cannon crews pass their long, boring hours watching the border. The Girl with No Name Ch. 13 Chapter Thirteen – The Grand Duke's Castle Danka's ride approached the capitol from the north, following the main road along the East Danube River. The road was thick with travelers and trading caravans. Fine farms, nice manor houses, and prosperous villages covered the landscape. The land in Danubia's westernmost province was the best the Grand Duchy had to offer, a rich and pleasant territory compared to the nation's outlying regions. It was wonderful to just sit as a passenger and watch all the new sites, momentarily free of any responsibilities or worries. The traveler was truly excited, because finally her Path in Life would take her to the capitol of the Grand Duchy of Upper Danubia, where she would fulfill her destiny. After two days of riding in the wagon, finally, there it was, Danúbikt Móskt. Long before she got to the city, she could see the Grand Duke's castle, perched high on a hill in the distance. Over the next several hours other landmarks came into view: the steeples of several churches, the large city wall, and the high cliffs and mountains along the western shore of the wide, graceful East Danube River. Danka had been under the impression that everyone in Danúbikt Móskt lived within the city walls, but as she approached the main gate along the northern side, she realized that was not true at all. The inner city was surrounded by an outer city: businesses and residences that had been built over the last hundred years by people who did not want to live in the cramped confines of the older walled-in settlement. Along the outer edges of the suburbs there were huge piles of stones, lumber, and sand. There were several brick factories working continuously and wagon trains were hauling the bricks to strategically placed warehouses surrounding the outer city. The wagon driver explained that the Grand Duke wanted to expand the city wall and enclose the entire outer suburb, and that the stockpiling of stones and bricks was in anticipation of his ambitious project. The wagon driver let out a hiss to signal his disapproval. "I think the Grand Duke's wasting our effort, if you ask me. A new wall isn't going to do us any good. All it takes is some cannon balls and the whole thing comes crashing down." The wagon driver let out disapproving whistle and continued: I've been west of the Duchy. On the other side of those mountains. I've seen plenty of cities that don't even have walls...and the ones that do have them aren't any safer. Stone doesn't defeat gunpowder...not for very long, at any rate." ---------- Danka jumped off the wagon, paid the driver some copper coins, and made her way to the northern gate. As soon as she passed through, she was not impressed with what she saw. Danúbikt Móskt was definitely a disappointment. Danka had expected the houses inside the city to be even nicer than the ones outside, but that was not true at all. The inner city was crowded with aging and moldy wooden buildings, many of which were three or even four stories tall. The upper floors extended over the streets, so in most places a person could only see a thin line of sky between the rows of rooftops. The smell of all that rotting wood along the enclosed streets, combined with thousands of cooking fires and piles of garbage, was impressive. The city did have a few nice buildings. Instead of going directly to the Temple, she decided to first see the Christian cathedral. The cathedral was bigger than any other church Danka had seen so far and its open plaza was a relief from the claustrophobic streets. Danka noted with interest that no buildings were standing next to the church. There had been wooden structures standing there just a few months before, but the Duke had decided to build a park around the cathedral and ordered surrounding buildings to be torn down. The occupants were evicted and had to resettle outside the city walls. Danka's objective, the Great Temple of the Ancients, was only a few blocks west from the cathedral. She decided present herself to the Clergy and talk to the Grand Prophet about entering training for the Priesthood. She figured that she would wear her collar until the got to the Temple, then take it off after leaving the street. She figured that she could hide it in her bucket. Assuming the Priests welcomed her with open arms, she'd simply dispose of the collar, maybe by tossing it into the river. If anything went wrong, or the Senior Priest told her she'd have to wait before beginning her studies, she'd have the option of leaving the Temple and putting the collar back on. She was convinced the Priests would want her as an apprentice as soon as they realized how smart and educated she was, but she did understand that it was possible her studies would not start right away and she might have to keep herself occupied for a few weeks. The Temple was a massive granite structure with a marble facade that pre-dated everything else in Danúbikt Móskt by more than two thousand years. It was a beautiful and solid building, designed to last forever. It was the most impressive thing Danka had ever seen. The cathedral looked like a flimsy stage prop in comparison. For a very long time the visitor stood in the Grand Plaza of the Ancients, staring at her destination with a dumb expression on her face. Yes...this is my Path in Life...this beautiful building...this is my destiny...this is where I belong... The traveler was so distracted that she did not notice the crowd had fallen silent and was stepping to the sides of the plaza. She heard a series of very loud whistles and then the shout: "Doc-doc Danube!" The crowd roared its response and snapped to attention. Realizing she was standing alone, Danka scrambled to run off the plaza and join the crowd. She would have slipped to the back to avoid drawing attention to herself, but there was no time. Everyone saluted. She barely had time to get on her knees before Royal Guards marched into view. Not knowing the capitol's protocol, she knelt forward and placed her face to the ground. The man standing next to her kicked her ankle and angrily whispered: "Up-right, Penitent! What do you think he is, a Priest? He'll want to see your face!" Trembling from the strange situation and her apparent violation of protocol, Danka reluctantly knelt upright. Everyone, including the Royal Guards, had noticed her. Being noticed before safely getting to the Temple was absolutely the last thing she wanted. Four foot-soldiers preceded the nation's ruler, loudly whistling to announce their presence. The Grand Duke followed, along with four Royal Guards and two of his ministers, on horseback. The entourage wore finer clothing than the populace, but the exaggerated get-ups of other European royalty at the time would not have been considered appropriate in Danubia. The only detail that really set the Duke apart from his companions was his tunic, which was embroidered with gold thread instead of blue thread. The Royal entourage rode past the crowd, placing their fists against their chests to return the public's salute. Then the Grand Duke noticed Danka. He rode up to her, signaling one of the guards to follow him. "Tell the girl to stand up." "You heard him, Lass. Stand up so his Majesty can better see you." "Y...yes, Master...as you wish." Danka stood up, her knees badly shaking. She had no idea why the Duke had taken an interest in her. She figured that she must have committed a breach of protocol and worried she was about to be punished. The guard dismounted. "Look at his Majesty. Lift your head. Let him have a good look at your face." Terrified, Danka obeyed, forcing her eyes to meet those of the nation's ruler. Her knees were shaking so badly that she had a hard time staying on her feet. The Grand Duke carefully looked her over, as though he was trying to make a decision. She estimated him to be about 30. It was clear that he spent much of his time exercising, because even under his clothing Danka could tell the Danubian ruler was in excellent physical shape. Apart from that, his appearance was typical of a healthy upper-class Danubian about to enter middle age. He looked intelligent and had the confident expression of a man used to getting his way in life. There also seemed to be a hint of cruelty and arrogance in his face. The guard exchanged glances with the Duke. The ruler nodded and returned to the other horsemen. The Royal entourage continued on its way, minus one of its members. The guard took his horse by the reins and tapped Danka on the arm. "What is your name, girl?" Danka believed that she had to come up with a new identity. She decided to call herself "Silvítya". "Silvítya, Master. I'm Silvítya." "Follow me." Danka, now to be known as Silvítya, was even more terrified. She wondered if the Grand Duke somehow knew she had been a Follower of the Ancients, and if that had anything to do with her detention. Or, perhaps she had unknowingly committed some serious breech of protocol. "Master...please...I...I don't know...what I did...please tell me...what I did to...offend the...the Grand Duke..." "You didn't offend the Grand Duke." "But...I'm not...being arrested?" "Arrested? No. You need to come with me, but it's not because you're being arrested." "But..." "Listen, girl. It is not your Path in Life to ask a bunch of questions. Your Path in Life is to obey your superiors and do what you are told." "Yes, Master." The guard led both his horse and the young woman towards a side entrance of the Temple of the Ancients. "Go in there and tell a Priest to remove your collar. Be quick about it. If he has any questions, you can show him this pendant." The guard took off a large pendant that was mounted on a thick silver necklace and handed it to the terrified young woman. "Go in there, find a Priest to remove your collar, and come back out. Very simple instructions, even for a dumb peasant girl like you. I will have your head if you do anything other than what I've ordered." "Yes, Master." "And take those boots off and stuff them in your bucket. If you're wearing a collar, you have no business wearing boots." "Yes, Master." Silvítya ran into the Temple. It was just as impressive on the inside as it was on the outside, but she had no time to appreciate it. She looked around for a secluded spot where she could take off her collar without anyone seeing her. Her fingers were trembling so badly that she had trouble with the latches. Then she had to stop for a few minutes, because some worshippers in prayer robes decided to stand within sight of her. As soon as they moved, she took a deep breath and again started fiddling with the collar. Finally it came off. She took off one of her boots and pushed the collar as far down as she could. She took off the other boot, shoved both boots into her bucket, and ran out the door. As desperate as she was to run off in the opposite direction, she reluctantly returned to the Royal Guard. Trembling, she began to kneel, but cried out when he gave her a sharp kick. "What are you doing, you idiot?" "Please, Master...I don't..." "I'm a commoner! You don't kneel to me! What are you trying to do, get me dismissed?" "Yes, Master, I...mean no, Master...I..." "And quit calling me 'Master'. I'm not a Lord and I have a name, Alexándrekt Buláshckt. You will call me Protector Buláshckt." "Yes, Protector Buláshckt." The guard held tightly to his horse's reins and ordered Silvítya to mount. Silvítya struggled to climb up, wincing as the sharp edges of the metal stirrups pressed into her unprotected feet. Everyone stared at the bizarre spectacle of a Royal guard leading a horse carrying a completely naked rider. Silvítya wanted nothing more than to hide. Instead, once again she was the center of attention. Protector Buláshckt led his horse and his mortified passenger across the entire city. By unhappy coincidence the Temple of the Ancients was on north side of Danúbikt Móskt, and the castle was on the south side. It took more than two hours traveling through crowded streets to complete the trip. The road to the castle zigzagged up a steep hill that overlooked the capitol to the east and the East Danube River to the west. As she rode above the city, Silvítya noted the tightly packed wooden rooftops separated by a labyrinth of narrow streets. The hill was topped by a large castle that had been built in the Fifteenth Century and had changed very little over the ensuing 300 years. It had been the home of Danubia's royalty over that entire time, first to a succession of kings, and then to a succession of dukes. The Royal Family's lineage went back even further than the castle, with the current Grand Duke being a direct descendent of that very ancient family. The Grand Duke was really the nation's King, but no Danubian monarch had officially taken that title since 1531. That was the year that Danubia's most revered leader, King Vladik the Defender, died in battle and his son took the throne. King Vladik's heir was a very unassuming and humble man who preferred to be called a Duke instead of a King, and none of his descendants had the nerve to break that tradition. The guard led his horse and his rider up a final curve in the road and emerged into a large garden. They passed through the greenery and arrived at the castle gate. The castle's inside totally contrasted with its plain windowless exterior. There were large windows, whitewashed walls, and decorated doorways with Greek-style pillars. Balconies ran along the entire second and third stories, and in the center flowerbeds surrounded a large fountain. The contrast between the beauty of the castle's interior and the rotting squalor of Danúbikt Móskt shocked the naked newcomer. Three older women in expensive-looking dresses approached and saluted Protector Buláshckt. Silvítya reluctantly dismounted. Not knowing what else to do, she got on her knees and knelt upright. This time the guard did not object. He picked up her bucket and started to lead his horse to the Royal stable outside. My bucket...please...don't...take my bucket... Protector Buláshckt noticed the desperate look in Silvítya's eyes, silently pleading with him not to take away her belongings. "I'm putting this away. I'll return it to you whenever you leave his Majesty's service." Leave the his Majesty's service? What on earth did that mean? Protector Buláshckt exited the castle with his horse and Silvítya's bucket. She dreaded what might happen the moment he went through her possessions and discovered that she had a fake penance collar stuffed into one of her boots. Silvítya began to tremble as the three castle women studied her. She later would find out the women were senior servants, among the most trusted and highest-paid members of the Duke's staff. "Stand up, girl." Silvítya stood up. "Open your mouth." "Mistress?" Silvítya felt a sharp pain searing across her exposed bottom. She screamed. The woman holding the switch spoke: "Learn your lesson, girl. When we give you a command, your Path in Life is to obey. Your Path in Life is not to question. Now, open your mouth." With tears flowing down her cheeks, Silvítya opened her mouth. One of the women looked inside and ran her fingers along the newcomer's teeth. "She certainly has good teeth. Her mouth is clean." The women proceeded to conduct a physical exam of the exposed newcomer in the garden. Silvítya later learned that she was being subjected to a pre-inspection, to make sure her health was good enough for her to be allowed into the castle. The women looked over her skin, closely examined her hands and feet, and pulled apart the braids of her hair to look for lice. The next part of her induction into the castle was a bath. The three women escorted her to the castle bath house; then totally surprised the newcomer by undressing. They had to bathe the younger woman and did not want to get their own fine clothing wet. The women ordered Silvítya to stand still while they covered her body with soap and scrubbed her skin, paying particular attention to her hands and feet. They put a strong-smelling detergent in her hair and spent a long time massaging her scalp. They rinsed her hair and repeated the shampoo with a much more pleasant-smelling soap. The women then ordered the newcomer to stand with her arms above her head and her legs spread. They explained what was about to happen. They needed to completely clean Silvítya's vulva and make absolutely sure she had no lice. That meant they would have to shampoo her between her legs and run their fingers over her most private area. They had to warn Silvítya because what they were about to do was considered an extreme insult in Danubian culture, but in this particular case there was a specific and practical reason for it. "We're not insulting you, unless you choose to make an issue of it. In that case we'll insult your tender bottom with leather, many times over. Do you understand, newcomer?" "Yes, Mistress." Silvítya closed her eyes and tried to stand still as the older servant rubbed harsh shampoo through her pubic hair. The woman spent a long time roughly massaging her to make sure she was completely clean for her new master. Following the bath, the servants combed her hair and stretched it out on a cloth. They noted that because Silvítya had never cut her hair, the ends were uneven and ragged. They produced a pair of sharp scissors and cut off about a third of the length. Silvítya's hair now came down to her upper back, but it looked neater and would be much easier to comb and maintain. The castle women clipped her fingernails and toenails, and then did something extremely strange to their ward. They ordered her to raise her arms and produced a straight-edged razor. Silvítya stood still while the woman who had hit her with the switch shaved her armpits. Well, that was certainly weird, but it was a quirk of the Grand Duke. He required all of his women to be shaved under their arms, nearly two centuries before the custom became widespread. At that moment Silvítya still did not have a clue why she had been brought to the castle. Her terror subsided into worry and bewilderment as she realized that the fate awaiting her was not punishment or execution. The Royal staff had something else in mind for her. The servants ordered Silvítya to dry off as they got dressed. She wondered if she had been brought to the castle to be a servant, and if so, would there be a servant's dress for her. However, there was no extra dress in sight. The only thing she would be given was a pair of velvet slippers. She also expected the women to braid her hair, but they ordered her out of the room with her hair still loose. Silvítya was famished. Certainly the bath made her feel better, but her mind was on eating. Fortunately the next stop of her induction was a small room with a table containing a bowl of fruit. She devoured the fruit as the women looked at her with disapproving expressions. She still ate like a peasant, which was a flaw that would have to be fixed as soon as possible. "Do you know how to clean your teeth, girl?" "Yes, Mistress." "Then take this salt to that water basin and do it." Finally, after being cleaned up and fed, Silvítya was about to learn why she had been brought to the castle. The servants ordered her to follow them to the Royal chamber. They passed through a banquet hall and entered the Grand Duke's library. The Duke, now dressed in casual clothing, was standing at a table studying a map with one of his generals. The three women and their ward approached an empty chair. The servants motioned the newcomer to kneel before kneeling behind her side-by-side. They knelt upright and were totally motionless as they waited for their ruler to finish his conversation. Silvítya's knees were starting to cramp when the Grand Duke and the general saluted each other and the officer left the room. The Duke took a seat. The Girl with No Name Ch. 13 "Greetings from your servants, Your Majesty. As you can see, the girl has been prepared for presentation. Your servants hope that you find her pleasing, Grand Duke." "Stand up, girl. Stand straight, arms away from your body." Trembling, Silvítya did as she was told. The Duke spent a long time carefully looking her over. "Now turn around. Stand straight, arms in front of you." When Silvítya turned around, the Duke noted the welt crossing the young woman's backside. "The mark...why does she have it?" "The girl was insolent to me, Your Majesty. I had to correct her." "Hmmm... Let us hope that doesn't happen again. Turn around, girl." Blushing, Silvítya did as she was instructed. "You had better never be insolent towards me, or you'll receive far more than a single stroke. Is that understood, girl?" "Yes, Your Majesty." "What is your name, girl?" "Silvítya, Your Majesty." The Grand Duke gave a disapproving look at the three servants. "Have you instructed this girl about the proper way to address me?" "Not yet, Your Majesty." "Enlighten her." The oldest servant stood up and tapped Silvítya with her switch. "Listen, girl. When you address His Majesty, you will always refer to yourself as ' your humble serving girl', because that's what you are. A humble serving girl who lives for the pleasure of our Sovereign. If you need something or have a question, you will kneel properly and say: Your Majesty, your humble serving girl wishes to know' such-and-such. For example, if you need to know what His Majesty wants to drink, you would say: 'Your Majesty, your humble serving girl wishes to know what you would like to drink.' Do you understand, girl?" "Yes, Mistress." "Present yourself to the Grand Duke." Danka knelt with her hands extended in front, her forehead to the ground, and her knees widely spread. Her back was arched, completely exposing her vulva and sphincter. "Your Majesty, your humble serving girl uh... Silvítya...presents...uh...myself...to...AIEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" A cruel blow of the leather marked her tightly stretched backside. The oldest servant snapped... "Idiot! You're not worthy of saying "me" or "I" or "myself" to his Majesty! You are an object of pleasure, nothing more! You're not worthy of claiming your own identity!" Silvítya flinched from yet another cruel stroke of the switch. "Now...address his Majesty properly!" Silvítya received four additional welts on her bottom before she finally managed to say correctly: "Your Majesty, your humble serving girl presents herself to serve you. Your Majesty, your humble serving girl hopes that you find her body pleasing." "Stubborn little minx, aren't you? The kind I most like...the little sluts who put up a fight. That's not a problem...you'll earn the switch, and then you'll conform and obey...of that you can be sure." Silvítya managed to choke out: "Yes, Your Majesty..." "And by the way, your desire is granted. I do find my newest girl pleasing. Very much so. I have very good taste in girls, so you are honored to serve me." The Grand Duke ordered the other servants out of the room. He deliberately left Silvítya waiting, to increase her tension and fear. "Very well, my little pleasure-minx. Get on your elbows and knees on the bed. Let's see what you have for me." Trembling, Silvítya obeyed while the Grand Duke undressed. She winced at the painful welts crossing her bottom. She had been hit seven times so far and was very worried about receiving more blows. Tears ran down her cheeks as she felt her new Master's fingers fondling her pussy and pushing hard into her anus. She tried to avoid flinching. She had not permitted any man since Bagatúrckt to touch or put his finger into her sphincter. The Grand Duke turned out to be a vigorous, over-sexed, and impatient lover. He took Silvítya from behind, rubbing hard against her welts as he thrust hard into her pussy. As soon as he climaxed, he ordered Silvítya to massage his wet, sticky penis. Within a couple of minutes he was hard and ready for his next target, Silvítya's tight sphincter. As the young woman winced and grit her teeth against the unbearable pressure on her insides, the Sovereign muttered: "Oh yes...nice and tight...worth it...totally worth it...." As Silvítya lay on the bed clutching her burning bottom, the Grand Duke ran a bell and called in two other young women. Like Silvítya, they were completely naked, and like her, they did not wear their hair in braids. The Grand Duke ordered the women to lie in a row on their backs. He vigorously entered all three mistresses while ordering them to hold hands. Silvítya was taken aback by the Grand Duke's seemingly endless supply of sexual energy. He copulated as though he were possessed. He had a total of seven orgasms before he finally wore himself out. When he finally tired of using the women, he ordered them to kneel in a row and clean his penis and testicles with their tongues. "You will thank my manhood for offering you the opportunity to serve, my little objects of pleasure. Show how grateful you are that you can fulfill your Paths in Life as pleasure sluts." The other women responded: "Oh yes, Your Majesty...your humble serving girls are so grateful to serve your manhood...Oh thank you, Your Majesty...for letting us be the sluts we were intended to be." When they finished, the Grand Duke ordered yet another young woman to enter his chamber to help him bathe, while telling the other two to clean up their "little sister" and show her to her sleeping chamber. Silvítya quickly washed off and scrubbed her teeth with fine salt, desperate to get the taste of sex out of her mouth and the smell of sex off her body. Without saying a single word, the other two women escorted her to a small, but elegantly-furnished sleeping chamber. As soon as she entered, the heavy door went shut and she heard the sound of a metal bolt securing the latch. With anguish, Silvítya looked at herself in the mirror. The image staring back horrified her. Her hair remained unbraided, her bottom was covered with welts, her pussy and breasts were raw, and her lips were chapped from having the Grand Duke's penis in her mouth. The image staring back at her was that of a concubine, or worse yet, a sex slave. Yes, how many times had she heard that expressed in so many different ways, just during the first day? Minx, humble serving girl, slut, toy, pleasure slut, object of pleasure, little slut... And to think...just one day before Danka had been a free, independent woman. She had taken pride in herself and had huge ambitions. Just one day before... What a difference a single day, a bad decision, and a moment of bad luck can make in one's Path in Life. What a difference... Suddenly Babáckt Yaga appeared in the room, with an angry expression and pointing her finger: "...remember my words...the day you act on your fantasies, your life as you know it will be ruined. Your Path in Life will change, and you will have to begin anew. Remember my words when that happens." As suddenly as Babáckt Yaga appeared, she vanished. Silvítya sat on the bed and held her head, as tears rolled down her cheeks. "My life as I knew it is ruined. I lived in honor, and for an idiotic fantasy I threw it away. Now...I must begin anew...as a pleasure slave...of all things...in the castle of the Grand Duke. What have I done?" Indeed, what had she done? The Girl with No Name Ch. 14 Chapter Fourteen – The "Sisters" Silvítya was startled awake by the sound of the door's bolt sliding, just a few hours after she managed to fall asleep. The door opened and three naked young women presented themselves. Silvítya had not seen them before, but like the women from the previous evening, their hair was not braided. The newcomer stood up, but didn't know what else to do. The women did not react or reprimand her. Each had endured a first night in the castle and had experienced what Silvítya was experiencing. The leader of the group introduced herself as Magdala. She invited Silvítya to accompany her to morning tea, during which she would explain the newcomer's duties and what she could expect from her new life in the Grand Duke's castle. She handed Silvítya a set of velvet slippers, which she would have to wear whenever walking through the hallways of the castle. With that, the four naked young women silently walked to the end of the hallway and entered a small dining room. As she followed the others, she noticed that one of the women had lines of fading welts from switch-marks crossing her bottom, thighs, and shoulders. Silvítya guessed the girl must have been severely punished about a week before. She also noticed the punished concubine had a completely miserable expression on her face and never spoke. She communicated with nods and hand gestures, leading Silvítya to wonder if she was mute. The room had large curtained windows and fancy furniture that Danka later learned had been imported from a foreign country called France. An elderly castle servant had just finished setting up a small table with cups of tea and strange-looking bread-rolls called croissants. As soon as the women were seated, Magdala explained what was going on. "In case you haven't guessed, we're Royal concubines. In this castle His Majesty keeps 10 women for his pleasure. Sometimes it's one more or one less than that, but most of the time there are 10 sisters here. That's how we usually address each other: 'Sister'. You can call me 'Sister Magdala', or just 'Sister', that choice is yours. My understanding is that your name is Sister Silvítya?" "Yes, Sister Magdala." "Very well, Sister Silvítya. As I said, our Paths in Life are to serve the Grand Duke. It is really the duty of every citizen of the Duchy to serve the Grand Duke, but the Creator has called upon us to serve His Majesty in a special way. We are not soldiers, or advisors, or scribes, or Clergy, but we are just as important for His Majesty as anyone else in this castle." Silvítya interjected: "The way the senior women treated me yesterday...didn't make me feel very special." "They treated all of us in a similar manner when we came here. There's a reason why they're so strict with any Sister called upon to be a Royal concubine. Remember, our Path in Life is to serve. That doesn't just mean presenting our bodies for His Majesty's satisfaction when asked. It means conducting ourselves with dignity and humility at all times, to make ourselves pleasing in the eyes of the entire Royal House." "Then...I have another question...if it's about dignity and humility...what about our hair? Why can't we braid hair?" "Those are the wishes of the Grand Duke. He has the power to demand to see what is forbidden for most men. He loves to pass his hands through our hair, to bury his fingers in what is prohibited for anyone else. He does it because he can." The group finished their tea and croissants. As soon as Magdala stood up, the others immediately joined her. "Come along. Let us relieve ourselves and then we will bathe." The toilet-room was the nicest privy Danka had ever seen. There were marble seats built to conceal the chamber-pots and an attendant was responsible for collecting and emptying them. It was the first time Silvítya did not take care of disposing of her own waste. She followed the others into a large communal tub filled with cool water. As she entered, again she noticed the faded bruises on the mute woman's backside. Magdala noticed where the newcomer was looking. She exchanged glances with the punished concubine, who gave a sad nod granting her permission to explain: "His Majesty always has a preferred girl, the one he likes better than any of the others. He makes that choice; we have no say in the matter. Right now I am the Royal favorite. As the favorite, I am the spokeswoman for the concubines and have privileges that no other sister can enjoy at the moment. For example, I can walk unescorted in the Royal garden. If I lose my status as His Majesty's favorite, I will lose the extra privileges, such as access to the outdoor grounds. That's what happened to Sister Desislava. She used to be the Grand Duke's favorite, but on a whim His Majesty took that status away and gave it to me. Sister Desislava had been watching a rose bush that His Majesty planted last year, because it has blooms that are yellow and red on the same flower, and she wanted to see them. After she lost the right to go into the garden, she thought she'd sneak out one last time. She figured the gardeners wouldn't realize she wasn't supposed to be there. Even if they did, they wouldn't have said anything. Sadly, one of the castle matrons was out there and saw her. Even more sadly, Sister Desislava lied about her status, so she received a criminal's switching and had to spend an afternoon on the pillory. We were forced to watch." Sister Magdala exchanged another glance with Desislava and continued: "Sister Desislava's story has some important lessons for you. First, you might think that something as trivial as checking on a rose bush is a ridiculous thing to risk punishment over. For us, it isn't. You will discover that your perspective on things changes after you've spent weeks and months in confinement. Another thing to remember is that most of the castle commoners wouldn't do anything against us, but that's not true for the castle matrons. Their youth and beauty has passed, and every time the see us they are jealous. So, it is best to avoid them." There was a pause while the four women rubbed soap on each other's backs. Sister Magdala handed Silvítya a bar of soap. The newcomer hesitated because, apart from practicing medicine, she had never touched another woman. Sharp glances from her companions warned her to comply. Communal bathing was an important part of the concubines' daily routine and a way they established trust and intimacy with each other. After Silvítya had soaped the backs of the others, Magdala continued: "You must remember, even though we are favored by His Majesty, our punishments are severe for any transgression. Sister Desislava did nothing more than tell a simple lie in a moment of panic, but she will suffer for it as long as she remains in the castle. His Majesty dictated that, because she proved herself untrustworthy, she is prohibited from ever speaking again. She had to take an oath to never use her voice while in his service. If anyone hears any sound from her throat, she will be tied to the execution stake and receive five arrows to the chest. Let that be a lesson for you. Do you understand me, Sister Silvítya?" "Yes, Sister." "Another thing to remember is we try to take care of each other. We are a household, the ten of us. We call each other 'Sister' for a reason. You will never speak poorly of another Sister to His Majesty or to any of the matrons. Never think you have anything to gain by betraying one of us, because the Grand Duke understands that if you can betray one of us, you can just as easily betray him. The matrons will test your loyalty. And when one of us falls, the rest of us gather around her. An example is Sister Desislava. Because she is prohibited from using her voice, I have decided that at no time, and for no reason, is she ever to be left alone. One of us will always accompany her and speak on her behalf." After finishing their bath, Magdala, Desislava, and Silvítya put on their velvet slippers and stood on a balcony that overlooked the interior of the castle. For a few minutes they watched the daily routine of the Royal staff working in the courtyard below. They were interrupted by one of the concubines Silvítya had seen the previous night: "Sister Magdala! The service bell just rang five times!" "Thank you, Sister. Stay here with Sister Desislava. I'll fetch the others. Sister Silvítya, you're coming with me. Better for you to learn your duties sooner than later." The two concubines went back inside and entered a parlor, where six naked young women wearing velvet slippers were waiting. From the group, Magdala selected three companions and dismissed the rest. As the five women shuffled towards the Royal chamber, the favored girl explained that the Grand Duke had rung the bell five times because he wanted five concubines. The group ran up to a castle matron dressed in a white gown and carrying a leather switch. With a smug expression she used the switch to point towards the throne room. The throne room had remained unchanged since 1531, the year King Vladik the Defender was killed, which meant that every item in there was at least 220 years old. The single exception was a large tapestry mounted behind the throne, portraying a crow sitting inside a cage with a white dove sitting on top. The gaudy colors of the new tapestry looked out of place among the drab medieval décor of the rest of the chamber. The Grand Duke was seated on the throne. The only other people present were four Royal Guards. Silvítya recognized one of the men as Protector Alexándrekt Buláshckt, the guard who had brought her to the castle the previous day. Ignoring the guards, the five concubines immediately positioned themselves in front of their master. The current favorite knelt upright in front, while the others knelt in a row, assuming the more submissive posture with their hands extended out front, their foreheads touching the floor, and their knees spread with their backs arched to expose themselves as much as possible. The Grand Duke gave his guards time to look over the young women before dismissing them. Because she was the new girl, she knew the guards were most interested in seeing her. As she felt the cool air blowing against her exposed vulva and sphincter, she could feel four sets of eyes carefully studying her crotch. She remembered that she still had seven welts crossing her backside, a detail that added to her embarrassment. After the guards left, the Grand Duke called Magdala to his throne while the other women waited. She knelt next to him and placed her hands on one of his thighs. She smiled and looked up at him while he absent-mindedly ran his fingers through her hair. "Your Majesty. Your humble serving girl wishes to know if the day has been pleasant for you so far." "Yes, my favorite minx. Very much so. I see that you've brought the new girl. You've instructed her, I trust?" "Yes, Your Majesty. Like all of your humble serving girls, our newest sister is looking forward to making Your Majesty's life pleasant and fulfilling your wishes." "Then you will go to my chamber and wait for me there. To be honest, the morning has been stressful for me." "Yes, Your Majesty. To hear is to obey." Magdala kissed the Master's hand and quickly stood up. With a faint whistle she ordered her companions to stand up and follow her to the Grand Duke's bedroom. She knew him well enough to know what he wanted. She pulled down the covers and ordered Silvítya and another girl to get on their elbows and knees, with their feet hanging over the edge of the mattress. She ordered the other two women to kneel on the floor, facing the bed. She kicked off her slippers and assumed her place on the bed, kneeling between her two companions. As they waited, with their bottoms in the air and their vulvas exposed, Magdala gave Silvítya's hand a quick squeeze to try to comfort her. The Grand Duke entered the room and stood facing the three women on the bed. The women on the floor stood up to undress their sovereign. They removed his clothes item by item and massaged his chest and thighs to arouse him. Not that he really needed to be aroused: by the time they took down his inner trousers, the Duke already had a huge erection. He entered Magdala first, pushing into her as roughly as he could. Magdala moaned and gasped as though she was having an orgasm, but Silvítya could tell she was faking it. As soon as he climaxed, the Duke pulled out and ordered his favorite girl to kneel on the floor. He ran his fingers over Silvítya's welts and fondled her exposed vulva while Magdala licked and sucked him to get another erection. As soon as he was hard, he grabbed Silvítya's thighs and pushed into her. Magdala massaged and caressed his bottom and thighs as he climaxed inside his newest acquisition. He pulled out of Silvítya, but Magdala did not stop licking him and massaging his thighs. Within a few minutes her efforts were rewarded with another erection. He climaxed into the third concubine while Silvítya watched out of the corner of her eye from her kneeling position. As soon as he finished, the Grand Duke dismissed all of the concubines except Magdala, who would have to stay behind to help him bathe and dress to meet with his ministers. ---------- After getting cleaned up from their latest round of sex with their Master, the concubines gathered for their main meal of the day. They had their own dining room and normally ate around 3:00 pm, which was the hour the Grand Duke was least likely to want their services. If any of the women was absent, the others waited until she showed up. The table was set with fine imported china and a bewildering array of silverware. Silvítya looked dumbly at all the fancy objects in front of her. Unfortunately, her learning so far had not included anything about table etiquette. The meal started badly when she slouched in her seat as the others sat upright. Then she picked up her bowl of soup with both hands and drank from it. Instead of cutting her dinner roll, she tore it open and poured the remains of her soup into the hole, then bit off half. When soup dribbled down her chest, the other concubines had stopped eating and stared at the newcomer. Magdala stood up. "Sister Silvítya, you need to leave this table. Get out of this room, now. Go to the kitchen and eat in there." Silvítya looked up, her mouth still filled with an oversized chunk of bread. She noticed the hostile and bewildered stares of her companions. "I mean it. Leave this table immediately. I don't know where you think you are, but I can tell you, we are not an encampment of ditch-diggers." Silvítya sadly stood up. Magdala pointed at the door. "You can return when you learn to eat without dishonoring yourself. Ask the kitchen staff to enlighten you." Silvítya ate alone in the kitchen, with the serving staff instructing her about the proper use of forks and knives. She had to learn how to sit properly, how organize and use silverware, and even how to properly chew her food. She was very clumsy with the utensils at the beginning, finding them difficult to hold onto and manipulate. She became horribly frustrated, but she knew that she had to persevere if she was to be accepted by her peers. She also realized the strange skill of eating etiquette was an important part of upper-class living. If she could master the use of dining utensils, that knowledge would set her apart from her upbringing as a peasant. ---------- After spending her second afternoon in the kitchen struggling in frustration with those horrid utensils, Silvítya returned to her sleeping chamber to pick up her salt and toothbrush. A very unpleasant surprise was waiting for her: an envelope sitting on her nightstand. She wondered who on Earth would write her in the castle, or who would even know where she was. Her hands shook when she noticed the wax seal was imprinted with a university seal. She opened the letter. Sure enough, it was in Dean Fítoreckt's handwriting. She read: When you departed on your journey to the capitol, I had one of my assistants follow, in case there was any hope of extracting you from whatever dilemma you were destined to get yourself into. That was hubris on my part, because I now understand that it was not my Path in Life to rescue you. The Ancients placed you in the one location where I cannot come to your assistance without placing the university at risk. Your Mistress and I both advised you that hubris, thwarting the will of the Ancients, and the pursuit of vulgar worldly desires would lead you to grief. You can never claim we didn't try to warn you. Now your Path in Life has changed and you will suffer the consequences of your decisions. We will move forward with our Paths in Life, both you and I, but from this point our Paths must diverge. You understand that you are dis-enrolled from your studies and no longer have a home to return to in Sebérnekt Ris. That is not to say the Ancients will not call upon you to serve. I firmly believe they will, but the manner in which you serve will be different from what your Mistress and I envisioned. Be patient and continue learning. Perhaps you will find yourself in a position to temper and influence the actions and decisions of our nation's leader. How many of us can make such a claim? Although I will never see you again, I wish you the best. I expect and hope that your new Path in Life will permit you to draw upon the knowledge you acquired with us to serve the people of Danubia. P.S. If you check under your bed, you will see that I sent jars of birth-control paste and some of the tea-mixture your Mistress bequeathed to you. I provided these items out of respect for the memory I have of her, not because I think you deserve them. The letter was a hard blow to Silvítya's hopes but, in a way, receiving it was a relief. She was indeed starting over. There was nothing to connect her to the past two years of her life with the Cult of the Ancients and the university. Her world now consisted of pleasing the Grand Duke and getting along with her "sisters". ---------- Silvítya's first test of loyalty took place when she stepped out of her room to travel to use the privy. Upon exiting the concubines' sleeping chambers, Danka was confronted by two angry-looking castle matrons carrying switches. "What did Magdala tell you about Desislava?" "Sister Desislava, Mistress?" "Yes. His Majesty demands to know what Magdala said about her." "I...I mean...you need to talk to Sister Magdala, Mistress." "Right now I'm not talking to her. I'm talking to you. In the name of His Majesty, you will answer." "Mistress, I don't speak on behalf of the sisters. I can't tell you anything about Sister Desislava. You need to talk to Sister Magdala. She's our spokeswoman, not me." "I'm just asking you if Magdala said anything about her. Judging by your answer, she did. Now, in the name of His Majesty, you will tell us what she said." Silvítya's heart pounded. However, she realized what was happening. The castle matrons had assumed, because her accent was lower-class, that she was an uneducated simpleton and thus easily intimidated. Her vocabulary should have given them a clue their initial impression was erroneous, but they were paying so much attention to her accent that they had ignored her educated words and correct grammar. "Mistress, you really must first speak to Sister Magdala. I can't say anything to you. I can't speak on behalf of anyone except myself." "Then you're coming with us. We'll show you what happens to 'sisters' who are disobedient." "Did you talk to Sister Magdala, Mistress? My understanding is that all of His Majesty's orders are relayed through her, our spokeswoman. I'll come with you, but not until Sister Magdala has passed that command. Please, Mistress...she's right here, in her chamber." The Girl with No Name Ch. 14 The matrons made no move towards Magdala's chamber. Silvítya's suspicions that she was being tested were confirmed. She noted the matrons no longer seemed so confident. "Very well, you're failure to obey a command will be passed to His Majesty. He'll deal with you appropriately." With that, the matrons turned away. Silvítya immediately ran to Magdala's sleeping chamber and woke her up. When she described the confrontation, the other woman replied: "They won't tell His Majesty anything. You did what you were supposed to do, and as you saw for yourself, they did not relay the order to me. There was nothing from His Majesty to relay. I guess they underestimated you. They're normally not so direct." "They try this with everyone?" "Yes, but they're usually more subtle about it. It must have been your accent...making them think it would be easy to turn you into an informant against the rest of us." Silvítya thought about her accent. She had wanted to get rid of it the previous year, precisely because it gave such a bad impression among the educated when she first opened her mouth. However, in a place like the Grand Duke's castle, having the combination of education and a peasant's accent could be a huge asset. The Royal staff and advisors would tend to underestimate her, which would be extremely useful when she needed to gather information. ---------- With his women the Grand Duke was cruel, dominating, and egotistical, but he never assumed he had nothing to learn from them. He was curious about their backgrounds and their lives prior to being taken into the castle. Each of the women under his control had a unique life story and could provide him with perspective about the Duchy's society that he could not obtain through his advisors. As a group they were an important asset, not just for providing pleasure, but as a way to keep his view of his subjects grounded in reality. The concubines provided him with a good sampling of the population from the western half of the Duchy, a way he could obtain unfiltered information about the lives and attitudes of ordinary citizens. When the girls entered his service, most were terrified and eager to please him, which was the way it should be. However, after the concubines became accustomed to their circumstances and understood how they needed to behave, the sovereign encouraged them to converse with him and talk about themselves. His ministers would have wondered why he was interested in listening to trivia about the girls' families and daily routines. While it was true that the majority of the women had little of importance to tell him as individuals, the over-all picture of the Duchy's society they provided was extremely valuable for setting realistic policies that actually addressed the needs of the public. Unlike the castle matrons and most of his advisors, the Grand Duke never underestimated Silvítya. From the beginning he noticed the contrast between her accent and her vocabulary. He correctly assumed that his newest acquisition was born into poverty but had somehow managed to receive some education. He could tell right away she was intelligent and curious. Judging by the way she had been behaving in the plaza when he first noticed her, it seemed that she was unfamiliar with the protocol of the capitol, which meant she came from some other place and was visiting. He also had noticed the smallpox vaccination scar on the girl's shoulder. He could tell the scar was relatively recent: she had been vaccinated as an adult within the last couple of years. At the end of her first week in the castle, the Danubian sovereign ordered Silvítya to go to his bed-chamber alone. Magdala explained: "He does this with all of us. He likes to hear about our lives. He'll ask you things...and will expect you to answer honestly. Please don't try lying to him, about anything. You've seen what happens to a Sister who was caught telling a lie, so don't do it, even if you think if you're telling him something that sounds bad. And...he'll give you some really nice treats if you talk to him enough and tell him something interesting." Silvítya nervously accompanied a matron to the Royal bed-chamber. As usual, the older woman was carrying a leather switch, which she used to direct the concubine with taps to her hips and shoulders. Silvítya bitterly reflected that she was being trained and directed in the same manner as a horse, responding to taps of the switch instead of verbal commands. She was surprised to see the Grand Duke completely naked when she entered his chamber. Normally he liked to be ritually undressed before indulging himself with his women. However, Silvítya had come up alone and he did not want to bother with having her undress him. He grabbed her, pushed her onto his bed and, with no foreplay whatsoever, vigorously thrust into her body. When he finished, he ordered the girl onto her knees and deliberately humiliated her in two ways. She had to lick his penis while it was still sticky from the first round of sex, which was disgusting for the concubine and meant to be. While she was working on trying to achieve a second erection, the sovereign ran his fingers through her hair. She cringed as she felt her scalp being violated by her master's rough explorations. When the Grand Duke became hard again, he ordered her to get on her elbows and knees. He entered her from behind and thrust in his usual obsessive manner. However, Silvítya was hugely relieved that he had not entered her sphincter. The routine changed when he was finished. Instead of ordering her out of the room, the Grand Duke told his servant to follow him into an adjoining chamber containing a sunken stone bath large enough to comfortably fit three people. As he settled into the water, he directed her attention to a washbasin with salt and a fresh toothbrush. After she cleaned her mouth she was to join him in the bath. She knew that she had to push aside her anger and bitterness over having her body violated in so many ways. Like it or not, the country's ruler was now her owner. Throughout her life she had been indoctrinated that the Grand Duke was the supreme worldly authority in the Duchy. Nothing in her background or her studies indicated that an average citizen, and much less a woman, had the right to object to a ruler's orders. Like every other Danubian, she owed him absolute and unquestioning obedience. The bath relaxed her slightly, even though she was sitting with a man she feared and hated. He touched her shoulder and ran his finger around the vaccination scar. "I can see that you bear the Follower's mark, the one that protects you from the pox." "Yes, Your Majesty. Your humble serving girl bears the mark." "Excellent. I see it is recent. Where were you when the Followers marked you?" Silvítya was terrified, but she decided to follow Magdala's advice and tell the Grand Duke the truth. Already, through nothing more than looking at a scar, he had figured out a lot about her. If she lied about something as basic as her past and he caught her, the consequences would be too terrible to contemplate. "Your humble servant was in Nagorónkti-Serífkti when she was marked, Your Majesty." "Then you must have been there when the Followers visited in the summer of last year. That scar is too new for you to have received from the previous visit three years ago." "That is correct, Your Majesty." "But your accent...it is not from the Nagorónkti-Serífkti region. You're not from that area." "I...your humble serving girl...is from..." "You're from the river valley. A laborer's daughter, no doubt, judging by the way you pronounce your words. I find it interesting...a girl from the river valley receiving the Followers' mark in Nagorónkti-Serífkti. So, you seem to be well-traveled, is that not so?" "Yes, Your Majesty. Your humble serving girl has traveled." The Grand Duke continued his probing comments and questions, gathering information that he needed to work out the details of Silvítya's life. She was impressed and worried by her master's talent of figuring things out about a person's life through nothing more than casual comments. His memory was excellent and he was quick to catch any contradictions in what a person was telling him. Within a very short time, and without asking her directly, the Grand Duke had reconstructed her travels: starting in Rika Héckt-nemát (through her accent), Starívktaki Móskt (through vocabulary unique to the Old Believers of the Danubian Church and a couple of references to the seminary), Sevérckt nad Gorádki (through some comments about the northern mountain region), and Sebérnekt Ris (through her correct grammar and the fact she had attended the university). She later found out he did the same with all of his concubines, practicing his skill deducing details of a person's life through clues instead of through relying on deliberately spoken words. The Grand Duke was extremely pleased with the newest addition to his collection of girls. This one had seen many places and had experienced life from the perspective of several social groups. It was very likely he'd learn some interesting facts from her and obtain a unique view of his realm. The majority of his concubines were daughters of guild members. In a few cases, like Silvítya, they had been randomly chosen off the street, but most of them had been handed over as bribes by professional tradesmen who had run afoul of the Duchy's laws, were hopelessly in debt, or had in some way offended the Grand Duke and needed to placate him. So...the girls' backgrounds were similar: the daughters of middle-class tradesmen who had led irresponsible lives and needed to extricate themselves from legal trouble. Few of the concubines had an expansive view of the world. They had grown up in a single location and had known the same people throughout their lives. Their levels of education varied, but none had university-level training. Silvítya (if that was really her name) was different, more interesting, and potentially much more useful. ---------- During the first weeks of her internment in the Duke's castle, Silvítya discovered that life as a concubine consisted of much more than having sex, bathing, and sleeping. The Grand Duke wanted his women to have good etiquette and to have a basic understanding of the skills expected of any upper-class woman. When she was not with the Duke or in the bathhouse, she was with one of the Royal tutors. Over the next few months she would improve her penmanship, learn how to knit and embroider, and learn how to prepare and present upper-class meals. Ten days went by before the kitchen staff felt that Silvítya was ready to rejoin the other concubines in the dining hall. She was extremely nervous as she sat down and the others carefully watched her eat. The women were still critical of her table etiquette, but they decided that the newcomer's manners had improved just enough that they would let her stay with them. That moment marked an important accomplishment, not just because Silvítya could eat like a woman from the upper class, but also because being accepted at the dinner table meant that she was officially accepted as part of the concubine group. ---------- The concubines led a strange life together, as they spent their days waiting for the bell to ring. They had to pass their time engaged in activities they could break away from at a moment's notice. They played chess and cards, practiced music and embroidery, gossiped about events and people in the castle, and groomed each other in the bath. They chatted about their families, their respective towns, food, pregnancy, and compared notes on their experiences with babies and small children. They were artificially polite to each other, determined to avoid anything that hinted at conflict or discord. They knew the matrons were watching and would be quick to exploit any disputes among the group. The obsession with politeness meant the concubines did everything they could to conform to the small culture they had created. The obsession with etiquette and conformity explained their hostility towards breaches of group protocol such as Silvítya's table manners. Silvítya did everything she could to get along with the others. Whether or not she liked them, and regardless of whether she would have wanted to be friends with them in the outside world, for the moment the other concubines were all she had. She had to establish trust with them. Her lowly background, her travels, and her education set her apart, as did her curiosity about the world. Of the group, Silvítya was by far the most traveled and intellectual. If she couldn't travel, then she wanted to go back to reading, which was an activity most of the other women did not seem to miss. She felt that the constant conversation among the women could have been much more useful to everyone if they could be discussing educational topics and books instead of the inane trivia that filled up their days. The detail about the other concubines that secretly grated on Silvítya was their lack of interest in anything not directly related to their daily lives. Fortunately, the newcomer had passed through the hometowns of nearly all of her companions, so at least she had an introductory conversation topic to work with. She was curious about the towns, so she questioned the others to fill in information about places that she had visited only in passing. During her first months of internment, Silvítya gravitated towards Magdala. The spokeswoman seemed a bit smarter than the other "sisters" and was good at analyzing and explaining things. She originally was from a village south of Dagurúckt-Tók, an area where Ermin and Káloyankt had vaccinated the local population the previous year. Magdala had the "mark of the Followers" on her shoulder, which meant that one of Silvítya's lovers at that time must have vaccinated her. "The Followers of the Ancients always fascinated me. I remember people talking about a young female medical practitioner working in the town of Dagurúckt-Tók itself, and I was hoping to talk to her...see if I could join the Cult and become like her." "Why didn't you?" "My grandfather. He wouldn't let me go, and I didn't find out until later. I was living in his household and he was dealing with my father's debts..." Magdala talked about her family for a while, focusing on her parents' complete irresponsibility handling their affairs. She concluded with: "...so the Royal Guards came to my grandfather's house, looking for my father. The money-lenders wanted to take control of the house, but my grandfather offered me instead of the house. I was shocked, because I couldn't imagine my grandfather dishonoring me by offering me as collateral to save his home. But he did. And the Guards took me to the moneylenders and asked them what they wanted to do with me. I was convinced they wanted to use me for their own pleasure. However, when they decided that my appearance was very pleasing to a man's eye, they offered to sell me to the Grand Duke. The Guards agreed. The Guards paid off my father's debts, brought me to the Royal Castle, and were in turn paid off by the matrons. So...that's my story. The Grand Duke bought me from my father's money-lenders." "Are most of the sisters' stories similar to yours?" "Each of us has her own story...how she came to the castle. Some of us were purchased with silver, and some of us were captured. You were captured, I was purchased." ---------- About a month after she entered the castle, Silvítya noticed that Desislava's stomach was starting to swell. There wasn't any doubt why: the woman was pregnant. This is going to be interesting, thought Silvítya, to see how they handle pregnancies. As soon as the Grand Duke realized the concubine was pregnant, he stopped having sex with her. A few days later the castle's hair-dresser visited the concubines' quarters and braided her hair. Then Desislava left. Silvítya asked Magdala what would happen to her. "She carries the His Majesty's seed. She will stay in the castle until she has the child. Then she'll return to her home." "The Grand Duke will just kick her out? With a baby?" "No, not just kick her out. His Majesty will build her a house and send her a silver piece each month. The man delivering the coin is a doctor, and he will check the child each time he visits. She will have to make her own life, but will do so on the Grand Duke's coin." "And this happens to everyone who gets pregnant?" "Yes, it is our Path in Life. We stay and please His Majesty until he plants his seed. Then we go home, but we continue to serve him by raising his child." "But, even with the Duke's coin, that seems awful...to just sit in a house, alone..." "Alone? Sister, how naïve are you? A woman favored by His Majesty and living on his coin? Many men greatly desire such a wife. She'll have her choice of men. She'll be the wife of an Army officer or a city official within a year of her return." ---------- A few minutes later Silvítya stood on a balcony, studying the Moon and thinking over what her companion had told her. She realized that she was much closer to achieving her teenaged dream than she had ever been before. If the Grand Duke made her pregnant, and then sent her back to her home in Rika Héckt-nemát, she'd have that nice house and nice husband she always wanted. She could return to Rika Héckt-nemát in triumph and seek revenge on that city guard who had been so cruel to her. She'd be much better off than her sister ever could be, and she'd taunt her parents for having treated her so badly. The dream, the one that had ended so badly with a bucket of stolen apples and a horrid day on the pillory, was within reach. The strange thing about a dream or a goal is that a person can spend a lifetime pursuing it, but the moment it is within reach, one realizes that dream is no longer desired. That was what Silvítya realized, as she stood staring at the moon and thinking about her old life in Rika Héckt-nemát and a possible new life there. She no longer wanted to live in her old hometown and spend her time taunting her mother. She really had no desire to go back at all. She had moved beyond that. She didn't know what she wanted, but now she knew that she would not find it in Rika Héckt-nemát, even if she could spend the rest of her life "living on the Grand Duke's coin". She looked under her bed and checked her supply of birth-control paste. She very grateful for Dean Fítoreckt's parting gift and would use it to prevent the Grand Duke from "planting his seed" for as long as she could. The paste would give her some time to figure out how to avoid leaving the castle burdened with the responsibility of bearing and caring for a Royal child. ---------- For the first time during her internment, Silvítya performed another duty she had as a concubine the day after Desislava left the group. She had to spend several afternoons in a parlor posing for two portraits. The pair of paintings were the first out of many the Grand Duke commissioned of her: in modern times there are 26 confirmed paintings portraying Silvítya alone and another 8 of her posing with a companion, housed in various museums and art collections around the country. All of the images are nude figure studies. The Grand Duke was a generous patron of painting, but his taste in themes was limited to pictures of his women. He had two painters who worked full-time in the castle, doing nothing but painting pictures of concubines. Besides employing the two full-time painters, the ruler also provided temporary work for any reasonably-talented artist passing through the capitol. Travelling painters could count on earning some silver in Danúbikt Móskt if they paid a visit to the castle and the Grand Duke liked samples of their work. The Girl with No Name Ch. 14 The paintings were extremely explicit for their time. Rulers throughout Europe sometimes commissioned nude portraits of their mistresses or models, but in most cases the pictures did not portray the woman's private area in detail. The Grand Duke of Danubia would have none of that. He insisted that his concubines' pubic hair be included in any picture portraying them from the front, and if their genitalia were visible in their pose, that had to be detailed in the picture as well. The images created in the Grand Duke's castle were as explicit as any high-resolution photograph taken in the late 20th Century. The paintings from the Royal Residence were popular among visiting dignitaries, and the sovereign had an ample supply to pass out as gifts. There are over 500 surviving concubine portraits scattered around Danubia and neighboring countries, of which we have information on only half of the models. Fortunately, art historians have identified the images of Silvítya, so we have a very good idea of what she looked like in the mid-1700s. It is interesting to note that the Grand Duke never gave away any of the portraits he had commissioned of Sister Silvítya. ---------- As August passed and the summer days grew shorter, Silvítya spent more time with the Grand Duke than any of her fellow "sisters". He continued to treat her roughly in bed, but afterwards he comforted her in his bath and calmed her nerves with wine. Her life story fascinated him. He started by questioning her about university life in Sebérnekt Ris. It was obvious he already knew a lot about the university and, in fact, had met Dean Fítoreckt. Several castle doctors and scribes had been trained at the university, but the Duke was interested in hearing Silvítya's perspective as a student. She dreaded the thought of the ruler checking university records and discovering there was no student at the university using her current name. Through her conversations she found out that Dean Fítoreckt had died only two weeks after she left for the capitol; a fact that saddened, but did not surprise her. The ruler questioned the concubine at length about her studies, probing to see how much she knew about medicine, history, and the Duchy in general. He was impressed with her knowledge. He pondered how to use the girl's brain to his advantage. He decided to start by giving her a complicated task that could potentially be useful. He ordered her to go into the Royal Library, write summaries of the books she considered the most important, the most interesting, or the most useful, and provide recommendations for new acquisitions. The ruler admitted that he did not have much time for leisure reading, so when he did have a chance to read, he wanted to make sure he was spending his time with the best his collection had to offer. So, not only would Silvítya have access to the Royal Library; she would be tasked with knowing and describing its contents. The Grand Duke escorted Silvítya to the library, to make sure the matrons and librarians knew that she was supposed to be there and was acting in his orders. The library contained many books on military equipment and strategy, religious works, maps, Danubian history, poetry, and translations of foreign novels, but was sorely lacking works on medicine, chemistry, and hard sciences such as botany. Silvítya was surprised by the collection of architecture studies and blue prints of buildings from foreign cities around Europe. Those were the most recent purchases, a reflection of the fascination the Grand Duke had with architecture. Silvítya entered the library at day-break and stayed until noon, Monday through Saturday. She started by trying to remember the titles and authors of books she had read during her year in Sebérnekt Ris. As various books came to her mind, she compiled the titles into a list of proposed acquisitions. She began her summaries with the history and theology books. She did not feel qualified to assess the value of the military studies and figured that the Grand Duke would be least interested in knowing about the novels and poetry. She buried herself into her work, relieved to have her mind occupied and to spend her mornings not having to listen to the chatter of her "sisters". During the afternoons Silvítya did spend her time with the other women: eating, practicing etiquette, embroidering, bathing, and waiting for the bell to ring. During the month of September the pregnancies of two women became evident. The matrons braided their hair, they were provided with maternity dresses, and they left the group. The ruler replaced them with two new concubines, one of whom had been purchased from an indebted guildsman and the other from an independent farmer. A third girl appeared; a foreigner who was totally different in appearance from a typical Danubian. Her hair was completely black and her skin was considerably darker than anyone previously seen in the Grand Duke's castle. The foreigner's name was Antonia. She was a gift from the Grand Duke's ambassador to Constantinople. Originally she had lived on an island in the Adriatic Sea, but her family had been captured during a pirates' raid against her village. She had seen some terrible things during her voyage to Constantinople, but her captors had kept her in good physical condition to maintain her value. As he was getting ready to return home, the Danubian ambassador bought her and another Adriatic girl and brought them to the Duchy. He kept the other girl for himself and presented Antonia to the Grand Duke. The Grand Duke had mixed feelings about the newest member of his collection. Her appearance fascinated him, but she knew nothing about protocol and was unable to understand and follow orders. She did not speak a word of Danubian and was mortified at being forced to be naked. Her failure to obey orders and her constant efforts to cover herself already had earned her a severe switching from the matrons. Magdala decided to task Silvítya with teaching the foreigner how to communicate and, whenever she was not in the library, to not let her out of her sight. Silvítya spent the last half of September and all of October and November working with Antonia. She taught the foreigner to speak in the same way she had been taught how to read by the Church apprentice in Starívktaki Móskt; starting with the names of simple objects and later moving on to actions and commands. She broke Antonia's habit of trying to cover herself by gently touching her arms and forcing her to move her hands to her sides. Antonia came from a culture in which women never appeared naked in public, so covering her body was a reflexive reaction to her situation, something she did by instinct and without thinking. The culture of the Duchy, and especially in places like the castle where nudity was required, was different. Oddly, Antonia was not bothered in the least by having her hair unbraided and her scalp touched by the Grand Duke. Silvítya still was made very uneasy by the feeling of her loose hair brushing around her bare shoulders, while being naked around the castle staff was not nearly as much of an issue. Antonia followed Silvítya around the castle whenever her mentor was not attending to her duties in the library. She became psychologically dependent on Silvítya: being in such a strange place, forced to constantly be naked, being subjected to rough sex with an arrogant master, and not being able to properly communicate with anyone. Because they were together constantly, the Silvítya and Antonia washed each other's hair and bodies, ignoring the unspoken protocol of sharing their baths and grooming with the other concubines. They moved on to giving each other soapy massages in the bath, and then to caressing each other in Silvítya's bed-chamber. In the middle of October, Antonia quit sleeping in her own bed-chamber and joined Silvítya in hers. Silvítya and Antonia were not the only concubines to share a bed. During the winter it was common for unmarried Danubians, especially women, to sleep together to be warmer at night, even if they were not romantically involved. Magdala, for example, slept with one of the new girls. So, the other concubines did not question the arrangement Silvítya had made with Antonia. However, as they lay naked together, sleeping in each other's arms and caressing each other's bodies, the peasant girl and the foreigner developed a relationship that came very close to being a sexual romance. Neither would have defined what they were doing in those terms, because an overt physical relationship between two people of the same sex was strictly forbidden by both Danubian society and by their respective churches. They never kissed and never touched each other's vulvas, so they could claim to others and justify to themselves their relationship was nothing more than friendly intimacy and had nothing to do with sex. However, the emotional attachment between Silvítya and Antonia was very strong, going way beyond simple friendship. They were not "in love" as the term would be understood in the 20th and 21st Centuries, but they shared a unique emotional bond that was part friendship, part sisterly love, and part sexual desire. ---------- Silvítya provided the Grand Duke with reports and summaries about the contents of his library throughout the final months of 1753. She had to kneel in the throne room and do formal presentations with scribes and matrons watching. The Grand Duke took her reading lists and recommendations seriously. If she recommended acquiring a new title for the Royal Library, she could count on seeing it added to the collection within about three weeks. The Grand Duke also paid attention to her summaries. He actually read some of the titles she recommended and discussed them with her. Silvítya's relationship with her master changed as a result of the conversations he held with her. He continued to want sex with her and to have her with him in his bath, but he called her to his bed-chamber by herself, not with the others. He stopped forcing her to lick his penis and no longer wanted to enter her sphincter. Silvítya was hugely grateful to have her bottom spared from the Grand Duke's attention: she found anal sex painful and did not enjoy it in the least. The Grand Duke carefully calculated how much freedom to give Silvítya. He wanted her to understand that she was still his property and he could do with her as he pleased, but he also wanted to take advantage of her intelligence, education, and experiences. He couldn't do so if she was totally terrified of him: she had to have enough self-confidence around him to express her opinions and talk freely. He considered taking the "favored concubine" position away from Magdala and giving it to Silvítya, but realized that would not serve his needs. Silvítya's duties required her to be away from her "sisters" during much of the day, and Magdala seemed to be a good leader for the group. The Grand Duke had learned that if a person was performing well in an appointed position, especially a position that entailed relaying orders, making changes usually did more harm than good. So, Silvítya would continue her work in the Royal Library and Magdala would continue speaking on behalf of the concubine group. ---------- The Danubian ruler continued asking Silvítya about her travels and her past. By the end of October he realized that she had been a member of the Cult of the Ancients. That was an extremely useful detail about the girl's past life, but one he did not plan to question her about directly. Her training as a Follower meant that she would have medical experience and could perform field surgery. It also meant she probably had a good idea what happened to the Followers: why they so suddenly and mysteriously vanished at the end of the summer of the previous year. The Grand Duke was patient with such topics. He would bide his time, wait for Silvítya to make casual comments and then, when he already knew too much for her to deny anything, force her to tell him the full story of what happened to the Cult and its members. In the meantime, the Grand Duke was interested in other parts of Silvítya's former life. He was particularly interested in hearing about the Senior Priest of Starívktaki Móskt and his wayward son Bagatúrckt. The ruler knew that Bagatúrckt had been killed (the incident was a regional scandal) and realized that his concubine knew what actually happened to him. Another interesting detail he'd have to extract from her when the right moment came. The Grand Duke pressed his servant for details about her life as a day-laborer's daughter in her hometown of Rika Héckt-nemát. The rivalry between her and her sister and the intrigue within her family interested the Master, as did details about the irrigation project. He was especially curious to know the exact date of the girl's departure. When she answered that she had left in early June of 1750, he responded: "Then the Creator was indeed watching over you. You do know that within weeks of your departure, almost everyone in Rika Héckt-nemát held up his mirror in the Afterlife?" Silvítya's heart jumped into her throat. "No, Your Majesty. Your humble serving girl did not know that." "Yes, indeed. The Destroyer passed through your city with the rat-plague. It was the worst epidemic anyone has ever seen in recent times. It's possible it was the worst epidemic ever, considering how many people died and how quickly. I have read about the rat-plague throughout history and I never encountered a case as severe as the one in Rika Héckt-nemát. I had to order your city cut-off from the rest of the Duchy to safeguard the neighboring towns. A painful decision that condemned that city, but spared the others." "Your humble serving girl wishes to know if anyone survived, Your Majesty." "A few people. Some starving survivors came up to the roadblocks the following spring. I ordered them quarantined until we could determine they did not carry the plague, then the guards fed them and let them pass." "Your humble serving girl wishes to know how many, Your Majesty." "No more than 600, I would estimate. I presume there are a few people still in the town, but I don't know how many. I've maintained the blockade. I don't want people going in there. You know...your city was cursed by the Destroyer." "No, Your Majesty, your humble serving girl did not know that." "Yes, indeed. The place is cursed. The story I heard was that some city guards tied up a girl and threw her into the Rika Chorna river to drown. She cried out to Beelzebub (that's what the True Believers call the Destroyer) to save her. The Destroyer did save her, but at the cost of her soul and the lives of the town's other citizens. The whole region was dead within days. You were very lucky to get out before the Destroyer seized the city." "My family...my brothers..." "Most likely their souls separated from their bodies. There were no day-laborers reported among the survivors, at least none that I am aware of. But, as I said, it doesn't matter. Rika Héckt-nemát carries a curse, and I will not risk the lives of any more of the Duchy's citizens trying to determine what happened. The city died, the rest of the Duchy lives, and we must avoid the curse and confront other problems." ---------- Silvítya tightly held Antonia that night. For a while she didn't say anything, but she needed to be comforted. Her thoughts wandered to the cold rational mentality of the Grand Duke. For fifteen years Rika Héckt-nemát had been Silvítya's entire world. She still spoke with an accent from that location. That world now was gone, its people taken away by the rat-plague, or by Beelzebub, or the Destroyer, depending on who one talked to. To the Grand Duke the city was just one out of many, one minor issue among a myriad of problems facing his realm. The death of an entire city was an unfortunate incident, but not one that loomed large among his worries. The city died: there was nothing he could do about it apart from sealing off whatever problems remained, and the Duchy would move forward. It seemed the Grand Duke was no more disturbed about the deaths of 20,000 people than he would be upon encountering a flock of dead birds along the roadway. Through the language barrier Silvítya explained to her lover what had happened to her family, that most likely they all were dead. Her thoughts were conflicted and she really didn't know how to take the news. Yes, she had hated her sister Katrínckta and resented the way her parents had treated her. But she had loved her younger brothers. Also, she had entertained ideas of eventually returning home in triumph and somehow using her new status to set things right. There was nothing to set right, because it was very unlikely anyone from her family was still alive. She wondered about Farmer Tuko Orsktackt and his large family and happy estate. Did any of them survive? She hoped so, but was not optimistic. She had hoped to return the farmer's estate in triumph and reconcile with him, a hope similar to the one she had for her family. Perhaps he survived the rat-plague: more likely he didn't. Antonia carefully listened to Silvítya and understood most of what she said. She now spoke Danubian well enough to relay her own painful memories; that she had witnessed the killing of her parents, along with most of the other older captives from her village. The raiders did not consider the older people worth transporting. They could have simply been released, but the captors instead chose to kill them and dump their bodies into the Adriatic Sea. Silvítya realized she was more fortunate than her lover. At least she had not been forced to witness the death of her family. There was that terrifying vision of her sister's death, but that was not the same as what Antonia must have felt, watching the killings in real life and seeing her parents' lifeless bodies disappear into the water. ---------- The next day, while eating dinner with her group, Sister Magdala became violently sick. She barely made it out of the dining hall before throwing up. Over the next several days she became sick at random times with spontaneous vomiting spells. For a group of women who spent their days waiting to become pregnant, it was obvious what was happening to their spokeswoman. The moon had paid her a visit. Now, it was Magdala's turn to carry the Grand Duke's seed. Within a few weeks her stomach would start to swell, she would depart the concubine group, and would spend the rest of her time in the castle living in the maternity ward. The news of Magdala's pending departure greatly depressed Silvítya. Besides being a good leader for the "sisters" and maintaining harmony among them, Magdala was the only woman among the concubines Silvítya felt she could really talk to and share her feelings. She would be sorely missed. The spokeswoman's pregnancy reminded Silvítya of the reality of her relationship with Antonia; that if Antonia became pregnant, they would be separated. She now faced a moral dilemma with her lover. She kept her supply of birth-control paste and longevity potion hidden in a box tied to the underside of the bed. She loved Antonia enough to seriously consider giving her both. She did not want her partner to become pregnant and taken away from her, nor did she want to see Antonia age. However, she realized that to let Antonia know anything about her secrets would place both women at huge risk by involving them in a conspiracy. Conspiracy against the Grand Duke or his wishes was a capital offense. Also, there was not a chance Silvítya could escape the castle and take Antonia with her. Under the right circumstances, she could escape on her own, but Antonia's foreign physical appearance was sure to draw attention. The only Path in Life open to Silvítya's partner was to wait until she became pregnant, have the Grand Duke's baby, and hope that she could have an acceptable life upon leaving the castle, "living on His Majesty's coin". Silvítya rationalized that perhaps she could reunite with Antonia and they could continue their relationship after both left the castle. Subconsciously she knew that hope was completely unrealistic. The Girl with No Name Ch. 14 As she lay with Antonia, gently running her hand over her partner's bottom and thighs, Silvítya sadly reflected that her relationship with Antonia was a lot like her relationship with Káloyankt. Whatever love she felt for the person currently in her arms didn't matter. Their time together was doomed to come to an end as soon as "the moon paid Antonia a visit". Their Paths in Life would not permit them to stay together. ---------- Note: It is difficult for a non-Danubian to understand the humiliation the concubines had to endure by allowing their Master to run his fingers through their hair. Braided hair is a tradition that goes back to the very beginnings of the Danubian nation and is a woman's primary symbol of honor. According to Danubian protocol, the top of a woman's head is considered her "space" and a forbidden zone for men. Religious traditions, among both the Followers of the Ancients and among Danubia's Christian denominations, strictly prohibited men from touching women's hair and prohibited women from allowing men to see their hair unbraided. The Grand Duke, by fondling the women's scalps and breaking the most fundamental sexual taboo of Danubian culture, was demonstrating absolute dominance over his concubines and stripping of all their dignity. - Maritza Ortskt-Dukovna - The Girl with No Name Ch. 15 Chapter Fifteen – The Grand Duke's Favorite By the end of 1753, The Grand Duke was becoming increasingly concerned about the disappearance of the Cult of the Ancients. Their absence meant an end to the vaccination campaigns against smallpox and other illnesses. The mortality rate among the villages due to lack of medical services already was worsening, according to reports he was receiving. Contemporary European medical practices that had been discredited in the Duchy, such as bleeding, were making a comeback in some areas of the country. Meanwhile, the True Believers were encouraging their adherents to accept sickness as punishment from God and turn away from medical treatment altogether. The True Believer priests gleefully filled the void of medical services with the idea that physical suffering was the result of Divine Judgment for sin and idolatry, and for the Duchy's refusal to submit to the Roman Church. The Grand Duke pondered how to confront the deteriorating situation of public health in the Duchy and counteract the ignorance being spewed by the True Believers. He had seen the horrid conditions in neighboring countries and did not want his realm to resemble the rest of Europe. The Cult of the Ancients had been the main reason the Duchy's people were relatively healthy. Well, the Cult was now gone, so their services would have to be replaced. Replaced by whom? The ruler first considered trying to convince the Prophets of the Old Believers to fill the void left by the Followers of the Ancients. Their attitude towards the cosmos and to role of science certainly was better than that of the True Believers. However, relying on the Old Believers to expand their activities into medicine would increase their control of the Duchy's society at the expense of the Royal Family. The Old Believers were strong enough as it was...the Grand Duke had no desire to see them become even stronger. The only other Danubian entity organized enough to provide health services was the Crown itself. Over time the Grand Duke would come up with a solution that would seem perfectly logical in the 20th Century, but in the middle of the 18th Century was a radical idea. Why not have the Crown control the nation's health services? If the nation's best medical staff were working under the direction of the Grand Duke, the True Believers would not be in a position to oppose modern medicine, because to do so would entail rebelling against the government itself. Choosing which cities would receive medical services would allow the Grand Duke to leverage support from the town councils: if a town council did not support him, he simply wouldn't send any medical staff. The Grand Duke faced a dilemma with his idea: he did not have any precedent to provide guidance concerning how he could organize the Duchy's doctors and bring medicinal services under his control. He understood that he needed to hire a large number of doctors as government employees, which would involve creating an organization to control their services and travels, pay them, provide supplies, compile records, and conduct medical research. The ruler would need to create a Ministry of Heath, but he did not yet understand the concept in those terms, since such a project had never been attempted by any other ruler in that part of Europe. The Grand Duke spent restless nights thinking about the Duchy's medical dilemma. The problem was simple: the Cult of the Ancients was gone, the medical services they provided needed to be replaced, and it was up to the Crown to figure out how to replace those services. But...how? The sovereign desperately cast about for ideas; talking to his advisors and sending letters to his ambassadors asking how medical services were provided in the countries where they were stationed. At the same time he was seeking ideas from foreign capitols, he thought about the most unusual member of his concubine group, the educated peasant girl. He continued probing her knowledge of medicine and alchemy throughout November. He ordered her to assist with the delivery of some babies, including the children of several ex-concubines who had moved to the maternity area before Silvítya was brought to the castle. He was impressed with her skills and knowledge. When workers were injured from falls or soldiers were injured during combat practice, he ordered her to tie her hair and cover it with a scarf and assist with surgeries and setting broken bones. He observed her as she performed her duties with confidence. There was no doubt about it: Silvítya had received training to be a doctor from the Cult of the Ancients. At the end of November, the Grand Duke ordered Silvítya to kneel in front of him in the throne room and talk in detail about the university in Sebérnekt Ris. Then he stunned her by commenting: "I find it very interesting that you did not start your medical studies in the university. You were an advanced student, which means you were already trained by the Followers of the Ancients. I understand that you traveled with the Cult as a doctor before you ever set foot in Sebérnekt Ris. I presume you must have spent the summer of last year in Nagorónkti-Serífkti and Dagurúckt-Tók, marking the people against the pox. Before that, you spent the previous winter in the forest, receiving training and practicing your skills. Is that not so?" "Yes, Your Majesty. Your humble serving girl was there, marking the people against the pox." "...and I am correct about your winter in the forest?" "Yes, Your Majesty. Your humble serving girl received medical training in the forest." "...and when you were in the towns, you showed yourself to the public and performed your duties wearing a Follower's dress?" "Yes, Your Majesty, your humble serving girl was wearing a Follower's dress." "...and you carried a skull staff. The Followers did not let members practice medicine if they were uninitiated and had not received their staffs. Is that not so?" "Yes, Your Majesty. Your humble serving girl carried a staff." The Grand Duke switched to archaic Danubian. He didn't speak it fluently, but did speak well enough make himself understood: "Excellent. So...I have, in my castle and under my command, a Follower of the Cult of the Ancients. A witness to the Old World. A woman with knowledge of the Old Ways. And...most importantly...a woman who can train my staff and teach me the secrets of the Cult's alchemy." Silvítya went white and tried to catch her breath. There was no point in trying to deny anything. As much as she hated the Grand Duke, she had to admire his perception, his patience, and his talent for uncovering people's secrets. Silvítya had taken oaths not to disclose anything about her activities as a Follower. The ruler was well-aware of her oaths, so he gathered information and clues through casual comments and waited until he needed to do nothing more than force her to confirm what he already knew. The Grand Duke continued, still struggling to express himself in archaic Danubian: "I know your secrets, but not because you betrayed your oath. You remained loyal to your beliefs and your fellow Cultists. I simply outsmarted you. There are other details about your life that I know, which I will reveal to you when the moment suits me. Do you understand me, Follower Danka?" "Y...yes Your Majesty...your humble serving girl understands." The Grand Duke switched back to speaking modern Danubian. "Excellent. I am sworn to serve the needs of the people of the Duchy and, as my humble serving girl, you will assist me. We will begin by having you tell me about the pox mark. I want to know how the scarring works. I understand there is a paste that you put on the knife before you cut a patient. So, I need to know how you create the paste, what ingredients go into it, and how you prepare the knife and the paste for making the mark. You will first tell me; then you will write the instructions on a sheet of parchment." In a trembling voice, Silvítya obeyed, explaining how the vaccine was created, using pox from sick cows. The Grand Duke was delighted. "So...that's the secret. Cows. Who would have thought...cows? No wonder no one else could figure it out. Now, Follower Danka, you will sit at my desk and write your formula and instructions in detail. I will re-create the pox remedy, so if you need to add any research or outside sources, you'd best include them in your report." The Grand Duke spoke with an implied threat in his tone of voice. Silvítya suspected he knew about her relationship with Antonia and was perfectly willing to use that vulnerability against her. It would be best to avoid risking any mention of Antonia, so Silvítya humbly responded: "To hear is to obey, Your Majesty." For several weeks the Grand Duke continued questioning Silvítya, as she knelt on hard stone floors in the cold throne room, with a shivering body and aching knees. He forced her to give up everything she knew about the Followers' medical knowledge and Babáckt Yaga's research. Finally he sent her into his study to write about the information she had given him. She knew that she needed to provide him with reports that were completely accurate, so she included references to Babáckt Yaga's studies and research, which were locked in the dean's office at the university in Sebérnekt Ris. The Grand Duke ordered soldiers to go to the university and demand the current dean surrender the Followers' writings. When the shipment of secret documents arrived, the Grand Duke built a hidden annex to the Royal library in which to store them. He kept the only key to the room with him at all times. For months Silvítya wrote her reports, wondering what the Grand Duke planned to do with them. She answered his questions, only to be rewarded with yet more questions or a writing assignment. She dreaded the thought of the ruler asking her about Antonia, but fortunately she kept him pleased enough that he never felt a need to use that weakness against her. She also wondered if anyone from the Cult of the Ancients would attempt to retaliate for the information she was giving up. It seemed unlikely, with Fítoreckt dead and no successor taking his place, but really she had no way of knowing what was going on in Sebérnekt Ris. All she could hope was that she would be forgotten and that the Cult of the Ancients truly was defunct. ---------- Although he knew part of her real name, the ruler continued calling his concubine Servant Silvítya. It turned out he wanted her to conceal her identity from outsiders as much as she did, and had no interest in letting anyone else in the castle know that her real name was Danka or that she had been a Follower. He was not interested in protecting her, but instead protecting his own reputation and plans. Years later Silvítya would discover the sovereign copied her reports into his own handwriting so he could present them to the public and claim credit for the Followers' discoveries. The Grand Duke impressed his ministers and foreign ambassadors with his "research", his amazing intellect, and his understanding of science. Throughout the winter of 1753-1754, it seemed that every week he emerged from his study with a new discovery to benefit the Duchy's people. One of his most impressive works was an account of the rat-plague that struck down the citizens of Rika Héckt-nemát, in which he speculated that it was not rats, but instead fleas, that were the culprits transmitting blood poison from person to person, which would explain why people not in direct contact with rats were still getting sick. He concluded by noting sanitation and measures to control rats (and their fleas) would prevent a similar tragedy from happening to another city. Drawing upon his tireless hours with medical journals, dedicated research, and amazing discoveries; the Grand Duke set up field hospitals and alchemy labs on the outskirts of the capitol to produce medicine and potions. As the Royal Ministry of Health and Alchemy began to take shape, the Crown hired medical students to resume the Followers' abandoned vaccination campaign. The Grand Duke's employees fearlessly entered towns and villages still under the control of the True Believers. Unlike the Followers, they did not have to appease town councilmen or negotiate with clergy members. They simply entered where they were ordered to go, conducted their vaccinations, and moved on. Any clergyman who objected quickly received five arrows to the chest. The townsfolk were impressed with the medical care provided by their ruler, which gained their loyalty and made them more willing to pay taxes and provide soldiers for upcoming military campaigns. The former Followers of the Ancients were not in a position to object to the Danubian ruler's actions, claims, and plagiarisms. They were scattered, not in frequent contact with each other, and would have had to emerge from hiding to say anything. The Grand Duke's claims that the research was his thus went uncontested. As the years passed and the Crown's efforts to address the Duchy's public health concerns improved, ordinary Danubians gave praise to the Creator for having granted them such a wise ruler who had taken so much trouble to become an expert in medical research. He became known as the "Great Visionary", an unofficial title he would keep throughout the 18th and 19th Centuries. The Grand Duke's priority was securing the Cult of the Ancients' medical studies, but he was aware the Followers had some other interesting achievements that could benefit both the Royal Household and the people of the Duchy. Over the ensuing decade the "Great Visionary" would claim responsibility for inventing some soil management and water conservation practices, a cast-iron stove, removable wooden panels for utility buildings, and the introduction of cave-charcoal as a source of heating. The cave-charcoal was the most significant innovation introduced by the "Great Visionary", one that would greatly reduce the unnecessary destruction of trees. As a child he had heard stories about the Followers burning magical black rocks instead of firewood. He questioned his concubine about the rocks and found out that, sure enough, the rocks really existed and there were several places in the mountains where they could be dug out. During the summer of 1754, a Royal expedition would locate the Followers' abandoned mines and bring back the first samples of cave-charcoal to Danúbikt Móskt, allowing the Grand Duke to claim credit for introducing the Duchy to coal. ---------- During her internment in the Royal Residence, Silvítya didn't have much news from the outside world, apart from what little the ruler chose to tell her. Every day she saw dozens, or even hundreds of castle servants, Royal Guards, ministers, scribes, soldiers, and ordinary workers, but she felt unable to talk to them about anything going on outside the fortress walls. The only source of news from the outside came whenever a new concubine was brought in to replace one who had become pregnant. The new girls rarely had anything to say that was of interest to Silvítya, since for the most part they only knew about their respective towns and families. Magdala continued leading the group and introducing newcomers to the lifestyle and shared community of the concubines. However, her stomach continued to grow, a constant reminder of her pending departure from the group and her replacement with another spokeswoman. The women were not looking forward to her exit, because she had been an excellent leader that kept problems and disputes to a minimum. It seemed that even the Grand Duke was reluctant to pull her from the concubine group and assign her to the maternity ward. She was obviously pregnant and the ruler had long since stopped having sex with her, but he left her in her position until her pregnancy had completed five months. Meanwhile, Silvítya spent endless hours with the sovereign, bathing him, massaging him, allowing him to run his hands over her body and through her hair, and submitting to his sexual desires. He enjoyed teasing her. He knew that she did not like being sodomized, so he made her bend over and traced his fingertip around her sphincter. And yet, as much as he teased her and silently threatened her, he did not actually enter her bottom. Even when having normal sex with her, he treated her decently. He did not make her participate in group sex sessions with other concubines or overtly humiliate her. He shared his supply of imported treats such as Turkish delight, flavored honey, and dried fruit. He talked to her in a perfectly normal manner, although Silvítya continued to refer to herself as "your humble serving girl". It was obvious, to both Silvítya and the other concubines, that she had become the Grand Duke's favorite. She suspected she would become the group's next spokeswoman. Assuming the role of leader was not something she anticipated with happiness. She would have to deal with nine other personalities, of young women whose backgrounds were totally different from hers, and keep them out of trouble in an environment that was very stressful and very artificial. Her only recourse was to talk to Magdala about leading the concubines and speaking on their behalf. Magdala appreciated that her likely successor was seeking her insight instead of trying to do everything according to her own wishes. "The most important rule is to remember that you are responsible for everything that goes on in the group. Never try to shift blame for a problem away from yourself, even if you feel another sister is at fault or has acted foolishly. Be prepared to face the switch for someone else's mistake. Make everyone feel included, but at the same time, make sure everyone conforms to the practices of the group. Don't be afraid to discipline a sister for errant behavior or to correct ignorance. Do you remember how I handled you, when you dishonored yourself at the dinner table?" "Yes, Sister Magdala." "I didn't strike you or humiliate you or raise my voice at you, but I spoke to you in a firm manner, telling you that you needed to correct your eating habits. You will remember that I told you how to correct them, to go into the kitchen and request instruction. You always need to do that when a sister shows ignorance. Point out the problem, tell her how to correct it, and make her understand that she is responsible for doing what is needed to conform. Remember that our Paths in Life are, in some ways, very difficult, and that we must do what is needed to conform and get along with each other." Magdala shifted uncomfortably, trying to adjust her growing stomach. She continued: "With every decision you make, every single thought that passes through your head, ask yourself: 'how will what I'm doing benefit my fellow sisters? How will my actions and words make their Paths in Life easier?'" Silvítya interjected: "I had an idea...not to make the sisters' lives easier, but to make our lives more useful. When you leave, there is something different that I'm planning to do...a change from the way you do things...and I want to hear your opinion. If His Majesty does indeed place me in charge of the others, I think everyone should read more and be able to discuss what they've read. Also, I'd like to provide some medical training." "Medical training? You know medicine?" "Yes. And I want to teach the others." "Where did you learn medicine, Sister Silvítya?" "Well, I didn't tell you this earlier, but His Majesty has figured out my previous Path in Life, so I see no harm in sharing it with you. I remember you telling me that when you were in your grandfather's house, you wanted to meet a young female Follower who was working in Dagurúckt-Tók. You've met her." "You, Sister? You were a Follower?" The Girl with No Name Ch. 15 "Yes, I was a Follower." Silvítya could see from Magdala's expression that a hoard of questions had crowded into her brain. It was too much to explain...to painful to have to re-tell. She didn't want to go into detail about her time as a Follower: she had just wanted Magdala to know she was a competent field doctor. She forestalled the pending barrage of questions by giving up another piece of information. "I have a question for you, Sister Magdala. When the Followers marked you with the pox scar; who did it? Was it a young nobleman, or an older man?" "The older man." "The older man gave up his life, a few weeks after he marked you. I was close to him when it happened. And when he died, a lot of me died with him. My Path in Life never recovered." Silvítya paused, fighting off a sudden surge of emotion. "...and now I'm here. I'm just...here..." ---------- Magdala left the concubine group the very next day. The hairdresser braided her hair, handed her a maternity dress, and the young woman departed to lead a more normal existence in the maternity wing of the castle. Her Path in Life would return her to Dagurúckt-Tók, where she would have her own house and live on the Grand Duke's coin as compensation for raising his child. Silvítya could tell that she was happy to be leaving behind her life as a concubine. For a moment she was envious. The Grand Duke called the nine remaining concubines into the throne room. Their naked bodies trembled in the cold, drafty chamber. Ignoring their discomfort, he ordered them to kneel in the traditional submissive posture, with the exception of Silvítya, who had to stand at attention in front of the others. "Servant Silvítya, you are now the spokeswoman for your companions. You are responsible for ensuring compliance with my wishes. You will speak on behalf of the others. You will receive and relay my orders. Do you understand?" "To hear is to obey, Your Majesty." "Everyone else! I have made my decision concerning who speaks for you! Understood?" "To hear is to obey, Your Majesty." ---------- Silvítya knew that she needed to start out leading the group in the same way Magdala had lead. Conformity with etiquette and protocol was important, disputes between the women needed to be avoided or settled as harmoniously as possible, and every member of the group had to look upon herself as a guardian of the well-being of the others. Silvítya did not care for the "sisters" title, but she decided to leave it in place out of deference to her predecessor. Magdala never spoke badly of another concubine, nor did she tolerate criticism of any "sister" by any other "sister". For that reason, it was not until she left that Silvítya found out why the Grand Duke took away the position of favored concubine from Desislava. Through some comments from the other "sisters", Silvítya found out that Desislava had not been able to keep conflict within the group under control. One personality conflict became so bad that a girl who felt wronged actually went to a matron with a complaint. The older women quickly took advantage of the situation and used the disputes as justification to whip three concubines. The Grand Duke regretted his decision of appointing Desislava to lead the group and decided to remove her. Desislava continued to be his favorite woman in bed, but she was not suited to be a leader. So, he handed to position to Magdala, a girl who he liked considerably less than Desislava, but one who was smarter and better at handling others. He replaced Magdala with Silvítya as his favorite because of her intellect, but was not sure if she would be as good a leader. Silvítya had no illusions that she could turn her companions into intellectuals and field doctors overnight. She suspected that the concubines were so set in their ways that encouraging them to alter their daily routine in any way would have to be handled with extreme tact. So, she would start out with having her companions read novels. The Royal library included a collection of light reading, which was mostly used by the matrons and some of the guards' wives. It had never occurred to anyone to make that reading available to the concubines. She wanted to make sure the Grand Duke did not have any objections, so she openly asked if the library could provide the "sisters" with some novels and poetry. The sovereign responded that Silvítya, because she already had access, could sign-out novels just as easily as she could sign out the works she used to write her reports. She figured that she'd start by making reading voluntary, then eventually apply group pressure to force any holdouts to start reading. Her plan was to have the concubines discuss and critique novels before eventually moving on to topics such as history and religion, and finally, to medicine. ---------- Two concubines, including a girl who had been in the group before Magdala arrived, became pregnant at the beginning of 1754. That brought the number of women down to seven, the lowest number of concubines in years. The ruler continued to moderate his sexual demands with his current favorite, which meant that only six women were available to satisfy his sexual cravings. The morale of the concubine group deteriorated due to not being able to take turns resting from his rough treatment and constant demands for sex. The ruler's guards looked around the Duchy for possible candidates to resupply the concubine pool. They found four new girls: an indebted guildsman's daughter, a peasant girl who was spotted taking a pair of sheep to market, the illegitimate daughter of a True Believer priest, and a girl seen traveling with her family among a group of refugees. The Grand Duke's men paid silver for the guildsman's daughter and the peasant girl. The True Believer Priest simply handed over his daughter as a way to prevent a scandal within his church. The guards took the refugee girl in exchange allowing her family and their companions to stay in the squalid camp outside the capitol. The matrons processed the four new concubines during the last week of January. They were delighted to have the opportunity to bully and humiliate the young women, especially the peasant girl. Silvítya and Antonia stood shivering on the balcony that overlooked the castle courtyard, watching the matrons yell at and switch the newcomers. Silvítya noted the older women seemed to have become rougher and crueler in their treatment of the new recruits. Silvítya took advantage of the Grand Duke's absence and the arrival of four new women to implement changes in the concubine group. She realized that having four new girls entering the same week gave her the opportunity to change the dynamics of the "sisters" and the small world in which they lived. She decided to keep Magdala's "sister" for addressing the others, even though she found it annoying. However, the idle afternoons sitting in the bath and playing chess were about to end. The spokeswoman was determined that her companions could talk about outside topics, partly because she was hideously bored with the daily routine. The concubines' Path in Life was to sit around and wait to become pregnant, but that didn't mean they couldn't use their time trying to improve their minds. Three of the new girls were literate, so their spokeswoman showed them a stack of novels, told them to select one, and to be ready to discuss it with the group within two weeks. A couple of the other concubines already had started reading fiction, so their leader's plan to start a literature discussion group was about to implemented. ---------- The new peasant girl didn't know how to read, so it would be up to the other women to correct that deficiency. When the others argued they didn't have any experience teaching, Silvítya handed them some children's literacy manuals borrowed from the Grand Duke's library. She tasked Antonia with teaching the peasant girl how to eat with proper etiquette. The guildsman's daughter was the most "typical" newcomer to the concubine group, so she fit in with no problem. She was from Starívktaki Móskt, so Silvítya was able to receive an update on the news from that city. The Senior Priest had become too sick to work and the Temple had to replace him. The scandal over what happened to his son Bagatúrckt had not died down at all. The entire province had immortalized the saga of the sophisticated but flawed young man, a man who had fallen in love with a beautiful temptress and was handed over to the Destroyer. The tragic tale and outlandish descriptions of the beauty of the seductress had become a popular topic of tavern songs and campfire poems. Silvítya thought to herself: well, I guess I won't be returning to Starívktaki Móskt anytime soon... The priest's daughter brought news from Sevérckt nad Gorádki. The True Believers in that city were in crisis. A group of elite families, lead by a young nobleman called Káloyankt, had publicly re-affirmed allegiance to the Grand Duke. They took their oath from a Priest and Priestess from the Great Temple in Danúbikt Móskt, which meant they had officially declared themselves Old Believers. It turned out the True Believers faction of the Danubian Church was about to lose its influence in the entire western half of the Duchy. They had been chased out of Nagorónkti-Serífkti, several leading citizens of Sevérckt nad Gorádki had defected, and no one had any news from the True Believers' other stronghold, Rika Héckt-nemát. Silvítya sat quietly in the bath, staring at the water and lost in thought. Antonia was occupied trying to teach the peasant girl proper table manners, and thus not with her. She was glad to be alone and have the opportunity to reflect on her memories of the Cult of the Ancients and her lovers Káloyankt and Ermin. They had been so different from each other, and her relationship with each was so different. She loved them both...in different ways and for different reasons. She missed them. Ermin was dead, and as far as she was concerned, Káloyankt also was dead. The Káloyankt she had known and shared a winter with no longer existed. He was gone, nothing more than a memory. Silvítya thought about her former lover and pondered how he must have changed over the past 18 months. From the way the priest's daughter had described him, it seemed he had become a leading voice among the town's aristocracy. So...he had indeed found his Path in Life. She tried to imagine Káloyankt, standing in his best clothing, speaking with confidence in the city hall or from a platform in the main plaza, discussing the most important issues of the day and persuading others to follow his decisions. How different he must be from when I knew him. How different. So...Babáckt Yaga was right. It was not my Path in Life to stay with him. I would have prevented him from fulfilling his destiny. I wonder how often he thinks of me...what he remembers... I won't ever see him again. I want Káloyankt to always remember me as I was when I wore my Follower's dress and carried my staff. I don't want him to think about me in any other way. I can be grateful...I guess...that he can't see me now...I certainly wouldn't want him to see me like this...as a concubine... ---------- The fourth new concubine's name was Crysánkta. She was a nervous and jumpy girl, who looked around whenever she heard shouting or loud noises. Crysánkta's family originally lived in the southernmost province of the Duchy, to the southeast of the regional capitol Hórkustk Ris and very close to the Duchy's southern border. Crysánkta brought news from the outside, but it was news of the Duchy's future, not of Silvítya's past. From her reading, Silvítya was aware that the southern province of the Duchy was different from the central and eastern regions because it was not inhabited entirely by ethnic Danubians. Hórkustk Ris was a Danubian city, but the villages to the east and south were a mixture of Danubians and people who had entered from the Ottoman Empire and more recently from the Kingdom of the Moon. Danubian writers generally agreed there was likely to be a crisis in the region and that it was possible the Duchy could lose the province if nothing was done to address the rising number of foreigners. However, until late 1753, talk of a crisis was nothing more than speculation. During the 1740s and 1750s, the Duchy did not share a border with the Ottoman Empire. A Christian rebellion in the northern Ottoman territories of the Balkan Peninsula resulted in the independence of new nation called the Kingdom of the Moon. The Grand Duke's father had welcomed the new Kingdom and even offered to send some troops to help secure its independence. However, the Kingdom's current ruler, the Lord of the Red Moon, had not been friendly to the Duchy. When the old Grand Duke died, the neighboring ruler demanded that the new Danubian Grand Duke swear subservience to the Kingdom, pay tribute, and cede some territory. When the Grand Duke refused to cede territory, the Lord of the Red Moon quickly turned hostile. If the Danubians wouldn't cede the territory he wanted, he'd simply take it. During late 1753, the Kingdom of the Moon sent troops into Hórkustk Ris province to seize villages and drive out ethnic Danubians. Crysánkta's village was invaded at the beginning of December and nearly half of the Danubian civilians living in the area were massacred. The survivors fled, first to Hórkustk Ris, but then Crysánkta's uncle decided to take the surviving members of her family to the capitol. The Grand Duke took an interest in Crysánkta and the information she provided concerning the loss of her village and the deteriorating military situation along the border. He angrily confronted his commanders for not telling him how dire things were the south. Finally, when they failed to convince him things were not as bad as he thought, the ruler decided to see for himself what was going on around Hórkustk Ris. He ordered one of his generals and two Royal Guards to disguise themselves as messengers and accompany him on a scouting trip. The Grand Duke burned with resentment that he had to ride disguised through territory he supposedly controlled. He was gone for a month, which gave the concubines a welcome break from his maniacal sex drive. ---------- Silvítya decided to take initiative with the concubines' duty of posing for portraits. She requested an audience with the castle's two painters to suggest they produce as many pictures as possible while the Grand Duke was absent. She hoped that if the pictures were already painted before the ruler returned, posing for portraits would be one less duty for her and her companions to worry about in the future. Silvítya took it for granted the painters knew the ruler's preferences for art and would create paintings that pleased him. The artists agreed the idea was a good one and were happy to create works according to their own criteria and without worrying about the Grand Duke impatiently awaiting their completion. One of the paintings created that month later became the most famous piece from the Grand Duke's collection. It was a simple image of Silvítya posing with Antonia, in which the artist captured the intimacy between the two women through their expressions. The image remained in the Grand Duke's private study and out of public view throughout his life. It was made known to the public only after his death. While popular among foreign art fans, the picture's portrayal of the concubines' attachment to each other has remained controversial within Danubia. When they were not posing for portraits, the concubines spent their month-long break locked in their assigned area of the castle. Silvítya took advantage of their boredom and seclusion to implement the changes she wanted for the group. Everyone started reading and discussing novels. It was an activity the women enjoyed, so their spokeswoman decided to make them draft written reports to present to the others. It was a chance for the women to place their thoughts on paper and talk about them to a sympathetic audience. Even Antonia, who by then was sufficiently fluent in Danubian to participate, was able to give presentations to her "sisters". Silvítya also began teaching introductory medicine, starting with the basics of childbirth and caring for common illnesses. She was pleasantly surprised when most of her companions displayed interest in what she wanted to teach. She went to the library and brought back the illustrated medical guides that were not locked away with the Followers' books. As she led and instructed, her confidence in herself returned. She could see herself as more than the Grand Duke's sex servant; she was actually training and guiding others. The Girl with No Name Ch. 16 Chapter Sixteen – The Instructor The Grand Duke returned to the castle in a foul mood. During his trip he had discovered that most of Hórkustk Ris province was not under Danubian control at all. The only enclave remaining was the provincial capitol, and the only reason that city was still under the Duchy's control was that the Kingdom of the Moon had not yet sent an army large enough to conquer it. The city was packed with Danubian refugees who had been denied permission to move north, precisely to prevent the people of the capitol from knowing how bad the situation was immediately to the south. There was inadequate food for the crowd and a lot of the people had become sick. The Grand Duke had discovered the awful news that the entire western half of the Duchy was under threat. Hórkustk Ris was the only major Danubian city to the south of Danúbikt Móskt. After that city was taken, there would be nothing standing between the Army of the Moon and the Duchy's people. The Grand Duke rounded up his military advisors and demanded to know why no one had told him about the foreign occupation of Hórkustk Ris province and the plight of tens of thousands of sick refugees. It turned out the advisors had been divided about telling their ruler the truth. Some advisors did want to tell him about Hórkustk Ris as early as the previous summer, but they were overruled by the advisors who were determined to procrastinate. The advisors remained loyal to each other, so the ones who wanted to talk to the Grand Duke about the occupation were stuck in a dilemma. They either had to betray the ruler, or betray their peers. In Danubian culture, betraying one's companions is considered extremely dishonorable, so the more honest advisors' actions were restrained by cultural taboos. The Grand Duke was angry at himself for not realizing his advisors were lying to him. Now that he knew what was going on, he needed to find out why he had been deceived. The ruler summoned the Grand Prophet of the Great Temple to assist his interrogation of his subordinates. With the Prophet present, the advisors would have to lie in front of the leading Clergyman from the Danubian Church if they wanted to continue protecting each other. The presence of the Prophet, coupled with the Grand Duke's insight and ability to extract information through simple conversation forced the full story out of them. He already understood that it was not simple fear or procrastination that had motivated some of his subordinates to cover up the invasion and force their companions to go along with the deception. It turned out that the traitors had made arrangements with the Lord of the Moon to be spared, along with their families and properties, when the Kingdom invaded the Duchy. All they had to do was facilitate the capture of Hórkustk Ris by withholding intelligence and delaying any response from the Danubian Crown. The Grand Duke did not want the public to know that he had been deceived by his own advisors. So, there was no public trial of the traitors, no retaliation against their families, no public spectacle at all. He simply grabbed a long bow and ordered Royal Guards to take the traitors to the execution post. He ordered them tied to the post one-by-one and shocked his spectators by conducting the executions himself. The castle staff, the Royal Guards, and the matrons watched with dumbfounded expressions as their ruler fired five arrows into a traitor, checked to make sure he was dead, ordered the body taken away, and then proceeded with the next execution. Before ordering the bodies taken out of the castle and returned to their relatives, the ruler wrote the following for each household: If you value your lives and the safety of your children, you will not ask why this happened. I assure you my action was justified. Bury your relative, say nothing, and your Path in Life will continue in peace. Disobey my command, and the Destroyer will visit you. The choice is yours. The Grand Duke of the Duchy of Upper Danubia ---------- From their balcony the concubines watched their master killing his subordinates. They were terrified, because they did not yet know what was going on and assumed the sovereign had gone mad. His behavior over the next several days did not reassure them. He vented his anger and fear through sex and copulated with the eleven women as though he were possessed. He did not spare the group's spokeswoman: she had to join her companions in the Royal bed-chamber and endure his rough treatment. After spending a week calming his nerves with his women, the ruler re-emerged, determined to meet the impending threat coming from the south. He had several months to prepare for the upcoming military campaign, because during the 18th Century it was very difficult for any country to invade any other country during the winter. Large-scale military operations usually took place in the summer, when it was easier for invading armies to live off the land. The Grand Duke replaced his executed advisors with field commanders from the Royal Army. He ordered the commanders to familiarize themselves with standard military strategies and drills commonly used in Europe at the time. He did not plan to emulate those strategies, but needed to know how to counter them. The Danubian Royal Army, especially the cavalry, would have to adapt to fighting on open ground and abandon the traditional strategy of using forested areas for concealment and protection. The most significant decision facing the Grand Duke was his country's reliance on crossbows. The crossbow had served the Duchy admirably over the past several centuries, but it was an archaic weapon suited for guerrilla skirmishes and silent raids. It was not a weapon suited for confronting a large modern enemy army on open ground. Like it or not, the Grand Duke's army, or at least many of its troops, would have to switch over to using muskets. The Danubian ruler wrote to a Vienna arms dealer to speed up the purchase of modern muskets. He cringed at the cost of the cumbersome weapons and their ammunition, but he had no choice. ---------- Most rulers would have despaired knowing what the Grand Duke and his Army was up against, but the Danubian ruler's personality was not prone to despair. He knew that, no matter how bad the situation facing him might be, he still had some decisions to make and options available. None of the choices were very good ones, but they were choices nonetheless. Besides, not all of the news coming from the south was bad. The Kingdom of the Moon did have some significant weaknesses that could, under the right circumstances, work in favor of the Duchy. The most important potential vulnerability was a rival heir contesting the throne. Just a few years before, the Kingdom of the Moon had been ruled by two brothers who, while both were still alive, got along and made a very effective team. After-all, they had maintained their independence from the Ottoman Empire and even managed to annex some additional Ottoman lands. Trouble began, however, when one of the brothers died and the surviving brother made his son, the Lord of the Red Moon, the heir of the throne. His cousin, who called himself the Lord of the Blue Moon, opposed the arrangement and had the support of several nobles. Under current conditions, there was no way the Lord of the Blue Moon could openly confront the ruler, but if the Lord of the Red Moon's forces suffered some defeats, it was possible the situation to the south could change. The Grand Duke considered the news of the rival heir important. He did not plan to make an alliance with the Lord of the Blue Moon, but the prospect of a civil war in the Kingdom of the Moon, should the Lord of the Red Moon's forces be weakened, would play into his plans if he could win some battles on Danubian territory. The Danubian ruler did not harbor any illusions his Army could possibly match the Kingdom of the Moon's army in a traditional battle on open ground. The only hope of winning a fight with the enemy would be to combine modern and traditional Danubian tactics, which would entail luring the invaders into a location favorable to the Danubians. How many such locations were there in Hórkustk Ris Province? Well, in the past there would have been plenty. During the reign of King Vladik the Defender, the area was heavily forested, allowing the last Danubian King to fight the Ottomans using guerrilla tactics. For a century after the King's victories, the trees remained as the Duchy's most important line of defense. However, settlers, both Danubian and foreign, had since cut down most of the forest, leaving only a narrow strip between the capitol and Hórkustk Ris. Now the only feature marking the official southern border was a small river and a low-lying range of hills. The hills were still partially forested, but the land immediately to the north was not. The Grand Duke studied maps and pondered from where his army could launch raids. He found very few suitable locations, of which most were away from the main road leading though Hórkustk Ris and thus could be bypassed very easily. Still, there were some possibilities, including some areas along the East Danube River, or possibly the city of Hórkustk Ris itself. However, for any such plan to work the Grand Duke had to have a full understanding of his enemies and the way command decisions were implemented in the Kingdom of the Moon. Fortunately for the Duchy, the Danubian Grand Duke had an excellent network of informants that had been established by his father. A couple of his spies had direct access to the Lord of the Red Moon and two of his top generals. The Danubian ruler was interested in the Kingdom's battle tactics, equipment, and troop strength, but he was even more interested in understanding the thinking and psychology of his enemies. He knew from the beginning the only hope he had of winning the upcoming war would be to find out about any psychological vulnerabilities of the enemy leaders and try to outsmart them. The Kingdom of the Moon had an excellent army and cavalry. They were seasoned veterans that had humiliated the Sultan's army over the past two decades, men who were proud, competent, and well-trained. They totally disdained their opponents and enjoyed killing and torturing "inferior" prisoners. They had done some horrible things to Turkish captives, so it was safe to assume if they ever seized control of the Duchy, its people would suffer tremendously. The Army of the Kingdom of the Moon had never suffered a defeat, so they were confident to a fault. The Army of the Moon's tactics usually focused on charging into an enemy's position with massive force to overwhelm any opposition, following an initial artillery barrage. Much of the strategy relied on speed and terror. The strategy had been employed against Ottoman and rival lords' cities, forts, castles, and hilltop positions over the past two decades. It had always worked, so it was predictable. As the Grand Duke and his commanders studied battle after battle won by the Army of the Moon, the over-all pattern of the fighting was always the same: the artillery barrage, the overwhelming charge, and then atrocities against the conquered. The Danubian leader pondered his enemy's strategy: always the same... predictable... overwhelming force... terror... confidence... and maybe... over-confidence? There was another clue provided by an informant as he repeated a couple of jokes and mocking comments made by the Lord of the Red Moon to his commanders about the Duchy's towns and the fact most Danubian settlements still had city walls. The Lord of the Red Moon had mentioned how much fun it would be to blast away every city wall in the Duchy, for the cowardly Danubians to watch in terror as their medieval defenses fell, and give them time to think about their fates before they were slaughtered. The Grand Duke fully understood that his enemy was planning genocide against the Danubian people. The Lord of the Red Moon viewed the inhabitants of the Duchy as inferior and as illegitimate occupiers of land he needed for the great Kingdom he was putting together. Only "great countries" had the right to exist in Europe and the Duchy was not a "great country". So...it needed to be obliterated. The Grand Duke knew that any effort to counter an invasion from the south had only one chance of succeeding. The Danubians absolutely had to win their first battle. If they did not, there would be no opportunity to withdraw and fight a second battle: they would be overwhelmed. Everything the Grand Duke had read or heard about the Lord of the Red Moon indicated his army would come to any location the Danubians chose to defend, with the expectation of overrunning their positions and inflicting a crushing defeat. That knowledge gave the Danubian ruler a critical advantage: he could choose any location he wanted for his army to make its stand. So...the question would be: where to fight that critical battle? What location in Hórkustk Ris province would give the Danubians their greatest advantage? ---------- Silvítya spent much of March kneeling by the Grand Duke's side at his throne, cringing as he ran his fingers through her hair. He spent day after day talking to his military commanders about the Duchy's preparations. He also spent hours with councilmen from villages that had been attacked and over-run by the Kingdom of the Moon, with the hope of gathering additional information about the Kingdom and how its army operated. In spite of the uncomfortable posture and humiliating situation she had to endure, she carefully listened to everything being said. No one was bothered by her presence: she was just a naked concubine and certainly could pose no threat. Whenever she had any free time at all, Silvítya perused the Royal Library's books and maps to fully understand what was going on to the south. She quickly realized the Duchy was in very grave danger. At first she wondered about trying to escape the castle with Antonia and fleeing north, but she knew that her Path in Life was not to live as a refugee from a defeated country. She was a Danubian, sworn to serve the Duchy and its ruler, whether she liked him or not. Fítoreckt's final words came back to haunt her thoughts: "That is not to say the Ancients will not call upon you to serve. I firmly believe they will, but the manner in which you serve will be different from what your Mistress and I envisioned. Be patient and continue learning. Perhaps you will find yourself in a position to temper and influence the actions and decisions of our nation's leader. How many of us can make such a claim?" The next time the Grand Duke called his favorite concubine to his bed-chamber, the Grand Duke forced her to have sex by forcing her to assume the submissive posture and taking her from behind. He conducted his usual routine of fingering her anus and silently threatening to sodomize her, but as usual, did not carry out that threat. She bathed him and allowed him to fondle her scalp. The humiliating treatment would make what she had to do much harder, but she forced herself to speak: "Your Majesty, your humble serving girl wishes to know if you need her to do anything to assist or prepare for the Duchy's defense." At first the Grand Duke was surprised by the question. It meant she had been paying attention to the conversations...but...what was he thinking? Of course she had been paying attention. This girl is different from the others...smarter and more aware of her surroundings. Indeed, she can be of use to me. "You mentioned training your companions in medicine, is that not so, my favorite minx?" "Yes, Your Majesty, that is so." "That training is no longer optional. You will teach your companions to become field doctors. I will see about sending some of the castle's other women to you. Write down an instruction plan and tell me what supplies you will need." "Your humble serving girl will need some of the books from the Followers' collection, Your Majesty, along with parchment and ink. Your humble serving girl will need alchemy ingredients and medical instruments. Your humble serving girl will need some dead bodies, and later she will need some live pigs for practices and a person willing to injure them." "Yes. I will supply you with what you need. Train your sisters. Tell them that anyone who fails to learn will face the switch and the pillory. A motivated student is an attentive student, is that not so?" "Yes, Your Majesty, that is so." ---------- The Grand Duke tasked one of his most trusted soldiers to help Silvítya gather what she would need to train the castle women as field doctors. The man was Protector Alexándrekt Buláshckt, the Royal Guard responsible for bringing her to the castle the previous summer. She felt apprehensive having to face him after the rough and condescending treatment she had endured during the first day she was with him. However, she hoped to find out what happened to her bucket and to have a source of news from the outside. She expected him to treat her in the same rude manner he had treated her before. However, Protector Buláshckt seemed completely different, addressing her with courtesy and speaking to her in a normal manner. She told him what she needed and what the items were for. He sent for a couple of horses and told her she'd be leaving the castle with him. While they waited, the concubine and the Protector discussed medicine at length, including emergency field operations. He was impressed with her knowledge upon hearing about some of the operations she performed during the summer of 1752. He was even more impressed to learn she had been a Follower of the Ancients. She was not the ignorant peasant girl that he imagined when she was taken into custody. He did something no one had ever done in her life: he apologized, asking her pardon for calling her an "idiot" and a "dumb peasant girl" the previous year. She was surprised, because no one ever apologized to her about anything. When the horses were ready, one of the castle matrons brought a red scarf and wrapped Silvítya's hair. Although concubines were not allowed to braid their hair, it would not be acceptable to have one of the Grand Duke's women wandering outside the castle with her hair loose. The red scarf also protected her by identifying her as a concubine and therefore as property of the Grand Duke. The matron also handed over a pair of red shoes to protect her feet. Silvítya would go out with her head covered and her feet protected, but otherwise would remain naked. The day was overcast and chilly, but to a young woman who was used to being naked, the temperature was bearable. She ignored the chill, happy to have the chance to see something besides the interior of the castle. She followed her escort to the main city market and to several alchemy shops to search for potion ingredients and other medical supplies, such as metal instruments and wood for splints. She selected several small pigs that would be used for live practices. Protector Buláshckt paid the seller to take them to the castle. Everywhere she went in the city, Silvítya had to endure the stares of everyone around her. She was not in any physical danger, but her red scarf and uncovered body subjected her to curious glances from the women and lustful stares from the men and boys. Her escort took the shortest routes possible and tried to move quickly to minimize the time she had to spend outside, but several thousand residents saw the naked concubine as she rode through the narrow streets and walked around the marketplaces. It seemed that every one of her spectators had to stare at her. She never imagined she'd actually be glad to return to the castle, but after being gawked at all day she was really looking forward to getting back. The Girl with No Name Ch. 16 The final stop was at the Temple of the Ancients, where she would have to go to obtain cadavers. Purchasing the bodies would not be difficult: there were plenty of destitute refugee families living outside the capitol who were unable to give their dead relatives proper burials. Many desperate families would be happy to release their relatives' corpses in exchange for having money to buy food for several weeks. Silvítya approached a Priest, who told her to kneel and wait until an Apprentice could deal with her request. After several minutes of kneeling with her face to the ground and being forced to completely expose herself to Protector Buláshckt, a pair of female Temple Apprentices dressed in ragged black seminary robes approached to take her request. By very unfortunate coincidence one of the women had been one of her fellow initiates during her year in Babáckt Yaga's settlement. Silvítya's former companion was totally shocked to see her in the capitol and wearing, of all things, a concubine's scarf. The former Followers badly wanted to catch up on each other's news, but Silvítya's embarrassing predicament prevented them from having any meaningful conversation. Silvítya explained about purchasing cadavers and having them delivered to the castle. The Apprentice wrote down the request. They were about to part ways when she commented: "Follower Danka...I need to ask...what...I mean...what happened to you? How did you enter His Majesty's service...as a concubine?" Tears welled up in Silvítya's eyes, but she forced herself to respond: "Hubris, Apprentice. My soul was full of hubris and the Ancients chose to punish me. Things like this happen when hubris makes a person stupid and that person acts on her stupidity. I was a fool, with my head full of pride and foolish thoughts. If you knew what I was thinking at the time my Path in Life crossed with that of His Majesty, you would agree the punishment the Ancients gave me was just." ---------- Silvítya set up a make-shift medical school in an empty Royal Guard barracks located in the city at the base of the hill where the castle was located. The location forced the concubines to leave the castle each day. The classes started at the beginning of April. Fortunately, spring that year had come early to the Duchy, so the weather was warm enough for the women to walk down the hill in relative comfort. They put on their red scarves and shoes and, under the escort of Protector Buláshckt and one of his squad members, cheerfully made the trek. Although their days no longer were spent in idle relaxation, they enjoyed the walks and the chance to get away from the confines of the castle. It was nice to have the chance to exercise and see the East Danube River and a portion of the city. The Grand Duke originally had planned for the concubines to conduct their medical training inside the castle, but Silvítya reminded him about the cadavers and pigs. She persuaded him to move the teaching venue when she asked: "You humble serving girl wishes to know of Your Majesty truly wants dead bodies and screaming pigs inside the Royal Household. Perhaps Your Majesty would prefer a different location?" The concubines already had received some medical training from their spokeswoman, but it was mostly related to women's healthcare, potion-making, and disease prevention. The women now would receive training that would be totally different: treating injuries. On the first day Silvítya started the lesson by killing and dissecting a pig. The cadavers had not yet arrived, and the spokeswoman figured it would be less traumatic for her class to be used to looking at dead animals before having to deal with looking at dead humans. Silvítya wondered about the castle doctors. The Royal Household did have several doctors, but none of them had come to the class to assist with the teaching or monitor what was going on. It turned out the Grand Duke had sent the rest of his medical staff to be with his troops while they were training. There was another reason no castle doctors were present: the Grand Duke wanted the women trained according to the practices of the Followers of the Ancients, with no interference from his staff, whose training had been very different. On the second day of class, the concubines were joined by six wives of Royal Guards. The six newcomers totally ruined the day for the instructor by assuming they were superior to their naked instructor and ten naked classmates. No...that would not do. Silvítya would have to remove them from the class or force them to behave if she were to teach. The sovereign's solution was simple: the wives would have to strip before leaving the castle and accompany the concubines as they walked in the nude down the hill. The wives would spend the entire day as naked as their classmates. The Grand Duke added two more rules to make sure there was no more friction among the students. Any student, whether she was a concubine or castle wife, would have to kneel when talking to the instructor. Also, the instructor would carry a leather switch and had the Grand Duke's explicit authority to use it on any student causing trouble or failing to perform. The six wives were aghast the next morning when Protector Buláshckt ordered them to undress, while Silvítya tapped the switch in her hand. Their pride and arrogance vanished immediately. They huddled together and walked very slowly down the hill. Silvítya realized she had the chance to exercise her authority by demanding they uncover themselves and walk normally. After several warnings, she ordered the worst offender to place her hands on a fence. When the woman desperately looked at Protector Buláshckt, he responded: "You heard His Majesty's orders, just as well as I did. You are commanded to obey your instructor. Disobedience merits the switch. What part of that can't you comprehend? Now, you will place your hands on the fence and accept punishment. If you don't, I will report your disobedience to His Majesty and he will deal with you directly." The woman started to cry, but she reluctantly placed her hands on the fence and stuck out her bottom. Silvítya struck a hard blow across both sides. The woman shrieked and pulled away, holding her injured backside with her hands. Protector Buláshckt pulled out his sword. "Hands on the fence, bottom out. Quit dishonoring yourself with your cowardice." Silvítya delivered four additional hard strokes. The wife shrieked and pulled away with each new welt, only to face the Royal Guard's sword and a warning to resume her position. After the fifth stroke, Silvítya ordered all six wives to kneel and concluded with: "Now, you've heard your orders and you will comply with them. You will continue walking, at a normal pace, with a normal posture, and with your hands at your sides. You might as well pretend you're concubines, because as long as you are with me, you are no better than any of your classmates. Remember, if you had just treated us with respect yesterday, none of this would be happening to you." Silvítya could tell that Protector Buláshckt and his squad member were thoroughly enjoying the spectacle. They knew the arrogant wives and relished the sight of them being humbled by, of all people, a concubine. ---------- Silvítya realized that she had a gift for explaining things such as complicated medical procedures and operations. Her peasant background assisted her, because she felt much more comfortable demonstrating with her hands instead of just talking and pointing to pictures in her medical texts. Every lesson revolved around hands-on practice with cadavers or injured pigs; from the very first day the women were expected to get their hands dirty. The instructor had proven her willingness to use the switch with the Guards' wives. Knowing that they would have no recourse if they misbehaved, none of the visiting women dared test their instructor again. They were afraid of Silvítya, but all they had to do was follow her instructions to the best of their ability and nothing would happen to them. Oddly, the next woman in the group to face the switch was Antonia. Silvítya's lover did not understand that when she was instructing, the personal relationship they shared was irrelevant. Antonia had to learn field surgery just as much as any other student, but Silvítya could tell that she was taking the class for granted and not paying attention to the careful calculations needed to administer anesthesia. When it was her turn to anesthetize and operate on a pig that had been shot with two arrows and had a broken leg, Antonia totally botched the assignment. The pig died from an overdose because Antonia had improperly prepared the formulas for both the general anesthesia and the local pain-killer. Silvítya was furious, partly because a pig had been wasted and partly because by slacking off, Antonia was inadvertently challenging her authority. She ordered her student to bend over the instruction table. At first Antonia was bewildered by the command; not yet realizing the instructor was dead serious. "If that pig had been a Royal Guard, what would have happened, Sister Antonia? What would have happened?" "Well...uh...Sister...I would have been more careful...but it was just a pig..." "It was practice for reality! It was not 'just a pig'! I can tolerate mistakes...those happen! But I will not tolerate a person who dishonors herself through negligence! That I will not tolerate! You will suffer the consequences of your negligence, you will learn from your dishonor, you will try the operation again, and the next time you will succeed! And now, you will suffer the consequences! Bend over the table, with your bottom facing the class. Hold the edge with your hands..." "Sister Silvítya...seriously...you can't..." "Oh...you think I can't? I believe I can, because His Majesty clearly gave me the authority to discipline you. And so...what makes you special, Sister Antonia?" Antonia's expression reflected total shock and hurt at the instructor's last comment. Her eyes met Silvítya's, silently begging to be let off. You know what makes me special, she plead with her look. I love you. Doesn't that matter? Silvítya tapped the table with her switch. No, it does not matter, she silently replied with her unyielding expression. You love me at night. You are my student during the day. You're no different than anyone else. "You're already facing 15 strokes for incompetence, inattention, and disobedience, Sister Antonia. If I need to tie you, I will make it 25. Do as I say. Bend over and hold the edge." Silvítya banged the table with her switch. Tears welled up in Antonia's eyes. She couldn't believe the person she most loved could do this to her. Trembling, she bent over the table, with her face towards the wall and her bottom in clear view of 15 classmates and two Royal Guards. Silvítya faced her task with very conflicted thoughts. She was furious about the wasted pig, but even more angry that Antonia had placed her in such a difficult situation. Everyone knew that Antonia was the person closest to Silvítya. Therefore, the students, especially the six military wives, were carefully watching to see how their instructor would handle her. Silvítya knew she would have to be harsh with her lover if she wanted the others to take her seriously. It was an opportunity to make everyone, including Antonia, understand she was not about to show any favoritism. Silvítya also knew her relationship with Antonia would be forever changed. Until that moment, there had been nothing but tenderness between the two women. Silvítya knew that Antonia would be devastated for days, and that it was very possible the relationship would end. Silvítya did not want to lose her lover, but she couldn't jeopardize her standing with the Grand Duke or her class. Silvítya felt something else as she rubbed the switch over her lover's trembling bottom. She was aroused. She very surprised and felt guilty about it, but she realized she was becoming wet between her legs. Silvítya struck hard with a severe blow that was even more severe than the first stroke she gave to the guard's wife. Antonia cried out from the shock of the blow. Her hands immediately covered her injured bottom. Silvítya shouted: "Lie down, Sister Antonia, and do not try covering yourself again! If you dare disobey me a second time, I will hit you 25 times. Now, is that what you want?" Antonia sobbed: "No Sister." "The lie down. Face forward, hands on the table, feet on the floor, legs spread. DO IT!" Shaking with fear, hurt, and humiliation, Antonia complied. She sobbed throughout the rest of the punishment, but did not dare move. Silvítya struck, waited for each welt to rise so she could clearly see it and avoid crossing it, and struck again. Although she was not used to wielding the switch, she had witnessed enough punishments in Sebérnekt Ris to know how they needed to be carried out. After finishing with the 15th stroke, the instructor ordered Antonia to stand in front of the class, with her hands on the wall and her back arched to display the darkening welts on her punished bottom. The girl's body shook with sobs. Fortunately, she did not have to stay in that position for very long, because the day was almost over. Silvítya ordered the other students to clean the room and carve up the dead pig so the meat could be delivered to the castle's main kitchen. As they went about their duties, the students constantly glanced at Antonia's trembling bottom, watching as the welts grew darker. Antonia's face was still streaked with tears as the group trudged up the hill towards the castle. When the concubines bathed for the night, Antonia sat silently in the water, soaking her injured bottom. Silvítya did not approach her, but some of the other women tried to comfort her. Silvítya slept alone that night. Antonia slept in her own bed. Antonia did not speak to Silvítya for three days. During that time she practiced preparing anesthesia and making sure the measurements were correct. When Silvítya felt she was ready for another hands-on test, she managed to sedate and successfully operate on the injured pig. The second animal survived its ordeal. That night, Antonia shyly returned to Silvítya's bedchamber. She didn't say anything, but she allowed Silvítya to take her in her arms and comfort her in bed. Silvítya sat on her bed and pulled Antonia over her thighs so she could gently caress the bruises and massage her still-tender backside. Antonia greatly enjoyed lying across her lover's lap with her hand gently caressing her bottom. The submissive position became part of their nightly routine: Antonia lying across Silvítya's lap and enjoying having her bottom gently traced with her lover's fingertips and massaged. Silvítya enjoyed the new routine as well. As much as punishing Antonia had excited her, she hoped she'd never have to mark those lovely bottom-cheeks a second time. The two women never spoke about the discipline incident. On the surface it appeared their relationship had returned to normal. However, Antonia's personality changed: she became quieter and even more submissive than she had been before. During their remaining time together, she was careful to obey Silvítya and comply with anything she wanted. Silvítya realized she could have converted Antonia into her personal servant had she so desired. She wanted to talk to her lover about the switching, but that conversation never happened. ---------- Throughout the late spring, the Grand Duke kept Silvítya in his bed chamber to share his bath, after he had satisfied himself with his other concubines and she had finished her medical instruction for the day. He spent countless hours with his favorite servant, talking about the Duchy's military dilemma and possible options. He really was not talking to her at all: he was just thinking out loud and needed another person in the room; one who was presumably harmless, to allow his mind to work through the thinking process. It indeed was true that she would never do anything to counter his plans or betray him. She was his subject after-all but, more importantly, she was a Danubian who wanted her nation and her people to survive. It sounded like the Lord of the Red Moon was a very frightening enemy. It was unlikely anyone in the castle, not even the concubines, would be spared if the Army of the Moon took over Danúbikt Móskt. She would do whatever she could to assist her ruler. As flawed a man as he might be, the Grand Duke was the Duchy's only hope for surviving the looming crisis. About two weeks after she punished Antonia, Silvítya spent a normal evening with the Grand Duke, first satisfying him sexually in the company of two other concubines, and then sitting alone with him in his bath. She massaged his back and legs. He became hard and ordered her to bend over the side of the bath so he could take her from behind. Then she dried him off and he took her to his bed so she could give him a final massage for the night. The ruler was not able to relax. He suddenly sat up and turned to his servant: "I have a question and you will answer. When you fled from the mountains and went to Sebérnekt Ris, what exactly happened to the Followers' settlement? I understand that it exploded, at a great cost to the True Believers I believe, but I need to know the details of how that happened. How exactly did the settlement explode? How did your Elders prepare for it?" Silvítya told her master what she knew, which was frustratingly little. She believed there must have been a series of tubes connecting holes in the ground with hollowed-out spaces in the buildings that contained musket powder. The Grand Duke countered that musket powder could not have made such violent explosions: it had to be something else, or at least special musket powder that had somehow been altered to produce an enhanced detonation. "I am commanding you to figure out how those explosions were created. I have settled on a plan to defend the Duchy, but that plan depends on you finding out how your Elders managed to create those blasts. I will give you free access to the papers I've taken from the Cult and anything else you need, but you absolutely have to find that formula and replicate it. And the fuses as well. I need to know how those fuses were created. Your life depends on it. The Duchy's life depends on it. And if you need further convincing, you might consider what the Lord of the Red Moon would do to Servant Antonia, if he ever gets his hands on her." Silvítya felt sick to her stomach. So, the Grand Duke did know about her relationship with Antonia. However, that didn't matter. What mattered was he had touched on the one person Silvítya would do anything to protect. He couldn't have chosen a better way to motivate her to figure out the mystery of the Followers' explosive powder and how to replicate it. "Yes, Your Majesty. To hear is to obey." Silvítya spent an entire afternoon of frantic searching in the secret annex of the Royal Library. She suspected the formula would be written in archaic Danubian in Babáckt Yaga's coded script, which narrowed her quest considerably. Sure enough, after sunset she found what she was looking for, a diagram of the settlement with coded images of the fuse lines. A few minutes later she found the formula for making the fuses and waterproofing them. She later found several versions of the explosives recipe, all written in archaic Danubian. She realized the variations were designed to focus blasts depending on where they were located and what needed to be blown up. Although she already had what she needed, she continued searching to see if there was anything else that could be useful to the Royal Army. She was rewarded by finding the recipe for making the Followers' explosive goose eggs. The Girl with No Name Ch. 16 Silvítya spent the next several days in the Grand Duke's study, dictating Babáckt Yaga's coded script into modern Danubian while he wrote down the formulas in his own hand. Unknowingly, she was providing him with yet more inventions he would eventually claim credit for. Upon assuring himself the formulas were accurate and would provide the explosions he needed, he would burn Babáckt Yaga's texts and retain only what was in his handwriting. Even in an hour of grave danger, the ruler's thoughts never strayed from shameless plagiarism. ---------- The Royal Army of the Grand Duchy of Upper Danubia was at full strength by the middle of May. The Austrian muskets had arrived, so the men spent countless hours practicing with their new weapons. The cavalry units rode around the countryside to the east of the capitol practicing maneuvers and leading enemy horsemen into ambushes and traps. Meanwhile, traditional archers with crossbows practiced around the buildings of the capitol, which was something the men thought was very strange. Wouldn't it make more sense to go into the forest and practice there, since that was the place from which the Duchy had always been defended? The Grand Duke vanished for a couple of days with several alchemists and explosives experts. There were a series of very loud explosions that terrorized local villagers and could be heard as muffled booms in the capitol. The ruler returned, satisfied that his experimental new explosives and ingenious fuses had worked exactly as he had hoped. His chemists immediately set to work creating wagons-full of the new explosives, countless fathoms of fuse line, and large containers shaped like bowls. The mood of the troops improved when rumors spread that the Grand Duke had invented a secret weapon and was planning to use it in the upcoming campaign. One of the Grand Duke's final tasks before starting the campaign was to pick his most trusted medical team. Yes, he had the castle medics and field doctors, but now he also had 17 women with knowledge of the practices of the Followers of the Ancients. He decided to split the women. The majority of the concubines would stay behind in the castle to take care of any needs arising in the Royal Household, while four military wives and three concubines would accompany the Royal Army. His favorite concubine would lead the group. Fortunately for Silvítya's peace of mind, Antonia was among those remaining behind at the castle. ---------- The Grand Duke and his top generals received blessings from the Grand Prophet of the Danubian Church in the Great Temple of the Ancients on the final day of May in 1754. Silvítya and her two fellow concubines were among the Royal entourage, dressed in lavender dresses and wearing the red headscarves that marked them as the Grand Duke's women. It felt strange to be wearing clothing again after having spent nearly a year in the nude. It was also strange to watch the Grand Duke kneeling to receive a benediction. She knew he was not the least bit religious, but he had to put on a performance to satisfy his soldiers and the people of the capitol. Immediately after the blessing, the Duke's men would start their journey south. Many of the men, perhaps most of them, perhaps all of them, would never see the capitol again. The Grand Duke had received information the Lord of the Red Moon had assembled his army and was preparing to move northward. The enemy had received assurances from other European countries that no one would send aid to the Duchy. Throughout the rest of Europe, rulers and advisors had written-off the Grand Duchy of Upper Danubia. Within a few weeks the country would cease to exist and the rest of Europe could move forward with grand international plans to attack the Ottoman Empire. The Duchy was looked upon as a stone in the road that needed to be kicked aside. The Grand Duke had to give a speech: everyone expected that from him. However, he did not want the world to remember him for bombastic words of victory, should that victory elude him. He gave a very short statement: "Today we march: tomorrow we will discover where our Paths in Life will lead us, and how much longer our Paths will continue. I do not know our fate, anymore than any other soul in this city would know our fate. We will either lose and die by our enemy's hand, or we will win and return. The Creator and the Ancients will make that decision." The Grand Duke looked around at his subjects and concluded: "I will not see any of you again if we are not victorious. My Path in Life is the same as the Duchy's Path in Life. Without the Duchy and the men who are defending it, I am nothing. I will show my face to this city only when I think the Duchy's fate is secure. So...for those of you who remain behind, I ask that you pray for us, and you pray that I, and the men standing with me, will once again see our fair land. When that moment comes, it will be a happy one for all of us." There was no cheering, because the Duchy's citizens knew how serious their situation had become. Instead, as the Grand Duke and his entourage departed, the entire city sang an ancient ballad of farewell. It was the same song the residents of the capitol sang in 1531, when King Vladik the Defender left the city for the last time in his life, to fight his final battle against the invading Ottomans. The Girl with No Name Ch. 17 Chapter Seventeen – The Battle of Hórkustk Ris The Grand Duke and his entourage left the capitol and crossed the Rika Chorna river in a fleet of ferries. He commented to his commanders that, if he survived the upcoming war, he'd have to build a bridge to span the river closer to the capitol. It was ridiculous to have to cross like this, in boats like common cargo. The Danubian Royal Army already was encamped on the south bank, opposite the city. As soon as the sovereign showed up, the men began their trek southwards. There were 9,000 fighting men, plus another 2,000 wagon drivers, cooks, medics, and scouts. All of the men wore colorful ceremonial tunics with embroidered griffins as they departed the capitol. The scouts rode ahead, followed by the light cavalry and archers. The musketeers marched in the center, with the cannon crews and supply trains bringing up the rear. As they marched out of the capitol in their colorful new tunics, they made an impressive sight. Thousands of women, children, older people, and refugees watched as they left, heartened by seeing the uniforms and the soldier's new muskets. Silvítya and her companions rode with the other medics, dressed in the traditional gray dresses of regular female servants of the Crown. The concubines wore their traditional red scarves, but underneath the scarves their hair was braided. It was very nice to be "decent" by Danubian standards, after spending nearly a year with her hair freakishly and indecently loose. The handful of medical women contrasted with a formation that otherwise was all male. They did not ride with their sovereign, who instead was riding with his commanders, but he kept them within his sight at all times. Silvítya and her companions knew that their ruler had brought them for two reasons. Yes, they would be needed as medics, but the Grand Duke also needed to have women for sex. He could have ordered his troops to bring him peasant girls captured from nearby villages, but he did not want to waste his soldiers' time on such matters, nor do anything to anger or demoralize local citizens. It was just easier to bring some concubines from the castle, in spite of the risk he was forcing them to assume by taking them into a war zone. ---------- In spite of his army's new muskets and careful planning, Silvítya could tell that the Grand Duke was extremely worried. The sovereign did not expect to be attacked in the woods, but his force would have been ready had that happened. The archers immediately would vanish into the forest to cover the light cavalry or the musketeers, who would either charge or pull back and lead the enemy into a trap, depending on how the attack played out. However, because the Danubians were such skilled forest fighters and deadly archers, it would have been extremely foolish for any enemy, even the army of the Kingdom of the Moon, to challenge them in the forest. The Danubians' disadvantage would begin the moment they stepped out into the cleared lands of surrounding Hórkustk Ris. 9,000 men may have seemed like a lot for handling any problem to a Danubian inexperienced with the outside world, but a 9,000-man army was a paltry force for Europe at that time. The Danubian monarch knew that there was not a chance his army could survive a pitched battle against an enemy capable of fielding four times the number of troops and guns. Silvítya knew that the Grand Duke had planned to lead the Lord of the Red Moon's soldiers into a trap that would involve explosives created from the recipes she had divulged to him a few weeks before. The strategy was risky, because the enemy would have to be lured into a small area that had previously been prepared. If the enemy ended up anywhere other than the precise location where the explosives had been laid, the plan would not work. Yes, if monarch was able to successfully carry out his plans, the Danubians had a good chance of winning the crucial initial battle. However, to win that first fight, and the rest of the war for that matter, everything had to go right. How often in life does everything go right? ---------- As soon as the troops were only a half-day's march south of Danubkt Moskt, the ruler ordered them to stop. He ordered all of his men to take off their colorful ceremonial tunics and passed out ones that were dull brown. The Danubian griffin was embroidered on the new tunics, but with brown thread that was only a shade darker than the background. The soldiers suddenly became very drab, but also much less visible from a distance. There was another set of uniforms to be passed out: clothing that was colored like the uniforms of the Army of the Red Moon. The men muttered among themselves. They were Danubians. Why were they assuming the dishonor of dressing like the enemy? The Grand Duke knew the men would object and was ready. He climbed onto a wagon and addressed those who could hear him. He explained the purpose of the clothing; that it was part of a carefully laid-out plan to defeat an enemy boasting a much larger force. He challenged their notion of "honor". In war the only "honor" was doing what was necessary to safeguard the country. He concluded: "Today, we march to defend Danubia! If we succeed in re-taking our lands, that will be our honor! If we die and our families are killed, that is our dishonor! The great King Vladik understood that! I understand that! I also understand that, as your ruler, what will honor me is not just saving our land, but also keeping as many of you alive as possible! You are not marching to die for Danubia! You are marching to kill for Danubia! You will obey me, you will kill, and you will return to your wives before the first snow! For me, that is the only honor! The rest is dishonor!" Reluctantly at first, but then with more enthusiasm, the troops cheered their leader. The disguises were only the beginning. They did not yet know to what extent the Grand Duke was willing to force them to do "dishonorable" things in the name of defending Hórkustk Ris. ---------- The march through the woods was alarmingly short. The large stretches of forest that had defended the Duchy for centuries had been greatly reduced over the past 200 years. When they emerged into the southern province, it was obvious the time the Danubians could hide among the trees and wear down enemies with guerrilla warfare had ended. The forest was no longer large enough for hidden archers to hold back a determined enemy. Now the country would have to be defended in a more traditional manner. As soon as they were in the open, Silvítya could see that Hórkustk Ris province was not at all like the rest of Danubia. The area was mostly treeless, the architecture was different, and, more importantly, as the army moved further south, the people became different. The Danubian Royal Army passed through one village in which the majority of the inhabitants were not even Danubian. The foreigners stared at the Duke's army with fear and hostility. The Grand Duke got a much warmer reception when his army reached Hórkustk Ris. The city was still under Danubian control, but the place was chaotic and crowded with refugees. Not wanting to risk having disease wipe out his men before they even got a chance to fight, the Grand Duke ordered the majority of the army to set up camp away from the city until he had a chance to dispose of the refugees. The Duke, accompanied by the three concubines and his generals, entered the city. They were met by the mayor of Hórkustk Ris and the captain of the city's guard. Under escort, the group made their way to the old castle, where they would be hosted until further notice. Silvítya could tell that not long before the city had been attractive, but now was very run down. Silvítya and the other concubines were ordered to strip, bathe, dress in their lavender concubine gowns, and await the return of the Duke. While the military wives were treated to a more traditional dinner, the three concubines were forced to nervously wait in a study for their master to return. The castle women crowded around, staring at the newcomers and talking about them as though they were three strange animals. Protector Buláshckt showed up to take charge of the Duke's women, ordering them to set up their medical supplies. The military wives and other concubines went to sleep, but Silvítya decided to stay with the Royal Guard while he prepared his military equipment. He had one of the new muskets, but looked at the cumbersome weapon with total disdain. Yes, it made a terrifying sound and put out an impressive cloud of smoke when fired, but it took too long to re-load and was not accurate at all. He showed the concubine how it worked and allowed her to take a couple of practice shots. The Guard let the concubine try out his other weapons and was impressed that a woman could handle them so well. Silvítya talked about her training in Sebérnekt Ris. He was curious about the Duchy's northern defenses, never having seen them in real life. The Guard and his ward talked at length about military strategy, weapons, the Duchy's military history, and the training given to the Royal Guards. Protector Buláshckt was impressed with Silvítya's broad knowledge. Eventually their conversation returned to assessing the forces loyal to the Lord of the Red Moon and the upcoming battle. He detailed the Grand Duke's plan of drawing the Kingdom's army into the city and battling them in the streets. If the enemy could actually be lured into the city, the strategy could work. "From what I know about the Red Moons, once they think their enemies have been weakened, they charge straight ahead and don't ask any questions until they're done. There's a good chance they won't stop and worry about the explosive's before it's too late, because I don't think anyone has ever tried luring them over such a trap in the past. I just hope they all come through the wall at once. If they're smart enough to station, say, half of their army outside, His Majesty's plan won't succeed." Silvítya wondered about the city itself. What would happen to Hórkustk Ris? "I don't know. Most of it will be destroyed. His Majesty will order many of the buildings to be broken into or filled with explosives. The people will all be gone before the Red Moons arrive: His Majesty wants them away from the fighting. I suspect, if they ever come back, they will find only ashes." ---------- Meanwhile, the Grand Duke held a conference with the town's mayor, a squad of Royal scouts, and one of his most trusted spies. Already the Lord of the Red Moon was aware that the Grand Duke had brought his entire army to defend Hórkustk Ris and seemed eager to defeat the Danubians once and for all. The Lord of the Red Moon relished the chance to battle the Grand Duke, because once the he was defeated, there would be no one to defend Danúbikt Móskt and the entire Duchy could be annexed. As soon as the Duke received his briefings, he issued a series of orders. The first order he gave was for all civilians to leave the city immediately. They mayor was not surprised, given that King Vladik had ordered the same for Sumy Ris two centuries before when he decided to abandon it to the Ottomans. However, unlike his predecessor, the Grand Duke did not have the option of simply abandoning Hórkustk Ris. The city was the most northern spot from where he could make his stand; abandoning it would leave open the road to the capitol and the entire Rika Chorna valley. The Grand Duke wanted to get the civilians out of the way for their own safety, but he also wanted to use them as part of his plan to deceive the Army of the Red Moon. The next day, the Grand Duke's generals rounded up all of the civilian men and organized them into platoons, each under the direction of an old or sick soldier from his army. Then he passed out the colorful tunics his army had worn while marching out of Danube City. The men, disguised as Danubian soldiers, would march their families out of the city and northward into what remained of the forest. Throughout the day, refugees poured out of the city. A total of 60,000 people left. From a distance, with the men carrying fake weapons and dressed in fake tunics, it did appear as though the Danubian Army had arrived to do nothing except evacuate the town and hide in the woods. When the enemy commander heard about the evacuation, he broke out laughing. Typical of the Danubians...those cowards can't deal with a real fight. They're just a rabble of scared animals that can't stand being away from their trees. I guess we'll have to organize a hunt... What the Lord of the Red Moon's commanders did not know was that now, without the distraction of the civilians, the Grand Duke was ready to confront his enemies inside the walls of Hórkustk Ris with his entire army. The Grand Duke ordered most of his men and equipment into Hórkustk Ris the night after the civilians had left. Among the supplies entering the city were large wagons full of the explosives that would be the focus of the ruler's plan to defeat the Kingdom of the Moon's hoard of fighters. The next day, the mayor and the city councilmen noted with increasing alarm how their ruler was setting up for the town's defense. The Duke's cannon crews deployed their weapons in the streets throughout the city. Even many of the cannons on the city wall were turned around and faced inwards. The men built new firing positions on the platform running along the inside of the city wall, but those also faced inwards. The men went into the houses and smashed holes through the walls to plant traps and to allow themselves to move about without having to go outside and expose themselves to fire. Wherever there was open space in the streets, the Duchy's soldiers dug holes and filled them with large pots of loaded with explosives. The men then covered the pots with cobblestones, while demolition crews strung fathoms of fuse line to connect them. More traps were created by packing explosives into buckets and setting them up in residences. Throughout the city, the buildings were marked with red or white splashes of paint. Red meant the building contained explosives, while white meant the building was sturdier and would be used for protection. It was very obvious that the Grand Duke planned to fight his opponents inside the city walls, not outside. His strategy became evident: he was not planning a battle to save the city, but instead use it to create a trap and a massacre. The ruler ordered the cavalry units to quietly leave during the second night after the Danubian Royal Army had occupied the settlement. The Grand Duke was forced to separate his forces in a move that was extremely risky. The cavalry would hide in nearby hills and wait for a special signal from the city's cathedral bells. To ensure the signal still could be passed if anything happened to the cathedral tower, the Duke ordered two of the church bells brought down and re-mounted at the castle. The Grand Duke ordered his men to gather all civilian clothing remaining in the houses, especially women's clothing. His men wondered what on earth he was planning. Women's clothing? Yes indeed, civilian clothes would be part of the trap the Duke planned for the Red Moon Army. He explained that no Danubian Army uniforms would be worn by anyone defending the city. The soldiers would dress to make it appear as though the Duke had completely abandoned the area and that the only people left to defend it would be local citizens and city guards. To make the deception even more convincing, some of the youngest troops, boys still in their teens, would be ordered to shave and put on women's clothing. To finish converting the younger men into "women", they would be ordered to wrap brown cloths around their heads to emulate long braided hair. The soldiers reacted with angry murmurs, but the Duke shouted. "This plan must work and you must obey! I know what I'm doing! As I told you before, the only dishonor is allowing those foreigners to take our land and hang us on hooks and rape your sisters and wives! Is that what you want? Or do you want to listen to me and do what I tell you?" The men stared silently at their Duke, unsure how to react. The idea of a man dressing as a woman, for any reason, completely went against what was considered honorable for a Danubian. The Grand Duke knew that, and understood that ordering some of his troops to dress up as women would be the hardest part of his plan to implement. However, he pushed forward. "Listen to me, and listen carefully! We will either die here or we will win! There is no other option! We cannot retreat and we cannot negotiate our way out of this city! And if we lose, I will die along with the rest of you! It's not just Danubia's fate at stake here, but my own! Do you think I want my life to end here? Do you think I want to be captured and hung on a hook? Our fates, whether we win or lose, will be shared, mine along with yours! So I want to win! I want us to emerge from this city victorious! I want to reclaim our land! I want the enemy to never again set foot here! And I want this land to prosper! So, where is the dishonor?" Once again, the Duke's cold reasoning convinced his troops to set aside their reservations about their leader's orders. The crisis of the moment passed. The ruler would get his way and his men would obey his wishes. As she stood at the castle window watching him implement his plans and rally his troops, Silvítya momentarily admired the Grand Duke. He was a cruel and flawed man, but he had other qualities that made him the leader the Danubians needed during the crisis. At least he was no coward. By traveling south with his army he had placed his own life in jeopardy, demonstrating that he did not value his existence any more than he valued the existence of his men. If they died, he would die. He knew it had to be that way if he expected them to follow him and his increasingly strange orders. He made decisions and plans based on carefully assessing what resources and options were available to him. He didn't care about tradition or protocol: his only interest was doing what he thought was needed to win the upcoming battle. In spite of his inward fear, the ruler managed to show himself as completely confident in his abilities and his decisions when talking to his troops. Silvítya knew his behavior was totally deceptive. His show of public confidence was as much a ruse as the trap he was laying for the enemy. He knew how easily his entire battle plan could go wrong. He was frightened, both for his own safety and for that of the country. If events did not work out exactly the way he anticipated, he and everyone with him would be dead in a few days. History would judge him harshly, blaming him for the fall of the Duchy. ---------- The army of the Lord of the Red Moon showed up the morning after the Danubian cavalry departed the city. They first appeared as a black mass moving under a thick cloud of dust on the southern horizon. For what seemed to be an eternity, both the dark mass and the dust cloud got bigger and bigger. As they got closer, the enemy's individual companies and platoons could be seen. The Danubians watched as a seemingly endless horde of men moved in their direction. Hundreds...thousands...tens of thousands of men. Multitudes of siege cannons with their crews. Columns of horsemen. The flashing of tens of thousands of bayonets. Hundreds of black banners with the infamous red moon. This was not an army that was planning to take over a single partially abandoned city. This was the army that was going to conquer and exterminate the entire Grand Duchy of Upper Danubia. The city's defenders watched as several squads of enemy scouts rode close to the city, just out of range of the cannons, to see what the defenders looked like. The enemy's observers had told their leaders that most of the Danubians had evacuated a few days before, but the city guards and some civilians remained, foolishly thinking they would hold the place for more than a few hours. Sure enough, as the scouts looked through their spy glasses, they could see the pathetic group of defenders they would be facing. It looked like the Danubians were so desperate that they actually had women on the walls with crossbows and a combination of guards and civilians manning the cannons. The Girl with No Name Ch. 17 The commander of the Red Moon Army decided not to even bother with attempting to negotiate surrender. If those people were stupid enough to stay behind while their leader abandoned them, then they deserved to die. And die they would. As soon as they broke through the walls, the Red Moon Army would kill everyone in the city. Any survivors would be impaled and hung on the walls. They would be the first Danubians to die...the first out of an entire country. Disguised as a city guard commander, the Grand Duke watched the enemy surround the city. The enemy artillery crews quickly set up their siege cannons. The Danubian ruler ordered the city's cannons to be fired and anyone on the wall with a crossbow to try to hit enemy soldiers. The Duchy's resistance was ineffective, as it was meant to be. As soon as the Red Moon Army had its cannons deployed, they began firing simultaneously to clear the walls. Most of the Danubians on the ramparts sought cover and the city's resistance became even more pathetic. ---------- Silvítya and Protector Buláshckt stood at the window watching, while the other concubines, military wives, and serving wenches cowered and trembled from the noise. The guard and the concubine observed one of the towers on the wall come crashing down from a cannon blast, then watched as two more cannonballs demolished a portion of the cathedral's roof. Silvítya started to wonder if the Duke's plan really would work. If it didn't, the passageway to the keep would soon be swarming with soldiers of the Kingdom of the Moon. Protector Buláshckt looked through all of the windows and noted that no other guards were in sight. No, this was not good. Yes, he had his musket, but so what? It fired a single shot and took a minute to reload. Against a platoon of enemies it would be about as useful as a club. Muttering under his breath, he cursed the Grand Duke and his fancy new weapons. The guard grabbed a ceremonial sword off the wall and handed it to Silvítya. "Go down there and get yourself a guard helmet and some boots. Get me a crossbow or better yet, two if you can find them. A longbow will work, if there's no crossbow. Also, I want as many arrows as you can bring up." He kicked two of the serving wenches. "Go with her. Take her to wherever your master keeps the archery supplies. She's in charge and you will obey what she tells you." He turned back to Silvítya. "Remember, if you can't find a crossbow, get me a longbow. And all the arrows you can carry. If you have to steal them, I don't care. And don't forget the helmet and boots for yourself." Holding her sword, Silvítya unbolted the heavy door to the keep. Three frightened women slipped out. One of the wenches led her companions along a secret passageway that passed the mayor's office and led directly to the armory. A nervous-looking old city guard blocked their entrance. Silvítya was not surprised when he denied the women their request. "Listen to me and listen carefully, old man! I come on the orders of Protector Buláshckt, who is a representative of the Grand Duke. In other words, I am acting on the Duke's orders. If you choose to send me away empty-handed, Protector Buláshckt will have to come down and deal with you. You don't want Protector Buláshckt coming down here and dealing with you." The concubine looked totally different now that she was giving orders and had a sword in her hand. The old guard said nothing more, but he opened the door to the armory. Silvítya put on a helmet and grabbed a guard tunic and pair of boots. She grabbed two crossbows that looked to be in good shape and slung them over her shoulder. She grabbed a longbow and loaded her companions down with satchels of crossbow bolts and arrows. She tossed aside the ceremonial sword and got a real one. Lord-Creator, I hope this is enough... A few minutes later they returned. Protector Buláshckt nodded with approval as he took the two crossbows and tested them. Meanwhile, Silvítya pulled off her dress and replaced it with a guard's tunic. She put on the boots and the helmet, looking very strange in her new outfit. As the guard studied the course of the battle and prepared his weapons, Silvítya ordered the smartest-looking wench to serve as a lookout for the other side of the room. Then she took up a position next to Protector Buláshckt at the window that overlooked the passageway leading into the tower. "You remember everything I taught you about the crossbow?" "Most of it, Protector Buláshckt." "Good. If that passageway fills up with Red Moons, it will be our part in the war. I'll fire, you'll assist." The guard looked at Silvítya. "I'll be very pleased to have you at my side during this fight." "Thank you, Protector Buláshckt." "It's our Path in Life, I believe, to face the enemy together. Anyhow, go calm the others and get some rest. There won't be any rest when the Red Moons show up. I'll call you when it's time." Protector Buláshckt took off his civilian disguise and put on his colorful Danubian tunic. "I'm not hiding for this. I'm fighting as a Danubian." ---------- After an hour of being blasted by the Red Moon cannons, the city walls were in bad shape. The enemy commander studied the crumbling defenses, trying to figure out which spot would be the best place for his troops to force their way into the city. Finally, he settled on the city's east gate, which seemed to be a few cannon shots from completely collapsing. It was at that point the Red Moon Army made their first serious mistake. To avoid wasting any more cannonballs, the attacking commanders ordered the cannon crews firing at other parts of the wall to cease and to prepare for the final assault on the city. Meanwhile, all the Red Moon cannons on the east side concentrated on the rapidly crumbling east gate as the ground troops massed and prepared to charge the opening. The Danubian Grand Duke was elated. Now he knew exactly where the enemy was going to enter. The Danubians desperately rolled cannons into position in the plaza to fire at Red Moon cavalry as they stormed through the wall. Every window overlooking the east gate and the streets leading up to it was occupied by musketeers and archers, and more platoons of musketeers hid along the alleyways. There was even time to make some final gunpowder traps for the streets. The Danubians hurriedly repositioned some of their pot-bombs and made sure the fuses would work. When the gate and the two towers overlooking it came crashing down, the Danubian Royal Army was ready. The Army of the Red Moon sent 20,000 screaming soldiers into the city. There were 7,500 Danubian troops opposing them. As soon as they scrambled over the wreckage of the east gate, straight into the Grand Duke's trap. ---------- Precisely because the Lord of the Red Moon's soldiers were so over-confident, discipline broke down during the mad dash to get past the walls. The invaders had nothing on their minds except slaughtering Danubians. The men in the back of the formation worried that the first platoons would do all the killing and not leave any of the city's inhabitants for the men in the rear. Everyone was desperate to get in, so the hoard charged swiftly and recklessly. The Duke had ordered a few dozen "civilians" and "women" to be near the gate when it fell. The moment the leading invading platoons saw them, the decoys retreated along the streets to lure the enemy into the city as quickly as possible. The elated invaders fired at the fleeing "civilians", killing most of them. In spite of the loss of those troops, the ruse worked to trick the enemy into charging recklessly towards the cathedral. For several minutes the only noise that could be heard was the victory screams of the Red Moon Army. Thousands of Red Moon troops crammed the streets as the Danubians stayed hidden and held their fire. The invaders began setting fire to the houses closest to the entry point, adding to the chaos and confusion. The Duke smiled to his commanders. This couldn't possibly be any better. "Ring the bells! Doc-Doc Danube!" "DOC-DOC DANUBE! DOC-DOC DANUBE!" The church bells and the bells on the castle roof rang, signaling two orders at once. It was the call for the Danubian cavalry to leave its hiding place, and it was a call for the troops guarding the streets to fire their muskets and cannons and light the fuses for the street bombs. As soon as the cathedral bells rang, small strange sparkling fires surrounded the Red Moon army, and then there was a roar unlike anything Silvítya had ever heard before. As the bells continued to clang, dozens of street bombs and cannons mixed with the shooting of thousands of muskets. Silvítya watched smoke and dust billow in the streets and dismembered bodies and body parts fly over the burning rooftops. The first roar of gunpowder died down. The women's hearing recovered from the explosion, but the noise of the blast gave way to the agonized screaming of thousands of wounded men. For the rest of her life, Silvítya would never be able to forget the din of all those dying voices. "DOC-DOC DANUBE!...DOC-DOC DANUBE!...DOC-DOC DANUBE!..DOC-DOC DANUBE!" The Danubians fired volley after volley at their helpless enemies, most of whom were trapped in the narrow streets among the bodies of their fallen comrades. Meanwhile, the Danubian cavalry charged the cannon crews still outside the city. Assuming their part in the fight was finished, the invader's cannon crews had stood down as soon as the infantry charged the east gate. They were completely unprepared to defend themselves against a cavalry attack. The Danubian cavalrymen, enraged at the sight of the wrecked city, killed all of them within a few minutes. Surviving Red Moon infantrymen fanned out from the initial kill-zone and fought the Danubians house-to-house. The Danubians retreated through the holes in the walls, setting fires and laying traps for the invaders. Any soldier from the Red Moon Army that got close to the remains of the outer city wall fell to an arrow fired from one of the many archers stationed along the platform. "DOC-DOC DANUBE!...DOC-DOC DANUBE!...DOC-DOC DANUBE!..DOC-DOC DANUBE!" The entire eastern half of Hórkustk Ris was now on fire. The Danubians withdrew across the city's plaza and set up their cannons among the undamaged buildings on the west side, with the intention of creating another kill-zone in the open area in front of the cathedral. At that point the Danubians made their only mistake that day: they did not adequately guard the entrance to the castle. The surviving invaders surged into the plaza, desperately exchanging fire with the Grand Duke's army. The Danubians were firing from sheltered positions while the Red Moon troops were firing from the open, so within a few minutes the plaza was full of dead and dying enemy soldiers. However, about 200 men managed to slip past the cathedral and kill a Danubian squad defending the road leading up the castle. They realized that if they could get to the castle keep, they'd have an excellent spot from which they could defend themselves and command a large portion of the city. Protector Buláshckt watched them storm up the hill unopposed. "Silvítya! The enemy!" The Red Moon troops tore loose a beam to use as a battering ram and moved it to the door of the keep. Protector Buláshckt expertly positioned himself and took aim, while Silvítya struggled to arm the second crossbow. As they got ready to bash the door, their commander screamed and fell, grabbing at an crossbow bolt piercing his shoulder. Protector Buláshckt took the loaded weapon from his assistant's hands and handed her the used one. He took aim as Silvítya loaded a second bolt. The men looked around as another bolt pierced a man's neck. Then they saw him...a smartly dressed Danubian soldier shooting at them from a narrow window. The men fired a volley at the tower as Silvítya's companions screamed in terror. He handed her the used crossbow and took the loaded one. She frantically armed the empty one while he positioned himself and took aim. Another man fell and another volley was fired at the castle keep. Rounds poured through the window, tearing up the expensive tapestries and shattering the vases. An oil lamp fell and fire spread across the floor. Silvítya screamed at the other women: "Put that out, you dishonored cowards! Grab a tapestry and put it on the fire, now!" As her companions tried to deal with the fire, Silvítya grabbed the longbow and handed it to Protector Buláshckt, to allow herself time to arm both crossbows. There was another scream, some shouts, and another volley of lead pouring through the windows. The men again tried battering the door, but Protector Buláshckt fired yet more arrows and another invader fell, seriously wounded. The men returned fire, and again Silvítya's companions screamed in terror. In quick succession Protector Buláshckt grabbed and fired both crossbows. Suddenly there was a lot more musket fire and screaming. Silvítya poked her head up to see the men savagely fighting against Danubian soldiers. Protector Buláshckt re-aimed the long bow and fired again at the invaders. Silvítya had both crossbows ready, which allowed the guard to fire two more powerful shots into the compressed and panicked hoard at the door. Protector Buláshckt realized that the tower no longer was in danger, but he was in an excellent spot to assist the Danubian soldiers trying to clear the castle entrance. He screamed: "Doc-Doc Danube!" "DOC-DOC DANUBE!" So...the last of the hunters became the hunted. Protector Buláshckt fired several more times at men who appeared not to be wounded, as the soldiers below finished them with musket shots, and then bayonets. When the Danubian troops opened the door and let out the Royal Guard and the women, Silvítya had a chance to see her companion's grisly handiwork. Twenty eight of the dead enemy infantrymen had arrows or crossbow bolts sticking out of their corpses. She tried not to look at the faces of the dead men as the Duke's soldiers cheered Protector Buláshckt' bravery and marksmanship. ---------- The sun was low in the horizon and the battle was mostly over. Half of the city was burning, but the other half, so far, had been spared. The Danubians did not have any time to rest, however. The Grand Duke emphasized that no enemy who had entered the city could be allowed to escape, because the next part of his war plan entailed yet more deception. So, throughout the night the Duke's troops searched through the fallen Army of the Red Moon troops and bayoneted the injured survivors. At sunset the city echoed with the moans of thousands of wounded Red Moon troops: by sunrise the city was totally silent. It was a night of brutality, the result of orders that no prisoners were to be taken. The men were exhausted, but the following day their frenetic leader kept them busy. They were ordered to collect as many weapons as possible and haul all of the dead enemy soldiers that had not been burnt, nearly 15,000 corpses in all, to the city's main plaza. The sight of so many corpses, most of them horribly mutilated, was a sight that sickened almost everyone present and would haunt dreams for many years to come. The Grand Duke, seemingly unmoved by the sight of so much death, spent the day shouting orders and listening to reports coming in from his scouts. ---------- It turned out that the siege and massacre was only the first half of what would be a two-part battle. There was another large contingent of Red Moon Army troops that had crossed the border and was only about a day's journey away. There were about 4,000, but they were elite cavalry, the best troops of the House of Moon. Even though the cavalry unit was much smaller than the invasion force the Danubians had just defeated, the Grand Duke did not think his men could win against them in a pitched battle. So...he would attempt to repeat the trap within the walls of Hórkustk Ris, and once again turn the entire city into a kill-zone. To accomplish that, the Danubians would have to lure the cavalry unit, or at least a large part of it, into the ruins of Hórkustk Ris. The Grand Duke ordered the enemy's flags raised around the city. He ordered his men to strip the dead invaders of any Red Moon uniforms that were salvageable and to put them on. He ordered hundreds of the enemy dead to be dressed in Danubian uniforms and for his men to shave the corpses' heads to make them look more like the Duchy's soldiers. Once the bodies were ready, the Danubian ruler ordered half of the disguised corpses to be taken outside and scattered around the gates, and for the other half to be hauled up the remains of the city walls. Among the items retrieved from the corpses lying in the burnt section of the city were large hooks. The devices were a trademark of the House of Moon: their commanders usually ordered captured opponents to be impaled on the hooks and left to die an agonizing death. The Grand Duke examined one of the hooks, which, had the Danubians lost the fight, would have been used to hang a Danubian soldier or officer. Instead, they would become an important part of the deception during the next battle. For the rest of the day the Danubians struggled to hoist corpses dressed in Danubian tunics and hang them from the city wall. By sunset, the ruse was completed. Anyone from the outside would have guessed that Hórkustk Ris had been taken by the Red Moon Army and that the Danubians had suffered a devastating defeat. The walls were lined with hanging corpses dressed in Danubian clothing, the ground outside the city was littered with yet more corpses in Danubian tunics, and everyone still alive was dressed in uniforms of the invaders. Red Moon flags and banners decorated the entrances and walls. ---------- Silvítya and her companions did not have time to contemplate what was going on in the city plaza and along the walls. Instead, they were forced to assist the Danubian medics, who had set up a field hospital in the ruins of the cathedral. More than a hundred wounded Danubian soldiers lay in that church, resting in beds that had been pilfered from the remaining houses. Although there was not much she could do for head wounds and abdominal injuries, Silvítya was able to assist anyone who had a broken limb. She also knew how to sew up some open wounds. However, Silvítya knew that the majority of the men in the room were going to die. She concentrated on the ones she felt she could save and tried to ignore the desperate pleas of the injured she would not be assisting. She spent two days working non-stop, shouting at her fellow concubines and military wives to hold down patients while she operated and to keep her supplied with vodka to calm the injured and to sterilize her instruments and open cuts. The other women were in awe of her. She seemed totally in control. The military medics left the concubine and her assistants alone as soon as they realized the woman knew what she was doing. ---------- Because the eastern side of the city was nothing more than smoldering ruins, the Duke planned to shift the next battle to the city's western district. The trick would be to lure the cavalry unit in and then massacre them. The Duke's men set up the same gunpowder traps that had worked so well two days before, plus a series of traps specifically designed for horses. The cannon arsenal was considerably enhanced when some of the siege cannons were brought into the city and deployed. However, as part of the ruse, the majority of the cannons were left outside the city and set up to appear that they were ready to be moved to the next phase of the Red Moon Army's campaign. The next part of the Grand Duke's plan involved actually convincing the enemy cavalry unit to come into the city through the west gate and cross into the new kill zone. The Duke would leave the city with a squad of his own cavalrymen and contact the enemy group. The men were dressed in Red Moon uniforms, but they still had to cover their shaved heads. The Duke was ready; among the items he had transported to Hórkustk Ris were several boxes of wigs. With their new long hair, the Danubian horsemen looked totally different. The Duke turned the unit's leadership over to a man who was fluent in the language used by the House of Moon's subjects. The Girl with No Name Ch. 17 ---------- Silvítya did not see the Grand Duke leave, because she was still working with the wounded in the cathedral. While most of the Danubians were still setting up for the second battle, the wagon handlers entered the church to move the injured to a safer location in the castle. They only moved the men who had been operated on. There was no point in trying to move the ones who were dying. As night fell and the last of the salvageable men had been evacuated, Silvítya looked around at the broken windows and smashed roof of what was once a very nice church. She sadly contemplated the horror of all those dying men who remained. Outside, the city was burning and stank of thousands of rotting enemy corpses. If the Duke's plan worked, there would be another several thousand corpses added, and if the plan did not work, the Danubians would all die. Silvítya was beyond exhausted. She had seen plenty of death and misery before, but the worst of her past experiences were nothing compared to this. She took a drink from a blood-covered bottle of vodka. She looked up at a hole in the church roof. Sure enough, the owl, that owl, was there. The bright yellows eyes glared at her through the dimly lit ruins. "Profane One, why? Why are you following me? I'm not worth it! I'm really not worth following! I'm nobody! Why can't you follow someone more important?" "I follow you because it is my pleasure. Pity yourself, if you wish, because there is nothing you can do about it." Silvítya's consciousness returned to the Realm of the Living. She was trembling and gasping for breath. Her companions were staring at her. She said nothing. The matter was between her and the Destroyer. She took another drink, passed the bottle to one of the military wives, and ordered the women to follow her to the castle. ---------- The Grand Duke, the ruler of the Grand Duchy of Upper Danubia, rode inconspicuously among his horsemen, having turned over the leadership to a man with more cavalry experience, and more importantly, one who could speak the enemy's language without an accent. His heart pounded and sweat formed under his wig as the squad of Danubians approached the much larger column of Red Moon cavalry. The Grand Duke had good reason to be worried, because his tiny group was approaching some of the best-trained and best equipped cavalry in all of central Europe. The men were the elite of the Kingdom of the Moon, attacking and killing under the nickname "The Beautiful Savages". They had never suffered a significant defeat. Without any hesitation, the Duke's appointed leader rode up to the Red Moon cavalry: "HAIL! HAIL! Wonderful news, Your Excellency! We've taken Hórkustk Ris!" The enemy troops started cheering, even though they had no doubt the Danubian city would fall the moment it was attacked. The disguised squad leader handed over several Danubian flags and a city banner as proof the place really was under the control of the Red Moon Army. "Come celebrate with us! The city's castle is full of wine! And vodka! And we've taken a lot of the women! Then we'll go to Danubia and hunt!" The enemy commander thought about the invitation. He wished his men had not heard the part about the wine, vodka, and captive Danubian women. They'd want to celebrate, drink, and enjoy the female prisoners, which would entail a wasted day. Still, the cavalry commander was curious to see the fallen Danubian city and what condition the victorious Red Moon Army was in. It seemed that Hórkustk Ris had been an easy affair. While Danúbikt Móskt would certainly be a more difficult target, it would make sense to put it under siege as quickly as possible, while the Danubians were still trying to recover from their most recent defeat. The commander decided to send the captured flags south to his Lord with the message that Hórkustk Ris had fallen and the road to Danúbikt Móskt was clear. Meanwhile, he would take his force to the conquered city to see for himself what actually happened. Then he would spend the next few days clearing the countryside while waiting for the final order to proceed northward. As they rode towards their deaths, the Red Moon elite cavalry looked totally impressive. They were a proud and feared force of vicious fighting men, riding powerful specially-bred black horses and carrying an array of specialized muskets and lances. Throughout its existence the unit had killed tens of thousands of infantrymen and annihilated the cavalry units of several other nations. The unit's reputation was as important as its fighting skill: half the each battle already was won when the opposing men trembled at the sight of the infamous black horses and banners. The Grand Duke and his men nervously rode with the huge contingent of enemies following close behind. Yes, he was scared, but he also was eagerly anticipating the upcoming ruse and impending battle. If his men could vanquish and break this unit, the devastating news of its defeat undoubtedly would break the spirit of the House of the Red Moon and hopefully force an end to their plans to usurp Danubian territory. When the Red Moon commander saw the condition of the city, he was surprised at the extent of the damage to the walls and what he could see of the destruction inside. It appeared the city had been harder to conquer than the Lord of Red Moon had anticipated. Still, there was no doubt it had fallen. Danubian corpses littered the ground and dead Duchy soldiers decorated the walls. The black banners and uniformed men standing at the gate offered assurance of a warm welcome. On a moment's inspiration, the Duke's appointed leader shouted: "My Lord! We are honored to have you among us! We would be honored to see you come in with a gallop!" "You heard him, men! Let's charge this city! Let's show those land-walkers how real fighters bring the Lord's greetings!" The Duke's unit charged the open gate, cheering with their leader as he yelled: "Hail-Hail! The Lord's cavalry is entering!" As the disguised Danubians along the wall cheered them on, the Duke's squad galloped as fast as they could through the gate and through the main street leading to the central plaza. They had to clear the kill zone before the mines, cannons, and muskets opened up on the enemy. The Duke's men sped past a battery of cannons, just as the crews were lighting the fuses. Too late, the Red Moon cavalrymen in the vanguard realized what was about to happen. "DOC-DOC DANUBE!...DOC-DOC DANUBE!...DOC-DOC DANUBE!..DOC-DOC DANUBE!" The avenue between the western gate and the city plaza exploded with noise. Danubian sharpshooters fired volley after volley at the enclosed horsemen. The horses panicked and screamed, throwing many of their riders. Many of the Red Moon horsemen tried to escape along the side streets, only to run into the squads of musketeers and traps the Danubians had set up for their horses. The only Red Moon troops to survive the initial assault were the ones who dismounted and fought the Danubians hand to hand. About a third of the Red Moon cavalrymen were still outside the city when the bombs and muskets that wiped out their comrades went off. Danubian archers and musketeers positioned on the walls and in the gatehouses fired viciously at the startled enemy, while the Danubian cavalry emerged from its hiding place and charged them from the outside. Outside the city there was a real battle between two sides that were evenly matched. However, the Danubians had the advantage of receiving cover fire from the walls. After taking heavy initial casualties, the Duke's horsemen gained the upper hand. For the first time in its existence, the elite Red Moon cavalry unit was about to suffer a devastating defeat. In the previous battle the Red Moon soldiers had set the city's houses on fire, but during the second battle, it was the Duke's soldiers who started the blazes. The surviving Red Moon cavalrymen and their horses found themselves surrounded by fire. They were unable to push forward because of the pile of corpses left created by the Danubian cannon crews blocking their path. They couldn't go out the gate, because the Danubian cavalry was blocking that exit. They couldn't escape along the side streets because squads of musketeers and archers blocked those routes. When several burning houses fell into the packed avenue, all hope of escape ended and the ambush turned into another massacre. ---------- The Grand Duke had the foresight to order his men to evacuate the ruins of Hórkustk Ris as soon as the battle was over. The place already stunk horribly from the corpses of the first round of fighting, and now the west side of the city had not only 4,000 additional human bodies, but an equal number of dead horses. There was no way to remove all that rotting flesh from the city, even had the Duke's army been at full strength, which they were not. There were more injuries to attend to and the men were totally exhausted from having gone three days with almost no sleep. They needed to get away from Hórkustk Ris, rest and re-group, and above all eat, before the Grand Duke could make his next move against the enemy. Still, the Grand Duke and his troops were in very high spirits. They had not just defeated, but exterminated a much larger and better equipped force. After listening to additional reports from his scouts, the Danubian Duke understood that the Red Moon Army had no other significant contingent of soldiers north of the border. However, there were numerous enemy garrisons that still had to be dealt with. There would be more fighting, and it would be best to finish off the garrisons quickly, before news of the massacre in Hórkustk Ris got out. The Danubian Army set up a new headquarters in a large village after chasing out the inhabitants. The injured were moved and the Duke's medics set up a new field hospital. Silvítya and her companions were forced to attend to a new group of wounded, but at least now the infernal stench of rotting corpses was not a concern. Meanwhile, the Grand Duke's commanders rounded up several hundred foreign villagers and herded them back to Hórkustk Ris. The wrecked city was still full of weapons and supplies that had to be taken out. The Duke was worried about cholera and other diseases affecting his soldiers and Danubian civilians, but the villagers were expendable. Gagging and trying to cover their faces against the horrific stench of the corpses, the wretched prisoners searched the ruins for weapons and anything else the Danubians could use to continue their campaign. They hauled out the cannons that the Danubians had used to kill the Red Moon cavalry and brought out hundreds of muskets, saddles, horseshoes, and travel packs. They also took down the Red Moon Army's impalement hooks, which the Danubians carried around to justify the treatment of their captives. The clean-up of Hórkustk Ris started with the simple removal of useable items, but then the Grand Duke decided to force his captives to haul out and bury the rotting enemy corpses. The conditions among the ruins were horrible and most of the prisoners did not last long. Silvítya watched with dismay as the Duke's men herded group after group of enslaved villagers towards the ruins of Hórkustk Ris. Perhaps those people were foreigners who had usurped the Duchy's land and destroyed its southern forest, but they also were people very much like Silvítya's own family. She couldn't see them as the enemy; she could only see them as fellow peasants. All nations have selective memories. The Grand Duchy of Upper Danubia is no exception. The nation celebrated the Grand Duke's risky campaign and hard fought victory at Hórkustk Ris, but chose to forget what happened afterwards. The Duke's soldiers also chose to forget. In the years following the war they would spend hours describing, in gory detail, the valiant fighting in the streets against a much larger army to their children and grandchildren. However there would be no mention of shooting a captive cholera-stricken foreign villager struggling to obey an order to drag a rotting corpse out of some ruins three weeks later. ---------- Note: Looking at the former site of Hórkustk Ris today, it is hard to imagine that the Grand Duchy of Upper Danubia's fourth largest city was once located there. Apart from the cathedral's walls, very little remains of the city's ruins. Even most of the foundations of the city wall are missing. The castle survived the battle intact, as did some houses located in the district between the castle and the partially ruined church. However, the stench of corpses and the unsanitary conditions within the walls made re-settlement impossible between 1754 and 1756. During that two-year period the remaining buildings fell into disrepair. By 1756 Hórkustk Ris had become a rock quarry for nearby villages. Danubian civilians forced to re-settle in the area visited the ruins to collect stones and bricks. The Grand Duke sent in Royal Guards, not to protect the city, but to make sure that no man or armed group would try to charge villagers for taking out building supplies. Most of the houses had been completely dismantled by 1770. The final structures were the remains of the cathedral, the castle, and the city wall. The Grand Duke considered re-building the castle to house a garrison, but decided the location was too far north to be useful for guarding the border. To prevent the castle from being used by anyone else, he allowed settlers to tear down the structure on the condition they hauled away the stones. Most of the larger blocks remaining from the city wall were carted off to build two bridges during the 1780s. The cathedral's ruins were never looted, so the church site remains as a silent reminder of Hórkustk Ris and its unhappy fate . - Maritza Ortskt-Dukovna - The Girl with No Name Ch. 18 Chapter Eighteen – Lower Danubia News of the Duchy's victory in Hórkustk Ris did not reach the Kingdom of the Moon immediately. A few survivors from the Kingdom's rout did manage to sneak past the Grand Duke's Royal Guards and slip across the border into the Kingdom. However, the Kingdom of the Moon survivors, who could not have numbered more than a few dozen, had no incentive whatsoever to contact the Lord's advisors with news of the defeat. In the Kingdom of the Moon, the military policy was victory or death. Anyone surviving a defeat faced hanging on one of the infamous torture hooks. So, rather than warn anyone, the survivors simply returned to their homes. Two of the men, an infantryman and a member of the elite cavalry, later wrote accounts describing the campaign of Hórkustk Ris from the viewpoint of the defeated invaders, of how an inevitable victory turned into an epic annihilation. ---------- The Grand Duke gave his men a week to rest and recover, while he assessed the campaign that lay ahead. The most dangerous part of the campaign was over, having ended with a spectacular pair of victories and his army still mostly intact. The Danubian fighting men now numbered a total of about 8,000. The remaining thousand men were either dead or too injured to fight. The mounted unit had taken the brunt of the hand-to-hand fighting, so its strength had been reduced by a third. However, the Danubian cavalry now boasted hundreds of captured Kingdom of the Moon horses and the surviving men had the chance to try out the Kingdom's legendary weapons. The Grand Duke ordered his infantry and artillery units to start moving south. Meanwhile, he would lead the surviving cavalry against various Red Moon garrisons still stationed around Hórkustk Ris province. The Danubian horsemen would dress up in the uniforms of the Red Moon Army and ride the Lord of the Red Moon's horses up to garrisons that were unaware of the Kingdom's defeat in Hórkustk Ris. The garrisons would be easy prey for the vengeful Danubians. Across the southern area of the Duchy, villages and forts were stormed by troops the defenders mistook for "Beautiful Savages". In every fight, the deception worked long enough for the Danubians to achieve easy victory. The non-Danubian inhabitants of Hórkustk Ris province at first did not realize what was happening as the Danubian Grand Duke and his disguised cavalry unit stormed garrison after garrison. They welcomed the legendary "Beautiful Savages", only to realize, too late, they actually were Danubians. When the Kingdom's garrisons were wiped out, there was panic and confusion. If the Red Moon Army had invaded the Duchy and taken Hórkustk Ris, why were these disguised raiders taking over so many forts? Why were Danubian infantry and artillery units calmly moving into villages cleared by the raiders? Why were Danubian raiders riding the Kingdom's horses and using the Kingdom's weapons? Where was the Red Moon Army? The men accompanying their sovereign later recalled that he fought like a madman as he led the attacks. He was furious about the invasion and the Lord of the Red Moon's plans for the Duchy. He seemed completely oblivious to his own safety as he charged garrison after garrison. His men had to fight equally hard just to prevent him from being surrounded and killed. As the campaign progressed, the Royal Guards' respect for the Grand Duke evolved into adoration. Not only was he was a brilliant strategist, he was a brave fighter. He was Royalty, but danger and hardship meant nothing to him. Had the Grand Duke's concubines been able to see him in action during the battles, their sovereign's behavior would not have surprised them. He was frenetic and as fanatical about killing his enemies as he was about having sex. The ruler was fixated and driven, to the point of being maniacal and at times psychotic. His men, convinced that he was carrying out the will of the Creator by destroying the remnants of the Army of the Red Moon in the Duchy, followed him with absolute and unquestioning devotion. ---------- During the first week of July, the Danubian Royal Army achieved another important victory, second only to the victory in Hórkustk Ris. They passed through the narrow range of wooded hills that separated Hórkustk Ris province from the former Ottoman lands that now comprised the Kingdom of the Moon. On the northern side of the hills was a small town called Iyóshnyakt Krepóckt, and on the southern side of the range there was a fort on a hilltop that had served as the Danubian border garrison's command post from 1531 until the previous year, when it and the town were overrun by the Lord of the Red Moon. Fortunately for the Grand Duke and his men, the fort's defenders were as oblivious about the defeat in Hórkustk Ris as everyone else in the Lord's army. They opened the gates to let in the "Beautiful Savages", only to realize they had just let in hundreds of Danubian soldiers. The fight was over in minutes and the fort was once again under the Duchy's control. Because the place was visible to the entire surrounding countryside, the Grand Duke ordered the Lord of the Red Moon's flags to remain flying over the fort. The Danubians would now make the border fort their main base of operations to consolidate their victory, so the longer they could maintain their deception, the better. The ruler sent for reinforcements and decided to order his medical staff, including the concubines and military wives, to the new forward-operating position on the border. As she traveled south with her companions, Silvítya tried to suppress a month's worth of memories of war, atrocities, injured men, corpses, and wretched prisoners. Undoubtedly her master was about to expose her to yet more war, but she consoled herself that at least she would have the chance to see the Duchy's southern border. She already had been north of the Duchy's borders: now, just two years later, she would travel south of the Duchy. She thought about how much her life had changed in just four years. Strange to think, a little over four years before she had not even seen what was on the other side of the hill that overlooked her family's settlement. Since then, she had seen the entire western half of the country. She had seen so much, but what difference did it make? She would have been happy to go home and brag about her travels, but no one from her former life in Rika Héckt-nemát was still alive to listen or care. Silvítya and her companions descended the final hill before arriving at the border post. The women had to avert their eyes to avoid looking at the rotting enemy corpses that had been dumped in a ditch just north of the Grand Duke's encampment. The smell from the bodies was horrific, but all too familiar by now. They looked at the region to the south of the fort. It was flat farmland, territory that had been the wealthiest part of the Kingdom of Danubia prior to 1502. The Duchy's military now occupied all of the land that had been held by the Crown since the Ottoman invasion and King Vladik's evacuation. The Grand Duke of Danubia had struck a devastating blow to his enemies, who apparently were not yet aware of what had happened in Hórkustk Ris. The Lord of the Red Moon still thought that his army of 30,000 men was alive and moving north to seize the Danubian capitol, and certainly was not expecting the Danubians to show up in the Kingdom of the Moon's territory. As his army assembled in Iyóshnyakt Krepóckt, the Grand Duke pondered what he should do next and now had to make a critical decision. He thought about the sacrifice made by the Danubians under King Vladik, in which he had to abandon half of Danubia to save the other half. Given the amazing victory so far, the ruler wondered if it would be possible to reverse that loss and re-capture the region formerly known as Lower Danubia. Would it be possible to push south, surprise the Lord of the Red Moon, and reclaim the Duchy's long-lost territories? Would it be possible to restore the Danubian Kingdom to its former glory? What if, after 250 years, the Danubians could once again celebrate religious services in the cathedral in Sumy Ris, where the nation's first Christian mass was held eight hundred years before? The Grand Duke badly wanted to push south, capture Sumy Ris, and see if it would be possible to hold the city against the Lord of the Red Moon's forces. He was torn between caution and the lure of a place that was extremely important to the Duchy's history and national identity. He understood attempting to enter the Kingdom of the Moon's territory was extremely risky. However, perhaps the Creator was watching over the Danubians after-all and it was the Duchy's destiny to reclaim Lower Danubia. The Grand Duke looked for a sign, an indication beyond the information he was receiving from his informants, that he should take his troops beyond the Duchy's current border. He found the excuse he needed when an informant told him about a large group of enslaved Danubians being held in a compound in the southern city. The captives had not yet been moved further south because there were not enough Red Moon troops available to guard them. Apparently the entire region around Sumy Ris was lightly guarded, partly because of the invasion of Danubia, and partly because other units were fighting against the Ottomans over a position along the East Danube River. The Grand Duke would indeed conquer Sumy Ris: the captives and the lack of enemy troops gave him the justifications he needed for the operation. He announced his decision to his elated followers. Sumy Ris...the Duchy was about to reclaim Sumy Ris! The mission was foolhardy, but the Grand Duke's strategy of deception and dressing his troops like the Lord of the Red Moon's soldiers gave the Danubians an important initial advantage. The Danubians were very experienced moving at night and moving quietly. The Grand Duke's plan took advantage of the disguises and nighttime to move through the hostile territory in platoon-sized units. The Danubians would regroup south of Sumy Ris, enter the city under disguise, and defeat the Red Moon garrison. The Royal Army would move on the city with its entire force, because the goal was to permanently seize the town and annex the entire region. And to think...the Grand Duke was planning to do all that with a force of 7,000 fighting men. The Danubians spent three days moving through lightly-guarded enemy territory. The villagers certainly did notice the strange movement of troops, but the Danubians exercised discipline and kept their conversations to a minimum to prevent the locals from hearing them speaking in a foreign tongue. Because they were moving in small groups, anyone observing the infiltrators would not have realized the platoons actually comprised a much larger force. The maneuver to take Sumy Ris was flawless. On the third night the Grand Duke's army re-grouped south of the city. At sunrise they marched up from the direction of the Kingdom's capitol, so the city's garrison did not suspect that anything was amiss. The local commander was actually were relieved that the Lord of the Red Moon finally had sent a large force to take away the Danubian captives and replace the men who were campaigning in the Duchy. He only had 400 men still protecting the city. The Danubian Royal Army made it as far as the town's center before the Red Moon soldiers realized anything was amiss. As soon as the first shots were fired, the Danubians spread out and exterminated the garrison. The operation was finished within an hour. For the first time in 250 years, Sumy Ris was securely under the control of the Grand Duchy of Upper Danubia. The easy seizure of the city and the apparent helplessness of the Army of the Red Moon was a tremendous shock to the local residents. Like everyone else in the Kingdom of the Moon, the population of Sumy Ris had not received any news that the Army of the Red Moon had been defeated in Danubia. The residents had assumed their soldiers had taken Hórkustk Ris and were besieging Danúbikt Móskt. Instead, the Danubian Grand Duke was standing in the city square, Danubian soldiers were raiding houses and pantries, and Danubian priests had taken over the old cathedral. Fleeing residents would spread the shocking news throughout the Kingdom of the Moon: the Danubians had captured Sumy Ris. The wretched Danubian captives were chained in the city's main fort and in three holding pens in the city market. The prisoners had been badly treated, were starving, and most were in poor health. Throughout the rest of the day the Duchy's soldiers retaliated against the city's residents, killing the leading male of each family and seizing all food. The Danubians carried around the Red Moon Army's impalement hooks as justification of what they were doing to the defeated population. The Grand Duke announced to the terrified civilians: "I have taken note of the way you treated my subjects. I will bestow the same treatment on you. We will eat, and you will starve. We will enjoy your food, and you will have the pleasure of watching us consume it. Anyhow, this is the Duchy's city. This is land the Creator intended for Danubians, not for you. You have no right to be here." The invaders noticed the local women were much more modest than women in the Duchy, and took delight in tearing off the inhabitants' shawls. The, taunting gave the Grand Duke an idea to exert further control over foreigners who, in his view, had usurped Danubian territory. Besides killing the head of each family, he ordered his troops to confiscate all the local women's clothing and jewelry, including what they were wearing. The troops burnt the clothes and kept the jewelry as souvenirs for their wives and fiancés. The entire female population of the city would have to remain naked until further notice. Seeing the dismay, humiliation, and panic of the foreign residents bolstered the confidence of the Danubians. It seemed the Kingdom of the Moon was not so strong after-all. The soldiers happily speculated about future conquests. Sumy Ris was destined to return to being a Danubian City. What about the Duchy's other former territories? How about Sókukt Tók and the lands along the East Danube River? No longer would he Danubians need to call their country the Grand Duchy of Upper Danubia. Danubia would be united, large, and strong. The world would once again know the country as the Kingdom of Danubia. ---------- The Grand Duke ordered the three concubines and the rest of his medical staff to travel south with a large supply caravan. Silvítya looked around at the lands lost by the Danubians in 1502: all of the fine farms and manors laid out on flat, rich soil. The architecture, after 250 years of foreign occupation, was different from what she was used to seeing in the Duchy. She was particularly fascinated with some of the public buildings and mosques that had been constructed by the Ottomans, structures that were totally different from anything she had seen in the Duchy. Like every other Danubian, Silvítya had heard plenty of history and stories about the long-lost city of Sumy Ris. She vaguely expected the place to be truly special but, with the exception of the old cathedral, the city was simply a larger version of some of the towns she had passed through already. The buildings were a mixture of Ottoman and southern European architecture. Very few structures from the Danubian period remained: Sumy Ris had been heavily damaged in 1502 during the Ottoman capture and the majority of the buildings that survived the siege had been replaced over the ensuing two centuries. The military wives joined the army doctors in administering treatment to the liberated Danubians. The three concubines had to report to the local governor's palace, where the Grand Duke had set up his headquarters. On her way in she passed groups of miserable local residents who had been ordered by the Danubians to carry out and bury dead garrison soldiers and executed civilians. The humiliation on the foreigners' faces, from both the defeat and from having the women forced to forego their clothing, went beyond anything that could be put into words. Silvítya had an ominous feeling as she looked at the conquered populace: if these people ever manage to fight back, they would have every reason to treat us viciously. Silvítya felt extremely uneasy as she entered the governor's palace. Danubian flags flew above its towers and griffins decorated the entrances. The Kingdom of the Moon's flags were used as floor-covers around the entrances. The soldiers took delight in wiping their feet on the enemy's banners. Everywhere, the soldiers were happy and optimistic. She had never seen Danubians in such a positive mood, which sharply contrasted with the normal somber outlook of the Duchy's society. The concubines cleaned up and enjoyed a good dinner, but the Grand Duke did not spend the night with them. Instead he had taken the daughters of several leading families into the governor's bed-chamber and was indulging himself with the foreign captives. The next morning Silvítya noticed naked palace servants taking bed sheets out of the Grand Duke's quarters. The sheets had blood on them, indicating he had forced himself on several virgins. The Duke's concubine felt sick. She pitied the unfortunate girls, but she also understood her master seemed to be doing everything possible to alienate the local population. Raping the daughters of leading families certainly was not going to win him any support. Two days passed while Silvítya and her companions stood in the palace courtyard watching Royal Guards bring in loot from the city and surrounding manors. There was a well-stocked armory, but the Danubians became truly excited when they discovered a large cache of gold and silver. It turned out Sumy Ris was a regional center for collecting taxes for the Lord of the Red Moon. The Kingdom's ruler had been distracted with the military campaigns and did not have enough men to spare to move the tax money to the Kingdom's capitol. Now, all that treasure was under the control of his enemy, the Grand Duke of Upper Danubia. The governor's palace had a high tower that had been built by the Ottomans, from which the countryside would be observed from a very long distance in every direction. Silvítya wanted to climb up to the top, but knew she couldn't go there unescorted. Fortunately, she saw Protector Buláshckt in the courtyard, examining some of the captured muskets. She approached the Royal Guard, requesting an escort so she could have a look at the region surrounding Sumy Ris. He surprised her by obliging. She noticed that he had a strange look in his eyes, as though he was worried. The trip up a series of stairs and ladders left the two Danubians winded, but from the top they could see a large portion of the former Lower Danubia. In the distance to the west the guard and the concubine could see part of the East Danube River. Apart from the river, the landscape had no natural features at all. Flat farmland extended in every direction. How hard it must have been for the Danubians to give up all this land two centuries ago. Well, King Vladik had no choice, because there was no way the territory could be defended. No way it could be defended. Now, the Danubians had returned, with a small army, to a city that could not be defended. They had taken Sumy Ris with ease, simply because they had superior numbers. When the Lord of the Red Moon learned of his army's defeat and that his nemesis was indulging himself in this city, he would attack with everything at his disposal, and Sumy Ris would again fall, along with the entire Danubian Royal Army. She looked down at the cathedral and the old seminary. It was in the seminary the bishop of Sumy Ris ordered the city's defenders to make their last stand. And that ruined gate over there...that's where the Ottomans hung his body. She expressed her thoughts out loud: The Girl with No Name Ch. 18 "This city...it's not our Path in Life to be here at all. Sumy Ris is a trap. The Duchy cannot hold it. King Vladik understood that. That's why Danubia survived; King Vladik didn't try to hold onto what we couldn't keep. We can't stay here. The Royal Army must leave...and we must leave immediately. Already the Lord of the Red Moon is gathering his army. He will kill us all if we don't get out." "I've thought the same thing, Servant Silvítya. I don't know how to reach His Majesty with my advice. It seems this city put a curse on him, made him lose all concept of reality, made him mad, really. This place is indeed a trap." The two Danubians remained silent for a long time, staring out at the flat terrain. Neither knew what else to say about their predicament. Finally, Silvítya glanced at the cathedral. "Can you take me to the church, Protector Buláshckt? I'd like to see it...and try praying there." A few minutes later Silvítya knelt in the church. Her mind filled with visions...of the battle in 1502 and the dead bishop. Her vision went dark and she saw the Grand Duke's corpse hanging on a Red Moon impalement hook...above the bodies of the entire Royal Army. The entire Duchy was burning...with all its inhabitants lying dead and the banners of the Kingdom of the Moon flying everywhere. The Lord of the Red Moon was riding triumphantly through his newly conquered territory. Yes, that defeat in Hórkustk Ris had been devastating, but how much greater was the glorious victory in Sumy Ris...where the Danubian Duke and his entire army set themselves up to be annihilated. How sweet that moment and how complete the revenge on the Danubian vermin. The vision of the Duchy's destruction vanished, to be replaced by Alchemist Fítoreckt. He seemed to have returned to the Realm of the Living; re-invigorated, much younger, and healthier than she had ever seen him in real life. "Be patient and continue learning. Perhaps you will find yourself in a position to temper and influence the actions and decisions of our nation's leader. How many of us can make such a claim?" As quickly as Alchemist Fítoreckt appeared, he vanished. Silvítya abruptly stood up. "Protector Buláshckt, I must speak with His Majesty immediately. I don't care what happens to me after I'm done. He can put me on the pillory or fill me with arrows if he wishes...I don't care. But I must speak with him." "Very well, Servant Silvítya. I will take you to His Majesty and I will insist you have an audience with him. I will share your fate, whatever fate that might be." Protector Buláshckt led the concubine back into the palace. He demanded that his fellow Royal Guards step aside so he could take the concubine before the Grand Duke. The sovereign was in his quarters, indulging himself with two young foreign women. Protector Buláshckt opened the chamber door and Silvítya burst into the room. She did not kneel. "Servant Silvítya! What is the meaning of this? Have you lost your mind?" "No, Your Majesty, I have not! I'm here to warn you, and to save the Grand Duchy of Upper Danubia! You must leave this city immediately! Every one of your subjects must leave immediately! Anyone who stays will share the fate of the Bishop, the one who defied King Vladik in 1502! There's a reason King Vladik abandoned this city! It's the same reason you must leave! You cannot hold Sumy Ris against the Lord of the Red Moon's men! You simply cannot hold it! Go up into the tower and take a good look at the land...everything is flat! The enemy can come at you from any direction! Sumy Ris is cursed! This city will be the death of all of us if you don't take us out...now...today..." Silvítya took a deep breath. Her knees were shaking badly. "Your Majesty...I saw what will happen to you...I've seen it! I have visions...the Ancients have cursed me with visions and sometimes I know what will happen! I saw the Bishop...and your Path in Life will end in the exact same place as his, and in the exact same manner! And without you, the entire Duchy will die...all of us! I saw it!" The Grand Duke didn't know how to respond. His concubine's face was white, her eyes wide with horror, and her body was shaking badly. She was obviously terrified, but not of him. She cared nothing for herself or her own safety at that moment. She was thinking of the Duchy. In a flash the Grand Duke's illusions and hubris vanished. He fully understood the perilous situation in which he had placed his army and his country. No, it was not the Duchy's Path in Life to reclaim Sumy Ris. The city was a trap, as much in 1754 as it had been in 1502. The Duke calmly stood up. He looked and felt as though he had just woken up from a strange dream. "Servant Silvítya, you will take responsibility for preparing your companions to travel. Tell them to pack and to report to the palace courtyard." Still trembling, Silvítya managed to respond: "To hear is to obey, Your Majesty." He put on a robe and called the Royal Guard into the room. "Protector Buláshckt, you will ensure Servant Silvítya and her companions are properly escorted." "To hear is to obey, Your Majesty." Silvítya would have been happy to pack, but she was still badly shaking when she returned to her companions with the news they were about to depart. The others had to gather her things while she stood at a balcony trying to get her breath back and stop trembling. She couldn't believe the Grand Duke had actually listened to her and would heed her warning. Minutes later the Grand Duke was dressed and had summoned his commanders. He asked them for honest assessments about their ability to defend Sumy Ris against a sustained attack from a larger army. The commanders were forced to admit the city could not be defended. "That is the conclusion I have reached as well. I have decided it would be foolish for us to stay here, after having looked around and assessing what happened in 1502. Therefore, commanders, it is my decision that our raiding expedition against this city has concluded and we should return to the Duchy. Prepare your soldiers for immediate departure." "To hear is to obey, Your Majesty." ---------- The Danubians left Sumy Ris as quickly as they entered, taking with them hundreds of new muskets, cannons, ammunition, gold and silver, loot from the residences, extra horses and wagons, and the 900 rescued captives. The soldiers did not destroy anything or kill anyone else on their way out: they simply let the local population run off. The city's women scrambled around, trying to find cloth and leather to cover themselves with makeshift clothing as the Royal Army's men marched northward. The Danubians returned to their southern fortress four days after abandoning Sumy Ris. The men had to move slowly with all of the wagons and cannons they were transporting. If what the Danubians had just completed truly was nothing more than a raiding mission and a rescue of captives, then it was a hugely successful one. If it had been the beginning of the re-conquest of Lower Danubia, the operation was a failure. The commanders understood the Grand Duke had made a prudent decision, but the soldiers grumbled about their leader's cowardice. Just five days before, their ruler had been talking about retaking all of Lower Danubia, but now the entire army was returning to the Duchy's territory like a bunch of common raiders. Yes, the loot was nice, but... ---------- The Lord of the Red Moon arrived in Sumy Ris with 15,000 soldiers on the same day the Danubians crossed back into the Duchy's territory. He personally commanded the troops, unable to accept the news that the Danubians had just raided the city. Sure enough, the story was completely accurate: the Danubian Grand Duke had led the raid and stayed just long enough to empty out the city and humiliate the local population. The Lord of the Red Moon couldn't believe what he was seeing. The armory: empty. The treasury: empty. The food stores and granaries: empty. The stables: empty. This was a personal insult from the ruler of Upper Danubia, who obviously had defeated the 30,000 troops sent to conquer the Duchy. But...how could that have happened? How could the Kingdom's best invasion force have been defeated? How could the "Beautiful Savages" have been defeated by...Danubians? The Lord of the Red Moon had never suffered a defeat, so he really did not know how to handle such a loss. Any prudent leader would have accepted the defeat for what it was and taken measures to minimize its impact on his rule. After-all, the Kingdom of the Moon was still a formidable nation, even with the loss of an invasion campaign and 30,000 troops. Yes, the Danubians had raided Sumy Ris, but they didn't have the forces to hold it and were smart enough to know that. The Duchy's border was back to where it was in 1752. The Lord of the Red Moon did not see the situation in that way. The Danubians were inferior and had to be eliminated. The raid on Sumy Ris and the Danubians' refusal to stand up and be killed in a proper battle was proof of that. No, the defeat was unacceptable and it was up to the Lord of the Red Moon to correct the problem. He would take his force north and lead them personally, which was what he should have done in the first place. A week after the Danubians had evacuated Sumy Ris, their lookouts spotted a large black mass of soldiers and cavalry approaching the border. Yet another invasion force was approaching the Duchy. However, the fort was surrounded by forested hills, precisely the terrain that favored the Danubians and the way they were used to fighting their battles. The Royal Army was rested and had the opportunity to set up their newly-captured cannons. When the Lord of the Red Moon's men charged recklessly up the wooded road, the Danubians were ready for them. The battle became a grueling three-day nightmare for the Red Moon Army. The Danubians retreated into the trees, elated to be using their traditional crossbows as they silently picked off their opponents. Throughout the second day of the fighting, a heavy rainstorm soaked the invaders' clothing and gunpowder, making movement and firing almost impossible. Discipline on both sides broke down as squad-sized units attacked each other in hand-to-hand fighting in the mud. On the third day, the Lord of the Red Moon's soldiers did something they had never done before: they retreated. As his men scrambled down the hill and away from the border fort, the Lord of the Red Moon could hear the distant taunting of his intended victims: "DOC-DOC DANUBE!!! DOC-DOC DANUBE!!! DOC-DOC DANUBE!!! DOC-DOC DANUBE!!!" The Danubian flag flew defiantly over the fortress, in full view of the hostile territory to the south, where it has flown ever since. ---------- The Duchy did not have time to celebrate the retreat of the Lord of the Red Moon's soldiers. Although the battle at the border had been fought in a location where the Danubians felt at ease using their traditional tactics, the victory had been the most costly of the campaign for the Royal Army in terms of casualties. More than 2,000 Royal Guards lay around the forested hills, either killed or seriously wounded. The Grand Duke's men spent a week searching for the injured and the dead, and the rest of August attending the wounded and setting up a formal cemetery, in which 1,400 Danubians eventually were buried. Thousands of corpses from the Lord of the Red Moon's army were simply left to rot. Silvítya and her companions spent a grueling month at the fort attending all the wounded. The first days were the worst, when the medical staff had to determine which troops could be saved from their injuries and which men were destined to have their souls separate from their bodies. The first injury she had to deal with was the Grand Duke, who took a musket shot to his right shoulder and broke his left arm falling off his horse. The injuries were not particularly serious, but the ruler insisted that his concubine be the one to treat them. Silvítya did her best to make sure her master fully recovered. She hated him more than ever, but resisted the temptation to give him an overdose of opium or anesthesia. She was a doctor and proud of what she had been able to accomplish with her piece-meal training, so she was able to separate her personal feelings towards her patient from the tasks she had to perform. Also, she remained a subject of the Grand Duke and a Danubian citizen. As odious a man as he was, the country needed him. Whether it was his cunning, his intelligence, his extraordinary luck, his reckless courage, or Divine Intervention, it was only because of its ruler the Grand Duchy of Upper Danubia had survived the threat from the Kingdom of the Moon. So, not only did Silvítya do everything she could to ensure a successful operation; she also converted some of her precious blue powder into special regenerative medicine to ensure he recovered as quickly as possible. With the additional treatment, the Grand Duke's shoulder was completely healed in just a week, and his left arm repaired itself at a miraculous pace as well. ---------- The final phase of the Grand Duke's military campaign took place during the last week of August and most of September. The western sector of Hórkustk Ris province had been completely secured by the Duchy's men, but many isolated villages in the eastern part of the province remained occupied by subjects loyal to the Kingdom of the Moon. Upon recovering and becoming convinced that no further invasion from the Kingdom was imminent, the Grand Duke ordered his men to reassert the Duchy's control over the rest of the re-captured region. As Danubian Royal Guards occupied more villages and the story of what happened to the Army of the Red Moon got out, the non-Danubian population of Danubia's southernmost province began to panic and flee, abandoning their homes. The Grand Duke ordered several massacres to terrorize the foreigners and speed up their departure. The war against the House of the Red Moon degenerated into a war against all non-Danubians living in the area. The panic was augmented by the fact the foreigners still did not know the details of what had happened during the battle of Hórkustk Ris and the raid against Sumy Ris. The Lord of the Red Moon's army had simply vanished and now the Danubian Grand Duke and his men seemed to be everywhere. As he led his cavalry around the southern region of the Duchy, the ruler sent messengers north to order all of the Danubian refugees from Hórkustk Ris to return home. There was no way they could go back into the city, but the surrounding villages were empty and there were plenty of houses and free land available for any takers. The Grand Duke dispatched some Royal Guards to order the refugees surrounding the capitol to return south as well. Hórkustk Ris province now was secure and they had no reason to remain camped near Danúbikt Móskt. As the Grand Duke and most of his army finally finished their campaign and trekked north, they passed a long column of refugees heading in the opposite direction, to reclaim their homes or occupy houses abandoned by the foreigners. The refugee camps along the Rika Chorna river were emptied by the time the Royal Army made its triumphant return to the capitol. ---------- The Grand Duke celebrated his victory with the jubilant citizens of Danúbikt Móskt. The surviving veterans of the Royal Army happily displayed the souvenirs captured from their enemies: the muskets, uniforms, flags, and impalement hooks taken from dead invaders. When the war was over, the Grand Duke turned out to be as cunning with his own people as he was against the Lord of the Red Moon. During his victory speech he spent hours thanking his commanders and numerous soldiers who had distinguished themselves during the fighting. He thanked the town councilmen who had assisted in recruiting and had sent him men, money, and supplies. He praised the Duchy's people and the Creator for watching over the nation. He did not say anything to bring glory to himself, knowing that his admirers would do that for him. Following the victory celebrations and speeches, he passed out a portion of the captured gold to the soldiers who had fought for the Royal Army and ordered more gold to be given to the widows of the men who had died during the campaign. The rest of the money seized in Sumy Ris would be used to retire part of the Duchy's debt with the Vienna arms dealers. The sovereign didn't keep any of the captured gold for the Royal Household and made sure his citizens were aware of that. The Grand Duke's public display of gratitude towards the people who had helped the Duchy achieve its amazing victories against the Kingdom of the Moon omitted his most important source of information and advice: his concubine Silvítya. She was the one who had given him the knowledge of the explosives he needed for the victory in Hórkustk Ris, she was the one whose advice narrowly averted a disastrous defeat in Sumy Ris, she was the one who operated on him when he was injured, and throughout the summer she also had operated on countless other wounded Royal Guards. More than any other person serving the Grand Duke, the humble concubine should have received credit for giving him the advice and knowledge he needed to win the war. However, because the public did not know who she was, the ruler felt there was no need to mention her. Instead, he would take credit for everything she had contributed. Her reward would be to simply go back to her old life as a naked sex slave, locked up in the Royal Residence with her "sisters". So, while celebrations took place in the city's central plaza, Silvítya returned to the castle and her duties as a Royal concubine. The matrons ordered her to strip, unbraided her hair, shaved her armpits, cleaned her up, and sent her back to the concubines' quarters along with her two companions. The Grand Duke expected her to resume her old life as though none of the events she had endured over the past four months had happened. There was absolutely no reward for her efforts and service, nothing except being confined with her ten naked companions and waiting for the bell to ring. Her only consolation was having Antonia in her arms again. Silvítya's lover was desperately glad to see her, embrace her, and run her hands all over her body. However, it seemed even that small pleasure in Silvítya's life was ruined. She was happy to relax and allow her companion to massage her weary body but, after everything she had just been through and witnessed, she couldn't find peace or enjoy the relationship. She had to pretend to be elated to see Antonia, just as she had to pretend to tolerate the Grand Duke. ---------- The Duchy returned to its life of peace and isolation. Danubian flags and Danubian uniformed guards appeared along the entire border with the rival nation, as constant reminders the Kingdom's efforts to invade the Duchy had failed completely. The Lord of the Red Moon found himself in serious trouble after the loss of 40,000 of his best troops. It was hard to believe that the "Beautiful Savages", the terrifying and invincible elite cavalry that had been the Lord's most important source of power, no longer existed. The resurgence of the Duchy, coupled with the humiliation of Sumy Ris and the disastrous defeat at the fort, weakened the Kingdom's support for the House of the Red Moon, while strengthening the position of the rival House of the Blue Moon. When the Lord of the Blue Moon sent some of his troops into the region around Sumy Ris, the local leaders changed loyalties and declared themselves in rebellion against the leader who had failed them. The Lord of the Red Moon, who by that time had partially reconstituted his defeated army, sent a detachment of soldiers to retake Sumy Ris. In late October there were two bloody and inconclusive battles near the city. Both sides raised additional men over the winter and prepared to launch a major war in the spring of 1755. The Girl with No Name Ch. 18 It seemed that, since the Destroyer's plans to obliterate the Duchy and annihilate its people had been thwarted, the Destroyer instead decided to pay a visit to the Kingdom of the Moon. The Grand Duke's scouts brought back the welcome news of a civil war being waged between two cousins whose forces were evenly matched. The rival heirs had no chance to worry about Danubia because they were too busy fighting each other. ---------- Today, there is very little evidence the Kingdom of the Moon ever existed at all. The country was completely destroyed over the ensuing decade by a bloody stalemate between the Lord of the Red Moon and the Lord of the Blue Moon. In 1764 the Ottoman Empire's army re-occupied the devastated region and the Duchy's once-formidable enemy became nothing more than a footnote in history. ---------- Note: The Grand Duke's two victories in Hórkustk Ris, combined with the raid on Sumy Ris and follow-up campaign that wiped out the Red Moon garrisons stationed throughout southwestern Danubia, is considered one of the greatest military upsets in history. No one could have expected that an ill-equipped army of 9,000 fighting men would annihilate over 40,000 professional combatants who were considered among the best soldiers in Europe during the mid-1700s. As much as popular Danubian historians like to credit the brilliance of the Grand Duke, and as much as the Danubian Church would like to claim it was due to Divine Intervention, the reality was that over-confidence, lack of accurate intelligence reporting, and two critical decisions by two different Red Moon Army commanders were what led to the Duchy's victory in the 1754 Hórkustk Ris campaign. The Danubian defeat of the Army of the Red Moon had very important implications for the history of south-eastern Europe. In the decades leading up to 1754, the Kingdom of the Moon had established itself as a powerful and respected state through its superb military training and discipline, which created one of the most versatile, mobile, and feared fighting forces on the continent. There was general consensus among European leaders that the Kingdom of the Moon would continue to expand into Ottoman territory. Many contemporary writers expressed hope that the Kingdom of the Moon might even become strong enough to threaten the Turks' hold on Constantinople. After the summer of 1754, conditions in the Kingdom of the Moon changed dramatically. The Lord of the Red Moon had suffered much more than a simple defeat: he had lost half of his entire army. His cousin immediately challenged him for the throne, the aristocracy split into warring factions, and the country endured a civil war from 1755 to 1764 during which neither Lord was able to establish superiority. Finally, some of the local barons asked the Ottoman Sultan to re-establish order, with the result that Turkey invaded and re-annexed the territory in 1764. Although no treaty was ever signed, the Grand Duke of Danubia and the Ottoman Sultan maintained an informal agreement to leave each other's territories alone. The Sultan was under the impression that the Grand Duke's army was much stronger than it really was, without knowing the details of the fighting over Hórkustk Ris. As part of the informal agreement, the Danubian settlers who had set up residence in strips of former Danubian territory immediately to the south of the recognized border were allowed to stay by the Ottomans, as a buffer between the two countries. (The status of the border territories was not formally resolved until the early 21st Century, when the Treaty of Sumy Ris granted the majority of the disputed settlements to the Duchy, in exchange for abandoning all other territorial claims.) News of the sudden and devastating defeat of the Lord of the Red Moon's army by, of all people, the Grand Duke of Danubia, shocked and dismayed leaders and political writers throughout western Europe. European sympathy clearly sided with the Lord of the Red Moon in his effort to annex the Duchy. The Kingdom of the Moon enjoyed good relations with Russia and Austria, and the hope was that the three countries would form a common and continuous front against the Ottoman Empire. Had that hope become reality, Turkish control of the entire Balkan Peninsula would have been threatened. Foreign historians during the nineteenth century referred to the destruction of the Kingdom of the Moon and the respite it provided the Ottoman Empire as "Europe's lost opportunity". After 1754 the idea of a common European front against Turkey became considerably less practical, because the Danubian Grand Duke had no incentive to enter into an alliance with either Russia or Austria. Later events, such as the partitioning of Poland during the second half of his reign, validated his aloof attitude concerning involvement in European politics and the Duchy's diplomatic isolation. Many historians, myself included, have indulged in counter-factual "what if" speculation concerning events in the Balkan Peninsula between 1754 and 1914. What would have happened had the Grand Duke's army been defeated and Danubia annexed by the Kingdom of the Moon? I am convinced the Kingdom of the Moon's aristocracy would have remained unified, because the Lord of the Blue Moon would not have been in a position to challenge his cousin for the throne, having neither the troops nor adequate support from dissident lords. The civil war that destroyed the Kingdom would not have taken place, and the Ottoman Empire would not have had the opportunity re-annex the region in 1764. Following a victory in Danubia, the Lord of the Red Moon would have turned his attention to building up the alliance with Austria and Russia, as well as with Serb and Greek rebels, with the likely result of a joint military assault on the Ottomans. Given the military situation at the time, most Daunibian historians believe it is very likely Ottoman forces would have been routed and forced to retreat from some or all of their European holdings in the late eighteen century. (Counter-factual speculation aside, the Ottomans were not forced out of the Balkan region until over a century later, a process that started in the 1870s and culminated shortly before the First World War.) The events surrounding "Europe's lost opportunity" and Danubia's subsequent neutrality towards the Ottoman Empire during the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries explains much of the underlying hostility other Europeans have held towards the Duchy. However, that hostility is in no way justified. The Grand Duke did what was necessary to secure the future of his country and protect his people. The vicious treatment of captured civilians by both the Lord of the Red Moon and his rival the Lord of the Blue Moon during the civil war clearly demonstrated what the Danubians could have expected had the Grand Duke been defeated. The destruction of the Kingdom of the Moon and "Europe's lost opportunity" cannot be blamed on the Duchy. As a nation, the only thing we were doing was fighting for our own survival. - Maritza Ortskt-Dukovna - The Girl with No Name Ch. 19 Chapter Nineteen – The Sapphire Necklace The Grand Duchy of Upper Danubia spent the autumn of 1754 recovering from the war. The country gave thanks to the Creator for having spared the central valley, but the province of Hórkustk Ris, which had been devastated and depopulated, would take years to recover. The Grand Duke was very active in planning the province's future, realizing that he had the opportunity to shape an entire region to fit the needs of both the Duchy and the Royal Household. The province's lack of defenses was a problem the sovereign needed to immediately address. He would reserve territory for a replanted forest from which Royal Guards could launch raids against any future invaders. He also ordered the official abandonment of the ruined city of Hórkustk Ris. The new provincial capitol would be located further south in Iyóshnyakt-Krepóckt. The southern town had been little more than a large farming village in 1754, but over the ensuing decade it would become the most important city in the region, boasting the Royal Army's largest garrison. The Danubian Church built a new Temple based on the design of the one in Starívktaki Móskt, which signaled the Duchy's religious leaders were officially turning away from traditional Christian architecture. Old churches and cathedrals from the "Roman" era would be left in place, but any new ones would be built according to the pre-Christian design. The Grand Duke continued ordering heavy stones and other building supplies to be brought into the area surrounding the capitol for the planned expansion of the city wall. Throughout the winter the kilns burned non-stop and massive piles of bricks and blocks kept growing. The population, which had not seen how useless the walls in Hórkustk Ris had been against the Army of the Red Moon's cannons, happily anticipated building the new defenses and living in a more secure city. Silvítya looked over the castle wall with a spyglass that she had borrowed from Protector Buláshckt. She studied the building materials and construction stockpiles, wondering what really was happening. She remembered the words of the wagon driver on the day she entered the capitol for the first time: "I think the Grand Duke's wasting our effort, if you ask me. A new wall isn't going to do us any good. All it takes is some cannon balls and the whole thing comes crashing down... Stone doesn't beat gunpowder... not for very long, at any rate." The siege of Hórkustk Ris had amply proved the wagon driver's opinion. Certainly the Grand Duke was as aware of the uselessness of city walls as anyone so, why was he still planning to build a new one around the Danubian capitol? It just didn't make any sense. ---------- Silvítya attended the births of several children during the weeks after she returned to her normal life in the Royal Residence, including the babies of ex-concubines. It was strange to see her former "sisters" after not having seen them for six or seven months and knowing they soon would be leaving the castle and starting new lives. It was nice to get caught up on news with her old companions and tell them what had gone on in the concubine group since they had left. The new mothers had plenty of news about happenings in the capitol, since their lives in the maternity wing were not nearly as restricted as life in the concubines' quarters. The Grand Duke trusted Silvítya more than anyone else in the castle to oversee the successful deliveries of his offspring. He did not love his former mistresses, but was very concerned that the babies and their mothers were healthy. The women would be properly taken care of as long as their children stayed alive, but the ruler made it very clear that if anything bad ever happened to one of his children, regardless of whether or not the mother was to blame, she would be kicked out of her house, her goods would be seized, and the support she was receiving from the Royal Household would immediately stop. The Grand Duke had fathered dozens of children over that past decade. Once a woman became his concubine, the only way she could leave the castle was to become pregnant. The Grand Duke obviously wanted as many children as he would possibly have, but why? The children were all illegitimate, so none of them could become legal heirs to the throne. Why was he spending so much time and money impregnating ordinary women and then sending them away to live out their lives scattered around the Duchy? ---------- After returning to the castle, Silvítya resumed her status as the Grand Duke's "favorite" concubine. She could freely move about the Royal Residence and go as far as the end of the garden. The Royal Guards would not let her go beyond the far edge of the planted area, but still, it was wonderful to spend time outside the castle and be able to look out at the capitol and surrounding areas. Even as the autumn progressed and being naked outdoors became increasingly uncomfortable, Silvítya was happy to be away from the stifling atmosphere of the castle and the continuous chatter of her companions. Throughout the autumn, supply caravans pulled into the castle to off-load food and charcoal and ensure its inhabitants had what they needed to pass the winter comfortably. Silvítya often braved the wind to watch the supply wagons off-load, to see what was coming into the castle and hear gossip and news about the rest of the Duchy. She was surprised when several wagons entered the castle loaded down with heavy powdery black rocks. Seeing the rocks reminded her of her days in Babáckt Yaga's settlement and filled her thoughts with regret and nostalgia. Only two years had passed since she had been a Follower, but it seemed so much longer than that: an entire lifetime. Silvítya examined one of the rocks, picking at it with her fingernails. It was still strange to think this thing would actually catch on fire. She remembered the conversations she had with the Grand Duke over the previous winter about the various inventions of the Followers. She realized the Grand Duke had listened to her seriously and had taken an interest in cave-charcoal. She talked to a castle supply-room assistant to find out that, sure enough, the Grand Duke wanted to experiment with heating. So, along with the shipment of ordinary charcoal, he had ordered several wagonloads of the strange black rocks to be transported all the way from the northern border. A wagon master explained that it came from a cave near Sevérckt nad Gorádki and that it burned much better than wood. "We don't know what to call it yet, but just west of the pass to Rika Chorna there's a mountain full of it. A single wagon of these rocks is like bringing in dozens of cut trees. If this works out, the Grand Duke is thinking about using barges to bring in more of these rocks next year." "Is he going to use the rocks in the castle's fireplaces, Wagon-master?" "I don't think so, Servant. These rocks burn too hot for ordinary fireplaces. But, from what I have been told by one of the Royal blacksmiths, His Majesty has been experimenting with special iron stoves. He sent drawings of several designs and ordered the metal-workers to create them." Silvítya looked up to see Protector Buláshckt, studying at both her and the strange cargo. She had not seen him since he dropped her off at the castle at the end of September. She greeted him and would have left it at that, but she was curious about the stoves. She requested that he escort her to the castle's blacksmiths' shop to see the stoves for herself. It turned out the designs were identical to the stoves used in Babáckt Yaga's settlement. The foreman of the blacksmiths proudly described what his men had created over the summer: "These designs came from His Majesty himself. They are truly amazing, don't you think? The Creator has blessed the Duchy with a ruler who can create such wonderful inventions for his people." The concubine forced herself to respond: "Yes Master-Smith. We are truly blessed...that His Majesty is so creative...and he can take credit... blessed indeed..." A few days after Silvítya's visit to the metal-workers, castle laborers bought one of the new stoves to install in the concubines' bath house. The bath house would become the concubines' favorite spot in the castle, since the room would always be warm and heating water would be so much easier. Since the reading room would not be receiving a stove that winter, the concubines would avoid it and abandon their spokeswoman's regimen of studying and reading. The women would return to light recreation, grooming and massages. Realizing she faced opposition and a possible rebellion if she tried to force her "sisters" back into the cold reading room, Silvítya decided not to push the issue. So...her efforts to improve her companions' intellects came to an end. She hoped to resume with the groups readings in the spring, but was not optimistic. Silvítya continued her intimate relationship with Antonia, but she had to force herself to be responsive to her sleeping-partner's attentions. The awful truth was that she would have preferred to be left alone. She couldn't figure out why, but by the end of October she realized she had fallen out of love. She did what she could to not hurt the foreign girl's feelings, but she knew that she would not be sorry when Antonia became pregnant and had to be transferred to the maternity ward. At the end of October, she got her wish. Antonia missed her menstruation and became totally distraught. When she endured a bout of morning sickness for the first time, Silvítya comforted her and pretended to be sympathetic, but inwardly she was elated. Before long, Antonia would be leaving and the relationship would end without her having to do anything that would hurt her lover's feelings. ---------- The weather became colder as the chilly wind blew across the East Danube River, rippling the water and pulling the leaves off the trees. Silvítya stood outside, shivering in the cold and watching the world from the isolated hilltop perch of the Royal Residence. Nothing made any sense to her. Every night she was forced to make love to a man she totally hated. Every day she had to share her meals and baths with a group of women with whom she had nothing in common. She had to speak on behalf of nine other souls and keep them out of trouble, while all she really wanted to do was isolate herself in the library and read. She felt completely alone. I wish...I could just walk away with my collar and my bucket. That's all I want. I'd feel more at peace walking naked through a forest full of wolves than I feel now. The Grand Duke did nothing to put his servant's mind at ease. The first night after he had a coal-burning stove installed in his sleeping chamber, he subtly taunted her: "This stove, and the discovery of the burning rocks, are truly ingenious, don't you agree, my favorite minx?" "Yes, Your Majesty. Your humble serving girl agrees the stove and the burning rocks are truly ingenious." He ordered her to get on her elbows and knees. He fondled her bottom and teased her by tracing his finger around her sphincter. "Yes, indeed. I am quite proud of having introduced this creation to the Duchy. Next year, I will provide stoves to town councils around the Duchy. The stoves will be a gift from me...only one gift out of many I leave as my legacy to this nation." "Yes, Your Majesty. You have given much to the Duchy." "Yes, indeed. I have given much, haven't I? In the instance of the stove, I sent my drawings and designs to the Royal printing press. I am publishing them, so that everyone can have the benefit of this invention. I will ask for nothing in return, except for three copper coins to cover the cost of the parchment and ink. I am happy to provide such a selfless service to the Duchy's citizens. Don't you agree, my favorite minx?" The Grand Duke continued tracing Silvítya's anus with his fingertip. The threat, while unspoken, was very clear. You will acknowledge that I invented the stove, or I will enter your bottom and be as rough about it as possible. "Yes, Your Majesty. Your humble serving girl agrees. The nation is blessed with the invention that you have provided." "Very well. Kneel, and I will give you a treat." Silvítya knelt, and the Grand Duke placed a piece of Turkish delight in her mouth. She hated being fed like a dog, but by now was used to it. The sovereign sat on his bed, studying her while she chewed the candy and swallowed it. "You have served me well, my favorite minx. Now, I will serve you. If you have a wish, I will grant it, as long as it is reasonable." Silvítya wanted to stand up and scream: A wish? The only wish I have is to never see you again! I want to leave! I want to get as far from you and this horrid castle as I can! I want to go to the other end of the Duchy and live in the wild with the wolves, just to get away from you! That is my wish, Grand Duke! She knew she was being tested. The words "as long as it is reasonable" indicated there really was not very much she could ask for and expect to receive. Certainly the Grand Duke was not about to let her leave the castle. To ask for that would be foolish. She thought to herself, what can I ask of him, that he'd actually be willing to grant? Finally she made her request: "You Majesty, your humble serving girl requests, when Servant Antonia leaves this castle with your child, that she is watched over and properly taken care of. She is a foreigner, and your humble serving girl is worried that her neighbors might give her trouble." "Yes, of course. I will ensure Servant Antonia's well-being and safety. As you requested, she will live in a nice house and lead a pleasant existence. So, my favorite minx, consider your request granted." "Your humble serving girl wishes to express her gratitude, Your Majesty." Two days later, Antonia left the concubine quarters. She tearfully hugged Silvítya goodbye and departed down the hallway with one of the matrons. They still would occasionally see each other when Silvítya had to visit the maternity quarters, but their relationship had ended. Silvítya watched her leave, relieved that at least one person who had loved her was not cursed by the Destroyer. ---------- Silvítya realized that she had changed over the summer. She remained traumatized by everything she had seen over in Hórkustk Ris and the border fort in Iyóshnyakt-Krepóckt. For a few weeks she could talk to the two companions who had accompanied her during the war, because they were equally troubled by everything they had seen. Yes, the three women now were safely back in the Royal Household, sleeping in their comfortable beds, sitting in the bath, and eating wonderful food...but the contrast between their peaceful lives in the castle and the hardships they had endured over the summer made their lives even more surreal than the lives of the "sisters" who did not go out. However, the discussions with the other two were short-lived, because Silvítya's attitude differed from that of her two companions. She wanted to try to make sense out of everything she had seen over the summer, while the other two wanted to block out the horrid memories and resume normal lives. One of the women cynically noted: "Sister, it was the will of the Creator that we return to the castle. Had the Creator wished us to continue worrying about the war, we would still be on the battlefield. Is that not so?" "We have to bear witness to what happened to all those men! We can't forget about..." The other woman cut her off with loud hiss. "That's not my concern, Sister Silvítya! What's done, is done! The dead have held up their mirrors and we have not! Therefore, I will indulge myself in the pleasures of the Realm of the Living while I can, and not trouble my thoughts with Hórkustk Ris! I don't want to talk about it anymore!" With that, the "sister" walked off to the bath house. Silvítya thought to herself. So...she wants to forget. I don't. The Ancients have commanded me to bear witness, and I will... ---------- Silvítya remained the appointed leader of the concubine group throughout the winter of 1754-1755. However, her relationship with her companions changed as the winter progressed. Each month one of the women became pregnant, moved to the maternity ward, as had to be replaced. By the end of the year all of the women who had been with the group when Magdala was spokeswoman had become pregnant and departed. Silvítya now was the woman who had been in the Royal Residence longer than any of her companions. Silvítya spent most of her time away from the concubines' quarters. She had to deal with pregnancies and childbirths, as well as injuries and illnesses. When she was not working as a doctor, she was with the Grand Duke. She knelt by his side as he talked to his commanders, ministers, and castle staff. She shivered in the drafty throne room and cringed as he ran his fingers through her hair, petting her as though she were an animal. However, she continued to listen to the conversations and learning about the Duchy's politics and the Grand Duke's policies. The conversations were interesting and made up for her continuous discomfort and humiliation. When she was released for the day, she went to the library to read up on the topics discussed between her master and other political leaders. She became very knowledgeable about the Duchy and the problems facing its ruler. By the middle of the winter the Grand Duke was aware that his favorite concubine had paid careful attention to everything discussed in the throne room and had conducted follow-up research. He took advantage of her knowledge and intelligence to test ideas and policy options. Although she was nothing more than a sex slave and totally hated him, she became the ruler's most trusted advisor. She could provide honest opinions and assessments, without worrying about protecting her status among the nobility or defending the interests of an elite family or guild organization. If she thought an idea didn't make sense or was impractical, she said so and explained, from the viewpoint of an ordinary citizen, why it wouldn't work. She was able to detach herself emotionally as she spoke with her Master. She understood that it was to the benefit of people like herself that she give him honest opinions about his policies and plans, even if by doing so she was helping him consolidate his control over the Duchy. ---------- Silvítya remained troubled by the war and wondered how best to bear witness to what she had seen over the summer. She decided to write down her memories of the campaign while the events were still fresh in her mind. So, while the other concubines enjoyed their new metal stove and the over-heated bath house, Silvítya shivered in the library as she filled a stack of parchment with accounts of what she had observed during the fighting. In the beginning she only wrote down what she had seen and the details she picked up from conversations. She studied maps and read accounts of the various places she had visited to make sure her writings were as accurate as possible. She didn't write about events in any particular order: she just wrote details as she remembered them with the intention of organizing them later. Since she really had no one to talk to about the war, writing became therapeutic. It seemed that a lot of the pain in her mind passed through her hand onto the parchment, while looking at maps and studying past battles and events in the southern region helped put her thoughts into better perspective. At the end of the year, Silvítya was looking through the map collection in the Royal Library when Protector Buláshckt entered the room and observed what she was doing. He looked through her stack of writings and immediately realized the importance of her research. He was literate, but his ability to write came nowhere close to the project the concubine was creating. He briefly talked to her about her memoirs and volunteered to lend her his campaign maps. The Girl with No Name Ch. 19 That small gesture was the beginning of an unusual friendship between an elite soldier and a glorified sex-slave. Protector Buláshckt had his own memories of the war, ones of the actual fighting and following the Grand Duke around. He had seen everything war had to offer, from the ruler's reckless bravery, cunning, and resourcefulness to his viciousness and cruelty, to his genuine concern for the well-being of his men and willingness to share all of their hardships. Like Silvítya, he had changed over the summer. The strong confidence he had in his life, in the Duchy, and his duties as a guard seemed to have vanished. His expression was very troubled. When she looked at him, at times he tightened his lips and looked away, as though he was thoroughly ashamed of himself. Yes, he could take pride in what he had done during the confrontations with the Lord of the Red Moon's army, but he could not take pride in his participation killing non-Danubian civilians following each of the battles and the final expulsion of all the foreigners from the Duchy. Oddly enough, Silvítya was reassured. Her friend's conscience was tormented by what had happened in the aftermath of the campaign. He was not a cold-hearted killer, nor an unthinking follower of the Grand Duke. He followed the sovereign's brutal orders because he felt it was necessary for the future of Danubia, but he understood those some of those orders were immoral. He knew that he would have a lot to answer for when he held up his mirror before the Creator. He needed someone to talk to as much as Silvítya needed to talk to. He understood her need to bear witness to the events of the war. Over time, as the two gained each other's trust, he started relating his memories of the fighting while she wrote them down. At first he only talked about the fighting and the Grand Duke as a military leader, but eventually he talked about the less heroic things done by the Royal Army. The soldier and the servant exchanged news on many of the injured she had treated. She wrote brief biographies about many of the men who had been killed, but was even more interested in finding out about the fates of the men whose injuries she had treated. The Guard asked around for information on the survivors and brought news as he was able to collect it. Everything she learned went into the growing stack of parchment. As the trust between them grew, Silvítya and Protector Buláshckt began sharing information about their personal lives. She learned about his past, his military training, his travels, and some details about his family. She gave away some of the information on her own life, describing her life in Sebérnekt Ris and her previous year as a Follower of the Ancients. Like most Christians, he knew very little about the Cult. She talked about Rika Héckt-nemát and the wretchedness of her life there. The only detail she left out was the reason she left: she let him think that she ran off to escape her family's poverty, not because she had been pilloried. She did not mention anything about her life in Starívktaki Móskt. Protector Buláshckt was aware that she was leaving important gaps in her life story, but he never pressed her for information. He figured if it was the Creator's desire for him to know those details, he'd find out when the time was right. ---------- Silvítya was so busy over the winter that she did not notice the months pass by. She attended births, comforted new women that had been brought into the concubine group, half-heartedly tried to encourage the others to read, and interceded whenever the matrons wanted to harass one of the girls. She spent her afternoons kneeling next to the Grand Duke as he talked to advisors. Whenever she had time, she met with Protector Buláshckt and wrote down whatever he wanted to share about the Royal Guards' actions during the war. Documenting the events of the war and the people who participated in it provided a genuine purpose for her Path in Life, something she had not experienced since the Cult of the Ancients was dissolved. By March of 1755, none of the girls who had been serving as concubines at the beginning of 1754 were still living in the concubine quarters, with the single exception of their spokeswoman. Concubines became pregnant and left, while new women were brought in to replace them. One girl, a merchant's daughter from the capitol, became pregnant within weeks of becoming a "sister" and left the group for the maternity ward a mere three months after she entered. All of the others, and even some who came afterwards, carried the Grand Duke's seed and had transferred to the maternity ward. She watched Royal Guards escort new mothers out of the castle on their way back to their hometowns. It was particularly painful watching Magdala depart. She very much wished that Magdala could return to take charge of the concubines and relieve her of that responsibility. She felt terribly lonely, missing the companionship of her predecessor and the intimacy of Antonia. She couldn't relate to any of the new girls. She dealt with the newcomers' problems as best she could, but did not bother to become close to any of them. During the first part of 1755, the only friend she was interested in having was Protector Buláshckt, and the only activity that interested her was working on her memoirs about the pervious year's war. ---------- Three concubines who had become pregnant left for the maternity ward during the last half of March, bringing the number of "sisters" down to six. The Royal Household did not replace them because the Grand Duke was planning to look at some captives from Hórkustk Ris province. The newly appointed governor of Iyóshnyakt-Krepóckt had asked the ruler to visit the border to see some suggestions he had for improving the country's defenses. The official reason for the trip was legitimate, but the governor enticed his ruler by adding that he was holding a large group of captive foreign women in the governor's compound. If His Majesty was interested, he could indulge himself and take any of the girls that he wanted to the Royal Residence as concubines. The lure of southern women prompted the Grand Duke to accept the invitation. He departed the capitol accompanied by a military escort during the first Monday of April, with the expectation of being gone two weeks. The concubines in the castle were relieved to have a break from their Master, but wondered about the trip and why the departing "sisters" had not been replaced. They received their answer when the Grand Duke and his escort returned to the capitol at the end of April. The entourage included six new concubines: all of them girls from the Kingdom of the Moon. Their families had crossed into the Duchy over the winter, trying to escape the civil war raging to the east of Sumy Ris, only to be taken captive by Danubian Royal Guards or village militias. Between 1755 and 1764, Royal Guards routinely attacked groups of foreign refugees fleeing north into the Duchy to keep the border region cleared out for returning Danubians. The steady flow of refugees was viewed as a serious threat by the Danubian Crown, given the enormous effort to retake the region during the summer of 1754. Besides being looked upon as a threat that needed to be confronted, the foreigners also provided the Royal Guards with an extra source of income. Typically the Guards killed all the males, but took the women and girls captive and sold them as servants. The more desirable young women became the concubines of village elders, while the others were auctioned in villages or sold to farmers. The slaves had no hope of escaping. They didn't speak Danubian, wore collars, and were forbidden to braid their hair, which immediately identified them as foreign captives. Their families no longer existed and returning to the Kingdom of the Moon was not possible because it was in the midst of a brutal civil war. Slavery was officially forbidden in the Duchy by law and by the Old Believers of the Danubian Church, so the women were legally classified as criminals, not slaves. In many cases Royal Guards or village councils even staged quick trials in which conviction was guaranteed and the sentence was always a lifetime of servitude. The trials and sentences were total fiction, however. Convicted Danubian criminals officially belonged to the Crown, had some legal protection and limited rights, and certainly could not be sold. The foreigners were property, nothing more. The Crown officials and slave owners justified what they were doing because the women were viewed as invaders who were attempting to usurp the Duchy's territory. The foreigners had willingly entered the Duchy: no had one forced them to cross the border (which was not true at all; they were fleeing a war in their homeland). The most desirable young women were handed over to the governor in Iyóshnyakt-Krepóckt. He treated them well and made sure they remained healthy, but to him the captives were nothing more than a commodity. He passed some out as gifts to visiting officials and kept the best ones for his own use. He set aside fifteen women in anticipation of the Grand Duke's visit, figuring the ruler would choose the girls he wanted for himself and let his commanders take the others. The Grand Duke was fascinated by the captives' beauty: the governor certainly did have good taste picking out the best women for him. He had a hard time deciding which ones he liked the best and only reluctantly reduced his selection to six. He would have been tempted to take them all, but nine veteran commanders had escorted him, so he rewarded each with a slave. When the Grand Duke returned to the castle, the naked captives were forced to endure the in-processing routine from the matrons. They had to be examined, bathed, and have their armpits shaved and their hair trimmed. Also, their collars had to be removed. One of the castle blacksmiths carefully removed the collars, ensuring that the Grand Duke's new acquisitions were not marked when the latches were released. Each of the foreign girls had to endure a switching before they were sent to the concubines' quarters. They hadn't done anything wrong apart from having difficulty understanding orders, but the matrons forced each newcomer to bend over a switching bench and receive 15 strokes. The foreign girls had to understand, even though their collars had been removed, they would have no rights or privileges in the castle. Dozens of Royal Guards and castle staff gathered when word went out that six foreign women were about to be whipped. The matrons waited until the courtyard was full before ordering the girls to stand in a row and assume the prisoner's stance, with their legs spread and their hands clasped behind their heads. Castle servants moved the switching horse to a wooden speaker's platform that was about a fathom in height. A matron grabbed the first young woman by the hair and dragged her up to the platform. The girl cried in terror, thinking she was about to be executed. A second matron tied the newcomer's hands and ankles to the legs of the switching bench. The matron took her time delivering the strokes, giving her victim plenty of time to feel each blow before receiving the next. She ran her hand over the girl's bottom and patted the welts, which was an insult in traditional Danubian culture. When the matrons finally untied the sobbing captive and pulled her up from the bench, they forced her to stand on the platform and turn around several times so everyone could have a good look at both her body and the welts crossing her bottom. The entertainment lasted all afternoon, as a different matron punished each foreigner. The Danubian concubines stood on their balcony, watching the switchings. For them the punishments were entertainment as much as they were for the castle staff. However, they knew that as soon as the punishments were over, the traumatized foreigners would be brought up to the concubines' quarters and the Danubian women would have to deal with them. Silvítya was tempted to tell her companions that the foreigners were fellow "sisters" and needed to be treated as equals. However, she knew such an arrangement was not possible. The foreigners did not speak Danubian and presumably knew nothing about table manners and other etiquette. Besides language, they had to learn many new skills, and learn them very quickly. She correctly assumed the Grand Duke would judge her leadership on how swiftly the newcomers adapted to their responsibilities in the castle. She did not want the foreigners to be kept together and have the opportunity to converse in their own language. So, as the punishments progressed, she discussed with her companions how they should deal with the Grand Duke's newest acquisitions. Silvítya decided that each of her companions would take a foreigner into her room and would be responsible for training her. The concubines would have to handle teaching etiquette, while Silvítya would take responsibility for teaching Danubian. To make sure all of the foreigners received the same schooling, they would be rotated every week: each Danubian girl would be assigned a new foreign girl every Sunday until the foreigners were properly trained. Silvítya left her companions and descended to the courtyard. As much as she hated asking a matron for a favor, she felt that she had to borrow a switch. She had no plans to punish any of the foreigners, but felt that it would be good for them to see her carrying the implement when she was giving instructions to make sure they took anything she had to say seriously. The matrons ordered her to kneel while making the request, but finally they gave her what she wanted and she went up the stairs with her new symbol of authority. The matrons did not bring up the foreigners until the sun was low in the horizon. The girls were miserable and totally traumatized. They were humiliated as well, but by that time they had learned to never try covering themselves. They kept their hands at their sides as they walked through the castle corridors, knowing they'd receive a painful swipe from the switch if their hands moved to cover their vulvas. As soon as the foreigners entered the concubines' quarters, Silvítya took over. Fortunately she spoke a little of the language of the Kingdom of the Moon, which was a dialect of Slavic with a lot of Turkish and some Danubian vocabulary mixed in. She didn't speak it well, but was able to make herself understood. Directing the newcomers by pointing with her switch, she ordered them to kneel in a line. She started by asking them if anyone spoke Danubian. No...none of them spoke Danubian. How wonderful. Well, you will have to learn, and learn quickly. Silvítya taught the newcomers several phrases they would need to know around the Grand Duke, starting with "to hear is to obey, Your Majesty". Then she introduced the Danubian concubines and assigned a foreigner to each, including one to herself. With difficulty she explained that each foreigner would have to treat her Danubian mentor as her mistress and kneel when talking to her. Her first trainee's name was Mirjana. Apart from her physical beauty, there was nothing special about Mirjana: in her previous life she was the daughter of a cloth merchant. Her family fled when the Lord of the Blue Moon's men burnt her village and killed most of the men. In that attack she lost her father and uncle, but her grandfather and brother survived and the remaining members of her family joined a group of peasants headed north. The refugees were totally unaware that the Grand Duke had retaken southern Danubia until they already had crossed the hills into Hórkustk Ris province. A group of Royal Guards surrounded the group, separated the males, and blindfolded the women. Mirjana did not see her grandfather's killing, but could hear what was going on. It turned out the Royal Guards were somewhat more merciful than the majority of the Danubian soldiers roaming the border, because they spared the younger boys. They ordered the boys to bury the slain men and then to return to the Kingdom of the Moon and warn others not to try to cross into the Duchy. Mirjana had the small consolation knowing that her brother, at least at the time she was taken captive, remained alive. As soon as they moved the captured women and girls far enough so they could not see what had happened to the men, the Danubians removed their blindfolds and ordered them to strip. Naked except for their shoes, they spent three days walking in chilly rain under guard to a small town that had a slave market. Mirjana's mother, aunt, older sister, and two cousins were collared and auctioned, along with most of the group's other women, to separate buyers. The Guards kept Mirjana and one other teenager they considered particularly attractive and transported them by mule to Iyóshnyakt-Krepóckt to sell to the governor. The governor handed her over as a gift to the Grand Duke two weeks later. ---------- The bell rang four times, indicating the ruler wanted four women to report to his bed-chamber. Silvítya surprised her companions by ordering three Danubians to go with her and to leave all the foreigners behind. The girls were still in shock from their predicament and from having been publicly switched and humiliated, so their spokeswoman figured it would be a good idea to give them a day to recover before having to deal with the Grand Duke. She ordered the two remaining Danubian concubines to continue teaching the foreigners how to say phrases in the language of the Duchy. The Grand Duke was surprised to see familiar faces instead those of his newest acquisitions. He was irritated enough that he did not give his "favorite" any preferential treatment that evening: she had to line up with her companions and endure being taken from behind. However, after he exhausted himself and dismissed the others, he had Silvítya perform the usual routine of preparing his bath and sitting with him while in the water. He chatted about the worsening civil war in the Kingdom of the Moon and commented about the growing number of refugees trying to cross the border. As much as a nuisance as the refugees were, it was nice they were providing the Duchy with an ample supply of slaves, especially young women. Silvítya tightened her lips and said nothing. When he asked how the new concubines were doing, the "favorite minx" described her training regimen and her plans to make the newcomers learn to speak Danubian as quickly as possible. ---------- Silvítya brought two of the newcomers when the bell rang in the afternoon and three others when the Grand Duke wanted women in the evening. As usual, he treated them roughly and wore himself out copulating as though he was possessed. He was pleased with their training and ability to understand his commands, so much so that he forgot about being irritated with Silvítya the previous night for not bringing up any of the foreigners. He dismissed the unhappy girls after he was finished with them. As usual he kept Silvítya after sending off her companions. As usual, she bathed him and knelt, waiting to be dismissed. "My favorite minx, I've just realized something. You've been my favorite for a year; it would seem... more than a year. You have served me well, don't you think?" "Your humble serving girl's Path in Life is to serve you, Your Majesty." "Yes, it is, isn't it? But, your service has been exceptional, and therefore I will do something exceptional for you, my favorite minx..." Silvítya's hopes rose that maybe the ruler was about to release her or change her status in the castle. She was dismayed when, instead, he produced a fine necklace made from white gold and sapphires and placed it around her neck. He directed her to look at herself in the mirror. Yes, the necklace was a beautiful piece of jewelry that any woman would have desperately wanted. But it meant that Silvítya's life was about to move totally in the opposite direction of what she had hoped. The Girl with No Name Ch. 19 She turned and knelt, placing her face to the floor. She pretended to be kneeling out of gratitude, but she really was hiding her dismay the ruler had taken a liking to her and that there was no chance, none whatsoever, he'd ever willingly let her out of his life. "Your humble serving girl...doesn't...doesn't know how to express her gratitude, Your Majesty." "Yes, indeed. It is a nice necklace, is it not? And now, it is yours. Something to make the crown jewel of my girls shine the way she should. And how should you express your gratitude, my favorite minx? Simply keep doing what you've done already. You're more valuable to me than all my ministers combined. The necklace is my gift, but also my commitment...that your Path in Life will always be here, with me, serving the people of the Duchy. "Yes, Your Majesty. To hear is to obey." "Now rise, and run along, my favorite minx." As she turned, he gave her a very sharp slap on her bottom. She responded with: "Your humble serving girl wishes to express her gratitude, Your Majesty." When she got back to her room, she struggled not to become sick. She had always entertained a glimmer of hope, unrealistic as it might have been, that some day the Grand Duke would become bored with her and release her if she did not become pregnant. The necklace told her there was no way that would happen. The Grand Duke understood how valuable she was to him and had no intention of releasing her...ever. She wondered if he was silently sending her the message: I know you want to leave, but that is not what I want. I'm keeping you forever, so you'd getter get used to it. ---------- Silvítya wore her new necklace around the castle the following day. She did not dare not to wear it. The necklace changed her status: the staff understood she now was the ruler's favorite servant. Therefore, the others treated her with deference. Even the matrons were polite and nervous around her, because her status now was above theirs. She easily could have punished a matron had she invented an excuse, but she knew better than to try such a thing. She could fall out of the sovereign's favor just as easily as she had fallen into his favor, so making enemies would be completely foolish. She went outside to calm her nerves. She rapidly walked around the garden and the castle grounds to work off her stress. Fortunately the day was warm and sunny, so she was able to wander in the nude in relative comfort. It was nice to be outside and she was grateful for the chance to enjoy sunshine on her body and to exercise. She saw her friend Protector Buláshckt, sitting on a stone bench with a supply of weapons he had brought outside to clean and sharpen. He had a favorite cross-bow and sword, but the item taking up most of his time was his cumbersome musket. Silvítya was curious to have a better look at it. She approached the guard and, because she was in a public location, saluted him. When he returned her salute, he congratulated her on her necklace. In a sudden burst of honesty she blurted out: "Protector Buláshckt, do you truly think I'm happy having to wear this? Do you really think I'm content with my Path in Life?" Do you think I'm satisfied the Ancients have spent two years, two years, mocking me and punishing me for my stupidity?" She covered her face, partly to hide her horror at her outburst, and partly to hide the fact she was crying. He calmed her down, assuring her that he wouldn't repeat what she had just said. He understood what had happened; that she had spent two years concealing her thoughts and emotions, with no one to talk to or confide with. The isolation had gotten to her. He understood because the Royal Guards had to endure the same torment of silence, year after year, serving the Grand Duke and hiding their doubts from each other. When the concubine recovered and had an opportunity to look at the Royal Guard, she noted the worried expression on his face. Because she had opened up to him, he confided with her his latest concern, which was personal. His step-daughter had just celebrated her ninth birthday. She wondered why such a thing would worry him. He was reluctant to answer that question. He changed the subject by showing her the weapons and letting her try out the crossbow. She aimed at a distant tree and surprised him by hitting it. Protector Buláshckt talked about techniques for aiming the crossbow. He was about to let her fire a second bolt, but abruptly stopped. He thought over how he wanted to phrase his next statement, and finally asked Silvítya a question: "Tell me this. When you are with His Majesty, what do you see in him? What do you think of him as a man?" "As a man, Protector Buláshckt? I suppose...I would say...he's very aggressive with all of us. There's usually ten of us...twelve now...and it seems we spend all of our energy trying to keep him satisfied...and it's still not enough." "No...no...that's not what I mean. I'm not interested in knowing about your duties to him in bed. I want to know what you think of him as a man...as a person..." Silvítya thought about it. What did she think of the Duke as a man? "He's very restless. I've never seen anyone as restless as him. And he's obsessed with learning and curious about everything. He loves to outsmart people and force them to give up their secrets. He got out of me that I used to be a Follower of the Ancients and lived with a alchemist, and as soon as he found that out, he demanded that I tell him everything that I learned from her. He was very interested in her ideas about the rat-plague and her medicine-making. The cave charcoal and the metal stoves... that wasn't his invention: he learned that from me. The explosions from last summer...he learned that from me, and I learned it from the Cult. He uses other people's ideas, but can do incredible things with them. He's alert and seems to understand everything. I mean...he is a brilliant man. When I talk to him I have a very strange feeling...I don't know how else to say it...it's like he has the soul of an Ancient, trapped in the body of a mortal." Silvítya paused: "The problem is that I don't know what he wants. He wants something, but I don't know what it is..." "That I can answer. He has plans for the Duchy...huge ambitions. You're part of those ambitions. I am too, or at least my wife and daughter are." "I don't understand, Protector Buláshckt." "Hórkustk Ris is just the beginning. He wants the Duchy to be united, a strong modern kingdom, like some of those countries to the west. He wants everything under the control of the Royal House. He has plans, and most of them are good. He wants better roads, better houses, better farming, schools for the peasants, and to end the Destroyer's curses such as the rat-plague. He understands that we can no longer defend ourselves by hiding behind trees and shooting arrows. I hate this musket: it's heavy, slow, and hard to use, but it is the weapon everyone else is using, so we have to employ them as well." "But how do I fit into that?" "You're a concubine. Do you know why the Grand Duke keeps concubines?" "I suppose he's not happy with just one woman...he wants more..." "That's only a small part of it. I'm sure he doesn't mind enjoying his privileges with you, but the concubines serve a larger purpose. You are the mothers of the future of the Duchy." "So...that's why he wants all those kids?" "Not kids, daughters. He wants as many daughters as he can have. He plans to use them." "How?" Protector Buláshckt paused, trying to figure out how to explain the Grand Duke's complicated plans. He answered with a question: "How much do you know about the vice Duke of Rika Chorna?" "I know he doesn't like the Grand Duke...and that they never pay taxes or help out in wars and stuff like that." "That is correct. The vice-Duchy of Rika Chorna has always been a problem for the Grand Dukes, ever since the days of King Vladik. They don't consider themselves part of the Duchy. The Grand Duke will use his daughters to change that. He has daughters and sons scattered around the country. He doesn't care anything about the sons: they'll just lead normal lives. He very much cares about the daughters. When each one turns 10 years old, he separates her from her mother and brings her to the castle. The girls receive special education and training to serve their father. When the time comes for each to braid her hair, he will marry her to the son of one of the families in the east who has sworn allegiance to the vice-Duke." "Why?" "Yes...why. I suppose you still don't know about that part of Royal protocol. A family that has any member married to a relative of the Grand Duke is prohibited, by the law and by the Church, to act against him. I repeat...any member. So...over time the Grand Duke will summon the sons of the east to visit him in the capitol. There will be goodwill, and then...a forced marriage. The marriage will be blessed by the Church and Royal proclamations will let everyone know how fortunate the man's family is by having a son return to Rika Chorna with a young flower, plucked directly from the Duke's garden. The young men will not be able to say anything to argue that the marriage was not consensual, because to do so would entail losing honor. And... anyhow... I doubt the young men themselves will fully understand what is happening until it is too late, because His Majesty is gifted with trickery and deception..." Silvítya responded by sadly nodding. The Royal Guard continued: "He will do this over and over...with a steady supply of daughters coming from the wombs of his concubines, until every family from the east is allied to him through marriage. Their sworn loyalty to the vice-Duke of the east will mean nothing. When the Royal Army marches east to assume control of the vice-Duke's palace, the nobility in the other towns will not be able to raise a hand against the sovereign." "But if the Grand Duke needs to secure the loyalty of Rika Chorna, isn't that a better way than war?" "It is, except for one problem. I married a former concubine, a beautiful young woman, just like you. Her daughter, who is from the seed of the Grand Duke, is the girl who just tuned nine. But she is not the Duke's daughter. She is my daughter. She knows no other life, no other family, than the household she shares with me, my wife, and our sons. When I look at her, see her with her mother or playing with her brothers, I know we can't give her up. She's of the Grand Duke's seed, but she's my daughter, just the same as my sons. Now that I seen everything that man is capable of, I don't want him touching her." "So you have just a year to figure out what to do." "That is correct. A year." "Do you have any ideas?" "We'll have to escape somehow, but we must do it in a way that will make the Grand Duke think we're all dead. Maybe stage an ambush or burn our house. I still don't know, but I'll have to come up with something before my daughter's 10th birthday." There was a long moment of silence. Finally Silvítya spoke: "I don't want to bear the Grand Duke's child. I've been able to prevent that so far. And I don't want to spend another winter in the castle. When you leave, can I go with you?" "Of course. And I'll move your bucket to my house." The guard gave Silvítya a mischievous smile. "I suppose I shouldn't ask about that interesting item you have in there." "It's a secret, Protector Buláshckt. I'm sworn to protect it as best I can." "Yes, we both have our secrets, don't we?" The Girl with No Name Ch. 20 Chapter Twenty – The Great Fire Silvítya was worried that the Grand Duke might somehow find out about her conversation with Protector Buláshckt, given his talent for figuring out people's secrets. However, living two years in the castle had made her as talented at hiding her emotions and thoughts as the ruler was for discerning them. Besides, he was distracted by a secret project. He constantly wrote letters and studied mysterious architectural plans. At first she thought he was still worried about expanding the city wall, but that didn't explain his behavior, given the entire country knew about the wall project. So, whenever she had the chance, she glanced at the drawings any time she happened to be near a work-table or desk. The drawings had nothing to do with fortified defenses; instead they were pictures of strange beautiful buildings unlike anything she had seen in the Duchy, with columns and domes and elaborate stone carvings. The training of the foreigners went extremely well. By the end of their first six weeks as concubines, they had a working knowledge of Danubian. Three of the girls were literate in their own language, so the spokeswoman trained them to read and write in Danubian, with the understanding they would teach their illiterate companions how to read and write in the Duchy's language. Silvítya also trained the new girls how to sexually satisfy their master, showing them the submissive postures they were expected to assume and how to massage the ruler to get him aroused after he had copulated with the first of his women for the night. Without directly saying it, she made the newcomers understand that the sooner the Duke became aroused, the sooner he would have sex with the remaining women, and the sooner they would be released for the night. Silvítya took it for granted the foreigners found dealing with the Danubian ruler unpleasant and wanted their time with him to end as quickly as possible. During the late spring of 1755, the Grand Duke's behavior towards his favorite concubine changed. He actually started treating her decently and with limited respect. He did not force her to kneel while he fed her treats, he made love to her in a completely normal manner, he quit threatening to sodomize her, and most importantly, he quit fondling her scalp and running his fingers through her hair. He talked to her in a conversational tone, dropping a lot of the condescending phrases he used to address his concubines. Usually he referred to her as "Servant Silvítya", which was the name by which she was known around the castle. That was much better than being called "my favorite minx". Silvítya hated being called a "minx". Another sign of the ruler's increasing respect for his servant manifested itself when he forced her to bring the foreigners to his bed-chamber. He was as rough and demanding with the newcomers as much as he was with any of his newly-acquired women, but he did not make his favorite participate in the group sex sessions. In fact, he never had sex with her at all if any of the other women were present. Not at any time during her two years in the castle had she ever heard of any concubine, even Magdala, not being forced to have sex with the ruler while the other women were present. Apart from forcing her to remain naked at all times, he quit doing anything to her that a normal Danubian woman would consider disrespectful or humiliating. On the first day of June, the Grand Duke gave Silvítya a set of bracelets to match her necklace. The necklace was shocking enough, but now the former peasant girl was walking around with bracelets as well. The castle staff stared at her as she wandered around in her new jewelry. Never had anyone seen a concubine wearing such items, which were among the most expensive pieces of jewelry in the Royal Family's collection. Silvítya forced herself to smile and act grateful, but to her the necklace felt like a criminal's collar and the bracelets felt like metal cuffs. She dreaded to think what the jewelry might mean; that possibly the Grand Duke was falling in love with her. He certainly enjoyed having her with him as much as possible, especially at night. He spent hours with her in the bath or in his bed, massaging her shoulders and talking about his various experiences while growing up. There were a couple of memories he inadvertently shared that gave Silvítya some important insights into his character. He talked in a detached manner, as though trying to distance himself from whatever emotion he was feeling at the time, but the experiences were real and must have been traumatic when they happened. There was one incident in particular that stuck out in his mind. His father had been making him train with both a long bow and a crossbow throughout his childhood. At age 12, like every other Danubian child, the future Grand Duke passed the farewell-to-childhood ceremony at the Great Temple in a hugely public ceremony. When the ceremony was finished and everyone went home, the old Grand Duke gave his son a long lecture about what leaving childhood behind meant for a future ruler. He then celebrated by taking his son to the castle courtyard, where a prisoner had been tied to the execution post. The old Grand Duke handed his son a longbow and told him he had to pass his first test to prove he could become the next sovereign. The boy, at age 12, had to carry out an execution. The prisoner looked at his young executioner with a totally despondent expression, more like he felt sorry for the boy than anything else. The Royal heir, terrified of displeasing his father, did as he was told and shot five arrows into the prisoner. Unfortunately, the man was not quite dead after the fifth arrow, so the boy had to shoot him with five additional arrows. The heir was trembling and felt totally sick after the tenth arrow. His father commented: "You shot that prisoner like you were a woman. You'll need to learn, boy. You'll learn to kill a man with your first shot, and if I have to bring every criminal in the country into this courtyard for the next decade, I will, until you learn archery like a man." The heir had to kill over 20 prisoners before his father was satisfied with his performance with the longbow. The Grand Duke treated the incident as a legitimate right of passage, but Silvítya wondered how much it really affected him, deep down. It was interesting that the Grand Duke, for all the women he had taken as concubines, had not yet married. He had as many illegitimate sons scattered around the country as daughters but, apart from sending their mothers a silver coin each month, he never interacted with them. The concubine vaguely wondered if subconsciously the ruler was afraid of having to raise a son and having to decide whether to repeat his father's harsh system of "tests of character" to for the heir to claim the right to assume the throne. ---------- At the beginning of June the Grand Duke decided to offer his favorite concubine a second wish. Since she couldn't expect release from her servitude, she pondered what she could ask for that would be useful in her life. She decided to ingratiate herself with her "sisters" by requesting that all of the concubines have access to the garden, if she escorted them. The ruler surprised her by granting that wish. For the rest of the summer the concubines could enjoy being outdoors, as long as their spokeswoman kept watch over them. When Silvítya announced that she had obtained permission for all of the "sisters" to enjoy the garden, they were thrilled. However, their spokeswoman used the privilege to re-assert her authority over the others. Since she decided who could go out with her and who would have to stay behind, she re-instituted the regimen of reading and learning. The girls from the Kingdom of the Moon would have to participate as well, reading books with simpler texts and discussing them in Danubian. In the garden, Silvítya established a regimen of exercise which included relay races and ball-catch games. The guards and male servants spent their afternoons watching the 12 naked young women as they ran around the garden, but the concubines were enjoying themselves too much to really worry about their audience. The Grand Duke noted with satisfaction that the girls had the chance to truly enjoy the summer and that their mood as a group had improved. ---------- At the end of June, Antonia gave birth to a son. Silvítya was relieved the child was not a daughter and that the ruler would not seize her offspring in 10 years. Antonia was distressed that Silvítya still showed no signs of being pregnant, since she had been hoping that perhaps they could reunite, share a house, and raise their children together. Silvítya sadly responded: "My Path in Life brings misery to those I most love. So...I ask you to forget about me...you'll be free soon, in your own house and making your own decisions and happily eating from His Majesty's coin. You'll have a pleasant life, if you choose to be happy." "But...my happiness was when I was with you, Sister Silvítya." "Then you were deceived by the Destroyer. You don't want to be with me. I don't bring happiness into peoples' lives. The Profane One looks over my shoulder and has cursed everyone I ever loved. I want you to be the first person who escapes my curse. Leave this castle, don't look back, and banish me from your thoughts. That is the only way you can spare yourself from the curse I carry with me." Silvítya handed the baby to Antonia and squeezed her hand. It would be the last time they would ever see each other. Antonia left the castle, but did not receive her own house. Instead, she went to the estate of one of the Grand Duke's foreign emissaries. He was about to become the Grand Duke's ambassador to Montenegro and needed a translator. Antonia accepted the assignment, since she really had no reason to stay in the Duchy. Antonia spent the rest of her life in Montenegro, living within sight of the Adriatic Sea. She married the ambassador's nephew and bore him a son and a daughter. She raised three children and spent her free time writing stories about her former lover, making up several adventures that were totally fictitious. She wrote from the perspective of a heartbroken lover, so her future readers assumed the stories had been written by a man. Like the others before her, Antonia never mentioned Silvítya by name, preferring to leave her heroine more mysterious. Years later, when the Grand Duke's son returned to visit Danúbikt Móskt with his stepfather and half-brother, he took his mother's writings with him to see if they could be published. The strangely-written fantasy stories about a girl with no name quickly became popular reading in the Duchy. ---------- It was fortunate that the concubines were able to spend the summer outdoors in the Royal garden, because the middle of 1755 was unusually hot for the Duchy. Temperatures everywhere were unbearable, especially in the upper floors of the castle where the concubines' quarters were located. The women were outside sitting in the shade during the long hot days, reading and practicing penmanship and embroidery. Silvítya had to keep the others within her sight, but she often wandered away from them to be alone with her thoughts. Often she stood looking out at the East Danube River and the steep cliffs along the western shore, wondering what life would be like in Austria, Prussia, and some of the other kingdoms of Europe that were nothing more to her than drawings on maps. Less frequently she walked around to the east side of the garden and studied Danúbikt Móskt. The tall wooden buildings and their dilapidated rooftops were not an attractive sight at all. The only improvement was that the smoke had mostly cleared, because the majority of the city's population had departed to work in the fields or spend time relaxing along the river. The Danubian capitol was most unpleasant during the summer, so summertime was when most residents tried to get out for a while. The summer of 1755 was particularly hot and dry, which made the residents even more desperate to go somewhere else and the city even more deserted than during a typical year. The view of the capitol and the countryside beyond reminded Silvítya of the outside world, a world that was both threatening and alluring. Another reminder of that world was Protector Buláshckt, who occasionally showed up in the garden to maintain or clean weapons. He wanted to see her and to talk, so he often took spare weapons from the armory and cleaned them to provide himself with justification to be in the garden when the concubines were out. The friends chatted, usually in places where others could overhear their conversations so that no one suspected them of having a romantic relationship. She continued to work on her narrative of the battle of Hórkustk Ris, so he brought updates on what was going on in the region. The ruler considered the province the most important project for securing the Duchy's future. The region was more secure than it had been in decades, but the Grand Duke was not satisfied. His biggest worry was that, even with the resettlement of the civilians from the city itself and the forced repatriation of the refugees living around the capitol, the number of Danubians remained inadequate. After going on about some details concerning the re-settlement of various villages, the Royal Guard got to the point: "The Grand Duke had no way of knowing how long the respite will last and when the House of Moon or the Ottoman empire will again turn their attention towards the Duchy. The only solution is to populate Hórkustk Ris province with loyal Danubians as quickly as possible. Now there are 110,000 Danubians in the southern region, but everyone knows that's not nearly enough. The Grand Duke thinks that the province will not be secure unless at least 200,000 people from the Duchy live there. So...the Duke's dilemma is from where he will recruit those additional 90,000 loyal citizens. If we didn't have to worry about our enemies, over time we could convince landless peasants and debtors to move, but we can't wait for a gradual re-settlement. The Duke needs to move a bunch of people there quickly, and I am very fearful thinking about where he will find them and how he plans to force them to move. I've seen what he's capable of...things I never could imagine him, or us, doing. And yet we did them. As an army, we lost our honor after the defense of the city, and often it seems I'm the only one who can see that. And now...something terrible...and I don't yet know what it is...must happen to our people, so the Duke's plans for Hórkustk Ris can be fulfilled. And the worst part is that His Majesty is right. We do have to secure that province." ---------- Love is the strangest of human phenomenon. It strikes when a person neither expects nor wants it. It is truly blind and forces even the smartest man to see what is not there. So often a man will do things to make himself irresistible to the object of his desire, only for the actions to have the exact opposite effect. The illusion of love struck the Grand Duke in the late summer of 1755. He showered his favorite concubine with gifts such as exotic food treats and more jewelry to match the items she already had. By August the "favorite concubine" was walking around the castle wearing the sapphire necklace and bracelets, along with sapphire anklets, rings, and a waist chain. Everyone thought the jewelry was truly stunning, which it was. However, to Silvítya the items felt like additional chains and shackles, each item signaling that she was less and less likely to ever recover her freedom. However, she was patient. Just like her friend Protector Buláshckt, she'd have to keep the ruler happy while waiting for the opportunity to escape. The Grand Duke never realized that every additional piece of jewelry made Silvítya more determined to get away from him. Precisely because he was so enamored, he became foolish around her and placed confidence in her that he never would have placed with anyone else. He left military maps lying around when she was in his chamber, held secret conferences with his advisors with her hidden under his desk, and allowed her to overhear schemes he had against various rivals within the Duchy. Had Silvítya been a foreign agent or in the pay of the vice-Duke of Rika Chorna, she could have done some real damage to the Grand Duke and his ambitions. However, she didn't care about most of the things the ruler carelessly shared with her. She did not want to harm the Royal Household nor the Duchy. The only thing that interested her was picking up information that would aid her plans, or Protector Buláshckt's plans, to escape his reach. In the middle of August she was in the Duke's study when she noticed a large map of Danúbikt Móskt laid out on his desk. The map was strange, because it clearly portrayed the city wall and the area surrounding it, but the layout of the city's interior was totally different from the way it was in real life. Instead of the narrow, winding streets of the real capitol, the map showed wide boulevards, large parks, and rows of elegant symmetrical ministry buildings with domes and columns. The buildings were very nice, but they did not look like anything Silvítya had seen anywhere in the Duchy. However, there was no question the map was of Danubkt Mostk because a few existing buildings, such as the cathedral, the Duke's castle, and the Temple of the Ancients were included. The old city walls also appeared in the city plans, but several large openings were added to accommodate some of the boulevards. It was clear the city walls were not going to be expanded, nor the old walls further fortified for defense. There were a lot of other documents scattered around the Duke's study...such as correspondence with foreign architects and city planners. Most of the documents were in German. The Grand Duke did not know that his servant could read German: that was one of the few secrets she was able to keep from him. So, he allowed her to mill around the table and glance at the letters, not realizing she was able to understand them. The letters focused on a massive building project, but not one that had anything to do with fortifying the capitol's defenses. No...instead it was apparent the Grand Duke was in the final phases of planning the complete rebuilding of the Danubian capitol. That night, after the foreign girls had performed their duties with the ruler and were sent back to their quarters, Silvítya remained behind to comfort her master. She carefully observed his mood, making sure he was talkative enough to give up information. She smiled and massaged his chest as she absent-mindedly commented: "Your Majesty, your humble serving girl was wondering about all those drawings...of the buildings..." "Ha! Inquisitive little one, aren't you? And observant...I might add..." "Yes, Your Majesty." "Well, let me ask you something. How would you like to go visit the city where those buildings are? Actually see them for yourself?" "Your humble serving girl would be honored, Your Majesty." "My humble little love will be honored. Hearing that pleases me, because you will indeed be privileged to see the buildings you so admired in those pictures. They are not reality yet, but soon will be. To see them, you won't have to go anywhere. You will see them from the garden of this very castle." "Your Majesty will build them here in Danube City?" "Yes. It is the Duchy's Path in Life to have a new capitol. Every building you see in those plans will become reality. So you will see the grandeur of the future, without ever having to travel. The Duchy will build next year." Silvítya wasn't sure she had heard correctly. Next year? The Girl with No Name Ch. 20 "Your Majesty, your humble serving girl wishes to know about the fate of the wooden city...and the residents." "Wood burns, does it not?" "Yes, Your Majesty." "...and it burns even faster at the end of a very hot summer when everything has dried out. So there is your answer, my loyal one. Just two days from now we will clear all of the wooden structures once and for all. The residents are away, so they will be powerless to save their houses. It will all burn...all of it, and a new Danube City will rise from the ashes...the Danube City that is my Path in Life to create." Silvítya went pale, wondering if she truly understood what the Grand Duke had just told her. Was he really planning to destroy the entire capitol? She tried to remain calm as she asked her next question. "Your Majesty, your humble serving girl wishes to know your intentions for the people here." "Those who can serve the Duchy's new capitol will stay. I have already collected the building materials they will need to build new houses outside the city walls." The sovereign smiled mischievously, as though he was plotting a simple prank, and not the destruction of an entire city and the disruption of tens of thousands of lives. "As for the rest, they will also serve the Duchy, by going south. The province of Hórkustk Ris awaits. It is crying out for help, and for people. I will send both." Silvítya remembered her friend's words: "And now...something terrible...and I don't yet know what it is...will happen to our people, so the Duke's plans for Hórkustk Ris can be fulfilled." Protector Buláshckt was right. Indeed, something terrible was about to happen, and now Silvítya knew what it was. ---------- The next day Silvítya spent wandering the garden and even ventured into the stables looking for Protector Buláshckt. She had to find him as quickly as possible. She spent the entire day in frantic futility, but just as she was about to give up her search for the day, she saw him riding in with the ruler and a contingent of other guards. She knelt in clear sight as the entourage passed by. She exchanged glances with her friend, letting him know with a slight jerk of her head and a wide-eyed fearful expression that she needed to talk to him. He answered with a quick nod. She'd have to wait for him in the garden, but he'd try to get to her as quickly as possible. She didn't bother to talk to her companions. Instead, she passed her time picking a flower arrangement to present to the Grand Duke, slowly and carefully plucking the thorns off roses. Finally Protector Buláshckt showed up. Silvítya told him what she thought was about to happen. To her relief, the guard believed every word of her story. "Very good. Now I understand the orders he's given around the city. He took actions that to me didn't make any sense, but now they do. For example, he took down the gates so the hinges could be replaced...all of them at once. Just a few days ago, he ordered a check of the walls, so there are ladders everywhere. And it would explain all the boats. The docks along the Rika Chorna river are full of boats." "What does all that have to do with a fire?" "You don't understand? Everything he's done will make it easy to get out of the city. To escape the inferno, all a citizen would have to do is make it as far as the city wall and climb over. The gates are open...easy to run out. The docks are full of boats...easy to row away. Simple plan, really. Set the city on fire and evacuate it. No one dies, so the Duchy is too busy praising the Lord-Creator for sparing the people to understand what really happened. Brilliant. His Majesty may be mad, but he's no fool." "So what can we do to stop it?" "Stop it? We don't. Tomorrow night the city will burn and that's when we escape. You, me, my family. For us, this couldn't possibly be any better. The Grand Duke will have no way of knowing we didn't perish in the blaze. I'll have my family pack up and leave tomorrow afternoon. They'll wait on the road going south. They'll be safe. The only problem will be getting you out of the castle. There're several options, but they're all risky. Some of it will depend on luck, and I hate depending on luck." "Protector Buláshckt...I don't...I mean...I want you to get your family out...save your daughter...maybe I can go later..." "You're having second thoughts about leaving His Majesty?" "No. I want to get away from him more than ever. But...you're more important. It'd be a lot harder for you to worry about me, than to simply take your family and run." "It would be, but that doesn't mean anything to me. You stood by me in battle, which makes you my sister. You are not any less important to me than the other members of my family. If you want to leave, tomorrow night will be your only chance, unless you want to wait another year and depart with the Duke's baby." Protector Buláshckt looked hard at the concubine. She shook her head. "Then it's settled. Tomorrow night we leave together. There's several secret passageways dug through the hill that we can choose from, to get out of the castle and into the city. We run through the Merchant's Gate, get on a boat, and disappear into the crowd. That's the plan." ---------- That night Silvítya spent what she hoped would be her last night with the Grand Duke. She put on all the jewelry that he had given her and presented herself to his study with the bouquet of flowers she had picked while waiting for Protector Buláshckt. She could tell that the Danubian ruler was totally exhausted. He had been up for days finalizing his plans to burn the city, get as many of its residents out as possible, and then arrange to force anyone who was not a guard, an employee of the Royal House, or a mason or craftsman, to move south. She casually glanced at the pile of documents on his drafting table to see if there was anything useful among all those papers. She noticed a map of the castle, which she would try to examine more closely before leaving the Royal Chamber. The night would be a very long one for the Duke's favorite concubine. He wanted to relax and have a bath before settling in bed with her. She massaged him and treated him with sympathy. Oddly enough, as much as she hated him, at that moment she felt somewhat sorry for him. It was strange to think she was unlikely to ever see him again. Finally, the sovereign went to sleep. As always, he did not gradually doze off like most men: his energy suddenly vanished and he passed out. Silvítya figured he must have gone three days with no rest and finally it caught up with him. He would not have let down his guard with any of his other concubines, but because he was so enamored with Silvítya, he had been so careless around her. Strange to think, had she wanted to, she could have assassinated him with no problem. Instead, with her Master unconscious and being in the room with no supervision, she took advantage to have a thorough look at the huge collection of plans, drawings, and maps piled around his desk. Most of the papers were blueprints of the future Danube City, but the item that had drawn her attention was a map of the castle. The map had several pages, each showing a different level of the Royal residence. The bottom pages proved to be invaluable to Silvítya's plans, because they contained diagrams of the passageways that Protector Buláshckt had talked about. The most important detail was discovering the access points in the castle. It turned out there was an access point in the kitchen, one in the Duke's study, and another from one of the guard towers. Silvítya spent a good part of the night trying to memorize the labyrinth under the Royal residence. If she knew the layout of the tunnels, that would help her plans tremendously. She knew that Protector Buláshckt had calculated that he'd have to come up into the castle and escort her out. However, Silvítya felt that no longer would be necessary. She'd be able to meet up with her friend somewhere underground. The further she could go on her own, the better. She knew that the best choice would be a tunnel that she could access from either the Duke's study or from the kitchen, and yes, there was such a tunnel. The conspirator sketched out a rough copy of the route she planned to take, with several spots where she might meet up with Protector Buláshckt. She marked off several alternatives and would let him pick the one she thought would be best. She didn't worry about the exit routes into the city. She took it for granted the guard would have the information he needed to make the best choice. She looked under the rug near the fireplace. Sure enough, the rug hid an escape hatch. She checked to make sure there was no lock. There were some heavy bolts, but no lock. She slowly eased the bolts into the open position and lifted the hatch. It was heavy and creaked terribly. There was another problem; the rug. How could she get the rug back over the hatch to hide it once she passed through? That would entail trusting another person to replace the rug, and she had no such confidant in the castle. Maybe it would be better to check the kitchen. It turned out the kitchen hatch was a better option. It was built into a wall, not the floor, so there was no rug to put back into place. Instead, it was hidden behind a tapestry. Like the Duke's study, she slid out the bolts to save herself the worry of doing that the next day. The kitchen was the riskier of the two choices because of the cooking staff. However, it was the better choice because once she got past the tapestry, it would not be so obvious someone had just slipped through. Also, far more people had access to the kitchen than to the Duke's study, thus when the cooks discovered the unbolted door, they'd have a much harder time guessing who went through it. So...that was settled. She'd have to go out through the kitchen without being seen by the cooking staff. Before she went to bed, Silvítya carefully put away all of the jewelry the Grand Duke had given her. She knew better than to try to take a single piece of it. She calculated that if she took anything, the sovereign would know for sure she was still alive. Also, simply leaving the castle without permission was not really a crime, but attempting to take anything with her would be. She didn't want to imagine what the punishment would be for stealing Royal jewelry. However, none of that mattered to Silvítya nearly as much as her own sense of honor. She had entered the castle with nothing, and she would leave with nothing. For two years the Grand Duke had housed her in comfort, fed her the best food, and given her the education she needed to pass as a woman from the upper class. For all that she would give him nothing, not even return his love for her. The time had come for her to go, but she would try her best to respect him. The next morning she found Protector Buláshckt near the Royal Stables, overseeing the re-shoeing of his horse. They exchanged glances and she went to the garden. A few minutes later he caught up to her and she handed him the pages of her manuscript about the war and a package containing her stash of secret alchemy ingredients. Then she showed him the rough map she made of the upper passageway. "I figure there's three spots we can meet up. This intersection, or maybe this turn with the pillar...but I think the drainage grid would work best, because it's set back and whoever gets there first can hide." Protector Buláshckt was more than impressed with her planning. As much as he admired her calm assistance during the battle of Hórkustk Ris, he did not think she'd be capable of memorizing the underground tunnel system and thinking ahead on hiding places. "The drainage grid it is, Silvítya. We'll meet up there, just like you said. Whoever gets there first will wait." "Another question. What'll I do about something to wear?" "We're both going out in caravan trader's outfits. That'll be our disguise, at least until we get away from the city. Don't take any castle clothing; it's too easy to recognize." "I'm not taking anything from the castle." "Very well. I don't know where His Majesty is planning to be, but do I know what time he'll set the city on fire. It'll be when the Moon is straight overhead. He's very predictable that way. At night he always uses the Moon as a signal, because, as he puts it: 'the Moon never lies and the Moon never forgets where it's supposed to be.' What that means is we need to be in the tunnel before the Moon is directly overhead, but not too far in advance. You need to wait until your companions are asleep so you won't be missed. Probably I'll be at the grid first, because I fully expect you to have delays trying to sneak out of the kitchen." "Do you think we'll get out before the city's on fire?" "No. You'll see it burn, Silvítya. You'll have a story to tell your grandkids." ---------- Silvítya never saw the Grand Duke the following day. He was nowhere in the castle; his disappearance a mystery to everyone. The concubines wondered about him the most, given that he never missed an opportunity, even if it was for a few minutes, to indulge himself. No one noticed him in his study, nor in the throne room, nor in the dining hall, nor at the stables. Silvítya had dinner with the other concubines. She tried to be extra cautious with her dinner etiquette, so her companions would have a good last memory of her. She had a final bath with the others in the bath house, and then bid good night. And...that was it. If she did manage to escape, she'd never see any of the women again, women who had been her constant companions for two years. Strange to think, she now was the member of the group with the most seniority: everyone else had changed. So many women had come and gone over the past two years. Now, she too was leaving. She took a small oil lamp from her bed chamber, the only item that she would remove from the castle. She walked past the latrine and down a flight of stairs. She had to wait hidden for several minutes to avoid a couple of guards. She walked along another corridor, passed the Duke's art gallery where several of her pictures were hung, and continued past the throne room. The room was deserted and completely dark. Just two doors to go: the banquet hall and the kitchen. Protector Buláshckt had said that part of Silvítya's escape would depend on luck. Well, that night she had it. When she entered the kitchen she heard a man's grunts and a woman's moans from the storage pantry. The kitchen night staff was busy, but not with their duties to the Grand Duke's breakfast. Silvítya lifted up the tapestry. The bolts were still pushed open. She opened the heavy door. The squeaking of the hinges startled her and she heard voices from the store room. She quickly slipped through the door and pushed it shut. She edged around a corner and hid her lamp, just in time. "What was that?" "The door...check behind the tapestry." "Ha! No wonder! Someone left the bolts undone! Door's swinging loose! Idiot!" "Please...put 'em back! ...If this gets out!" "I know...the pillory...well, I'll fix it...and tomorrow I'll find out who the dishonored idiot was..." Silvítya heard several pieces of metal sliding behind the door. She was both relieved and completely frightened. She had escaped, but with no chance to change her mind and go back. Words could not describe Silvítya's fright as she made her way along the pitch-black corridor. The stones were cold and slimy on her bare feet and her unprotected body shivered in the clammy air. She was frightened of slipping and breaking her lamp. She realized, with her return to the kitchen now cut off, if she lost her light source or if Protector Buláshckt did not show up, it was very possible she could get lost and no one would find her until it was too late. She passed her first two landmarks, the intersection and the turn with the pillar. An animal jumped out and scurried into the darkness, frightening Silvítya so much that her knees shook. She worked up the nerve to continue, cursing herself for being a dishonored coward. The tunnel now sloped downwards and Silvítya had trouble keeping her balance on the slick stones. It seemed to take forever to reach the drainage grid. But she did reach it, and Protector Buláshckt was there, sitting in the darkness and drinking from a wine bottle. "Ha! You naughty girl...didn't even give a man time to finish his wine!" He held up the bottle, which Silvítya gratefully accepted. After the frightening descent into the dark unknown, she needed a drink. He handed her the dress and a pair of work shoes. After two years of almost always being nude, the rough fabric felt very strange on her skin. The dress was a practical worker's outfit: short, made of thick cloth, and designed for the harsh and active lifestyle of a caravan trader's wife. She tied her hair and he gave her a hat to hide the fact she didn't have it braided. Finally, he handed her a short sword, "just in case". The two fugitives made their way down a maze of tunnels. Now that Silvítya was dressed, armed, and united with her companion, she felt totally different about her escape. She was not frightened at all. She knew that the greatest danger still lay ahead, but it is much easier to face danger when one doesn't have to do it alone. Down...down...down... Silvítya was surprised by how far they had to go. She didn't realize that, because the castle maps did not show the descent, the tunnels would be much longer than they appeared on paper. Finally the passage leveled out. They climbed a ladder and Protector Buláshckt groped for a door handle. He tapped several metal bolts with a special tool and pushed open a concealed hatch door. They entered a stone room that was completely dark. Protector Buláshckt told Silvítya to hold her lantern near the outer door while he opened several locks. They pushed open the exit and emerged into a city that was not yet dying, but just about to. Protector Buláshckt closed the secret room and the couple snuck along a deserted alleyway. The place stunk horribly and several rats ran fled across piles of rotting vegetable debris. The garbage smell was the least of the escapees' worries. They could smell smoke, and the smoke was rapidly getting thicker. They emerged onto a chaotic street, where guards were desperately banging on doors and chasing residents towards the gates. Dozens of confused civilians milled around, carrying children and bundles of belongings. Protector Buláshckt shouted: "To the gate, dishonored fools! The gate! Go to the merchants' gate!" The civilians started shuffling towards the wall and safety beyond. Silvítya took a screaming baby from a woman loaded down with another child and a bundle of clothing. Protector Buláshckt picked up an older child and the fugitives joined a stream of people being herded like cattle towards the Merchants' Gate and the Rika Chorna river. The path became increasingly smoky. Gusts of wind blew sparks and burning bits of debris past the fleeing crowd. Silvítya looked back, and wished she hadn't. The street glowed orange beyond the smoke and sparks pouring in the direction of the crowd. Now some of the civilians panicked and ran. Protector Buláshckt picked up another screaming, disoriented child and hoisted the kid onto his shoulders. With three kids and dressed as caravan traders, the former guard and the former concubine walked right by several guards who knew them both, without being recognized. Finally they pushed through the city gate, surging forward with the panicked mass of other residents. All three children were screaming and Silvítya had lost track of the baby's mother. They ran along the docks towards boats that already were packed. "No good! The boats are full! We'll have to wait it out on the shore!" The Girl with No Name Ch. 20 The couple pushed their way off the crowded dock and ran along the river's edge. Fortunately, the crews of the first boats to ferry passengers across were returning for a second trip. Protector Buláshckt shouted: "Kids...kids...we've got kids! This way! Please!" A small boat turned in their direction. They waded into the river, passed up the children, and then were helped out of the water by one of the rowers. More panicked residents waded into the water to pass up children and climb aboard. The rowers turned their boat southwards and slowly took the passengers to the safety of the opposite shore. As she crossed the river, Silvítya watched the death of the Danubian capitol. The entire city was engulfed in towering flames. The roar of the fire and the sound of crashing buildings were just as bad as the battle noise from Hórkustk Ris...different, but just as bad. As the fire drew closer, people continued pouring through the gate, although the crowd was starting to diminish. Along the walls people were climbing down ladders. Silvítya watched the residents clustered on the wall near each ladder, waiting and praying there would be enough time to get off before the flames engulfed them. They got off the boat and stood on the shore, but could not take their eyes off the inferno on the other side. Silvítya muttered: "The Duke isn't just mad. He serves the Destroyer. No...he is the Destroyer. Now I understand...now I can see him for what he is...he's not an Ancient trapped in a human body at all...he's the Destroyer trapped in a human body." Protector Buláshckt, holding a stranger's child in each of his arms as he watched people still trying to get across the river, had no response. ---------- Danúbikt Móskt burned to the ground in four hours. By the time the sun came up the flames already had died down, leaving nothing but piles of smoldering ashes and smoking ruins. Not a single wooden structure within the city walls remained standing. Over time a new city would rise in its place, a city that would come to be considered one of the most beautiful of Europe, but that would be in the future. The reality of the moment was a pile of ashes and a mob of homeless Danubians standing on the southern shore of the Rika Chorna river, wondering what the future held for them. Silvítya spent the morning looking for the mother of the baby she was carrying. It was mid-day before the two women found each other. Protector Buláshckt located the parents of one of the children he was carrying, but told Silvítya to hand-off the third child to a Priest. They had to cut short their efforts to find his parents because a large group of Royal Guards showed up with several wagons loaded with food from the capitol's main garrison. With so many of his fellow Royal Guards roaming among the refugees, he and Silvítya couldn't wait around any longer. Even with their disguises, there was the risk of someone recognizing them. The road soon would be crowded with tens of thousands of migrants, so Protector Buláshckt wanted to get out as soon as possible and stay ahead of the others. More importantly, his family was waiting By Divine Fortune the garrison had just moved to a new location outside the old city wall in anticipation of having more space when the new wall was built, so the Royal Guards and their storerooms were unaffected by the fire. That was a blessing indeed, because the Royal Army had plenty of food to pass out to the now-homeless refugees of the capitol. The meals, however, came with a price. The Royal Guards interviewed every man coming up to them to request food: anyone who was not a craftsman in a building trade or the relative of a Royal Guard would need to leave the area. But...where would all the displaced people go? South, of course. There were plenty of empty houses and vacant farms, completely free for whoever arrived to occupy them first. The Guards gave each refugee family a letter from the Grand Duke granting them title to whatever vacant land they could find and occupy, on the condition that no other Danubian family was already there. Any remaining foreigners could be evicted if Danubians needed their property. The Royal Army set up an encampment just north of the ruins of Hórkustk Ris to pass out yet more food to refugees travelling into the province and to maintain order. The promise of more food helped lure the capitol's homeless residents towards the southern border. Several other military encampments helped move the refugees further south and prevented anyone from turning back. Within a month the massive migration of 90,000 people would be completed, in an amazingly efficient operation considering that it took place in the mid-1700s. ---------- They spent the remainder of the day walking south, trying to stay ahead of the crowd. He commented: "You know what we are, now? Refugees. Vagrants. Wanderers. We're no better than anyone else on this road. No different. Someday we'll be something, but now we're just a couple of drifters, just like all the others. So, we need to change something." "What's that, Protector Buláshckt?" "What you just called me. That's no longer my name. Before I was known as "Protector", my name was Alexándrekt. That's what you'll call me, because I have forsaken the right to use 'Protector'." Silvítya was silent as she worked up the nerve to call a man who had always been Royal official by his first name. A question came to her mind, and she forced herself to address him as requested: "Al... Alexándrekt...I was wondering if...you have any regrets about...any of this...what we're doing...what you had to give up..." "I'd have to be mad not to have any regrets. I'm full of them right now. Maybe we should have tried to stop the burning of the city. Maybe we would have succeeded and maybe not. Maybe I should have just accepted my daughter's path in life and kept my position...I don't know. Maybe my Path in Life was to serve the Grand Duke, and I am going against the will of the Lord-Creator by running off like a scared rat. Yes, I have my doubts. I can tell you the Duke is right about the Duchy. Most of what he's doing has to be done. It's just that...I don't know...your comment about the Destroyer dwelling inside his soul is accurate. It does seem he carries the Destroyer in his soul; that he brings destruction to everything he touches. I don't know what to think about that. Maybe he feels coerced, by the times...the constant threats to our people...and maybe his conscience is just as bothered by what he must do as mine has been following his orders. I'd like to think that." "Then you'd be wrong, Alexándrekt. The Grand Duke's conscience is not troubled by anything he's done. I have never seen him reflect on what's good and what is evil. For him, everything in his Path in Life consists of what will serve him and what won't. That's all that worries him; what will serve his plans and what won't." They walked in silence, giving Silvítya time to think about her escape. She wondered what measures the Grand Duke would take to find her. Given that everyone in the castle had seen her talking to Alexándrekt Buláshckt, it wouldn't be hard for the Grand Duke to connect her disappearance with that of the Royal Guard and his family. She decided to express her concern and the prospect the entire Royal Army would be looking for them. Alexándrekt did not seem overly concerned about that, which struck her as odd, given his caution and worries about everything else. When she pressed him, he provided an explanation that sounded more like a pained confession: "My house was within the old city walls and was burnt along with everything else. It burned quite thoroughly, I can assure you. Moreover, anyone searching the ruins will soon discover that my wife, my children, and I did not escape the fire." "You mean...there're bodies in your house?" "Yes. I placed corpses in there before I left." "But...where'd you get them?" "I robbed graves, Silvítya. Over the past year I took note of the funerals the refugees were having. Whenever I saw a corpse whose appearance corresponded with a member of my family, I dug it up, preserved it, and concealed it. I don't want to go into details, because the faces of those four dead children trouble me. But the Lord-Creator, or perhaps the Destroyer, mandated that I must sacrifice my own honor to preserve the honor of my daughter. I did what I needed to do, just as in war I did what I needed to do. In war I sacrificed my honor so the men around me could live and the Duchy could live. In peace I sacrificed my honor so that my family could live. It seems that, no matter what, I must sacrifice my honor so others can live. So, there's your answer, Silvítya. We did not survive the inferno, and my companions will find the bodies to prove it." Silvítya wasn't sure how to respond. Robbing graves was one of the most dishonorable things a person could do in the Duchy. She wondered what he had seen of the Grand Duke to make him take such a desperate and extreme measure to assure his step-daughter's escape. Alexándrekt continued: "I presume the charred corpses of my family and I will be buried with honors. Strange to think those poor souls will have to hold up their mirrors twice. As for us...you, me, my family...we're all dead, and our names now mean nothing." "My name hasn't meant anything for a long time. I don't think it ever meant anything. I can have any name I choose; or no name at all, and it doesn't matter." The Girl with No Name Ch. 21 Chapter Twenty-One -- The Slave-Owner As the Buláshckt family and Silvítya were fleeing south, the Grand Duke spent several days surveying the ruins of the capitol and listening to reports about the evacuation. The fire had gone as planned, leaving the entire area within the city walls completely cleaned out. The only structures left standing were the Great Temple and a few nearby ancient buildings, the main cathedral and two other churches built by the Roman Church during the 1300s, and a few stone armory buildings near the castle. However, not everything had gone perfectly and unfortunately there had been some casualties. As the day progressed, Royal Guards and workers searching the smoldering ruins found several burnt corpses. The Guards had no way of knowing who the bodies belonged to, with a notable exception. The captain of the detachment guarding the castle saw that Protector Alexándrekt Buláshckt was missing. He knew Protector Buláshckt had a nice house located within the city walls and decided to check its ruins. The men made the ghastly discovery that Alexándrekt Buláshckt and his entire family had perished inside their house. It seemed strange that someone as smart as Protector Buláshckt would not have made it out of the fire, but the guards speculated that his wife must have stayed in the house waiting for him and by the time he realized where his family was, the fire cornered everyone in the residence and they perished. The Grand Duke took the news of Alexándrekt Buláshckt's death stoically, but inwardly he was very upset. He lost one of his best guards, but even worse was the loss of one of his oldest daughters. It was regrettable that the girl was only a year away from being ready to be taken into the castle: she would have had her hair braided in just six years and be ready to marry off. The Grand Duke looked at the charred bodies, hoping his offspring was not among them. Unfortunately there was a corpse of a nine-year-old girl that corresponded with the daughter, so she had indeed been lost. That was most unlucky. The ruler ordered the bodies to be taken to the military cemetery and buried with honors. A Prophet from the Great Temple would lead the funeral, which was a privilege usually reserved for ministers and nobility. When the Grand Duke returned to the castle two days later, there was more bad news waiting for him. His favorite concubine Silvítya was missing. No one had a clue what happened to her. The ruler checked her sleeping chamber, only to discover she had left behind her jewelry. The other women were extremely worried of course, and seemed to suspect that the ruler himself had been responsible for her disappearance. The Grand Duke said nothing, figuring it would be best to let the concubines speculate about their spokeswoman and wonder what she had done to displease him. The Grand Duke never directly asked anyone what happened to Servant Silvítya. If the other concubines were scared that he had killed her, then it was unlikely they had anything to do with her absence. The Royal Guards and the matrons also took it for granted Silvítya had somehow run afoul of the Sovereign's temper and that he was responsible for her death. If he started asking a bunch of questions, it would be apparent that she instead had run off, and it would look like he had lost control of one of his servants and lose honor. So, it was better to let everyone think he had secretly executed her. Besides, even if she had run off, it was likely she perished in the fire, given that she would have had to cross the entire city to reach a gate. If that was what happened, searching for her body would be futile. It would be one of several severely charred corpses found in the ashes and would never be identified. So, the disappearance of Servant Silvítya remained a mystery for the Grand Duke. Why would she leave the safety of the castle? How did she get out? Did she go looking for him? Was she trying to find Protector Buláshckt? Was there someone else she was trying to find? Well...whatever happened, it was best to stay quiet and use Silvítya as a "lesson" for the other concubines. When they did anything that even hinted at irritating him, the ruler commented: "You know...it is most unfortunate what happened to Servant Silvítya. Hers is a fate you wouldn't wish on anyone, is it not? But I trust you understand your Path in Life better than she understood hers." As for the ruler himself, he was troubled by the vanishing of his favorite woman, but life had taught him to hide his emotions, even from himself. Love always led to tragedy and the loss of Servant Silvítya was just one example out of many why it was best to avoid becoming too emotionally attached to anyone. The Grand Duke pondered that Servant Silvítya could just as easily have betrayed him as simply disappearing and that he had made himself ridiculously vulnerable. Well, he'd have to ensure that never happened again. He'd replace the girl with another "favorite", console himself by indulging with the remaining concubines, and move ahead with his plans for the Duchy. ---------- The speculation about Servant Silvítya's fate showed up in the writings of several former concubines and castle staff-members. A popular poet wrote a fanciful story claiming that Silvítya was not killed by the Grand Duke at all, but instead fled the castle to escape the Destroyer. As she ran through the city, the "Profane One" pursued her and spread fire to prevent her from turning back. Thus, the "Girl with No Name" caused the Destroyer to pass through Danúbikt Móskt and was indirectly responsible for the city's subsequent burning. A song-writer took the poet's Destroyer idea and incorporated both the execution rumor and the story from Rika Héckt-nemát; that the Girl with No Name had called out to Beelzebub the Destroyer to save her from a second death sentence. Yes, she was indeed spared, but at the cost of another city, the Danubian capitol. Several other poets and song-writers added their variations to the story and in doing so unwittingly served the interests of both Silvítya and the Grand Duke. The truth about the Great Fire of 1755 lay buried under increasingly thick layers of elaborate myth and fanciful tales. ---------- The former Royal Guard and the former Royal concubine entered the forest and spent the late afternoon walking through dense old-growth trees. They were still ahead of most of the other refugees and the road was mostly clear. However, they had lost precious time trying to find the parents of the children they rescued, so the guard insisted on walking as quickly as possible. As they moved along the road, Alexándrekt periodically whistled what sounded like a strange bird-call. He listened, waited several minutes, and whistled again. Finally his efforts were rewarded with a response. He changed the whistle, as did his respondent. He oriented himself through several more exchanges and led Silvítya away from the road. They arrived at a clearing, where a wagon and three horses were partly concealed by trees. An attractive woman dressed in a caravan outfit like Silvítya's and a 12-year old boy stood guard with crossbows over the campsite and three children. The children, a girl and two young boys, huddled together under the wagon. Alexándrekt introduced Silvítya to his wife, Stepkakta, and a nephew, Nowáckt. They moved out immediately and returned to the main road, even though it was close to sunset. The boy watched the back of the wagon while the former guard rode his horse in front. Alexándrekt's wife took the reins of the wagon team and followed her husband's order that she teach Silvítya how to drive. The three children, still bewildered from being taken out of their comfortable home, sat quietly with their older cousin in the back. After sunset the trip continued. Alexándrekt and Nowáckt walked up front, each carrying a crossbow. Silvítya and Alexándrekt's wife had longbows within their reach. Silvítya was dead tired, given that she had not slept at all for two days, but she forced herself to conform to the rigid military-style discipline of her traveling companions. It was obvious that Alexándrekt had trained both Stepkakta and Nowáckt in the use of weapons and army survival skills. The boy in particular, behaved as any ordinary Danubian soldier would behave: he carried his crossbow with ease and confidence. The group traveled non-stop through the night and the following morning. They stopped midday, but only because Alexándrekt was monitoring the horses and calculated they needed to rest due to the heat. The group found a stream where the animals could drink and where everyone could bathe. Alexándrekt and the boys bathed separately from the women. The males and the girl went to sleep immediately, while the women stood watch over the camp. During the watch Stepkakta braided Silvítya's hair. Silvítya was elated when she looked into the water and saw her reflection. Finally, after two years, her hair was braided and her public honor as a woman was restored. Now that she looked like any other decently-attired Danubian woman, she truly felt she had escaped the clutches of the Grand Duke. After the afternoon meal Silvítya slept on a blanket under the wagon. It was her first opportunity to sleep in three days, and her first opportunity to sleep as a free woman in two years. Later, throughout the trip Silvítya would provide an important contribution to the group whenever they were passing through a wooded area. In spite of her past as a university student and a concubine, she was not a spoiled city girl who would be a burden on the others. She had skills that she had learned when living in Babáckt Yaga's settlement: she knew secrets of food gathering in the forest and could instantly spot and identify anything that was edible. While Stepkakta set up a fire and prepared a meal, Silvítya scoured the woods for food. The first time she went foraging, Stepkakta was just starting to grumble about Silvítya's absence when her companion returned with a sack containing a banquet of mushrooms, roots, herbs, and berries. ---------- The group left the main road leading to the ruins of Hórkustk Ris shortly before the forest ended. They followed a road that was little more than a rough trail westward towards the East Danube River. When they approached the shore, they turned south to travel along the water's edge. Fine flat beaches, exposed because of the low water-level during a drought year, made the trip both easy and pleasant. An unbroken line of cliffs, which comprised the Duchy's western border, extended both upstream and downstream along the opposite side of the river. At night the team moved in silence, but during the day there was time for conversation. Silvítya and Alexándrekt's wife exchanged stories about their experiences as concubines and compared observations about the how the ruler had changed over the past nine years. Stepkakta had been one of his very first concubines, picked from a village when he was still just the heir to the throne. The young Prince saw her drawing water from a well as he was passing through with his hunting party and took a liking to her. Like Silvítya, Stepkakta entered the sovereign's service as a peasant and exited with the manners and skills of an upper-class woman. As the Crowned Prince said at the time: "it's always interesting to catch a crow and turn her into a dove." "Then...that explains...there's a tapestry above the Duke's throne...he's got a tapestry...that shows a crow sitting in a cage and a dove sitting on top." "Yes. The tapestry must have been made after my time, but that's what it would mean. His Majesty has many reasons for keeping concubines, but one of them is to use us to humble the nobility. He wishes to prove that noble families are not inherently superior to average citizens. Anyone can be taught to act like a noble, and therefore nobles have no special rights, and therefore, like everyone else, they must submit to the Royal House. By having us act as ladies of class, he is sending his rivals a political message." ---------- The Buláshckt group proceeded along the river for several days, passing to the south of Hórkustk Ris and the squads of Royal Guards stationed there to receive refugees and push them further south. Alexándrekt would go around the ruined city to the west, then turn directly east and follow a series of rough roads southeast. He had seen some properties close to the southern border that interested him, but the family would have to move quickly to ensure they occupied the land before any other Danubians arrived to stake a claim. The Buláshckt family would have an enormous advantage of having the tools, horses, and cooking utensils needed to set up a household upon arriving at their destination. They also had blank letters from the Grand Duke granting them rights to the property they would be taking. Stepkakta and Silvítya practiced forging signatures and finally decided that Silvítya should be the one to attempt to forge the names. She signed several officials' names and made the documents look authentic. One of the letters would be for Silvítya. Alexándrekt had taken for granted the assumption she would be content owning and farming a small plot of land for the rest of her life. The property title planted doubts in Silvítya's thoughts about what she wanted for her future. She could indeed operate a farm, but there was no way living off a plot of land appealed to her. Maybe... maybe if she had a partner or a family... she could be a farmer, but to do it alone? ---------- The family turned away from the river and crossed a region that had been a war-zone the previous year. The area already was occupied by recently-arrived Danubian settlers, so signs of both destruction and recovery were everywhere. Alexándrekt talked in detail about the skirmishes between the Royal Guards and garrisons of the Lord of the Red Moon's men as they passed through villages and manors. They arrived at the same town where Mirjana's captors had sold her relatives. The slave market was still active, selling off captured refugees from the Kingdom of the Moon. All of the slaves were women or girls, all of them were collared and naked. Silvítya's illusions about Alexándrekt suffered a severe blow when she watched him purchase four slaves. He bought two middle-aged women to work in the fields, a younger one to help his wife in the household, and a girl who would be the personal servant of Nowáckt. Silvítya was horrified when she saw the naked foreigners kneeling next to the wagon. Alexándrekt had talked incessantly about his freedom, his step-daughter's freedom, and Silvítya's freedom, but had no qualms about keeping foreign women as slaves. Silvítya was most troubled by the girl that had been given to Nowáckt. The boy was 12 and his new servant was only slightly younger. He would shave his head in a few years and would want what any teenaged boy would want. Silvítya even overheard Alexándrekt discussing the purchase with Stepkakta: "...yes, I know she was expensive, but I need to keep that boy out of trouble. We'll have enough worries as it is, so I don't want him wandering off looking for adventures." ---------- A group of displaced families from the capitol joined Alexándrekt as his family and slaves departed eastward. They all had titles to landholdings, but so far every place they had seen already had occupants. Alexándrekt explained that the best remaining property would be along the southern border. There were several abandoned villages within sight of the Kingdom of the Moon. If the others joined the Buláshckt group, Alexándrekt would teach the men how to fight so they could defend both the Duchy and their new land. The men agreed, elected Alexándrekt their mayor, and a large column of families proceeded towards the border. Originally there were 13 families, but by the end of the journey they had been joined by 15 more. Three days later the group arrived at a village containing some refugees from the Kingdom of the Moon. The Danubians chased out the foreigners and quickly set up their new town. Alexándrekt didn't bother to find out if the empty settlement had a previous Danubian name; he simply called it Malénkta-Gordnáckta because it was located next to a small hill with a dilapidated watchtower at its summit. The Buláshckts, along with the four slaves and Silvítya, established their household in Malénkta-Gordnáckta's nicest residence. Alexándrekt left his wife, the three children, and the two younger slaves in the town, but took his nephew, the two older slaves, and Silvítya to establish ownership of a large plot of farmland outside the village. Forested hills lay immediately to the east of the property, and a small river that was recognized as the border between the Kingdom of the Moon and the Duchy formed a small portion of the boundary to the south. It was a risky location, but someone would have to live along the border and stake out the land for the Duchy. I suppose a former Royal Guard is as good a man for that duty as any, Silvítya thought to herself. Alexándrekt handed a switch to his companion and told her to have the slaves start clearing one of the fields. Meanwhile, he would go with several of the men to divide up the rest of the land around Malénkta-Gordnáckta. Later he would have to organize some hunting expeditions in the woods. The fields had been abandoned over the previous year and there was very little food in the area. The situation would improve after the next year's harvest, but until then the new residents of Malénkta-Gordnáckta would have to live by hunting and gathering. As she stood in the field, holding her switch and watching the two wretched naked women sweat and struggle with their task, Silvítya felt despair sweep over her. What am I doing, watching over another person's slaves? Why did the Ancients lead me here, to the edge of the Duchy, to this abandoned location? Is this truly my Path in Life? Is this why I escaped the capitol and the Grand Duke? What am I doing, just standing alone in a field? ---------- Alexándrekt's training in the Danubian military manifested itself in every detail of his behavior as he organized his new community. He assessed each man under his command to determine his strongest skills or talents and made sure each of his subordinates was doing his best to further the interests of Malénkta-Gordnáckta. By the end of September the town had a fully operational blacksmith's shop, a glass-blower, a cobbler, and a weaver. There was a shortage of livestock, but a group of teenagers snuck across the border, raided a farm, and brought back some live chickens and a pair of sheep. That was hardly enough for village of 300 people, but at least it was a start. Alexándrekt knew that Silvítya had training from the Cult of the Ancients for living and foraging in the woods, so he employed her to lead gathering expeditions into the nearby hills. Both he and Stepkakta had been very impressed with her talent for finding anything edible during the first days of their journey, so it was logical to place former Follower in charge of foraging expeditions. The commander ordered each family to send at least one woman or girl to the plaza with bags and baskets, with the understanding they were to follow Silvítya into the hills and do exactly what she told them to do. Anyone failing to follow her instructions would face a public switching in the plaza upon returning. The severe command was necessary because most of the women were guild wives or field workers that had no experience collecting food in the forest. As long as the women were accompanying Silvítya, they would be under her command, no questions asked. Silvítya was not particularly religious when she was in a "civilized" environment, but when she was in a natural setting, she did feel the presence of the Ancients. Her religion might no longer have formally existed, but the spirituality she had learned with the Cult stayed with her and influenced her view of the world. Therefore, as she led others into the woods, she insisted on maintaining the practices of the Old World. She shocked her companions by stripping and ordering the others to undress as well. The oldest woman in the group would stand watch over the dresses, but the others would show respect to the Realm of Nature by entering the forest as the Great Spirits had created them. Noting the reluctance of her companions, she snapped: The Girl with No Name Ch. 21 "If you want your families to eat, they will only do so with the blessing of the Ancients. The Ancients will only give you their blessing if you respect the ways of the Old World. That's the way your Paths in Life will be whenever you are with me. I am a Follower of the Ancients, I am a woman of the Old World, and you will obey, just as I obey the Ancients. If you disobey me, the wrath of the Ancients awaits you in the woods, and the switch awaits you in the Plaza." So...the naked ex-concubine led her equally naked companions through the forested hills, gathering a multitude of roots, berries, mushrooms, herbs, and fungi. The women were surprised by how many items previously unknown to them could be gathered and prepared. Silvítya led the women to various streams to catch fish and collect freshwater mussels. The streams offered a respite from the constant wandering when the guide and her companions relaxed along the shore and swam in the cold water. The women became used to traversing the hills in the nude and eventually started to enjoy it. The cool breezes felt comfortable on their uncovered skin and it was nice to not worry about damaging or soiling clothing that was both expensive and difficult to replace. The trips to the woods offered a welcome break from Mayor Alexándrekt Buláshckt's increasingly rigid militaristic rule over Malénkta-Gordnáckta. He insisted that all men and boys engage in constantly practicing both fencing and archery. The males practiced for war as much as they worked their fields, while the women wore themselves out foraging and preserving food for the grim winter that lay ahead. ---------- As the weather started to become colder, the foraging expeditions into the mountains ended, along with Silvítya's temporary authority over Malénkta-Gordnáckta's other women. She had taught her companions what she knew about finding unusual food items and innovative methods of preparing meals, but now that her knowledge had been dispensed, the other women saw no need to continue following the orders of someone who looked no older than 17. Silvítya became known around the town as "the Cult girl" as the women increasingly resented her efforts to impose her beliefs on them. The other women dismissed her and her strange religion as soon as they no longer needed her. By the end of October their gratitude for what she had taught them was forgotten. There were other changes in Malénkta-Gordnáckta that troubled Silvítya, especially in the house of her hosts. Stepkakta discovered she was pregnant in October and became even more ill-tempered than she had been over the summer. She was very unpleasant to be around, so Silvítya avoided her as much as possible. Nor did Silvítya approve of Stepkakta's treatment of the house slave. On several occasions she had witnessed the mistress tie her servant to the kitchen table and give her severe switchings, while Nowáckt's servant was forced to watch "to learn her place". Stepkakta never beat the younger girl, not because of her age, but because of her value. However, already there were numerous signs that Nowáckt was not going to treat her well. Throughout the fall and winter he and Alexándrekt's step-daughter bullied his servant and forced her to do humiliating things. For example, at the end of October, Nowáckt and his cousin "punished" the girl by cutting off part of her hair and then forced her to look at herself in a mirror. When she cried at seeing her reflection, all four of the Buláshckt children ridiculed her. ---------- Alexándrekt proved his talent as a soldier by training and organizing the town's men into a competent platoon-sized militia within just two months. No group of soldiers from the Kingdom of the Moon could have entered Malénkta-Gordnáckta without sustaining casualties. However, the mayor knew the town's preparation for combat remained totally inadequate. The men had a mis-matched collection of personal weapons, there was no extra iron ore, and the community only had six horses, of which four belonged to the Buláshckts. Adding to the mayor's worries was the lack of salt, which was needed to preserve meat in an age when there was no refrigeration. For Malénkta-Gordnáckta to survive and prosper, the inhabitants would have to trade for the goods they needed, but unfortunately they had nothing to offer. The town's fortunes changed when a group of refugees from a manor immediately south of the border fled from a group of soldiers loyal to the Lord of the Blue Moon. The manor owner was loyal to the Lord of the Red Moon, so he and his family: women, children, and house servants included, were hung outside their house on the Kingdom's infamous impalement hooks. The field workers did not stick around to see what was going to happen to them. Yes, they had heard that the Danubian Duchy no longer was a safe place, but they were panicked and had nowhere else to go. So, reluctantly they crossed the river and fled north. Alexándrekt set up a trap for the refugees as soon as he found out they had crossed the border. The townsmen waited until the foreigners were moving between two hills. They were set up with crossbows on both sides of the road, while the mayor and five mounted companions charged the group from the front. The refugees scrambled up the hillsides, only to fall to the crossbows of the Danubians. The mayor had ordered only the foreign men to be killed, while as many of the women as possible were to be captured alive. The townsfolk caught 36 women and girls. They herded their shivering, naked prisoners northward and sold them at the same market where Alexándrekt had bought his slaves several months before. The men triumphantly returned to their town with new horses, new crossbows, a pile of crossbow bolts and arrows, two muskets, gunpowder, and several barrels of salt. The town celebrated their good fortune as Alexándrekt trained several of his men to ride their new horses and Stepkakta distributed salt among the town's women. Already there was talk of a new raiding expedition to capture more slaves and how much easier that would be now that more of the men had horses. Silvítya felt sick. She couldn't figure out if Alexándrekt had changed or if she never knew him in the first place. Instead of the thoughtful devoted family man she had seen in the castle, the Alexándrekt in front of her was a brutal raider and enslaver. Not only was he a slave owner, but he was killing refugees and actively catching and condemning women to a lifetime of servitude. Of course, everyone else totally adored him because he was doing everything necessary to ensure Malénkta-Gordnáckta's security and prosperity. However, at what price? What kind of community was he creating? Certainly not one where Silvítya would want to live. ---------- The grim autumn turned into an equally grim winter. The salt barrels and hunting expeditions ensured that Malénkta-Gordnáckta would not actually starve, but throughout the end of the year food would be in short supply. The men were gone most of the time, not only hunting animals but pursuing rumors about groups of refugees. During the bleak months of December and January they captured a total of 24 more foreign women and took them to the slave market. The additional trading netted some iron ore, crop seed, tools, and cave charcoal. Additional families entered Malénkta-Gordnáckta and claimed ownership of the remaining parcels of vacant land. Silvítya decided to sell the title of her plot to one of the newcomers, given that she had no desire to farm or settle in the area. Hers was one of the last properties available, so she received three-and-a-half gold pieces, which was a good price for a plot that size. As soon as the weather became warm, she would go into the hills and continue with her travels. Everything about her neighbors disgusted her and she longed never to see any of them again. Meanwhile, the vicious civil war to the south dragged on. Silvítya periodically climbed into the watchtower on the hilltop overlooking the border and talked to the sentry. Occasionally she could see plumes of smoke in the distance and knew some ghastly atrocity had just been committed by one of the warring factions. She thought about her odious neighbors and the senseless southern warlords. More than any other time in her life, she questioned the goodness of the cosmos and wondered whether people had ever done anything to deserve their place in the Realm of the Living. "Where is the Creator? Where are the blessings from the Ancients? The only presence I ever feel is that of the Destroyer. I don't feel anything else." ---------- Stepkakta's fourth pregnancy turned out to be her most difficult. Her health had suffered from traveling and adjusting to a new environment, so by February she had to spend most of her time in bed. She was more unpleasant than ever as her shrill voice echoed throughout the mayor's residence. However, that was good fortune for the house slave, given that the Mistress was too weak to administer any more whippings. Silvítya, who until that time had been little more than a family guest, took on many of the duties needed to run the household. By the late winter she no longer sympathized or cared about anyone in Alexándrekt Buláshckt's family, but she did not want the children running amok and tormenting the servants. As a condition for helping out, she insisted on taking control of the girl originally purchased for Nowáckt by telling Alexándrekt there was no way she could operate a household including a sick pregnant woman and four rowdy children with a single slave. She would have to bring the girl into the kitchen and teach her how to cook and perform other household duties. Silvítya was furious upon seeing the condition of Nowáckt's servant. The young captive was a truly pathetic sight, with insults written on her body, her head partially shaved, her remaining hair dyed red and blue, and her expression traumatized by constant bullying. It was fortunate that Alexándrekt had obtained a horse for his nephew, because over the winter the boy was absent most of the time, tasked to learn everything needed to become a mounted soldier. Nowáckt accompanied his uncle whenever the men went out, whether it was on a routine patrol or a slave-raiding expedition. The boy's soul was becoming hardened and callous towards anyone weaker than himself, but the inhabitants of the household were spared from having to deal with him very much. The other children were still young enough to be intimidated by Silvítya, so she was able to establish order within a few days. She learned the names of the two house slaves, Marla and Isauria. Up until that moment she had only known them as the "Kitchen Slave" and the "Young Slave". The substitute house-mistress cut off Isauria's ruined hair, evened the stubble on her scalp, and gave her a headscarf to hide what had been done to her by Alexándrekt's step-daughter. Silvítya was thoroughly disgusted and promised herself that when she left town, she would somehow try to take the adolescent with her. Anyhow, at least Isauria was now under her control and for the time being would be spared any further bullying. ---------- As much as she was disgusted by Malénkta-Gordnáckta's reliance on slavery, Silvítya was impressed by how quickly Mayor Buláshckt had organized an undisciplined group of refugees and a collection of abandoned houses into a fully functioning community capable of feeding and defending itself. Over the late winter additional slave raids allowed the town to purchase a wagon-load of cheese and barley; another wagon full of beets, carrots, and potatoes; and several pregnant breed-sows. In the early spring the entire community turned out to plant the fields, including everyone in the Buláshckt household, with the exception of the still bed-ridden Stepkakta. The planted fields and green hills reminded Silvítya that it was time to fulfill the promise she had made to herself and leave. She correctly assumed that had she simply asked for permission to depart and to take Isauria with her, the mayor would have denied the request. Silvítya was too valuable to the household and he would consider her trying to leave before his wife had her baby a dereliction of duty. Silvítya prayed about her dilemma to the Ancients. The answer she received was to conduct a test of Alexándrekt's character to see how loyal he truly was to his wife. If he passed the test of character, she would have to stay. If he failed the test, then she would be able to coerce him into letting her have everything she wanted. ---------- Silvítya knew that Alexándrekt had a favorite spot in the hills immediately to the east of his estate. It was a rocky overlook that included a large flat stone upon which it was possible to sit, lie, set up a spyglass, or use as a firing position. There was a brook nearby with a small pool that was large enough for two people to fit comfortably and take a bath, or for a horse to take a drink. A horse could be tied near the water and still be within sight of the rock, so it was an ideal location for a military man to rest with his horse. Silvítya returned to her old habit of searching the forest for edible items as soon as the weather was warm enough for her to run around the hills in the nude. She took advantage of the stone shelf as a location to offer up her prayers to the Ancients and as a place to spread out her mushrooms and herbs so they could dry in the sun. She knelt and prayed in archaic Danubian, hoping that eventually the Ancients would answer her prayers. Alexándrekt spent several days observing the young Follower, fascinated by her naked figure as she prayed in the bright late spring sunshine. Yes, in the Grand Duke's castle she had been constantly naked for two years, but that had been forced upon her. Now she was in her natural environment, willingly sharing herself and her body with the lost soul of the Old World. Hearing her singing and praying in the Old Language and surrendering herself to the Realm of Nature made her seem mysterious and sinister, but at the same time made her very sexy. A week after he started observing her in his favorite spot, Alexándrekt approached Silvítya. Her skin was starting to tan and her sweat glistened in the warm sunshine. She remained on her knees as she silently looked back at him, waiting to see what he would do. "You're a strange girl, Silvítya. You're different from anyone I've ever met. Different, and far more interesting." Silvítya remained on her knees, looking at the mayor, but still with no answer. Alexándrekt became nervous at her silence, but the sight of her was making him increasingly aroused. He had not had sex with his wife for over six months, so the girl in front of him looked sexier to him than ever. He badly wanted her and she was well-aware of what was going on in his head. Finally, still keeping her silence, she stood up and put out her hand. She bent over the rocks in the submissive position as he caressed her body and struggled out of his clothing. It had been a long time for her as well, so at least she could enjoy what was about to happen before she set off her trap. She sighed as he massaged her bottom and ran his fingers between her legs. She became wet as she positioned herself and welcomed his hard penis into her eager body. He took his time with her... if nothing else at least he was a good lover. She abandoned herself to the moment and allowed herself to climax. The couple swam in the pool and made love again. She lay on her back on a batch of clover as he pushed into her. He was rough and vigorous as he thrust, but a lot more considerate than the Grand Duke had been. They made love in the same spot over the next several days. Eventually Silvítya worked him into the position she wanted as she got him to lie on his back and she straddled him. The mayor climaxed into her as she relived her old fantasy of being Lilith. ---------- That night, Silvítya packed her bucket and put on her trader's outfit. She served dinner and brought Alexándrekt a bottle of ale. Then she changed her entire demeanor. In a cold voice she ordered the children to leave the room and told the slaves to return to the kitchen. She placed her hands on the table and stared hard at the surprised mayor. "You know, Alexándrekt, there have been only three men in my life for whom I've ever had any respect. One of those men was a farmer who taught me the importance of atonement. The second man was an Elder from my Cult who taught me about overcoming one's fear. The third man I admired was you. I thought you had taught me about the importance of one's family. However, I was wrong about you. I don't know whether you changed or if I just didn't know you, but either way, I don't like what you've turned into. So, I'm leaving. I am taking my bucket and I'm walking out of this town." "Very well, if that's how you feel, then go." Silvítya reached into her belt and pulled out her coin purse. She placed three gold coins and five silver coins on the table. "What's this?" "Payment for Nowáckt's slave Isauria. I'm taking her with me. I understand that you paid four gold pieces for her, but if you've noticed, your nephew and step-daughter reduced her value by ruining her hair. It's a fair price that I'm offering. You wouldn't receive three-and-a-half gold if you tried selling her at the market in her current condition." Alexándrekt smiled and pushed the money back, but Silvítya stepped away from the table. "Don't be a fool, Mayor Buláshckt. The Ancients are trying to protect you from scandal. You don't think people in Malénkta-Gordnáckta aren't talking about Nowáckt and the slave you gave him? The Ancients are giving you a path out of your predicament. They are giving you an opportunity to recoup most of your investment and put an end to your family's disgrace. I take the girl off your hands, leave without saying anything, and we'll be forgotten in a few days. Any other choice will fill your Path in Life with dishonor. If you don't believe me, then pick up your sword, strike me down, and see what happens." Alexándrekt said nothing more, but he realized his companion was right. He had nothing to gain either by killing her or by refusing to sell Isauria. He saw the same cold determination in Silvítya that he had seen when she confronted the Grand Duke in Sumy Ris. She was offering him the chance to get rid of two problems simultaneously. So, he reached into his shirt to take a key off his necklace. He took the coins off the table and unlocked a sturdy metal box that was bolted to the wall. He tossed in the coins and took out a piece of parchment. It was Isauria's ownership certificate. He crossed out his name and added a note stating the girl had been re-sold. "What's your name? Your real name? The one the Church called you when your hair was braided?" "Danka. It doesn't really matter, but that's my name. I guess you can put my title on that paper as Peasant Danka, because that's what I am." The mayor handed the paper to Danka. "Very well, Peasant Danka. Take your servant and get off my property." Danka went into the kitchen and called Isauria. The girl followed her, not yet understanding what had just happened. They stepped into the plaza and passed to the back side of the town's church. Danka handed a trader's outfit to Isauria and told her to put it on. She handed her bucket to the girl and they continued to a shed where Danka had been hiding a crossbow and some stolen bolts. She took the crossbow and satchel, along with a traveling backpack containing supplies and tools for living in the forest. Then she exited Malénkta-Gordnáckta to set off with her servant towards the hills. The travelers followed a path that led northeast, away from both the border and from the province of Hórkustk Ris. The Girl with No Name Ch. 21 They walked in silence in the darkness as the quiet girl struggled to keep up. Danka had not yet explained anything, but Isauria realized that she had been sold and her new mistress was taking her away from Malénkta-Gordnáckta. More importantly, she was being taken away from those horrid children who had spent the past eight months tormenting her. She was very happy at the thought of never seeing them again. She had no idea where her new mistress and her Path in Life would lead her, but just escaping from the Buláshckt children was good enough for the moment. At daybreak Danka entered the woods and looked for a place to set up camp. She found a spot near a stream. Isauria was tired, but there would be no rest until the two travelers had gathered enough food to sustain them over the next couple of days. Danka taught her servant how to find berries and edible forest plants and how to prepare them. The weather was sunny, so she was able to use a magnifying lens to start a fire. The woman and her servant stripped off their clothing and waded into the stream so Danka could teach her ward how to catch a fish. As they ate, Danka looked at her purchase and wondered what to do with her. She had no desire to keep Isauria, but realized finding a safe place to leave her would be difficult. The girl's cropped hair presented a problem because it made her look like a boy. It would take at least two years for it to grow back to a length that would be considered acceptable in Danubia for a young woman. In the meantime Danka would either have to keep Isauria in the woods or keep her head covered if they went into a settled area. She wished she could just take the girl to the border and let her go home, but there was no home for her to go to. Her village was burnt, her family was dead, and her country was being destroyed by conflict. The civil war and the ongoing atrocities were the main reason the enslaved foreign women in southern Danubia stayed put, even most could have reached the border just by walking a few hours. Servitude was their reality in the Duchy, but rape and impalement hooks were the reality that awaited them to the south. Danka thought that a logical place to leave Isauria might be with the Danubian Church. However, Isauria was an illiterate slave from the Kingdom of the Moon who barely spoke any Danubian. What use would she be to the Clergy? Especially with a shaved head? There was the option of her former lover Káloyankt. There was no question he could take in the girl and probably would. If she could somehow make it to Sevérckt nad Gorádki and contact Káloyankt, that would be the best option for Isauria, but it would not be the best option for Danka. She still felt guilty about the way she treated him and was humiliated from having been a concubine for two years. She didn't know how much her fellow cultists knew about her fate when she left the university and did not want to find out. Taking Isauria to Sevérckt nad Gorádki would have been the best alternative for safely disposing of her, but Danka couldn't bring herself to do it. Danka decided it was early enough in the year to put off making any decision concerning where she should go or what she should do with Isauria. So, she would simply take the girl further into the wild country and teach her everything necessary to live off the land. There would be some time to teach her to speak proper Danubian and how to read and write. Danka looked around her. She felt the presence of the Old World, the forest as it had been when the Ancients decided to depart the Realm of the Living and leave humans to sort out their own fate. She wanted to believe the Ancients were all around her. Maybe it was time to take a break from the civilized world of the Christians and try to re-connect with the world that had preceded them. She had tried to teach her fellow women from Malénkta-Gordnáckta to appreciate the wisdom of the Old World, in an effort that failed miserably. However, she would be able to teach some things to Isauria. Along with learning how to live alone in the forest, Danka would have time to make her appreciate the Ancients and instruct her in the ways of the Realm of Nature. Danka still wanted to eventually get rid of Isauria, but increasingly she understood that by purchasing her, she had taken on an important responsibility. Before they parted ways, she had to ensure the girl could take care of herself and have the skills necessary to successfully pursue her Path in Life in the Duchy. ---------- Alexándrekt Buláshckt's soul gradually changed after Danka left his household. He had always liked her, so the circumstances of her departure greatly upset him. At first he felt betrayed, but as he thought over the situation, he understood why she had become so disgusted with him and his family. Yes, it was true that the family had treated the house slaves in a completely dishonorable manner. It was true that the Young Slave would be much better off with Danka than with his nephew. And when Stepkakta had her baby and recovered, he would have to ensure she would not return to beating the Kitchen Slave. Nowáckt was livid when he found out that his uncle had sold his servant. He was determined to go after Danka and recover his property, but Alexándrekt told him that the sale was legal and final, and that he had good reason to sell Isauria. He had bought the girl to teach Nowáckt to learn responsibility and how to wisely exercise authority over others. By mistreating his servant, defacing her appearance, and reducing her value, he had failed the test of character that Alexándrekt had given him. (The explanation was not entirely true: the original reason for purchasing Isauria was to keep Nowáckt from getting into trouble by chasing after neighbor girls. However, it was true that Alexándrekt became deeply disappointed with how his nephew had treated her.) Malénkta-Gordnáckta prospered over the summer of 1756 and more Danubian settlers moved in. All of the land around the town was taken, but the farms south of the border in the Kingdom of the Moon were vacant. The inhabitants had been massacred or driven off by the Lord of the Blue Moon's army and the fighting had since moved elsewhere. It was risky, but several families of Danubians took over properties on the southern shore of the river and Alexándrekt Buláshckt's authority expanded into an area that was not officially part of the Duchy. The mayor of Malénkta-Gordnáckta did not lead any more slave raids against foreign refugees. They had stopped coming into that part of the Duchy anyway, so the town would have to live by more honest means. Over time Alexándrekt regretted his behavior and knew that he would have a lot to answer for when he held up his mirror before the Creator. Perhaps he could justify his actions as a Royal Guard under the Grand Duke as following orders, but the slave raids had been entirely his responsibility. Alexándrekt wrote extensively about his former friend and the moral dilemmas she had presented him. He wasn't sure whether to refer to her as Silvítya or Danka. Like others before him, he simply omitted her name altogether. Nowáckt also wrote about Danka, making up stories about a pretty witch sent by the Destroyer to seduce and steal from from young boys and destroy their dreams. As he grew older, he shared some of his tales as campfire songs with his friends. The other teenagers started making up their own stories and the Girl with No Name became an increasingly loathsome and cruel temptress in the minds and songs of young men on the Duchy's southern border. ---------- Note: During the eighteenth century women in Europe generally could not buy, sell, or own property. However, the Grand Duchy of Upper Danubia was an important exception, due to the country's history. The tradition of women owning property started in 1534 when King Vladik's successor faced the dilemma of defending the Duchy after most of its men had been killed in combat. He solved the crisis by recruiting unmarried village girls to organize into squads of guerilla archers to fight for the Duchy. The teenagers were called Nymphs and the reward for three years of service was title to a piece of property. After a generation the Duchy's population recovered and women lost many of the temporary privileges they had enjoyed during the mid 1500s, but a woman's right to own property remained part of Danubian law and tradition. - Maritza Ortskt-Dukovna - The Girl with No Name Ch. 22 Chapter Twenty-Two -- The Scavenger The forest is an unforgiving mistress. Yes, the Ancients can bless those who live in the Realm of Nature by treating it with respect, but such blessings are only available to those who know where to seek them; and even for the wise, those blessings are usually fleeting. When one is in the forest, the goal is to eat before sunset and survive to see another sunrise. Perhaps it is possible to contemplate the future, but too much thought on the future and too little on the present is vanity. Danka took her young slave into the mountains with those thoughts in mind. Strange to think, just a year before she had lived a pampered life in the Grand Duke's castle, and now she was about to embark on a life as a wanderer in the Duchy's wild country. She tried to remember all of the training she had received when she was a Follower. She would need every bit of that knowledge to make it through the rest of the summer and prepare for the upcoming winter. Danka and Isauria spent the first week traveling east, ever deeper into the southern Danubian forest. The outcast was determined to get far away from Malénkta-Gordnáckta and anyone who had known her during her sojourn in that town. For the rest of her life she would harbor deep resentment against its inhabitants. She hated the men for willingly going out on slave-capturing raids, but she even more, she loathed the town's women. She had spent months teaching them everything she knew about collecting food in the forest, sharing much of the knowledge passed to her by Babáckt Yaga and the other Followers. However, along with distributing practical knowledge, Danka had made the mistake of trying to pass along the philosophical wisdom of the Cult of the Ancients. She subconsciously wanted to influence the beliefs of her neighbors and have them reward her by accepting her as their de facto spiritual leader. She failed to understand that attempting to appoint herself as a spiritual guide was an act of hubris, and the Ancients always punished hubris. Danka's self-appointed spiritual mission failed miserably and its only result was for the former cultist to be accused of being strange and then to be ignored, ridiculed, and ultimately ostracized. She felt betrayed by her female neighbors and resented the fact they had not accepted her as part of their community. So, she wanted nothing to do with the women of Malénkta-Gordnáckta and never wanted to see them again. As soon as she was far enough from the town that it would be unlikely she'd run into any of its inhabitants, Danka had an important decision to make: which direction to continue her journey. The countryside immediately to the east and southeast was covered with thickly-forested low-lying hills, which contrasted with higher mountains that lay to the north. The mountains were part of a crescent-shaped chain that separated the southwest portion of the Duchy from the southeast part and at that time the highland region was completely unsettled. Beyond the northern mountains lay the Black Swamp of Misery, which was in reality a large marshland that fed into the Rika Chorna River. Either the mountains or the swamp would have been good places to hide, had Danka been a fugitive. However, she considered herself a traveler, not a fugitive, and had no desire to spend her remaining time in the Realm of the Living in a squalid cabin with an illiterate serving-girl in a lonely, isolated settlement. The only hope for either the woman or the girl to have a fulfilling Path in Life was to keep moving and see where the Ancients led them. Danka decided to journey directly eastward and stay within a day's walk of the Duchy's southern border during the entire trip. At that time she had a vague idea of going to the Vice-Duchy of Rika Chorna and seeing if she could settle there. Danka did not know what to expect from the inhabitants of the Vice-Duchy, but it was away from western Danubia, which was what she wanted at the time. So, she and Isauria would continue working their way east, spend the summer in the forest, and eventually emerge into the Eastern Valley. As was customary for Followers of the Ancients, whenever they were in the Realm of Nature and temperatures permitted, Danka and Isauria walked completely naked, wearing nothing but their boots. Isauria was not bothered by Danka's order that she carry her clothing in her traveling pack instead of on her body. She already was used to being nude: as a collared slave she had been denied the right to wear clothing at any time. So, the naked girl plodded behind her naked mistress, with the heavy supply pack cutting into her bare shoulders and Danka's uncovered bottom and thighs always in front of her. Danka was not a sympathetic or patient teacher, because the Realm of Nature is not sympathetic or patient. Also, the former peasant had experienced very little sympathy in her life, so she did not know how to display it to anyone working under her. Danka was not kind to Isauria as we would understand kindness in modern times. She expected Isauria to carefully listen to everything she said and to follow her instructions exactly. On the few occasions when Isauria did not meet her expectations, she was harsh with her voice and as quick to use the switch as any other impatient slave-owner. ---------- Isauria's Path in Life would be to remain Danka's servant and companion throughout 1756. She continued to wear her slave collar, partly because Danka did not have the tools necessary to remove it, and partly because Danka knew it would be best for the girl to consider herself a slave until her mistress felt she was ready to face the harsh world on her own. The quiet girl clearly was not ready to fend for herself when Danka purchased her. Yes, she had endured several traumatic events during her short life, but trauma does not necessarily prepare a person to face the world. Isauria's only practical knowledge consisted of looking after sheep (from the days before she was taken captive) and housework (from her year living in Alexándrekt Buláshckt's household). As for fending for herself in the forest, she was still a child, as naive as any guild-master's daughter. So, it was Danka's Path in Life to teach her ward how to survive in the Realm of Nature. She trained the girl how to find anything that was edible, how to hide among the trees and find shelter, how to anticipate changes in the weather, how to identify animal tracks, and how to pack supplies and move about undetected. Within days Isauria knew how to forage for roots, mushrooms, and fruit. She knew how to set campfires and prepare a campsite, while Danka was hunting or looking for promising trails. Her daily routine was grueling, but she became invaluable to her mistress. During her first months in the woods Danka would teach Isauria how to set traps, tie knots, and make snares. She showed her the basics of fishing, which the girl picked up with ease. Isauria was fascinated with everything having to do with fish and became much more adept at catching fish than her mistress. Other skills learned by Isauria over the summer included searching for springs, collecting rainwater, making and reading maps, compass-reading, land navigation, using the stars to navigate at night, and moving about in total silence. The girl learned quickly and became competent at living outside. By the end of the summer Danka knew that if anything happened to her, Isauria would be able to survive on her own, at least for a while, and continue traveling. In spite of her willingness to use the switch, by the standards of slave owners in eighteenth-century Danubia, Danka was a good mistress and most foreign captives would have been happy to exchange places with Isauria. She never struck from anger or frustration, nor was she spiteful or condescending. She never did anything to humiliate her ward, which was a huge improvement in the girl's life over the treatment she had received from Alexándrekt Buláshckt and his nephew. Instead, Danka's treatment directly reflected on how well the girl performed her duties. As long as Isauria followed instructions, she had nothing to fear. If she didn't understand something, her owner encouraged her to request clarification. It was important that Isauria understood her responsibilities and why she needed to perform each duty in a certain way, so the only stupid questions were the ones she neglected to ask. The social distance that normally would distinguish an owner from a slave was absent in Danka's relationship with Isauria. Danka used the lower-class form of "you" when addressing the servant and told Isauria to use the same form when responding. Danka's speech reverted to her peasant background, with Isauria expected to address her mistress in the same way a guild apprentice would address a mentor. Whatever food was available she shared in equal portions. She cared for the girl's medical needs and allowed her to rest when she was sick. As for the travelers' sleeping arrangements, Danka had with her a single sleeping roll, which she shared with her servant. Peasants were used to sharing beds, so Danka shared the sleeping roll with her ward in the same way she had shared her bed with her sister while growing up. There were other ways Danka let Isauria know that she did not consider her mere property. She began to teach the servant to write during the rare occasions they weren't occupied with wandering, hunting, scavenging, or gathering food. Isauria recognized the importance of writing, so on her own she practiced tracing letters in the dust whenever she had to opportunity, to the great satisfaction of her mentor. When Danka prayed to the Ancients, she insisted the girl accompany her. Over the summer Isauria learned about Danka's religious beliefs, to include singing some of the ancient hymns and speaking a few words in archaic Danubian. ---------- Danka had never been as experienced at hunting or tracking animals as she was gathering edible plants. She had some basic information about forest animals from her year in Babáckt Yaga's settlement, but even among the Followers hunting was a task mostly carried out by the men. Out of necessity, her hunting skills greatly improved over the summer of 1756. She snared her first rabbit the day after she punished Isauria. A week later she killed her first deer, a partially grown fawn. Over the month of June there were a few more rabbits and another deer. The dead animals were both a blessing and a hindrance. The hunts meant a better diet and a supply of animal skins, but also considerably slowed down the journey. Every time she killed an animal, she and her servant had to spend time at camp preparing smoked meat, preparing tanning solution with the animals' own brains, and scraping, stretching, and tanning the hides. Along with basic survival skills and reading, Danka felt that her servant needed to know the basics of combat. She was concerned about being a woman alone in the forest and wanted the assurance that if she were attacked, Isauria could come to her assistance. Using the second dead deer's carcass for practice, she taught Isauria several maneuvers with her dagger, making sure Isauria knew how to stab deeply and cut muscles and arteries, in spite of her small size and relative lack of strength. Using sticks, she taught her servant the basics of fencing and sword fighting. The sword-fighting was the hardest skill Danka passed along to her servant, because every time she did anything having to do with sword fighting, she had to struggle against the flash-backs of her final moments in Babáckt Yaga's settlement. ---------- Danka owned two weapons: her crossbow and the dagger given to her by Farmer Tuko Orsktackt. The crossbow would be useless if she ever ran out of bolts. By July running out of ammunition was becoming a real concern, in spite of her efforts to conserve and retrieve used bolts as much as possible. She just had to find more bolts and obtain a weapon for her servant and another for herself. The only items she had that she was willing to part with were a few animal skins, which would hardly suffice for what she needed to purchase. She realized that to obtain the weapons she wanted, she'd either have to steal them, or steal something else of value so she could purchase them. With that thought in mind she decided to make her way back to the settlements of eastern Hórkustk Ris province, but would try to avoid getting close to Malénkta-Gordnáckta. If she had to dishonor herself by stealing, at least she wanted to make sure she didn't do so around people she knew. It turned out she did not have to venture out into the cleared area of the province to obtain the new weapons. As the woman and the girl silently moved through the forest, they came to a clearing where they heard the pitiful crying of the voice of a teenaged boy. As they approached the crying sound, it abruptly stopped. Danka crept along some rocks and saw what had happened, a man was standing over the corpse of a boy that he apparently had just killed. The dead boy was wearing nothing but a pair of trousers and had his hands tied behind his back. The man was too distracted cleaning the boy's blood off a sword to notice that he was not alone. Danka decided she wanted the sword. The man was a murderer, so he probably would not be missed. Anyhow, she would avenge the dead boy. She armed her crossbow and crept closer to her target. She slipped behind a bush next to the clearing, stood up, and aimed. The man turned around just as the assailant released her bolt. He had enough time to see a young woman, naked from the waist up, pointing a crossbow at him. He screamed as the bolt pierced his chest. He was mortally wounded, but the shot did not kill him immediately. The scream turned into an agonized gurgle as he flailed on the ground and desperately grabbed at the bolt to remove it. Danka re-armed her crossbow and stood over her victim, her eyes full of sadistic triumph. She didn't know why the man had killed the boy, nor did she care. The only thought on her mind was the weird joy of watching a person much stronger than herself helpless, struggling, and dying on the ground. Eventually the man coughed up blood and started shaking. His eyes rolled up as his movements slowed and stopped. Danka looked around to make sure no one else was nearby. She noticed Isauria's terrified face staring at her through the leaves. She retrieved the sword and held it up. "Servant Isauria. Come here." The terrified, trembling girl approached her. "Here's the weapon I promised you. Go to the stream, rinse it off, and make sure it's completely dry." "Y...yes....Mistress Danka." While Isauria was occupied at the stream, Danka searched the clearing and the corpses for anything useful. Her victim's shirt was ruined, which was too bad, thought Danka, because it looked expensive. However, the man's boots and trousers were intact, so she pulled them off the corpse. The boy's peasant vest and shoes were lying on the ground, which she took, as well as the rope used to bind his hands. Best of all, the man had an expensive dagger and a coin purse containing three silver and seven copper coins. She pulled the crossbow bolt from his corpse. It was broken and useless, but she did not want to leave it for anyone to find. After having taken anything of value from the bodies, she left them. She thought about trying to bury the boy, but abandoned that idea when she heard a dog barking in the distance. She tapped her servant on the shoulder and they slipped away into the brush. Danka never learned what had happened between the man and the boy, or whether there had been any justification for the boy's death. The dispute between those two was of no concern to her. What mattered was that she now had money and items to trade for additional crossbow bolts. Danka led her servant to the edge of the forest. She turned northward and reconnoitered the cleared area until she spotted a large village likely to have a blacksmith who could supply her with crossbow bolts. She then put on her trader's disguise and consolidated her belongings into a single backpack that Isauria would have to carry. She took Isauria's sword and told the girl that, following protocol for a slave, she would have to remain naked. The girl struggled with the heavy burden as Danka led her into the village. Danka replenished her depleted supply of crossbow bolts and had both her dagger and the sword sharpened by the smith. While waiting for her weapons, she visited the tanner to have her servant's boots repaired and to sell a deerskin and the stolen boots. She spent her remaining coins on salt, a specialized hide scraper, flint for starting fires, sewing supplies, two loaves of fresh bread, and a sweet-roll for her ward. Isauria looked at her mistress in dumbfounded gratitude when she was handed the treat. For an ordinary person Danka's generosity would have been a trivial gesture, but for a slave to be given something like a sweet-roll was a huge signal of goodwill and approval from her owner. The traveler was enormously relieved when she returned to the woods with her supplies replenished. She stripped and put away her clothes, split the load into two backpacks, retrieved her bucket, and directed her servant to follow her to the southern border of the Duchy. As they traveled, Danka took advantage of breaks to continue teaching Isauria how to use her sword. She also decided it was time for the girl to learn how to operate the crossbow. Isauria struggled with a weapon that seemed almost as big as herself. Drawing back the bow took every bit of strength she had and at the beginning she could barely keep control when the trigger was released. However, she persevered and eventually Danka felt she was ready to use a few of her precious bolts and aim at targets. ---------- At the height of the summer, in the middle of July, Danka led Isauria southward on the pair's foraging expeditions. They traveled along the southern border, where the woods opened up to the Lord of the Blue Moon's territory. They emerged near a village that seemed completely deserted, with every structure in sight destroyed or burnt. The people were gone. Danka commented that the Lord of the Red Moon must have invaded the area. Isauria, whose family had been massacred by the Lord of the Blue Moon's men, glanced apprehensively towards the open country, clearly having no desire to leave the safety of the Duchy. However, Danka wanted to explore the settlement and a couple of nearby abandoned manors, hoping to scavenge for useful items that had been abandoned during the fighting. They hid the majority of their supplies and at night forded a shallow spot in the river. Upon crossing, they both got dressed in their trader's guild outfits, even though no one was in sight. Unlike the relatively casual attitude of Danubians, women in the Kingdom of the Moon absolutely never appeared naked in public, even at night or on their own properties or in isolated areas. They cautiously made their way towards the ruins, their path illuminated by moonlight. Danka was used to traveling through the forest in the dark, so moving along an open road under a full moon was easy. The ominous ruins loomed at the top of the embankment. The woman and her servant slowly moved uphill, listening for footsteps and smelling the air for anything unusual. Danka heard the light scattering of animals moving about. There was a very slight whiff of carbon and of corpses that had long since decomposed. Apart from that, the only smells were those in any typical open area. It turned out the village had been abandoned for a long time. Still, it was not a pleasant place. The streets were a labyrinth of ruined buildings and rubble. Much worse were all the skeletons, some still intact and some scattered, which were everywhere. The streets and houses were full of bones. Many more skeletons were hanging on the walls, the victims of impalement. An even worse detail were the numerous skulls that were mounted on poles stuck into the ground, with their empty eye sockets staring at the two visitors. The Girl with No Name Ch. 22 Danka froze, her feet firmly anchored to the ground. Her world went completely dark. A pair of bright yellow eyes appeared in the distance. They were tiny at first, because they were so far away. They slowly approached and grew much larger. The Destroyer's face filled Danka's vision as her knees shook with terror. "Danka... Danka Síluckt... I've been waiting for you. I knew you'd come. I knew you'd return to me. I knew that, because I gave you no choice." "Wh...what do you...what do you want from me?" "I want you to know me. I want you to know me well. You will have to learn my ways...if you want to remain in the Realm of the Living...and if you want your little slave to remain in the Realm of the Living. To know me. That is all I ask of you." "I don't want to know you. I serve the Ancients. I don't serve you." "The Ancients are not here, Danka Síluckt. Do not concern yourself with the Ancients, because they are not here. This is my realm, not theirs. If you don't wish to believe me, try praying to them. They will answer you with their silence." "But...what do you want from me?" "I've already told you what I want, Danka Síluckt. You will learn my ways. And as you come to know me, I will act through you. You will prosper, and your slave's safety is assured." "And...you did this? Everything around me...this is your doing?" "Mine...or the Lord of the Red Moon, if you prefer...this was a Blue Moon village, you know...the Lord of the Red Moon paid these subjects a visit...on my behalf, as you might guess." "Why?" "Yes indeed...why? Why? Why? Why?" The eyes vanished and the ground released Danka's feet. Danka realized that Isauria was holding onto her arm, with her small body badly shaking. "Mistress Danka...Mistress Danka...the owl..." Sure enough...a large owl was sitting on a nearby ruined wall...its unblinking eyes staring at the woman and the girl in the cold moonlight. The bird took off and silently vanished. "Mistress Danka...you were talking..." "That doesn't concern you, Servant Isauria. You don't want to know..." "Yes Mistress." "Come along. It's getting light outside. We need to search around...see what we can find." "I...I'm scared, Mistress." "Of course you're scared. And perhaps...you think I'm not? It doesn't matter, because fear won't fill our stomachs. We can be scared all we want, but we still have to see what's here." So, as the sky lightened, they searched the town. It was a cool dreary overcast morning. The forlorn weather seemed perfectly suited for the bleak ruins and their endless supply of skeletons. Each skeleton had its own depressing story, from being the remains of a once-living person who died a horrible death. The woman and the girl were reluctant to go anywhere close to the corpses, but they needed to closely examine each one. Occasionally there would be a ring or a coin next to a set of bones, something that was overlooked when the Lord of the Red Moon's troops massacred and looted the town. They spent the entire day going through the destroyed houses, finding metal items such as cutlery, tools, and a few porcelain cups and dishes that had miraculously survived the fires and building collapses. By mid-afternoon Danka had collected enough objects to fill three sacks. She was surprised the town had not been more thoroughly scavenged. She did not know that priests from the Lord of the Red Moon's army had officially cursed the area, which made it off-limits for anyone in the Red Moon faction. All of the Lord of the Blue Moon's supporters had been killed or had long since fled, so the only people who would consider coming in were wandering Danubians, who were rightly concerned about being captured and tortured by foreign soldiers who were still bitter about the defeat in Hórkustk Ris. The woman and the girl returned to the Duchy after dark, carefully fording the river with multiple sacks of loot. Most of the items were metal that she would trade to a blacksmith for additional crossbow bolts. However, some of the tools she would keep in case she had to set up a shelter to pass the upcoming winter. Some items, such as a few rings and a necklace, would be very valuable if she could find an honest buyer and negotiate a good price. The wanderer and her slave stashed everything in a small cave along with Danka's bucket. They foraged the next day's meal and rested in preparation to cross back over and look for anything they might have missed on the first trip. Danka already had enough for a very nice day of trading, but she became greedy. She wanted more. So, there would be at least one more dangerous day across the border foraging among the ruins. Isauria continued to be scared out of her wits, but Danka's emotions had changed. Instead of raw fear, she felt hostility, determination, and cold anger. She wasn't sure who to be angry at, but finally vented her emotions against the Ancients, who had forsaken her and forced her into her current situation. So...the Destroyer was right. The Ancients were indeed silent and no longer watching over her. Maybe the Ancients had departed, or maybe they were never watching over her in the first place. What mattered was that they currently were not part of her life. Her only reality was the Destroyer. Danka and Isauria ventured more into the remaining houses and poked around in the rubble. The skeletons of people who obviously had died while being tortured were all around them. Depravity and atrocities were the only reality the residents had faced on their final day in the Realm of the Living. In one ruined room, the partially mummified remains of three children hung on hooks, facing another decomposed body that had been chained to a post. Probably the corpses were of children impaled in front of a parent who was forced to watch. Danka took a deep breath and continued searching. Two coins...an axe head...a bayonet...some lead musket balls...a buckle...another coin...some metal buttons...a pair of shears...hooks...a piece of chain... They moved on to a house that still had its walls, but was missing its roof. It seemed to be a good place to seek shelter, because it had a commanding view of the surrounding collapsed ruins. As Danka pried open a burnt strong-box, she felt a silent tap on her arm. Isauria pointed at the window and held up two fingers. Danka armed her crossbow and crept to a break in the wall. Two armed men were outside, suspiciously looking around. One of the men was wearing a bloody Danubian tunic and carrying a crossbow, but because of his long hair it was obvious he was not Danubian. The other man looked like a deserter from one of the Kingdom's armed factions. Crossbows were not commonly used in the Kingdom of the Moon, so Danka hoped that perhaps the bowman's companion would not be able to operate it. Anyhow, she decided that she wanted the weapon for Isauria. She knew that her life was in grave danger and that she should have been scared, but her thoughts focused on seizing the crossbow and whatever else those men had on them. She calculated how best to kill the strangers. Using sign language, she ordered Isauria to be ready to take and re-arm her crossbow as soon as she fired it. Isauria held onto her sword, trembling as Danka took aim. At the last second Danka decided to switch targets. She'd not kill the man with the crossbow, but instead target his companion. She calculated the man with the crossbow probably did not have much practice and would miss when he fired. A missed shot would give her precious time to reload and kill her second victim. Danka released her bolt with deadly accuracy. Her target spun around screaming, so his companion did not immediately know where the shot had come from. The man frantically looked around and took cover. Danka tightened her lips: she had not expected the bowman to hide and save his bolt. She handed the crossbow to Isauria and took the sword. The girl gasped and grunted as she struggled to reload the weapon. Danka ignored her and peered through the window, only to see the bowman's head facing in her direction...she swallowed and tried to suppress her fear. He had figured out her position. She took the crossbow from Isauria and passed back the sword. She motioned Isauria to move back against the wall and guard the back door. The girl was shaking so badly that she could barely hold her sword. Danka figured she'd be useless...and that she would have to fight on her own. Danka heard a frightened gasp and a crash behind her. As she spun around, she saw that a third man had burst into the room and Isauria had brought her sword down upon his neck. The enemy was injured with a painful cut , but not incapacitated. He screamed, grabbed the girl, and rolled on top of her. Fortunately his injury gave Danka time to react before he could kill the girl. With every bit of her strength, Danka kicked him squarely in the face. Stunned, he fell off Isauria, giving her time to recover the sword. "Finish him!" Isauria hacked at the intruder while Danka turned back to the window, just in time to see the first opponent charging towards her, armed with a musket equipped with a bayonet. Her crossbow misfired, but she hit him in the leg, causing him to miss when he lunged with his weapon. The musket tumbled to the floor, but the man hit Danka in the stomach with his fist, knocking the wind out of her. He straddled her and clenched his hands around her throat. Danka was about to pass out when she heard a high-pitched scream. The grip on her throat loosened as Danka's assailant turned to attack the girl who had just tried to stab him in the back. He grabbed both the sword and the girl. Danka recovered and grabbed her dagger and plunged it into the man's thigh. She clenched her teeth and stabbed again, digging the blade into his hip. Isauria pulled free, grabbed a stone block, and hurled it at the man's head. Danka stabbed again, but the blow was ineffective. The man grabbed Danka's wrist and tried to force the dagger from her hand. Isauria was the one who killed the assailant. She picked up another block, and instead of throwing at the man's head, held on to it and brought it down on his skull with a tremendous blow that cracked the bone. She screamed with her high-pitched voice as the rock found its target. The man's bloody body went into convulsions as Danka held her throat and tried to recover her breath. Isauria was on her knees, crying. For a moment neither the woman nor the girl could react to what had just happened. They were winded and bruised, but fortunately neither was injured. The enemy's convulsions stopped as both men's blood stained the ruined floor. Finally Danka recovered enough to stand up. She stripped the bodies of their belts, holsters, and boots. She cut off the buttons and retrieved a coin-purse and some beef jerky, which she gave to Isauria. She retrieved the musket and a packet of gunpowder. The musket would not be of much use to her in the forest, but would certainly fetch a nice price in the market. Finally, Danka led her servant outside, to search the third body and recover the foreigner's crossbow. It was not in the best shape, but could easily be fixed. A sword, more boots, another dagger, and some crossbow bolts were added to their sack of loot. The mistress and her shaken servant made their way back to the river, weighted down with sacks of metal and tools. Much more important were the new weapons. Danka now felt that they both were adequately armed for whatever awaited them in their Paths in Life. ---------- Danka and Isauria spent several days moving their items to a safer location away from the border. They returned to the village where they had previously traded, sold the musket, and exchanged most of the metal objects for more bolts and supplies needed to get them through the winter. Danka decided to purchase a donkey from a young farmer to carry the supplies, which she paid with her collection of scavenged jewelry. When they left the town, Danka formally presented Isauria with the captured crossbow, a satchel of bolts, a canteen, and a fine dagger. The girl quietly accepted the weapons. Her Path in Life, like that of Danka, would include violence. She was barely twelve years old, but already had killed two men. They retrieved their remaining tools and supplies and traveled well to the east of their first incursion into the Kingdom of the Moon. As they moved through the backcountry, Danka intensified Isauria's training and education. There were enough crossbow bolts for Isauria to use on target practice, there was mock sword fighting, and practices with close combat. Danka produced some parchment and ink for Isauria to practice writing, and ordered the girl to keep a journal of their travels and observations. Isauria's life was hard and the learning was frustrating, but she did as she was told and never complained. She did not understand what type of life her mistress was preparing her for, but obviously it was not to be a house servant or a sex slave. Throughout the trip, the donkey turned out to be a bothersome necessity. Yes, they needed help carrying their supplies, but having a large animal slowed their progress and made them much more visible in the forest. Danka had to give up the idea of traveling to Rika Chorna that year: she announced that she and Isauria would winter in the mountains and go east the following spring. They'd build a comfortable shelter, sell or butcher the donkey in the fall, and continue their journey on foot after the snow melted in the higher elevations. Meanwhile, Danka calculated they would continue to scavenge the ruins of the Kingdom of the Moon for valuable items. The Danubian outcast and her servant kept close to the edge of the forest, leaving behind the donkey and crossing the river at night to search the ruins for items that might be useful. However, when they returned south, nothing awaited them but disappointment. They continued looking for anything they could scavenge, but apart from some rusted metal, they found very little in the ruins. No...from the villages to the east, nothing remained. As Danka and Isauria wandered the edges of the Kingdom of the Moon, all they could see was the work of the Destroyer. It was true that two years before Danka had witnessed plenty of cruelty and devastation on the Grand Duke's campaign, but what she had seen in 1754 came nowhere close to the absolute desolation that had swept across the southern kingdom. It was all the same, everywhere they went. It seemed that both the Lord of the Red Moon and the Lord of the Blue Moon had completely lost their sanity. As a result, the Kingdom of the Moon was dying. The civil war had been going on for just two years. At that time Danka and Isauria had no way of knowing there would be eight more years of war to go. ---------- At the end of August, the journey of Danka and Isauria paralleled territory that was more firmly under the control of the Lord of the Blue Moon. The villages had not yet been invaded and that section of the Kingdom seemed intact, at least for the time-being. As a lone Danubian, Danka was much more at risk if she attempted to cross into the hostile territory, so the explorations would have to cease. She considered moving well to the north of the border, to avoid risk of running into bands of Blue Moon troops that might want to cross and forage in the Duchy's territory. She changed her mind when she came across a group of foreign woodcutters who had crossed the river to exploit the Danubian forest. The lumberjacks had cleared a sizable area, leaving it exposed to the south. As anyone from the Duchy would have viewed it, the men were invaders who were stealing Danubian resources and usurping Danubian land. Danka decided to take it upon herself to "defend the Duchy", as she put it. In reality what she wanted was the foreigners' equipment and camping supplies, after having spent a month wandering ruined villages searching for items to scavenge in vain. "Defending the Duchy" was pure fiction, but it justified the fact she was about to attack the woodcutters so she could take their belongings. The Danubian wanderer directed her servant to lead their donkey to a watering hole, secure him with some food so he would not be tempted to wander off, and to off-load and hide their supplies. Meanwhile, Danka scouted the logging camp. It seemed there were about 20 men working in the area, some were cutting down trees, some preparing charcoal, and four others were cutting boards. When she saw all of their equipment and supplies, Danka's mouth watered. Axes, saws, hammers, nails, a small forge, weapons, four oxen, chickens, leather, finished boards, ale, glassware...all for the taking. The only thing that stood between her and all that loot was 20 men, who she'd have to figure out how to kill. The loggers posted a guard throughout the night, but otherwise their security was completely deficient. Danka figured the most difficult task would be killing the sentry in silence. She had plenty of training and experience moving through a hostile area in silence and killing with a dagger, so the other men she could kill in their sleep. There would be some danger, because she'd have to move among the loggers. A single mistake, or a chance awakening, would ruin her plan and most likely end her life. As she observed the foreigners, Danka realized it would be better to go after them at dusk, after they finished working but before they went to bed. Towards the end of every afternoon several wagon teams arrived from the south, loaded boards and charcoal, and left behind a supply of fresh meat and ale. The men feasted and usually became obscenely drunk. One-by-one they wandered into the bushes to urinate, often becoming lost as they tried to get back to the camp in their drunken stupor. As they stumbled into the woods, they could be killed individually, without their companions knowing anything was wrong. Danka and Isauria put on their boots and leather peasant skirts. Like the legendary nymphs, the female guerrilla archers from two centuries before, they carried nothing but their weapons and were completely naked from the waist up. Isauria slept curled up at the base of a large tree while Danka crept forward to watch the final hours of the loggers' routine. As always, the wagons from the south arrived to take away boards and leave behind a supply of ale and fresh meat. The smell of the cooking tormented the Danubian, who was used to the Spartan diet provided by the forest. The tree cutters and charcoal burners drifted in from the edges of the encampment towards a large fire. They took their first portion of strong ale, one full bottle per man. As she crouched in the darkness, Danka counted 22 foreigners altogether. She felt the Destroyer's presence, like a hand on her shoulder. Greed and hatred filled her soul as she watched her future victims finish their first round of ale and take a second round. They consumed vast quantities of meat as they became drunk. Danka slipped back to the tree to summon Isauria, who was sitting in the darkness and cradling her crossbow with a terrified expression. Danka explained what was about to happen as they returned to the camp. She would pick each target and have Isauria accompany her as backup, knowing that she was proficient enough with the crossbow that she could rely on her to fire the second bolt at each enemy. When they returned, they heard bushes rustling and the distinct sound of a man relieving himself. Danka tapped her servant's arm and aimed her weapon at the silhouette. They fired silently and killed silently, as befitting of Followers, woods-women, and Danubian nymphs. The man fell to the ground without making a sound. Isauria performed with her crossbow as Danka expected, but she was terrified at the turn of events and her mistress's merciless behavior. The Girl with No Name Ch. 22 They crept around the encampment in the dark, waiting for the next drunkard. Within a few minutes a second man was lying in the brush, dead from bolts he never saw coming. Within an hour, half of the loggers had been dispatched in the woods. Those remaining at the fire were too drunk to defend themselves. Danka led Isauria into the camp itself, planning to dispatch the cook next, since he seemed to be more sober and alert than his companions. Two bolts finished off the cook, and when his assistant discovered his body and frantically looked around, he was next. The men remaining at the fire began to realize something was not right. No one who had gotten up had come back. Two went out to investigate, as Danka and her slave slipped out ahead to intercept them in the bushes. They staggered around, the alcohol blunting their awareness to the silent danger that awaited. Two more shots...four more bolts...two less men in the camp. Another man stumbled into the darkness and was stopped by the two assailants. The men remaining in the camp now were standing up and reaching for their muskets. Finally they realized the camp was under attack. Danka decided to act quickly against the surviving foreigners. She and her assistant fired rapidly at a young man with a large musket. He fired as he fell, the noise from his firearm adding to the confusion of the others. Danka and Isauria re-loaded and fired again. Four remaining men now realized where the bolts were coming from and incoherently shot in unison. Danka and Isauria rolled to the side just in time to be clear of the musket balls that whizzed past them. They slipped through the trees as the men came after them. They snuck around to the opposite side of the camp and shot into the back of a logger who was facing in the opposite direction. They had just enough time to reload their crossbows to take out another man charging in their direction. By now the remaining pair of loggers were in a pure state of drunken panic, calling out to companions who no longer were alive. They fled back into the camp towards the oxen, trying to reload their muskets. Danka scuttled through piles of lumber in pursuit. She stood up and aimed at one of the men. He turned and frantically aimed his musket, but it was too late. Danka released her bolt and her victim fell screaming. Isauria caught up to her and fired a finishing shot into his chest. Only one logger remained alive, but it turned out he was the most difficult to kill. By now he had sobered up enough to stay hidden and listen for the enemy's footsteps. Danka had to order Isauria to go out into the woods and throw rocks to flush him out while she moved about the camp. The man saw her and for the next hour they chased each other around wood piles as the fire slowly died. Finally Isauria, who had remained hidden, ambushed and shot the man in the stomach, and it was Danka's turn to finish him off with a second shot. The woman and the girl did not have time to think about anything apart from surviving the fight while it was happening. Now that the loggers had been exterminated, the enormity of what they had just done began to sink in. A young peasant woman and her adolescent servant had committed a massacre of 22 human beings. Danka felt nothing but cold triumph, but Isauria was clearly distressed. As they looked around at the bodies, Danka noted the girl's bewildered and frightened expression. "In the forest, the wolf must kill to eat, and it's better to be a wolf than a sheep. Is that not so, Servant Isauria?" Isauria took a deep breath. She was trembling, but she forced herself to answer: "Yes, Mistress Danka." "I am a wolf. A vicious she-wolf. You're a wolf too. A smaller wolf, not much more than a cub, but a wolf nonetheless. Is that not so, Servant Isauria?" "Yes, Mistress Danka. That is so." "Very good. With your help, I have re-taken this land for the Duchy. You did well tonight and pleased me with your performance." "Thank you, Mistress." When Danka looked towards the moon, an owl, that owl, was perched on a branch watching her. The Destroyer said nothing. The bird simply sat for a while, observing the campsite, before flying off. ---------- Danka and Isauria feasted on the remains of their victims' beef and pork. As much as she also wanted to indulge in their ale, she avoided it, knowing that she needed to keep her wits about her. For lighting she told Isauria to re-stoke the fire as she began looting the camp. The first priority was to examine all of the visible corpses, to make sure they were dead, retrieve any bolts that were not damaged, and look for small valuable items such as coins, daggers, rings, and medallions. At daybreak she'd have to explore the woods to look at the other corpses, the ones hidden in the bushes. Next, she gathered all the weapons she could find and moved them to the edge of the clearing. She piled axes and saws near the weapons. She gathered up all the cooking utensils. Her heart jumped into her throat when she saw a large barrel of salt and several bags of flour. The tools...the supplies...the weapons...if she could just take all those items and secure them, not only would she be rich by Danubian standards, but she'd also have everything she and Isauria would need to live in comfort throughout the winter. As the day broke and there was enough light, she ransacked the sleeping cabin while Isauria stood guard. Isauria appeared at the entrance and silently called her mentor's attention to a noise she had heard outside. Danka looked out, noticing that the birds had gone silent. She and Isauria armed their crossbows. She could hear movement in the bushes as a woman's voice called out to her in Danubian: "Come out and put your crossbows on the ground. There are only two of you and there are a lot more of us. We want to meet with you, but you must disarm your weapon and step away from it." Danka exchanged glances with Isauria. When she hesitated, the voice continued: "Don't be a fool. Put down your crossbow and stand where we can properly see you. We're not planning to take it from you." "Who are you?" "We're Defenders of the Duchy. Now put down your crossbow. Then we'll talk." Very reluctantly, Danka disarmed her crossbow and set it on the ground. Isauria followed suit. The woman and the girl moved forward two fathoms and stood in the open. Ten Danubians, three women and seven men, stepped into the clearing through the bushes. The women were dressed like Danka: in short leather skirts and boots. The carried crossbows and the only item each wore above her waist was a satchel for bolts. The men wore green tunics that were open on the sides. They wore nothing underneath apart from sturdy boots. Two of the men had short swords, two had muskets, and the others had crossbows. The oldest man in the group stepped forward. The woman who had called out to Danka from the trees continued: "Please salute our commander. And we will show you the same respect you choose to show us." Danka tapped her servant's shoulder and reluctantly saluted the stranger by tapping her right fist to her left shoulder. Isauria copied her mistress's actions and saluted as well. The older man returned the salute. "Greetings. My name is Commander Sáupeckt. I lead military operations in this region. As you've already been told, we are Defenders of the Duchy. Now, what is your name?" "Danka, Commander Sáupeckt. My name is Danka Síluckt." "Excellent. So you weren't stupid enough to lie about your name. And your companion? What's her name?" "Isauria." The commander looked over the servant. "You're not Danubian..." "No, Master. I'm from a manor south of Malénkta-Gordnáckta." "Commander. I'm not a 'Master', I am a Commander." "Yes...Commander... Commander Sáupeckt." "That's much better." Commander Sáupeckt directed his next comment at Danka: "We've been watching you for several days. You're a competent woods-woman, but if you were as good as you think you are, you would have noticed our presence. We'll have to work on that. You obviously know how to operate a crossbow. I congratulate you on your success here." "Thank you, Commander." "I may congratulate your success, but that is not to say I'm pleased with what you did. Because of this massacre, this area will be full of Blue Moon troops, seeking to find out what happened to these loggers and avenge them. There are three nearby villages to the east that we'll have to evacuate and defend. Because of the time of year, you've just placed the region's fall harvest at risk. We'll spend the fall in combat instead of strengthening our defense network, which is not what I was planning. I did want to confront these loggers, but they were not a top priority. Not now...not at this time of the year." "Yes, Commander." "So...the question in front of us is not what has been done, but where do we go from here. With your experience, you'll have an easy time redeeming yourself. You will do so as a nymph under my command. As of now...you are members of Oana's squad..." the commander pointed at the oldest of the three women, the one who had called out to her... "both you and the girl." Danka said nothing...trying to think how she could stall for time and slip away. The sharp-witted commander saw the doubt in her eyes and continued: "We've already secured your belongings and are taking them to the main winter camp. You'll find them waiting for you in your sleeping quarters. They were not as well-hidden as you thought." Danka gave up on any thoughts of escape. Without her equipment and supplies she could not hope to survive the winter in the mountains. She and Isauria had been drafted into the militia and that was the end of it. She'd have to make the best of her situation, just as she had to make the best out of being a concubine for the Grand Duke. "As for what's here...everything in this campsite belongs to the Duchy. I will give you first pick at choosing one dagger and one short-sword. You can keep one medallion, one ring, and a fourth of the coins. The coins are compensation for your efforts and reimbursement for selling us your donkey." "Yes, Commander Sáupeckt." "Good. Now, report to your squad leader." Danka and Isauria turned to Oana. She gave Danka a sharp look, until the newcomer realized that she needed to salute. By saluting, she acknowledged that she was under Oana's command and obligated to obey her orders. Additional Defenders arrived to help clean out the logging camp. They picked up all the tools, bedding, and cooking utensils, cleaned out the bunk house, and drove away the four oxen. Meanwhile, Oana led Danka and eleven other female archers to the road, where they would ambush and kill the wagon drivers tasked with resupplying the loggers for the day. As they set up, Oana treated Danka the same as she treated any of the other archers in her squad. She was expected to follow orders, coordinate with her peers, and perform her duty with her crossbow. The fact she had joined the unit just minutes before meant nothing. For the time being, she'd be able to keep Isauria as her assistant, but the squad leader hinted Isauria's role and her relationship with her mistress would change within a few days. The ambush of the teamsters later that afternoon was anti-climactic. There were eight of them: when Oana ordered her nymphs to fire their crossbows, the foreigners all died instantly. The Danubian women took control of the mules, picked up the bodies, loaded them into the wagons, and continued the journey to the camp. By the time nymphs arrived, the logging compound had been completely dismantled. The Defenders already had made off with the best wood: the rest was used to create a funeral pyre to dispose of the victims from the night before, as well as the eight new corpses. The bodies were laid out in a neat row, ready to be thrown onto the fire from a wagon that was being used as a platform. A poorly-dressed Priest from the Old Believers' sect arrived to say a prayer for the dead foreigners. As soon as he finished, several men came out with flutes and a drum. Oana's nymphs, including Danka and Isauria, stripped off their skirts and boots. The women spent the next hour dancing naked while the musicians played and the men took turns mounting the wagon to toss corpses into the fire. It was an ancient and sinister celebration of death and victory, an acknowledgement of the Destroyer and the power that "the Profane One" held over the Realm of the Living. Danka learned the dance and repeated it as best she could. She now was a member of Oana's squad of nymphs and a Defender of the Duchy. As such, she had her duties, which she would perform as well as possible. She glanced upward at the tree tops. After a scanning the branches for a few seconds she found what she was looking for. Sure enough, from a distance two unblinking yellow eyes were staring back at her. The Girl with No Name Ch. 23 Chapter Twenty-Three -- The Nymph After the celebratory dance had ended and Commander Sáupeckt's troops had the chance to rest, the militia evacuated the camp at daybreak. Danka was amazed by how completely the place had been stripped when she had the chance to see it in the light. She put on her skirt, but her squad leader ordered her to take it off and hand it to another nymph who had, up until that moment, been naked. Danka already had noticed that one of her companions had been wearing nothing but her boots, but didn't have time to ask why during the previous day's fighting. It turned out the newest member of any squad among the Defenders, male or female, had to endure an initiation process which included not wearing any clothing, to symbolically strip the recruit of their previous life and to identify that person to the world as "the newcomer". Squad leader Oana, irritated that Danka was a slave-owner, did not order Isauria to give up her skirt. Oana justified the decision by telling Danka that, since Isauria was only an apprentice, the initiation rule did not apply to her. It was a humbling experience for Danka to be naked while Isauria stayed dressed, partially intended to force Danka and Isauria to see each other as equals. Danka did not have much time to think about her nudity. She and Isauria spent the end of August and the first half of September following Oana and the rest of her squad of nymphs, going from one skirmish against the Kingdom's soldiers to another. There were so many raids that she lost count, all of them seemingly the same. Oana's squad provided cover for the men during the initial attack, then fell back to a secondary ambush location to launch a quick series of volleys of bolts at the enemy. When the Defenders' men moved to the next ambush site, the archers fired again to cover their movements, then ran away at full speed through an escape route already selected by their squad leader. In spite of the initiation requirement, Oana quickly earned the respect of Danka. She knew the countryside in detail and knew how to support the men while minimizing risk to her own squad members. Every day she inspected her subordinates and looked over their bodies and equipment. She conducted frequent drills and target practice; making sure that each of her women knew her role in every operation, how to withdraw from a possible defeat without panicking, and how to maximize cover for not only the men, but also for the other squad members. She knew some forest survival and concealment techniques that Danka had not yet learned. When Oana discovered that Danka had been a Follower of the Ancients, she interrogated the newcomer about her knowledge of both medicine and foraging, making note of things she did not yet know. She then ordered Danka to share her knowledge with the others. The Defenders seemed more appreciative of Danka's information than had been the women of Malénkta-Gordnáckta, partly because she did not repeat her mistake of trying to impose her religious beliefs on anyone. The squad members completely accepted Danka as part of their group as soon as she proved herself with her crossbow and her knowledge. She was much more valuable than most recruits and enjoyed the respect of her peers, something she had not experienced since she had been with the Followers of the Ancients. She fit in so much that the others regretted that she had to run around as a naked recruit, but like everyone else, she had to endure the initiation routine and would get her skirt back only when Oana managed to recruit a newer member for her squad. ---------- Commander Sáupeckt's main responsibility was to safeguard the southern approaches to three settlements of Danubian homesteaders who had set up their farms a decade before. The villages were isolated, wretched places, but vital to the well-being of the Danubian militia because of the food they produced. As September passed and the villagers harvested their grain, the Defenders needed to hold off several attacks from the Lord of the Blue Moon. The enemy commanders already knew about the villages and occasionally had made half-hearted attempts to destroy them. Danka's raid against the logging camp and the follow-up raid on the wagon team were considered provocations, thus making the enemy more determined than ever to attack the villages in retaliation. Commander Sáupeckt normally led a force of 80 raiders. However, the fighters under his command could vary between 40 and 200, depending on what was happening along the border at that moment. As soon as Commander Sáupeckt saw the dead loggers, he dispatched messengers to the other area commanders explaining what happened and that the focus of the fighting was about to shift to protecting the settlements against a sustained attack from the south. Within days after Danka's raid, he had 200 militia members under his command: the 80 troops who were permanently under his control, plus 120 other militia members who had been lent to him by other commanders. Commander Sáupeckt's counterpart, who was guarding the eastern approaches to the villages, also commanded a temporary force of 200 militia members. The most serious incursion took place during the week of the Fall Equinox, when several companies of foreign musket men marched towards the settlements. The Danubian militia fought with desperation and there were numerous casualties on both sides. The enemy's advance certainly was slowed, but the column was too large to force back. By September 22, the Blue Moon troops were less than a day's journey from the settlements. Assuming they took the area and burnt the harvest, the Danubians would have a very hard time campaigning in that region over the following year due to lack of food. Weather came to the Defenders' aid that night, in a manner similar to the way it aided the Grand Duke two years before in the hills surrounding the border fortress in Iyóshnyakt-Krepóckt. A heavy thunderstorm swept over the area, making the Blue Moons' muskets almost useless. Commander Sáupeckt ordered a full-scale midnight assault in the middle of the storm, which turned into a bloody melee of hand-to-hand clashes. The Defenders sustained heavy casualties, but the situation was completely to their advantage. They knew the area, were used to fighting in the forest, and had trained to fight in the dark. By daybreak the numerical advantage of the Blue Moon troops was greatly reduced. As soon there was enough light, the Defenders withdrew, trying to take as many of their injured as possible. Still, dozens of Danubians had been taken captive. The prisoners would be impaled if they could not be quickly rescued, so Commander Sáupeckt needed to press the next attack. The Danubians launched a follow-up assault with every crossbow they had available. Although the crossbows were less effective in wet conditions, at least they functioned. The return fire from the waterlogged muskets was only sporadic. The continuing rain put the enemy at a huge disadvantage. Oana led her squad very close to an enemy squad of musketeers. Danka felt the short range was reckless, but her leader wanted to make sure every crossbow found its target. Danka's doubts seemed vindicated when the woman fighting next her took a fatal musket-ball to the chest. However, the enemy squad was completely wiped out after the second volley of bolts. By mid-morning the commander of the Blue Moon column realized he was not going to be able to continue advancing. In fact, he would be very lucky if he managed to return to the Kingdom of the Moon with his remaining men. The enemy commander knew enough about the Danubians and their concept of honor that he was able to arrange a retreat. He left some of the Danubian prisoners tied up but alive as his troops pulled back. To abandon prisoners instead of impaling them was considered a humiliation for a commander from the Kingdom of the Moon, but this particular opponent was more worried about having his troops surviving to fight another day than a personal humiliation. As the Blue Moon troops departed further south, they left behind more captives. Over the next two days, the Blue Moon troops continued their slow withdrawal with the Defenders surrounding them, but withholding another attack in anticipation of having more prisoners left behind. The Danubians were grateful enough for the gesture that they did not launch any further assaults. The enemy soldiers forded the river, with their commander standing on the Danubian bank, watching his men complete their retreat. The five final Danubian prisoners were left on the northern shore with their hands tied. As soon as the last of the defeated troops crossed, the enemy commander concluded the withdrawal by shooting himself in the head. He didn't have much choice: had he crossed back into the Kingdom of the Moon, it was likely he would have been arrested and impaled as soon as the Lord of the Blue Moon was made aware of the defeat. ---------- Danka did not have the opportunity to see the final part of the battle and the release of the prisoners. There was a second casualty from Oana's squad, a nymph who had been injured in one of her shoulders by a musket-ball. It was fortunate the ball missed her collarbone, but there was a huge risk of bleeding and infection. Because Oana knew that Danka had medical training, she placed her in charge of the injured woman and allowed her to take Isauria as her messenger and assistant. For the entire day Isauria was frantically scouring the woods for herbs and keeping a pot of boiling water so her mistress could prepare disinfectant. The squad members crowded around as Danka sedated her companion, removed the musket-ball, cleaned out the wound, applied her improvised disinfectant, and did what she could to prevent excessive bleeding. She fed the patient a weird mold solution which, to everyone's surprise, actually worked. Within three days it was apparent Oana's squad member would survive, recover, and eventually return to service, although she'd have a nasty scar on her chest for the rest of her existence in the Realm of the Living. ---------- Fall was quickly approaching, which meant the end to fighting for the year. Commander Sáupeckt released his temporary troops to their permanent units and the focus of his unit's activities would be surviving the winter. The majority of the Defenders of the Duchy would pull back from the border and return to their main winter quarters to rest, repair their weapons and build new ones, and train for the following year's battles. Before departing from the conflict zone, the Defenders converged on the largest of the three villages to bury their dead, organize captured weapons, feast, and celebrate their victory. The village included a cemetery containing hundreds of recent graves. The question of how such a small settlement could have so many dead was easily answered when Danka saw 77 new graves and 77 corpses ready to fill them. The recent battle had been particularly bloody: a tenth of the Defenders participating in it had been killed and another tenth had been wounded and were recovering. Each squad was responsible for the funeral of its own casualties: there was not enough time for all the Defenders to honor everyone who was being buried. Oana's squad had to bury the woman who had been killed in front of Danka. The squad's newest member had to accept the fact she was indirectly responsible for her death, because it was the attack on the logging camp that provoked the Lord of the Blue Moon's troops to invade and attempt to destroy the villages. Oana emphasized that point by ordering Danka to place a mirror in the corpse's hands, which she would hold up before the Creator when facing judgment in the Afterlife. Danka tried to push aside the guilt by justifying to herself what had happened. Yes, the villages had been attacked, but wasn't that inevitable anyway? And... didn't the Defenders win? Weren't the settlements even safer than they had been before? And... hadn't she been the one to save another of her companions by successfully operating on her? Hadn't she fought bravely and killed several of the enemy? So... there was nothing for her to feel guilty about. She had more than redeemed herself. And yet...as she looked at her dead companion for the last time, a young peasant woman whose time in the Realm of the Living had been cut short, Danka could not completely suppress her feelings of remorse. She didn't feel any guilt about the Kingdom of the Moon's troops, but she did feel bad about her Danubian companion. ---------- When Oana's squad left the cemetery to bathe and indulge themselves in a spiritual cleansing ceremony, they passed the village square, which contained an enormous funeral pyre built to dispose of the Kingdom of the Moon's casualties. There were more than a hundred enemy corpses piled in the square, plus dozens of severed heads taken from enemy bodies that had been killed too far from the villages to be transported intact. The respect given to the Danubian dead was totally lacking for the enemy corpses. As the villagers and lower-ranking men among the Defenders prepared the funeral pyre, the local children curiously poked at the heads, jammed sticks into their eyes, and rolled them around in the dirt. No one faulted the children for their disrespect: had the Defenders lost and had those kids been captured, they would have been impaled by the men who were now lying dead, most likely in front of their mothers. Oana's squad-members found a safe place to stash their weapons and clothing and, like all of the women among the Defenders, completely stripped in anticipation of the upcoming ceremony. It was the role of the women to dance in honor of the Destroyer while the men stoked the pyre with corpses. It was the first time that Danka fully understood she and her companions were indeed dancing to honor the Destroyer, not the Creator, nor the Ancients. Oana noted the worry and doubt in her recruit's face concerning doing anything to honor "the Profane One". Danka had been a Follower of the Ancients, so her hostility towards the Destroyer would be especially intense. Oana took Danka aside while the other women indulged in ale to prepare themselves for the dance. "Everything you see here...and everything that we've accomplished...is because the Destroyer helped us. This is war...and it was the Destroyer who brought war to the Realm of the Living. To honor the Creator for this victory would be like thanking the village potter for a sword given to you by the village blacksmith." "But... the Grand Duke... he conducted war... I was with him in Hórkustk Ris... Sumy Ris... Iyóshnyakt-Krepóckt... and he... never honored the Destroyer." "I wouldn't know about that. I never met His Majesty. I can only tell you that here - we are honest with ourselves and the spirit who determines our Path in Life. That spirit is the Destroyer." "I'm not going to submit to the Profane One. I will not..." "Oh yes you will. You already have. The Destroyer owns you... just like the Destroyer owns me and everyone else in this campaign. We have to honor the Destroyer and serve the Destroyer. If we don't, the Destroyer will simply find someone else to serve the cause of destruction, and instead of us destroying the lives of others, we will be destroyed... and if that happens, the Duchy will be destroyed. No one is asking you to love the Destroyer. The Destroyer cannot be loved because the Destroyer will never bring you any joy. But as a nymph and a member of my squad, you must honor the Destroyer. We all must. It is our Path in Life." "But...what about...what about when we hold up our mirror before the Creator? How can we justify..." "We can't justify any of our actions before the Creator. We will suffer for what we've done. I've already told you the Destroyer brings no joy, and that will be true many times over after our souls separate from our bodies. But that is our Path in Life. At least we're being honest about it. Most people spend their time in the Realm of the Living serving the Destroyer simply for their own pleasure, but are not honest about it at all, not even to themselves." Danka said nothing more. She and Isauria joined the other naked nymphs as they knelt in front of the funeral pyre. While it was being lit, the poorly dressed Priest gave thanks to the Destroyer. The women responded to each of his lines with a wailing chant. When the burning of the bodies got underway, dozens of women and girls began dancing while the drummers and flutists played in the dark. Nymphs and villagers, young and old, mothers and daughters, danced for hours as the fire illuminated their bare sweaty figures and the sinister drums beat in celebration of death. The destruction of the foreigners' bodies took hours as the smell of burning flesh permeated the entire area. After all the corpses were burnt, the exhausted Defenders remembered the pile of severed heads and tossed them into the pyre as an afterthought. The burning, dancing, and chanting continued throughout the night. Danka was disgusted with herself as she joined the others dancing with her uncovered body and singing with her exhausted voice. So... the Destroyer had won after-all. She should have known that it was the Destroyer who had laid out her destiny... her Path in Life. The Destroyer had taken the trouble to visit her and tell her that reality many times over, but she had refused to believe it. The Ancients were nowhere in sight. Like everyone else in the Realm of the Living, the Ancients had forsaken her. ---------- Before departing for the winter headquarters, the Defenders bathed in preparation for the journey that lay ahead. For the women, bathing included cleaning and re-braiding their hair. Normally Danka tasked Isauria with arranging her braids. However, while she and her slave were relaxing in the water, Oana came up to Danka and dismissed the adolescent. Oana would wash and braid her hair with the new recruit, which was an honor considering that Danka had been under her command for only a few weeks. As they washed each other's hair, the two women talked about the recent fighting, the squad member who had been killed, and Danka's medical training. Oana provided Danka with some additional details of the history of the southern border, describing how the Defenders had organized in 1752 in anticipation of the growing conflict in neighboring Hórkustk Ris province. As they talked, Danka was able to update and correct some of Oana's information about the siege of the city and its subsequent destruction. Eventually the squad leader moved to the topic she needed to discuss with Danka: the fact she owned a slave and that slavery was prohibited among the Defenders of the Duchy. Danka responded by explaining why she had taken ownership of Isauria and that it was not her intention to keep her collared indefinitely. "Then you should be very happy to hear that we have a blacksmith who knows how to remove slave collars. Your servant cannot keep her collar in the winter camp. Within a day of our return, I expect you to take your girl to the blacksmith and get the collar off her neck. What you decide to tell her about it will be up to you." Danka thought about how to explain de-collaring to her servant. Finally she decided the best way to handle Isauria's situation would be to formally emancipate her. "I'd like for her to pay me for her slave-owner's certificate, to purchase her freedom. I'll take my name off the paper and put hers on it. Then she'll own herself and no one will be able to challenge the legality of her freedom." "Does she have any money?" "No, of course she doesn't. Until a month ago, I didn't have any money. Now I do... some silver and copper from the loggers." The Girl with No Name Ch. 23 "Then here's a thought. Why don't you give me the money she'll need to purchase her certificate? I'll pay her for her service over the past month plus her wages for next year, and then she can pay you to purchase herself." "Pay you... to pay her... to pay me..." "Yes." "But I did spend three-and-a-half gold to buy her. That was my own money... it was all I had... from a property title I sold." "And, as I understand, you've since earned it back. Or at least most of it. So there's no problem..." "No. I suppose there's no problem." "Then give me all your coins. I'll borrow whatever's missing from the commander. You'll have your part of the money returned when you surrender your servant's paper." When Oana finished braiding Danka's hair, the two women emerged from the water and dried each other's bodies. Danka then retrieved her coin-purse and emptied out the stash of coins taken from the logging camp. There were 14 silver pieces and 18 copper coins altogether. She handed them to her commander. Thus, she had to give up any hope of somehow recovering part of the gold she had originally invested in Isauria when she purchased her. ---------- For the trip into the mountains, Oana temporarily returned Danka's donkey to use as a pack animal. Danka and Isauria loaded all of their weapons and campaign supplies onto the beast. Danka decided to allow the girl to ride as well, given that she was not very heavy and there was no point wearing her out unnecessarily. So, the quiet dark-haired servant rode perched on top of the animal while Danka took turns leading him with another member of her squad. As her squad's new recruit, Danka remained naked, even though the weather no longer was suited for being undressed. Although in the fall it was customary for nymphs to wear capes, Oana and the other squad members remained topless. They did so in solidarity with their newest companion, since by custom Danka would not be able to get dressed until she had arrived at the winter encampment. Chilly breezes whipped around the long column of Defenders when they left the settlements and traveled upstream towards their seasonal destination. As she walked and shivered in the increasingly cold air, Danka had the consolation of knowing where and how she and Isauria would spend the winter. They would be in a warm, safe place with plenty to eat. However, the independent life she had hoped for would elude her. Her existence would revolve around the needs of Oana and the other nymphs, preparing for the next summer's campaign... and, of course, the whims of the Destroyer. The settlement turned out to be more comfortable than Danka had anticipated. At first glance it appeared to be very little: nothing more than some obscure huts scattered around a wooded hillside. However, the huts were spread over a large area, some of which had hidden passageways in their floors. The tunnels lead to a large natural cave, in which the Defenders kept their weapons, food, supplies, and records. The cave's temperature was constant throughout the year: it was cold inside but never close to freezing. Best of all, the stream that had formed the cavern provided the Defenders a steady and unlimited supply of pure water. The Defenders did not actually live in the cave, because they knew that too many occupants at a time would spoil the air inside. However, as a place to safeguard their food and belongings, the cavern served the militia much better than any man-made structure. Danka reported to the squad's bunkhouse and selected a bunk large enough to accommodate both herself and her ward. There was nothing unusual about the arrangement, since most of the nymphs had a sleeping partner to conserve warmth during cold weather. They would be fairly comfortable over the winter: instead of sharing a cramped bedroll on hard ground, they'd be sleeping on a real mattress with real blankets. Isauria made the bed on the assumption she'd be sharing it with Danka. Oana showed up at the door and directed Danka to go into the cave, find her belongings, and retrieve Isauria's slave certificate. To her enormous relief, her bucket and its contents were intact, including the Merchants' Guild collar, her writings and notes, and her supply of blue powder and birth-control paste. Oh yes... birth control paste. She'd need that for herself, because with all the young men running around, it was inevitable that she'd have a sexual relationship with at least one of them. Equally important would be her ability to supply her fellow squad-members with the paste. Babies were not welcome intruders in the lives of Oana's squad, so anything that could safely prevent them would be very welcome among her peers. When Danka emerged with the paper, she saw her squad leader talking to Isauria and handing her a bag of coins. The girl looked very nervous at the thought of holding so much money. Oana gave Danka a look clearly signaling that she needed to resolve Isauria's slavery situation immediately. She exchanged salutes with the girl and walked towards the blacksmith's hut. Danka approached her servant and handed her the paper. "Servant Isauria, do you know what this paper is?" "Yes, Mistress Danka. It's... the proof... the proof that you own me." "Well, in a moment it's going to be yours. The only owner you will have will be yourself. Oana paid your wages, and you'll use that money to buy yourself from me." "You... don't want me... as your servant, Mistress?" "No. I never wanted you as my servant. I only bought you to take you away from Master Nowáckt. He dishonored himself with his treatment of you, and I wanted to put a stop to it before I left Alexándrekt Buláshckt's house. The only way I could do that was to take you with me, and the only way I could take you with me was to buy you. So, that's what I did. Now, you have the money to pay me back. As soon as that happens, you'll receive your certificate and I'll take you to the blacksmith to remove your collar. Then, you'll be just like anyone else in the Duchy." Danka paused and continued: "Actually, you won't really be free, not in the way I was hoping. We've both been drafted into the militia and you'll be under Oana's command. That's why she paid you for service you have not yet performed. I'm just a member of her squad. You're just a member of her squad. That'll be our Path in Life until Commander Sáupeckt releases us... or, until we're killed in battle." Isauria didn't know how to respond. It was obvious she was not at all happy about being emancipated, that in fact she was extremely scared. She was used to being Danka's ward, used to following Danka's orders, and used to living under Danka's protection. She had her assigned place in society and really had not given much thought about the future. The idea of living alone in a country she still considered enemy territory totally frightened her. Danka realized she needed to reassure her. "Obviously you're a bit young to be on your own; although I was just a couple of years older then you are when I started my travels. I'd imagine you'll join the squad as an apprentice, and I'll be the one responsible for training you. So... I'm not completely done dealing with you, Apprentice Isauria. Apprentice Isauria. That's now your title, and it's what I'll be calling you. My title is different as well. I'm now a Defender of the Duchy, so you'll call me Defender Síluckt." Danka led her servant to the blacksmith's hut, which was one of the few structures in the area made from stone instead of wood. Commander Sáupeckt, the ragged Priest, a scribe, Oana, and three squad members were waiting for her. The blacksmith directed Isauria to lie on a table that had a vice at one end. He positioned her so that her collar could be clamped into the vice, examined the latch and locking mechanism, and selected a metal punch he would drive into the latch to break it. He tapped the punch several times with a hammer, pried at it, and slipped a thin wedge into a narrow opening that he had created in the collar. Two more taps of the hammer, more prying, and the device opened up. Isauria sat up and with her fingertips explored her newly exposed neck, which was stained from the collar's metal. The blacksmith tossed the broken collar into a pile of scrap iron. The scribe laid out Isauria's original slave bill-of-sale and added a line that Isauria had paid 35 silver pieces (the equivalent of three-and-a-half gold) to purchase her freedom from the peasant Danka Síluckt. Oana ordered Isauria to hand over 35 silver coins and Danka to count them in front of everyone present. Isauria and Danka signed the certificate, with Danka's commander, squad leader, and three nymphs signing as official witnesses. The scribe had prepared a copy of the transaction for the Defenders' permanent records, which everyone present had to sign before it was stamped. To make absolutely sure there was no doubt in anyone's mind that Danka was surrendering her claim of ownership over Isauria, she had to kneel before the Priest and swear that she had accepted the coins as payment for Isauria's slave certificate. Danka later found out that Oana had made the emancipation arrangement to obligate not only her, but also Isauria, into years of service. The nymphs received a silver piece for each month they served, which was a respectable wage for a lower-class Danubian, especially a woman. Isauria's sale price was the equivalent of 35 silver pieces, paid in advance so she could purchase her slave certificate. The arrangement forced her to borrow the money against her future earnings, obligating her to remain with the Defenders for 35 months until the debt was paid off. A detail left out of the written agreement was that Danka would only keep 16 of the silver coins. The rest would have to be returned to her squad leader, who in turn would return them to the encampment's paymaster. When Danka left the blacksmith's hut, Isauria followed her, unsure what else she should do. Oana carefully observed the girl's behavior to determine whether to leave her with her former mistress or to appoint her as an apprentice directly under her command. Collar or no collar, it seemed Isauria felt more comfortable staying with Danka. So... at least for the time-being, Danka would remain more in charge of Isauria than anyone else. ---------- By October 1, the weather was cold enough that remaining naked was no longer and option for any of the Defenders. Therefore, Oana ordered Danka and Isauria to pick up their winter uniforms, which consisted of a wool tunic and trousers. As much as she was used to running around in the nude, Danka was very happy to finally be protect herself from the elements and the increasingly frigid nights. The Defenders passed October hauling in food and preparing it for preservation over the winter. As newcomers, Danka and Isauria had to report to the cooks to assist in meal preparation, to learn the process of food preservation, and to share any new ideas or recipes. The cooks were very interested in Danka's knowledge of spices and herbs, some of which they previously had not known. They instructed the newcomers to find and bring in samples, so Danka and Isauria spent much of October foraging, which was fine with them. It was much better to be wandering the woods than to be stuck in a smoke-filled kitchen. Danka and Isauria rarely foraged in the woods alone. Usually one or more of Oana's other squad members accompanied them to learn what Danka could teach about finding roots and mushrooms. Whenever they were near a stream or pond, the women relaxed while Isauria fished. Danka put forth the effort to know and get along with her peers. Many of Oana's squad members were from the Vice Duchy of Rika Chorna, so they were able to provide Danka with information about a region which she had never seen and was still a mystery to her. For a woman who had lived independently, the new information did not make Rika Chorna sound appealing. It seemed that women in the eastern valley did not have nearly as much freedom or as many rights as women in the western valley. For example, women could not purchase property, only inherit it, and even then they could inherit land only if a close male relative was not available as an heir. The entire region was loyal to the True Believer faction of the Danubian Church, so women's access to the Priesthood was as restricted as their access to property. Priestesses did exist in the eastern valley, but they only held moral authority over other women and were required to lead lives of celibacy. Priests were married, but never to Priestesses. Marriage restrictions for young women were even more restricted in the east than in the west. Two of Danka's peers openly admitted they had willingly joined the Defenders to escape the restrained existence they would have endured had they stayed behind in their villages. After hearing descriptions of the Vice Duchy, Danka started to have real doubts about going there with Isauria and trying to settle. She was actually glad her journey had been interrupted. As bad as military service might be, for the time-being it seemed the least onerous of her options. She didn't want to return to any of the places she already had visited in the west, but her goal of going east did not seem any better. At least among the Defenders she was respected and would be treated according to how well she performed her duties. So... for the time-being she was not tempted to desert: it was just easier to stay where she was. ---------- The relationship between Danka and Isauria changed after the girl's collar was taken off. Danka had never really thought of Isauria as being her property: she treated her more as though she were a troublesome younger sister or niece. However, while she was collared, Isauria viewed Danka as her owner and herself as purchased, and thus less than human. As the fall progressed and Isauria became used to not having a collar on her neck, she started treating her former mistress as she would treat an older relative. Everyone accepted that the girl's education and training remained Danka's responsibility. She was much more responsive around her mentor than she was around anyone else; preferring to follow her around whenever she had the opportunity. Danka increasingly appreciated having the girl as her companion and looked forward to teaching her more of what she knew about life. Isauria was competent in the forest and could handle weapons, but there was plenty more that she needed to learn. Now that traveling and survival had ceased taking up all their time, Danka had opportunity to teach her ward the basics of alchemy, simple surgical procedures, mathematics, and even dining etiquette. It helped that by the end of the year Isauria's ability to speak Danubian had greatly improved, which gave her confidence talking to people and made her less shy. It was good to see her open up. It also helped that her hair was growing out nicely, so every passing week she came closer to the appearance considered proper for an adolescent girl in Danubian society. Danka noticed yet another detail; that Isauria had grown over the past six months. The top of the girl's head came up to Danka's nose by the first snowfall. Another year... it was likely she'd be Danka's height, or perhaps even taller. Danka had to give up thinking of Isauria as "little". ---------- Commander Sáupeckt brought a peasant woman to Oana's hut during the first week of Novermber. She had been recruited along with several male debtors fleeing a money lender in the eastern town of Novo Sókukt Tók. The new arrival meant that Danka no longer was the newest member of her squad. By that time Danka was a fully accepted member of Oana's group anyway, having proved herself with not only her crossbow, but also with her contribution to the group's knowledge about foraging. As she had anticipated, her birth-control paste recipe made her even more popular among her peers than her food-gathering skills. The women spent their days at target practice, negotiating obstacle courses, practicing drills in the woods, and practicing sword fighting with the men. They also practiced making cartridges and shooting with captured enemy muskets, in case they ever had to fight using conventional instead of traditional weapons. The women practiced moving in formation and covering each other for both advancing and retreating. As Oana explained to both Danka and the new woman: "The Kingdom of the Moon soldiers have a major flaw in their strategy. They like to fight by overwhelming the enemy and pushing forward all the time. They're brave... too much for their own good. They consider it dishonorable and treasonous to retreat, so they don't normally pull back, no matter how badly things are going for them. You've already seen what happens when a commander does have to order a retreat: he's expected to kill himself. We... whether it's the Grand Duke's Protectors or the Defenders of the Duchy... have no problem moving in any direction. If we have to pull back, we do. So you have a large enemy moving in only one direction fighting a smaller enemy who can move in any direction. The only objective for them is winning. The first objective for us is staying alive to keep fighting." In spite of the Defenders' emphasis on mobility, Oana noted that the Danubian strategy relied on being behind concealment and cover, always. As she put it: "The day we expose ourselves to a musket volley, even once, will be the day we lose the battle... and probably the entire campaign. So, that's our weakness. We can't fight in the open." Because she was younger, Isauria practiced hand-to-hand combat with some adolescent boys serving under various squads as apprentices. As she hung out with the boys, singing war songs and sitting with them at campfires, Isauria slowly began to talk to people besides Danka. At the beginning, when dealing with Danubian boys she was troubled by memories of her former master Nowáckt. However, the Defender apprentices treated her well from the day she was introduced to them. In spite of being foreign-born and a former slave, the boys admired her and accepted her as part of their group when they found out she already had killed two men with a sword and helped kill two dozen others with a crossbow. ---------- Danka's birth-control paste transformed the lives of the nymphs in Oana's squad. Prior to Danka's arrival, pregnancies were a major concern among the women. Oana responded by trying to impose a regimen of celibacy among her subordinates. Any member of her squad caught having sex with one of the men was publicly stripped and faced a severe switching on her bottom and thighs. Punished offenders endured being naked (or bottomless during the winter) for several days until the welts faded, so the encampment could see the results of their whipping and their shame. The squad members spent much of their idle time trying to time their menstruations and having affairs behind their leader's back. As soon as she was convinced Danka's paste actually worked, Oana lifted the prohibition and the ongoing conflict within the squad abruptly ended. Every woman in the squad immediately found a male partner. Oana seduced Commander Sáupeckt and became his lover, in spite of the fact he had a wife and children. During one of her foraging trips with Isauria, she stumbled across her commanders in a small clearing. The air was too cold to undress completely, but both had taken off their trousers. Oana was bent over a fallen log in the submissive position, while the commander was fondling and slapping her bottom. Finally he slipped his fingers between her legs, while using his free hand to stimulate himself. When both were ready, he entered her. He was surprisingly gentle, but Danka wondered if that was because of his age as opposed to any feelings of tenderness towards his subordinate. The Girl with No Name Ch. 23 Danka glanced at Isauria, who stared at the commanders with a transfixed expression. She was amused, more than anything else, that Isauria's first real introduction to sex would be watching her commanders, a woman in her mid-30s and a man in his mid-50's, having a tryst in the woods. She had no intention of pulling Isauria away or trying to "protect her innocence". The girl needed to grow up quickly, so there was no point in keeping any of life's secrets from her. She's bound to learn about it anyway, so it's better that it's sooner than later... Anyhow, Danka was no moral purist. She had known about the "facts of life" from a very early age, because it was hard for parents living in a single-room hovel to hide anything from their children. The elder Síluckts didn't even bother to try. Besides her parents, Danka had witnessed various neighbors having liaisons during her wanderings around the laborers' settlement as she was growing up. There was no curiosity about sex from Danka... no mystery that she wanted to resolve. The encounters disgusted her more than anything else, which was part of the reason her virginity was still intact when her hair was braided. As soon as the commanders finished, Danka and her apprentice slipped away. The girl's face was full of bewildered questions. Danka commented: "It's the same with your father's sheep, wouldn't you agree Apprentice?" "Yes, Defender Síluckt." "There are other positions. A lot of them. Try to avoid using that one... the position you just saw. It's the 'submissive' position, when you're admitting the man is superior to you. Whether or not that is true, it's best not to admit it." "I...I don't understand, Defender..." "I don't really know how to explain it... but life is all about fighting for control. Do you control, or does the other person control you? If you use the submissive position for sex, you're giving up control over your body. I suppose that's acceptable if you give yourself to a man who truly loves you. But thinking a man truly loves you, and that love being real... well... the Realm of the Living and the Realm of Fantasy are two very different places." Danka could see that Isauria was more confused than ever. "Listen. Just try to avoid using the submissive position. Try to avoid getting pregnant. Put off having sex as long as you can. And never... ever... try to 'reward' a man by letting him use your body. That's what you need to know for now. And there's one more thing. I know how to prevent the moon from paying you a visit. At your age... you don't want the moon to visit you." Danka decided that the time had come to educate Isauria about birth control. She spent the rest of the afternoon teaching her how to prepare and use the paste, and also how babies were formed in the womb. Isauria came from a different culture than Danka, a culture in which sex was a dark and sinful secret, and people were amazingly ignorant about the topic. By learning about sex and birth control well before being ready to marry, Isauria was making an important break with her family's values and the culture in which she had been raised. ---------- Danka thought about her own options as she looked around at the men in the camp. She was desperate for sex, but unable to make up her mind what kind of lover she wanted. She liked the attractiveness and vigor of younger men, but they quickly bored her because she did not find young men intellectually challenging. She preferred the intellect and experience of older men, but older men had their own faults, vices, and problems. To avoid having to settle on a permanent partner, she was tempted to have sex with any man who was interested in her, like she had done at the university in Sebérnekt Ris. However, by the end of 1756 she had matured enough to realize the militia was not the university, and the community of the Defenders was very different from the one created by the Followers. Being promiscuous would compromise her honor, threaten her reputation in the Defenders' community, and possibly cause conflict among the men. She did not want to risk her standing among her peers. She was respected and well-liked throughout the encampment, even more so than when she had been with the Followers of the Ancients. Perhaps it was pure hubris, but she enjoyed being respected and well-liked. ---------- Note: Throughout the 1750s, the central and eastern portion of the border between the Grand Duchy of Upper Danubia and the Kingdom of the Moon suffered from continuous combat. However, the fighting differed significantly from the Grand Duke's campaign to the west in Hórkustk Ris. Instead of a large army defending the Duchy against another large army, the fighting to the east involved much smaller units skirmishing over much smaller objectives. The conflict was not over the fate of the Duchy, but over small sections of the border and the foreigners' desire to access natural resources located in Danubian territory. Instead of regular troops, semi-independent militias loosely united under the title "Defenders of the Duchy" launched quick small-scale raids against intruders. Almost all militia operations followed a general pattern: the area commander identified a group of combatants from the Kingdom of the Moon that were either in the Duchy or likely to cross the border, goad them to enter an area that favored Danubian fighting techniques, then launch an ambush. If the enemy was forced to withdraw upon the first ambush, there would be a follow-up ambush to inflict as many casualties as possible. If the ambush was inconclusive or likely to result in a defeat, the Danubians withdrew to launch a new effort to goad the enemy into another ambush in a more favorable location. Usually the objective was not to protect territory, but to inflict as many casualties as possible to sap the enemy's desire to cross into the Duchy and threaten Danubians. The militia leaders carefully selected targets to ensure either victory or minimal losses. They also wanted to send a clear message to both Lords' warring factions through their selection of places where fighting took place. The Danubians focused exclusively on military targets they considered were directly threatening the Duchy. The Defenders did frequently conduct raids across the border, but the objectives were always units that were about to cross into the Duchy, or men who had returned from the Duchy to be re-supplied. Unlike the Kingdom of the Moon factions, the Danubians left the civilian population alone. The strategy had a long-term focus: to demoralize the Kingdom of the Moon's fighting men. The men became well-aware that the Danubians were not a threat if citizens of the Kingdom of the Moon stayed on their side of the border. As soon as the foreigners crossed or prepared to cross, they could expect to be attacked. Over time the enemy soldiers would view what they were doing in the Duchy as unnecessary and futile, although in 1756 the morale of the invaders had not yet deteriorated to the point the men would dare challenge their commanders. The first large mutiny among the Lord of the Blue Moon's men would not happen until 1758. - Maritza Ortskt-Dukovna - The Girl with No Name Ch. 24 Chapter Twenty-Four -- The Surgeon's Wife A heavy snowstorm swept over the central mountains on November 15, putting an end to travel, foraging, military drills, and just about anything else that involved extended activity outside. The Defenders congregated in the bathhouse and the kitchen, the only two buildings that were adequately heated. Isauria and Danka spent much of their free time sitting on their bed, wrapped in blankets while Isauria practiced writing or doing arithmetic problems. There were not many books in the encampment, but some of the Defenders had brought a few with them, which Danka borrowed for Isauria to read. Several of the Oana's nymphs were illiterate, so, if Isauria's book had an interesting topic, for entertainment they gathered in the frigid bunkhouse, huddling under their blankets while listening to the girl practice reading out loud. Unable to do much else in the snowy hills during the winter, the snowbound Defenders spent a lot of their time making, repairing, and modifying weapons. Oana gave Danka several suggestions for improving Isauria's crossbow. The blacksmith enjoyed experimenting with weapons, including projectiles, to see if he could improve on their performance. So, Oana frequently sent her nymphs outside to test modified crossbow bolts, to see if any of the new designs might be worth distributing to the entire militia. ---------- During the second half of 1756, the Defenders of the Duchy did not really have a supreme chief, nor were they under the direct control of the Grand Duke's army. Leadership among officers such as Commander Sáupeckt depended on having respect from their soldiers and building prestige through their units' over-all contributions to the militia movement. The most obvious were battlefield victories, but there were other ways commanders could make meaningful contributions, including bringing in supplies, identifying new resources such hidden springs or new fishing ponds, improving travel and communication, producing and or finding innovative ways to repair weapons, and improving medical care. Commander Sáupeckt's unit was considered a top provider of medical care, give that he had three field surgeons and an alchemist working in the cave, led by a practitioner who had previous experience working with the Followers of the Ancients. The leading doctor's name was Ilmátarkt. He originally was from Nagorónkti-Serífkti and had assisted a group of Followers during vaccination campaigns in 1749 and 1751. He was the son of a bookbinder who provided housing to the Followers in exchange for medical training for their children. Because he was the only member of the Defenders who had received formal medical training from the Cult, he was considered the person most qualified to handle medical care for the militia. Danka first met Ilmátarkt when she helped bring in her wounded squad-mate for a follow-up examination and to have the wound disinfected. Ilmátarkt was impressed with Danka's work and amazed that a nymph who had sustained such a serious injury in battle had survived and was well on her way to healing. He congratulated Danka and wanted to find out more about her, but the September fighting and October foraging pulled her away. After the first snowfall, Danka was back in the cave, asking about alchemy ingredients she needed to prepare batches of birth-control paste. Doctor Ilmátarkt, pleased that she had survived the fall campaign unscathed, invited her to share a bottle of ale in a small side grotto he used as his place of work. They chatted about Nagorónkti-Serífkti, the vaccination campaigns, and the True Believers. Because of his training and association with the Cult of the Ancients, Ilmátarkt suspected that his life was in danger when he heard about the raid against the Followers' compound in 1752. He fled with his two sisters to Starívktaki Móskt. The sisters went their separate ways: one enrolled in the Old Believers' Seminary and the other married a blacksmith's apprentice. Ilmátarkt could have remained in Starívktaki Móskt, but with his sisters occupied with their new lives and responsibilities, he became lonely and restless. He went to the capitol, set broken bones and performed some surgeries to earn money for traveling, and continued south to Hórkustk Ris. Although by that time Hórkustk Ris had become a besieged border town, he liked the city and made friends with some of the city guards. When the Grand Duke evacuated the city, he accompanied the guards to assist refugees who needed medical assistance, and in doing so unwittingly joined the Grand Duke's army. Because his unit remained with the refugees, he missed seeing the battles for the city and the Grand Duke's victory. After the battle of Iyóshnyakt-Krepóckt, Ilmátarkt's unit quickly moved east to attack villages of foreigners still living in Hórkustk Ris province. He came close to being killed when his company lost a skirmish with a much larger column of retreating soldiers from the Lord of the Red Moon's army and the squad he was with became separated from the rest of the unit and was overrun. Ilmátarkt was captured along with one of the guards while the others were killed. The Red Moon soldiers planned to impale their two prisoners, along with a group of captured village women, as a parting insult to the Grand Duke's army. The invaders had even laid the hooks on the ground in front of the captives to show them what was about to happen. However, because the Red Moon Army commander was absent, the impalement had to wait. Fortunately for the prisoners, a group of Defenders of the Duchy operating in the area were able to take advantage of the delay to organize a rescue. The Danubians entered the village at night, battled the Red Moon soldiers guarding Ilmátarkt and the others, and escaped with the prisoners. The Defenders lost two of their own men, so they even though they had saved their countrymen, they were not sympathetic towards them. They took the women to Hórkustk Ris province and abandoned them in a large village held by the Grand Duke's army. The Defenders drafted the two rescued men to replace the two killed in the fight. Ilmátarkt had been with the Defenders ever since, although his original senior officer traded him to Commander Sáupeckt for a man who knew how to make gunpowder. Danka responded with a heavily censored summary of her life, omitting the reason she left Rika Héckt-nemát and her two years serving the Grand Duke as a concubine. She did feel confident enough around the doctor that she talked about her time with Babáckt Yaga. The pair exchanged information and gossip about people they had both known in Nagorónkti-Serífkti and Starívktaki Móskt. When she mentioned Ermin, she found out that Ilmátarkt had worked under him multiple times. At the time the doctor knew him, Ermin's wife was still alive and she was friends with both Ilmátarkt's sisters. The conversation turned to the destruction of Babáckt Yaga's settlement and the True Believers' effort to consolidate their power in Nagorónkti-Serífkti. Danka described what happened and the sacrifice Ermin made so she could escape and warn Alchemist Fítoreckt in Sevérckt nad Gorádki. The memories of the chaotic fighting and Ermin's last words came back into her consciousness, as though they had just happened. Unable to continue, Danka sat quietly as tears rolled down her cheeks. "A lot of me died with Elder Ermin. I guess I loved him... in a way I never loved anyone else, but I never had the chance say anything to him about that. It seems such a long time ago... and yet, it wasn't." There was a moment of silence, before Ilmátarkt slightly changed the subject. "So... since you were there and bore witness... it's true... the rumors... that the Cult of the Ancients disbanded?" She saw no harm in giving the doctor a detailed account of the Cult's final ceremony and the sealing of the caves. She was reluctant to tell Ilmátarkt about Alchemist Fítoreckt's revenge against the True Believers' priest, although she did mention that she had heard the priest later went mad and the townsfolk of Nagorónkti-Serífkti killed him. After the caves were sealed, the Followers dispersed and vanished into Danubian society. She concluded with: "So, it is true, the Cult did disband... and now I think I know why. Our leaders knew the Ancients had decided to forsake the Realm of the Living. The Ancients departed, and now the Destroyer rules our Realm. Alchemist Fítoreckt understood... Maybe the Ancients warned him they were leaving. Anyhow, the Cult is gone. I was there for the end. As they say: 'What happens to a breath, after the words that it carried have been spoken?'" An awkward moment of silence followed. After some thought, Ilmátarkt responded: "If the words were important enough, people will remember them. If the words are immortal, then the breath's Path in Life is immortal. You can't have the words without the breath. So there's your answer. The breath is indeed gone, but the words of the Cult will remain, as will its accomplishments. You... sitting there in front of me, with your knowledge and memories, are one of those accomplishments, Follower Danka." "Follower. I can't even begin to tell you how much I miss being called 'Follower'. It was the only time I ever felt my Path in Life had any purpose to it. I was part of something, something very ancient and so much greater than myself. I went in as little more than an ignorant peasant girl, but when I put on my Followers' dress, people looked at me with respect and awe." "Well, here, among the Defenders, your life will have a purpose. And when we go south, and you're riding your horse with a squad of armed nymphs, the women of the Kingdom of the Moon will look at you with respect and awe. Remember, the Kingdom's women don't fight. They don't do anything other than serve their men. So when they see the infamous Danubian nymphs... women carrying weapons... it makes them wonder about their own Paths in Life. And as far as being part of something much greater than yourself, among us, you will be. We're defending the Duchy. You, a mere woman, have taken up arms and are defending the Duchy. You can't be part of anything more important than that." "I know... but it's not the same for me... as my service to the Realm of the Living when I was in the Cult." "Of course it's not the same. When is anything the same? But are you telling me a nymph's skirt is any less honorable than a Follower's dress? Different, yes. Less honorable, no." Danka knew that it would be getting dark shortly, and that she needed to get back to her squad. As much as she wanted to continue her conversation with the doctor, she had to cut it short. Instead, she asked about various ingredients, his chemistry supplies, and if there was anything in particular he needed when she was out foraging. He smiled and responded: "Ha! Here you are, claiming that you need to get back to Oana, and you're asking about topics that will take us all winter to cover. There's always tomorrow: the snow and the cave are not going anywhere." "You want me to come back? Just to talk?" "I'd be honored." ---------- Danka returned the next day with Isauria. The doctor seemed disappointed that she had not returned alone. However, he welcomed the apprentice and introduced her to the fundamentals of alchemy. He then disposed of her by assigning one of his assistants to talk to her about medical procedures and to visit several patients recovering from injuries and sicknesses. As soon as Isauria was gone, he talked to Danka at length concerning her experience as a chemist and field surgeon. They compared their training in the Cult and impressed each other with their knowledge. As the conversation progressed, it became clear to him that Danka had participated in the Grand Duke's campaign in 1754, even though she was trying to give him the impression she was studying at the university in Sebérnekt Ris at the time. The doctor did not press her on the discrepancy in her narrative. Throughout December, Danka was spent most of her time with Ilmátarkt. They worked in his laboratory preparing medicine, teaching each other details about alchemy and improving each other's skills. He showed her some experimental glassware he had ordered from a local glassblower, while she shared the inventions she had seen at the Followers' settlement, the most important of which was the iron stoves for burning cave-charcoal. They chatted about other topics, such as politics, the Kingdom of the Moon, and religion. Danka shared much of what she had learned from Babáckt Yaga and from her time at the university with a man who was genuinely interested in what she had to say. ---------- At first Danka tried bringing Isauria into the cave to learn about medicine, but the girl felt more comfortable hanging out with other apprentices or practicing her crossbow with Oana's squad-members. They continued to sleep together for warmth in the nymphs' frigid cabin, so everyone still looked upon Isauria as being Danka's apprentice. However, during the days Danka and Isauria usually went their separate ways as the girl increasingly spent her routine away from her former owner. Danka was not bothered in the least by Isauria's growing independence. She still viewed herself as cursed, so the sooner Isauria's Path in Life moved away from hers, the better it would be for both. Meanwhile, Danka spent as much time as possible with Ilmátarkt and his assistants. They prepared medications, exchanged various experiences as medical practitioners, and tested modifications of recipes to see if they could be improved or if the preparation could become more efficient. Danka shared Babáckt Yaga's discovery about the rat plague and the poisonous fleas, to which the doctor responded: "That is a mystery we'll have to investigate. It seems, from what you're telling me, that not all the fleas are poisonous, just some. It seems they become poisonous for a mysterious reason, that they are not that way naturally. Something makes them poisonous, and only occasionally. What would that be?" "Wouldn't it just be a trick of the Destroyer?" "No. It's something else, something from the Realm of Nature. We need to find out what change or event can make fleas become poisonous." "How would we do that?" "We'll have to look at the fleas themselves, and I know for a fact it can be done. If magnifying lenses are lined up in a certain way, it is possible to see very small things, strange moving things, everywhere. Especially in water. If we can find the right combination of lenses, we could study the fleas." Ilmátarkt showed Danka a strange contraption he had been working on, which allowed the user to see items such as pollen and dead insects in amazing detail. When the doctor showed her a couple of dead fleas under the lenses, she was horrified by how ugly and scary-looking they were. She commented that something so monstrous could only have been a product of the Destroyer. The doctor gave her a skeptical smile: "Perhaps. But, ugly or not, the fleas contain a mystery we need to solve." ---------- Oana was increasingly irritated that Danka was gone most of the time, but she was not about to confront Ilmátarkt concerning her squad-member's absence. Instead, she confronted Danka over the fact that she had left Isauria's training to the rest of the squad. Danka, still annoyed that Oana had denied her any chance of recovering a portion of the three-and-a-half gold she had paid for her former servant, responded: "We agreed I have no claim over Apprentice Isauria's life. That's in her emancipation certificate, of which you have a copy with my original signature. As you'll remember, you ordered me to kneel before the Priest with 35 silver pieces, half of which I had to give back to you, and swear I had no rights over her. So, she's not really my problem, is she? You're the squad leader and you need to train her. I now have other duties with the medical staff." Oana was offended that one of her subordinates would dare speak to her in such a manner, but she could not fault the newcomer for helping the militia's doctor, and everything Danka had said about Isauria's emancipation was true. In her haste to cancel Danka's ownership over Isauria, Oana had ensured that any further relationship between them would be voluntary. However, she had not expected Danka to take on responsibilities outside the squad that would allow her to leave Isauria behind. Danka's insubordination was only one issue out of several irritating the squad leader. By the beginning of the new year, morale in the squad had deteriorated because the nymphs were bored. Some of her squad members had obtained ale from the men and were drinking too much of it, some were neglecting their training, and some were gossiping and trying to discredit each other. Worst of all for Oana's reputation as a leader, she discovered that four of her nymphs were abusing their new sexual freedom by charging their male lovers a silver piece for each encounter: to put it simply, they had become prostitutes. Oana was so livid when she discovered the prostitution that she wanted to whip everyone in her squad. She ordered all of her nymphs, including Isauria, to strip inside the cabin, place their clothing in a pile, and stand by their bunks. However, as she brandished her switch, she decided that whipping the entire squad would be impractical and would further jeopardize her leadership. Instead she snapped: "I'll do all of you a favor. Since you want silver so badly, why don't I make it easier? After-all, your customers have the right to see what they're purchasing. That's only fair! So... I'm changing your uniforms, to allow you to properly show your fine wares in the marketplace to your buyers." The squad leader angrily dug through the clothing pile and confiscated all of the trousers. Until further notice, the nymphs would be naked between the tops of their boots and their waists so they could "properly display themselves to their clients". She made an exception for Isauria who, because of her young age, did not share any responsibility for the scandal. The unhappy squad members retrieved their remaining clothing while Isauria stood next to Oana. As she watched the humiliation of her squad-mates, the apprentice had a smug expression on her face: the first time Danka had ever seen her like that. The squad leader was not finished dishonoring her subordinates, because she had reserved a special humiliation for the four perpetrators of the prostitution scandal. She ordered them to assume "the prisoner's stance"; standing with their legs spread and their hands behind their heads. She announced that she needed to check the condition of the "goods for sale" and make sure her squad was offering "only the very best for our loyal and hardworking men". She ran her fingers though each culprit's pubic hair before exploring her vulva with sensuous fondling. She shoved her fingers into the offenders' vaginas and teased their clitorises. "So tell me, do you become aroused when a man touches you for silver, or do you prefer to just act and pretend? Remember, 'the Destroyer enters the Realm of the Living through the mouth of the liar', or I guess in your case, through the cunt of the liar." The four culprits broke down crying as the other squad members tried to look away. It was difficult for Danka to watch her battle-hardened peers in their current condition: so embarrassed they were reduced to tears. The most humiliating insult in traditional Danubian culture was for a person to endure having his or her genitals touched by member of the same sex, especially a superior. The treatment was absolutely the worst way one woman could inflict dishonor on another. The nymphs were completely debased, not only by having their genitals fondled by their female leader, but also knowing the other squad members would have to spend the rest of the winter running around bottomless due to their behavior. The Girl with No Name Ch. 24 With the icy wind punishing her bare bottom and thighs, Danka casually walked out of the cabin and made her way to the kitchen to pick up some ingredients needed by the medical staff. Unlike the other nymphs, she was not embarrassed at all by presenting herself with the lower half of her body on full display. She had been naked in public throughout much of her life, so her biggest concern was the cold, not the embarrassment. The fighting men and the kitchen workers stared at her, but she did not react nor attempt to turn away to hide anything. Inwardly she enjoyed the attention. She felt differently about her situation as she descended into the tunnel to visit Ilmátarkt. She knew that he was attracted to her and wondered how he'd react upon seeing her naked from the waist down. It was obvious he enjoyed looking at her, but at the same time he tried to not make his staring too obvious. He respected her, so he was reluctant to do anything to further embarrass her. She explained what happened; that the entire squad was being punished because four of its members were charging men to have sex with them. She added that she had been naked for extended periods of time in her past, so Oana's punishment really did not bother her. Ilmátarkt commented: "If you were from Rika Chorna, it would be different: you'd be much more upset and humiliated. In the Vice-Duchy, among the True Believers, what Oana is making you do would be considered a very severe punishment, excessively harsh indeed." "I'm not worried about it. I'd much rather be naked than be whipped, or have my hair unbraided, or have my food taken away from me." As she placed her supplies on the table, Danka noticed her companion looking at her uncovered backside with a hungry expression. She bent over to better display the curves of her bottom and her muscular thighs. She wanted to show herself to him and see what might happen. The doctor moved behind her: "Your squad leader certainly did me a favor by punishing you. You are very pleasing to the eye." Ilmátarkt placed a hand on her back to silently instruct her not to move. He explored her bottom with his other hand, massaging her uncovered backside. Her skin was cold from having been exposed to the outside elements and covered with goose-pimples. She enjoyed the feel of his warm hands on her chilled skin. Wanting more, she spread her legs and arched her back, lewdly displaying her body and inviting him to explore her vulva. "I'm a total hypocrite, you know." "In what way?" "I emphasized to Apprentice Isauria that she needs to avoid using the position I'm in now. I think she'd laugh if she could see me." "We're all hypocrites, each in our own way. You're no worse than anyone else." Ilmátarkt's fingers explored Danka's vulva. As he teased her clitoris and gently pushed inside, she moaned and became wet. She couldn't resist. It had been six months since she last had sex with anyone, and that last time didn't really count. She had seduced a man not because she was attracted to him, but to find out if all of his fine words about family loyalty really meant anything. The doctor took off his clothes. Danka was surprised that he would take off his shirt, given how cold it was in the chamber. He put his shoes back on and positioned himself behind her. Following protocol, Danka did not move once she had committed herself to having sex. She was his to use and enjoy. Oddly enough, the feeling of abandoning herself totally aroused her. She was more than ready when he entered her and started to vigorously thrust. She struggled to keep her voice as quiet as possible to avoid drawing attention of people working in other parts of the cave. Danka ended up staying with Ilmátarkt the entire night. He had a very nice bed; much more comfortable than the one she shared with Isauria in the women's cabin. The bed alone would have made her want to stay, but she also wanted more sex. They made love two more times before wearing themselves out. She fell asleep and remained unconscious well into the next day. ---------- While Danka was sleeping with her new lover, Oana became increasingly upset over her absence. The squad leader was in a foul mood anyway over the humiliation from her subordinates' whoring, and now she had to deal with a member who was AWOL. At sunrise the next day she sent her nymphs to find out where Danka might be. One of the kitchen workers mentioned that she had taken some supplies to the medical staff, had gone down into the cave, and had not come back out. Oana was more than furious. She already considered Danka the most rebellious and disrespectful member of her squad, and now she was going AWOL with the medical staff. Some suppressed snickers and mocking looks from her half-naked subordinates worsened her mood. It seemed she had lost the respect of her entire squad, and in doing so had lost control over her authority to command. All of the women, especially Danka, needed to be taught a lesson. Oana decided to formally flog her in front of the rest of the squad. Maybe severely disciplining one of her nymphs would restore some order. The squad leader threw some chains with cuffs over the cabin's main support beam and sent Isauria to the unit commander to ask for his whip. When Danka returned, she would face an entire evening of being restrained and whipped. After hanging the chains, Oana turned around and noticed her squad members staring at her with hostile expressions as they whispered among themselves. There was no doubt about it, she had lost their respect. What she did not realize was how close she was to facing an open mutiny in the cabin and that her plan to flog a squad member was making the situation considerably worse. Oana was missing two of the things needed to "teach her squad a lesson"; Danka and the whip. The only whip in the unit was with Commander Sáupeckt, since flogging was reserved for the severest offenses and only he had authorization to allow its use. Oana assumed that, because she was his lover, he'd lend it to her. She also needed to retrieve Danka before her temper subsided or before the other nymphs could object to what was about to happen. She decided to send the lowest-ranking member of her squad, Apprentice Isauria, to ask the commander for the whip. As soon as she had it, she'd fetch Danka and make her return to the cabin. Isauria wanted to warn her former mistress, but did not know where she was. Instead, she ran around the snow-covered compound looking for Commander Sáupeckt. He was not in any of his usual locations, so she decided to try the cave. One of the medical assistants told her that the commander was not there, but confirmed that Danka was present, sleeping in the side-chamber that had been taken over by lead doctor. Isauria was relieved that she could warn Danka before resuming her search for Commander Sáupeckt. She burst into the doctor's sleeping area and surprised the lovers in their bed. When the apprentice delivered the news about the impending flogging, the doctor calmly stood up. He did not bother to try to cover himself. "Apprentice, your squad leader will do no such thing to Defender Danka. That woman has gone mad, thinking she has the authority to lay a hand on her. You can continue searching for the commander and deliver his whip to your squad leader; in fact, I encourage you to do so. But, I guarantee Defender Oana won't be using it. Instead, she will receive a lesson in humility." Ilmátarkt noticed the frightened look in Isauria's eyes. He added: "Don't repeat anything I just said. Just find the commander and deliver the whip, as you've been ordered. But rest assured Defender Oana won't be using it." As soon as Isauria left, the doctor turned to his lover. His next words totally shocked her. "How would you feel about marrying me?" "What?" "Marrying me. Right now. We'd make good partners. Our Paths in Life are compatible. And, you have good reason for marrying me today. Oana can't flog you if you're my wife." "I... I don't know... this is a bit sudden..." "I was planning to ask you anyway. Your squad leader's latest bout of temper changed the timing of my proposal, nothing more." Danka took a deep breath, trying to absorb the shock of the sudden development. She didn't love Ilmátarkt, but he certainly was the most compatible man she had known in a long time. She enjoyed talking to him and working with him. He had just proven himself as a good lover. Assuming they both survived the war; he would earn a good living and would provide her with a good life. Most importantly, she respected him. And... he was right about Oana. If she was married, her squad leader would lose much of her authority over her. The pending flogging would not happen if she could show Oana a marriage certificate. Whether or not she loved the man, under the circumstances it was logical to accept his proposal. Danka forced a smile and nodded, kissing his hand. "So you accept?" "Yes, my love. I accept." Ilmátarkt put on his clothes. He handed Danka an extra pair of trousers to put on, figuring that she probably would not want to go before the Priest to get married with the lower part of her body uncovered. The doctor again surprised Danka by opening a small wooden box containing three pieces of jewelry: a silver headpiece, a silver ring, and a silver necklace. "So, as you can see, I was serious about asking you to marry me." Following protocol, Ilmátarkt put each of the items on his fiancé. The jewelry identified her as officially engaged. She forced another smile, as she tried to assure herself the latest sudden change in her life wasn't a strange dream. ---------- In the Duchy, both in the past and in modern times, a couple's engagement period normally lasts a year. Apart from the waiting period being considered proper protocol, Danubians entering marriage need to be absolutely sure they are compatible, because the Danubian Church does not allow divorce. Danka's engagement with her future husband lasted less than half an hour. She nervously waited while Ilmátarkt's subordinates summoned the ragged Priest and prepared an official-looking marriage certificate. The Priest showed up, accepted two silver coins as a fee, and performed a brief ceremony. The medical staff acted as witnesses. Danka would have liked to have her fellow squad-members, or at the very least Isauria, attending the wedding, but under the circumstances that was not possible. The reception consisted of a table with two bottles of wine, a cooked venison leg, and some dried fruit. Danka and her husband (it was still hard to accept she had a husband) ate with four other medical staff and the Priest. The group was finishing their meal when Danka's livid squad-leader stormed into the doctors' section of the cave. She was about to grab Danka by the collar when she saw the hairpiece. The doctor stood up and coldly addressed his visitor. "Defender Oana. A pleasure to see you, as always. Do you need to speak with my wife?" "Your wife?" "Yes, my wife." Ilmátarkt held up the marriage certificate. "I wouldn't know about that and I don't care. I'm here to pick up my squad member." "Well, as her husband, you'd need to ask me for permission. I'm not granting it and I'm insisting you leave. To leave immediately, without my wife." Oana was beside herself with anger, but protocol forced her to depart without Danka. A husband's authority over his spouse superseded the authority anyone else might have over her. Oana's only option was to report to Commander Sáupeckt to demand that he order the doctor to turn his wife over for discipline. She was angry enough to complain to the commander, even though she knew bringing him into the squad's problems would make her lose honor and alert him that she was having difficulties with her command. She would be jeopardizing her position, but at the moment was too angry at Danka to care. Oana's encounter with Commander Sáupeckt did not go well. Already he had heard complaints about recent problems in the nymphs' squad; thus he was not sympathetic to the squad leader's request to formally flog a member for what seemed to be a relatively trivial offense. Danka was not really AWOL: the medical staff knew where she was and she certainly had not left the encampment. Oana countered that the flogging was not so much about the specific incident of Danka's absence; it was more about her over-all attitude and the fact the squad leader wanted to make an example out of her. Commander Sáupeckt saw the situation differently. He did not believe in "disciplining through setting an example". Danka's offense was too trivial to warrant a formal flogging. Any other lapses of discipline should have been handled at the moment they were committed, not all at once. Also, he valued his unit's doctor and was actually glad to find out that he had married Defender Danka. He had wanted to transfer Danka to the medical unit anyway, but had held off on the move because he did not want to offend Oana. However, Oana's pride no longer mattered. The commander explained the pending transfer and his reason for ordering it, adding the conflict between the two nymphs and Oana's loss of control over her squad would make the decision to reassign Danka much easier. The commander still needed to resolve the leadership problem he had with Oana. The prostitution scandal and the way she handled it already had convinced him that she needed to be relieved of her command. However, she was a talented fighter and instructor, as well as being one of his lovers, so the commander did not want to do anything that would too badly damage her honor. Demoting her and making her serve under a former subordinate was not an option and would likely further degrade the morale of the squad. So... how could Oana be stripped of her command without being officially demoted and disgraced? The commander's solution was to send her on a recruiting expedition among the manors and villages in the Eastern Valley. He wanted more archers for the upcoming summer's campaign anyway, so it made sense to have Oana establish a second squad of nymphs. She would recruit and train them: the new squad would be entirely her creation. It would be a chance for Oana to have a fresh start with a new group of subordinates and employ her talent as a trainer. Commander Sáupeckt left the topic of Danka and explained the need for the second squad. Rather than waiting for them to come in one-by-one, it would be better to recruit women over the late winter and early spring, train them as a unit during the late spring, and have them ready to participate in the next summer's fighting by the end of May. Inwardly Oana was devastated, because she fully understood her lover was about to take away her position and was trying to find a way to do so without dishonoring her. Oana saluted without saying anything. She'd only make herself look bad if she objected. It was obvious Commander Sáupeckt had made his decision and she had little choice but to play along and pretend it was an honor instead of a humiliation. ---------- Danka returned to the nymph's cabin the following day, after spending a second night with her husband. She was still a nymph and would continue training with the other women, but her relationship with the squad and Oana had changed. She served at the discretion of her husband, not Oana. The only way Oana could force Danka to do anything not approved by the doctor was to appeal to the unit commander. The squad conducted target practice, sewed, and prepared crossbow bolts over the following week, but the nymphs were sullen and quiet. Oana was very reserved and seemed to have lost enthusiasm for her duties. The nymphs were not speaking to their leader, nor did anyone have anything to say to Danka. Isauria seemed unusually nervous and jumpy. Because Danka no longer slept in the women's cabin, she did not hear any gossip that could have answered her questions concerning what was going on. On Saturday morning Commander Sáupeckt showed up with his second-in-command and the Priest. The nymphs stood at attention while the commander announced the squad would have a change of leadership. Oana and another veteran nymph, a tough peasant woman called Dalibora, stood in front of the others while the Priest recited some prayers in badly-spoken archaic Danubian. Danka tried not to smirk in contempt, because her knowledge of the Old Language far exceeded his. Oana handed her crossbow to Dalibora and the two women saluted each other. Commander Sáupeckt then departed, taking Oana with him. The nymphs would not see her again until the following summer. As soon as the commander and his entourage disappeared, Dalibora issued her first command to her troops: to retrieve their trousers and put them on. Her second command was directed at Danka, to make sure all of the women had an adequate supply of birth-control paste. Danka returned to Ilmátarkt's cave to prepare a new batch of paste. When she finished, she spent the afternoon making love to her husband, first bent over a table in his lab, and then under his bedcovers. ---------- Danka's marriage added an entirely new set of worries, responsibilities, and protocol to her life. She remained a nymph and was expected to practice combat with the unit's other women. She also was a medical assistant, and was expected to spend her time in the alchemy lab working with the doctors as they conducted surgeries and cared for the sick. She continued with Isauria's education, forcing her to improve her vocabulary and penmanship. Isauria remained in the cabin and had to find a new sleeping partner, but her education was still mostly Danka's responsibility. Above everything else, Danka was a Danubian wife. While it was true that Ilmátarkt was amazingly open-minded about the Realm of the Living and its mysteries, he was still a man of the eighteenth century and expected his woman to serve him. Danka had given herself to him: she now belonged to him and was obligated to do whatever he said. She would have to spend much of her time attending to his needs and comfort: cooking and serving him meals, cleaning his clothes and his living area, and submitting to sex whenever he wanted. The adjustment was hard for a person who had traveled throughout the Duchy and had been responsible for her own actions and survival. However, Danka also understood what was expected of a married woman. If Ilmátarkt told her to do something, no matter how unreasonable, she'd do it. It was her responsibility to make sure the marriage worked, not his. If anything displeased a married man, it was assumed his wife was negligent in her duties to him. Danka's marriage, like most marriages in the Duchy at the time, was a marriage that arose from necessity and circumstances, and to lesser extent physical attraction. There never was any romantic love between Ilmátarkt and Danka, as we would understand "love" in modern times. Romance was a luxury for the wealthy during peacetime, not for a field surgeon and a female archer living in a frozen military encampment in the middle of a war. They were practical people who were forced to lead practical lives under difficult and dangerous conditions. Still, Danka was pleased to be officially married, in spite of not being in control of her life anymore. Marriage was, (and remains so in modern Danubian society) the most important part of a person's Path in Life during their existence in the Realm of the Living. Protocol dictates that an adult who is not married is not complete and is sinning by not fulfilling the Will of the Creator. Danka had not really thought about it, but the years had gone by more quickly than she could have anticipated. Before she left Rika Héckt-nemát she had expected to be married before her 17th birthday. The longest she would have wanted to stay single would have been two years, starting from the time she braided her hair and ending the day she went before a Priest as a bride. Well, at the beginning of 1757 Danka already was 22 years old, well past the age most lower-class Danubian women got married. As a woman with an eighteenth-century mindset, she was enormously relieved that she finally had a husband, even if it was at a relatively late age. The Girl with No Name Ch. 24 ---------- In one way Danka was fortunate for an educated woman at the time, because she had married a man who was intellectually compatible with her. He respected her experience and opinions on professional matters, so her submissiveness as a wife did not affect her freedom to think as an alchemist and medical practitioner. She helped Ilmátarkt and the assistants in the alchemy lab, preparing medicines and talking at length about inoculations, operating procedures, and disease prevention. She talked about her surgical training at the Followers' compound and the brutal custom of injuring pigs and then operating on them for practice. They went over Ilmátarkt's notes and field observations. Over the rest of the winter, Danka made numerous corrections, ignoring the custom of a good wife always deferring to her husband's "wisdom". If she could improve his knowledge on a medical topic, he gave her the freedom to do so. The couple spent many hours chatting in bed. Ilmátarkt had formal education and had done some reading before fleeing Nagorónkti-Serífkti, although he had not attended a university. His knowledge of biology exceeded hers, but his knowledge of botany was more limited and he knew nothing about geology. He realized that he had the opportunity to fill in some of gaps simply by talking to his wife about her university studies during her year in Sebérnekt Ris. They talked extensively about her readings about religion and philosophy and the competing sects of Christianity. Danka still considered herself a Follower of the Ancients more than anything else, but admitted the events over the past year had badly undermined her beliefs. "I don't know anymore. Maybe we really do live in the Realm of the Destroyer. Maybe the Creator and the Ancients really have departed our world, and the Destroyer took over." Ilmátarkt's response totally shocked her. "I don't think we live in the Realm of the Destroyer, nor anyone else's Realm. I've never seen the Ancients, or the Creator, or the Destroyer. I've not seen Jesus or Mohammed. If I've not seen it, as far as I'm concerned it doesn't exist." Danka sat up. "You... don't think the Ancients exist?" "I suppose they existed as real people at some point. Then they died and someone else came along and made up stories about them. The same with Abraham, Jesus, and Mohammed. I'm sure they were real men at some point, but they died just like anyone else. Then, people who needed to use their names to justify themselves, or their place in the world, or assume control over others, made up stories and convinced themselves their heroes were still alive." "But you don't believe there was anything special about them..." "Not really. The must have had strong personalities and loyal followers, but you could say the same about the Grand Duke, or even about Commander Sáupeckt. Who knows? Maybe when they die, enough people will make up stories about them and they'll be the next divine beings. There's really no reason why that couldn't happen." The conversation continued for a while, before Danka's husband revealed another blasphemous idea; that he did not believe the Realm of the Creator, or "Heaven", as the True Believers called it, existed. "But... what do you think happens when our souls separate from our bodies?" "I don't think there's anything to separate. We die and our bodies rot, just like an animal's body rots. We're no different from animals. They are born, they live, and they die. We are born, we live, and we die. There's no difference in the pattern of life and there is no soul. You cut open an animal or a human, and the insides are exactly the same. You should know that better than anyone else. You practiced operating on pigs so you could operate on men. The organs and bones are the same. The life-cycle is the same. So, what evidence is there that we are different from animals at all? To me, the evidence points in the other direction. We're just animals, but don't want to admit it. So... we come up with stories about men who don't die, who can fly through the air and control the weather and control worlds we've never seen. And in the end, we think these friends of our imagination can help us. But what difference does it make, what we choose to believe? Has a god or a prophet or an Ancient ever added a single minute to anyone's life? I'm convinced it's all wishful thinking." "It's not wishful thinking, Ilmátarkt. I wish it was." "So, you've seen an Ancient? In real life? Not just in your imagination?" "Not an Ancient, but I've seen the Destroyer. The Destroyer... visits me every so often... to taunt me, or to tell me what's about to happen. And it's not something I want. It's always something bad." "And how do you know that's not just your fantasy or a bad dream? How would you know that? What makes you so important the Destroyer would only want to talk to you?" "It's not fantasy. It isn't. It's real... more real to me than anything in the Realm of the Living." "Listen. You've endured a lot of bad experiences, some of which you've shared with me and some of which you've chosen to keep secret. These are unpleasant times and we've all endured bad events in our lives. The memories affect our perception of the world. I have no doubt the Destroyer visions are real to you. But I've never seen anything like that, and until I do, I'm not convinced." "Then I hope you don't. I hope you don't ever have to know what I know..." "You're very knowledgeable about a lot of things. But on what's real and what's imaginary, I don't think you know anything at all. The only place the Destroyer exists is in your thoughts. If the Destroyer wishes to convince me otherwise, let the Destroyer talk to me. Or the Creator, for that matter. Or the Ancients. I'm not going to believe in any of that just because someone else wants me to. I'd have to see it for myself." Ilmátarkt abruptly changed the subject. "We both need to get to sleep. Tomorrow morning I want three eggs cooked with cheese and onions when I get up. The bread is stale, so you'll need to cook it and burn off the mold. Might as well cook all of it, because I don't think the scraps will be any good past tomorrow. Make sure you cook an extra portion (of eggs and bread) for yourself and your apprentice." "Yes, my love." Ilmátarkt fell asleep. Danka remained awake, studying his bare shoulders and the hair which had grown out on his head. She'd have to shave him: it would not do to have her husband looking unkempt. She tried to push aside her worries about his blasphemous musings that would have caused his execution almost anywhere in Europe if he ever shared them in public. He was a strange man, but Danka was convinced that, as a partner in the Realm of the Living, he was the best she could hope for. She wondered how much longer the war would continue, and whether or not she and her husband would survive it. They'd have to think about leading a respectable life somewhere... and even think about children. After-all, that was one of Danka's duties as a wife, to bear her husband children. Whether or not she wanted children didn't matter. As a wife, she was expected to have them as part of her Path in Life. She laid a gentle hand on his shoulder. Perhaps she did not swoon with romance every time she was near her husband, but she did care for him. That was actually good, because her feelings were not the sort that would quickly fade. She was not infatuated: what she wanted was to have a partner with whom she could build a real life. She reflected about her previous loves and smiled at the naive craziness she had felt the first time. She would never feel that again: Bagatúrckt destroyed that part of her soul when he assaulted her in "the Graveyard of Virtue." Well, now it didn't matter. That was a long time ago and Bagatúrckt was long-dead. Her thoughts drifted to Elder Ermin. She had been much less naive around Ermin and had other lovers at the time she knew him. However, in a quiet and sub-conscious way she had been infatuated with him. Ermin had treated her as an inferior because of the difference between their ages, but he never betrayed or disappointed her. It seemed Ilmátarkt was a lot like Ermin in many ways, except that he was much younger, maybe around 26. Danka was 22, so the difference in age would not affect how they treated each other. ---------- Danka drifted off to sleep, but did not sleep very long. She woke up in the darkness and groped her way towards the main medical area, where a single lantern was always lit. Shivering in the cold, she lit a second lantern and returned to Ilmátarkt's bed to retrieve her clothing. She had woken up early, but that was just as well. It would take her a while to prepare the breakfast and summon Isauria. As she glanced at her still-sleeping husband, a troubling premonition swept through her, that she would not have the opportunity to bear children with him after-all. She worried about the curse that she carried: that because of her, his life would end shortly and end badly. Was he destined to die and was she destined to live without him? She pushed aside that thought and made her way to the tunnel that led outside. The clear pre-dawn air was brutally cold, but a full moon illuminated the snow, making it easy to find the path leading towards the kitchen cabin. Suddenly she stopped. Her feet no longer moved; they were firmly anchored to the ground. She took a deep breath before the world vanished into pitch black darkness. Two yellow eyes, starting out as mere dots in the distance, slowly approached her, growing until they filled her entire range of vision. "Danka... Defender Danka... Danka Síluckt..." Danka tried to push the image out of her mind. It was her imagination. It was her imagination. Those eyes weren't real... just her over-active imagination. She needed to pick up her feet and keep walking and get those eyes out of her sight. She tried to move forward, but her feet wouldn't budge. "Danka Síluckt, don't try that with me. You know it won't work. You can't wish me out of your life." "Then how can Ilmátarkt do it?" "Because he's a fool, that's why. I don't bother with fools. I let fools think whatever they want, because it doesn't matter. In the end, everyone comes to me, whether they want to or not." "...and you can't let me live with the same illusion as my husband?" "I could, but I choose not to." "So, what do you want from me?" "Right now, just to remind you I'm still here. Your husband can prattle on about how my Realm doesn't exist, but you know that's not true. And if you try to forget, I'll return to remind you." "Then... what about the question he asked? Why am I so important that you'd only want to talk to me? What makes me so special?" "You're my witness. When everyone around you lives no more, you're the one who will walk away unscathed. You're the one who will carry the memories." "Memories of what?" There was no answer. The darkness vanished and the moonlit night returned. Danka was able to pick up her feet. She was chilled to the bones and sick with horror and fear, but at least she could move again. She caught her breath and continued her trek to the kitchen. Regardless of the fate eventually awaiting him, for the moment Ilmátarkt was still alive and still needed his breakfast. The Girl with No Name Ch. 25 Chapter Twenty-Five -- The Destroyer's Servant The final months of the winter of 1756-57 turned out to be good ones for the Defenders' encampment. It was a time of peace and rest that passed more quickly than Danka had expected. Commander Sáupeckt's militia was totally cut off from the outside world for several months, but there was plenty of food. Danka's life among the nymphs became considerably more pleasant under Dalibora, the new squad leader, than it had been under her predecessor. Oana was brave, tenacious, and competent in battle, but she was too focused on harsh discipline and had a hard time maintaining morale among her women when they were not campaigning. Dalibora was much more gregarious and everyone liked her. She had a quiet charisma that Oana totally lacked, keeping the squad under control though her personality instead of constant threats of the whip. She had a way of talking to her subordinates that made them want to please her. She skillfully and patiently manipulated the other women's emotions, to the point she exercised absolute control over the squad within a few weeks. Danka wondered how competent Dalibora would be in battle. Oana's personal strength manifested itself in a chaotic fight, while Dalibora's character seemed more suited for keeping bored women under control during peacetime. One detail that troubled Danka was Dalibora's lack of curiosity about trying new weapons and fighting tactics. It occurred to Danka that perhaps the squad should have two leaders: Oana to lead the women in the field, and Dalibora to lead the women in the encampment. Of course, such an arrangement would not be accepted by anyone: either Oana would have to lead or Dalibora would have to lead. ---------- Danka spent some of her limited free time reviewing her journal and the miscellaneous notes she had collected during her travels. She called upon Isauria to help her transcribe her work; not because she really needed the girl's help, but to force her to practice writing and penmanship. Isauria was not the best student: she much preferred to be running around with the male apprentices. However, Danka emphasized that her former servant needed to learn how to write to improve her chances of having a decent life in the Duchy. She also had a premonition that Isauria would be more important either to her future, or to the future of the Duchy, than anyone could have imagined at the time. Perhaps, when whatever disaster the Destroyer had hinted at took place, it would be Isauria's Path in Life to survive it, just as it would be Danka's path in life to survive. If the girl was indeed to be a witness, she'd have to know how to write well, whether she wanted to or not. As Danka noted to the bored adolescent: "You have no life to go back to in the Kingdom. You've seen, as much as I have, how the Destroyer has completely wrecked your homeland and killed your people. So, it doesn't exist anymore. Like it or not, you're now Danubian. You are a girl of the Duchy. You will marry a Danubian husband and raise Danubian children. That is your Path in Life." And... it was true. When Danka saw Isauria running around with the other apprentices, it was obvious there would be no going back "home" for her. ---------- During the snowbound months, there was plenty of work for the militia's doctors. While it was true there were no war-related wounds, there were injuries from accidents, falls, burns from carelessly handling fire, training mishaps, and frostbite cases. Ilmátarkt was an expert at setting broken bones, while his assistants were competent at sewing shut open cuts and gashes. Danka's knowledge of alchemy was a valuable addition to the medical staff's capabilities, contributing the Followers' knowledge about disinfectant and sedating patients before operations. She asked the cooks to provide her with live animals upon which to practice and gave hands-on demonstrations about the use of anesthesia. She also shared her university medical diaries with her husband. Ilmátarkt found the readings very interesting, not only for the information they contained, but also because they were all dated 1752-1753. Danka claimed to have been at the university for three years, but the dates on her notes did not support that claim. Ilmátarkt fully understood his wife was hiding something about her past. Danka may have considered her husband strange for his weird blasphemous ideas, but her mixture of lower and upper-class habits was equally strange to him. Her vocabulary and table manners were typical of a woman from the nobility, but her accent was definitely lower-class. She could kill and butcher any animal with ease and confidence: she was not afraid to dig her hands into a pig's intestines or pull a chicken's head off. She knew a lot about farming, hunting, and fishing, but she also knew a lot about music, geography, religion, and literature. She could sew both fine embroidery and thick leather. She knew how to prepare a huge variety of food, from primitive stews to fancy pastries. She knew a lot about politics and guild protocol. She had visited every major town in the western half of the Duchy, along with a few places outside the country's borders. Ilmátarkt pondered the bizarre mixture of traits in his wife. He correctly guessed that she was born into the lowest class of laborers, but she had widely traveled and somehow spent enough time with the nobility to pick up many habits unique to the Duchy's finest citizens. He calculated it would have been between 1753 and 1755 when she learned the traits of a noble-woman. He was curious to know her secret, but he was a patient man and could wait for her to inadvertently drop clues and hints about where she really was and what she really was doing during the two missing years of her life. Danka's bucket contained manuscripts that she did not share with her husband. Those included her writings about the battles of Hórkustk Ris, Sumy Ris, and Iyóshnyakt-Krepóckt, as well as notes on the slave trade and the settlement of Malénkta-Gordnáckta. Ilmátarkt saw all those extra notes in the bucket, but decided not to look at them. Danka was smart and would have been perceptive enough to figure out if he was looking at her writings. Ilmátarkt wanted and expected to find out the truth about his wife, but he wanted the clues to come from talking with her, not from digging through her papers. ---------- By the middle of April, the snow had disappeared and the forest was coming back to life. The paths had cleared enough to allow the Defenders to make their way towards the villages to celebrate the Festival of Rejuvenation, which at the time was still carried the Christian name of "Easter". In the 1750s, the True Believers still associated Easter with the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. The Old Believers had returned the holiday to its more ancient Pagan origins, as a celebration of the Creator's victory over the Destroyer by returning warmth to the Realm of the Living. The spring festival was also important for the Defenders and the villagers who hosted them. However, the isolated militia members followed neither the Christian nor the Old Believer traditions when they celebrated. Instead of the flowers of the Old Believers or the crucifixes of the True Believers, the militia celebrated with dancing and midnight bonfires to honor the Destroyer's triumph over the son of the Roman God. According to the Defenders' version of events, the Roman God's son was simply killed and the Resurrection did not happen. Instead, following the death of the "Son of Man", the Destroyer triumphed over and over, first by destroying Jerusalem, then by destroying Rome, then by destroying all of Europe through multiple invasions against Christian countries. The Roman God had proven himself weak and incapable of protecting his followers. Only the Destroyer could triumph, only the Destroyer had true power in the Realm of the Living. The Roman God existed as a hapless witness, unable to do anything to prevent the wrath of the Destroyer. Danka felt sick when she understood how the Defenders celebrated Easter and what the holiday meant to them. She did not want to believe that the Destroyer had such power over everything: she always wanted to hold out hope that somehow the Creator, or the Ancients, or even the Roman God, could combat the "Profane One" and win. She shared her doubts with her husband, but his answer was predictable and did nothing to ease her despair: "The Realm of the Living is inherently destructive. It has to be, because otherwise there'd be no room for new life. Everything decays and rots. As for the violence, that's just because we haven't figured out how to create enough food, so men don't have to fight over things like farmland. We don't need fantasies like the Destroyer to explain why people invade each other's territories when they're starving. The Defenders are right about the Creator, the Roman God, and the Ancients. They're helpless to protect us, but it's not because they're weak, it's because they're imaginary. But so is the Destroyer. It's all fiction. Imagination." ---------- Several militia units descended the muddy wooded trails from various winter campgrounds to converge on the largest of the three settlements. They traveled on foot, but fortunately they had mules to carry their supplies. The journey was wet, tiring, and lasted several days. Danka spent the most of her time talking to her husband about the area and some of the Defenders' previous campaigns. Meanwhile, Isauria walked alongside Dalibora and learned more about the system of trails the militia members used to move about the region. Before entering the settlement, the nymphs stripped off all their clothing and placed it in a bag guarded by Isauria. Although the weather was still chilly, they gave up everything, even their shoes. The naked militiawomen walked into the settlement in single file and gathered with their village counterparts, who also were completely undressed. To Danka's dismay, the villagers' hair was unbraided. The oldest woman among the villagers ordered the nymphs to kneel and close their eyes. A villager took her place behind each nymph. Danka held her breath. Sure enough, she felt a stranger's fingers undoing her braids. She cringed at the horror of knowing all those men, including her husband, would see her with her hair undone. She was used to being naked in public, but having her hair loose was an unbelievable humiliation, a sacrifice of women's honor to appease the all-mighty Destroyer. The purpose of the celebration was to acknowledge the Destroyer's power over the Realm of the Living. There was a large pile of scrap lumber piled in the village square, surrounded by torches. In the middle of the pile was a sacrificial victim, a captured foreign priest dressed in a purple smock that was supposed to mimic a royal robe. The prisoner represented the son of the Roman God and would be burned to death as an act of defiance against a divine being who supposedly was all-powerful. The Defenders' priest was un-seemingly cruel to his captured counterpart, taunting him and encouraging him to pray to the Roman God, just to prove his deity was powerless to save him from the true power of the cosmos: the Destroyer. The naked, sweaty women danced for hours to the beat of sinister-sounding drums and flutes, completely exhausting themselves before midnight. They had to prostrate themselves on the muddy ground while the fire was lit. As the flames consumed the foreigner and separated his soul from his body, the Defenders' priest called out to the Destroyer to share the power of devastation with the militia so they could have a successful campaign against their enemies. The victim's screaming seemed to continue for an eternity. Danka later learned the fire had been set up so he would die slowly and suffer. When the victim's agonized screaming finally subsided, the militia's Priest shouted into the air: "In the end, we all come to you, whether we want to or not!" ---------- The drums continued to beat as the men indulged themselves with ale. The women were dismissed and immediately went to the settlement's bathhouse to wash off the mud and re-braid their hair. Just like everything else in that village, the bathhouse was a wretched, primitive structure. As she waited for her turn to bathe, Danka thought about the pristine washroom in the Grand Duke's castle. She had hated her life as a concubine, but at the moment she wouldn't have minded spending a nice lazy afternoon sitting in comfortable warm water in the Grand Duke's marble tub. When she returned to her husband, Danka couldn't bear to look at him. She was dishonored: he had actually seen her with her hair unbraided! Ilmátarkt was not scandalized, but he did not have any sympathy with his wife's distress. He told her not to be ridiculous and that he could not have cared less about her hair. To him, the Danubians' fixation with braided hair was as idiotic as their belief in the supernatural. Danka did not reply, but she could not accept his casual dismissal of the most important part of a Danubian woman's honor. Braids were what defined a Danubian woman's very identity. How could he not consider braided hair as vital to proper protocol? What was he, a foreigner? ---------- Springtime is normally a time of celebration, a time to be happy about the end of food shortages, confinement, and the physical discomfort of being cold all the time. Danka, however, did not feel any joy as the weather warmed up and the snow melted. Soon enough, the Defenders would return to the border and the battles with the Kingdom of the Moon factions would resume. There would be desperate surgeries on wounded men, of which she could expect only half to be successful. She'd have to endure the guilt of triaging patients and making the decision whether to operate or whether to administer a dose of poison to put a casualty out of his misery. She'd have to kill with her crossbow, yet again, and in doing so would add more suffering to her soul in the Afterlife. ---------- Oana returned to the encampment during the first week of May, with a new squad of nymphs recruited from the Vice-Duchy of Rika Chorna. Whatever faults Oana had with her personality did not interfere with her ability to identify dissatisfied women and talk them into abandoning their lives and responsibilities. The recruits did not really understand what they were getting themselves into, but the promise of a silver piece for every month of service and learning how to handle weapons was a tempting alternative to their drab and oppressive Paths in Life in the Vice-Duchy. At first glance it seemed the new nymphs were as varied a group as Danubian women could possibly be. Some of the women were peasants and some were from the guild class. Their ages ranged from 16 to 37. However, they had one thing in common: they were all fugitives. Some of the older women were fleeing bad marriages, and some of the younger ones were fleeing their fathers. Two were thieves who had spent a humiliating afternoon in the pillory, three were fleeing money lenders, and one was fleeing from a jealous landowner's wife. Danka said nothing as she watched her former commander with her new subordinates. She had to hide her lingering hostility; the resentment that she felt from the older woman's desire to flog her for no good reason. However, like everyone else in the militia, she knew that bringing up old disputes in front of Oana's new squad would only cause trouble and hurt the morale of the nymphs. There was no mention from anyone about Oana's previous command, nor how she lost control of her squad. The new recruits never learned that the women in Dalibora's unit had been under Oana's orders just a few months before. What mattered was that Oana had redeemed herself and was ready to train and lead her new squad. Oana was a more experienced fighter than Dalibora and had a better instinct for strategy, so the squad leaders agreed that Oana would be the one to lead movements and attacks. The disadvantage of the situation was that Oana's squad still needed training and experience, so Dalibora's veterans would need to be extra careful about providing cover for the newcomers as they maneuvered in the forest. ---------- Danka had to accompany her husband to the smallest of the three villages to assist the birth of the elder's baby. The birth was uneventful, but Danka noticed several geese running around the village square. She remembered the Followers' explosive goose-eggs, knowing that her husband's laboratory had all of the ingredients to make hand-bombs, assuming he could obtain some gunpowder for her. She told Ilmátarkt about the eggs and how Ermin used them so effectively against the True Believers. He was very interested. If only there was a way to preserve the eggs' shells while allowing the villagers to keep the contents. He pondered the problem for a few minutes before searching through his surgical equipment. Eventually he created a small circular saw that, when properly twisted, would drill a hole in the shell without cracking it. He approached the village elder and explained what he needed: as many empty goose-egg shells as the village could provide. He would leave behind the extractor and pay the villagers a copper coin for every five intact shells they could deliver to the encampment. The dim-witted settler looked at the doctor with an incredulous expression. A coin for empty egg shells? Yes, but they had to be neatly drilled with no cracks and completely cleaned out. The village elder took the cutter and said nothing. Danka had no doubt she'd receive her egg shells, but there also was no doubt the elder had no intention of sharing Ilmátarkt's coins with any of his neighbors. While she waited for the first batch of egg-shells, Danka prepared the chemicals and refined the gunpowder needed to make the hand-bombs. Through her husband, she sent out word that she needed volunteers who know how to use slings. Several male archers showed up, from whom Ilmátarkt selected four, based on their ability to accurately aim their rocks. He explained that the volunteers were about to try out an experimental weapon, which needed to be launched with slings. When the first batch of eggshells arrived, Danka had all of the ingredients needed to assemble four explosive bombs and two flash bombs. With trembling hands she carefully poured in the first layer of explosives, laid in a layer of melted beeswax to separate the next ingredients, and poured in the accelerant. Another layer of wax, and she put in a detonator that was designed to go off as soon as the seal at the top of the egg was broken. Each bomb was extremely volatile: even being turned upside down was enough to set it off. As much as she hated doing so, she had to sacrifice one of each type of bomb in a test to make sure it worked. Ilmátarkt and Danka led the four volunteers away from the camp. Danka took charge of the sling and loaded the goose-egg. She took a deep breath, swung the bomb and released it. She screamed at everyone to get down and cover their ears. The deafening explosion blew apart the nearby trees and rattled the entire area. The blast brought dozens of panicky Defenders scrambling towards the crew with drawn crossbows and loaded muskets. Commander Sáupeckt showed up, as dumbfounded by the explosion as everyone else. He was present to witness the flash bomb being tested. Danka was enormously relieved that she had been able to duplicate both types of the Followers' secret sling-bombs. Because Danka "belonged" to her husband and thus not allowed to speak for herself, Ilmátarkt was responsible for explaining the goose-egg bombs and how they could be either thrown or used with slings. He gave as much credit to his spouse as protocol would allow, but ultimately he would receive the honor of introducing the new bombs to the unit. Had Danka not been married, she would have been able to claim credit for the innovation. The Girl with No Name Ch. 25 Danka planned to prepare additional bombs as empty goose-eggs and more beeswax arrived at the encampment. She would have liked to prepare some landmines as well, but mines would have been useless. The mobile nature of the Defenders' manner of fighting made the positioning of explosive traps unrealistic as a tactic. The sling-tossed bombs were a different matter. ---------- The Defenders moved towards the border at the end of May. The first part of the trip consisted of walking with pack mules along steep hillsides to return to the villages. The settlements took care of the Defenders' horses over the winter, where they had to be left because the mountains did not have enough forage. The militia exchanged their mules for horses and continued mounted towards the combat zone. The settlers had cleared a series of meadows and had set up ponds to water animals, so the Defenders and their mounts arrived at the border at full strength and in excellent health. The situation to the south had deteriorated over the winter. The village from which the Lord of the Blue Moon's troops had been attacking Commander Sáupeckt's section of the border had been raided by troops from the Lord of the Red Moon, precisely because the troops assigned to protect it had launched a raid against Red Moon territory. The scope of the civil war was expanding into previously peaceful areas. The land was burnt and desolate, there was no food, and the surviving population was desperate. The Danubians decided to further demoralize the foreign towns near the border by riding through the region in a show of force. They could gather a total of 1500 Defenders, which was a force larger than any of the broken Kingdom of the Moon units operating in the eastern section of the country at the time. Commander Sáupeckt and his fellow commanders discussed the possibility of permanently occupying some of the southern land, and the ride-through would allow them to see how feasible that idea would be. The Danubians gathered and forded the small river marking the border at the end of the first week of June. 1500 mounted Danubian militia fighters would not have been a match against the Lord of the Red Moon's powerful army just three years before, but by 1757 the Kingdom's armies had been decimated by continuous fighting, movement, and atrocities. At that moment neither faction had an available unit in the area large enough to counter the unexpected invasion from the Duchy. The Danubian column rode unopposed through the war-torn region for several weeks. They did not attack any civilians as long as the local populace did nothing to impede their procession. When word spread that the Danubians were not as cruel as the Lord of the Red Moon's men, the locals stopped fleeing. Instead, the wretched, starving foreigners silently stood along the roadways, sullenly staring at the strange invaders. Danka noticed the women and girls paying particular attention to the squads of nymphs, sitting on their horses with crossbows in their hands and satchels of bolts slung over their bare shoulders. It was bizarre and scandalous for the Kingdom's women to see their Danubian counterparts with their heads and torsos uncovered, with cold hard expressions on their faces and, above everything else, holding weapons they clearly were accustomed to using against male opponents. Danka remembered her husband's words from the previous year: "...among the Defenders, your life will have a purpose. And when we go south, and you're riding your horse with a squad of armed nymphs, the women of the Kingdom of the Moon will look at you with respect and awe. Remember, the Kingdom's women don't fight. They don't do anything other than serve their men. So when they see the infamous Danubian nymphs... women carrying weapons... it makes them wonder about their own Paths in Life. And as far as being part of something much greater than yourself, among us, you will be. We're defending the Duchy. You, a mere woman, have taken up arms and are defending the Duchy. You can't be part of anything more important than that." There was an important exception to the Danubians' rule about not attacking non-combatants. Any foreign priests, monks, or other church officials that could be captured were immediately chained and sent northward to the Duchy. They would be held in a forest prison until the Defenders returned from their campaign, to be sacrificed in the Destroyer's bonfires. The Defenders didn't just want the foreign clergy as sacrificial victims; they also wanted to demonstrate that the blessing the Roman God and his executed son had supposedly granted the Kingdom of the Moon was a total lie. The Roman deities couldn't even protect their own clergy, so how could they protect the Kingdom? The local populace only lived because the Danubian militia allowed them to live, not because of any Divine blessing from Rome. Although the Defenders met very little resistance during their tour through the southern towns, their leaders decided to return to the Duchy at the beginning of July. The main problem was lack of food in the Kingdom. There was not much point in raiding or foraging, because the previous year's harvest had been destroyed when the Lord of the Red Moon's troops invaded the region. The Defenders could move into any area they wanted, but they couldn't stay because there was nothing for them to eat. The column of militia fighters was both relieved and disappointed when their horses waded the shallow river back into the Duchy's territory. The fight they had expected did not happen. The fighters were alive to celebrate and feast in the three villages, but they had not fulfilled their Paths in Life as Defenders. The units drifted off towards their assigned protection zones, not having accomplished anything apart from showing off to a bunch of wretched foreigners and exploring some of the enemy's territory. ---------- The commander ordered Danka and her husband to pick up a supply of empty goose-egg shells from the villagers, return to the laboratory in the winter encampment, and make as many bombs as possible. The couple entered the cave and set up the alchemy equipment. However, before Danka had the chance to mix the ingredients for a new batch of bombs, her husband expressed doubts about the project and a possible improvement. The volatility of the bombs and their extreme fragility troubled him. They were simply too dangerous to carry long distances. He wondered if it was truly necessary use goose-egg shells for the casings. Wouldn't blown glass make better casing material? What about glazed ceramic? Perhaps that would be even better than glass. He brought up the alternatives to his wife, but she was skeptical, commenting: "I don't know, my love. The Followers used goose-eggs for a long time, and I'd imagine it was for a good reason." "Well, we need to find out if there really was a good reason. I think the only reason they didn't try a better casing was because under their circumstances it wasn't necessary. Our needs are different and I'd like to use a casing that's more dependable than an eggshell." Ilmátarkt worked on a glazed ceramic design for the explosive bombs that looked like a goose egg, but was twice as big. The section dividing the explosive from the accelerant was part of the internal design. There was a hole between the sections that would be sealed with beeswax, but it was much smaller than the area that would need to be sealed inside a goose egg. He also devised a glass casing for the fuse. When she packed in the explosive, Danka had to agree Ilmátarkt's design was a huge improvement. The test blast from the enhanced bomb was comparable to the power of explosives that would be used in the late 20th century. Not only did it destroy trees; it tore a hole in the ground and shattered the stones on a nearby hillside. When he saw the destruction from the enhanced bomb, Commander Sáupeckt whistled with satisfaction and anticipation. Assuming he could keep them secret until the first time they were used, he knew they would guarantee him a victory. That meant he could be more daring in his efforts to provoke a raid from the Kingdom of the Moon, and that for the first battle he would not have to call upon other militia commanders for help. He pondered the possibility of conducting a full-blown massacre of a large enemy unit, using nothing but his own troops and the new bombs. ---------- After his counterparts departed with their units, Commander Sáupeckt came up with a plan to goad one or both of the Kingdom's factions to make another attempt to attack the Defenders in their home territory. Without consulting the other militia leaders, he ordered three of the captured foreign priests to be brought to the main village to be burned alive. A fire was set up in honor of the Destroyer and the three foreigners were brought to the village square. However, one of the victims' bonds had been left loose, on purpose. The villagers threw him against a wall while they tied up the other two priests. Realizing he had a chance to escape, the young cleric untied himself and fled. A squad of Commander Sáupeckt's most trusted men chased after him, but their orders were not to capture him. Instead, they were to stay close enough to make the priest believe he was about to be caught, but all the while making sure he headed in the right direction so he could safely cross back into the Kingdom. The staged escape had a specific purpose; to goad the Kingdom's factions to attempt a rescue of the remaining captured clergymen. Undoubtedly the escapee would warn his countrymen what was happening to the priests. The Roman God would be quite displeased with the Lords if they allowed the Danubians to sacrifice the Kingdom's priests to the Duchy's Beelzebub. It was ironic that in the Kingdom torturing and impaling civilians was perfectly acceptable, but to do anything to a priest was considered an unacceptable outrage. How horrid that the Danubians would leave worthless civilians alive, and instead defile sacred clergy members! As soon as the Kingdom's men entered the mountains, Commander Sáupeckt would try out his new bombs. His plan was to defeat and annihilate a force much larger than his own with no help from the Defenders' other militia units. The glory of the victory and all the loot would be reserved solely for him and his unit. More importantly, he hoped to keep the sling-bombs a secret and use them in another surprise attack at some point in the future. Danka was not really expecting her commander's plan to work. Surely the Lord of the Blue Moon would not blindly sent troops into the Danubian mountains, given the humiliating defeat from the previous year. Certainly he'd take precautions, and if need be, not be overly worried about the priests. Anyhow, it seemed the Lord of the Blue Moon's forces were depleted and unable to defend their own territory, let alone launch a cross-border raid. All of Danka's doubts about the Blue Moon faction were true. A column of 2000 men did cross into the Duchy on July 17, but their banners were red, not blue. A commander from the Lord of the Red Moon's Army, hoping to avenge the battles of 1754, came directly from Sumy Ris and led his troops into the forest, completely unaware of the defeat endured the previous year by the Kingdom's rival faction. The Danubians began their counter-attack predictably enough, with hit-and-run archery raids. The column sustained a few casualties, but the force attacking it was ridiculously small. The foreigners continued advancing against the villages. They had no plans to actually occupy them: they'd simply kill whoever was there, rescue the priests, burn buildings and supplies, and withdraw. The pathetically small size of the force countering the Red Moon column played into Commander Sáupeckt's plans. The Red Moon troops were overconfident by the time they reached a large meadow that was only a half-day's march from the villages. The area was completely open: there was no way the guerilla tactics of the Danubians would be of any use in such an area. The foreigners watered their horses and allowed them to graze. The troops set up their encampment well away from the trees and from the deadly bolts of their enemies. A few musket volleys would easily dispatch any Danubians foolhardy enough to appear at the wood line. The final part of the march would be more challenging, but there was no reason to think the villages would not be under the Kingdom's control by the middle of the next day. Commander Sáupeckt had only 230 fighters under his control. At the last moment he decided to ask his most trusted counterpart for back-up, which increased the force with 110 additional Defenders. The leading commander positioned his own troops at the exit leading back towards the border, while the other unit deployed at the exit that led towards the villages. The Defenders were hopelessly outnumbered, but they knew that Commander Sáupeckt would not have deployed in such a manner had he not devised a horrible surprise for the enemy. The commander had sixteen squad members who knew how to use slings: the four who had trained under the unit's doctor, and twelve more he had recruited and trained himself. Each sling-bearer carried a wooden box containing four sling bombs: one flash bomb and three explosive bombs. The plan was extremely simple. The men would first sneak past the line of sentries and creep close enough to throw their charges into the encampment, causing chaos with the flash bombs and then injuries with the explosives. The other Defenders then would attack the stunned foreigners. The sentries and outer defense would be attacked first, then the main unit of Defenders would rush the camp and with traditional weapons and kill as many as possible. The blinding light from sixteen simultaneous flash bombs was truly amazing. The meadow momentarily lit up much brighter than daytime and anyone not covering their eyes during the flash was blinded by the extreme light. Within the invaders' camp, wild screaming and disorganized shooting began immediately, but it was too late. The bomb throwers did not have to worry about being spotted when they stood up to discharge the second round of bombs: their targets were totally blinded. The men calmly flung their explosives in unison and ducked to avoid the blast. As soon as the noise subsided, they stood up, loaded their slings a third time, twirled their eggs, and let them fly into the camp. There were three sets of horrific explosions that wrecked the entire enemy encampment. Maimed horses and mutilated men scrambled in every direction. Both militia units charged forward as soon as the final blast went off. They quickly dispatched the stunned sentries before heading into the main cauldron of maniacal horses and mutilated and dying men. Their attack was not going to be a battle; it was going to be a massacre. The archers ran among the injured foreigners and wildly emptied their crossbows at anyone who was still moving, while the men with muskets bayoneted anyone lying on the ground. A handful of invaders were still able to put up a fight, but the biggest danger for Danubian and foreigner alike was the multitude of blinded injured horses running around, tumbling, and crashing into everything in sight. A few tents caught on fire, giving the Defenders enough light to complete their grim task. Danka moved with Dalibora's squad, firing bolt after bolt into the agonized men struggling all around her. At the moment she didn't have time to think about what she was doing: she simply followed orders and acted as a nymph was expected to act. She only stopped when she became separated from the others and ran out of bolts. Then her adrenaline ran out and her fatigued arms went limp. The crossbow fell out of her hands and she collapsed onto a pile of bloody corpses. A couple of the bodies were still somewhat alive. One dying man pushed up and tried to grab her. She tried to get up, but lost her balance and fell to the ground. A man fleeing from a Defender's crossbow was hit, staggered, and fell on top of her, completely pinning her. She felt the enemy's body jerk as the Danubian fired a finishing bolt and his soul separated from his body. The Defender ran off, not noticing in the darkness that his victim had fallen on top of a nymph. Danka struggled to breathe. The wind was knocked out of her and she remained stuck under the corpse that crushed her chest. For a few minutes she lay quietly, gasping for breath and staring at the stars and smoke. The massacre continued. Danka knew that she had to get up and find more crossbow bolts, but she couldn't move. She weakly pushed at the corpse, but her exhausted arms could not budge it, any more than a toddler could have moved a dead horse. So that was it. She was out of the fight. She continued staring at the stars and smoke, wondering how long it would be before someone found her. The stars and smoke disappeared as her world went completely dark. Oh no... please... no... not now... "Danka... Danka... Danka..." She saw nothing until she turned her head. The unblinking yellow eyes were staring at her. When she tried to turn her head in the other direction, the eyes followed her. "Don't try that with me, Danka. You have to answer." "Yes. I have to answer. You're not giving me much choice about it, are you?" "I'm not giving you any choice at all, Danka Síluckt. When I call, you will answer." "And this... this is your work?" "Ha! Actually, in this instance you bear the responsibility. You're the one who made this glorious victory possible. You volunteered the knowledge of the bombs. You made the bombs. You showed your companions how to use the bombs. You allowed your husband, the unbelieving fool that he is, to improve the bombs. You placed the bombs in the hands of your commander. The only thing your commander did was put them to good use. The rest of it is your doing, not anyone else's." Danka had no idea how to respond. The eyes vanished, but her world remained completely dark. Finally the darkness cleared from her brain and she looked up into the predawn light. Two men from her unit, each carrying a bloody sword, spotted her lying under enemy corpses. They pulled off the bodies and helped her up. She was unsteady on her feet. One of the men handed her the crossbow, which she accepted and held limply in her hands. "Defender Danka. Your husband's looking for you. There are plenty of injured and you need to report to him immediately." "Which way?" "The doctors took over that tent, the tall one with the banner." Danka tried to pull herself together as she walked towards her husband's surgery area. She was dead tired, but no one cared. A long day of operations lay ahead of her. ---------- The Defenders' casualties were unusually heavy for a single battle. Those killed outright during the fighting numbered 15 and the total number of seriously wounded was 39. The medical staff spent the day sedating patients so her companions could remove bullets and sew up bayonet slashes. There were several burns and multiple trampling injuries from horses. Some of the wounds were too serious to successfully treat given the level of medical knowledge at the time; of the 39 seriously injured patients only 21 could be saved. Danka quietly poisoned the others to put them out of their misery. Two of Oana's recruits were among the mortally-wounded patients the medical staff was unable to save. The day ended and the field surgeons stepped out of the medical tent. In spite of the losses, the victory was significant. As far as anyone knew, not a single man from the Kingdom of the Moon escaped. The uninjured Defenders stood guard over groups of villagers who had been drafted to collect and haul away the enemies' weapons and clothing. The seized equipment coming out of the battle would be impressive, making Commander Sáupeckt's unit by far the wealthiest and best-provisioned group of Defenders operating along the border. Now Danka understood why he didn't want other units participating in the attack. Not only was he trying to keep everything secret, but he also did not want to have to share the loot. He would allow the villagers to keep clothing, leather, and whatever food and condiments they found, but all weapons, metal, uninjured horses, and coins had to be turned over to the militia. The Girl with No Name Ch. 25 The scene was unbelievably horrific. The enemies had been stripped of their uniforms and the exposed mutilated bodies of horses and men already were starting to reek in the hot summer afternoon. Within a few hours the place would become unbearable and would have to be abandoned to the birds and wolves. No one wanted to imagine what that meadow would look like the next day. By sunset the stench was too bad for the Danubians to stay any longer. Danka could barely lift her crossbow, but she stumbled along with the rest of her squad while her husband and his assistants struggled to help the injured evacuate. The Danubian dead were taken out as well, hauled by the villagers on the backs of mules. They would be buried the following day, adding 33 graves to the ever-growing military cemetery. It was well after nightfall when the Defenders and the settlers arrived at the main village with the casualties and loot. There would be funerals tomorrow, an assessment of the condition of Commander Sáupeckt's unit, and some badly needed rest. Before going to sleep, Dalibora handed Danka thirteen silver coins, her share of the loot that had been recovered from the coin purses of the invading force. She said nothing, but looked at the money with disdain. Money. What difference did money make? So... after killing 2000 men and dealing with the deaths of several people she knew, that was all? Thirteen silver pieces? She resisted the temptation to toss the money aside. She didn't want the coins, but forced herself to hold on to them by convincing herself they were partial compensation for the money she had spent on Isauria. Certainly Oana would have made that argument. ---------- The exhausted nymphs watched as the villagers mounted severed heads on poles and placed them around the village square. The heads belonged to the Red Moon commanders. After the funerals, the captured enemy priests would be forced into the square to see the heads and understand there had been a rescue attempt that had failed miserably. They would be encouraged to pray for a miracle, right up to the moment they were burned alive to appease the Destroyer. Danka tried to push the image of the severed heads out of her thoughts. As the Destroyer had told her, this was her doing. She realized how much damage that she, single-handedly, had inflicted against the Kingdom of the Moon. The Grand Duke's victory in Hórkustk Ris three years earlier was the direct result of the Followers' explosives recipes. A month later, Sister Silvítya (as she was known at the time) was the one who convinced the Sovereign to pull his troops out of Sumy Ris in time to avoid a defeat. The Defenders' previous summer's victory against the Lord of the Blue Moon's men was partially the result of her actions. This latest victory, against the Red Moon army, was directly the result of her knowledge and actions. As a mere woman, a Royal concubine and the wife of a field surgeon, no one would ever acknowledge her, but the destruction she had unleashed against the Kingdom of the Moon had saved the Duchy, several times over. How ironic is the Realm of the Living. The Kingdom of the Moon's worst nemesis was a wandering peasant girl, an anonymous young woman no one would ever know about. Danka wondered how many other times in history the Destroyer had used a completely unknown and unacknowledged person to determine the course of events and obliterate a nation. She felt no pride in what she had done, nor really did she feel any shame. The Destroyer just as easily could have used some unknown girl from the Kingdom, perhaps even Isauria, to ensure the destruction of the Duchy. One kingdom was destined to live and the other destined to die, and it was the Destroyer who made the decision which nation would be spared at the expense of the other. So... maybe the Defenders were right after-all. Maybe the Destroyer did control everything in the Realm of the Living and was the only deity that needed to be honored. Certainly there was no indication that either the Creator or the Ancients had any control over any of the events Danka had witnessed in her travels. She looked up at the nearby treetops. An owl, that owl, sat in a branch staring back at her. ---------- Commander Sáupeckt's unit did not participate in any more combat during the remainder of the summer of 1757. A third of his troops had been killed or wounded during the massacre of the Red Moon encampment, so his unit was in no condition for another fight. The injured still had to be cared for and transported away from the unsanitary villages, along with the muskets, ammunition, and other military equipment taken from the battlefield. It was the middle of August before everything and everyone was safely transported back to the winter campground and the new supplies were safely stored away in the caves. The commander sent several squad leaders and other subordinates to the Vice-Duchy of Rika Chorna and Hórkustk Ris Province to augment his command. He planned a dramatic expansion of his unit: from 90 surviving members to over 400. He now had the weapons and ammunition necessary to create three entirely new companies. Like all Defenders, the newcomers would be trained in guerilla tactics, but their main responsibility would be firing muskets in formation. There were enough surviving horses from the Kingdom to establish a small cavalry unit to augment the musket companies. Commander Sáupeckt planned to dramatically change the Defenders' tactics and strategic goals during the summer of 1758. He hoped to carry the war into the Kingdom of the Moon and establish a permanent Danubian presence in territory that had not been part of the Duchy since 1502. From what he saw during the ride-through during the previous June, there would not be much military opposition if the Danubian unit was large, properly armed, and not spread out. That would present a problem for occupation: the Defenders simply did not have enough to troops to conquer and occupy. They'd have to do one or the other. An even more pressing problem would be having to bring in food. However, the commander figured that having to ship in food could possibly work to the Defenders' advantage because it could be traded to the locals for equipment and support. Perhaps the commander could even recruit a unit of Blue Moon subjects to fight alongside his men when they attacked the Lord of the Red Moon's depleted forces. If in 1758 he could inflict a defeat on the Lord of the Red Moon's forces comparable to the one he had achieved in 1757, there wouldn't be much standing in the way of his dream of occupying land and turning it over to the Royal Family in exchange for being appointed governor. The expanded size of his unit would make Commander Sáupeckt the most powerful leader among the Defenders, but to pursue his goal of altering the militia's strategy from defending the Duchy to conquering new territory, he would have to convince the other unit leaders to support him and submit to his command. The militia commanders had mixed feelings about his amazing rout of the Red Moon column. They were impressed with the victory itself and glad that such a large enemy component had been eliminated, but they resented the fact Commander Sáupeckt had conducted the operation without anyone's consent and did so specifically to keep all of the seized weapons and ammunition for his own unit. Still, a victory was a victory and the other commanders had to hide their misgivings about Commander Sáupeckt from their troops. To the ordinary Defenders, Commander Sáupeckt and his fighters were heroes. It was obvious he was intelligent and brave and had great plans for the future of the Duchy. He deserved everyone's respect and deserved to be followed. Between August and October, the Defenders transformed the three villages into a military garrison that rivaled the largest garrisons under the control of the Grand Duke. Recruits flowed in, happy to have the chance to practice with real muskets and be part of the Duchy's future glory. Other commanders sent some of their troops to train with Commander Sáupeckt's men, so the size of the garrison fluctuated between 1000 and 1500 Defenders at any given time. When the weather became cold the fighters lived in relative comfort, in new cabins heated by ingenious cast-iron stoves that burned cave-charcoal instead of wood. The villagers were put to work mining and hauling the strange black rocks, motivated by the promise of new stoves for their own houses and not having to cut firewood. ---------- During the winter, Danka continued her busy existence. She trained with Dalibora's squad, learned better how to ride a horse, worked in her husband's provisional laboratory as he prepared medicines and explosives, cooked for him, and spent as much time as possible trying to educate Isauria. Isauria stood as tall as Danka by the beginning of 1758. Her menstruations had started and she was very interested in the boys running around the village. Danka insisted she started using the birth-control paste and, sure enough, the girl lost her virginity to one of her fellow apprentices in February. Even though she had prepared for it, Danka was furious that Isauria would start having sex so early in life. However, she decided not to say anything. It seemed that Isauria enjoyed her first experience and was ready for it, unlike Danka, who was much more naive, even at an older age. At least Isauria won't have to go through what I went through. For her, there will never be a "graveyard of virtue", nor will there be a Bagatúrckt to damage her soul... ---------- Commander Sáupeckt changed over the winter, in a way that worried Danka. Instead of thinking no further than the next battle, he started thinking about the future, of what the Duchy's new southernmost province would be like once it was secured and he was acting governor. There was happy talk of farms and seized manors, of slaves from the conquered population and new Danubian towns. The militia leader was suffering from the same hubris that afflicted the Grand Duke, of imagining himself as the man who had the glory of conquering Sumy Ris and returning to its rightful place within the Danubian Duchy. He started talking more like a town elder or a land-owner and less like a military commander. Meanwhile, the expanded militia spent the winter training to fight a conventional war in open territory. Commander Sáupeckt reorganized the units several times, experimenting with different tactics and maneuvers to see what best fit the needs of his forces. Danka wondered what it was about Sumy Ris that seemed to make otherwise intelligent Danubian leaders lose their common sense. Yes, the city was the first Christian settlement and the Danubians' second most important political and religious center throughout the Middle Ages, but that had ended 250 years before. Apart from the cathedral and a few other buildings, very little remained from its Danubian past. Yes, the location was ideal for trade, but it was totally indefensible. As the Defenders became increasingly excited about the glory of re-taking the former southern capitol, Danka became ever more uneasy about the future. She remembered the Destroyer's words: "You're my witness. When everyone around you lives no more, you're the one who will walk away unscathed. You're the one who will carry the memories." Commander Sáupeckt spent the early spring corresponding with provincial leaders around the Duchy to obtain food for his troops and money to pay them. At the beginning of April the Grand Duke surprised everyone by responding with a large shipment of silver coins, enough to buy some supplies and pay the entire garrison for three months. When she saw the guarded wagons of Royal silver arrive and the paymaster distribute the pay among the troops, Danka wondered why the Grand Duke would be so trusting of a leader who was not part of the regular army's chain of command. Later that night, when they both were in bed, she decided to bring up the topic with Ilmátarkt. Her husband responded: "This whole situation is a huge bargain for the Grand Duke: a single shipment of silver in exchange for an entire army. Commander Sáupeckt laid a gift at His Majesty's feet and he is smart enough to realize it. We supplied our own muskets and just about everything else. He didn't even have to provide food or horses, just some coins. We are not under his direct control, so we are not his responsibility. We can live or die, we can succeed or fail, with no consequences for the Crown. If we succeed and survive, the Crown claims more land for the Duchy and we are dismissed with some service metals, a certificate of gratitude, and maybe the title to a small farm, nothing more. If we fail, he is not to blame and his army will suffer no losses." "I guess that makes sense. Certainly sounds like him. All he ever thought about was turning everyone and everything to his advantage. I remember..." Danka caught her breath, regretting that careless statement the instant it was out of her mouth. Ilmátarkt sat up and intensely looked at her in the dim light of the room's single lantern. "So... you know His Majesty?" Have you met him?" It was a simple question, perhaps totally innocent, but it forced a difficult decision on her. She did not want her husband to know about her time as a Royal concubine. However, protocol dictated the absolute worst thing a wife could do was tell a direct lie to her husband. It was a terrible sin in Danubian culture, even worse than adultery. In theory, if a man caught his wife lying to him and could prove it, he had the right to kill her. Up until that moment she had insinuated that she had been at the university between 1753 and 1755, but had never openly said that. She looked away. "Yes, Ilmátarkt. I know His Majesty." "How could you know His Majesty? When did you meet him?" "I met him... four years ago. In the plaza of the Great Temple in the capitol." "What about the university?" "I was a student for a year. Then I left." "Interesting... because it confirms something I was wondering about. You showed me your university notes, which I appreciate. However, I did notice that none of those papers were dated after May 1753. No dates from 1754 or 1755. So, I suspected you were somewhere else over the next two years." "I was in the capitol." "In the Royal Household?" "Yes, in the Royal Household." "Doing what?" "What do you think I was doing? Why do you think the Grand Duke would keep me in his castle?" There was a long pause, while Ilmátarkt wondered what to ask next. He did not want to force his wife to openly admit she was lying to him about the two missing years of her life, but he was curious to know more about the Duchy's ruler . She broke the silence. "In my bucket I have some sealed packages of parchment. All of the information about my life with His Majesty is in there. My notes can tell you the story better than I can. Then..." "No. I won't read your papers. The decision about what you choose to tell me about your past needs to be yours. But, you do understand that you are never again to deceive me with your words, even by omission." "I understand that, my love." Ilmátarkt ordered Danka to get out of bed and stand against a chair with her legs spread and her bottom sticking out. She worried he might punish her. He rubbed her bottom and ran his hands between her legs. When he became erect, he entered her and thrust hard. She could tell by the rough way he was making love to her that he was still irritated. However, there would be no switching from him. On the surface the incident was over. However, she knew the incident was not over at all. Over time she would need to reveal to him the details of her humiliating life with the Grand Duke. It would have been so much easier for him to simply read about it and ask her a few questions, or for him to interrogate her and extract the story in a single tearful night, but he was not about to let her off so easily. She would have to decide what to reveal and when. The conflict between sharing her past and keeping it hidden would weigh on her conscience. Her husband was very much aware that he had pushed a difficult responsibility onto her, which was his way of punishing her for the attempted deception. She took a deep breath as they got back in bed. She had to start somewhere, so she figured it would be best to start with information that would be useful for the Defenders' upcoming campaign. "During the war... the siege... I was in Hórkustk Ris with His Majesty. And I was also in Sumy Ris. I saw the battles... and I talked to some of the Royal Protectors about things I didn't see. So I know, in detail, what happened in both places. I know the layout of Sumy Ris... I saw the old cathedral... and all the newer buildings... the ones built by the Ottomans. It's different from the old drawings we have. If you borrow one of the commander's maps and let me write on it, I can update it for you, so there're no surprises when we go in." ---------- It was not hard for Danka to anticipate that the incursion into the Kingdom and the effort to capture Sumy Ris was destined to end in disaster. She just hoped the Destroyer was wrong about her own Path in Life and that she wouldn't survive. She had already seen too much and had no desire to have yet more atrocities added to her collection of memories. However, she suspected any release from her grim life was not to be. Her most recent encounter with the Destroyer was always present in her thoughts as she listened to her fellow nymphs talk about the upcoming campaign. At times she saw them as ghosts: already it seemed the separation of their souls from their bodies was closing in on them. Especially at night, as the nymphs sat around the fire, Danka imagined each of her squad-mates holding her mirror. I wish I could hold up my mirror instead of them. It is my Path is Life to witness their fates and that is not what I desire. I want to be blissfully dead and buried before the souls of the others separate from their bodies. I don't want to have to deal with their deaths. I don't want to have to bury them. She thought about the two people she most cared about, her husband and her former servant. If the expedition was indeed to end in disaster, there wasn't much she could do to preserve the life of Ilmátarkt. He had to travel with the commander and that was the end of it. However, Danka was able to come up with an excuse to prevent Isauria from leaving the Duchy. The wife of the village elder who had the baby the previous year was pregnant again and about to deliver. The elder was angry that none of the unit's doctors could stay behind to help out. To placate him, and to make sure Isauria stayed in a safe location, Danka assigned her to help with the delivery. Dalibora, convinced the apprentice was still too young to accompany the nymphs on a full-scale military campaign, agreed to order her to remain in the village instead of marching south. The Girl with No Name Ch. 26 Chapter Twenty-Six -- The Witness The Defenders crossed into the Lord of the Blue Moon's territory the day before Good Friday, 1758. The force consisted of 2600 mounted raiders, musketeers, nymphs, and even several cannons. Additionally, there were wagon trains bringing along enough supplies to travel as far as a crossroads south of Malénkta-Gordnáckta. The Grand Duke promised to dispatch additional supplies from the border town, but the help would not include any regular troops. Danka realized the Sovereign would help the Defenders in case they did, by some miracle, have a chance of taking Sumy Ris, but secretly he did not expect them to win. On the southern shore of the river that formed the border between the Duchy and the Kingdom, the Defenders celebrated Easter. The dispirited local populace watched from a distance as the Danubians burned four screaming captured priests and their women danced naked around the huge bonfire. The invaders spent the next day passing out loaves of bread and dried river fish to hundreds of starving bystanders, feeding them to mock the story out of the Christian New Testament. An officer who spoke the Kingdom of the Moon's language shouted: "The Roman God and his executed son cannot feed you, so it was our Path in Life to give you this meal! Remember, in your prayers, who fed you and who did not!" The Defenders' journey to their first objective, the crossroads south of Malénkta-Gordnáckta, proved more difficult than the easy ride-through the previous summer. The Lord of the Blue Moon's army had partially recovered from the previous year's defeats and was strong enough to engage the Danubians. There were a series of small battles as the Danubians worked their way westward, which resulted in 50 killed and 120 injured. The musketeers and archers were not as affected by injuries as were the cavalrymen. Ominously, the Defenders already had lost a third of their best horsemen even before reaching the rendezvous point. The cannons were not as useful as the commander had anticipated because they took too long to set up. The sling bombs were not being deployed because the commander wanted to hold on to that secret for the final assault on Sumy Ris. The Defenders were enormously relieved to see the Grand Duke's supply expedition, after having spent nearly two weeks fighting skirmish after skirmish. The Defenders' commander ordered all of the wounded to return north with the Grand Duke's army. After the regular soldiers departed, the invaders rested a day before continuing westward to their objective. Their morale greatly improved when the harassing attacks from the Lord of the Blue Moon's troops became less frequent. They passed through countryside that was completely depopulated and vacant, the contested zone that had been repeatedly devastated by war and invasions over the past four years. The Lord of the Blue Moon's troops fell back, but not because the Defenders were too strong for them. The eastern enemy would shadow the Danubians to see what happened when they entered the Lord of the Red Moon's territory. Meanwhile, they would wait for supplies and re-enforcements. The Lord of the Blue Moon had learned from his past reckless mistakes and actually had a sound strategy regarding the Danubian invasion. He would wait to see if there was a major battle between the Danubians and the rival faction, then, assuming the victorious army was severely weakened, would attack the winners with his forces intact. The Lord of the Red Moon had decided on the same strategy. He would allow the Danubians to advance, see if the Blue Moon column attacked them, then order his men to assault whoever remained alive. So, the Defenders continued their advance towards Sumy Ris, aware of the two armies following them but mistakenly assuming neither was strong enough to launch an attack. ---------- On May 11th, the Defenders approached a town called Aksheriri Ris. The location was significant because it was inside the Lord of the Red Moon's territory and was only a day's journey east of the former Danubian capitol. In fact, from its hilltop it was possible to see the upper part of the watchtower overlooking Sumy Ris. Commander Sáupeckt knew that he had to capture Aksheriri Ris before proceeding to his main objective, to use it as a base of operations if at all possible. Aksheriri Ris was not very large, but its location was much more defensible than the flat farmland surrounding Sumy Ris. It sat on top of a hill and was partially surrounded by a small river that had cut a row of steep cliffs to the south and the west, so it could only be approached from the east or north. The town was much newer than Sumy Ris. During Danubian times it had been the site of a large seminary, but after 1502 the Ottomans tore down the seminary and used the location as a defensible place to store trading goods. There were some solidly-built warehouses around a market, along with a central plaza and a large mosque that was demolished after the Kingdom of the Moon became independent from the Ottoman Empire. The most important structure (apart from the ruined mosque) was an Ottoman-built garrison building, on the far northwest side of the town. At one time the place must have been attractive, but in 1758 Aksheriri Ris was not in good condition. The town already was damaged from the war of independence and also from a raid the previous year by the Kingdom's rival faction. Only about half of the houses were occupied and the remaining inhabitants had partially dismantled the others for building supplies. The city had a wall facing the northern and eastern approaches, but the wall had collapsed in several places, leaving large gaps through which an enemy could easily enter. The Lord of the Red Moon's army had dug some trenches and built cannon emplacements over the past winter, but in May of 1758 there were not enough men to guard them. There were three guarded gates, to the east, northeast, and north that the residents still used out of habit, but there were plenty of other gaps where a person could freely walk into or out of the town. Aksheriri Ris had a garrison of several hundred troops from the Red Moon army and about half of the civilian population was still living there. The place definitely was not abandoned and would have to be taken by force. When he saw the garrison, Commander Sáupeckt suddenly realized how precarious his situation had become because the Danubians would not be able to take Aksheriri Ris without suffering significant losses. They would not be at full strength to assault Sumy Ris and there were two enemy armies of unknown size lurking nearby. Ilmátarkt commented to Danka that he had sat in on some of the commander's planning sessions and the other officers seemed very aware that capturing and holding onto Sumy Ris with 2500 troops was unrealistic, especially if the Danubians felt it was necessary to hold onto a second town and split their forces. Under the circumstances the Defenders would have been better off bypassing Aksheriri Ris and trying to flee northward towards the Duchy. However, doing so would have entailed battling in the open with the forces of the Lord of the Red Moon and there was no guarantee the Danubians could hold off a sustained attack. Also, the majority of the Defenders were not yet aware how precarious their situation had become, but they would find out soon enough if they had to withdraw under constant assaults. There was another reason the commander decided not to retreat. During the previous summer he had defeated a force ten times the size of his own with his secret weapon: the sling-bombs. The Kingdom of the Moon factions would face a horrible surprise the first time he deployed them. If he chose the right moment and the Defenders killed enough of the enemy, it was possible the superior numbers of the enemy troops would not matter. Commander Sáupeckt decided a withdrawal was too risky and that if events went his way, it still might be possible to capture Sumy Ris. It would be better to occupy Aksheriri Ris, claim a victory, send word to the Grand Duke that the Defenders had captured a strategic town, and hope the Royal Army would enter the Kingdom to assist with the assault against Sumy Ris. Ilmátarkt and Danka knew that Commander Sáupeckt was too caught up is his own fantasies to realize the Grand Duke would fully understand what really was going on: that the Defenders were cornered and faced imminent defeat. ---------- The assault on the town went as well as could be expected under the circumstances. The cannon crews finally proved their usefulness by dueling with the garrison's cannons and providing cover for the musketeers rushing through the gaps in the wall to enter the town. The Danubians swept into the unmanned trenches and used them for concealment and cover as they advanced on the town. The trenches were deep enough for the Danubian cannon crews to haul in their guns and direct them against the Red Moon troops at very short range. The townsfolk watched in dismay as fortifications they had worked on all winter ended up aiding the Danubians instead of the town's garrison, by allowing the enemy to easily bypass the outer defenses. With minimal opposition, the Danubians emerged from the trenches and charged through the walls. Danubian musketeers attacked the poorly-organized locals, driving them back while archers entered the houses and took over the upper floors. Families of terrified civilians added to the confusion and greatly complicated the operation. The Danubians needed to clear out the local population, but did not want to do so by killing them. (The relative goodwill was not just because the Danubians were not accustomed to killing non-combatants: showing mercy towards the locals also would mean having to deal with far fewer rotting bodies once the town was under Danubian control.) When they took over the eastern gate, the militia ordered the nymphs to start chasing the town's non-combatants towards that exit. Amazed that they weren't being targeted for killing, thousands of panicky civilians rushed out, directed by strange half-naked women screaming in a foreign language and pointing crossbows at them. Meanwhile, the city's garrison fought bravely, but they were badly outnumbered. The two remaining gates fell, followed by the warehouses. The militia turned the cannons around and used them against the Ottoman garrison building. When the building collapsed and the Danubians killed off the remaining enemy troops, the fighting ended. After a full day of chaotic and brutal combat, Aksheriri Ris came under Danubian control, for the first time in 250 years. The Defenders had taken the town and could set up defensive positions, but it was clear to everyone they were in deep trouble. A fourth of the attackers had been killed or injured, which reduced the number of troops available for combat to 1700. Like their predecessors, they did not have enough men to guard the outer trenches and there was no reason a new group of assailants couldn't use them exactly in the same way the Danubians had used them. So, Commander Sáupeckt ordered the unfortunate civilians who had not managed to evacuate to go outside and fill in holes they had spent all winter digging. Filling in the trenches would clear the field of vision and ensure no one could approach by using them as cover. Dalibora watched the operation with dismay. "We need to be using those defenses, not covering them up." The medical staff set up an infirmary in one of the storehouses and spent the next several days operating on dozens of seriously injured patients. The medical team, in spite of being well-prepared, used up all their supplies. Horrid memories of the wounded from the battles of 1754 entered Danka's thoughts as she worked on dozens of equally hideous injuries in Aksheriri Ris. The mortality rate in the infirmary was very high, because Danka and one of the doctors quietly poisoned any patient they thought would not recover. At the end of the second day in the captured town, the commander of the squad in charge of the sling-bombs moved his entire stock into a small storeroom inside the infirmary building. His reasoning was that the infirmary was the most defensible building now that the Ottoman garrison fort was ruined and the most likely place the Defenders would make their last stand. The doctors normally would have been very nervous about having high-explosives kept among their patients, but it was true that, because the patients could not easily move, it made sense to keep the most important means of defense in the same location. Danka and her husband looked at the stacked boxes of sling-bombs, to make sure they were secured and none would fall and set off the others. At that moment the couple realized a horrible fact. The only reason the Defenders were attempting to capture Sumy Ris was because Commander Sáupeckt had taken control of the militia and was using it to pursue his own dream instead of protecting the Duchy. The only reason he had taken control over the entire militia was because his unit won an impressive battle the previous summer. The only reason he won that battle was because of the bomb-formula provided by Danka and the design improvement provided by her husband. Danka looked back at the room full of mutilated patients. "This is our doing, yours and mine. We'll have a lot to answer for when we hold up our mirrors." Ilmátarkt thought about arguing that only the commander was to blame, but he knew his wife was right. What could he say? They were trying to do the right thing, just trying to help the militia win its battles. How badly their efforts had failed. "There's a saying... from the True Believers. 'The path to the Domain of Beelzebub is paved with the cobblestones of the kind actions of the righteous.' I guess the Destroyer understood that." It was frightening to hear Ilmátarkt talk like that. He had always been so confident everything had a reasonable explanation and the deities were just the result of wishful thinking. That confidence in his own intellect and his unusual beliefs seemed to have vanished. ---------- While Danka spent her time with the medical staff, events outside were moving quickly. Commander Sáupeckt sent out messengers with the cheery news that Aksheriri Ris was firmly under Danubian control and that the Defenders were fully ready to assist the Royal Army in an assault against Sumy Ris. In other words, the hidden meaning of the message was that the militia did not have the strength to take Sumy Ris by themselves and would need back-up. Historical records from the period indicate the Grand Duke was extremely irritated at the situation and at himself for allowing it to happen. Nevertheless, he did lead an expeditionary force to help the militia. Its purpose would not be to do anything about Sumy Ris, but instead to rescue as many Defenders as possible. The sovereign understood that to do nothing while loyal militia fighters were defeated and slaughtered would make him lose honor among his subjects. However, as soon as everyone returned to the Duchy, the Grand Duke would make the Defenders pay for their folly by disarming and disbanding their units. Meanwhile, the Lord of the Red Moon decided that allowing the Danubians to continue their occupation of Aksheriri Ris was intolerable. Yes, it would be possible to simply wait and starve them out, but the Lord of the Red Moon was not the type of leader who was willing to wait more than a few weeks. He decided to order his army forward and launch an assault to re-take the town. By the beginning of June he was able to gather 6000 troops for the assault, which was more than three times the number the Danubians had to defend themselves. However, 6000 Red Moon troops in 1758 were not the same impressive fighting force 6000 Red Moon troops would have been in 1754. The Red Moon Army was ragged and disorganized, having lost most of their best troops and officers years before. When the Red Moon Army pushed forward, they ran into many problems, including getting stuck in the loose dirt of the freshly filled trenches. Still, it appeared they would overwhelm the Defenders by sheer numbers. When the Red Moon troops recaptured the northeast gate, Commander Sáupeckt realized he could not wait any longer to use his secret weapon, the sling bombs. The Danubians hurled the explosives at the assailants and killed enough of them to force a chaotic retreat. The gate was back under Danubian control, but the Red Moon Army was not defeated and now they knew the Danubians' secret. The Red Moon commanders also knew how to defeat that secret, by firing volleys at anyone using a sling or carrying a small wooden box. When their musketeers finally managed to shoot one of the Danubian bomb-throwers, he fell off a rooftop and the explosion from the bomb he was about to throw and extra one he was carrying destroyed the gate along with two cannons and killed dozens of Defenders. As soon as the smoke cleared enough to see what they were doing, the enemy troops surged past the wreckage and entered the town. Dalibora showed up at the infirmary to order Danka to join the rest of the squad in the defense of the town center. Danka reluctantly left her husband, suspecting it would be the last time she would ever see him. She wanted to kiss him goodbye, but Dalibora was yelling at her to move out. The nymphs moved about the upper floors of buildings and houses as they hunted and engaged enemy troops who were fighting to get into the city. The women had to expose themselves to enemy fire whenever they tried to jump from one rooftop to the next, but were greatly assisted by smoke from muskets and burning houses, which provided concealment. However, needing to avoid the numerous thatched roofs of shoddily-repaired buildings and avoiding slippery tiles of many others horribly complicated their efforts to move about quickly. The archers aimed at their targets in the streets below and the enemy musket-men fired back, every so often hitting a nymph and sending her tumbling onto the ground. Within an hour both Dalibora and Oana had lost half their squad-members. The Defenders fell back. Already half of the town was back under the control of the Lord of the Red Moon's troops and they were setting up to re-capture some of the larger buildings in the town center. The next large round of shooting, however, came from the east, outside the town. The attention of the Red Moon soldiers suddenly shifted to counter a cavalry charge by the rival Blue Moon soldiers as they attacked and raided the cannon crews of the Lord of the Red Moon's men. The assault was a daring one, meant to silence the Red Moon cannons so the Army of the Lord of the Blue Moon could advance unimpeded towards the town. The civil war reignited as the Red Moon soldiers withdrew from their more advanced positions in town to counter the approaching threat from outside. It turned out the Lord of the Blue Moon's commanders had decided to advance towards the city, but the rival faction had moved in prematurely, because the Danubians had not yet been defeated. The Defenders took advantage of the dubious respite to consolidate their positions around the mayor's residence and the town's armory while the Kingdom's soldiers fought each other. However, some of the Defenders were not able to withdraw and had to fight in place until they were killed. The night that followed was the most nightmarish of Danka's life, a night in which she saw the Destroyer exercise total control over human beings. There was a chaotic three-way battle between the Danubians, the Red Moon faction, and the Blue Moon faction. Inside Aksheriri Ris, most of the fighting was between the Danubians and troops from the Red Moon Army. Outside, along the slope leading away from the town, the fighting was mostly between and between Red Moon soldiers and the Blue Moon soldiers. The only light was from explosions and burning buildings, so as the night wore on the fighting consisted of increasingly chaotic clashes between squad-sized units battling enemies they could barely see. The Girl with No Name Ch. 26 The Red Moon faction consolidated its control of the east gate and its cannons. As soon as the unit's commanders could bring up some cannon crews, the guns fired into the area still held by the Danubians. There were several explosions around the government area of the town. Then Danka saw the infirmary blow up. A cannonball or shell must have hit the room where the sling-bombs were being kept and set them off. Following a massive explosion that sent debris raining over the surrounding area, the building completely collapsed into burning wreckage. If Ilmátarkt was still in there (which was extremely likely) she had just become a widow. Before Danka had time to mourn her husband, Dalibora's calf was shattered by a musket-ball and she tumbled to a balcony before falling to the street. Danka and the remaining nymphs had to go down and rescue her, because it was obvious she was still alive and must not be captured. When the women got to her, she was bleeding profusely and it was obvious her leg was badly hurt. Danka tore off her own skirt and ripped it into strips to make a tourniquet. The surviving nymphs, joined by a squad of Danubian musket-men, covered Danka and another squad member as they dragged Dalibora towards a stone house. They laid her on the floor and Danka more closely examined the wound. The bone was shattered. There was no question the leg would have to be amputated, but Danka did not have access to surgery equipment. All she had was a pouch of morphine and some other medicines to sedate injured patients. Oana showed up, dragging in a member of her squad who had been shot in the chest. Danka cursed herself, because in the past she had successfully operated on a similar injury, but at that moment she did not have the equipment. Without surgery was not likely the second patient would survive very long. Danka's only option was to sedate her and try to control the bleeding. The noise of battle continued outside, but Danka was out of the fight. Her quiver was empty and somehow her crossbow had broken. Even if she had crossbow bolts, she wouldn't have been able to use them. She was naked, having given up her skirt to make the tourniquet for Dalibora. Her husband was most likely dead. Her squad leader would never walk again, even assuming she could be operated on before her wound festered. She was in a wrecked stone house with two dying patients she could not treat, in a ruined town deep inside enemy territory. For a while nothing happened. She peered outside and saw no living soldiers, but there were several dead men from the Red Moon faction lying on the street. Danka's heart jumped into her throat. Red Moon soldiers had been fighting right outside the house. Had they taken the city? The noise of battle had subsided, but by dawn break it increased again. From what Danka was able to hear from her location, it seemed the fighting from the east had died down and the new fighting was to the north, and perhaps not even in the city. Then the firing from the east picked up again. Oana suddenly banged on the door and called out to Danka to let her in. She dragged in another nymph who had a serious head injury. A quick look at the new patient told Danka she was mortally wounded. Dalibora weakly asked what was going on. Oana paused for a moment, as though she were trying to decide whether to tell the truth or a lie. Finally she responded: "Nothing's going on. The Red Moons are still in the outer part of the city, but we've pushed them back somewhat." Oana turned to Danka. "Make sure you keep this door barred and don't go out. No matter what you hear or think you're hearing, do not open this door and don't go out. I'll come back when it's safer." "Can you at least get me a weapon? I don't have any bolts and my crossbow is broken." "That's your fault. And no, I don't carry around extra weapons to pass out to dishonored careless fools. Now bar the door and don't go outside until I come back." The battle sounds continued for a while. Danka thought she could hear "DOC-DOC DANUBE! ... DOC-DOC DANUBE! ... DOC-DOC DANUBE! ..." in the distance, but figured it must have been her imagination. The shooting from the north stopped, but there seemed to be a lot of shouting and movement outside. Then that stopped as well. There was more shooting from the direction of the wrecked garrison building and muffled screaming. There was a long period of relative silence, occasionally interrupted by a shot or a scream. Later, in the afternoon, there was another round of shooting near the warehouses and marketplace. Several squads of cavalrymen rode by the house. Later, a group of foreigners stopped outside the door and chatted for a bit before moving away. Danka felt sick. The Red Moon army must have retaken Aksheriri Ris. She looked around the house for women's clothing, but there was nothing. Whatever clothing the owners had they would have taken with them when they evacuated. She noted a ladder going up to a loft, and another leading to a hatch door in the roof. Maybe she could go up to the roof and observe what was happening in the town. The house was close to the highest point on the hill and its roof stood above the rooftops of the nearby houses, so she had a panoramic view of both the city and the countryside beyond. When she looked to the north, in the distance she saw a large column of troops headed in the direction of the Duchy. She then heard series of horrific screams and some cruel laughter. She looked towards the mayor's residence and saw that the banner flying over the building was from the Blue Moon faction, not the Red Moon faction. Apparently the Lord of the Blue Moon had taken control of the city. She looked again at the retreating column. Were they Danubian? Was it possible the Grand Duke's regular army did show up to evacuate the surviving Defenders? That would have explained the "DOC-DOC DANUBE! ... DOC-DOC DANUBE! ... DOC-DOC DANUBE! ..." she had heard earlier. But then...why would Oana not have returned to tell her and the others to leave with everyone else? Was it possible that Oana was killed? Or was it possible that she knew about the evacuation? Danka's mind went over the last conversation with her. She seemed to be hiding something. She had repeatedly told Danka not to look outside until she came back. The horrible thought came into her consciousness that Oana had deliberately left her and Dalibora behind, but why would she do that? Dalibora weakly called out to her. Danka descended the ladder. Dalibora was conscious and in a lot of pain. Danka administered some morphine and the squad leader asked what was going on. As best she could, Danka described what she saw from the rooftop. The squad leader agreed there must have been an evacuation, that Oana knew about it, and out of pure spite, did not tell the rescuers about Danka and her three patients. "Remember... Oana has the Destroyer in her soul. I'm not surprised. Not at all. She hated both of us and blamed us for her squad being taken away last year. She wanted revenge, and now she got it." "But...she'd hate us that much... to leave us to be impaled?" "She hates us that much, Defender Danka. She hates us that much." "So what do we do?" Dalibora thought for a moment before responding. She weakly sat up to look at her leg. "You know... I'm still your commanding officer." "Yes." "You are sworn to obey me." "Yes, I'm sworn to obey you." "Then I am ordering to you poison me. And I'm ordering you to poison the others. I don't what to be in the Realm of the Living when the foreigners break down that door. As soon as my soul separates from my body, you will escape. Somehow you will sneak out of this cursed town and somehow you will return to the Duchy. When you return, you will find Oana. Those are my last orders." "But..." "I am ordering you to poison me. I am ordering you to separate my soul from my body. What part of that don't you understand?" Danka prepared a fatal dose of sedative. There was a barrel of rainwater and a cracked cup with which she could administer it. She held Dalibora's hand while holding the cup to her mouth. It took about a minute for Dalibora's eyes to roll up slightly and her grip to loosen. Danka administered another dose to the woman with the chest wound. She looked at the woman with the head injury. She was unconscious and it was clear she was dying, so Danka did not bother trying to poison her. She glanced again at her dead squad leader. A loud bang on the door made her jump. She heard shouting in the Kingdom's language and another bang. Dropping her medicine pouch, she rushed up the ladder and pushed open the hatch, just as the main door crashed open. A squad of Blue Moon troops entered the house as Danka exited and moved away from the opening. The course thatch dug into her unprotected skin, but that was the least of her worries. She lay flat as the hatch opened and a man looked both ways to make sure no one was on the roof. Fortunately he did not climb up to check the other side, so Danka stayed hidden. She watched the troops haul out the three corpses and toss them onto the street below. From her vantage point Danka watched the enemy soldiers leave the house. One soldier marked the door with a piece of chalk to indicate the house had been checked and cleared. Danka crept back towards the hatch. If at all possible, she had to get back inside. She would be spotted on the roof as soon as someone happened to glance in her direction. It turned out all the soldiers had indeed left. She decided to stay in the loft in case anyone came back in and wait for nightfall before attempting to escape. She looked at the bloodstains on the floor where her companions had died. She mourned the fact their bodies had been tossed outside, to lie in the street until someone came along and loaded them into a garbage wagon. They would not be given proper burials and would not be given mirrors, so they'd have nothing to hold up before the Creator in the Afterlife. As for her husband, and the other doctors, and all of their patients, not even bodies were left, given the force of the explosion and the fire that had destroyed the infirmary. She wondered how the Creator handled such situations. For the first time, Danka prayed directly to the Destroyer. Very well, you've made me your witness. You've denied my desire to die with my companions. You've taken my husband. Now what? If you want me to escape and bear witness, how am I supposed to do that? Danka waited in silence for a long time. There was no response. She was beyond exhausted, so there was nothing for her to do except sleep and wait for sunset so she could get out of the house. She woke up to a world that was pitch black. It was true the house had no lanterns and was abandoned, but surely there would be some light coming in somewhere. She reached around and to her dismay, couldn't find anything to lay her hands on. She had to be in a void. What this the Realm of the Destroyer? Finally light did enter her imagination. So...the Destroyer had finally returned. Hopefully she'd receive instructions concerning what she needed to do next. But the familiar eyes did not appear. Instead, she saw Babáckt Yaga. Her former mistress's eyes stared deep into her soul. "What have you done?" "I...I don't understand, Alchemist." "What have you done?" "I guess...I guess I survived a battle, Alchemist. Now I need to figure out how to escape and bear witness of what happened here." "To escape? To bear witness? To bear witness for whom? For the Profane One?" "Yes, Alchemist. To bear witness for the Profane One." "And you were foolish enough to think the Profane One would help you..." "I was foolish enough to think that, Alchemist. That's what I was expecting." "The Profane One helps no one. The Profane One will not help you. Serving the Profane One is vanity. Didn't I teach you that?" "Yes, Alchemist." "And you ignored my teachings. You ended up ignoring everything, didn't you?" "Yes, Alchemist." There was a long pause while Babáckt Yaga's eyes bore into Danka. The former Mistress continued: "Do you really think you deserve to escape? Maybe a Blue Moon impalement hook is where you belong?" "I don't know what I deserve, Alchemist." "You don't know what you deserve. Well then... I, not the Destroyer, but I, will give you what you don't deserve. I will guide you to safety. But for you to accept my help, you must obey my instructions." "Yes, Alchemist?" "You are to take nothing with you from this cursed kingdom. You are not to carry anything in your hands, nor wear anything on your body. You will need to take off your boots and leave them behind: they're ruined anyway. When you leave this house, you will see a path ahead of you. It won't be lit up or obvious, but you'll know it's there. You will follow that path and not deviate from it. It will guide you out of Aksheriri Ris, guide you across the war zone, and guide you into the Duchy. The path will lead you to food and will lead you around your enemies. Throughout most of your journey, your enemies will be close-by, but they won't see you if you walk along the path precisely at the moment it shows itself. When the path deviates, you'll know you need to sleep." "That's it, Alchemist? I just need to follow a path?" "It will be hard at times, because often the path will lead you right out into the open, across fields and over hilltops, even though crowded areas. Part of the purpose of your journey will be to test your courage and your faith. But if you stay on the path and traverse it when it indicates, you will remain in the Realm of the Living and you will fulfill your Path in Life. There's one more detail. You must unbraid your hair before you begin your journey. Until you reach safety, your hair must be loose. Braids are a symbol of honor, and right now you have no honor." Fearful that Babáckt Yaga's apparition would disappear, Danka undid her braids and fluffed out her hair. "Now, go to the front door and turn left. Don't crouch or try to hide. Walk with confidence and dignity. Whenever you see the path, keep going." "Alchemist?" "Yes Follower Danka?" "Will I ever see you again?" "No. The Realm of the Afterlife allows me only one visit to the Realm of the Living. I've just used it on you. Now, like everyone else, I will fade and exist only in memory." Babáckt Yaga's image disappeared, allowing Danka to see the dim evening light entering through openings in the dwelling's walls. Not knowing what else to do, she exited the front door and turned left, as instructed. Sure enough, in the darkness she could make out a path, a slightly lighter line of dried mud leading towards the city's eastern gate. She struggled not to crouch or hide, which was very difficult given that she was completely naked in a strange town full of enemies. As she walked, she wondered about her unprotected feet, worried she might step on something sharp or stub her toe. She felt nothing: no rocks, no glass, no metal, no thorns. Wreckage was all around her, but her feet only touched cool smooth dirt. She had numerous close calls as she walked away from the house. A squad of enemy soldiers crossed right in front of her but did not see her. She crossed a street and no sooner had she passed to the other side, a group of enemy cavalrymen galloped past. She walked right past people who had their backs turned, precisely at the moment they would have seen her had they turned around. After each "close call", she became slightly more confident that she really would be able to simply walk away. The gate was wide open, to allow a supply caravan to pass through. The guards were too busy checking letters and talking to the drivers to notice a naked woman passing by the wagons on the other side. The path veered off the main road and crossed a meadow. Shortly before daybreak Danka came up to an abandoned village with a functioning well. She was ravenously thirsty, and the water was some of the best she had ever tasted. She left the village and crossed an orchard. All of the trees had been stripped of their fruit except for one, which had a single branch containing some apples. The wanderer feasted and continued her walk. The path lead her towards a ruined manor. Its fields lay abandoned, but there were some carrots and beets growing wild among the weeds. She came across another well inside a once-luxurious courtyard which, in spite of the destruction all around it, remained intact. Danka drank some more water and kept going. By the end of the day, she had gone so far that Aksheriri Ris was no longer in sight. The Path veered into a ruined house, where most of the roof had collapsed. One room, containing a bed, remained intact. Danka soundly slept, the best night of sleep she had enjoyed for months. When she woke up, she noticed a sealed jar lying next to a wall. She opened it to discover it was full of dried fruit. She ate as much as she could before following the path eastward. The second day was foggy in the morning and rainy in the afternoon. Her feet were covered in mud and her body was covered in water, but getting wet didn't bother her, since she didn't have to worry about her clothing. She could hear the noise from humans all around and see shadowy figures in the distance, but no one came close enough to recognize her as a naked wandering woman. It turned out to be fortunate that she stuffed herself with dried fruit in the morning, because she did not come across anything else to eat until the day had almost ended. As the sun set, she found several wild berry bushes growing next to an abandoned cottage. After eating, the path led her inside, where another bed was waiting. She continued walking towards the east, in a journey that became more dreamlike with every passing day. During the entire journey she was crossing land that was completely unfamiliar. She walked along stream banks, across meadows, over hills that gave her a panoramic view of the landscape, and even though a small forest. She dreamt of what the land must have looked like during more peaceful times. Her imagination raced through the past, letting her see what the region looked like when it still was part of the Danubian Kingdom and referred to as Lower Danubia. She saw abandoned churches, some of which still had Danubian-style architecture. With each physical remnant of the past, she was able to visualize how it must have appeared hundreds of years before. Eight days after escaping from Aksheriri Ris, Danka walked over a grassy hill where a few wild sheep were grazing. Nearby was a derelict manor, and on the other side there was a wrecked peasant village where empty impalement hooks were still hanging on some of the ruined walls. The ground was covered with scattered human bones, which were partially buried, bleached, and very brittle. The people in that spot must have been killed years before, perhaps right at the beginning of the Kingdom's civil war. Without really knowing why, Danka was convinced she was standing in the village where Isauria was born and had spent her childhood. Undoubtedly some of the bones under her feet were from the corpses of Isauria's relatives. If Danka really was in Isauria's village, then Malénkta-Gordnáckta was just a short distance to the northeast. The imaginary path went over a second grassy hill overlooking both the manor and the village before crossing the road and continuing directly east. Danka was enormously relieved the route did not go north, because in her current condition Malénkta-Gordnáckta was absolutely the last place she wanted to go. The day after she passed the road that led to the Duchy's border, the tops of the southern Danubian mountains came into sight, to her left. An yet, she was never tempted to turn north in an effort to shorten her time in the Kingdom of the Moon. By the middle of her journey she had complete confidence in the path. As long as she followed it, she was perfectly safe. She passed to the south of the ruined town she searched with Isauria, but when she reached the crest of a hill, she looked down and could see both the distant ruins and the river bordering the Duchy. She was only vaguely aware of the change, but by the final week of her trip she was walking completely in the open. She was naked and unarmed, but the Ancients were protecting her. The Girl with No Name Ch. 26 When she approached the location where she and Isauria had attacked the loggers, the path finally veered north. It was apparent she would re-enter the Duchy through the abandoned logging camp before proceeding towards the villages. The Ancients had a final test for her before they would allow her to leave the Kingdom of the Moon. She'd have to walk right through the middle of a town, in broad daylight and in plain view of hundreds of foreigners. When they saw a detached naked woman walking through their town, the locals lined up along the road to stare at the strange sight. They talked among themselves, speculating who she was. Was she a spirit? A ghost? Lilith? A refugee who had gone mad? She couldn't be a mortal in her right mind, because she did not react at all to the murmuring crowd. Only one man approached her, wanting to touch her to see if she was at least a real person. As he raised his hand, she turned around and silently glared at him. Frightened, he backed away. The crowd followed Danka as she headed towards the border. They stopped when she passed through a ruined church the locals considered cursed. She crested a final hill and made her way towards the river, which was swollen with mountain runoff. She casually swam across and emerged on Danubian soil. Danka was in no hurry for the trip to end, and it seemed the path accommodated that wish for a few more days. She bathed in cold streams and foraged in the woods, eating berries and mushrooms during the day. At night she slept in the open. She reached the bone-covered meadow where the Defenders had defeated the Red Moon soldiers nearly a year before. Not even a year, but how long ago that seemed, as though it were a different lifetime. Maybe it was. During those final days Danka's view of herself and her way of thinking transformed. In some ways she went back to being who she had been at the very start of her travels. She certainly did not consider herself a nymph fighting for the Defenders' militia. Anyhow, she suspected the Defenders no longer existed. Even if some of them had been rescued by the Royal Army, the Grand Duke would have no reason to allow the defeated militia to continue its operations. The path ended at the largest of the three villages. As she stood in the main plaza, the settlers stared at her, not only because she was naked, but because her hair was loose. She seemed disoriented. The villagers were intimidated to approach her, but even with her disheveled appearance, some of them recognized her. One man remembered Isauria was her apprentice and left to find the girl. A few minutes later Isauria showed up. Like everyone else, she was shocked at her mentor's wild look, but she knew what to do. She led Danka to the bathhouse, bathed her, helped her clean her teeth, and re-braided her hair. Sitting in her bath, Danka returned to her senses as the surreal dreamy feeling of her journey receded. She found it hard to believe that she had just walked for three weeks, naked, through enemy territory without being caught. And yet, it really happened: she wouldn't be sitting in the bath with her former servant washing her hair had the trip been nothing but a dream. As the reality of the Realm of the Living intruded upon her thoughts, the details of those final horrid hours in Aksheriri Ris invaded her soul and completely pushed aside the pleasant bliss she had felt during her trip. She stared at the edge of her tub and muttered: "I'm a widow. I'm a widow, Apprentice Isauria, and a dishonored one at that, because I didn't bury my husband." She explained what happened to Ilmátarkt, how she left him in the infirmary, and how, after Dalibora pulled her away, the entire structure blew up. Not only was her husband killed, but the other doctors were killed, along with dozens of injured patients. They were blown to unrecognizable bits and buried under burning timbers. Isauria surprised Danka with her response, one that seemed to come from a much older person. "You didn't bury your husband because you couldn't; there was nothing to bury. You can't feel guilty about something you had no control over. Your Path in Life was to remain in the Realm of the Living and his Path in Life was destined to end where it did. And since his Path in Life had to end, wasn't it better it ended with a quick explosion than any other way? Doctor Ilmátarkt died the way he would have wanted to die. When his soul separated from his body, he was serving those around him, he was with his crew and the people he cared about. He died instantly, without knowing he was dying. Would you have wanted to see him dying in horrible pain and then have to abandon his body? Would that have been better, Defender Danka?" "No. It wouldn't have been." "I'm saying that because I would give anything for my family to have died the way Doctor Ilmátarkt died. Anything." After a long pause, Danka commented: "Speaking of that, I might have passed through your village, Apprentice Isauria. On my way back." "Was it just west of the crossroads that lead up to Malénkta-Gordnáckta?" "Yes." "And there were sheep pastures, and a manor house, and two grassy hills, and on the other side of one of the hills some stone houses?" "Yes." "That was my village." "I saw what happened there. I guess... looking at it through your perspective... my husband was indeed lucky." Danka and Isauria could think of nothing more to say at the moment, but the bond between them had strengthened. Each had a much deeper understanding of the other. No longer was Danka the "Mistress" for Isauria, no longer was Isauria the "Servant" for Danka. ---------- Danka dressed in a new nymph's skirt and borrowed boots to pay a visit to the village elders. She told them what they already suspected, that the Defenders had been defeated and their expedition had failed. She gave a very short summary of the battle, but commented she would write a detailed report that would provide additional information and could be given to whoever was keeping records of the Defenders' activities. She spent the next three days with Isauria preparing a meticulous account of what happened to the expedition, from the time the militia left their base in the Duchy until the day she escaped. She tried to remember the names and circumstances of everyone she had seen killed or suspected had been killed. The only significant detail she left out was her former squad leader's betrayal. She'd address the situation with Oana herself. She delivered the completed report to the village elder. When one of his assistants expressed skepticism over her claim that she simply walked away, she responded: "You can believe whatever you want to believe. It makes no difference to me. However, I did witness the battle and, I with the protection of the Ancients, I did manage to return. If you check what I've written against what other witnesses will have to say about the battle, you'll see that everything in the report is the truth." The meeting ended and Danka was dismissed. Outside she overheard a couple of settlers talking about a column of Royal Guards who had been spotted in the hills to the west moving towards the villages. From what Danka could hear, the Guards were only a few hours away. Danka realized that if she wanted to retrieve her belongings from the Defenders' base camp in the mountains, she'd have to go there immediately. She took one of the Defenders' mules and departed with Isauria without telling anyone in the village where she was going. Danka and Isauria returned to the base camp for the last time in their lives. There were very few people there, mostly the blacksmith and his assistants and a few workers who remained behind to repair the cabins and prepare them for following winter. The renegade priest was present as well. Danka decided to warn him about the Royal Guards and their pending takeover of the encampment. He called together the small group of Defenders, the paltry remnants of a formerly-impressive militia that had spent years making life miserable for the Kingdom of the Moon's soldiers. Danka summarized the battle and the destruction of the unit. She didn't know whether Commander Sáupeckt was still alive, but suspected he was not. She confirmed the deaths of many others, including the majority of the nymphs. Danka's companions gathered up their belongings and fled the encampment. They didn't know how they would be treated by the Royal Guards, but did not want to take the risk of finding out. The Priest returned to his quarters. He calculated that if the Grand Duke's men were occupied talking to him, it would give the others more time to put distance between themselves and the encampment. Danka entered the cave, lit two lanterns, and went to where she and her husband kept their belongings. She grabbed her bucket, Ilmátarkt's journals and research, and his stash of medicines and alchemy ingredients. She took off the borrowed boots and the nymph's skirt. She no longer was a nymph, so she had no right to wear the skirt. She put on the old boots from her bucket, the ones she had worn when she left Rika Héckt-nemát. When Isauria offered Danka a dress, she shook her head. "I need to perform Public Penance. It's not my Path in Life to get dressed right now." She told the teenager to take off her nymph's skirt and put on her trader's outfit. As the girl was changing, Danka put on her penance collar. She told Isauria to go to the armory and take a new crossbow and as many bolts as she could fit in her quiver. Their roles would be reversed: Danka would carry the supplies and Isauria would carry the weapon. When Isauria re-appeared with her new weapon, Danka took a look at her companion's dark hair. She realized it had grown out enough that it was long enough to braid. That gave Danka an idea, to see if Isauria could receive an official certificate from the Defenders' Priest, because a certificate would give her full social status in the Duchy as an adult woman. Danka and Isauria found the Priest in his study, writing some final entries in a journal. He was shocked to see her wearing a Public Penance collar, but she responded simply by telling him the truth, the collar was a disguise so she could travel safely. She asked about a certificate for Isauria. "Has the girl passed her fifteenth birthday?" "No. I was planning to serve as her guardian until she was old enough to have her hair braided but, as you can see, that'll be impossible. No one will be around to attest she has the right to be a full citizen when she turns fifteen. So, I'm asking you to do that right now. I need her to accompany me, and she needs to travel as an adult, not a child." "As you wish. Braid her hair, and I'll prepare the certificate." Usually the hair-braiding ceremony is a momentous event in a young woman's life, second only to marriage. It is a special time, accompanied by celebration and ceremonies. For Isauria, there would be none of that. Like Danka's marriage, Isauria's hair-braiding would be done out of necessity and in a hurry, without any fanfare or celebration. Danka arranged Isauria's hair, taking her time in an effort to make it look as good as possible. If Isauria couldn't have a ceremony, at least she could have nice braids. When the priest handed her the paper, she became a Danubian citizen. Also, she aged a year, because her date of birth had to be moved back for the document to be valid. The priest asked about documentation concerning Danka's collar. Would she like to have an updated Public Penance certificate? Danka hadn't thought about that, but realized a new certificate would be important. She also realized she had the opportunity to assume a new identity. The priest smiled mischievously. "Excellent, because I have just what you need, a certificate for a woman in Rika Chorna called Vesna Rogúskt. Very fancy and official-looking." "And... what happened to the real Vesna Rogúskt?" "She was the wife of a Defender. Died two years ago in childbirth, just a few days before you showed up. But now he's dead too, and I kept the paper in case someone else needed it. So... it's yours, along with the name." The two women knelt while the Priest issued a final goodbye blessing. They quietly wondered about the wisdom of being blessed by a man who spent his life "honoring" the Destroyer. Seeing the doubt on their faces, the Priest commented: "Everyone seems to misunderstand the Destroyer. The Realm of the Living needs the Destroyer every bit as much as the Realm of the Living needs the Creator. Both of you are farm-girls, correct? Well, every year you plant a seed and give life to a plant. Then, a few months later, you pull the plant out of the ground and take its life away. Then you put in another seed and start another life. The point is, you can't start the second life until the first one has ended. The Destroyer is cruel, because death is cruel. But that does not make the Destroyer evil, any more than pulling plants out of the ground makes a farmer evil. There is a difference between cruel and evil." "So... you're not leaving with everyone else?" "No. I will be executed, undoubtedly, as a heretic and a corrupting influence, but from the beginning I knew that was my Path in Life. I would not have it any other way. And when I hold up my mirror, I will finally have the chance to explain why I did all the things that I did. In the end, I will see the ultimate truth and understand myself. I'm looking forward to that. I'm not scared at all." Minutes later, the women left the encampment, traveling along a trail that would bypass the villages and the likely route of the approaching Royal Guards. Isauria rode on the mule along with their belongings, while Danka (now to be known to the world as Vesna Rogúskt from Rika Chorna) walked ahead leading the animal by the reins. Ironically, Isauria's social status was way above that of her former mentor. Although they were both adults, Vesna was collared and Isauria was not. Had she wanted to, Isauria could have made Vesna kneel whenever they spoke to each other. The path forked, one way going west and the other going east. As much as she would have liked to go east, Vesna knew that she had to return to the western valley. She had to settle Isauria's situation and then find Oana, assuming Oana was still alive. ---------- The same day that Defender Danka departed with Apprentice Isauria and the mule, the Danubian Royal Army took control of the garrison near the villages. The village elder gave Danka's notes to the commander of the Royal Guards. The Royal commander was impressed with the document's descriptive detail and organization of facts and events. It would make a valuable contribution to the Grand Duke's archive about the militia's failed assault on Aksheriri Ris. Knowing that the settlers could not possibly have written such a document, the Guards inquired about the author. The settlers described a nymph, incredibly beautiful, who had sought the Destroyer's protection after the battle so she could return. When the Royal Guards asked where she was, no one could find her. She had disappeared without a trace. The villagers neglected to mention anything about Isauria and the apprentice was completely forgotten. The tragic, bizarre story behind the naked nymph's return from the Defenders' heroic battle became a favorite topic for discussion and speculation throughout the region. The settlers told each other fantastic tales about her escape and exaggerated her physical beauty. The Royal Guards adopted the villagers' stories and came up with some campfire songs to alleviate their boredom in that wretched, isolated garrison. Within a few months there were many versions floating around both sides of the eastern border about the alluring wanderer's adventures. Men imposed their own fantasies on her and some, including the village elder, claimed to have had sex with her. By the following year, no one remembered the vanished nymph as Danka, the wife of Doctor Ilmátarkt and a member of Dalibora's squad. Instead, she became a woman of incredible beauty and mystery, a cursed deliverer of tragedy to the Realm of the Living. ---------- Note01: During the 1970s, a group of revisionist historians more closely examined the relationship between the Grand Duke and Commander Sáupeckt to look for clues indicating whether the Sovereign somehow betrayed the militia leader. Questions asked by the revisionists included: 1) Why did the Grand Duke allow an independent militia to guard the southeastern region in the first place, instead of using Royal Guards? 2) Why did the Grand Duke allow Commander Sáupeckt to assault Sumy Ris, if he was convinced the expedition was likely to fail? Would it not have been better to convince the militia leader to not press forward with the project, or try to replace him with a more cautious leader and thus save lives? 3) Is it possible Commander Sáupeckt could have taken Sumy Ris, if he had direct support from the Crown? 4) How much talent did Commander Sáupeckt really have as a military commander? 5) What were the Grand Duke's personal feelings about Commander Sáupeckt and the Defenders? Let's examine these questions, keeping in mind that communications during the 1750s were unreliable and the Grand Duke did not always have timely and accurate intelligence concerning the situation along the eastern section of the border. 1) Between 1754 and 1764, the Grand Duke's most important priority, far more than anything else, was to permanently secure Hórkustk Ris province and make sure that is was so well protected that neither faction from the rival Kingdom would attempt to invade or launch cross-border raids. Absolutely nothing could be allowed to disrupt the incoming settlers and their new farms, so the Grand Duke stationed every available soldier he could spare to protect the peace of the region. The increased security of Hórkustk Ris province came at the expense of other areas such as the eastern border and the Vice Duchy of Rika Chorna. Given his lack of resources, the Grand Duke was more than happy to allow armed civilians to organize and secure a part of the border his troops could not adequately protect. 2) Our sources indicate that Commander Sáupeckt's rise to power over the Defenders' entire militia caught the the Grand Duke by surprise. Because of poor communications, the Royal House was not aware until the spring of 1758 that the guerrilla units had coalesced around a single leader. He was genuinely concerned when he learned about the plan to assault Sumy Ris, but, because of issues of tradition and protocol, was not in a position to convince Commander Sáupeckt to abort the mission. Instead, he provided information and maps to make sure the militia leader knew that Sumy Ris was indefensible. The Royal Army's intelligence, along with Defender Danka's updated map, did not make the militia leader change his mind, but it did make him change his target: to first capture Aksheriri Ris to later use as a base of operations against Sumy Ris. From what my colleagues and I have seen of contemporary writings and the Grand Duke's memoirs, any deliberate act of deception or betrayal by the Grand Duke over Sumy Ris seems extremely unlikely. The ruler certainly would not have passed up the opportunity to capture the former Danubian capitol, if he were convinced it could be defended without straining the resources of the Royal Army in other parts of the Duchy. When the Grand Duke understood the Defenders' operation was destined to proceed, he provided as much support as he could, short of committing troops. Even if the militia troops were defeated, he wanted them to do as much damage as possible to the Kingdom of the Moon factions and further weaken them as a threat against the Royal Army and Hórkustk Ris province. In addition to providing supplies, during the expedition Royal Guards entered the Kingdom of the Moon on three occasions to evacuate wounded and dead Defenders prior to the final evacuation from Aksheriri Ris. The Girl with No Name Ch. 26 3) Given the Royal Army's experience in 1754, it is certainly possible the capture of Sumy Ris could have been repeated in 1758, but occupying the city and the surrounding region over a prolonged period of time would not have been possible, given the Royal Army's resources at the time. That reality is even more evident today than it was in 1758, because the devastation and depopulation from the civil war in the northern part of the Kingdom of the Moon was much more severe than in the southern part. The Danubians, both the Royal Army and the Defenders, had an inaccurate idea concerning the remaining strength of the two factions, which caused Commander Sáupeckt to badly underestimate the size and strength of the armies shadowing his unit as they moved towards Aksheriri Ris. 4) Commander Sáupeckt's defeat is undoubtedly the favorite classic tale of hubris, tragedy, and partial redemption that seems so well-suited for Danubian story-telling. The fact that he died with a crossbow in his hands while recklessly confronting an entire squad of Red Moon musketeers so the last of his men could scramble over some walls to join the Grand Duke's army assured his place as a hero instead of a villain in Danubian lore. Whatever else he may have been, he was no coward, although I suspect he used the enemy squad to commit suicide. But tragedy aside, was Commander Sáupeckt a good military leader? He was, but for company-sized tactical operations, not long-term strategic operations. His rise to power within the militia was the direct result of a single battle, which in turn was the result of the secret sling-bombs supplied to him by Defender Danka. In other words, had Danka not provided the bomb design to her commander, he would not have had the prestige to take control of the Defenders, and the ill-fated campaign against Sumy Ris would not have happened. 5) The Grand Duke viewed Commander Sáupeckt no differently than he viewed any other subject with charisma and talent, by asking: how can this person be useful to me? If the militia leader had a realistic chance of taking Sumy Ris, the Grand Duke would have been happy to let him claim most of the glory of victory, knowing that he would eventually consolidate control over the new territory through patience, co-opting of supporters, and cunning. - Maritza Ortskt-Dukovna - Note02: The Army of the Blue Moon defeated the rival faction, seized control of Aksheriri Ris, and held it from June 1758 through October of the same year. During those months Blue Moon troops launched raids against Sumy Ris and other previously safe towns within the Lord of the Red Moon's traditional area of control. The Lord of the Red Moon's men eventually retook the city, but lost control of it again at the beginning of 1759. The location changed hands a total of six times during the final phase of the Kingdom of the Moon's civil war and by 1764 not a single structure remained standing. The Ottoman Sultan ordered a mosque built on the hilltop in 1770, but that building was destroyed exactly a century later when the former Kingdom of the Moon's territory became an Austrian protectorate. After World War II a French casino developer purchased the entire hill, demolished all remaining ruins and archeological sites, and built the Emerald City resort, which continues to occupy the site today. - Maritza Ortskt-Dukovna - The Girl with No Name Ch. 27 Chapter Twenty-Seven -- Three Familiar Faces Danka and Isauria spent several days traveling northwest through the forest along paths that were barely visible to anyone not accustomed to navigating the backcountry. Danka walked in front of the mule while Isauria held her new crossbow and watched for potential trouble. Danka enjoyed those days of walking, of exploring the forest while not having to carry anything, of feeling the cool breezes blowing against her exposed body. She was able to clear her mind and enjoy the moment, knowing that troubles and responsibilities would catch up with her soon enough. But for now, to just casually walk through the forest, with her belongings on the mule and her former servant watching over her with her crossbow, that was enough for Danka to momentarily feel at peace with the Realm of the Living. The travelers were silent when they were moving, but chatted about many things when they were resting. Danka continued with Isauria's education, teaching her about rock formations and explaining how flowing streams had shaped the land they were passing through. They exchanged stories about their lives in Malénkta-Gordnáckta and their troubled relationships with the family of Alexándrekt Buláshckt. Danka later talked about the towns and villages in the western valley she had seen when she was a member of the Followers of the Ancients. When Danka described Sebérnekt Ris and the university, Isauria seemed especially interested. The more Danka told her companion about her experiences there, the more the girl wanted to see the city herself. Every detail fascinated her, the waterfall, the cliffs full of Royal Guards and cannons, the hills, the strange foreign country to the north, and especially the details of student life. Danka found Isauria's interest in the university surprising, because she was not an intellectual. She seemed much more suited for running around with a sword or a crossbow than sitting at a desk with a quill in her hand. But, maybe there was a hidden side of Isauria, because the teenager kept asking questions and returning to the topic of Danka's university time. "I'd like to do that... I mean, what you did when you came back from the Kingdom. You wrote all about the war in Aksheriri Ris. Because of that, people won't forget. They'll always know who was there, and what happened. You told everyone's story with your report. I think that's really wonderful. Because... there wasn't anyone to tell the story of my village. The Lord of the Blue Moon's men came in, they killed most of us, and then they left. Now no one remembers and no one cares. You saw it for yourself when you went through, didn't you?" "It was abandoned. You're right about that." There was a long pause. Then Isauria asked: "When you were there, at the university, did you see any foreigners?" "Oh yes. Many foreigners. Including people from the Kingdom of the Moon." "Do you think the university would accept someone like me?" "I have no idea, Isauria. No idea at all if they'd take you. I think they would if you had a recommendation from a Priest or a town elder, and if you could show up with writing samples, maybe give them an idea of what kinds of research you'd be able to do and what topics interest you." Danka thought about the thick packets of parchment in her bucket, all those heavy papers that made it unpleasant to carry. They had a lot of information that perhaps would be useful to future generations, so there was no way Danka could part with all that work. All that writing and research... she didn't have time to develop it, but she'd gladly turn it over to someone who could appreciate it, who'd work with it and could put it into a publishable format and share it with others... She caught her breath... Isauria... why not give the papers to Isauria and enroll her in the university? She could spend the next four years of her life working with all that material and adding it to the university's historical archives. Yes... that was a solution to two problems. Isauria wouldn't have to come up with any research topics: she had everything she needed in those packages. Being from the Kingdom of the Moon, she could look at the wars of 1754 and 1758 from a unique perspective. She didn't want to make any promises to the teenager about the university, but there wasn't any reason they couldn't at least go there and look at the town. "Then we have a place to go. I need to return to the capitol anyway. Sebérnekt Ris is just to the north and I can give you the chance to see it." ---------- Their path led well to the north of the three villages and the now-empty garrison. Danka had hoped to find a trail that would lead back in the direction of Hórkustk Ris province, but it turned out there was no such path. Instead, a mountain loomed ahead and the trail veered to the right, which meant Danka and Isauria were heading almost straight north. Danka recognized the mountain, because it also was visible from Starívktaki Móskt, the town where Danka had spent her first year away from home living in the Old Believers' seminary. Danka looked towards their destination with anxiety: she did not want to return to Starívktaki Móskt and risk running into the High Priest or anyone else associated with the Temple. As the women descended the foothills, sure enough, there it was, Starívktaki Móskt. Fortunately there was a fork in the trail that veered to the right and would emerge into open farmland to the north of the old provincial town, which meant that Danka and Isauria could bypass it. Isauria was clearly disappointed about not having the chance to see Starívktaki Móskt, because from a distance it looked like a really nice place. Danka responded: "I'm a fugitive in that city. I'm sure they'd welcome me back, but only so they could put five arrows into my chest." They emerged near the Rika Chorna river and took a ferry across. They passed the road going northeast towards the Vice Duchy of Rika Chorna, went over a low hill, and emerged onto the main road going north to Sevérckt nad Gorádki. Danka felt a lot of personal pain as she entered the familiar stretch of countryside, thinking about her trip with Bagatúrckt seven years before and how she was so naively in love with him. The women traveled along the main road until sunset, making a very strange sight. Danka was still naked and wearing her penance collar, as she walked accompanied by a very young-looking maiden with black hair, wearing a trader's outfit, and sitting with a crossbow on top of an over-loaded mule. Isauria's wide eyes took in all the sights, because now she was in the western valley, the very heart of the Grand Duchy of Upper Danubia. Danka thought about the best route to take towards Sebérnekt Ris. There were two options: go directly northwest between the towns of Nagorónkti-Serífkti and Dagurúckt-Tók (avoiding going into both places if at all possible), or go first to Sevérckt nad Gorádki and try to use the old forest trail built by the Followers of the Ancients. Sevérckt nad Gorádki had an advantage and a disadvantage: her former lover Káloyankt. There was no question he would help Isauria, but did Danka really want to see him again? What would she tell him about her life since she last saw him? How would she feel, looking at his elegant wife, knowing he'd probably leave her in a heartbeat if she gave him any indication she loved him? She could face enemies with a crossbow, but was she strong enough to face a man she mistreated? No. She was not strong enough to do that, not even for Isauria. She couldn't return to Sevérckt nad Gorádki. She'd have to take the diagonal route across the farming country of the western valley. It was getting dark, so the travelers had to stop for the night. Setting up a campfire and sleeping in the forest was no longer an option. They'd have to find a Church and Danka would have to use her status as a Public Penitent to request safe lodging. Fortunately there was a small town called Gordnáckt Suyástenckt just a short distance to the west of the main road. They entered the town, approached the Church, and Danka looked for a Priest or Priestess. Following protocol, she knelt and stretched her hands on the ground in front of her while the attendant summoned the ordained Clergy members. It was very strange for Isauria to see her former mentor in that position, kneeling with her hands on the ground, her legs spread, and her back arched to expose herself in absolute humility. Well, it was what she had to do. Danka and Isauria needed a place to sleep and a decent meal, which meant following Church protocol. Danka whispered to Isauria that she needed to kneel as well, but to remain upright and not to put her hands on the ground or spread her knees. The Priestess came out and told the penitent to kneel upright. When Danka looked into the face of the Clergywoman, she felt her heart stop, because she was looking into the face of her former mentor from the Seminary, the student who first taught her how to read and exposed her mind to the world of education. As a Priestess, the woman had aged, but very clearly she was Danka's old mentor, with the same haughty expression and strict demeanor she had eight years before. "You look very young, Penitent. Obviously the passage of time has been kinder to you than it's been to me." "Thank you, Priestess." The Priestess ordered Isauria to stand up, take the mule to a nearby stable and unsaddle him, the to report to the Church bath house so she could clean up for the evening meal and prayers. That left Danka alone with the Priestess. Danka's knees quivered, because had she known her old mentor was the Priestess of Gordnáckt Suyástenckt, there was no way she would have wanted to stop there. The Priestess took her visitor into the study that she shared with her husband and shut the door. Danka, not knowing what else to do, assumed the kneeling position. "Stand up, Penitent. Stand up and face me." When Danka stood up, the Priestess continued: "I prayed that I'd have this moment. I prayed for seven years I'd have you standing in front of me. The Creator answered my prayer by delivering you into my hands, so you can answer my question." "What question is that, Priestess?" "As though you wouldn't know? What do you think my question would be? I want to know how you defeated the High Priest's son. How did you manage to kill him?" "I didn't kill him, Priestess. The Destroyer killed him. I was with him, however, and I did see what happened." Danka spent the next hour describing in detail how Bagatúrckt took her into "the Graveyard of Virtue", how the house servant comforted her afterwards and gave her advice, the ill-fated trip into the forest to hunt for "the Joy of the Ancients", and finally how Bagatúrckt ended up hanging on a branch. She also explained how it was Babáckt Yaga who drove a stake in the back of the corpse and put out the sign. She concluded with: "I wish I had more to do with his death, because I hated him as much as you did, and for the same reason. But no, I was just a bystander. A mere witness." "That is the strangest story I've ever heard. People in Starívktaki Móskt have made up plenty of weird stories about you and what happened to Bagatúrckt, but no one ever came up with anything as bizarre as that." The Priestess smiled, the first time Danka had ever seen her smile. "Well, I can say hearing all that was worth the seven-year wait." "So... I was right to stay away from Starívktaki Móskt?" "Oh, very much so. You're quite the villain at the Seminary. I have the vicious seducer and cruel murderer of poor dear pious Bagatúrckt, the son of the High Priest, standing right in front of me. You're still wanted. The new High Priest keeps a couple of old fugitive posters inside the Temple, just in case anyone happens to see you. If I wanted to turn you in, I'd probably receive a promotion and most certainly a blessing from the entire Temple." The Priestess smiled again. "Not that my turning you in is likely to happen." The Priestess interrupted the conversation so they could join the rest of the Church staff and penitents for dinner at a dining hall owned by the town's most wealthy landlord. Danka and Isauria saw the Priestess's husband sitting at the head of the table. He seemed shocked to see her, but his wife silenced him by quickly drawing her fist across her chest to warn him not to say anything until she had a chance to explain to him what was going on with their fugitive guest. At dinner Danka could see why the Priestess had aged: she had three children. Also seated at the table were three penitents and an apprentice. Danka cleaned up in the bath house and made sure Isauria was settled in bed before seeking out the Priestess. Just a few hours before, she would have done anything possible to avoid seeing anyone from her past, but it seemed the woman could be trusted and had nothing against her. Danka was comforted at the thought of seeing and talking to someone familiar. The Priestess took her back to the study and closed the door. For a while the Clergywoman did most of the talking, updating Danka on events in Starívktaki Móskt and the surrounding region and also giving some details about her own life and family. The conversation lasted well into the night, as the Priestess updated Danka on events throughout the western valley. Danka found out some details about Sevérckt nad Gorádki and how her former lover Káloyankt had used his family's influence to consolidate control over the town for the Grand Duke and the Old Believers' faction of the Church. The Old Believers also took over the parish in Nagorónkti-Serífkti following the very public display of madness and evil by the leading priest of the True Believers. Danka explained her part in the incident, but added that she never found out what happened to the priest after she and her companions fled the town. Now she knew how much her Lilith ploy really did change the course of Nagorónkti-Serífkti's history. They chatted all night. Sunrise already had passed when Danka and the her former mentor finished talking. It was obvious she and Isauria would not be departing that day, because it was raining heavily and traveling would be unpleasant. More importantly, the visitor and her former mentor wanted to continue exchanging experiences and information. Danka rested while Isauria took care of the mule and cleaned up and organized their equipment. That night the Church apprentice asked the teenager to entertain him and the penitents by describing her travels through the mountains and Hórkustk Ris province. While Isauria was occupied with the Church staff, Danka resumed the conversation with the Clergywoman. Now it was her turn to talk. She needed to describe her life, to confess, to make sense out of all the weird things that had happened to her over the past eight years. The Priestess listened to the torrent of information, trying to comprehend how all those strange and unpleasant experiences could have happened to a single person. And yet, she believed everything Danka told her. Even if there was something she didn't believe, Danka had all those notes and writings in her bucket to prove she was telling the truth. Had the Priestess questioned anything, chances were her doubts could have been resolved by reading her papers. So... over a two-day period Danka unburdened all of the secrets she had kept to herself for eight years, from her sentence on the pillory for petty theft to her departure from the Defenders' winter encampment with Isauria. The only detail she did not share was the fact her Public Penance collar was not a real one issued by the Church. At the beginning of her travels she had promised Farmer Tuko Orsktackt she'd never divulge that secret and she would stay loyal to that promise. When the Priestess asked about her collar, she presented the certificate with the alias Vesna Rogúskt given to her by the Defenders' Priest. The Priestess decided not to pursue that issue. The certificate was issued by an ordained Priest, even if he was a renegade militia cleric, and it did look authentic. Given Danka's situation, it was better that she was traveling under an alias anyway. The most difficult episode for Danka was describing her two years with the Grand Duke and the ongoing humiliation of being a pleasure slave and having dozens of the ruler's household staff seeing her every day with her hair loosened. When the Priestess responded that Danka shouldn't be ashamed of something she had no control over, the visitor countered: "But it was my fault. More than anything else I ever did, my internment in His Majesty's castle was my fault. My mind was full of hubris, I had evil thoughts of using the Church to pursue my own fantasies, and the Ancients punished me for that hubris." Danka held back tears as she described the circumstances under which she left the university and the thoughts going on in her head the moment the Grand Duke and his entourage spotted her in the Plaza of the Ancients. The Priestess responded: "So let's consider what happened. It was your knowledge of the Followers' explosives that helped His Majesty win two, not one, but two battles in Hórkustk Ris. It was because of you he withdrew the Royal Guards from Sumy Ris, just in time to avoid a disastrous defeat. You comforted your companions and because of you many of them became better women. In those two years you accomplished more than all of His Majesty's ministers together. Because of you, the Duchy is safe and strong. The Creator blessed the Duchy and protected it during those difficult years, through you. It was your Path in Life to provide wisdom to His Majesty so he could carry out his Path in Life as a competent ruler. So, it was not your fault you ended up in the Royal Household. It was your Path in Life. And when your usefulness to the Duchy as a concubine ended, the Creator allowed you to leave and serve the Duchy elsewhere. Yes, you committed the sin of hubris, but that sin was necessary for you to fulfill your purpose." Danka knelt forward and placed her hands on the ground. She had confessed to the person who would have been the one most likely to judge her harshly, but there was no such harsh judgment. Instead, the Priestess encouraged her to look at herself in a more forgiving manner, and to understand that her suffering and humiliation were part of the Creator's larger plan to protect the Danubian people in a time of extreme danger. The Priestess stood up and told Danka to kneel upright and hold onto her hands. She gripped them very tightly and her arms trembled as she prayed. When she finished, she ordered Danka to stand up. "I saw your future. The Path in Life the Creator has placed in front of you will include another act of redemption, a very significant act of redemption, not just for you, but for many others. But that lies in the future. This summer you'll still have to travel. If you're going to the capitol, you'll need to continue your journey." Danka had one outstanding issue to ask about before leaving; if it would be possible to write a recommendation for Isauria to enter the university in Sebérnekt Ris. "I will, but any such document would be for next year, not this year. I can't write a letter of recommendation unless I know her and can say that, in the eyes of the Creator, she'd make a good scholar. You've done an admirable job teaching her certain skills, but you couldn't do everything and the girl's knowledge needs refinement. Also, she's 14. She shouldn't enroll until she's at least 15. I don't want to write a lie on her letter about her age." "But, what can I do? I don't think she should stay with me." "No. She shouldn't. You've been an excellent mentor for her, but I know your Paths in Life must separate. I also know you would be doing her a great disservice simply taking her to Sebérnekt Ris and thinking that she could withstand being separated from you, precisely at the time she's starting new studies with a bunch of people she doesn't know. She would be lost, quit within a month, go looking for you, and probably risk being captured by brigands and re-enslaved. She needs a period of transition, to prepare mentally and spiritually before she goes to Sebérnekt Ris." The Girl with No Name Ch. 27 "Do you think you could provide her with that transition?" "I could. I'd spend the winter helping her prepare the notes you're planning to give her, so when she goes to the university those reports would already be prepared for publishing. She'd know the material, so that it would be hers as much as yours. I can do that for you... for both of you. Then, next summer she'll go to Sebérnekt Ris, and I will be proud to send her off with my recommendation and my blessing." Danka separated the papers that she'd leave behind, the packages that would provide Isauria with the work she'd need to attend the university and enter Danubian society as an educated adult. She also took Isauria's slavery and emancipation certificates to hand over to the Priestess. She wanted to make sure the Danubian Church had, in its possession, proof Isauria was not a slave and hadn't been for a couple of years. Danka re-packed her bucket with her medicines, recipes, her two collaring certificates, her supply of salt, the brush and thread to keep her teeth clean, and the silver coin given to her by Tuko Orsktackt. There were other coins, but she'd leave those behind so Isauria could buy herself a nice dress before going to the university. Isauria was not happy when she found out about Danka's plans to leave her behind. It took a full day for both Danka and the Priestess to reason with her, explaining that if she wanted to attend the university, she had to spend the next year getting ready and only the Priestess could help her prepare. Also, now that Isauria was about to become a ward of the Church, she would be much less likely to ever be re-enslaved, in spite of her dark hair and foreign appearance. The Priestess explained the need for Isauria to spend several months converting Danka's writings into real reports and that only through correctly-written works could either Danka or Isauria complete their obligations to "bear witness" to all the events they had witnessed over the past several years. When Isauria's determination to leave with Danka finally started to weaken, Danka took her to the Church garden. "There is something else you need to know about me. I carry with me the Destroyer's curse. Everyone I've ever loved, even remotely, has had their soul separated from their body, and I had to bear witness to that separation. There is only one person I loved who ever escaped, and that is because she was lucky enough to be separated from me before my curse caught up with her. You have no idea how much it meant to me that she survived, that one person I loved, when all the others died. It was always my fear that you'd fall victim to my curse as well. Had that happened, I would have hated myself even more than I do now. Isauria, you have the chance to get away from me before it's too late. It would mean a lot to me to see that happen, to leave you behind and know that you will prosper and lead a Path in Life that serves the Creator, that you won't fall victim to whatever the Destroyer has planned for my future. If you love me as much as you say you do, if you care for me as much as I care for you, you won't put me through having to witness your soul separate from your body." Danka put her head in her hands. Leaving Isauria turned out to be harder than she realized. The girl was both a daughter and a younger sister to her, but like all children, the time was coming when she'd have to pursue her own Path in Life. The Priestess would train and mentor her, just as she had mentored Danka eight years before, and then she'd be ready to travel to Sebérnekt Ris and hopefully be more successful as a student than Danka had been. Isauria was crying, but finally she agreed to stay behind and accept the life offered to her by the Priestess. She changed her merchant's outfit for a Church apprentice robe and knelt before her new mentor, accepting that her Path in Life had changed and that she was now officially under the jurisdiction of the local Old Believers' parish. Besides transcribing Danka's notes and turning them into reports, Isauria was left with another task. Danka wrote two letters to the sisters she never met: informing them about her marriage to Ilmátarkt, the final months of his life, and the circumstances under which his soul separated from his body. Danka couldn't go into Starívktaki Móskt to deliver them in person, but Isauria, escorted by the Priestess, would deliver them the following week. ---------- As soon as she was convinced Isauria would not change her mind and try to follow her, Danka lost no time getting out of Gordnáckt Suyástenckt. She donated the mule to the Church and went out on foot as a penitent, wearing nothing but the same collar and same boots she had set out wearing when her journey began in 1750. She could have bought new boots, but instead chose to wear the ones her father had given her nearly a decade before. They had been repaired so many times that almost none of the leather was original They looked hideous with all the patches, and yet Danka had kept them, not understanding herself why. For the moment she wanted to rid herself of all the trappings from the previous eight years. She would carry no weapons, no clothing, and no money. She would start over, place her faith in the Creator, rely on the charity of the parishes along her way, and return to the capitol as a penitent. She still had her recipes, medicines, and supply of blue powder, but anything that couldn't fit in her bucket would not accompany her on the trip. She walked naked along country roads in the heat of July, trying to avoid passing through towns where people would be likely to recognize her from her service with the Followers of the Ancients. Whenever possible she slept in isolated chapels or the houses of clergy members. She stayed a single night and moved on as soon as she had breakfast the following day. Along the way she stopped to take snacks from farms, but was careful to adhere to the protocol of taking only one piece of food from any place she stopped. Still, she traveled well-fed, eating breakfast and dinner with whoever hosted her for the night and munching on fruit and raw vegetables throughout the day as she walked. In spite of choosing a route to minimize the chances of running into someone who'd remember her from her days with the Followers of the Ancients, she did pass through plenty of villages she had visited with Ermin, Káloyankt, or other companions from the Cult. She even saw people she had vaccinated but, because she was not wearing her Followers' dress, no one recognized her. To the locals she was just a wandering penitent, worth looking at because she was attractive, but otherwise not noteworthy. As Danka traveled westward, she was able to clear her mind of a lot of the memories that had burdened her up to that point. During the trip she used her new identity Vesna Rogúskt and tried to remember not to refer to herself as Danka. She had no past and was nothing more than a uncovered traveler moving with the protection of the Church. She was not Follower Danka, nor Jadranka the student, nor Silvítya the concubine, nor Defender Danka the wife of Doctor Ilmátarkt. She had no responsibilities apart from trying to find out what happened to her former squad leader Oana. Perhaps Oana didn't even survive the evacuation from Aksheriri Ris and if that were true, then she didn't have any other concerns or responsibilities. But, if she didn't have any responsibilities, then her life really had no purpose. She pushed that thought aside. Better to enjoy the moment while it lasted, because she was sure that responsibility and duty would crowd into her life soon enough. After spending July walking at a leisurely pace across the entire western valley, Danka finally arrived in the capitol on August 2. The area outside the walls had changed dramatically over the past four years. Instead of military encampments and rows of squalid refugee tents, the zone immediately outside the walls was covered with new, nicely-built houses and shops, which had been built from the huge piles of lumber, stone, and bricks that were stockpiled in anticipation of expanding the city wall. The buildings were much roomier than the cramped wooden structures of the old capital because there was plenty of space for the builders to spread out. Many of the newer structures had gardens or courtyards, and all of them had tile roofs because thatch was prohibited as a fire hazard. Danka realized that the capitol's inhabitants must have learned their lesson about fire, because the new houses were built from much less wood and flammable materials than the older structures that burned in 1755. Most of the old wall and its watchtowers were still standing, but they were barely visible behind all those new buildings. Danka made her way towards an opening in the wall. An entire section between two watchtowers on the eastern side was missing, leaving a gap that was four blocks wide. She freely walked through and was greeted by a truly bizarre sight. The entire city was a huge construction zone, with the ground covered by the foundations of stately ministry buildings that were part of the Grand Duke's plans for a renovated capitol. The narrow winding streets of the old city were gone, replaced by straight boulevards. From her location Danka could see all the way to the opposite side of the old walled area, because in most places only the new buildings' foundations were in place. To the southwest she could see the hill containing the Grand Duke's castle and the military buildings at its base. To the northwest the Great Temple and a couple of ancient stone buildings loomed in the distance. A few older stone buildings, most notably the Christian cathedral and another Roman Christian church, remained standing. Straight ahead there was an old fortress-like garrison standing next to the cathedral that had survived the fire, which would become the future headquarters of a national police force. Danka looked around at the wall. To the south the Merchants Gate, through which she and Alexándrekt Buláshckt had escaped during the Great Fire, was still intact, although its wooden doors had never been replaced. To the north there were two other large gaps between watchtowers, openings through which new streets could pass. Danka noticed the cannons had been taken down and the towers were mostly unoccupied. It was clear the Grand Duke had completely dismissed the Old City Wall as being a useful part of Danúbikt Móskt's defenses, although he left the majority of it in place to demarcate the new government district. It was much easier to move about Danúbikt Móskt than it had been three years earlier, in spite of all the construction. Danka's goal was the Great Temple of the Ancients, so she simply walked along a wide boulevard until she arrived at the western side of the city, then turned north and followed another wide street for two blocks until reaching her destination. The area near the Temple was much more "normal" than the rest of the capitol, because the old stone buildings around the Plaza of the Ancients remained standing and the rebuilding of some adjacent blocks to the north had proceeded faster than elsewhere. Near the Temple there were businesses offering services and food to its visitors. Danka approached the Plaza of the Ancients and for the second time in her life looked at the front of the Great Temple. At least that hadn't changed. Five years had gone by since she stood in that spot, wearing the same penance collar and boots, and carrying the same bucket. However, during her second visit she had no illusions about the Danubian Church nor any desire to seek greatness for herself. Her purpose was very straightforward: to see if she could find out what happened to her fellow militia members and whether or not Defender Oana had survived the battle. The crowd in the Plaza suddenly fell silent and was stepping to the sides of the plaza. She heard a series of very loud whistles and then the shout: "Doc-doc Danube!" The crowd roared its response and snapped to attention. Fortunately, Danka was paying attention and managed to slip behind some standing spectators and avoid drawing attention to herself. She knelt upright, her heart pounding. The Grand Duke was passing through the plaza. Four foot-soldiers preceded the nation's ruler, loudly whistling to announce their presence. The Grand Duke followed, along with four Royal Guards and two of his ministers, on horseback. The Royal entourage rode past the crowd, placing their fists against their chests to return the public's salute. Danka was scared out of her wits, wondering if bad fortune had followed her and the ruler would somehow notice her. She had enough time to imagine the Royal Guards returning her to the castle in chains to face the hard judgment of an imperious man who undoubtedly would think she betrayed him by escaping. Still, she couldn't resist the urge to peek through a gap of the people standing in front of her and catch a fleeting glimpse of her former Master. He seemed not to have changed at all, as he scanned the crowd for attractive young women. He was unaware that just three fathoms from his entourage his favorite former concubine was kneeling and shaking badly. The crowd dissipated and resumed walking as soon as the Sovereign left the plaza. The Grand Duke and his men turned south before turning east to move along the same partially constructed boulevard through which Danka had entered. When she realized where they were going, she was sickened by that narrow miss. Had the Royal entourage passed that way while she was coming in, her naked body would have been visible from a distance and there was no way she would have been able to hide. Protocol dictated she would have had to kneel immediately and remain stationary until the Sovereign came up to her... and recognized her. Danka knew her dead husband would have told her it was lack of caution and bad luck that made her fall into the hands of the Grand Duke in 1753, and that five years later she avoided falling into his hands because she moved out of the way in time and her luck was better. Danka's religious mind would never accept such a casual dismissal of the deities and their impact on her life. In 1753 the Ancients chose to punish her for her hubris, but in 1758 she interpreted her narrow escape as a sign she needed to proceed with her plan to enter the Temple and find out the fates of the surviving militia members. She also was curious to see the inside of the Temple building. Previously she only had a fleeting glimpse of the entrance while she struggled to remove and hide her fake Church penance collar, but this time there was no impatient Royal Guard waiting for her outside. Apart from having to remember to properly kneel whenever she was near a Clergy member, she could examine the Great Temple at her leisure. Meanwhile, she worked up the courage to select an approachable-looking Cleric and ask how she could find out what happened to the Defenders' militia. It turned out, she didn't even need a Priest or Priestess to answer her question. She went all the way to the back of the Temple and explored an ancient stone platform that contained a row of deep fire pits. Several naked penitents were cleaning out the ashes and stockpiling cave-charcoal for the next round of religious ceremonies. Danka recognized one of the men as a fellow militia member from the Defenders. He was older than most of his companions and had a resigned expression on his face. She hadn't known him well because he was with a squad of musketeers, but she remembered his name as Marksman Tanélickt. When she approached him and he recognized her, his expression changed from resignation to shock. Tanélickt excused himself from his fellow penitents. He motioned Danka to kneel and wait for him so he could request permission from a Priest to take a break from his duties. When he returned, he had two charcoal circles drawn on his left shoulder to indicate he had requested and been granted consent to leave the main building. He motioned with his fingertips for Danka to stand up and follow him. The former Defenders exited the back of the Temple and made their way to the forested shore of the East Danube River. They looked across the wide stretch of water and the distant steep cliffs on the other side. It was a very peaceful setting on a lazy hot August afternoon that gave the two survivors the opportunity to collect their thoughts. Finally Danka broke the silence and asked what happened during the evacuation from Aksheriri Ris. Before he responded, she added: "As you can guess, I missed it. I missed the evacuation. I'll explain why in a few minutes." Tanélickt spent the next hour giving Danka a detailed description of the evacuation and how he and his surviving companions managed to escape from the Kingdom of the Moon. In doing so gave his visitor more insight into the personalities of both the Grand Duke and Commander Sáupeckt. Although the Grand Duke provided material support to the Defenders, it turned out from the beginning he was very skeptical of the militia's chances of being able to capture and hold onto Sumy Ris. Suspecting the Defenders' operation was likely to end in disaster, he organized a column of Royal Guards who had trained to fight in open terrain, stationed them at the fort in Iyóshnyakt-Krepóckt, and waited to see what happened to the south. When he received the message that the Defenders had conquered Aksheriri Ris and were "waiting to assist the Royal Army in the glorious re-claiming of Sumy Ris for the Duchy", the Grand Duke fully understood the Defenders they were not ready to re-claim anything: they were cornered and needed to be rescued. The Sovereign personally led 4000 Danubian Royal Guards to extract the Defenders. He was correct about the need for a rescue, but the militia's condition was much more dire than he had anticipated. His scouts observed enough to give him a summary of the situation: the Defenders were mostly fighting against the Red Moon faction among the houses, while the Blue Moon faction occupied the area outside and was mostly fighting the Red Moon faction at the east gate to get in. As his army approached Aksheriri Ris, the Grand Duke sent a messenger to the commander of the Blue Moon Army asking for a temporary truce, pointing out the Danubians' desire to extract their fighters and the Blue Moon Army's desire to seize control of the town were compatible. A truce would allow both the Danubian Royal Army and the Blue Moon Army to concentrate their efforts against the Lord of the Red Moon's men. The Blue Moon commander responded that he would agree to a truce as long as the Danubian Royal Army stayed to the north and did not send anyone into the city. The Blue Moon troops would concentrate their fighting on the east gate and not interfere with any Danubian militia fighters trying to get out through the north gate. When the Royal Army secured the area between the north gate and the outer wall of the demolished Ottoman garrison, the surviving Defenders had about 40 minutes to flee through the two escape routes, while having to withdraw under fire. During those 40 minutes, 534 Defenders managed to escape and bring out the bodies of 97 fallen companions. The Lord of the Red Moon's Army tried as much as possible to prevent the break-out, but they were occupied with the advancing Blue Moon units and thus unable to stop any Danubian who made it past the open marketplace square. The Danubian Royal Army provided cover fire for the Defenders as they scrambled down the hill, but took shots themselves and lost a total of 43 men. The Grand Duke later pulled his Guards out of range of the city's cannons to re-group and to give a few extra minutes to any remaining militia members who might have missed the main break-out. Thirteen stragglers managed to join the Royal Army before it started moving northward. Tanélickt was one of those lucky stragglers, and he claimed that he owed his life to the militia's commander. The Girl with No Name Ch. 27 "We were the last ones to make it to the outer wall of the garrison before the Red Moon soldiers closed in on us. We were with Commander Sáupeckt. The hole was small and only one of us could fit through at a time. There was a platoon of Red Moon troops chasing us. They were getting their muskets ready to fire all at once, and it would have been an execution against a wall, pure and simple. But the commander grabbed two crossbows and ran back at them, screaming. He shot a crossbow, then the other. The Red Moon troops emptied their muskets into him instead of us and they had to reload before coming after us. There were sixteen of us, and thirteen managed to run down the hill to join His Majesty's army. The other three didn't make it. A Royal commander asked if anyone else was coming out. I told him what happened to Commander Sáupeckt and that I thought we were the last ones to get through the garrison ruins. So, we all left. 547 Defenders and a hundred recovered bodies. And 43 dead Royal Guards. And to think... we started out with 2500 fighters and 600 assistants. All those people, and only a sixth of us made it out, and even that was only because of His Majesty's rescue. What a disaster. We should have stayed in the forest." Tanélickt paused for a moment before concluding: "Commander Sáupeckt and the Priest told us to place our faith in the power of the Destroyer. Well, we did place our faith in the Destroyer, didn't we? And we were the ones who were destroyed." "We shouldn't have been surprised. My old Mistress from the Followers told me: 'the Destroyer helps no one. The Destroyer won't help you.' We should have known better than to think relying on the Destroyer wouldn't end badly. So, what happened when you returned to the Duchy?" "Well, the march back wasn't pleasant, not pleasant at all. No one from the Royal Guards spoke to us, except to give instructions and orders. They let us know they were very angry at our folly and they had every reason to be, because they lost 43 of their own men trying to save us. As soon as we passed the fortress in Iyóshnyakt-Krepóckt, most of the Guards went back to their garrisons, but His Majesty and about a thousand of his men escorted us to the capitol. When they took away our weapons, we realized we were prisoners. We didn't know what was going to happen to us, but rumors started circulating the Danubian Church wanted to collar us as heretics. And we were right, the Prophets did want to collar us. We were brought to the Plaza of the Ancients and ordered to strip. They took all our clothes and burned them. We were not a pretty sight, if you can imagine 500 dirty, starving, exhausted militia fighters, many of us with injuries, having to huddle naked in the plaza over there. They had execution stakes set up and we were wondering if we had been rescued only to have our souls separated from our bodies in the capitol. Then the Guards separated us into groups and the Priests started calling us forward, one by one. They wrote our names, asked what unit we were with, and demanded to know who we saw killed in combat and under what circumstances. Then each of us had to stand on the steps of the Temple and in a loud voice publicly rebuke the Destroyer. You can imagine how hard that was for many of us, to deliberately insult the Destroyer and claim the Destroyer has no power over the Creator or the Ancients. There were 19 militia members who couldn't do it, couldn't insult the Destroyer, and they ended up tied to the execution posts with five arrows embedded in their chests. The rest of us did as we were told." Tanélickt paused to collect his thoughts. Danka stayed silent until he continued: "The Prophets wanted to collar everyone from the militia and have us spend the rest of our lives performing Public Penance, but the Grand Duke wanted to take us as experienced fighters for his army. So, he and the Prophets reached an agreement over what to do with us. We are sinners, worshipers of the Destroyer, and renegades, so we deserved to be collared. It is the Path in Life of each of us to be collared and spend the rest of our time in the Realm of the Living serving the Church and performing Public Penance. But the Grand Duke issued a reprieve for those of us willing to serve him first. If we join the Royal Guards, we can delay wearing a Church collar until our enlistment ends. I'm sure you can guess which choice, the collar or Royal service, was more popular. And the arrangement makes sense for both the Grand Duke and us. As long as we stay with the Royal Guards, we can avoid wearing the collar, but we must report to the Temple and turn ourselves in for Public Penance the moment we leave His Majesty's service. Not much incentive to leave the Guards and return to civilian life, is it?" Danka smiled slightly. "No... I suppose not. I guess I'm different, because I really don't mind wearing a collar. I enjoy being naked, and in some ways I feel I have more freedom with a collar than without. Very well, I have a question. I was wondering if you know what happened to Defender Oana, the nymph who..." "Oh yes. Her. She fled the city through the north gate with the first group of survivors. It was strange, because she was the only nymph from the two squads of women serving directly under Commander Sáupeckt to survive. Plenty of nymphs from other companies escaped, but no women from the commander's group. Just Oana... and you, of course." "From Defender Dalibora's squad... no one got out?" "No." "Nor from Oana's group of recruits, no one?" "No one." "Oana left completely by herself? She didn't bring anyone else out?" "No, and I found that very strange. She was the only commander who didn't come out with at least some of her troops." "What did she say about that?" "She said it was simple luck. All of her nymphs were killed on the rooftops, except for four who were injured. She helped them get into a stone house and went to get help, but when she returned, the door was kicked open, the four women had been bayoneted, and the house was set on fire. She managed to kill one of the men who set the fire, but then had to flee because she didn't have time to reload her crossbow. Then she saw the Defenders had started to evacuate, so she joined the others. That was the story she told. So... now... I'd imagine what she said wasn't the truth. If it was the truth, you wouldn't be sitting here, would you?" "I was one of those four nymphs she was talking about. I wasn't injured, but I was taking care of the others. My squad leader, Defender Dalibora, had a bad leg wound and was with me, along with a couple of Oana's women. When she last saw us, we were very much alive. She left us and never came back." "...and you think she left you on purpose?" "Absolutely." "But why would she do that?" Danka explained the circumstances surrounding Oana's squad being taken away from her for poor leadership and the commander's effort to soften the blow by having her recruit a new squad of nymphs. Then she described what Oana told her and the others in the house, not to look outside until she came back. Finally, she repeated Dalibora's suspicions about her fellow squad leader. "But, you think she was so bitter that she'd abandon injured nymphs, women from her own squad, to the enemy? I've never heard of that. I always thought nymphs went to extremes to make sure other nymphs were never captured." "Oana went to extremes, but in our case to do the opposite. She wanted to abandon us and make sure no one found us, except Kingdom of the Moon troops." "So... are you planning to do anything about it?" "Well, the main reason I came here was to find out if she was still alive. Dalibora was still my commander when she issued her final order: for me to poison her so she wouldn't be captured, and then I was to sneak out of Aksheriri Ris. The reason she wanted me to get away was so I could find Oana and deal with her. The Ancients helped me escape. Now that I've returned, I'm sworn to carry out my squad leader's final order. Do you have any idea where Oana went?" "The last I heard, she went east to a town called Novo Sókukt Tók, which is located in the Vice Duchy, to the south." Danka sighed. "I just came from that direction. Now I have to go back." "Then you'll have to hurry, if you want to get to the pass before the weather gets cold. I suppose I can learn more about her from my supervising Priest, if you'd like, and make sure your trip is not wasted." Danka nodded, but she was curious about her companion's decision to stay at the Temple. "What about you? How did you end up here, performing Public Penance at the Temple? Why didn't you join the Royal Guards?" "I prayed about it. I wanted to join, but I received a very strong feeling I needed to accept the collar and stay behind, that there was something important I needed to do. I suspect I just did it." "Telling me about Oana?" "Yes. If it's true she deliberately abandoned you to the enemy, then Oana is the very definition of dishonor. As Defenders, it is our duty to remove such a person from the Realm of the Living." Danka wondered about Tanélickt's words "our duty". Was he planning to help her seek vengeance against Oana? The two penitents sought out and knelt in front of the Priest responsible for supervising Tanélickt's duties in the Temple. Danka recognized the Priest: he had been one of the younger Followers in Babáckt Yaga's encampment and had enrolled in the Old Believers' seminary with the Alchemist's encouragement. He was shocked upon seeing her, but quickly regained his composure. Danka and Tanélickt explained the situation and Oana's reprehensible actions in combat. The worst part of her behavior was not that she acted from mere cowardice, but from pure malice. She deliberately left four subordinates behind, fully expecting the enemy to capture and torture them. On the topic of retribution, the Priest was a Follower of the Ancients first, and a Clergy member of the Church second. Yes, he agreed it was very important that Danka and Tanélickt find and exact revenge against Oana. However, he added the two ex-Defenders would have to figure out how to avenge Dalibora and the other nymphs without actually killing the former squad leader. "Killing is very easy. You militia fighters know that better than anyone else. So, let me lay a challenge at your feet. How can you achieve vengeance without killing? It can be done and it's what I expect from you. So, you will leave this Temple, both of you, with my permission and my blessing, provided you don't shed her blood. Think it over, and we'll talk tomorrow." Danka and Tanélickt were too tired to further discuss Oana that day. Instead, they exited the back of the Temple to walk through the woods and bathe in the East Danube River. When they emerged from the water, she noticed him looking at her with a longing expression. It was obvious he wanted her. She saw nothing wrong with that: she was a widow and he already had endured several months without having sex. She took his hand, placed against it her chest, and allowed him to explore her body. She expertly teased him until he was hard, before pushing him to the ground. She straddled him and pushed his penis deep inside. For a moment her old fantasy of being Lilith returned as she climaxed. It was the first time she had enjoyed an orgasm since the beginning of April, the last time she made love to her husband. When they both finished, she bent down to kiss him. Then she put her finger on his lips: "Until we're finished with Oana and we part ways, you can have me whenever you want. My only request is that we always make love this way. I can't explain it, but it's what I need. Give me that, and I'll give you what you need." Tanélickt agreed. As a penitent, he didn't have any opportunities to have sex, so Danka's condition for love-making was a very small sacrifice for a man in his situation. ---------- When Danka and Tanélickt returned to the Priest the next day, he handed them letters instructing any Clergy member in Novo Sókukt Tók to remove the penitents' collars when asked, and also to provide lodging. He gave Tanélickt another letter granting him permission to join the Royal Guards as soon as he completed his tasking with Danka. The ex-Defender was very grateful for the second letter. When, against his wishes, he chose the collar over the Royal Guards, he had assumed the choice was final, that he'd have to endure the rest of his time in the Realm of the Living as a penitent. The Priest took Danka aside, away from Tanélickt. "Do you remember the True Believers' Priest in Nagorónkti-Serífkti?" Danka smiled. "Of course I remember him. That was one of the most fun things I ever did in my life." "That will give you something to think about when you go looking for Oana. Think about how you'd set up something like that. And most important, think about what you'd want to say to her." Danka's heart raced at the suggestion. Of course. It was so obvious. Oana would receive a visitor... from the Realm of the Afterlife. The Girl with No Name Ch. 28 Chapter Twenty-Eight -- The Avenging Stranger Tanélickt and Danka departed from the Great Temple before sunrise on August 6, only four days after Danka first entered the city. The two penitents had very little time to spare if they were going to cross the entire western valley, go into the mountains, cross the pass near Novo Sumy Ris, and navigate the hilly country along the road that lead to their destination in Novo Sókukt Tók before the weather became too cold to travel. The real problem was the pass dividing the western valley from the eastern valley: it could receive snow as early as the first week in September, which was not good news for two people having to travel as naked penitents. Danka carried her bucket, while Tanélickt carried a sack containing some wrapped packages the Priest had given him, along with flint and tender for lighting campfires, string to set snares, a small knife for cleaning game and preparing food, a sling, and fishhooks in case they camped by a stream. They'd be able to stay in churches and chapels until they passed Starívktaki Móskt, but then they would have to camp in the forest until reaching the pass. He would have preferred to carry the sack over his shoulder, but was prohibited from covering his body and therefore had to carry it in his hand, in the same way Danka had to carry her bucket. Danka wondered why Oana would be stationed with guards at the other side of the Duchy and in territory only nominally loyal to the Royal House. Tanélickt explained there were two reasons: Oana had some friends serving in the Vice Duke's Provincial Guards, and also she needed to stay away from other former Defenders. Tanélickt was not the only member of the militia who had serious doubts about Oana's performance in the battle. The Grand Duke would not have had time to worry about a single ex-nymph, given that his commanders had to find places in the Royal Army for nearly 500 new recruits. If the Vice Duke wanted Oana for an assignment in the eastern valley, he could have her. Danka enjoyed the walk to the east much less than she enjoyed the walk from Gordnáckt Suyástenckt to Danúbikt Móskt. The pace which she and her companion traveled was nearly twice as fast as the leisurely speed she had walked in the month before. Tanélickt was used to walking with a quick marching shuffle that was just short of running, Danka was hard-pressed to keep up with him, but she dared not complain. Tanélickt knew the pass well enough to understand they absolutely had to arrive before September 1. They had to go on foot and they only had three weeks to reach it. If they did not get over the pass before the first snow, they'd be stuck for eight months waiting for the area to clear. Danka was too exhausted at the end of each day to want sex, but she had promised her companion he could have sex with her when he wanted, and he did want sex every night. They made love, fell asleep, and within a few hours Tanélickt was tapping her on the shoulder so they could have breakfast and head out. Tanélickt even considered stopping to collect food along the route as a waste of time. Danka had to credit Tanélickt for his self-discipline and efficient traveling the day they passed to the north of Gordnáckt Suyástenckt, less than two weeks after departing the capitol. Because it was the middle of the afternoon, Tanélickt had no desire to stop there, to Danka's relief. The last thing she wanted was run into Isauria. She had said goodbye and that farewell needed to be final. It would not do to part with her former ward only to show up a month-and-a-half later and have to say goodbye all over again. They crossed the hills overlooking the town and descended towards the road that went into the mountains and eventually to the Vice Duchy. The landscape was mostly forested, with some small pastures in a few areas flat enough for livestock. The road climbed above the Rika Chorna River, which flowed rapidly through a canyon that was increasingly deep and narrow. Tanélickt kept up his frenetic pace, but as the elevation rose and the nighttime temperatures dropped and they cuddled each other for warmth, Danka fully understood they would be in deep trouble if they didn't get over the pass within a few days. When the road veered from northeast to east, they passed a series of rapids and waterfalls. Then the road moved away from the river. The road continued along the hillsides, but the river flowed through a large valley, the middle of which was completely flat and covered with thick dark vegetation. Tanélickt commented they were passing the Great Swamp of Misery. "It's definitely not a place for humans. The land is cursed and will actually eat you if you try to cross it. At night sometimes you can see illuminated ghosts deep in the marshes. There are wolves and every kind of blood-sucking insect you can imagine." "So, no one goes in there, even to hunt?" "No. Why would anyone go in there? It's too dangerous. You'll just have to believe me. You told me you spent three weeks walking across the Kingdom of the Moon with nothing more than the protection of the Ancients and I believe you. You'll have to believe me when I tell you that ground eats humans." The shivering penitents arrived at the pass on September 2. There was a small shrine and an inn run by the Old Believers' faction of the Danubian Church. The resident Priest and Priestess were in their eighties and had been working in the same location for six decades. Danka recognized them: she had once seen them visiting Babáckt Yaga's settlement. Tanélickt handed over a sealed letter from his supervising Priest at the Great Temple. The old man read the letter and smiled mischievously. He handed the document to a much younger attendant, who immediately mounted a donkey and rode off to the east. Tanélickt relaxed slightly, knowing the most risky part of the trip was finished. They still had to spend a couple of days descending the eastern slope, but from that point the threat from the weather would lessen the further they progressed. The travelers sat by a fireplace while Tanélickt updated the Priest on the aftermath of the Defenders' disastrous campaign and what he saw as he and Danka crossed the western valley. As she lay on a thick wool blanket, Danka promptly fell asleep, completely exhausted from nearly four weeks of frantic walking. ---------- Tanélickt and Danka woke up early the next morning and continued their trip. The pace remained the same, but most of the traveling was downhill and for the first time Danka was able to enjoy some panoramic views of the Vice Duchy of Rika Chorna. She was curious about the name, given that at no point did the Rika Chorna River actually flow anywhere through the Vice-Duchy. Her companion explained that when the refugees from Lower Danubia first entered the area in 1512, they harbored resentment against King Vladik for not having defended their homeland against the invading Ottomans. Therefore they wanted to claim for themselves as much territory in the eastern half of Upper Danubia as possible, which included the Great Swamp of Misery and the headwaters of the Rika Chorna River. According to the Vice Duke, the border between the Grand Duke's realm and the Vice Duchy was located at the entrance of the canyon they had just passed through. According to the Grand Duke, the boundary was the pass itself. "So far," Tanélickt said, "neither side has formally challenged each other's claims about where the Grand Duke's control ends and the Vice-Duke's control begins. Of course, the Grand Duke says the border question is irrelevant because the Vice Duchy is part of the Grand Duchy. The Vice-Duke has different thoughts on the matter. I'm not sure how, short of a war, that'll be resolved." Danka said nothing, the thought to herself: I do know how it'll be resolved. The Grand Duke will send his illegitimate daughters, dozens of them, to marry into the leading families. That's what he's planning to do with all those girls. He'll conquer this place without firing a single shot. And, of course, the girls will have no say in the matter. Three days after crossing the pass, the two penitents entered Novo Sumy Ris, the first town in the Vice Duchy. The town itself was not big, but it boasted an over-sized church that was an exact replica of the one in the original Sumy Ris. Danka couldn't resist the urge to go in. She was greeted by a black-robed Priest who angrily chased her out, hitting her several times with his staff. When the penitents knelt on the steps, several True Believer Clergy-members, all men, kicked their upturned bottoms and hurled insults at them. A group of city guards, wearing uniforms that were different from the ones worn in the western valley and Hórkustk Ris province, grabbed the visitors and forced them to leave the town. Both Danka and Tanélickt were shocked at the treatment. Penitents were respected in the western half of the Duchy, but in the Vice-Duchy, which was still under the control of the True Believers' faction, it turned out True Believer priests had very little respect for collared penitents. Church rules forbade Old Believer penitents from entering churches and local Clergy members were free to mistreat them. As they were forced to move towards the crossroads at the entrance of the town, Danka and Tanélickt passed the market square and a young man who was chained to a pillory. Apart from the petty criminal, Danka and Tanélickt were the only naked people in the entire town. The guards kicked Danka and Tanélickt in their backsides and thighs before pushing them to the ground. The penitents were not sure what more the watchmen would have done had to them had not the apprentice from the chapel at the pass not reappeared. When he whistled loudly for them to step away, the guards bowed their heads as he took charge of the two visitors. As soon as the guards left, he apologized about not getting back in time to prevent Danka and Tanélickt from entering Novo Sumy Ris. He offered to tie their belongings to his saddle, but did not say much more after ordering the naked couple to follow him. It turned out they would have to be escorted for the rest of their trip. They exited the main road to continue east for a day before turning south again to finish their journey along back roads and farming paths. Villagers and field workers stared at the two penitents, but didn't say anything because they were being escorted by a Church Apprentice. The trip between Novo Sumy Ris and Novo Sókukt Tók was much longer than Danka had expected. They spent almost all of the remainder of September on the final portion of their journey. Danka had not realized that Novo Sumy Ris was as far from Novo Sókukt Tók as it was from Starívktaki Móskt, and they were not going along the most direct route. The final week of the trip was the worst. The autumn rains started and the penitents spent several miserable days walking in chilly drizzle along muddy paths. On the last day of the month, finally... finally... finally... Novo Sókukt Tók's rooftops and church steeples came into view through the rainy mist. The apprentice handed back his companions' belongings and escorted them to a farmhouse owned by the family of one of the town's Priests. As soon as his guests were at the door, the apprentice departed. When Danka and Tanélickt entered, they were greeted by a young man she had studied with at the university, and who had been one of her many lovers during her year of studying. She remembered his name as Ernockt, which was fortunate because she had so many lovers at the university that she had forgotten most of their names or never knew them in the first place. Ernockt was considerably more talkative than the apprentice had been, asking Danka and Tanélickt to talk about their trip while an assistant prepared a hot bath for both. While the two penitents were cleaning up, the assistant unpacked their belongings and laid them out to dry near the fireplace, along with their soggy boots. A farmer's wife came in and served a meal of deep-fried vegetables and blackberry bread, both of which were specialties of the Vice Duchy. Tanélickt exited his bath first. Ernockt produced a key and unlocked his penance collar, then told him to put on a new set of worker's clothing. Danka noticed a peasant's dress hanging on the wall and realized she'd be wearing it as soon as she exited her bath. When no one was looking, she unlatched and removed her collar. The others would realize she was wearing a fake collar, but all she could do was hope they'd understand it was a secret that needed to be safeguarded. The two men were surprised to see her with her collar already removed when she exited the tub to put on the dress, but neither said anything. As they ate, Ernockt explained what was going on. He was officially a scribe for the city council, but he also was part of a secret network of Old Believers and ex-Followers who were working in the Vice-Duchy to undermine the authority of the True Believers and the Vice-Duke. The group wanted the Duchy to be united under a single independent Church and a single Royal Household. The secret society viewed the True Believers as traitors to the Duchy's culture because of their ties with the Roman Church. They collected information about the various True Believer parishes, identified sympathetic Clergy members who would be likely to work with the rival faction if it took control of a town, and laid out plans to eventually seize Churches. The conspirators' plans sounded far-fetched, but it was precisely through a well-timed conspiracy and the good luck of friendly council members that the Old Believers seized control of the parish in Sevérckt nad Gorádki. That coup essentially drove the True Believers out of their last stronghold in the western valley and cut the eastern parishes off from their contacts in Rome. Ernockt's position was especially important, because as a scribe he had access to all of the records of the town councilmen and the True Believers' parish. The Prophets in the Great Temple knew, in detail, everything that was happening in Novo Sókukt Tók. Considering the way they were treated in Novo Sumy Ris, neither Danka nor Tanélickt had any misgivings about working with a man whose Path in Life it was to undermine the True Believers. Dressed in their workers' disguises, Danka and Tanélickt followed the scribe into town. They entered a small but very clean residence that Ernockt's group used as a safe-house. The host pointed out the window at a fortress-like building just a few doors away. It was a True Believers' convent, the only one in the Grand Duchy of Upper Danubia operating at that time. Danka commented that she had heard of convents in other countries, but was surprised to find out there was one in the Duchy. The idea of a bunch of women isolating themselves from society and spending their entire lives in celibacy struck Danka as totally odd. She had no clue why anyone would want to live like that. Ernockt responded: "The lifestyle has its attractions, especially if you're a woman in the Vice Duchy and don't want to marry." The purpose of the visit was to talk about Oana, not the convent. It turned out the former squad leader had used her connections to find a comfortable position as the leader of a group of female guards protecting the Convent. Her set-up was quite nice. The leader of the convent had issued Oana a small house, adjacent to both the main gate and the barracks where the other female guards were staying. She lived alone, but usually there were city watchmen milling about. Ernockt handed a shawl to Danka and a hat to Tanélickt. It was raining outside, which would allow the former Defenders to cover themselves and avoid being recognized, even if they did come within sight of their target. Before doing anything else, they needed to become completely familiar with the streets and buildings near the convent and the main church. Danka and Tanélickt examined alleyways, doors, windows, and walls to consider how they would access and escape from Oana's house. After eating dinner and resting, the couple went back out to see how the town looked at night and consider how darkness would influence their selection of hiding places and escape routes. At midnight Danka told Ernockt and Tanélickt to wait a block away from Oana's house. She couldn't resist the urge to see her. Like the ghost she would pretend to be, she silently slipped past a city watchman and snuck around the house. The windows were closed, but one in the back had a gap wide enough to allow her to see most of the house's interior. Danka looked in. Sure enough, there she was. Oana was not alone. A much younger male guard was with her. They both were naked, and Oana was bent over in the submissive position. Apparently she liked having sex that way. Danka tightened her lips. If Oana entertained men in her house every night, obviously getting to her when she was alone would be difficult. But somehow she'd have to do it. She could not simply go in and kill her or kidnap her. Just as she promised Dalibora she'd find and punish Oana, she had promised the Priest in the Great Temple she'd not spill Oana's blood. There was nothing more for her to do for the moment than try to memorize the interior of the residence and the arrangement of the furniture. Danka realized it would be a good idea to re-create the entire layout of Oana's residence and practice moving about in the dark. As best she could, she tried to memorize the size and distance between each piece of furniture within her range of vision. When Oana's lover departed and she extinguished her lantern, only the dim light from the stove was visible. Good. Now Danka knew what the house interior looked like when only the stove was lit. Still, the detail that Oana's house had a cast-iron stove for burning cave-charcoal irritated her. Danka had introduced the stove to comfort her companions in the Defenders' base camp, but it was the woman who had betrayed the others who was benefiting. When she was ready to leave, Danka had to time her movement to slip past the city watchman milling about the house. That was another problem, what to do about that watchman. She rejoined her companions and they returned to the nearby safe-house. Danka described what she saw and sketched the layout of Oana's living quarters. Over the next few days she'd go back to verify the size and placement of the furnishings, assemble a replica in the basement of the farmhouse, and practice moving about in total darkness. Also, she needed to figure out what she wanted to say to Oana when she confronted her. Five days after Danka saw Oana's new house for the first time, Ernockt showed up with a young woman who looked exactly like one of the recruits Oana had brought back with her the previous spring. At first Danka wondered if one of Oana's nymphs had miraculously survived the battle and, like Danka, had managed to escape. The woman, whose name was Jeskéckta, was not the nymph, but instead was her younger sister. She wanted to join the conspiracy against Oana. It turned out that Danka's group were not the only nymphs Oana left behind. There were two additional injured nymphs, one from Dalibora's squad and the woman from Oana's squad, who she had tricked into not joining the evacuation. The surprising news came from a musketeer of another commander's company who Danka had never met. However, according to the story he told Jeskéckta's family, his circumstances in Aksheriri Ris were very similar to Danka's. He was watching over the injured nymph from Dalibora's squad and trying to construct a sling from bed linens to carry her out, when Oana showed up with Jeskéckta's sister, who had broken her leg when falling off a rooftop. Oana ordered the musketeer to leave the house and accompany her. She ordered the two injured nymphs to stay in the house and bolt the door. The Grand Duke's army was positioned outside and already the first Defenders were leaving. Oana ordered the musketeer to cover her as she ran towards the gate. To his horror, the man realized the squad leader was leaving with no intention of attempting to bring out the two injured nymphs. He screamed at her that they needed to go back and help the injured women evacuate, but Oana ignored him and ran off. He ran back, having to evade a squad of Red Moon troops when he got near the house. When he returned, it was too late. A squad of Red Moon troops already had broken the door and decapitated the two nymphs. They were holding up the heads as trophies and playing around with the Danubians' crossbows. The Girl with No Name Ch. 28 The musketeer was furious at Oana, because it was completely her fault those two women had been killed. Had they been helped to the north gate, there would have been enough Defenders to carry them down the hill. The musketeer couldn't do anything against the enemy soldiers, because there were at least 20 of them. He tried to return to the north gate, but the Red Moon troops had re-taken that section of the city and the only remaining escape route was through the ruins of the garrison building. The musketeer was determined to get out, but it was obvious he would not make it to the Grand Duke's evacuation. He remained hidden, hoping to survive until nightfall. Shortly after he found a promising hiding place, the Lord of the Blue Moon's soldiers launched an assault against their rivals. The Danubian survivor crawled through burning ruins as fighting raged all around him. By nightfall he had made it outside and was able to crawl through the partially-filled defense trenches to move away from the city and the fighting. He spent several nights sneaking northward until he reached the Duchy. Upon returning, he did not go to the capitol, because he did not know the evacuees had been taken there. Instead, he stole a horse and a set of clothing to set out for the Vice Duchy. He knew the names and the hometowns of the two dead nymphs, so he decided to look for their families and tell them what happened. He found Jeskéckta's family first and told them what he knew about their dead family member and Oana's betrayal. He then departed to find the second nymph's family and was not heard from again. From their description, Danka was able to confirm the identities of the two nymphs. So... it turned out that Oana had left not four, but six nymphs to be killed by the Kingdom of the Moon's troops. The only consolation was that the two other nymphs were killed quickly. Danka could only guess they must have had their crossbows ready and forced the enemy troops to shoot them as soon as they pushed the door open. ---------- During the month of October, Danka and her companions worked out the details of their revenge. They scouted the house several more times, making note of their target's schedule and the schedules of her various lovers. They bought furniture that matched Oana's furnishings, set up a replica of her living area, and practiced moving about in total darkness. They became completely familiar with the streets around the convent and how they would access the house and escape from it. Danka was happy to have Jeskéckta as part of the conspiracy, and even more happy that Jeskéckta looked exactly like her dead sister. For the ruse Danka was planning, the stroke of luck was perfect. While Danka and Jeskéckta worked out the lines they would say to Oana, Ernockt and Tanélickt purchased oil lamps and a prepared a chemical mixture that made lantern oil burn an eerie bluish-green. They prepared special dye to blacken skin and assembled several sets of tightly-fitting black clothing and matching face masks. October seemed to pass by very quickly. The four conspirators spent most of their days planning their trap for Oana, but there was time to relax, enjoy each others' company, and even explore the area around Novo Sókukt Tók. Jeskéckta took her companions to her village and talked about the days when she and her sister were children, before her father tried to force her into an arranged marriage. Fortunately for Jeskéckta, the father had since died and a brother was running the family farm. Jeskéckta would have to leave eventually, but she was not in a hurry and was determined to have more say over who she married than her sister had. Within a few days of meeting Jeskéckta, Tanélickt lost interest in Danka. He quit approaching her for sex and shifted his attentions to the villager. He entertained her with tales of the Defenders' exploits and descriptions of what life was like for the nymphs and musketeers. Not having seen anything apart from her farm and Novo Sókukt Tók (which she considered very cosmopolitan), Jeskéckta listened to the description of a fascinating world of adventure and danger. Danka noticed that Tanélickt exaggerated the bravery and performance of Jeskéckta's sister. In life she had not been an exceptional fighter, but her sister did not have to know that. Meanwhile, Tanélickt started asking about land and farming in the region and if there were available farms near Novo Sókukt Tók or homesteads further east. Jeskéckta promised to ask her brother the next time she saw him. At first, Danka was glad to be free of Tanélickt's attentions. She liked him, but there was nothing intellectual about him and she would have been bored with him had they attempted to stay together. Being with Tanélickt, she realized she would be very hard-pressed to find someone as interesting as Ilmátarkt. Yes, her husband had a lot of strange ideas, but she was never bored talking to him and the conversations challenged her to think about the world in ways she had not previously imagined. Tanélickt was more a man of his era, competent with a musket or a plow, but not one to trouble his mind with things that did not directly affect his life. And yet, as Danka watched him and Jeskéckta flirt with each other, she felt a twinge of jealousy. It was the first time in her life a man who had been interested in her turned away to pursue another woman. Oh well. There was nothing for her to do other than wish them the best and finish her plot against Oana. ---------- By the last week of October the rains in the eastern valley had stopped. The first snowfall was only a few weeks away, but in the meantime cold dry winds whipped the last of the leaves off the trees. Now that the rain and fog had cleared, Danka had the chance to look at the steep mountains immediately to the southwest of Novo Sókukt Tók. In the distance Danka could see jumbled peaks where the headwaters of the Rika Chorna River were located. Just a year before she had been on the other side of those mountains in the Defenders' encampment, wondering what the Vice Duchy was like and listening to stories of fellow nymphs who were from places like Novo Sókukt Tók. During the middle of the month, various friends of Ernockt snuck in with barrels of preserved food to lower through the floor and hide in a secret compartment under the house's basement. The Vice Duke's tax collectors were roaming around and typically barely left the farmers with enough food to make it through the winter. Danka and Jeskéckta helped Ernockt's friends with some of the cooking and preserving, which forced them to delay their plan to confront Oana. Finally, the farmers left at the beginning of the last week of October and Danka could resume her plot against Oana. ---------- On October 26th, Guard Mistress Oana Adonckta, the head of the security of the True Believers' Convent in Novo Sókukt Tók, entertained one of the town's young male watchmen, as usual. She did the same thing every night, unsure herself why she gave sex away for free. When she reflected on the matter, the only explanation she could come up with was that she simply enjoyed having sex and young men did not entangle her in any commitments. Oana had lived alone for many years. She once was married, but it turned out she was unable to have children and her husband left her. She took advantage of her childless status to have a series of lovers. Eventually she joined the Defenders, mostly out of boredom. The militia life gave her much of the life she wanted, until that nasty newcomer Danka started causing so many problems for her squad and Dalibora undercut her leadership. Well, she did get even with those two, didn't she? Many would have said that it was inexcusable for a nymph to abandon another nymph, but that was just too bad. Danka and Dalibora, and the others for that matter, had caused trouble for Oana, so their deaths at the hands of the soldiers of the Kingdom of the Moon was what they deserved. Besides, it was the Destroyer, not Oana, who ultimately determined their fates. Meanwhile, she had started a new life and was proving her value to the True Believers, so her future seemed bright, maybe even more so than in the militia. However, after her lover departed, Oana felt strangely uneasy. Something was not right. She lay awake in the darkness, listening to the cold wind blow through the streets and rooftops of Novo Sókukt Tók. She could swear she could hear a ghostly whisper: "Nymphs take care of each other. A nymph never leaves her sister in the hands of the enemy. No nymph ever faces the pain of defeat alone..." She took a deep breath and threw off her bed covers. She needed to light a lantern and see what was causing that strange whispering noise. The problem was she couldn't move her arms. Something, or someone, was holding her hands and feet to the bed. Then, to her horror, a woman's face slowly came into view. As it became increasingly illuminated, she recognized who it was, the injured young recruit from a village near Novo Sókukt Tók she had left behind in Aksheriri Ris, just before she fled though the north gate. For a few moments the face said nothing. It was obvious it must be a ghost, given the sad expression and weird blue-green illumination that could only come from the Realm of the Afterlife. Oana opened and closed her eyes several times, trying to make the apparition go away. Then she began to pray: "Destroyer I served you... Destroyer protect me... Destroyer I served you..." The face spoke softly: "But squad-leader... Defender Oana... why do you call upon the Profane One? Didn't you renounce the Profane One in the Temple Plaza? Didn't you say the Profane One has no power over the Realm of the Living? Didn't you betray the one whose protection you now seek?" Oana gave up praying. It was true. She had renounced the Destroyer. The Destroyer had no reason, none whatsoever, to protect her. "What... what do you want?" "We miss you, Defender Oana. We need you to lead us in the Realm of the Afterlife, just as you led us in the forest. We want you to be with us. Remember, a nymph never leaves her sisters behind. We always go back. Isn't that what you taught us? So, we are coming for you." "You're dead. I'm alive. You can't come back for me." "Oh, but we can. We must. You see, Defender Oana, we betrayed you by leaving you behind in the Realm of the Living. It was wrong of us to do that, because we know you must miss us. You needed to go with us, to feel the pain of the soul's separation from the body, but sadly, it didn't happen. So... now the time has come for you to travel with us through the Realm of Darkness and Despair. Won't you join us?" "No! Go away! You're dead!" "Am I? Am I truly dead? Are you truly alive? How would you know that, Defender Oana? How would you know that? Am I the one who's dead? Are you the one who's alive? Or maybe... just maybe... it's the other way around..." The face slowly faded into darkness. Then the whispering started up: "Nymphs take care of each other. A nymph never leaves her sister in the hands of the enemy. No nymph ever faces the pain of defeat alone..." Suddenly Oana had the use of her arms and legs again. She frantically groped around the room for her lantern. She screamed when she thought she brushed up against something that moved. She knocked over the lantern and it fell on the floor with the sound of breaking glass. She screamed again and jumped out of bed to push her window open, letting in the frigid air. The cold didn't matter. She was desperate for light, any light, to prove to herself she was still in the Realm of the Living. She climbed out, tearing off her nightshirt as she clumsily fell on the ground. Her ruined nightclothes were hanging from her windowsill and she had some bad cuts and scrapes from her mishap. She stood outside her house shivering, not from the cold, but from mortal fear. From a nearby hiding place, Danka coldly watched as the bewildered guards, nuns, and night watchmen gathered around Oana to see why, on a cold night, she was standing naked outside her open window and acting so strange. It was as though she had received a visit from someone from the Realm of the Afterlife, from a ghost she was mortally afraid of encountering. Danka knew she'd have to congratulate Jeskéckta: her part in the plot had been perfect, her performance flawless. ---------- The group waited a week, to give Oana enough time to try to convince herself the ghost incident was nothing but a bad dream. Ernockt collected information from his various informants among the city night watchmen confirming Oana had been totally traumatized by her "nightmare" and was completely spooked. She barely slept and spent the nighttime with her lantern on pacing around her house. During the day she was very irritable and jumpy. The majority of the night watchmen were avoiding her because it was obvious something was very wrong. Maybe Beelzebub the Destroyer had something to do with her erratic behavior. If that was true, then she'd be dangerous to be around. As the days went by, Oana became increasingly withdrawn and isolated. Her fear fed upon itself because there was no one she could talk to about its cause. Danka almost felt sorry for her, but not enough to change her plans. Oana had betrayed her most basic responsibility as a nymph and now she would have to suffer for it. Danka divided her time between rehearsing movements with the others for the second part of the ruse and observing her former squad leader to determine when would be the best time to strike. On November 5th, Oana had a male visitor, the first one since her "nightmare". Her behavior during their sex was desperate, as though she could drive out her fear if she exhausted herself enough. Yes, she'd exhaust herself alright, and in doing so play right into Danka's plans. For the first time in over a week she'd sleep soundly, only to have a horrible awakening. When the city watchman came out and talked to his counterpart on the street, Ernockt was hiding nearby. He overheard the men discussing the evening's sex and found out that Oana was soundly asleep when the man left her. Yes, her behavior had been extremely suspicious and erratic over the past eight days, but maybe that had passed. The watchman on the street commented that he wasn't feeling good at all and needed to warm up. The two men left together, leaving the house unguarded. Ernockt couldn't believe his good fortune. He returned to the safe house to summon the others. Less than a minute later they were inside Oana's residence. Danka's target was too soundly asleep to feel the bedcovers being pulled back and her nightshirt being cut off her body. She did not notice that her new lantern, which she had kept burning continuously over the past week, had been put out. She lay naked and uncovered on her bed as Danka took off her own black gown, placed it near the door, and lay next to her. Oana curled up from the cold. She started stirring as she sleepily reached for her blanket. When she rolled on her back, Danka straddled her. Suddenly Oana's hands and feet were pinned to the mattress. Her eyes went open, wide with panic mere words couldn't even begin to describe. Danka's face, illuminated by the eerie blue-green light, filled Oana's entire range of vision. Danka's eyes appeared wild and completely black in the strange light, as though they were not the eyes of a person still alive. She was smiling seductively and with her hands held Oana's head firmly in place, her thumbs stroking the older woman's cheeks. "Defender Oana... Defender Oana... answer me please..." Oana was so petrified with fear she couldn't answer or struggle. Instead she started violently shaking. "Don't be afraid. It's me. Danka. Don't you remember me? Don't you remember the first day we saw each other? In the logging camp? Don't you remember that?" "I... I... please... be gone..." "Oh don't worry about that. I won't be gone. Don't you worry about me leaving you again. It's true I left you in the Realm of the Living, when my soul separated from my body. I left you alone. We all did. But we felt bad about that, and it was always our intention to come back for you." Danka gently kissed Oana's gaping mouth, in a shocking violation of Danubian protocol. Then she sensuously moved her naked body against Oana's. The older woman suddenly realized with horror that she was naked and Danka's naked ghost was violating her. Danka continued: "I do love you. I will prove it. I will make you remember me. I will always be with you, watching over you. A nymph never leaves her sisters behind, isn't that so? Do you really think I'd leave you suffering in the Realm of the Living when you could be with us in the Realm of the Destroyer? We love you, Oana. We want you with us. We're returning for you, Oana, just for you. We'll all pay you a midnight visit, each of us, here in this very house, every time you go to sleep in this bed. And then, we'll take you with us. Isn't that wonderful? And when you join us, we'll remember how kindly you treated us. We will repay your kindness, love, sacrifice, and loyalty, many times over. You'll be with us, always and forever." The light began to dim and Danka's smiling, leering face faded into darkness. In a well-practiced move, she quickly lifted up and flipped backwards, her fall caught by Tanélickt. At the same instant, Ernockt and Jeskéckta let go of Oana's hands and backed away from the bed. As Oana frantically flailed about in the darkness, they silently scrambled out the door. Danka grabbed her gown on the way out and in a single rehearsed motion, slipped it on. The moment they exited the house, they heard the crash of broken glass and knew that Oana had broken another lantern in the dark. The conspirators scurried along an alley as they heard their victim desperately banging against her window, trying to break through shutters she had re-enforced just a few days before. They disappeared into the safe house as Oana finally caught her breath and let out an unearthly scream of terror. Danka and her companions hurriedly changed out of their black camouflage outfits and put on ordinary workers' clothing. The women put on scarves and the men wore loose-fitting hats that concealed their faces. Given that it was cold and windy outside, there was nothing unusual about their attire, nothing to draw anyone's attention. They would be simple bystanders, like dozens of others watching Oana's inexplicable descent into madness. They went back out just in time to see Oana run down the street. She had not bothered to get dressed and was bleeding from her efforts to break out of her house. The house itself had been set on fire, so the night watchmen and the female convent guards were occupied trying to put out the flames. The conspirators weren't sure whether Oana had deliberately set the fire or if it had been set off by accident, but as soon as the flames reached the roof, the house was doomed. The guards were forced to run out and concentrate their efforts on preventing flying sparks from igniting the nearby barracks bunkhouse. The burning thatch collapsed into Oana's residence and destroyed everything inside. The nuns peered at the blaze from the windows of the convent, commenting that the soul of their leading guard must have been possessed by Beelzebub the Destroyer. After that hideous scream and the inferno that followed, the nuns were desperately afraid of the woman and hoped never to see her again. No one could blame them. So, Oana had just lost her home, all of her possessions, and her job. The watchmen caught up with the possessed woman, captured her, tied her up, and took her to a warehouse for storing grain collected as taxes from farmers. Not wanting her to escape and not knowing what else to do with her, they chained her to a support beam. The prisoner's condition was not good at all. She was so spooked she was unable to speak coherently and her body was covered with painful-looking cuts and scrapes. Whatever else might be wrong with her, the guards did not want to leave her injuries unattended, so they summoned a town medical practitioner. Unfortunately for Oana, Ernockt knew all the practitioners in Novo Sókukt Tók and was a competent healer himself. So, when the guards asked a healer to leave his house, Ernockt, who just happened to be walking by, volunteered to go in the place of his friend. The practitioner, more than happy to be spared having to get dressed and go out on that raw, unpleasant night, handed over his medical kit. Ernockt passed the kit to the guards and told them to wait while he summoned his assistant. The Girl with No Name Ch. 28 The conspirators were ready to finalize their mission to avenge the betrayed nymphs. Ernockt returned to the safe house to summon Jeskéckta, who already had changed into a medical apprentice dress. In the Vice Duchy, injured and sick women could only be treated by female medical healers: protocol prohibited male practitioners from touching female patients. So, there was nothing suspicious about Ernockt bringing Jeskéckta with him to treat Oana's injuries. Besides her guild dress, Jeskéckta wore a loose-fitting shawl that partially covered her face. When the moment was right, she'd push it back. Ernockt and Jeskéckta entered the dark storeroom where Oana was being kept. She had calmed down enough to be aware of her surroundings, but was still horribly spooked. Also, she was shaking from the cold and would need a blanket. For several minutes Jeskéckta left the shawl hanging over her face as she dressed Oana's cuts with an herbal paste solution to sterilize them and stop the bleeding. Several curious guards quietly stepped inside to see what had happened to the Beelzebub-possessed woman, but they stood against the wall and were barely visible in the dark room. Now that she had witnesses, the moment had come for Jeskéckta to strike. As Ernockt held up the lantern, she lifted up her head to allow Oana to get a partial view of her face. Oana screamed and pulled hard against her chains, desperately trying to move away. Jeskéckta smiled and held up a dab of medical paste. "Get her away! In the name of the Destroyer, get her away from me! She has no right to be here! Get her away from me!" Jeskéckta spoke in quiet soothing voice, so softly the onlookers couldn't hear what she was saying, They simply assumed she was trying to comfort the mad-woman. "But why, Defender Oana? Why are you yelling at me? I just want to help you. You don't remember who I am?" "Get away from me! I'm not coming with you! You're dead!" "Dead? How could I be dead? What would make you think such a thing?" "I'm not coming with you! I don't care what happened in the Kingdom! It's not my concern! I'm not coming with you!" "But... how can you say that? You really don't know who I am?" "You're a dead nymph! You're dead! Yes, I left you to die, but so what? You're dead! You're dead! You're dead! Now get away from me!" "But a nymph would never do that. So I couldn't be dead, could I? You'd never leave me... you were our squad leader, and we knew you'd come back for us. We knew..." "Well I didn't! I didn't go back for you, and because of it you got what you deserved! All of you!" Ernockt quietly extinguished the lantern. The next light was a faint eerie blue-green light that illuminated Danka's face. She and Tanélickt had slipped in while Oana was screaming at Jeskéckta. When her face lit up, Oana desperately struggled against her chains. Danka slowly approached. "Defender Oana, you do need to join us. But why? Why did you do it?" "Because I hated you! I hated all of you! I wanted rid my life of all of you ungrateful, disrespectful, whoring, slut-bitches! I wanted you dead! I didn't want to see you again, so that's why I did it! And I hope you suffered! I hope the Blue Moons stuck you good!" The city watchmen, who had until that moment been silently watching the spectacle, gasped is disbelief. They had know Oana had been a Defender and was recommended as a competent fighter, which was why the town council contracted her to lead the convent security detail. They also knew that she had survived the battle of Aksheriri Ris, so they understood what all the screaming was about. Oana, in her own words, had just admitted to the most heinous crime that any member of the Danubian military, especially a commander, could possibly commit against others in their unit or under their command. ---------- The next day the city guards convened a military trial for former Defender and squad leader Oana Adonckta. The charges were six instances of dishonorable abandonment. The witnesses included Tanélickt and Jeskéckta, but their testimony was hearsay, so it had to backed up by a first-hand witness. That witness was Danka. Oana was shocked, horrified, and infuriated that Danka was not a ghost at all: she was very much alive. Standing only a fathom away from her nemesis, Danka described in detail what happened in Aksheriri Ris. The experience of her and her three injured companions verified that if Oana could deliberately leave behind a fellow squad leader and three nymphs, there was no reason she couldn't have done the same thing to Jeskéckta's sister and the other woman. When a skeptical guard asked Danka to detail how she escaped from the city, Danka openly admitted to poisoning her injured squad-leader to prevent her capture and walking out of the city at night. "I acted under orders then, and I'm acting under orders now. Defender Dalibora's last words to me were to find Defender Oana and avenge what she did to us. So, that's what I did. As for my escape, I am a Follower of the Ancients and it was the Ancients who guided me out of the Kingdom of the Moon. Not the Lord-Creator and not Beelzebub the Destroyer. If that makes me a heretic, then so be it. But that's how I got out. The Ancients showed me where to go, and I simply followed their guidance." The tribunal asked the defendant if she had anything to say in her own defense. Oana, still shocked by the fact Danka was not killed in Aksheriri Ris and by the complicated trickery she had used to entrap her, couldn't think of anything. She sullenly responded she had nothing to say to anyone and no need to justify anything she had done. Danka expected the guards to execute Oana, but her punishment would be much more horrible than the simple separation of her soul from her body. Instead of tying her to a stake and shooting five arrows into her, the guards brought a large male pig into the hearing room. The pig was cleaned up and happily grunting as the guards led him to a bowl of left-overs. While the pig munched on his meal, the leading member of the city council signed a certificate making him a citizen of the Duchy, and another certificate reclassifying Oana as property belonging to the pig. She knelt quietly as a nun loosened her hair and put a collar around her neck and shackles on her arms and legs. From that point forward Oana no longer was human. She was less than an animal. The pig officially owned her, and for the rest of her time in the Realm of the Living it would be her Path in Life to live among the convent's swine and pay special attention to her new "master's" needs. The commanders grabbed Oana's chains and kicked her as they dragged her outside. They tapped the pig to move him out the door as well. A crowd of spectators started chanting: "The Pig is your Master! Serve him well!... The Pig is your Master! Serve him well!..." The guards forced Oana to crawl to the convent's pigsty while they continued kicking her and hitting her back with sticks. The spectators continued to chant: "The Pig is your Master! Serve him well!... The Pig is your Master! Serve him well!..." Danka sadly watched the spectacle. Her mission to avenge Dalibora and the other nymphs was completed. She had fulfilled her squad leader's final orders. She knew that she should have felt triumph, but all she could feel was disgust with everyone and everything in Novo Sókukt Tók. More than anything else, she was disgusted with herself. ---------- The following day was a happy occasion for Tanélickt and Jeskéckta. He proposed to her and she accepted. Ernockt gave him two gifts: new identification papers and the money he needed to buy a set of engagement jewelry. Former Defender Tanélickt disappeared from the Realm of the Living. Under a new identity he would travel with his fiancé to her village, join her brother's guild, and eventually purchase a plot of land so he could marry her. He would never return to the capitol, never serve in the Grand Duke's Army, and never again see the Great Temple. The couple departed from Novo Sókukt Tók in the middle of the night, given they did not want anyone from the Grand Duke's Army or the Old Believers' faction of the Danubian Church to know where Tanélickt had gone or what became of him. Danka was left alone with Ernockt. She spent a couple of days with some farmers' wives, helping them prepare preserves and dress a couple of slaughtered pigs. The sight of the pigs tormented her, reminding her of Oana, condemned to spend the rest of her life chained inside a pigsty. When the farmers' wives departed and their food was safely hidden from the tax collectors, Danka decided it was time for her to leave as well. She had completed her squad leader's final command, her traveling companion was starting a new life, and she had seen what she wanted to see of Novo Sókukt Tók. Ernockt was skeptical, pointing out there was no way she could return to the western valley until springtime. "I know I can't go over the pass. I know that. But I don't want to stay here either. I guess I'll go to Rika Chorna, to see the city of the Vice-Duke. I'll stay there, wait for spring, and see what happens. I don't know what else to do with myself. But I can't stay in this town." For the first time, Danka felt her life had no purpose. She was adrift. She had no one she cared about, no responsibilities, and no goals. Perhaps if it were summer she'd feel better, because at least she'd have the option of putting on her collar and exploring a new place. In the Vice-Duchy she didn't have that option. A penance collar did not give her protected status and even if it did, winter was starting and there was no way she could move about, clothed or unclothed. She still had time to go as far as Rika Chorna, but there she would be stranded for several months. She lay awake, wondering what to do. Oana's situation came back to haunt her. She knew that she couldn't walk away and leave Oana in her current condition. If Oana had been executed she would have felt justice had been served. However, the thought of her, or any person, no matter how heinous, chained up among pigs, eating their food and covered in their excrement, robbed Danka of her sleep. She had no desire to rescue Oana, but she did want to put a stop to her misery. Danka shared her concern with her host: the need to end Oana's suffering before departing from Novo Sókukt Tók. Surprisingly, he understood and agreed to assist: first to resolve Oana's situation and then to help his guest leave Novo Sókukt Tók. The next day Ernockt escorted Danka into town. In the safe house, Danka put on a nun's dress. The nuns would be in their mid-day prayers and the female guards would be eating lunch. Ernockt was friends with the city watchman who was posted outside the convent's gate, so he'd engage him in conversation. Meanwhile Danka, disguised as a nun, slipped in to do what she had to do. When Danka saw her former squad leader, she was shocked by how much she had deteriorated. Oana was shivering among the pigs, her hair was filthy and disheveled, and her body was covered with foul-smelling mud. She looked very old, as though she had aged two decades during the week she had been living in her horrible circumstances. No, this couldn't continue. However evil Oana might be, this can't go on, thought Danka to herself. Danka entered the compound and pushed back her hat. Oana sullenly glared at her. "Defender, I've done what I came to do, what I was ordered to do by my squad leader. I'm leaving this town, and I'm never coming back. Before I go, I've brought you something, to let you escape from your misery. Drink this, and your soul will separate from your body. It's the same drink I gave Dalibora so the enemy wouldn't capture her. You can make your peace with the Creator, or the Destroyer, and then you can depart the Realm of the Living." Danka left a small jar on the ground and stepped back. Dragging her chains behind her, Oana crawled over to pick it up. "But why are you doing this? I thought the whole purpose of your trickery was to make me live in dishonor." "No. The purpose of my trickery was to avenge Dalibora and the others. That's now completed. We've taken our revenge against you. But, now that I'm done, I don't see what good it will bring to the Realm of the Living to prolong your suffering. So... if you wish, you can end it... at the moment of your choosing." "I don't know what to say. I ought to thank you, but I can't. I hate you more than ever: I'd break your neck if I could reach you. But I will use this escape you've given me. I guess I can say I appreciate having it. And I have something to ask of you." "Go ahead, ask." "I want you to leave before I take this and stay away. I don't want to give you the satisfaction of seeing my corpse." "I'm leaving anyway. I'm not worried about seeing your corpse." Danka made her way past the pigs, trying to avoid stepping in slop, mud, and manure. She turned to face her defeated nemesis to say goodbye. Instead, the words that came out of her mouth were as follows: "You know... there's irony in our situation. When we met, I was a wandering vagabond. Now that we're parting ways, my Path in Life is still to be a wandering vagabond." Tightly gripping the jar, Oana let out a loud hiss, an insult in traditional Danubian society. Her damaged soul cared nothing about ironies, nor about anything else apart from the unyielding hatred that had consumed it. ---------- Following their midday prayers, the nuns returned to their daily routine. When the church bell struck three, a younger nun decided to check on the pigs and make sure the pigs' servant had properly fed the animals and cleaned up their pigsty. It turned out the criminal was nowhere to be found. When the nun further investigated, she realized the criminal's soul had separated from her body and she was lying dead in the mud. The nuns dragged out the corpse and buried her in an unmarked grave. The woman's death was a mystery, but rumors later circulated that a mysterious nun, or at least someone in a nun's outfit, had been seen entering and leaving the convent. That was odd, because all of the nuns were present at the mid-day prayers. The townsfolk of Novo Sókukt Tók spent many idle hours during the final weeks of 1758 talking about the strange possessed woman who briefly led the convent's security detachment and the even stranger group of former militia members who testified against her. As soon as the possessed woman died, the others disappeared without a trace. They must have been servants of Beelzebub the Destroyer, because somehow they knew they needed to escape. It turned out the Senior Priest of the town had been planning to arrest Danka and put her on trial for heresy, given that she openly admitted to being a Follower of the Ancients. For a True Believer, being a Follower of the Ancients was infinitely worse than paying homage to Beelzebub the Destroyer. But the young woman disappeared the day before she would have been arrested and no one had a clue where she went. The other nymph (or sister of the nymph, depending on who one believed) and the Defenders' musketeer had vanished without a trace as well. The captain of the city guard kept transcripts of Oana's trial, but when the witnesses vanished, the records were not where the commander remembered having left them. Without the documents, he could not compile a final report to send to the Vice-Duke. Faced with a situation that made him look incompetent, he decided not to file a report at all and pretend the trial never happened. Everyone directly involved was either dead or vanished, so it would be best to forget the entire incident. The nuns, the female convent guards, and the city watchmen debated their own memories of Oana and the avenging ghost-woman who destroyed her. After several months, most people forgot there had been two women at the trial and they combined the identities of Danka and Jeskéckta. There was confusion over the name of the mysterious avenger and disagreement over what she actually did. Everyone, including the nuns, agreed the nameless visitor was the most beautiful woman they had ever laid eyes on. They also agreed the stranger possessed supernatural powers, but there were as many variations concerning what those powers actually were as there were people telling the story. Everyone did agree Oana's house burned down, but there were conflicting versions over how the fire started and why. Because Oana was buried in an unmarked grave, some witnesses doubted she was actually dead. Some people even speculated the possessed guard-woman and the avenging stranger were the same person, with the Lord-Creator and Beelzebub the Destroyer battling over her soul. ---------- Meanwhile, Jeskéckta had her own interpretation of what happened to Oana and how she managed to avenge her sister. Because Danka had completely vanished, Jeskéckta claimed complete credit for uncovering the former squad-leader's treachery and tricking her into confessing. It certainly sounded better to the grieving family members and the village's other young women, to have such a heroine living among them, the loyal sister who had so stealthily brought her sibling's betrayer to justice. Her fiancé said nothing. He didn't want to impress anyone: he just wanted to conceal his previous identity, evade his obligation to the Royal Guards, work his land, be a respected citizen of the village, and raise responsible children. More importantly, he had no desire to offend anyone from the family he was planning to marry into. So, he let his fiancé (and later his wife) spin whatever tales she wanted to spin. Whatever stories swirled around the village made no difference, not when he had a field to plow and a harvest to bring in. ---------- Note: The Great Swamp of Misery contained numerous bogs and quicksand traps, which resulted in the Danubian belief the land was cursed and ate humans. It was also true large populations of mosquitoes, midges, and biting gnats made any effort to enter the area during the summer nearly impossible. For thousands of years the swamp was universally hated throughout the Duchy. In the 1920s the Danubian Parliament approved plans to construct a hydroelectric dam where the Rika Chorna exits from the swamp's former location into the canyon. The dam project was deliberately over-sized because the engineers wanted to completely flood the area and destroy all traces of the swamp. The project was completed in the 1930s and the Rika Chorna Reservoir remains one of the largest artificial lakes in Europe today. Due to a recent flooding scare, the Danubian Ministry of Natural Resources concluded the Rika Chorna Reservoir is too big and its surface area should be reduced by a third to lower the danger of potential flooding downstream. Engineers have increased the water flow through the spillway and the water-level is now kept 6 meters below where it was kept throughout the late 20th Century. The Ministry is attempting to restore some of the original wetlands around the edges of the reduced lake. The Girl with No Name Ch. 29 Chapter Twenty-Nine -- The Scribe After delivering the sedative that would allow Oana to separate her soul from her body, Danka returned to the safe-house, changed into a workers' outfit, and left Novo Sókukt Tók. She returned to the farmhouse, packed her bucket, and went to sleep. She'd have to wait for Ernockt to return from work before departing. He had promised to help her leave the area, but he had to stay at his desk in the city councilmen's building until sunset. When Ernockt returned, he handed the stolen trial transcripts to Danka. She could look them over if she wanted, but after reading them she was to throw the papers into the stove. The transcripts were full of mistakes. When Danka pointed that out, her host responded: "The scribe for the city guards is a total idiot. If you told him that you saw a flock of geese walking along a path, he'd put down it was ducks or chickens. So, after you're done reading, you can burn this and it won't trouble your conscience. I just figured you'd want to see it first." After a few minutes, Danka opened the door of the stove and pushed in the report. She turned to her host. "Now what? You said you'd help me leave." "Yes, that's what I said. But I can't go with you. I have to go back to work tomorrow and we shouldn't be seen together. I've brought a donkey so you don't have to walk. I'll give you some letters so you can pursue your Path in Life in Rika Chorna. We need another scribe to follow events there anyway, and we're going to see if we can find a position for you with the Vice-Duke or the city council." "So you expect me to work as a scribe and collect information for you?" "Yes." "That... really wasn't what I had in mind..." "Maybe it wasn't. But we did help you with your revenge against Oana, didn't we? I risked my own position in this town so you could fulfill your final orders from Defender Dalibora. I hosted you for over a month and spent my own money buying everything you needed. I do expect you to repay me. I don't want any silver, and I wouldn't accept it, even if you offered. What I need from you, and expect from you, is your assistance." "And you expect me to ride to Rika Chorna, by myself, with letters addressed to strangers, and assume nothing will happen to me along the way." "Nothing will happen to you, because you'll be wearing your nun outfit. A nun outfit is the same in the Vice-Duchy as a collar would be in the western valley. People here don't bother nuns." "A True Believers' nun? You expect me to travel disguised as a True Believers' nun?" "And what's so surprising about that? You've walked all over the western valley wearing nothing but your collar. In the eastern valley, the only way a woman can safely move about alone is to be dressed as a nun. Same goal, different outfit." Danka reluctantly put on the nun's dress. It was unbelievably hot and cumbersome. However, outside it would protect her against the cold more than almost anything else she could wear. Ernockt handed her a prayer book and protocol manual so she could learn to act like a real nun. Among other restrictions, whenever a nun was moving around and not carrying anything, she had to keep her hands together in prayer. Also, she was not allowed to look at the face of any man. She cringed at the ridiculous protocol, but realized the rules would help keep her real identity a secret, assuming she could remember to follow them. Danka was not looking forward to the trip, because she had never traveled in November. She had spent plenty of time outside in various places over the winter, but never actually journeyed to a new destination. However, her traveling conditions certainly could be worse. She'd have a donkey to ride on and carry her belongings, and the heavy nun habit, consisting of an under-dress, public dress, and winter cape would protect her against the cold. Danka left the following morning as soon as there was a hint of light in the pre-dawn sky. The temperature had gone below freezing the night before, making the ground solid and covering the landscape with a layer of frost. She traveled along the main road, which, combined with the fact she was riding, sped up her trip considerably. She had to remember not to look back at any men who were looking at her. Occasionally a pair or group of thuggish-looking men approached her, but as soon as they saw she was wearing a nun's dress, they moved on. The rules for overnight stays were similar for a nun in the Vice-Duchy as they were for a penitent in the western valley. The nun approached a church of her choosing, knelt until a Clergy member approached her, and was given a meal and a place to sleep. The only disadvantage of the arrangement was having to sing and pray with any other women who happened to be in the church at that time. Danka was hard-pressed to learn enough True Believers' hymns to avoid raising suspicions. She spent a week traveling towards Novo Sumy Ris. When the town came into sight, she was tempted to go in and return to the church, but decided against taking that risk. She took a road bypassing the town and headed east towards her destination, the city of Rika Chorna. Danka arrived just in time. As she entered Rika Chorna, snow began falling. It was the beginning of the winter's first real snowstorm, and it would be particularly severe, dropping knee-deep snow onto the central part of the Vice Duchy. She knew from experience that towns closer to the foothills, such as Novo Sumy Ris and Novo Sókukt Tók, along with the hilly roads that connected them, would receive even deeper snow. So...that was it for the year as far as traveling or trading were concerned. The roads were blocked and only the most determined or fool-hardy would venture out from wherever they happened to be when the first snow came down. Rika Chorna, given its name for the same reason the province carried that name, was the second-largest city in the Duchy with more than 40,000 people living there. It also was the seat of the region's ruler, Vice-Duke Petroickt. Like Novo Sumy Ris, the regional capitol boasted a large church that was an exact replica of the cathedral in the original Sumy Ris. Danka recognized replicas of other old buildings from the former capitol, plus copies of less fortunate ancient buildings that had since been torn down by the Ottomans over the past two centuries. She shook her head, still wondering why, after 250 years, people were so obsessed with the old southern capitol. The Grand Duke had nearly suffered a disastrous defeat because of his desire for Sumy Ris. For the exact same reason, the Defenders did suffer a disastrous defeat. Out of three cities in the Vice-Duchy she had visited so far, Danka had seen replicas of the Sumy Ris cathedral in two of them. The replicas of the structures in the lost southern capitol surrounded the church, but the rest of the city had standard European architecture and reminded Danka of her hometown Rika Héckt-nemát. There was no city wall around Rika Chorna, nor around any other town in the Vice-Duchy. Next to the church was the governor's palace, which was by far the most significant building in the city. It was larger and more ostentatious than the Grand Duke's castle. Unlike the castle, which was built first as a defensive structure, the palace did not have high walls and clearly was not meant to serve any military purpose. It was built solely as a seat of government and a luxury residence. Gardens surrounded it and there was a large courtyard containing a stone bathing area for summer swimming. Danka examined her letters and found a name and house description for her contact. She led the donkey to a two-story residence that was behind the governor's palace. A woman in a merchants' guild dress answered the door and asked the "nun" where she had come from. "From a farmhouse, right outside Novo Sókukt Tók" "Very well, sister. You may enter." The residence was a safe-house belonging to Ernockt's intelligence-gathering network. It had a basement with a secret passageway leading to another safe-house on the same block, so it was easy for anyone entering one residence to exit the other and evade surveillance. Inside the house there were two other "nuns" and a couple of older men dressed in traders' outfits. Outside the residence, the "nuns" couldn't talk to the men, but inside the protocol was more typical of the western valley. The men were in charge, but the women could speak freely to them and offer their opinions and advice. One of the men went out through the other house to deal with the donkey. He brought in Danka's bucket and then took the animal to a stable outside town. Meanwhile, one of the women, who introduced herself as Sister Zánktia, told Danka to bathe and issued her a clean nun's outfit. Danka drew a frustrated breath when she saw the dress. Apparently she would remain a "nun". So, the disguise was not just for traveling. While eating dinner, the two "merchants" and the two "nuns" questioned Danka about her general knowledge of the world and the Duchy. They were impressed by what she knew and all the places she had visited. They asked her to provide writing samples and practice taking dictation, then show them what she knew about mathematics and using the abacus. They told her to sing and pray to see what her voice sounded like. Like everyone else, her hosts were bewildered by the contrast between Danka's lower-class accent and her expansive knowledge of academic and intellectual subjects. In spite of a decade of wandering and everything that had happened to her, Danka was never able to change her intonation and the way she pronounced her words. One of the men commented: "It's fortunate nuns don't talk much. Listening to your voice is not at all pleasant." Danka came very close to tearing off her nun outfit and storming out. Dressing up as a True Believers' nun was absolutely the last disguise she wanted to wear, and now, on top of everything else, that idiot had the nerve to insult her speech. However, she had long since learned to never let her temper get the best of her. It was heavily snowing outside, her hosts had taken back their donkey, she was in a strange city with no money, and she did need to return the favor Ernockt had done for her. So, she had to hold her tongue, at least for the moment. Danka's hosts gave her the chance to sleep and did not force her to go back out in the snowstorm. She slept alone in a bed with heavy curtains surrounding it and didn't wake up until it was already light outside. The room was bitterly cold, so she was torn between wanting to stay under the blankets and being forced to get up and use the chamber pot, thus alerting the others she was awake. She was able to resist her bladder for a few minutes, giving herself time to think about her situation and how best to deal with it. She began to wonder if Ernockt really was the one who wanted her to go to Rika Chorna. Was it possible he sent her because he was acting under orders from the Prophets in the Great Temple? As for his group of conspirators, she didn't know anything apart from what he had told her. They could be very powerful or not powerful at all. For the moment it would be better to assume the former and that she had no hope of leaving Rika Chorna without their permission. As soon as Danka finished a late breakfast, Zánktia took her to the main church to show her around and introduce her as a new nun to the Clergy. She had to endure constant whispered reminders of how she should behave as a nun and the complicated prayer protocol she needed to use inside a True Believers' place of worship. She would have to spend the rest of the month learning hymns and Latin phrases, when to cross herself (which seemed to be continuously), and the rituals surrounding faction's weird obsession with the execution of Jesus of Nazareth. The True Believers seemed to really be worked up about that execution. The True Believers in the Vice-Duchy were even more removed from Danubian traditions than their counterparts in the western valley. One example was the difference between the universal acceptance of collars for Public Penance by both the Old Believers and the True Believers in the west, and the rejection of collared penance in the east. Another example was celibacy. In the western valley the True Believers "encouraged" their clergy members to be celibate, but the rule could not really be enforced. In the east, the priests had to be celibate. Another example was the priests' focus on the deities themselves. In the west doctrine focused on the Lord-Creator and his enemy Beelzebub the Destroyer. In the east there was much more emphasis on praying to the Virgin Mother and the executed son. Celibate nuns did not exist at all in the west. In the east there was the convent in Novo Sókukt Tók and multiple schools located in various cities. During her stay in Novo Sókukt Tók, Danka had learned that for any girl whose parents were not willing to pay for a private tutor, the only way to become literate was to seek education through the True Believers. The True Believer nuns ran several schools for girls in the Vice-Duchy, but they "strongly encouraged" any girl entering their schools to become a nun. That "encouragement" became a formal requirement if the girl wanted to learn anything more apart from basic literacy. In the western valley, most guilds included teaching their members' daughters how to read and write as part of their services. The Old Believers ran schools for non-guild children and taught boys and girls alike, although the classes were separated by sex. So, in the western valley most women had some knowledge of reading and writing, while in the Vice-Duchy most women were completely illiterate. Having to learn the protocol for a nun made Danka think about her upbringing in Rika Héckt-nemát. The parish in her hometown was controlled by the True Believers, or at least it was in 1750, the year she left. Thus, she already was vaguely familiar the main points of the True Believers' doctrine. Her family didn't pay much attention to the Lord-Creator or the executed son, but they frequently prayed to the Virgin Mother for favors such as making their chickens lay eggs or making their vegetable garden grow. The town's finer residents dismissed the Síluckts and their neighbors as worthless illiterates, so they didn't bother taking the time to make the laborers understand the more complicated doctrine coming out of the Christian Bible. As Danka looked at all the Virgin Mother statues displayed around the church in Rika Chorna, her thoughts drifted to Lilith. In her mind the two deities, the Virgin Mother and Lilith, were both foreign goddesses. The goddess who actually had character and did things and fought back when the Lord-Creator mistreated her was a subject of her admiration. The goddess who did nothing apart from having a kid, without even bothering to have sex like a normal human being, was a subject of her derision. As for the Son of Man and execution that was the focus of the entire True Believers' religion, Danka thought: so what? People are executed all the time. Why was being crucified in Jerusalem any worse than hanging on an impalement hook in the Kingdom of the Moon? Why was one man's execution more important than another's? Of course, she knew the answers to most of those questions, having read the Christian Bible. But those answers made no sense to someone who was not, and never would be, a Christian. She considered herself a Follower of the Ancients, and if she was the last Follower in the entire Realm of the Living, then so be it. Zánktia told her they understood her distaste for the True Believer's doctrines and practices. Her hosts reminded her that their mission was to undermine the True Believers by collecting information and providing it to the Grand Duke and the Prophets in Danúbikt Móskt. Danka responded that she'd do whatever she could to undermine the True Believers, because her hatred of their doctrine and beliefs was visceral. ---------- Danka moved out of the safe-house at the beginning of December. Her handlers felt she was ready to begin the next phase of training for her clandestine life by living among the city's real nuns. Zánktia took her to a house adjacent to the church to live with 17 other women, all nuns who had gone through the True Believers' school system and ordained at the convent in Novo Sókukt Tók. Danka stood out among her companions because she was an outsider and much more attractive than any of the others. She was 23, but she looked considerably younger because she had been administering herself doses of Babáckt Yaga's mushroom tea over the past seven years. The others looked her over with suspicion and jealousy. On the first night at her new home, Danka had to endure a sermon by the leading nun talking about the danger of physical beauty and how it led to carnal sin. The nuns in Rika Chorna divided themselves into two groups: scribes and instructors. The younger women spent their days transcribing endless hymn sheets and copying or preparing church correspondence such as letters and directives. The clergy from the main church kept meticulous records of all happenings, which the Bishop wanted transcribed in clear, attractive handwriting on fine parchment. Danka frequently transformed a hastily-written note into a finely-written letter with improved vocabulary, converting it into a document that could be sent off and make the author look good to his reader. Meanwhile, the older and more trusted members of the group spent their days in a less grueling manner, giving literacy classes to local girls in a house adjacent to the one where they lived. Danka took notes on anything she felt was important and compiled them into a sheet of parchment written with the smallest handwriting possible to conserve space and paper. She kept the reports hidden in a special pocket inside the lining of her dress. She read and memorized as much as she could of her companions' writings, making notes and passing them to her contact. She spent her sparse spare time reading every book in the house, although unfortunately most of the material was about theology and True Believers' doctrine. She received plenty of insight about the workings of the diocese and its relationship with the Roman Church, but not much else. Every few days Zánktia passed by with a delivery of washed linens and Danka slipped her the notes she had collected over the past few days. Usually there was a small paper handed to her in return, containing comments on what information was useful and what information was not, along with requests for additional notes on specific topics or persons. Danka's handlers seemed especially interested in learning about movements within the clergy, knowing who was traveling to different locations and why. During the winter there was not much movement, but Zánktia wanted Danka to practice providing information on any traveling to prepare her to make comprehensive reports when the True Believers moved about in the summer. Danka sighed. Next summer. She couldn't imagine spending an entire summer in her horrible outfit sitting at a desk in a room full of insufferable, hostile, ugly, companions. She'd have to figure out how to extricate herself. ---------- Danka spent four months transcribing documents. Throughout the entire winter she never left the residence, except to go to the church for daily prayers and hymn practice. Danka's fellow scribes did not talk much to each other and talked even less to her. They sang and prayed as a group, but spent their meals and their duties in silence. She slept in a room with five other women, but never conversed with them. The room was cold and usually Danka was so tired that she fell asleep immediately. However, about once a week she had insomnia and would spend hours lying awake, thinking about Ilmátarkt. She didn't have much time to think about him or truly grieve over his death during the past year, but lying alone in that cold bed, tormented by loneliness and sexual frustration, she realized how much she missed her late husband. She could have enjoyed a happy life with him, had the Destroyer not taken him away. He satisfied her sexually, treated her with respect, and challenged her intellect. Also, in his own manner, detached and intellectual as it was, he did love her. She could not share the pain of being a widow with anyone, so she had to grieve for him in silence, by staring into the darkness and allowing tears to run down her cheeks. The Girl with No Name Ch. 29 ---------- When the weather started to warm up towards the end of March, Danka wrote note to Zánktia informing her handlers that they would have to find her another assignment. There was no way she would tolerate staying with the nuns over the summer. She expected the answer to be no; that she'd have to stay in the house indefinitely. However, on the final day of March, an official from the Vice-Duke's palace showed up with Sister Zánktia. He ordered the scribes from the residence to line up and for each to hold a sample of her writing in front of her. Danka's handwriting was not the best from the group, but her face caught the official's attention. He looked her over and asked her some questions about her background. She responded with a fictional biography given to her by her handlers, that she was daughter of a devout guildsman from Novo Sókukt Tók. The official violated protocol by pulling off her hat to have a better look at her head and braided hair. The other nuns quietly gasped and flinched at the act of disrespect. "It's a pity you'd waste your beauty like this." Danka pretended to be extremely nervous, but inwardly she was concealing hope that her intolerable life was about to change. The fact that Zánktia was with the official raised her anticipation of a transfer or change of assignment. The official quietly spoke to the leader of the residence. She cast a suspicious look at her young subordinate, but nodded and put her hands together in prayer. The official motioned Danka to follow him. Danka left the residence without going back inside or even saying goodbye to anyone. She kept no belongings in her room and the few items she did have with her, such a small supply of blue powder, the ingredients for making birth-control paste, her comb, and the thread for cleaning her teeth were safely stored in special pockets she had sewn into the lining of her dress. She had not seen her bucket since November: she could only hope it was still at the safe-house. ---------- The official and the two "nuns" walked the short distance between the scribes' residence and the entrance to the Vice-Duke's palace. Parts of the palace exterior had been within Danka's range of view throughout the entire winter, but she never had set foot inside. The day was grim, rainy, and overcast, but Danka could feel a hint, just a hint, of spring in the air. Danka's escorts led her through the outer door of the palace into the most luxurious room she had ever seen. The decor was Baroque and modeled after a palace in France. Expensive-looking vases imported from China sat on equally-fancy tables. The corridors were filled with paintings and statues, including multiple busts of the Vice-Duke. Beyond the main entrance and reception area a large set of glass doors opened up into a finely-trimmed garden. The grounds were meticulously maintained, much more so than in the Grand Duke's castle. Actually, the Grand Duke's residence, as luxurious as it was to a person with Danka's upbringing, was Spartan compared to the abode of the Vice-Duke. As she looked around at all the statues and imported decor, she wondered how much money the Vice-Duke was spending on his residence. After seeing the interior of the palace, it wasn't hard to understand why taxes were such a problem for the Vice-Duchy's farmers and guildsmen. The main section of the palace boasted a large round ballroom covered by a dome painted with angels flying around in puffy clouds. The area under the dome was surrounded by marble pillars and stain-glass windows. Portraits of the Vice-Duke and his family members covered the walls and statues stood in front of each pillar. Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling. Danka was no connoisseur concerning decor, but compared with the somewhat simpler furnishings of the Grand Duke, she felt the palace in Rika Chorna was decorated in poor taste. The exaggerated decor did not draw Danka's attention nearly as much as how the palace women were dressed. To a Danubian, especially a lower-class woman like Danka, the palace clothes were truly shocking and scandalous. The wives of the Grand Duke and his advisors boasted impossibly heavy and complicated silk dresses imported from France. Like all Danubian women, the palace residents wore their hair in braids, but those braids were covered by over-sized wigs. Seven years before, Danka had seen some fashionable European clothing when she traveled north of the Danubian border with the Followers, but to see such exaggerated get-ups in the Duchy itself was a shock. Danka later found out the elite women did not dare go out on the street in their foreign outfits, but the palace had unique protocol and any respectable woman had to wear French clothes while inside to distinguish herself from the "uncouth" commoners outside. The group approached the area where the Vice-Duke had his conference rooms and living quarters. They entered a luxurious reception area that was smaller than the outer reception area, but still large and ostentatious. The area was comfortably warm, heated by the cave-charcoal stoves Danka had introduced to the Grand Duke a few years before. There were several guards in the room, along with a group of noblewomen and a couple of advisors holding rolled-up documents. Danka had never seen a picture of Vice-Duchy's ruler and thus not sure what he looked like. However, in a palace full over over-dressed people he stood out, wearing an outlandish silk outfit covered with lace and jewels, topped with a cape made of imported white fur. His head was properly shaved, but Danka had no way of knowing that because the ruler wore an enormous white wig. On top of the wig he wore a crown so full of jewels that one could barely see the gold or silk underneath. With him were three effeminate-looking teenaged boys wearing equally effeminate clothing. One of the boys was carrying a falcon with its head covered by a tiny hood. Danka correctly assumed the teenagers were the Vice-Duke's sons. As she approached the Vice-Duke and the boys (if that's what one chose to call them), she tried to make sense of the bizarre spectacle in front of her. It was very fortunate that she already had seen pictures of late eighteenth-century western European royalty, so she understood the Vice-Duke and the members of his entourage were attempting to model themselves after elite fashion in places like Paris. Obviously the eastern nobility viewed traditional Danubian culture as primitive and uncouth. Perhaps they had to live in that inferior culture, but that didn't mean they had to sink to the simplistic and uncivilized behavior of their subjects. The entire set-up would have been more pathetic than offensive, had it not been for the crushing taxes the farmers and guildsmen had to pay to maintain it. The official saluted the Vice Duke and his sons while the two "nuns" knelt and clasped their hands together in prayer. The boys were leering at Danka. As soon as the official explained that a new scribe had been brought from the local nuns' house, the ruler told the two women to stand up. He examined younger nun. "Her face is very pretty. Let me see the rest of her." The official turned to Zánktia: "Strip her. Remove that habit and whatever she's wearing underneath." Danka's companion froze, unsure that she had heard the command correctly. Her eyes went wide and she glanced around the room, noting there were a dozen other people present. When she opened her mouth to object, the official slapped her hard across the face. The blow was so hard and so unexpected she fell to the ground. The official kicked her to get up. "What's wrong with you, nun? Are you stupid or just rebellious? I told you to strip that girl! Now do it!" Danka could tell Zánktia was as shocked as she was, that she had not expected to have to strip her. Reluctantly, with trembling hands, the other woman unfastened the hooks holding Danka's collar in place and lifted her outer dress over her shoulders and head. She untied the stays of her inner dress and let it fall to the floor. Danka was terrified, but not in the way a normal nun would have been. She was not bothered being naked in front of others, but obviously in the Vice-Duchy being publicly stripped, especially for a nun, was meant to be a major humiliation. Had she been in the western valley she simply would have stood straight, with her eyes facing forward and her hands at her sides. However, in Rika Chorna she knew that she needed to behave like a real True Believers nun would act under the circumstances. She cowered and tried to cover herself, and even forced tears to come to her eyes. The official yelled at her and slapped her several times before she "managed" to stand straight and uncover herself. Keeping up the façade of unbearable shame, she closed her eyes, clenched her fists, and pressed her legs together. She felt a hand fondling her breasts and heard the Vice-Duke's voice. "Very nice. Very nice indeed. Yes, she'll do. She's very young and her bosom is firm. You did well, Sister, to bring her to me." "To hear is to obey, your Excellency." The Vice Duke further humiliated Danka by ordering her to assume the "prisoner's stance", standing with her feet spread and her hands clasped behind her head. He ordered Zánktia to kneel while she neatly folded Danka's dress and under-dress so she could take them out of the palace. For the time that she served in the Vice Duke's residence, Danka would be kept completely naked. The boys continued leering at her as the other women approached. The over-dressed noblewomen surrounded the naked newcomer and the kneeling nun, quietly whispering comments meant to be overheard and meant to embarrass the two churchwomen. Danka wondered how on earth the Vice-Duke could get away with so badly mistreating nuns, but she later learned he was free to take liberties with the women because he supported the True Believers' policies and was generous to the Bishop with his tax revenues. The Vice-Duke dismissed Zánktia and ordered Danka to follow him through another set of doors into the inner palace. She passed a library where two naked scribes were copying letters, and another room where an advisor was dictating a speech to another naked scribe. He clapped his hands and a naked woman rushed out and knelt at his feet. Danka noticed she had a large number "1" written in ink on her right shoulder. "A newcomer. Clean her up and put her to work." "To hear is to obey, your Excellency." The Vice-Duke was ready to dismiss Danka, but one of his sons wanted to fondle her. He granted permission and Danka was ordered to bend over and grab her ankles. The teenager spent several minutes caressing the newest scribe's bottom and thighs. He then started spanking her. He spent a long time slapping her backside, slowly turning it pink. The punishment was humiliating, but the boy was not hitting her hard at all. She said nothing, wondering if he was just playing with her or if he really was not very strong. When the teenager finished, the kneeling woman whispered to Danka to kneel next to her. Then she whispered: "You need to thank the prince for correcting your arrogance. Thank him, kiss his shoes, and thank him again." Danka did as she was told. She put her hands together in prayer, stated: "Thank you, my Prince, for correcting my arrogance", knelt forward to kiss his shoes, and repeated the phrase. Satisfied they had sufficiently humiliated their newest servant, the Vice-Duke, his sons, and their escort left the two women and returned to the ballroom. As soon as the door closed, the woman stood up and ordered Danka to follow her to washroom. She introduced herself as Scribe # 1 and told Danka that she would be known as Scribe # 8. "That is now your name. Scribe # 8. No one here is interested in whatever name you were using when you came in. You're Scribe # 8." As the newcomer sat in a bathtub, Scribe # 1 unbraided and washed Scribe # 8's hair. While they waited for her hair to dry so it could be re-braided, Scribe # 1 explained what was going on. Like Danka, she had come to the palace as a nun. There were 10 scribes at any time, and all except one had been a nun prior to their internment in the palace. The Vice-Duke preferred having nuns as palace scribes because they were clean, obedient, had the best penmanship, and most of all, were fun to embarrass by forcing them to be naked. The forced nudity totally humiliated them as women and made them understand how inferior they were to anyone else in the inner palace. There was a more practical purpose as well, to make sure the scribes couldn't try to escape or conceal anything they were carrying. After the newcomer was cleaned up, Scribe #1 picked up a quill and inkwell and carefully drew a large number "8" on Danka's shoulder. The two scribes then reported to a room full of books, detailed maps of various localities in the eastern valley, and ledgers that Danka quickly learned were tax records. Two unpleasant-looking men were in the room. Like everyone else in the palace, they wore foreign instead of Danubian clothing, but at least their outfits were not nearly as outlandish as those worn by the nobility. The two women knelt as the leading scribe introduced Scribe # 8. The men ordered the two women to copy a series of letters and records describing the trial and execution of two farmers for tax evasion and the eviction of a couple of neighbors suspected of helping them. Throughout the rest of the day the two scribes would be copying similar correspondence, and in doing so Danka would quickly learn about the inner workings of the Vice-Duchy's government. It seemed the Vice-Duchy's operations centered upon collecting as many taxes as possible; that almost all of the guards' activities in some way were focused on seizing revenue. The Vice-Duke re-distributed funds to his favorites and more importantly, the True Believers' Church hierarchy. Most of the remaining wealth went into maintaining the palace and purchasing imported luxuries. Danka already had noticed the eastern part of the Duchy seemed much poorer than the western part, and now she knew why. The Vice-Duke was not spending any of his wealth on the public's education or infrastructure improvements. ---------- At the end of her first day, the ten scribes ate a silent dinner together. After the women cleaned their teeth, Scribe # 1 escorted the newcomer to the washroom. The scribes bathed in pairs in a special washroom that contained not only a small tub and a stove for heating water, but also a row of comfortable-looking chairs. The tub was too small to sit in and had a bar hanging over it. After she and Scribe # 1 relieved themselves in the privy, Danka found out why the washroom was set up in such a manner. Several men and boys dressed in fancy imported clothing came in and sat in the chairs. It turned out that the scribes had to take turns washing each other in front of an audience. She had to hold onto the bar and face her audience while her partner soaped and massaged her body. That soaping included her vulva. In front of a group of males, the scribes were required to clean and massage each other's bottoms and vaginas. It was a gross violation of protocol meant to express domination over the women, in the same way the Grand Duke forced his concubines to keep their hair unbraided. Danka was used to enduring a lot of different indignities, but the bathing performance was something new. Scribe # 1 not only had to run her hands all over Scribe # 8's bottom and pubic hair, but she also was required to push a soap-covered finger deep into her companion's vagina and sphincter, "to make sure she was absolutely clean". The women switched places and Danka had to bathe Scribe # 1. When Danka soaped her companion's vulva and pushed her finger inside, she noticed tears running down her face. After having been in the palace for nearly a year, Scribe # 1 still could not suffer such humiliating treatment in public without crying. After finishing their bath and drying off, the two scribes had to present themselves to their audience. They had to turn around and bend over to allow the men to fondle and caress their bottoms and legs. When the treatment was finally over and the audience left, Scribes # 1 and # 8 cleaned up the bathroom and brought in several buckets of fresh water. The next show would be in an hour, featuring Scribes # 4 and # 6. Scribe # 1's eyes were still full of tears. She commented: "We were lucky today. Sometimes they make us... do unspeakable things in there." As they walked down the hallway, Danka thought about asking her companion for more detail, but figured she'd find out soon enough about the "unspeakable things". Instead, another question came into her mind. "Does His Excellency ever... take liberties with us?" "No. He has a couple of finely dressed mistresses running about. Those two (and the Vice-Duchess) keep him busy. We're not nobility, so we're not worth his trouble. I guess that's fortunate. Besides, we're churchwomen and we're supposed to be chaste." "Chaste? After what we did in the washroom?" "The men in the palace can't use us as women. That's the agreement His Excellency has with the Bishop. So, our 'chastity' is safeguarded. But, in every other way possible, they enjoy dishonoring us and mocking us." The scribes entered their sleeping quarters. The room was not heated, but it had five very comfortable beds surrounded by curtains. The scribes slept in pairs. Danka's suspicions about the arrangement were confirmed when she heard faint moans from behind the curtains of one of the beds. Scribe # 1 opened the curtains to an empty bed and motioned the newcomer to pull down the covers and get in. Danka reluctantly obeyed. Scribe # 1 followed her in and closed the curtains. "When I told you we have to do 'unspeakable things' to each other, did you understand what I meant by that?" "Yes." "You're lucky, because I didn't. Anyhow, it's best that you practice and accustom yourself to doing what they want. They'll whip you and put you on the pillory, the one in the city's main plaza, if you don't. That's how I spent my second day here, on the pillory. It was cold outside and I nearly froze to death. The only reason I didn't was that a guard took pity on me and set up a brazier of cave charcoal underneath me, to keep me warm enough to stay alive." Danka said nothing, but she had a flashback of the horrid hours she spent on the pillory almost a decade before. The experience was one that a person never forgot. And hers was during the summer. She didn't want to imagine what spending a day on the pillory would be like if the weather wasn't warm. Scribe # 1 changed the subject: "I have seniority over you. I expect you to obey me and do anything I ask of you. Do you understand?" "Yes, I understand." "Good. Then I need you to rub my body. That includes the area between my legs. I'll tell you when I want anything more." Danka knew how to give a sensual massage to another woman because of the time she spent with Antonia. She also knew how to give a massage that relaxed a partner and was likely to put her to sleep. She applied that experience while massaging Scribe # 1 and had her unconscious within a few minutes. She exhaled a huge sigh of relief when her companion's breathing changed to that of a sleeping person. At least that night she'd be spared from having to do "unspeakable things" with her. ---------- No one from Ernockt's group had yet contacted Danka about her situation, but starting on the second day she decided to begin taking notes and making summaries of tax collectors' correspondence, reports from the guards, and any other papers she could look at and understand. No one in the palace seemed to notice or care about what she was doing. The other scribes were too mortified at their own nudity to pay attention to anything other than their own duties, while the members of the palace entourage were too self-absorbed with fashion and personal intrigues to suspect a nun recruited as a female scribe might be part of a conspiracy against them. So, Danka spent all of her spare time working on her notes and by the end of the first week had assembled ten pages of information written on scrap pages of parchment. As always, she wrote in the tiniest script her quill would allow and thought about how she might invent a system of code or shorthand to further conserve space. As for hiding the papers, there was no need to worry about that at all. Scribe # 1 had issued a portfolio to hold her unmarked parchment, drafts, and practice writings, so she simply carried the collected information with her other notes. If anyone examined them and asked her what they were, she'd simply say she was teaching herself to write in small script and the pages were for practice. The Girl with No Name Ch. 29 Danka was exposed to a lot of information about the workings of the Vice-Duchy during her first week at the palace. She sat taking notes in meeting after meeting for 12 hours each day. When she wasn't taking dictation, she was transcribing correspondence, including some letters between the Vice-Duke and foreign leaders. She discovered the Vice-Duke was worried about the Grand Duke's consolidation of power over the western half of the Duchy. The Vice-Duke also expressed in correspondence that he was jealous of the Grand Duke's popularity, given that he was little more than an uncouth military leader and understood nothing about acting like a nobleman and enjoying cultured activities. By the end of her first week in the palace, Scribe # 8 already understood much about the Vice-Duchy and how its ruler contrasted with the Grand Duke. It was obvious the Vice-Duke was completely absorbed in his own world of western royal culture. It also was obvious the Vice-Duke had none of the Grand Duke's virtues as a ruler. He surrounded himself with expensive art and a ridiculous palace and was totally cut-off from the realities of life in the Vice-Duchy. He wanted to live a sumptuous lifestyle worthy of western kings, without understanding that luxury and a fancy palace did not equate legitimate rule. In contrast, the Grand Duke moved among his subjects and through interacting with normal people was very aware of conditions around the western valley and Hórkustk Ris province. Apart from keeping up his castle, he did not spend much of the Duchy's treasury on the Royal Family. His one extravagant expenditure, maintaining a harem of concubines, had a specific purpose, to eventually augment his control over the outer regions of the Duchy. Danka had always feared and hated the Grand Duke because of what he did to her. However, seeing how odious and incompetent the Vice-Duke was, she was able to view the Grand Duke in a more objective manner. Whatever his flaws as a man, the Grand Duke was a competent ruler who surrounded himself with competent advisors and was genuinely concerned about the safety and physical well-being of his subjects. He took personal responsibility for his actions and decisions. Whenever he could, the Sovereign led his army into battle and had placed himself at great physical risk on several occasions. In doing so, he had earned the admiration of his men and the loyalty of the western half of the country. Meanwhile, the Vice-Duke assumed he deserved the loyalty of his subjects because of his birthright, without having to do anything to improve their lives or earn their respect. ---------- On the eighth day of her internment in the palace, a guard she had never seen before approached Scribe # 8 with a letter his commander needed transcribed. Following protocol, she knelt while receiving the assignment. To identify himself, the guard handed her a package containing the items she had kept inside the lining of her nun's dress. They exchanged nods to acknowledge each other's membership in the conspiracy. "My commander will be very eager to receive the transcription of his letter. My other commander, the one to whom you owe a debt, is anticipating the correspondence you have prepared for him. You have prepared such correspondence, haven't you, Scribe?" "Yes, My Protector, I have." Danka reached into her portfolio and handed the guard the 10 sheets of finely-printed notes. The guard quickly glanced at the papers and hid them under his vest. "You have done well, Scribe. I will return for the letter this afternoon." "Yes, My Protector." Danka stood up, enormously relieved to have finally received communication from her co-conspirators and verification she was where she needed to be. She spent the rest of the day transcribing notes about the Bishop's efforts to identify people likely to be sympathetic to the Old Believers, and working on the letter in her spare time. Thinking the Church information might be important, she made an extra set of notes to hand over to her contact when she saw him in the afternoon. The letter for the commander was legitimate, so there would be no concern about the guard and the scribe being seen together. The guard returned to pick up his commander's letter just as Scribe # 8 was leaving the conference room for dinner. She knelt as the guard took the letter and looked it over. "This document will be satisfactory. Next time please leave more space along the right margin. The other commander is quite pleased with your efforts and wishes to thank you for your dedication. You have done well, and your information about the Bishop and His Excellency's troubles with tax evaders is most useful for the future harmony of our fair land. Also, as we all know, women are the source of much evil, especially women with fine clothing and idle hands, which the scripture has warned us about. Gossip and intrigues can be most harmful to a royal house. Is that not so, Scribe?" "Yes, My Protector." "Very well, Scribe. When my commander needs another letter, I will ask you to perform the favor of transcribing it." "Do you know when that might be, My Protector?" "No, Scribe, I do not. Tomorrow it might rain, or the sun might shine. The right to make that decision belongs to the Lord-Creator, not to me." "Yes, My Protector." So, as she ate with her silent companions, Danka was satisfied that at least she had an idea what kind of information she needed to collect. She had been correct to gather everything she could about the Bishop and his activities. Information about tax collection efforts turned out to be more important than she had previously thought. She had a new tasking, to attempt to overhear gossip among the women and report on any feuds or intrigues among the Vice-Duchy's favored families. So, for the next month Danka's life mostly centered on long hours spent with a quill in her hand in the Vice-Duke's study or the officials' conference rooms. She transcribed several meetings between the Vice-Duke and various Church officials as they negotiated how much tax money the ruler had to pay in exchange for full support from the True Believers. There was talk of identifying and executing sympathizers of the Old Believers and renegade Followers of the Ancients. Whenever possible, Scribe # 8 noted the names of targeted people, hoping her contacts would collect the information in time to warn the suspects or take other actions to prevent their arrests. ---------- The palace entourage continued their sexual humiliation of the former nuns throughout the time Danka was known to Rika Chorna as "Scribe # 8". The women bathed every 48 hours, and every single time they entered the washroom they had to endure soaping and fingering each other in front of an audience of men and boys. Then, of course, they had to bend over and submit to "inspections" and more fondling. Danka managed to put off doing "unimaginable things" with Scribe # 1 for a week by massaging her to sleep every night. However, two nights after she sent off her first intelligence report, Danka's bed partner was less tired than normal and refused to accept a relaxing massage. Instead, she ordered Scribe # 8 to massage her between her legs and run her fingers through her pubic hair. She rolled over and ordered the newcomer to kiss her bottom and lick the area around her sphincter. It was very fortunate she had just bathed before forcing Danka to stimulate her there, or else Danka would have become sick. Scribe # 1 then flipped on her back and ordered Danka to put her face between her thighs. "You'll have to learn how to do this, and do it properly if you don't want the whip and the pillory. The next time we bathe, His Excellency will want to watch us perform... to do the unspeakable for him. So, you'll need to do it to me. I am not doing it to you. I've dishonored myself enough and now it's someone else's turn. Now, start kissing and licking me. Put your tongue inside. You'll need to figure out how to satisfy me so you can do it again when we bathe tomorrow." It was fortunate Danka had so much experience with sex, because even though she had never touched any other woman apart from Antonia, she knew what sensations aroused a typical female. Ignoring the fact she was doing the most dishonorable thing imaginable for a woman, she pushed aside her disgust and misgivings and concentrated on the task of making Scribe # 1 climax as quickly as possible. She avoided sticking her tongue into Scribe # 1's vagina. She used her fingers instead and concentrated her tongue on her partner's clitoris. Within less than two minutes Scribe # 1 climaxed, moaning as the scent of her arousal filled the inside of the bed's canopy. Danka then massaged her to make her go to sleep. She opened the curtains to let out the stench while she went to the wash basin to rinse off her face and clean the taste from her mouth. No, she would not be crying or show herself as mortified the following evening. She'd simply do as she was told, make Scribe # 1 climax in front of their audience, and get the whole thing over with as quickly as possible. It was nothing more to her than a disagreeable tasking, just like everything else she had to do in that awful palace. The Girl with No Name Ch. 30 Chapter Thirty -- The Ghost-Girl The guard who served as Scribe # 8's contact visited her one more time during the month of April and three times during May. She passed between 20 and 30 sheets of detailed information during each visit. As requested, she concentrated on collecting data about the Bishop, other church officials, and the Vice-Duchy's finances. She also paid special attention to copying any correspondence between the Vice-Duke or his advisors and people outside the Duchy. She wasn't able to comply with the request to overhear gossip from the palace women because her duties mostly kept her with the Vice-Duke's male advisors. However, she was able to provide information about someone far more important than a bunch of gossipy over-dressed noblewomen. She had direct and continuous access to one of the Vice-Duke's sons. During her first weeks in the palace, Scribe # 8 had to endure another indignity apart from the washroom shows and constant groping. Her worst tormentor was the obnoxious young prince who had spanked her the day she entered the palace. Whenever he was in the inner portion of the palace, he looked for her. If he could find her, the teenager called her out and made her bend over and grab her ankles. He then subjected her to fondling and a light spanking, regardless of the duty he had pulled her away from or whoever happened to be milling around at the moment. He called her a "very bad girl" for tempting him and made her grovel at his feet begging forgiveness. Danka was infuriated, but she was little more than a slave and couldn't do anything, at least for the moment. However, it was obvious the teenager was attracted to her. In the back of her mind she wondered about turning that attraction to her advantage, perhaps by seducing him and then seeing about blackmailing him. The prince's name was Hristóckt. She was surprised to find out he was 19, considering his effeminate appearance and lacy clothing. She had thought he was younger, perhaps 14 or 15. Of course, Scribe # 8 also looked much younger than her real age, thanks to the blue powder. She would turn 24 sometime during 1759, although she wasn't sure what date because her parents never bothered to tell her. However, anyone looking at her would not have guessed she was any older than 18. So, with her young appearance and submissive behavior, she coldly studied Prince Hristóckt and learned his daily routine. He seemed to be a total idiot besides being an effeminate dandy. It was for sure that he had no experience dealing with the real world. He would be no match for someone like Danka. Her only challenge would be to get him alone without raising any suspicions. Assuming she could figure out how to isolate him, he'd be completely helpless against her wiles. Scribe # 8 figured the best way to seduce the prince would be to encourage him to take her into his room. She couldn't be overt about it, but if he "caught" her near his chamber, he'd be likely to take her inside. She started administering birth-control paste to herself and timed her route so she'd be passing close to his door at the same moment he was returning from music practice. Two days later, she bumped into him only a few fathoms from his door. He took the bait and ordered her to go into the room with him. As always, he made her grab her ankles and caressed her bottom. He started spanking her, with light smacks as always. He spent a very long time "punishing" her, to the point she was uncomfortable, not so much from the smacks, but from her muscles cramping from having to remain bent over and immobilized for such a long time. The prince did something he would not have done outside his room: he put his free hand down his pants and started masturbating while he was spanking the servant. Danka became bored and tired of holding the same position. She took a slight risk and spoke up. "My lovely Prince. It would be such an honor to have a fine man like yourself use your humble serving girl as you please for your manly pleasure." The prince became hard at the suggestion, but it was clear he had no clue what to do. The scribe kissed him and put her hand over the crotch of his pants. She took charge and pushed him onto his bed. She undid rows of buttons and pulled down the three layers of clothing covering his hips. She massaged and kissed him and flattered him with words about his handsomeness and manliness as she pulled the pants completely off. She had a frustrating time with his small, skinny organ. It kept going limp before she had a chance to straddle him. Finally she managed to keep him hard enough to get him inside her. She felt she had achieved a major accomplishment when she finally felt the faint pulsing of a weak orgasm inside. She had to pretend she was enjoying herself instead of wondering how a man could possibly be so contemptible. Well... that was quite pathetic. However, the servant had accomplished what she wanted. She managed to convince Prince Hristóckt that he was an excellent lover and any woman would be ecstatic to have such a virile man at her service. She knew he'd have only one thing one his mind the next day: her. ---------- That afternoon was the first out of many Prince Hristóckt spent with Scribe # 8. Love-making was always the same. The sessions always started with the prince ordering her to bend over and fondling her before administering a spanking. The spankings were always the same as well, delivered with his hand and long, but never very hard because he didn't have much strength. Then she had to go to her knees and beg him to forgive her for being so misbehaved. After all that was taken care of, the Scribe took over. She had to work her way through layers of fancy clothing so she could strip him from the waist down. Occasionally she managed to strip him completely, but undoing all those buttons and removing all those shirts truly tested her patience. She spent a long time massaging his thighs and then his penis. Finally, when he was hard enough, she'd straddle him and try to get him inside her and get him to climax before he went limp. Then she'd massage him and snuggle up to him while he talked. More than any other time in her life, Danka felt like Lilith every time she spent an afternoon with Hristóckt. She was completely in control of him, even when she was bent over taking a spanking or kneeling at his feet. Her submissiveness fed into his ego and made him see himself as superior, both in intellect and in morality. He completely discounted the notion Scribe # 8 could have any ulterior motives for interacting with him; in fact, that idea never even occurred to him. So, around her he chatted, not really for her benefit, but for an opportunity to think out loud. The teenager talked incessantly, as though he had no one else to talk to and had a lot to get off his chest. Yes, he finally could talk. After all, what harm could a naked dishonored former nun possibly do to him? He bragged about his father's activities and plots, detailed the intrigues of palace advisors against each other, and plans to favor one advisor at the expense of another. He talked at length about various members of the Vice-Duke's family, how much he hated his brothers, and how much he held his uncles and cousins in contempt. He talked about his father's purchases and bragged about how much they cost. He bragged about his father's foreign contacts and how he managed to use clandestine couriers to move his communications through the western valley. Apparently he had a contact among the guards in the border post in Sebérnekt Ris who helped him smuggle his imported items past the Duchy's main northern entrance. During the first few days with Hristóckt, Danka picked up so much information she had a hard time prioritizing what was most important and writing it all down. She used up all the scrap pieces of parchment in the palace and had to steal several clean sheets. She realized the next time she saw her contact; she'd have to tell him to supply her with paper. After a few days of letting the prince ramble about whatever he wanted to talk about, she started directing the conversations towards the Vice-Duke's relations with the various city councils, landlords, and Church officials. She was interested in knowing who was favored by the Vice-Duke, who was out of favor or under suspicion, and why. The teenager blathered whatever he knew. Danka suspected some of his information was not accurate, but he blissfully told her the truth as he saw it. On the rare occasions he was reluctant to answer a question, a few strokes of her hand and some cuddling and kisses were enough to make him resume talking. Scribe # 8 couldn't imagine how she could possibly improve her access to the Vice-Duke's secrets. She was wrong about that, because she had underestimated the prince's stupidity. By the beginning of June, she was spending more time with him as his personal servant. She dutifully followed him around, carrying his documents, books, and whatever else he needed at the moment. On several occasions he led her into his father's private chambers, allowing her to see where he kept his papers, maps, and official seals. She also saw a True Believers' coding device and several coded messages laid out on a study table. Her heart jumped into her throat when she saw the coder. If only she could get her hands on it... Adjacent to the private sleeping chamber was the entrance to a small wine cellar. Danka found out the palace had two wine cellars; the general underground chamber for the main kitchen and dining hall, and a smaller one for the Vice-Duke's personal stash of more expensive wine and cognac. Hristóckt grabbed a bottle of wine and handed it to the scribe to uncork it. She didn't do it fast enough, so he spanked her. He told her to pick up a wine glass and follow him outside to the garden. The prince ordered two house-servants to bring out a fancy chair from the reception area and set it under a tree. For the rest of the afternoon he sat drinking and eating Turkish delight while Scribe # 8 knelt next to him, holding the bottle and refilling his glass. He did not offer her any of the wine or candy. She was a servant and undeserving of such delicacies. The scribe was not worried about tasting wine or the dismissive treatment. Her mind was on that coding device and how to take a better look at it. Two days later Scribe # 8 returned to the Vice-Duke's sleeping chamber, alone. Prince Hristóckt had given her copies of the keys she needed to access both the room and the wine cellar. She was to bring out a bottle of wine, a box of Turkish delight, and a small snuff box filled containing white powder. She recognized it as a medical ingredient the Followers called Andean salt, which they imported from the Spanish colonies and used in some of their surgeries. She did not have to worry about anyone questioning why she was in the Vice-Duke's chambers or why she had a key to the room, because the prince had written on her back with a quill that she was carrying the key under his orders and was accessing the room because he told her to. The writing on her bare back was supposed to be an additional humiliation, but for a person whose job it was to spy on the household, it was a pass to access the palace's most important secrets. As she entered the room, sure enough, there it was, the coding device. It was a brass cylinder no bigger than Danka's hand, made from a stack of 20 disks containing rows of letters in different orders. If she could copy all those letters and deliver coding sheets, Ernockt's group would be able re-create the device and decipher the True Believers' messages and secret orders. There was a quill and inkwell on the desk and a basket of discarded paper underneath. Danka decided to take a sheet of discarded paper, copy two rows of letters each time she visited the room, and hide the paper underneath the basket. When she finished copying all the disks, she'd sneak the paper from the room and turn it over to her contact. She figured she'd have to visit the room a total of ten times to accurately copy all those letters from the cylinder. To copy all those letters in a single sitting would take too long and Prince Hristóckt would start wondering why she was delayed bringing out his wine and white snuff. She'd have to be patient and not tell her contact what she was doing until she had duplicated the complete configuration of letters. After copying two rows and hiding the paper, Danka reported back to the prince. She patiently knelt while Hristóckt drank about half the wine and took a sniff of Andean salt. He started acting very strange, both happy and agitated. He paced around the chair and shook his hands. He took another sniff of powder and emptied the entire bottle in a single swallow, a bottle of wine that cost the Vice-Duke a piece of gold. He sent the servant back to the Vice-Duke's secret cellar for a second bottle. Danka decided to copy three more disks of letters before returning to the prince with the bottle. He continued to pace around, happy and agitated. He did not notice she had come back. When she tried to draw his attention, he ignored her. He doesn't know I'm here. He doesn't know what's happening at all. I can leave, and he wouldn't even notice... thought Danka to herself. So, she returned to the Vice-Duke's chamber. With her heart pounding, she copied the remaining rows of letters from the cylinder. Twenty rows altogether, making sure she had not missed or duplicated any letters or made any other mistakes. There were several copies of coding sheets lying on the desk. Having taken such a crazy risk so far, she checked to make sure they were all the same and stole one. Now she had, in her possession, the configuration of a True Believers' encryption cylinder and a coding sheet needed to decipher messages. If she could hide the papers and deliver them to the guard, her handlers would have access to the True Believers' entire system of encrypted messaging. She hid the papers behind a Virgin Mother statue and ran back to the garden with her bottle. Undoubtedly the prince would punish her for being so late with the wine, but it would be worth it if she could deliver the encryption codes. It turned out Hristóckt was in no condition to punish anyone. He was surrounded by guards, his father, and his brothers and was completely incoherent, yelling obscenities at the top of his voice. Scribe # 8 knelt, holding out the second bottle of wine. The Vice-Duke took it from her and slapped her hard across the face. He struck her again and ordered her to return to the inner palace and report to Scribe # 1. He did not notice she still had, in her hand, the prince's keys to his private chamber. ---------- The palace entourage was preoccupied with the latest scandal: Prince Hristóckt had pilfered his father's snuff-box of Andean salt and had sniffed so much that it made him mad. A foreign surgeon using the latest western-European medicine bled the unfortunate youth, weakening him even more and prolonging his delirious behavior. With the palace guards and nobles so distracted, the conspirators' guard decided to approach Scribe # 8, even though he did not have any letters to give her as justification for meeting her. He was speechless when she handed him fifty pages of notes, keys to the Vice-Duke's chamber, and the encryption information. He promised to return later in the day with the keys (after the conspirators made copies) and the extra parchment the scribe would need to avoid running out of paper in the future. Danka spent the rest of the afternoon taking dictation from a group of women writing poetry. They occasionally paused to giggle and whisper comments about Prince Hristóckt and his unfortunate encounter with Andean salt. After dinner, Scribe # 8 had to bathe and "do unspeakable things" to Scribe # 1. The worst part of the tasking was the audience. Instead of men, the spectators were a group of women. The women insisted that Scribe # 8 tie her companion's wrists to the bar above the washtub and for the senior scribe to look directly at them while she was forced to have an orgasm. Her eyes filled with tears as Scribe # 8 concentrated on pleasuring her with her fingers and tongue. When she finally managed to climax, the women in the audience whistled approvingly. Finally, Scribe # 8 untied her companion's hands, but the spectators insisted she kneel in front of the newer scribe and to thank her for making her a happy woman. Danka tried to remain detached from everything going on around her. These people are nothing but dishonored degenerates and there is nothing I can do about that. When Scribe # 8 finally returned to her room and examined the contents of her scribe's supply folder, she saw it was full of clean paper. Hidden among the papers were copies of the keys to the Vice-Duke's chamber. They were not the originals, so Danka could only hope the guard had somehow managed to return them to either Prince Hristóckt or to the Vice-Duke to avoid suspicion. ---------- Prince Hristóckt had a difficult time recovering from his overdose of Andean salt and the treatment he had received at the hands of the incompetent foreign doctor. The loss of blood worsened the brain damage from the salt. The cuts became infected and resulted in a nasty fever that kept the youth in bed for days. Danka coldly watched that idiot foreigner as he performed one counter-productive procedure on the prince after another. She knew that she could have cured Hristóckt in a couple of days, but no one in the palace would have believed her. Also, had she argued with the foreigner and attempted to take over the prince's treatment, she would have unveiled herself as a Follower of the Ancients. She didn't like the teenager anyway and was pleased to see him suffer. So, she simply sat in the corner as a spectator, working on various letters she had been given to transcribe. After Prince Hristóckt had recovered sufficiently to sit outside, Danka spent much of her daily routine during the final part of June and the first part of July in the garden watching over him. If he wanted something, she had to fetch it for him. She wandered about the palace, naked as always, going after books from the library, snacks from the kitchen, or wine from the Vice-Duke's stash. She moved about freely, with a message penned on her back stating she was authorized to be in various rooms and that she was not to be questioned or interfered with as she ran her errands. The only item she was not authorized to fetch was Andean salt. However much his son wanted it, the Vice-Duke displayed enough common sense to keep it away from him. Scribe # 8 was able to glance at a lot of documents as she ran about the Palace. As best she could, she memorized the information and worked on her notes, even while sitting next to the prince. She also wrote her observations of his condition, the procedures performed on him and their effect on his health, and his very slow convalescence. As she entered the Vice-Duke's chamber to retrieve wine, she paid attention to the desk where the encryption device was located and copied information from new coding sheets and secret messages. ---------- The guard finally gave Scribe # 8 an explanation of what Ernockt's group was doing with all of the information she was collecting. Their main concern was finding out who the True Believers had marked as suspicious or heretical individuals and thwart plans to arrest them. Another important goal was to frustrate the efforts of tax collectors and prevent farmers from being arrested and executed as tax evaders. Ernockt passed a lot of information to the Prophets of the Grand Temple so they could position sympathizers to seize control of True Believer parishes and to make sure that any attempt to seize a parish did not end in failure. All of the Vice-Duke's messages to foreign leaders ended up in the hands of the Grand Duke. The Sovereign employed a couple of scribes to forge letters, so the Vice-Duke's messages to his foreign co-conspirators were being re-written, as were the responses from abroad. Already a shipment of expensive imported items had been seized by "bandits" before they had the chance to enter the Duchy, along with two shipments of gold exiting the Duchy. The Grand Duke left the corrupt Royal Guards helping his rival in their positions, but provided them with falsified information. Ultimately the Grand Duke would frustrate the Vice-Duke by giving him the impression the guards had betrayed him and were the ones guilty of stealing the gold and imports. The Girl with No Name Ch. 30 Danka thought about the Grand Duke's excellent group of informers who had allowed him to thwart the Lord of the Red Moon a few years before. Now he had set up a similar spying network against the Vice-Duke. She was part of that network and probably its most valuable member. Ironic... she had escaped from serving the Sovereign in 1755, only to unwittingly return to serving him four years later. The Grand Duke always seemed to win, always seemed to outsmart everyone else. Scribe # 8 was not surprised to find out from the guard that her most significant contribution to her group was the encryption information. Ernockt had created an exact replica and was busy collecting and translating coded messages from the True Believers' Bishop. The conspirator had discovered the Bishop and the Vice-Duke were planning a terror purge of tax evaders and suspicious individuals in the late summer: a mass arrest and execution of several thousand people around the Vice-Duchy in an effort to scare everyone else into conforming to the wishes of the two leaders. There was too much dissention and free-thinking in the Vice-Duchy, and the executions should resolve the problem and consolidate the Vice-Duke's control over his subjects. The guard concluded by speculating the conspirators might attempt to assassinate the Bishop before he had the chance to distribute arrest lists to the parishes and issue the final orders. If that were true, they would have to conduct the assassination within the next few weeks. ---------- Prince Hristóckt slowly recovered throughout the first half of July. Scribe # 8 knew he'd recover a lot faster if that idiot doctor from western Europe would just leave him alone, but she was not in a position to say anything about the treatments. Even had she been able to help, she would have kept her mouth shut because she enjoyed watching the degenerate weakling suffer. However, in spite of everything, he did slowly recover and spent increasing amounts of time outside. By July 15 the prince felt well enough to make a pilgrimage to the cathedral in a town called Sihídikti Ris, which was located at the far eastern edge of the Duchy. Danka had heard about Sihídikti Ris: it was supposed to be have the most spectacular setting of any Danubian town, surrounded by sheer cliffs on the east, northeast, and southeast sides. Perched high on one of those cliffs was a True Believers' house of worship containing the largest Virgin Mother statue in the entire Duchy. The most important summer mass of the Old Believers was traditionally held on August 2. The mass was the opening event of the annual meeting between the Bishop and other important dignitaries, during which the Church hierarchy planned their activities for the rest of the year. Prince Hristóckt announced that he wanted to go to the mass in Sihídikti Ris to receive a blessing from the Bishop. It seemed like a good idea to everyone in the inner palace, so much that the Vice-Duke decided his heir would represent the Vice-Duchy's royal family at the mass. The prince would make the pilgrimage, receive a blessing from the Virgin Mother, and be exposed to fresh air and sunshine along the route. Scribe # 8 wondered how he could possibly make such a trip on a horse without getting sick and falling off. Well, it turned out he would not be riding a horse. He would be carried in a litter, or a "sedan chair", which was a silk-covered chair with a large parasol covering the top and poles sticking out of the ends that allowed four men to carry it. Danka looked at the contraption in disbelief. Prince Hristóckt would actually be carried all the way from Rika Chorna to Sihídikti Ris, and no one seemed to think there was anything wrong with that. There was another surprise for the servant. Not only would the prince be carried across the Vice Duchy in a covered chair, but she would accompany him on the trip. He announced that he wanted her to walk alongside the litter, stark naked. Scribe # 8 would be the only naked person in a procession of dozens of top officials and Church leaders. Even the Bishop had misgivings about forcing a servant to walk across the entire Vice-Duchy in the nude, but the prince insisted it was necessary so she could be properly humbled and know her place around him. The scribe knelt and pretended to be very frightened at the prospect of making such a journey completely uncovered. The truth was that she was fine with the arrangement: she had walked in the nude all over the western valley the year before. Walking around naked in the Vice Duchy didn't bother her in the least, even though it was supposed to be an unbearable humiliation. The only thing she'd need would be shoes to protect her feet. With some massages and flattery she managed to convince the prince to give her a pair of shoes, as though he were granting her a huge and unreasonable favor. Before leaving, she fixed herself a dose of tea from the final batch of blue powder she had kept in her nun's habit and packed her medicines and the items she needed to clean her teeth in a small cloth she entrusted to one of the litter-carriers. She wanted to make sure that if she did not return to the palace, nothing of her would remain there. The Vice-Duke decided not to go to Sihídikti Ris that year, figuring that sending his son would be sufficient representation for the region's royal family. The Bishop was miffed at the Vice-Duke's slight, but didn't say anything. The procession gathered in the city's main plaza as church bells rang and choirs sang. Scribe # 8's former companions from the nuns' residence were present, looking at her with curious and mocking expressions as she walked naked alongside the prince's litter. The men carrying the prince were strong but wretched-looking guards who had been released from punitive confinement. They weren't complaining about having to carry the prince: the hardship they would endure on the trip was nothing in comparison with what they had to face in confinement. The procession was one of the most ridiculous spectacles Danka had ever seen. A group of priests walked in front, carrying a large statue of the crucified Son of Man. The Bishop and his associates rode fine horses immediately behind the crucifix-carriers. Prince Hristóckt's litter followed, along with the porters and the naked scribe. More priests followed on foot, with mounted guards and supply mules in the rear. The point of the procession was to take the crucifix of the Son of Man to visit the statue of his mother in Sihídikti Ris. The priests chanted, passed out blessings, and waved burners full of incense as the group left the eastern capitol and traveled towards the mountains, on a pilgrimage that would last two weeks going in each direction. The kneeling residents of Rika Chorna lined the streets and waited for benedictions and whiffs of incense as the group headed out. When they saw naked woman walking in the procession, they stared at her in disbelief. In spite of the stares and supposed humiliation, Danka enjoyed the following two weeks. For the first time since the previous year she was able to move about outdoors and see some new countryside. The pace was slow and relaxing, more of a stroll than a walk. She had to run back and forth with water, wine, and treats for the prince, but those duties were not very taxing. He was still too weak to fondle her or want sex. She managed to ignore her odious marching companions and just enjoy the feeling of the sun and wind on her bare skin, something she had not experienced for a long time. At night she undressed the prince, bathed him, and slept with him in a comfortable tent. She ate well and encouraged him to eat fresh fruit. During the journey his condition improved dramatically. The Bishop claimed his recovery was a blessing from the Virgin Mother, but Danka knew the improvement was because he was away from that quack doctor and breathing fresh air and eating decent food. The eastern valley was flat until it reached a range of steep mountains that formed the eastern border of the Duchy. On the other side of the mountains was territory belonging to the Muscovite Empire. Danka knew the Muscovites were as dangerous to other nations as the Ottomans, but the mountains were impassible and thus protected the Duchy's eastern flank. The land between Rika Chorna and Sihídikti Ris was covered with small farms, but the soil was full of rocks and not really suitable for agriculture. The residents were poor, but that didn't stop tax collectors from grabbing what little they had. The procession passed through a village where executions of accused tax evaders had just taken place: three destitute farmers slumped lifeless on three posts, with five arrows sticking out of each body. The sullen townspeople knelt and stared listlessly at the procession as it passed through. The marching clerics were not concerned about the executed men and showed no sympathy towards their widows. The land closer to Sihídikti Ris had better soil, so most of it had been taken over by wealthy landlords. The poorer residents lived in wooded settlements along ponds and streams, in conditions very similar to the conditions Danka had endured growing up. The town itself was clean and had nice stone buildings, but its residents focused on making luxury goods and providing services for the local elite. There were several churches in Sihídikti Ris, including a gothic chapel modeled after one Danka had seen in ruins in the former Lower Danubia. The procession had arrived on July 29, a few days early in anticipation of the mass three days later. After spending a night in a compound owned by the Church, the prince became bored and decided he wanted to go up to the cathedral ahead of the main procession. He told the Bishop he wanted to pray alone to the Virgin Mother, but actually he wanted to try out a new telescope and stargaze. The Bishop was pleased to send him up the mountain ahead of the others, so his litter would not distract from the dignity of the procession. The road up the cliff-side was paved with cobblestones, but it was so narrow that the litter-carriers had a hard time lugging the prince without falling off. As Danka walked up the winding road behind the prince's litter, she noticed a detail that should have been worrisome to the True Believers. The Lord-Creator had formed the cliff from solid granite, but a large crack had opened up and the stone of the lower portion of the cliff had started to separate. The crack extended up to the ledge and ended a few fathoms underneath the plaza and the outside altar. It seemed the church itself was not in immediate danger, but from her understanding of geology and the looks of the crack, Danka knew it was likely the outer part of the plaza would sheer off and fall away in an avalanche or landslide sometime over the next few years. The cathedral overlooking Sihídikti Ris was the most impressive structure Danka had ever seen apart from the Great Temple in Danúbikt Móskt. It had been built halfway up a sheer cliff, rising nearly 140 fathoms above the ground below. The site was located on a natural ledge that was large enough to fit a full-sized house of worship and a small plaza, which allowed for both indoor and outdoor ceremonies. The view from the plaza was truly amazing: on a clear day it was possible to see all the way across the eastern valley to the mountains separating the two main regions of the Duchy. The view and the dizzying height gave one the feeling of Divine inspiration. The cathedral itself had been started in the 1560s and was not finished until 1609. It was a fine example of Danubian Baroque architecture, but also boasted several unique features. The back of the cathedral was carved into the cliff's bedrock. The bell tower contained the largest bells she had ever seen, bells which were designed to echo against the cliffs and be heard throughout the valley far beyond Sihídikti Ris. The men carrying the prince were completely worn out by the time they had hoisted their royal cargo up the steep road. They collapsed from exhaustion as they set down the litter and Prince Hristóckt stood up. He ordered his servant to take out the telescope and set it up near the outer edge of the plaza. Curious to see the famous outdoor altar where the Bishop would be giving his benediction, Danka walked over to it and noted gaps, some of them as wide as two fingers, had opened up between the rows of stone blocks behind the spot where the Bishop would be speaking. She peered down and realized she could see a thin line of daylight. This ledge is going to collapse any day, she thought to herself. Another disconcerting detail that caught her attention was the smell of cannon powder. When she put her nose into the gap, the smell of explosives was quite strong. The prince called her away from the altar and ordered her to accompany him inside the main chapel. The church was deserted because its priests were in the town meeting with the Bishop, so there was no one to object to her presence. Danka marveled at the building's interior and its carvings, statues, and mosaics. The builders had cut a large grotto into the granite and installed the Virgin Mother statue, made from solid marble and overlaid with gold and fine paint. The statue stood more than three fathoms high and was the largest statue of its type in the Duchy. The grotto was surrounded by finely carved stone, mosaics, and gold leaf covering the granite. The prince took advantage of the deserted chapel to do something truly shocking to both the scribe and to his deity. He ordered his servant to stand in front of the huge statue, face towards the back of the church, and bend over. He fondled her in one of the holiest places in the entire Duchy, right under the eyes of the venerated Virgin-Mother. Scribe # 8 was supposed to be a nun, so the prince was trying to disgrace her as much as possible, to strip away any shred of self-respect she might still have. She forced herself to cry and pretended to act traumatized. She actually was appalled that any man could show such contempt to his own deity. She knew the prince was a degenerate, just like everyone else in the Vice-Duke's family, but even she had not realized how disrespectful and depraved he really was. And to think, this was the heir, the man who someday would be ruling the Vice-Duchy. The prince led his servant outside. The sun was setting, so he decided to indulge in some wine, cheese, and Turkish delight while waiting for the stars to come out. After she served him, the prince ignored his servant. He emptied his bottle and grabbed another. What he really wanted was his father's Andean salt, but he'd have to settle for wine. By the time the stars finally appeared in the sky, the prince was too drunk to look at them. Scribe # 8 returned to the church to see if there was a priest's quarters where the prince could be laid out to sleep. When she found a bed, she told the workers to bring in their master. They also took away the sedan chair and the telescope. The scribe told them to rest, but the guards complained they had not had anything to eat or drink all day. "I don't know what to tell you. I guess you can go back down and get something to eat in town. I'll watch the prince. I don't think anything will happen to him up here, and if it does, I'll be the one who's responsible. Just come back as soon as you can." So... the men left, leaving her alone with the unconscious prince. She looked outside to see several workmen rolling a barrel towards the outside altar. They seemed to be pouring its contents into the ground. Danka snuck around the wall of the church to see what was going on. The men had posted watchmen at the entrances, but they must have assumed the cathedral was empty because no one was guarding the back of the plaza. "...this is what I keep telling you. It keeps falling down below. You've dumped in four barrels so far. I'm telling you the hole is too deep. It won't stay, no matter how much you put in." "Then come up with something! You're a Follower! We've got to kill him here! We have to do it this week! You know that!" "A Follower... as though that means anything to you. Don't talk to me about being a Follower, unless you figure out how to save the girl from the palace. She's a Follower too. She's one of us. She's done a lot for you, and she's worth more than the rest of us put together! "And I've told you we can't risk it! The Ancients will just have to take care of her in the Afterlife. What's worth more, her soul or all the others? Now what are we to do about that gap?" The other men thought silently for a few moments. A third one answered: "Wooden wedges. That's what we'll put in. We'll make some wedges, shove them down in between, and put the vials on top of them. That way they won't fall through. We'll surround the vials with cannon powder, just to be sure, and put sand over the top. That's how we'll handle it." "And we can still set the fuse and time it?" "Yes. Same plan on that. When he lights the incense, we light him." "And I want to make something very clear to you. We light him, no matter what. It doesn't matter who else is out here, even me. You will light that fuse." "...and you won't warn the palace girl... what difference would it make?" "No! We're not warning the girl! She'd draw attention trying to get away, and too many people know about this already!" The men carried away the now-empty barrel and departed down the path. Danka didn't know any of the others, but she recognized their leader, the man who was perfectly willing to separate her soul from her body and not feel any remorse. He was Enockt, her commander. It seemed Danka's debt to him included giving up her own life. The men returned the following night, shortly before dawn. The prince was up with the telescope well past midnight, so the conspirators had to wait until he had gone to sleep before showing up with the wedges. Like everything else made by people trained by the Followers, the wedges were ingenious devices, designed to expand and firmly hold their place between the stones. From her hiding place Danka watched Enockt, dressed as a worker, install two sets of fuses going in two different directions before pouring gunpowder over both the wedges and the fuses. He very carefully inserted ceramic tubes a hand-width apart along the entire area behind the outside altar. Finally, he covered his handiwork with dark sand. The conspirators were completely quiet and departed after just a few minutes. After everyone else left, one of Enockt's assistants remained behind to sweep the stones and keep watch over the trap. ---------- The bells rang in the town below to announce the commencement of the Bishop's ascent up the mountain, leading the carriers of the large crucifix statue which would symbolize the executed Son of God coming up the mountain to greet the giant Virgin-Mother. Danka frantically woke up the prince and to help him get dressed in his fine silk clothing. However, a couple of priests entered the room and yelled at her to "remove her whoring naked body" from their presence. They would help the prince get dressed, not her. Danka realized how important the mass would be when she saw that many of the top and mid-level clergy members of the True Believers hierarchy, including men from other parts of the Vice-Duchy, were emerging onto the plaza from the road. There would be over a hundred top officials present, plus dozens of assistants and aides. Even the abbess from the convent in Novo Sókukt Tók was present, along with a couple of older nuns. Danka worried about the wisdom of assassinating the Bishop in such a public setting, that maybe Enockt's plan wasn't so smart after-all. Wouldn't seeing their leader murdered make the True Believers even more determined to kill off their rivals and wage war against heresy? The Girl with No Name Ch. 30 Also, she was extremely concerned about the lost barrels of cannon-powder. That powder had not just disappeared: it had gone down into the cracks between separated layers of rock. Enockt seemed not be worried about that risk, as though the extra powder had ceased to exist the moment it fell out of sight. If Danka's observations concerning the cracks in the cliff were correct and the explosives forced the rocks to separate, it was likely Enockt was about to trigger a much larger disaster than he could possibly imagine. The mass began inside the cathedral with the presentation of the crucifix before the oversized Virgin-Mother sheltered in the grotto. Prince Hristóckt was escorted to the front as the guest of honor and the representative of the region's secular authority. Danka had to remain outside along with the lower-ranking guards and servants. All those men were staring at her, given that she was one of the few women present, and the only one who was naked. Danka realized part of Enockt's plan was to use her as a distraction. That was why he refused to let anyone warn her about the plot to kill the Bishop. Her suspicions were confirmed when she saw him skulking around the plaza in his worker's outfit. No one else would notice his suspicious behavior because the men were all too busy watching her. With so many eyes on her, Enockt assumed Danka would be too nervous to notice him or think about anything apart from the embarrassment she was enduring. From what she had overheard, Danka knew that she'd have to be as far from the Bishop as possible the moment he lit the commemorative incense, because that was the signal Enockt planned to use to detonate the explosives. She also realized she had no hope of sneaking away from the plaza unnoticed. That simply wasn't going to happen. If she wanted to get away, she'd have to jump up and run. She'd have to choose the exact right moment to do it, an instant during the ceremony when everyone would be focused on protocol and reluctant to pursue her. The sun was setting, which meant the outdoor portion of the mass was about to commence. The deafening bells rang and echoed against the cliffs as the procession came out the main doors. A group of priests, ringing hand-bells and swinging incense burners, came out, leading a group of companions carrying the large crucifix. They were followed by the Bishop, a group of more senior priests, and secular leaders, including the prince. Enockt had vanished. Time was running out for Danka to prevent her soul from separating from her body. She had a hard time working up the courage to move, with all those men staring at her. Also, she wasn't sure she wanted to escape. Part of her tried to hold her back, the part of her soul that told her all existence was vanity and that to continue in the Realm of the Living was pointless. After all, wasn't everyone she ever cared about already in the Realm of the Afterlife? Wasn't it time to hold up her mirror and join them? However, the lonely and defeated part of her character was no match for the simple instinct to prolong her life, no matter what. She was a peasant before she was anything else, and if peasants were good at anything, they were good at surviving. Her instincts took over and cleared away the sad reflections her lost loves and the desire to join them. Her thoughts focused on the singular goal of living to see the next sunrise. She eased off her knees, ducked behind a group of startled officials and ran to the edge of the plaza. Spectators turned around as she passed through the southern gate and disappeared into a wooded side trail. It was a disgraceful breech of respect and protocol. Maybe she had gone mad or was possessed, but the Church officials would have to deal with her later. They couldn't break away to pursue a disgraced servant precisely at the most important and dignified moment of the mass. She avoided running down the main road, because as it descended it turned and crossed in front of the plaza. Danka knew she did not want to be below the site of the blast when it took place. Instead, she pushed sideways along a narrow path on a mountain slope. She ran past a startled man in a worker's tunic who was holding a piece of flint and several fuses. She ignored him and kept running, pushing through bushes and trees towards an outcropping. She followed the trail around the rocks and moved onto a steep slope covered by large trees. She no longer could see the church, so she figured she was safe. She was expecting a loud blast and had covered her ears. She was not expecting an earsplitting crack that sounded like a lightning bolt hitting the ground right next to her. The bang, magnified by the echoes of the cliff walls, took her breath away. The lighting crack was followed by a muffled explosion. The second blast was more sinister. It was not as loud as the first explosion, but it was much larger, causing both the air and the ground to tremble. The second blast didn't end quickly like the first one. Instead, it changed from a roar to a rumble, punctuated with loud cracks and the sound of large objects breaking. At first Danka thought she could hear some screams, but the screaming stopped long before the rumbling stopped. Several large objects crashed through the nearby treetops and something hard slammed into the outcrop, dislodging a boulder and sending it tumbling down the slope. Within a few seconds clouds of choking dust billowed past the outcrop and obscured Danka's vision. The rumbling stopped and for a long time all she could hear were the chattering of panicked birds. It was dark by the time the dust settled and Danka felt it was safe to investigate what happened. Fortunately, the moon was overhead, so she had some light to make her way along the rocks. As soon as she passed the outcrop, the light-colored dust covering the trees augmented the moonlight and made it possible to see the ground. However, as she moved towards the church, she couldn't see it. That was strange. Certainly she'd see at least a bell-tower or part of the dome, but there was nothing there. As she moved forward and stared at the spot where she knew the church should be, she felt the ground slide underneath her feet. She frantically pulled back and grabbed at a small tree trunk, only to dislodge it and send it tumbling downwards. She crawled up loosened dirt and gravel and gasped as she finally found solid ground. More trees and debris slide past her and tumbled into the void. She was shaking when she stared at the spot where the trail should have continued. There was nothing there. She looked in the direction of the church. She saw nothing, except for a perpendicular cliff-face. The church and the ledge it sat on were completely gone. Was she imagining things? She looked again. There was nothing but a sheer wall of rock, but it was not completely bare. The back wall of the church, complete with the Virgin Mother statue, remained embedded in the cliff-side. The rest of the structure and the ground it sat on had completely fallen away. The statue serenely prayed over a drop of nearly 100 fathoms. Danka's heart raced and she struggled to breathe as she tried to suppress the raw panic that had taken control of her soul. The event and the physical change were so overwhelming that it took her mind several minutes to comprehend what had just happened. Her body shook uncontrollably as she backed away from the void, as the new precipice continued to consume trees and soil along its edge. She could see nothing below, except billows of settling dust faintly lit by the moon. The colors and lighting around her were all wrong: everything looked like the world had been covered with a shroud of death. Danka realized she needed to retreat to the "safer' side of the outcropping, see about finding an alternate route so she could descend, find a safe place to hide, and figure out what to do next. She worked her way past the loosened outcrop. Just seconds after she moved beyond it, boulders dislodged into a rockslide and went tumbling down the mountainside. Danka was left breathless by the narrow miss. Had she passed under that spot only a few seconds later, she would have been crushed. She knew that before doing anything else, she needed to settle her nerves. She knelt and desperately prayed to the Ancients, begging them to either rescue her or grant her a quick separation of her soul from her body. A few minutes later she calmed down enough to continue moving. The moon settled towards the west as she studied the steep slope for paths leading downwards. In some places there was enough light to navigate through rocks and outcroppings, and in other areas she needed to grope her way through darkness under the trees. Fortunately, the steepest and most dangerous areas were also the ones with the fewest trees and most visibility. She focused on what she needed to do at each moment, not on how high above the ground she was or how far she still had to go. As she moved closer to the base of the mountain, she could hear human voices and see an enormous pile of tumbled rocks. Everything was covered with dust, which became much thicker as she emerged onto flatter ground. Guards and civilian on-lookers carrying torches lined the edge of the rockslide. The same instinct that forced her to move away from the explosion and guided her down the cliff told her to stay hidden and avoid being seen by the crowd. She slipped around them and made her way towards the pen where the expedition's horses were being kept. Danka decided that she needed to get away from Sihídikti Ris as quickly as possible. She'd return to Rika Chorna, tell Zánktia what happened and that Enockt was likely dead, reclaim her bucket, and leave the Vice Duchy. She didn't know where she'd go, but she knew she definitely needed to leave the eastern valley. By that time her mind had cleared enough to allow her to realize what had happened. The entire ledge on which the cathedral sat had fallen in a single landslide, due to the cracks in the rock and Enockt's over-zealous use of gunpowder. The first explosion she heard must have been the blast at the surface that killed the Bishop and undoubtedly anyone else standing next to him. The second rumbling explosion would have been from the barrels of gunpowder poured into the gaps. That blast blew apart the inside of the ledge and caused it to disintegrate and collapse, taking with it the plaza and everything else except the back wall of the cathedral. There was no way anyone participating in the mass could have survived. Not only was the Bishop dead, but entire upper echelon of the True Believers' Church would be dead as well, along with Prince Hristóckt and the town councilmen of Sihídikti Ris. She did not want anyone to see her. She felt that, as the only survivor from the pilgrimage, she would immediately be suspect, especially given the superstitious world-view of the True Believers. They'd have to blame someone for the disaster and she'd be an easy target. Her head would be wanted by... let's see... the True Believers' Clergy, the Vice-Duke's family, the town of Sihídikti Ris, the towns of other dignitaries attending the mass: in other words, the entire Vice-Duchy. Whether or not she was being paranoid didn't matter. There were times in her life she had been paranoid, but "irrational" fear was the only thing that had kept her alive. She spent the next hour walking along a dust-covered path towards the corral where she remembered the procession's horses were being kept. Her plan was to hope the guards were distracted enough to allow her to steal a horse. She'd ride west, hide until she could steal some clothing, and sneak back to the safe-house in Rika Chorna. She was relieved to hear the whinnying of horses. So, no one had moved them. Good. The corral seemed deserted. That was even better. She quietly hopped a fence and looked for an animal that seemed relatively calm. She was only a mediocre rider and would have to find a horse that would be tolerant and not try to throw her. As the more nervous horses sidled around her, she identified a couple of calmer animals near a feeding trough. Just as she approached them, she realized none of the horses in the corral had a saddle. She had wasted her time, because without a saddle she couldn't ride. She didn't want to give up on the plan to steal a horse, because it was the only means of escaping she could think of. So, she left the corral to look for a saddle and reigns. Fortunately, the tent where the supplies were being kept was not guarded. In fact, it seemed nothing in the corral was being guarded. Maybe all of the guards had abandoned their posts because of the landslide. A lit lantern had been left outside. She'd have to take it in with her to see what she was doing. She selected a saddle and reigns. She put out the lamp and went back out. She was careless upon leaving the tent and had not bothered to check outside before emerging. Right outside the door were six local guards she had never seen before. The guards looked totally shocked as soon as the young woman came into their sight. Danka's determination to escape vanished. She had been caught and that was the end of it. She dropped the saddle and stood listlessly, waiting for the men to grab her. The guards had their muskets ready, but they did not move towards her. Instead, they were backing away. Danka stepped forward and held out her hands. One of the guards, in a trembling voice asked: "Who... who... who are you? What do you want from us, Mistress?" "Who am I? Who do you think I am, Protector? Who could I possibly be?" "Please Mistress. Have pity on us." "Pity on you? Why should I have pity on you?" The six men sank to their knees and began praying to the Virgin-Mother. Suddenly Danka understood the guards were mortally afraid of her, but why? Was there something strange about her appearance? She glanced at her arm and noticed it was covered with light-colored dust. So were her legs. She was covered from head to toe with dust. Maybe in the dark camp the dust made her look like a ghost. "Mistress, please. We are simple men. We have our families. We'll give you whatever you want." Danka realized that if the men thought she was a ghost, that misunderstanding might be her salvation. She also realized they were obscenely drunk. She had to think of a good response that would keep up the ruse long enough for her to saddle a horse and get out of the camp. If she chose the right words, the guards might even help her. "And what could you possibly give me, sinners? Look at yourselves, drunk on your master's wine. Your commander leaves, entrusting you, and this is how you repay him? Why shouldn't I take you with me? I have taken far worthier men than you. Answer, drunkards." "We are sinners, Mistress, and drunkards. We confess. We'll give you anything. Even the Bishop's horse. Just please show us mercy." Danka's heart raced. The Bishop's horse. They were offering her the Bishop's horse. Trying to maintain a controlling monotone in her voice she responded: "Very well, drunken sinners. Put the Bishop's saddle and saddlebag on the Bishop's horse. Tie him to the fence so your patron can make his last ride. But that won't spare you. The only thing that can spare you is prayer. When you have the horse ready, you are to face east and kneel, the six of you, close your eyes, and pray to the Virgin Mother. You will pray until sunrise. If the sun touches your faces, you will know that I chose to spare you." "Thank you, Mistress." "And another thing. You will keep your heads bowed in my presence. I forbid you to look up. You drunken sinners are not worthy of looking at me." Danka spent several of the longest minutes of her life waiting for the men to bring the Bishop's horse and saddle him. She tried to stand impassively, terrified that at any moment the men would sober up and realized they were being tricked. However, as soon as they had the horse ready, they lined up facing east and knelt. "Pray, drunkards, pray! Pray loud, so the Realm of Sin can hear your repentance! If I choose to spare you, I grant you permission to stop praying when the eastern sun touches your faces." The men began reciting a common prayer to the Virgin-Mother. "Louder, drunken sinners! How can the Virgin-Mother hear such soft mumbling? Louder!" The men prayed loud enough to hide most other sounds within their earshot. Danka led the Bishop's horse to the edge of the camp. Remembering she was still naked, she decided to steal a guard's uniform. She peaked into a tent and saw bedrolls laid out, covered with various articles of clothing. She gathered up the pieces necessary to assemble a complete guard's uniform, including a helmet and boots. She worried getting dressed would take too long, that at any moment one of those guards would sober up, realize he was being tricked, and come after her. She needed to leave immediately. She could worry about getting dressed later, after she had put some distance between herself and Sihídikti Ris. She found a black cloth bag and stuffed in the clothing. Then she saw something else, a crossbow. She couldn't believe her good fortune. A crossbow... and a satchel with bolts. She grabbed an extra saddlebag to cover the church logo of the one belonging to the Bishop, slung her weapon over her shoulder, and mounted the horse. He was a fine stallion, totally black to match the cleric's dark clothing. She galloped out the west exit of the corral in the pre-dawn light, desperate to get as much distance as possible between herself and the disaster before the sun rose. Ride... escape... As she emerged onto the road and galloped around a corner hidden by a large stone building, she stumbled into a large group of panicky residents running around on foot carrying torches. She didn't have time to change the direction of the horse: her only option was to charge right down the middle of the group. The crowd screamed and ran away in panic. Danka flinched, expecting to feel an arrow or a musket-ball hitting her body at any instant. She emerged on the other side of the mob unscathed; shocked no one had taken a shot at her. She glanced back at the crowd. Most had dropped their torches and were still running away from the road. No one was trying to go after her. Danka did not realize until later that she was still covered in light-colored dust and in the darkness looked more like a ghost than anything else. She was riding a black horse with a black saddle, saddle-bag, and cloth bag which were invisible to anyone on the ground at night. The townsfolk, already in a panic because of the landslide's noise and dust, thought she was a ghost floating through the air. Desperate to avoid any more encounters with local residents, Danka veered off the main road and galloped along a deserted country lane passing through some orchards. There was just enough light in the pre-dawn sky to allow the horse to see where he was going. Just as the sun was about to rise, she came up to a stream. She figured she should let the horse have a drink. She remembered she was still naked and covered in dust, so she quickly bathed and got dressed. She couldn't do anything about her filthy hair without another woman to help her wash and re-braid it, but at least the rest of her was clean enough to put on the guard outfit. She pulled the helmet over her braids and slung the crossbow over her shoulder. The horse finished his drink and was ready to continue. She re-mounted and continued her flight west. She knew, as long as she didn't get too close to anyone, a guard uniform was the best disguise and the best hope she had of making it back to the safe-house in Rika Chorna. ---------- The six guards remained on their knees, sobering up over the next two hours as they prayed to the Virgin-Mother. They cried with relief and joy when they felt the sun shining on their faces. Even after the sun was up, they remained kneeling and praying for a few extra minutes, just to be sure they truly were forgiven. When they opened their eyes and stood up, a horrifying sight greeted them. The cathedral and the cliff it sat on were gone! In their place nothing remained except a sheer stone rock-face! They looked at each other, and then back at the cliff. In the middle of newly exposed granite was a large gold rectangle, and in the middle of that gold rectangle the famous statue of the Virgin Mother prayed serenely over a sheer wall of rock and a jumble of massive broken boulders at its base. They couldn't believe what they were seeing. They didn't want to believe. How was it possible the cathedral was... gone? And why? What did it mean? The Girl with No Name Ch. 30 As Danka had suspected, the men were local guards from Sihídikti Ris who were assigned to help watch the horses while the Bishop's escort accompanied the entourage to the cathedral. They had been startled by the landslide and saw the huge cloud of dust in the twilight, but didn't react coherently because they already had spent several hours indulging themselves from an unwatched cask of fine wine left in one of the tents in the camp. When none of the Church guards returned, they decided to continue drinking and played several rounds of cards through the rest of the short summer night. Finally, they realized they had consumed so much of the cask it would be better if they departed before passing out and being discovered unconscious by their counterparts from the Church. As they were leaving, the ghost-woman came out of her tent and confronted them with their sin. The guards tried to figure out who was the mysterious spirit who admonished them. Was she the Virgin-Mother? But if she was, why would she be naked? As far as anyone knew, the Virgin-Mother had never appeared naked in front of anyone. And why would the Virgin-Mother want the Bishop's horse? If the ghost-woman wasn't the Virgin-Mother, who else could she be? Had Beelzebub the Destroyer destroyed the cathedral and sent a naked spirit to mock the Bishop by taking the horse? As they discussed the terrible mystery, one of the guards remembered a story he heard a few years before from a visiting cousin. He related the tale of the cursed town of Rika Héckt-nemát and the beautiful but infinitely evil girl who condemned the city when she called out to the Profane One to save her from drowning. The guard shook from fear and apprehension. "I'm sure that's who visited us. The cursed girl from Rika Héckt-nemát. That wasn't the Virgin Mother at all. Nor was she any saint or ordinary ghost. That spirit-girl was Beelzebub's daughter!" The men chatted and frightened each other with speculation for a couple of minutes, remembering the details of the ghost-woman's visit confirming their suspicion she was the evil beauty Beelzebub had saved at the expense of cursing the city of Rika Héckt-nemát. Another man added a theory that connected her to the Bishop: "Don't you remember what she said about the Bishop's horse, that she wanted him so she could give his master a final ride? Now I know what she meant by that! She took the Bishop with her to the Realm of Beelzebub! And she had to take away the entire cathedral to do it!" ---------- The frightened crowd gathered around the rubble tried to make sense of what had just happened. Their beautiful church and all of its occupants were buried under fathoms of rocks and massive boulders. The only evidence the cathedral ever existed at all was the Virgin-Mother statue, safely protected in its grotto, standing in the middle of the newly-formed cliff nearly 100 fathoms above the jumble of debris. Why would the Virgin-Mother do such a thing to her faithful followers... and to her own cathedral... and to the heir to the Vice-Duchy's crown? A large group of panicky residents arrived, bringing with them a terrifying story of being attacked by a woman's naked ghost. The ghost charged at them with a thunderous noise. At first some in the group thought it was the sound of a horse galloping, but later they realized the roaring must have been the echo of rocks falling from the landslide. There was no disputing the ghost story: dozens of people saw her. The crowd's fear worsened when a town councilman arrived at noon, bringing with him six terrified guards and their awful story about the ghostly visit by condemned girl from Rika Héckt-nemát. The crowd remembered another detail, that a mysterious young woman had accompanied the procession as they entered the town and ascended the mountain. She was naked and beautiful beyond belief, but no one among that procession seemed to notice her. So... the strange nude girl walking next to Prince Hristóckt's litter must have been Beelzebub's daughter, the curse-bringer from Rika Héckt-nemát. That made sense, and would explain who was the ghost that attacked the townsfolk. The story of the destruction of the cathedral by Beelzebub's daughter fueled wild speculation and spawned legends throughout the eastern part of the Vice Duchy. The witnesses spent the rest of their lives telling and re-telling the story of their scary encounter with the ghost girl. As the years passed, the details became more terrifying and exaggerated, along with the beauty and allure of the evil seductress. Meanwhile, the Virgin-Mother statue stood serenely on the inaccessible cliff, looking down and silently mocking the people who had placed their faith and hopes in her. How could such a thing have happened? How could a daughter of Beelzebub obliterate the most holy men of the Vice-Duchy right in front of the Virgin-Mother? What message was the Lord-Creator sending? The True Believers of the Vice-Duchy never recovered from the disaster. Their hierarchy was decimated by the deaths of the faction's most senior officials, but eventually the men could have been replaced. However, the faith of the people in the blessings of the Virgin-Mother and power of the Roman God's executed son had been irrevocably shaken. The Girl with No Name Ch. 31 Chapter Thirty-One -- The Destroyer's Gold Throughout the morning, Danka sped past bewildered peasants as they lined the roads, staring at the gap in the distant mountainside where the cathedral used to be. They were so shocked by the disaster that no one bothered to take a close look at the slim feminine-looking guard galloping past them on one of the most expensive horses in Central Europe. The Bishop's horse was an excellent ride, fast but very controllable, even for an incompetent rider like herself. In fact, the ride seemed almost too good, more like she was floating through air than bouncing around on a living animal. Danka didn't stop again until noon, when she came up to a stream with a patch of grass next to it. She'd let the horse drink and graze while she adjusted her clothing and examined the contents of the Bishop's saddlebag. It was heavy; full of coded messages, a Christian Bible, dried meat, preserved fruit, and Turkish delight, and... gold coins. Danka couldn't believe what she was seeing. There were several coin-purses containing more than 300 coins. For the first time in her life, Danka was wealthy. She moved the Bishop's possessions to the guard's saddlebag and discarded the one from the Church. She removed a fine saddle-blanket with Church emblems from the horse and folded it. Her trip suddenly became much more complicated, because not only was she worried about escaping, she also was worried about safeguarding her fortune. 300 gold coins. What could she do with all that money? She'd buy land, lots of it, and put a nice house right in the center. She'd buy a library of books, and have a garden, and hire servants and guards. She'd spend long relaxing summers sitting under her fruit trees, sleeping, reading, and eating fruit. She'd bathe every day in her own heated tub. She'd never bother to wear any clothing when the weather was nice. She'd enjoy her body and her male servants would be available to pleasure her whenever she wanted. And during the winter, she'd wear the finest dresses and sit in the front row of church and go to fine parties with the wives of guild masters and city councilmen. She decided to continue riding west, in spite of the risk from riding in broad daylight. She wanted to start her new life as soon as possible, but she also wanted to return to Rika Chorna before news of the avalanche reached the eastern capital. She stopped only long enough to let the horse graze and rest. The meat and candy were enough to keep her going, and she supplemented the preserved food with pieces of fresh fruit taken from orchards. Her plan was to return to Rika Chorna just long enough to retrieve her bucket from the safe-house, obtain a couple of different disguises, and then continue towards Novo Sumy Ris and the pass. Four days later, Danka returned to Rika Chorna in the late afternoon. Both she and her mount were covered with dust from the lengthy trip. She entered the outskirts of the city and saluted a group of guards who returned her salute. She was very nervous the guards would more closely examine her and discover that she was a woman and that her horse was far more expensive than one normally issued to a guardsman. The Ancients continued to protect her, however. The men were distracted trying to extort an extra silver coin from a farmer attempting to bring a wagon of produce to the market square. When she moved past the checkpoint, Danka reflected on the irony of the situation. Those guards were worried about a single silver coin. Had they more closely examined her, they would have been rewarded with a haul of 300 gold pieces. As she moved through the city, the stallion drew the attention of anyone with knowledge of horses. Even exhausted and dirty, the animal was too flashy, a liability for a person who needed to stay anonymous. Danka realized she'd have to somehow get rid of him, preferably by selling him. But, how on earth could she find a buyer for the Bishop's horse in Rika Chorna? She'd have to somehow take him to the western valley before selling him, but she realized there was not a chance she'd ever make it. She already had drawn too much attention to herself and people would be watching to see when she left the city. The horse would undoubtedly be stolen, probably with her being murdered as part of the bargain, as soon as she resumed her journey. The doubts about the horse expanded to doubts about the gold. To use the gold, she knew she'd have to somehow smuggle it over the pass and then find a safe location where, as a single woman, she could anonymously purchase property and avoid being cheated or double-crossed. She had to worry about being recognized almost anywhere she went in the western valley. It was possible she could buy land in Hórkustk Ris province if she could travel that far, but she'd have to cobble together small parcels purchased from homesteaders, an action that was sure to draw attention from the Royal Guards and the curiosity of the Grand Duke's informants. She arrived at the terrible realization that, although she was wealthy, it didn't matter. Her circumstances would not allow her to enjoy that wealth. So, what was the point of attempting to transport all that gold? She'd be risking her life over nothing. She arrived at the safe-house and announced her presence with those thoughts still on her mind. Zánktia answered the door, dressed in her nun's habit. She was shocked to see Danka dressed as a provincial guard, but that shock quickly became irritation when she realized Danka had shown up at the safe-house with the Bishop's horse. "You fool! What are you doing? Move that animal away from here, immediately!" "But, what do you want me to do with him?" Zánktia thought for a moment, before telling Danka to take the horse to a rendezvous spot behind the city's church. She'd send a guard to take charge of the horse, disguise him, and get him out of Rika Chorna. Danka was enormously relieved when the contact met her and took away the Bishop's fine stallion and exchanged him for another black horse. The new horse was much more ordinary in appearance, but looked like a nice, dependable animal. Danka moved her saddlebag to the second horse. She didn't bother moving the Bishop's saddle. Danka knew that she should have been upset, because she had just been horribly cheated by her co-conspirators. The Bishop's stallion was worth far more the horse she had been given. However, she was more relieved than anything else. Both she and the Bishop's stallion were much better off being separated. She did not have the means to take proper care of such a fine horse and she couldn't use him or sell him without drawing attention. She had exchanged a horse she couldn't use for one she could use. She returned to the safe-house with her new mount and led him into an adjacent stable. Danka unloaded her saddlebag and took off her guard uniform. With Zánktia available to help her, she settled into a tub of warm water and finally was able to bathe and properly wash and re-braid her dust-filled hair. Zánktia offered her a nun's habit, but Danka refused it. When Zánktia objected, Danka grabbed a worker's dress for herself and insisted on putting it on. Zánktia sent out messengers to gather the conspiracy's members while Danka ate. Still dressed in the simple garment of a city working-woman, Danka gathered her companions around the dining table to summarize the Bishop's pilgrimage and what she knew about how it ended. From what she had seen, the plot to assassinate the Bishop had succeeded beyond the conspirators' wildest hopes. The entire True Believers' hierarchy had been wiped out and their most sacred shrine completely destroyed. When her audience asked how she managed to trick the guards watching over the horses, Danka replied: "I didn't trick them at all. They tricked themselves. When they looked in my direction, they didn't see me. What they saw was their own drunken fantasy. With the help of the Ancients, all I had to do was play along." Zánktia asked about Enockt and the men who were working with him. Danka responded that she wasn't sure if Enockt survived the blast, but it was for sure at least one of the men setting the fuses did not. She ran past him while escaping, but when she returned to see what had happened to the church, she observed the spot where he had been stationed had completely fallen away during the landslide. Danka had not yet mentioned anything about Enockt's willingness to sacrifice her as part of the assassination. Resentment against him burned inside her, but if he was dead it didn't matter. Even if he was still alive, she wouldn't benefit by telling anyone about the betrayal before directly confronting him. She was more interested in leaving Rika Chorna. She insisted her debt to Enockt was paid and she had no further obligations. "I'm sure a dead Bishop and a dead heir are worth far more than a dead nymph squad-leader." The conspirators exchanged glances with each other, as though they were bewildered and offended. Zánktia coldly looked at Danka and spoke on behalf of her companions: "What are you talking about, with this nonsense of debt? There is no debt, and you're not going anywhere without our orders. You're Path in Life is to serve the Duchy, by serving us." "You mean... I'm not free to leave?" "Of course not free to leave. What made you think you're free to leave? That's why I don't understand why you put on a worker's dress. You need to change back into your nun's habit because you're going back to the convent in Novo Sókukt Tók. You'll wait there until we can reassign you." Danka was speechless. She felt she was going to be ill. After everything she had endured, her only reward would be to go back to pretending to be a True Believers' nun. She realized the group did not see her as one of them. She was nothing more than their servant. A useful servant, but a servant with no rights and no purpose in life apart from following orders and collecting information. Before she had the chance to think of a response, a look-out excitedly showed up with the news Enockt had just entered Rika Chorna and was on his way to the house. Everyone quickly dropped their conversation with Danka. Enockt, the planner of the assassination, would have much more to say about his victory. The distraction gave Danka time to go to the storeroom where weapons were kept and pick up a goose-egg bomb. She pulled off the protective covering, thus arming the device so it would explode if she threw or dropped it. She waited in the passage entrance while the others gathered around the outer door. Enockt entered, still wearing the worker's clothing he had on the last time Danka saw him. The others excitedly saluted him and whistled to celebrate his victory. He froze and his smile vanished when Danka stepped out of the doorway, casually holding a bomb in her hand. "What's worth more, the soul of the girl from the palace, or all the others?" "Put that down. Put the bomb down." "Not until you answer my question, in front of everyone here. What's worth more, the soul of the girl from the palace, or all the others? Then you can explain why I'm asking it." Danka held the bomb above her head with just her thumb and one finger. "If I drop this, all that'll happen is I'll die, just like you wanted. Your only problem is I'll die in the wrong city. Isn't that so?" "The others, if you really must know! You're just one person! My concern was to preserve the lives of several thousand! But right now you're still alive! So what difference does it make?" "Exactly! I'm still alive, and your plot succeeded anyway! So what difference would it have made to have the honor to tell me to move out of the way, since it was my information that helped you murder a church-full of people! Just a simple 'move out before the Bishop lights his incense'. That's it! That's all you would have had to say to me! After all I've done, you really don't think I'm worthy of a simple warning?" "It's of no importance. You survived! You should give thanks to the Lord-Creator, not be challenging me!" "It is of importance! A lot of importance! I don't work with dishonored liars! And you had better tell everyone here my debt to you is paid! Paid in full! I'm leaving this city and none of you will dare come after me!" "Stop it, you dishonored fool!" "NO! I will not stop it! I swear, before the Ancients I swear, I will NEVER wear a nun's dress again, do you understand me? NEVER! I will NEVER collect any more information for you! I'm done with this conspiracy! I've paid my dues and I'm finished!" The conspirators glanced at each other. Danka knew there was no way they would let her leave. Since they were about to kill her anyway, she might as well drop the bomb and take them to the Realm of the Afterlife with her. Then she remembered the Bishop's gold. She realized what she needed to do with it: use it to ransom herself, and in doing so rid herself of its burden. The gold, stolen from the hard labor of thousands of ordinary working people, was the cursed product of great injustice and evil. It would destroy anyone who tried to keep it, including Enockt and his companions. Still holding the bomb, she held up the saddlebag with her left hand. "I want to show you something. Once you've seen it, I'm sure you'll change your minds about letting me leave." Danka struggled to pull out a coin purse with one hand and undo the drawstring. When she scattered the coins across the room, the expressions of her handlers completely changed. One of the men bent down to pick up a coin, but Danka shook the bomb, which was a very risky thing for her to do. The conspirators hissed in fright and held up their hands. "That's only a small part of what's in this saddlebag. I took it from the Bishop. If you want the rest, I'll give it to you, in exchange for a few trivial things. I want a longbow and arrows and some more crossbow bolts. I want a clean set of guard's clothing and a standard traveling kit with unused supplies. As payment for my services, I want 50 silver pieces, which is a bargain compared to what I'm about to give you. Give me those things, let me walk out of here and mount my horse, close the door behind me, and we will part ways." In spite of his desire to keep Danka under his control and punish her for calling him a "dishonored liar", Enockt told the others to bring her bucket and the other items she demanded, including the silver coins. Seeing the gold completely changed him. He didn't care about his informant or the insult: the only thing he wanted was the contents of her saddlebag. To speed up the delivery of her items and to prove she still had most of the coins in her possession, Danka scattered another bag of gold on the floor. She warned the others not to touch it until she was outside. The conspirators were no longer looking at her at all: they were looking at the coins. When she saw the greed in their expressions and the weird glint in their eyes, Danka's belief the gold had a special curse on it seemed to be confirmed. Something definitely was not right about that fortune. She could feel it. She felt no remorse about leaving it to people she hated. Instead, all she felt was relief it no longer was her problem. She emptied a two more purses of coins on the floor. A couple of coins dropped between floorboards, to the dismay of the conspirators. Danka set the saddlebag against the wall behind her while she moved her bucket, clothing, and traveling kit out the door. She had to move everything with only one hand while holding the bomb in the other. She could only hope that, once she was outside, the others would be too busy picking up coins to worry about stopping her. "I'm sure you think I'm an idiot, leaving this fortune behind, or that doing you a favor. I'm not. I know for a fact this gold is cursed. The only person I'm doing a favor for is myself." When she stepped outside, one of the conspirators slammed the door shut and dropped the crossbar. She went to the stable, saddled and loaded her horse, and changed into her guard outfit. She had been right about her companions: they were too distracted by the fortune to worry about pursuing her. She replaced the cap on the bomb and gently set it down. She didn't care who found it. That no longer was her concern. ---------- The disguised traveler rode through the western sector of Rika Chorna in the middle of the night. No one took notice of a slightly-built provincial guard riding an ordinary-looking horse. She left the town and emerged into open countryside. She wondered what to do. The allure of returning to the western valley had faded, but she certainly didn't want to stay in the Vice-Duchy. She thought about the region's odious ruler, its odious religious leaders, and the equally odious people who conspired against them. The sooner the Destroyer dealt with all of them, the better. She had been riding for a couple of hours when the horse suddenly stopped. He whinnied and backed away from something that obviously had frightened him. She tried to get him to move forward, but he shook his head and whinnied in protest. The animal absolutely refused to go any further. The rider reached for her crossbow. She saw nothing, but a strong premonition entered her thoughts, a warning from the Ancients that she shouldn't continue towards Novo Sumy Ris. She decided to turn around and avoid whatever had spooked her horse. Life had taught her that whenever she had a premonition, she'd better heed it. She directed the horse along a country lane to distance herself from the road. She figured the animal needed to graze and she badly needed to rest. She had endured an entire week with almost no sleep at all. She crossed some fields before coming across a poorly-maintained orchard. It was evident the owner was poor, so perhaps in exchange for one of her silver pieces she could count on him for a couple of meals, a place for the horse to rest and graze, and a safe place to set up her tent and sleep. She changed into her worker's dress, approached the cottage, and introduced herself as Vesna Rogúskt. A destitute-looking family blankly stared at her until she held out the coin. It was a small fortune for them, as it would have been for her father ten years before. Assured by the parents that the children would take care of the horse and make sure he was fed and watered, she set up her bedroll and tent under one of the trees and promptly fell asleep. She woke up in the late afternoon just long enough to indulge herself in some stew and half-a-roasted chicken. She wanted to resume her journey, but was too tired. She decided to obey the needs of her body and continued resting. She didn't wake up again until the middle of the night. She thought about leaving, but was hungry and wasn't sure she'd find all of her belongings in the darkness. She saw no harm in waiting until the following morning. She got up and went to the cottage. The farmer's wife gave her another bowl of stew and a scrawny roasted rabbit. As they conversed, Vesna emphasized her lower-class accent, putting her host at ease by letting her know they were both peasants. The visitor didn't talk much about herself, but asked questions about the area to find out what she could about people she needed to avoid, such as tax collectors, guards, and church officials. Vesna stayed with her hosts for three days. A heavy rainstorm prevented her from leaving on the second day. She was glad about that, because she realized she needed the sleep. Finally, when she was ready to depart, she left a second silver coin with her hosts. Might as well let someone have a good year, she thought as she saddled her horse and prepared to ride off. Vesna realized she didn't know her horse's name, if he even had one. She decided to call him Moonlight, since she expected to be riding him mostly at night. She would have to train him to respond to that name. She had no proof she was his owner, so the only thing she could fall back on was having him respond when she called him. The Girl with No Name Ch. 31 ---------- Vesna resumed her journey towards Novo Sumy Ris and the pass. She changed into her guard outfit and approached the main road. She pulled back when she heard the galloping of a platoon of mounted guards. They sped by, carrying black mourning banners. In the Vice-Duchy, a black banner was the sign that an important person had died. It wasn't hard to figure out the news of the deaths of the Bishop and the Vice-Duke's oldest son had just caught up with her. As if to answer that suspicion, Church bells rang all around her to announce the Vice-Duchy had just entered a period of mourning. The roads were closed and anyone attempting to travel along them would be arrested for disrespect, so Vesna would have to give up her plan to return to the western valley through the pass. She remembered a possible alternative route, which might actually be better if it allowed her to avoid the Vice-Duchy's guards. When she was living with the Followers of the Ancients and visiting the cave-charcoal mines, the elders had mentioned a couple of paths going east through the forest and eventually leading to another set of mines. Beyond those mines, even further to the east, were several small silver mines the Followers avoided because they were under the control of owners from the Vice-Duchy. It seemed the paths could all be traveled by horse. Assuming the information was correct, it would be possible to ride from Plátnackt Dék, the northernmost town in the Vice-Duchy, to Sevérckt nad Gorádki, the northernmost town in the western valley. Vesna figured the alternate route was worth investigating. Going over the main pass was no longer an option, and probably wouldn't be for the rest of the year. Vesna avoided the main road as she moved north. She traveled along country lanes as church bells continued ringing all around her. She traveled at a casual pace, more interested in keeping Moonlight healthy than she was in moving quickly. She'd have to take proper care of her horse. She'd have no way of escaping the Vice-Duchy if anything happened to him. She had traveled about half the distance between Rika Chorna and Plátnackt Dék when a strange urge hit her. The night was hot and she was tired of sweating in her guard outfit. The paths were deserted, so she didn't see any harm in dismounting, taking off her clothes, and walking naked for a while. Her legs were stiff from so much riding, and Moonlight needed a rest anyway. For several hours she walked in the dark, enjoying the peaceful night air and the gentle breeze caressing her body. She led the horse by his reins and followed a dark trail that was barely visible between fields of wheat. She ascended a hill, and tied the horse to a fencepost. She stood alone, trying to make out what lay ahead and what kind of countryside she'd be traveling through the next day. It occurred to her that she should pray to the Ancients. She received no answer, apart from confirmation she was where she should be and going in the right direction. ---------- Plátnackt Dék was the most recently founded of Danubia's major cities. Today it is a pleasant place full of unique architecture from the late nineteenth century, located at the base of the Northern Mountains. However, in 1759 the town had existed for only twenty years and was a raw, primitive settlement of wooden shacks and ore processing kilns. The town's name, "The Silver is Here", reflected both the main source of income and the population's total lack of imagination for naming things during the first decades of its existence. However, during the late 1700s Plátnackt Dék was of vital economic importance for the Vice Duchy. Its mines produced not only silver, but also iron, copper, and nickel. During the early years of Plátnackt Dék, small farmers supplied most of the food eaten by the miners. Landless peasants from other parts of the Vice-Duchy had moved in, filling the region with ramshackle homesteads. The area was poor, but the people had a culture of independence that contrasted with the tightly-controlled society of the rest of the eastern valley. That was not to say life was safe for a single woman, especially a young one moving about, because it was not. Vesna's plan was to stay in the town as briefly as possible. However, she did have to go in and find someone trustworthy to ask about the trails going up into the mountains. She could not afford to become lost as she worked her way past the metal mines towards the cave-charcoal mines. She wasn't worried about surviving in the forest, but she was worried about what would happen if roving groups of miners found her traveling alone. She was very glad to have her guard disguise, which she'd have to wear during the first part of her journey along the trails. Before going into the town itself, she decided to find a farming family with whom she could stay so she could reconnoiter the region and figure out the route she needed to take. She had to re-supply herself with food and rest Moonlight before subjecting him to a rough trip through the forest. She prayed to the Ancients to assist her. Shortly after she finished praying, she approached a farm with a garden and some fruit trees. An old man on crutches was outside, directing a teenaged girl and five children to weed the garden. There were no young or middle-aged adults on the property and it was clear the family was not doing well. The children did not look healthy, and the old man's condition seemed even worse. The group was frightened when they saw a guard entering their property. The children instinctively clustered behind the old man and the teenager. Vesna considered leaving, but she remembered her prayer. Was it possible the Ancients had led her to that particular farm? She decided to take a risk and remove her helmet. The family stared at her with bewildered shock. "It looks like you could use some food, and I need a place to stay. Maybe we can help each other." "You... have food, Mistress?" "No, but I have a have a silver piece." Vesna held up a coin. "It's yours if you give me a safe place to set up my tent and rest my horse." The old man tapped the teenager with one of his crutches. Very reluctantly she approached the stranger. "You're offering us silver, Mistress?" Vesna looked around the farm. There was a chicken coop, but it was empty. There was a pen for keeping pigs, but that was empty as well. It was clear the first thing the group needed to do was eat, so they'd have to procure some food. Vesna realized that going to the village market with a local girl to buy a meal would be a perfect way to have a look around. "Let's do this. I want to go to the local market anyway. We'll buy a pig and you can help me cook him. I'm sure you wouldn't mind having roast pig?" "Mistress, you shouldn't be taunting us. We've done you no harm." "I'm not taunting you. I'd like a good meal, a safe place to eat it, and companions to share it with. I can't eat a whole pig by myself." After convincing the teenager and the old man she was serious, Vesna unloaded Moonlight and piled her belongings next to the cottage. She excused herself to change into her worker's dress. She decided to take her longbow with her. Vesna led her horse, the teenager, and the oldest boy, who was ten, into the closest village. The townspeople seemed surprised to see the destitute children accompanied by an armed young woman who was considerably healthier. The food merchants had no problem accepting Vesna's money, however. She bought the pig and ingredients needed to roast him, but she knew that it would take at least a day to prepare and cook the animal, and the family needed to eat right away. She bought a half-wheel of cheese, eight loaves of bread, a bag of apples, vegetables and salt to make stew, a cage containing six hens, and grain to feed them. She ended up spending not one, but four of her silver coins. As the sun set, the stranger and the children returned to the farm with the pig and the loaded horse. She ate a good meal with her astounded hosts before setting up her tent. She announced they'd slaughter and cook the pig the next day. The pig took two days to properly prepare, so the family continued to feast on the food their guest bought at the market. Vesna sent the girl back to the village to purchase more hens to re-stock the chicken coop so everyone could have eggs. She examined the old man's legs and treated an infection. Over the following week the children recovered from being malnourished. Vesna talked at length with the old man about the surrounding area and the new silver-mining town. She found out that his name was Plámenckt and the teenager's name was Margíckta. The children were all Plámenckt's grandchildren. Margíckta and the oldest boy were the orphans of a daughter who was executed by the True Believers for prostitution. The other four were the offspring of a son who went into the mountains with a group of prospectors and never returned. Plámenckt's daughter had moved in with him, bringing her children. However, in the spring a neighbor found her dead along the lane leading to the village. She was killed by a musket-ball, but no one knew why. After burying the daughter-in-law, Plámenckt tried to keep the farm going over the summer, but his health was failing and he did not have the resources to take care of six children by himself. When Vesna was alone with Margíckta, the girl provided additional details about the family's history. She also confessed she was planning to run away to the mines and work as a prostitute, in spite of what happened to her mother. Vesna responded: "Well, you'd better not try doing that while I'm here. You won't need the True Believers to separate your soul from your body. I'll track you down and execute you myself." "But...what can I do?" "Braid your hair and find a husband. That had better be the only Path in Life you think about." "But, I... can't. I don't have a dress... or anything else..." "We'll see what we can do about that. Don't assume you're the only girl who's ever faced that difficulty. But I'm warning you not to try running off. Be patient." ---------- The days went by and Vesna's instincts as a peasant took over as she started addressing many of the farm's longer-term problems. Without giving much thought to what she was doing, she directed the children to start cleaning up the homestead. The house was in deplorable condition, so she returned to the market to buy some tools and nails to make repairs. She addressed the family's lack of cleanliness by converting an old barrel into a primitive bathtub. She oversaw a bathing and teeth-cleaning regimen. She inspected the children's clothing and made sure it was at least reasonably clean. By the beginning of the second week she began working in the garden. She couldn't help it: she just couldn't bear looking at a farm in such deplorable condition without doing something about it. When she was outside in the dirt, she returned to the western Danubian custom of wearing nothing but shoes and a broad-brimmed hat to reduce the amount of time she had to spend washing and drying her worker's dress. To save time dealing with their own clothing, the older children followed her example while performing their chores. At the end of each day the visitor insisted that everyone use the improvised bathtub before going into the house. Vesna spent August exploring the area around Plátnackt Dék when she was not trying to fix the problems with Plámenckt's farm. She took Margíckta with her a guide and companion, but also to keep the girl under her watch and make sure she didn't try leaving the farm in her absence. Vesna inquired about the mines and paths going into the mountains. She discovered there was a book-seller in Plátnackt Dék who was able to provide her with what she needed; a map of the paths and lanes surrounding the silver mines, including the trails going west towards the cave-charcoal excavations. He warned her not to go into the mountains, however. Recent rainstorms had washed out one of the mines and some of the trails. Unemployed miners were repairing the area, but the men were destitute and a single woman attempting to ride through the area on a horse would be a tempting target. "It won't be so dangerous after they fix their mine and go back to work. But right now those men are starving and blocking the road. Your horse would make a fine meal and you'd provide the after-dinner entertainment." "So, when do you think the road will be clear?" "Not till the end of August, at the earliest. Whenever you come into town I'll update you with anything I find out." Meanwhile, Margíckta was paging through the books, looking at the text with bewilderment. Vesna glanced at her, then at her map in frustration. The end of August. Knowing how the Realm of the Living worked, the date was optimistic. Probably those workers wouldn't have the road fixed until sometime in September. It would take at least another month to navigate the paths to Sevérckt nad Gorádki, meaning the best she could hope was to finish the trip in mid-October. She wouldn't make it before the first snowfall in the higher elevations stranded her. So, she'd have to wait until the following year. She sighed in frustration. She had wasted her time, coming to Plátnackt Dék. There was more bad news awaiting Vesna when she and the girl returned to the homestead. Plámenckt was in bed, unable to talk, with the kids gathered around him. When Vesna examined him, it was apparent he had suffered a stroke. Vesna questioned Margíckta about the old man's health over the summer. The girl related he had suffered a previous stroke, the one that forced him to use crutches. The second stroke was even more serious. It was obvious he was not going to recover. Vesna sat by the old man's bed. He struggled to talk. He was able to nod, but not much more. After looking around the room at his grandkids, Plámenckt looked at her with a pleading expression. It wasn't hard to figure out what he wanted. Vesna took a deep breath and accepted the responsibility the Ancients had given her. She took his hand. "I'll stay with the kids over the winter. I can't promise you anything more than that, but I'll help them make it through the spring planting. I know a few things about surviving and I'll teach them what I can while I'm here. And I'll watch Margíckta. I already told her what will happen if she tries to run away. I know how to use a switch and she'll find that out if she tries anything stupid." The old man continued looking at her. She didn't know what else to do, so she continued talking to reassure him. "I came here because I wanted to go through the mountains to get to Sevérckt nad Gorádki. I'm a fugitive from Rika Chorna and I can't risk going over the main pass. I just found out I can't go this way either, because I can't go past the mines until next spring. So, I'm stranded. I couldn't leave even if I wanted to." Vesna's cold logic reassured the old man more than any promise she could have made. Vesna called Margíckta to her side. She placed the girl's hand onto that of her grandfather. "You heard me tell your grandfather that I'll watch over you. I will keep that promise. Do you understand, Margíckta?" "Yes, Mistress Vesna." Vesna figured it would be best to let the grandkids be alone with the old man during his final moments in the Realm of the Living. She carried a new pickax to the gravesite of the murdered daughter. She took off her dress and started a new grave next to the one already there. She began hacking at the ground halfheartedly. However, as the memories of the Vice-Duke and his hideous palace and the hideous people who filled it took over her thoughts, rage built up inside her. This... right here... this was the price of what that group of degenerates was doing to the Vice-Duchy. She grunted and perspired as she wildly swung the implement. She was sick of her life and sick of the Realm of the Living. At that moment everything disgusted her. The face of the weakling Prince Hristóckt, as he lay in his bed beneath her, filled her imagination. She savagely swung at that offensive apparition, landing the pick squarely into his nose. Oh, how she would have liked to use that pick on him for real. He had died suddenly, in an explosion or a landslide. That was way too good for him. Why couldn't he have suffered like that old man inside the cottage? As she swung the pick, the faces of other people she hated came into view: Enockt, Oana, the Vice-Duke's family, the women from the palace in Rika Chorna, the nuns, the matrons from the Grand Duke's castle, Guard Anníkki ... and the Crowned Prince of her bitter memories, Bagatúrckt. She grunted in rage as she swung the pick into each of their faces. Before she realized what she had done, Vesna was standing in a grave that was as deep as her chest. Sweat poured down her naked body, she was covered in mud, and her hands were full of painful blisters that already had broken. She looked up to see the bewildered children standing above her. Margíckta made the announcement that her grandfather's soul had separated from his body. Vesna climbed out from the muddy hole and told the others to wait until she could bathe and get dressed. A half-an-hour later the patriarch of that sad family was laying in the ground, holding the remains of a broken mirror as the dirt piled on top of him. The funeral consisted of a prayer to the Ancients and three hymns of mourning sung by Vesna in archaic Danubian. ---------- Later that night, after the children were asleep, Vesna returned to the grave. She silently stared at the mound of dirt for a long time. As pathetic as it was, the funeral for a stranger was more than she had been able to give either her dead husband or her dead lover. She decided a prayer to the dead was necessary. Yes, she had prayed for Plámenckt, but it had been a while since she prayed for the souls of Ermin and Ilmátarkt. Before she could kneel, an owl flew over her head and landed on a fence post. The bird turned his head and stared at her with cruel yellow eyes. The world slowly went black and the ground grabbed her feet. She was immobilized. The eyes grew until they filled her entire range of vision. "Danka... Danka... Danka Síluckt. Answer me. Do not try to ignore me." "Why are you calling me that? I'm using the name Vesna Rogúskt right now." "Not with me, you're not. To me, you will always be Danka." "So, what now? What are you taking from me this time? Or are you here to tell me something awful about the old man?" "I'm not taking anything from you, Danka Síluckt, and I'm not here to tell you anything awful... at least not about anyone you care about. I'm here to congratulate you. I tested you, and you were one of the few mortals who've ever survived that challenge." "Tested me? You're... you're talking about the Bishop's gold?" "Exactly. You saw the gold for what it is. It took you a while, but you realized what that fortune would do to you. You were smart enough to get rid of it. I'm impressed. It's not often I can say that about a mortal. You impressed me." "So, I guess... I should thank you for the compliment." "If you wish. I know you're curious to know what's happened to the gold, whether you care to admit it or not. So, I'll tell you, and in doing so I will give you some insight of the true stupidity of humans, and why I see fit to torment them. As you know, the gold was indeed cursed. The Bishop collected it over the years, making life miserable for tens of thousands of people in doing so. That gold was his purpose in life, so I saw fit to destroy him. Would you like to know what happened to your co-conspirators in Rika Chorna?" "Yes." Very well. As soon as you gave them the coins and departed, you're companions argued over what to do with my fortune. The smartest member of your group argued for taking it to the Great Temple in Danúbikt Móskt and handing it over to the Prophets. Had they followed that advice, they would have rid themselves of my curse. Unfortunately for them, Enockt overruled that member and asked, what else should they do with the gold? Buy land? Weapons? Use it for bribes? Construct a better safe-house? As the arguing continued through the night, your companions lost trust in each other. Each began to wonder how he or she could take away a portion of the gold for personal use. They became greedy, so no one had the common sense to admit the coins should be evenly split up. The quarreling turned into an open fight. Finally, close to dawn, Enockt snuck out, retrieved a flash-bomb, and tossed it into the room to paralyze the others. Your leader killed his companions, people he had worked with for years, with a short-sword. He gathered all of the purses, stole the Bishop's stallion, and departed to return to his home in Pívdenkt Tók. Shall I continue?" The Girl with No Name Ch. 31 "Please." "As soon as the sun rose, a group of provincial guards recognized the Bishop's horse and pursued the rider. It took several hours, but finally they cornered Enockt and arrested him. Without bothering to ask any questions or formally put him on trial, they bayoneted him. Interesting, is it not? They had, in their custody, the most notorious criminal in the Vice-Duchy, but they were so deluded by the gold they never bothered to learn their prisoner's true value. The guards spent the rest of the day arguing over what to do with the gold and how to divide it up. Each thought he deserved to have most or all of it. At sunset, the guards grabbed their muskets and clubbed and bayoneted each other until a single man was left alive. He took off with the Bishop's stallion and fled. The surviving guard was dead in less than an hour, murdered by brigands who recognized the horse and wanted the animal for themselves. By sunrise the following morning, the brigands were dead and the treasure changed hands yet again. So, that was the fate of the gold and the horse. For the rest of the summer, the coins and the animal moved from town to town, separating souls from bodies wherever they went." "...and how will it end?" "It just ended, today in fact. Another mortal, a bit smarter than most, did what you did. He rejected the gold and refused to touch it. I spared his life and took back my coins and my horse." There was a long pause, as Danka (as she was still known to the Destroyer) stared into the unblinking yellow eyes. "I have a question. I'd like your permission to ask it." "As you wish. Ask." "You seem to enjoy punishing people who indulge in hubris. That's the weakness that seems to attract you the most. Am I correct about that?" "I don't 'punish' mortals, Danka Síluckt. I separate souls from bodies because that is what the Cosmos calls upon me to do. But you are correct about hubris. A person, or a nation, indulging in hubris is more likely to draw my attention than one that is not indulging in hubris. And remember, hubris takes many forms and destroys mortals in many different ways." The eyes vanished and the darkness receded. The ground released the young woman's feet. When she looked at the fence-post, the owl was gone. She felt strangely at peace, which was the first time she had ever felt that way after a visit from the Destroyer. Previously she had felt frightened or bewildered or angry, but this time the Destroyer had not visited to taunt her. Instead, the Destroyer had given her some insight about the Realm of the Living. She was grateful for insight, regardless of where it came from. The Girl with No Name Ch. 32 Chapter Thirty-Two -- The Benefactor The harvest was as pitiful as everything else about the children's destitute farm. Even with Vesna's late-summer efforts to salvage the garden, its produce would have been barely enough to feed the occupants for a month. So... the failed harvest meant several trips to the market to purchase food for the winter, along with supplies needed for preserving vegetables, hay for Moonlight, and seeds to plant next year. Vesna was not surprised to spend most of her remaining silver on ensuring her hosts' survival over the winter. After all, not having any wealth seemed to be her Path in Life. She spent September and October organizing the harvest and teaching the children what she knew about preserving food and preparing the ground for planting the following spring. She tore down the chimney and built a new one with a better design that heated the house more efficiently and was not a fire hazard. She had to build a stable for her horse, using the boards from the pigsty and some of the fencing. Vesna visited to the bookseller in Plátnackt Dék several times during the autumn to obtain information about the road repair and the flooded mine. As she suspected, the road was not repaired, even after the first snow fell in the mountains. During her final visit in October she bought a piece of slate, chalk, quills and an inkwell, and parchment. When Vesna and the children were driven indoors by the first snowfall in November, she announced how she planned to spend the winter: everyone in the household would learn to read and write. So, Vesna spent the next five months cooped up with six children, teaching them writing and basic math. She taught them to sing hymns and campfire songs and how to pray to the Lord-Creator. She would have preferred to teach them to pray to the Ancients, but knew in the Vice-Duchy indoctrinating them as Followers would put their lives at risk. She entertained them with stories of her travels and her adventures during the wars of 1754 and 1758. She talked a lot about her year in the forest with the Followers and her studies at the university. She even talked about her time in the Grand Duke's castle, but omitted the detail of performing sexual favors for the Sovereign. She realized she was good at story-telling. She also learned about handling children. Margíckta was intimidated by Vesna, but at the same time deeply admired her. The girl matured over the winter and realized she had more potential than spending the final year of her life as a starving prostitute. Vesna talked to Margíckta and the younger girls at length about her experiences as a woman and what she knew about relationships with men. She talked to the boys about the various men she knew and what made some better than others. She explained about guilds and the military and about the rich and poor. By the end of the winter the older children had a fairly good grasp of the way the Realm of the Living worked. The younger children understood less, but perhaps in the future they'd know what questions they needed to ask. When the spring of 1760 arrived, Vesna had to spend less time on lessons and more time worrying about the farm. She kept the children busy with spring planting. She returned to the marketplace to buy hens to re-stock the chicken coop and several piglets. When the owner of an adjacent farm died and the widow told Vesna she needed to sell a portion of the property, Vesna bought the land with five of her remaining pieces of silver. She had to buy more seed to plant in the new section, but she knew if the harvest went well, there would easily be enough food for the following winter, plus some extra produce to exchange in the market for cheese and tools. By the beginning of May she had only four coins from the original fifty she had taken from Rika Chorna. She knew what she needed to do with her remaining silver. After the May-Day celebration she braided Margíckta's hair. She then took the girl to a tailor in Plátnackt Dék to have her fitted for a dress. The girl was speechless as Vesna tied the yellow sash around her companion's waist, indicating she was available for marriage. Vesna struggled to hold back tears as the traumatic memory of her own failed effort to buy a dress forced itself into her thoughts. She was afraid to speak and let the girl hear her voice crack from emotion, so she tapped Margíckta and directed her to the church to obtain a citizenship certificate. She exchanged the last of her coins for the parchment and seal. The two women, one wearing a new courting dress and the other wearing a simple working outfit, left the church. Margíckta still didn't know what to say to Vesna. As they exited the plaza into the marketplace, they passed the town's pillory. Vesna stopped to examine one of the ankle-chains. She ran her fingertips over the links and opened the metal cuff. She turned to her companion. "You know, I spent a day on the pillory, a few years ago." "You, Mistress Vesna?" "Yes. I spent a day on the pillory because I wanted a dress so I could look for a husband. I was just like you, just as desperate, and just as willing to do stupid things. To pay for the dress, I stole apples... from a farmer. He had me arrested, but then he repented and saved my life. So, you're not the only one. I know what it is to be poor and not have a dress." "But... last fall... you did have money, Mistress Vesna. Why didn't you...?" "It wasn't my Path in Life. It just wasn't. So I never bought the dress... at least not for myself. Instead, I bought it for you." "I don't know what to say, Mistress Vesna... how to thank you." "I don't want you to thank me. Words don't mean anything. What matters is what you do with your time in the Realm of the Living, not what you say about it. The only way you can thank me is to find a decent husband and lead a decent life. The neighbor boy two farms from yours... what about him? He seems nice." "Yes, Mistress Vesna. I was thinking about him." "Certainly he'd be better than what you were thinking about doing last year, don't you agree?" Margíckta blushed and nodded. ---------- Vesna spent some of her spare time exercising her horse and preparing him for traveling. She still hoped to return to the western valley before the end of the summer. The road was clear and the marauding workers had gone back into their mine, so the danger was greatly reduced, although not completely eliminated. As she thought about her plan to return to the western valley, Vesna watched with rising hopes as the neighbor courted Margíckta. If he married her and moved to the farm, the children would become the young couple's responsibility and she'd be free to leave. Unfortunately, because protocol required several months of courtship before marriage, it was unlikely Margíckta would marry in time for Vesna to make it through the mountains before the first snow. Maybe that wasn't so bad. There were worse places she could spend a year than a farm with a bunch of kids. She fervently prayed to the Ancients for an answer to her question, should she stay another year at the farm or try to figure out how to make the children independent enough so she could leave. The answer to her prayers came in late June, the day after the summer solstice. A ragged, wretched-looking man showed up on the property. Vesna ran into the house to grab her crossbow and make him leave, but when she went back out, she saw the children gathered around him, hugging him. He was Tanélickt's son; the prospector everyone thought had died the previous year. At first the man was extremely happy to see the farm and the children in such good condition. That happiness vanished when he found out his father, his wife, and his sister were dead. He ate a quiet dinner, thinking about his failed excursion in the mountains and the loss of his relatives during his absence. He had been irresponsible in his desperation to find silver, but it was his family that suffered as the result. Vesna consoled him with hard logic. "Well, the only way you can redeem yourself is to stay here and take care of your kids. You have a nice farm if you work the land, and I've taught the children how to do that. Margíckta is courting right now, so her Path in Life looks good. What happens to the others is up to you. You're the father." "I... don't know... how to thank you for what you've done." "In a way, you've already thanked me. I prayed for an answer to my question about leaving the Vice-Duchy before the end of the summer. I wanted to go, but I didn't want to abandon the kids or leave before Margíckta got married. You're back, so now I can resume my Path in Life of wandering. You can thank me every day by making sure this farm is a safe place to live and feed your children. That's all I'm asking of you." As Vesna prepared to resume her journey, her host realized he could partially return the huge favor she had done for his family. He knew the mine region very well, so he told her about the various paths and lanes traversing the area, emphasizing the ones that were the safest and the ones that were the easiest to move through on a horse. She marked various locations on her map as she listened to his advice. Vesna finally had the knowledge she needed to successfully make the voyage to Sevérckt nad Gorádki. ---------- Vesna rode to Plátnackt Dék wearing her worker's dress. She spent the short summer night exchanging information with the map-maker. He gave her a parting gift, a small compass. Shortly before sunrise she changed into her guard outfit and left the town. She rode though a region of impoverished farming homesteads. As the terrain became steeper she passed through sheep pastures. The road became steeper and narrower as it traversed a series of rocky hills that divided the settled area from the forest. The only people she saw along the road were miners hauling ore or workers taking up supplies. Following her map and the advice of Tanélickt's son, she left the main road and followed a side trail. She camped briefly before resuming her journey at daybreak. Towards the end of the day she came across a small meadow where Moonlight could graze. She decided not to go any further that day. Instead, she stripped off her clothing and spent her time praying to the Ancients for guidance. She spent the following six weeks slowly traveling west. During that entire time she did not see another human. She had to stop to hunt and gather mushrooms and berries while letting Moonlight browse. During much of the journey she walked, and whenever she walked, she was naked, according to the custom of the Followers. She didn't have to think about anything apart from making sure she was going in the right direction and day-to-day survival. She was alone and independent, not having to please anyone except herself and the Ancients who continued to protect her and guide her journey. For the first time she did not have to meet anyone's expectations. All she had to do was keep moving at a pace of her own choosing. If surviving in the mountains during the winter not been a concern, Vesna would have been content to spend the rest of her time in the Realm of the Living traveling through the forest and avoiding contact with other people. However, she noticed the days already were becoming shorter and the nights longer. Occasionally there was a hint of chill in the air to remind her the summer would not last much longer and she would have to leave her temporary paradise. After several weeks of navigating the trails, she was able to see cleared flat farmland in the distance whenever she was at a vantage point that offered her a view to the west. She knew she was looking at the western valley, meaning she had escaped from the Vice-Duchy. The area around her was starting to look familiar. The path led into a wider lane. She looked through the trees and saw a wagon crew hauling a load of cave-charcoal. Yes, she knew exactly where she was, she was close to one of the Followers' mines. The wagon crewmembers were not Followers, however. Vesna realized the mine must have been taken over by outsiders. She avoided the road as she descended towards Sevérckt nad Gorádki. However, as she neared the grassy hills with the sheep pastures, she had no choice: she had to end her time alone in the Realm of Nature and re-enter civilization. She put on her guard's clothing, but left off the helmet and the Vice-Duchy's tunic. As always, she loaded her crossbow and was vigilant for trouble. She rode towards the town, taking the same route she had taken in the opposite direction nearly a decade before with the odious lover who had treated her so cruelly. As she looked at the steeples and rooftops of Sevérckt nad Gorádki, she saw the familiar buildings, including the large house where she had lost her virginity and where her former lover Káloyankt was undoubtedly still living with his family. She had heard that he was doing well and that the town continued to prosper under his family's influence. However, she had no desire to see him. A visit from her would only disrupt the tranquility of his Path in Life. She'd not go into the town. Instead, she'd let her horse graze among the sheep and would continue traveling south the following day. So... she had safely returned to the western valley. At sunset she took off her guard outfit and prayed to the Ancients. She thanked them for allowing her to escape the Vice Duchy, but what should she do now? Where should she go? What was her Path in Life? She had no home, no friends, no commitments, no commanders, no duties or promises to fulfill, and no purpose. She had no silver. She had nothing, except for a horse and a couple of weapons. What now? When she stood up, she looked towards the south. Beyond Sevérckt nad Gorádki there was little except farms and orchards. There was Starívktaki Móskt, but she certainly didn't want to go there. The only other place she could go to would be Gordnáckt Suyástenckt. Of course... that's where she could go. She'd visit her former mentor, the Priestess who had taught her to read. She'd have a place to stay and someone to give her advice until she figured out what to do. She got dressed the following morning and rode south. She moved quickly as Moonlight galloped and trotted along the lanes between the orchards. She reached her destination by the end of the week. When she entered the church, Vesna knelt upright as she waited for the Priestess. She felt very strange because it would be the first time her former mentor would see her wearing clothing. She would have felt more at ease had she stripped and put on her penance collar, but she knew that part of her life had passed. Whatever the future held for her, she'd have to stop running around the Duchy pretending to be performing Public Penance. The Priestess greeted her and told her to stand up. In the two years since Vesna's last visit she had aged and had added another child to her family, but her demeanor and her haughty way of carrying herself remained the same as always. Vesna had to undergo ritual purification and confession, but since she no longer was performing Public Penance, the two women could talk to each other more as equals. After talking about the revenge against Oana and her participation in Enockt's group of conspirators, the visitor explained her new identity and how she started using it in the eastern valley. The Priestess agreed it would be better for her to keep the new name and issued a citizenship certificate for Vesna Rogúskt from the Vice-Duchy of Rika Chorna. Vesna stayed at the church for a week resting, cleaning her equipment, praying, and telling her host additional details about what she had learned in the Vice-Duchy. The two women wrote down Vesna's observations about the region and a detailed account of the destruction of the True Believers' cathedral in Sihídikti Ris. The Priestess later would send the information to the Great Temple so the Prophets could add the account to the archives of the Danubian Church. The Priestess updated Vesna concerning news from the western half of the Duchy. She related that the Old Believers had taken over all of the parishes in the western valley. The only exception was the church in Rika Héckt-nemát. A decade after the plague, the city remained sealed-off and no one knew what was going on there or if any of its residents were even still living. The people from the neighboring towns were convinced the city was cursed, so no one dared to venture past the guards stationed to close off the road going in. Even talking about the city was considered a violation of protocol. ---------- Vesna had entered Gordnáckt Suyástenckt assuming her former servant Isauria would not be there, that she had departed the previous summer to go to Sebérnekt Ris. She had indeed left to enroll in university. The Priestess let her visitor read a couple of Isauria's letters. She already completed her first year, was about to begin her second year, and seemed to be doing well as a student. The Priestess detailed how she had spent the winter of 1758-1759 helping the girl transcribe all of her former mistress's writings into university-quality reports, supplemented by books borrowed from the seminary's library in neighboring Starívktaki Móskt. Isauria spent part of the winter at the old Temple doing her research and sitting in on some of the classes for the apprentices. "Your former servant changed over the year she stayed with us. I don't know if I could say she matured, but she did change. She likes the Realm of Fantasy and to write poems and stories about spirits and legends and tragic mysteries. The stories about you, the ones circulating around Starívktaki Móskt casting you as the evil seducer and murderer of poor Bagatúrckt, completely fascinated her. She spent her spare time talking to people and collecting those tales and writing them down, so she could convert them into poems and fiction. She likes to do that, take old stories, embellish them, and re-tell them. That's something about her that doesn't please me. I've told her the Destroyer enters the Realm of the Living through the mouth of the liar, but she wouldn't heed my advice to only write truthful things about you." "I hope she's not using my real name." "Not at all. She likes the mystery. She wants to make you even more mysterious, so she never refers to you by name. She's fascinated with you, but she's not fascinated with the real you. She's developed a fantasy version of you, turned you into a fictional character for her writings. When I read what she's written, I wonder how much she really remembers about you." "I suppose that's just as well: her turning me into a poetry character will help me avoid being identified and arrested. But, I wonder... Isauria with her poems... and all those other people making up stories about me... I wonder where it will end." "I've wondered that too. The stories about your adventures haven't gone away. I've traveled to different villages and everywhere I've gone people remember you, but they don't remember the real you. What they remember are their fantasies about you." "But I don't... understand. Why all the stories? What's so interesting about me? I've spent ten years wandering and I've really accomplished nothing. I survived, nothing more. I lost everyone around me, either through death or just saying goodbye. I'm as alone now as I was when I started out. What's so exciting or romantic about that?" "I don't have the answer. I wish I did. I guess people tell stories because it's what they need to do. It would seem Isauria is only one out of many. And why you? Why not someone else? I don't know." "So Priestess, what should I do? How can I live anywhere if there are all these strange tales circulating about me wherever I go?" The Girl with No Name Ch. 32 The Clergywoman thought for a moment before ordering Vesna to kneel. She grabbed her hands and prayed. The Priestess's hands clamped down on those of her visitor as her arms shook violently. She let go and told Vesna to stand up. "You need to go home." "What?" "You need to return to Rika Héckt-nemát." "I... I can't go there." "Oh really? And where else would you go? You've told me yourself you don't want to go to any other city. Whether you're a wanted fugitive or there's a person you don't want to see, you're convinced there's nowhere for you to go. Your Path in Life is to return to Rika Héckt-nemát. The city needs you to go back." "But... what about... my arrest... and all those people... thinking I drowned in the river... and... looking for my body?" "That happened to the peasant Danka Síluckt. She's dead and there's no proof she ever existed apart from a bunch of legends that don't even use her real name. You're Vesna Rogúskt, the traveler from Rika Chorna. You have the paperwork to prove it. You have nothing to do with the peasant Danka Síluckt. So... I'm telling you the Path of Your Life is to return to Rika Héckt-nemát." "But... go back... to a dead city... and what would I do there?" "The Creator didn't enlighten me about what you will do there. All I know is you must go back, as soon as possible. And I'll tell you how to go. You can't go in through any of the main roads because they're blocked by Royal Guards. The only way in is a smugglers' trail that goes through the forest and comes up from the south." "So there are people still alive..." "There must be, if smugglers are going in." ---------- Vesna left the following morning, wearing her guard outfit. She wore a tunic with the insignia of the Danubian Church to let others know she was traveling with the blessing of the Clergy. Moonlight trotted south through farmland and orchards, as Vesna bypassed Starívktaki Móskt and headed straight south towards the main road. She followed it for a while, reliving the journey she had taken along the same route a decade before. She crossed the Rika Chorna River and passed the spot where she saw the stage-coach accident and the farm where she first saw goats. She looked west towards some forested hills. Rika Héckt-nemát lay on the other side of those hills, but she couldn't go that way because a garrison of Royal Guards blocked the road. Instead, she went south and stayed overnight at the chapel in a village at the southern edge of the cleared area. She went into the woods and followed a narrow trail through the hills. The path continued south for a while until it arrived at a fork. The left fork continued south towards Hórkustk Ris province. She took the right fork, which turned west and would eventually lead her home. She had hoped to complete the trip before nightfall, but when she noticed the darkness closing in on her she knew she needed to look for a place to stop. She found a cleared spot near a stream, just large enough to set up her bedroll and tie her horse. She was very apprehensive: she knew what was coming. The night was pitch-black, so she didn't need to wait for darkness to surround her. Instead she waited for the sound of the stream to go silent. She heard the soft flutter of a large bird. Its eyes glowed, reflecting non-existent light. Vesna stood up. She knew what else was coming: the ground grabbed her feet. The eyes slowly grew until they filled her entire range of vision. She had to wait a long time before the Destroyer spoke to her. "Danka... Danka... Danka Síluckt" "Yes." "It's been a decade, hasn't it? Well, almost a decade. Not that it matters anymore." "Matters anymore? Why? Why do you say that?" "This is the last time you'll ever see me, Danka Síluckt. Whether you wanted to or not, you've served me well, but your travels are about to conclude, and I must release you." "Release me?" There was a long pause, as Danka stared into the unblinking yellow eyes. "Yes indeed, release you. I have no further use for you, Danka Síluckt, so it is time for our Paths in Life to separate. You will not see me again. You will understand that I am leaving you because I have chosen to spare you, just as I have chosen to spare the Duchy. Other places in the Realm of the Living will receive my attention. The Duchy, at least for the foreseeable future, will not." The eyes began to fade. "Goodbye, Danka Síluckt." The Girl with No Name Ch. 33 Chapter Thirty-three -- The End of the Journey Vesna spent the next day riding west through thick forests, and the day after that riding north. Whenever she was not worried about simple survival she pondered a growing question in her mind: Home...what exactly was home? After ten years of wandering she was no closer to knowing the answer than when she started her journey. She had seen many places that she would have called home, if only the Path of her Life had been different. There were the men she would have been happy to create a household with, but it seemed that the Destroyer followed closely behind her, annihilating that chance for peace and forcing her to move on. Possessions had come and gone. She took the things she needed, and parted with them the moment they were no longer needed. The only items she would not part with were the three things she had started out with: her collar, her bucket, and the silver coin given to her by Farmer Orsktackt for that "dire emergency". Fortunately she still had the coin, never having been so desperate that she needed to spend it. There were times that she had money and times that she spent it, but never her first silver coin. She had long since convinced herself that, like the collar, the coin had protected her. Ten years had gone by. It was hard to believe: ten years. ---------- Vesna directed Moonlight northwards for the final hours of her journey, anticipating the moment she'd emerge into the open meadows and could see the town's familiar walls and steeples. She'd ride up from the south, which meant the aqueduct project would be the first part of her former life she'd lay her eyes upon. She descended one last forested foothill, and noted sunlight shining on the path ahead. This was it...after ten years she'd finally see what had become of Rika Héckt-nemát. When she emerged into the open, the first meadow was overgrown with brush and no sheep were in sight. There were no humans in sight, either. The road was deserted and overgrown with grass. The first cottage she approached was abandoned, with its roof caved in. There were other cottages; all abandoned and collapsed except for one. An old man stared at her with vacant eyes, while a growling dog warned her not to get any closer. She held up her cross-bow just in case, but did not challenge the dog. As she continued her trek northwards, Vesna could see the familiar walls and steeples of Rika Héckt-nemát. The city's skyline had not changed, but even in the distance she could see nothing but desolation. Even as she got closer, she could see most of the fields had been abandoned. The few people she saw along the road where shabbily dressed and moved quickly, obviously not willing to engage in any conversation. She ascended a small hill, the final rise before crossing the flat fields leading up to the south gate and the irrigation project. The project had never been finished. It had advanced somewhat from the time she fled, but after ten years, it was not finished. Like almost everything else, it lay abandoned. Vesna made sure her crossbow was ready. She had her long-bow as back-up. She had her sword. However, she was terrified. She desperately wanted to turn back and leave the ill-fated land of her youth. But she continued on, feeling the city draw her in against her will. The inn where she had sold her apples was abandoned, but she was relieved to see a few people milling around the gate. Finally she'd have a chance to find out what had happened to Rika Héckt-nemát. She addressed a young city guard who seemed somewhat approachable. "The Plague, Mistress. The Destroyer Beelzebub paid us a visit ten years ago." "Ten years ago?" "Yes, Mistress. Beelzebub killed our people just before harvest season in the accursed year of 1750. The people who didn't die from the Plague died during the winter from starvation. The people who didn't die from starvation left in the spring." "...and you? ...and the others still here?" The guard replied listlessly: "Some people always stay, Mistress, and some people always come back." "May I enter?" "As you wish, Mistress." Most of the buildings were still standing, but many of them were unoccupied. Even the buildings with occupants were not being kept up. The prosperous, bustling city of her childhood was but a memory. She visited the forlorn cathedral and briefly talked to a Priest she had never seen before. The Priest verified that, during the summer of 1750, three quarters of the city's population died within a two month period. Another thousand citizens starved to death over the winter, because there was no one to harvest the crops. Of the survivors, half fled in the spring. So...of the 20,000 people who had been in the city just a decade before, only 2,000 remained. "We are but a village, living in the walls of what used to be a city." "So it was the rat-plague?" "The rat-plague? What madness are you speaking, stranger? It was Beelzebub the Destroyer's curse. Beelzebub struck us down. It wasn't the rats..." "Why do you say that, Priest?" "So, you don't know the tale about the drowned girl, the one who called out to Beelzebub?" "No," lied the visitor. "I'd be curious to hear it." "Ten years ago, there was a young girl in this city. The old people say she was so beautiful that just looking at her took your breath away. What they didn't know was why she was so beautiful: it was because she had the blessing of Beelzebub. Anyhow, all the town's men stopped looking at any of the other women. All they could look at was that one girl. So...and I'm not sure how they did it...the other women convinced the city council to tie her and throw her in the Rika Chorna. The city council picked the three most loyal guards to do the tasking, and even they had to hide the girl under a blanket so her beauty wouldn't distract them. When they arrived at their destination, they tried to pick her up, but her dark magic made her so heavy that even three of them could barely move her. And yet, they were strong and loyal men, so the Lord-Creator helped them push her into the river." Vesna nodded, as she tried to refrain from laughing at the ridiculous details of the guards' fantasy. Feigning concern, she asked the Priest to continue. "Yes...so...and all three guards swore this to be the truth...the moment she fell into the water she cried out: 'Beelzebub! Come save your daughter!' Then, she vanished into the river. The guards didn't see her after that. They assumed she had cried out in vain. It was only later that the town realized she had not cried out in vain at all. Too late, the people realized the mistake they made by drowning her and not burning her, because Beelzebub did indeed save her. Then he avenged her. The very next month the Dark One unleashed his full wraith on our beloved city." "And how did the guards know she didn't drown?" "The townspeople searched for the body, but there was no body to be found." Vesna tightened her lips. Indeed, there was no body to be found, but not for the reason you think, you idiot. In a very cold voice she replied: "Whether or not your people chose to murder an innocent girl had nothing to do with the city dying. It was the rat-plague. Madness or not, that's what it was. The rat-plague." Vesna abruptly left the Church. In spite of the town's ghostly appearance, she was curious to have a look around at some of the areas she never got to see as a teenager. She visited the fine houses on the north side of the main plaza and the now-shuttered shops that at one time sold expensive items, including nice wedding dresses. Such a long time ago...ten years...not long or very long. Both and neither. Anyhow, it was during a different life. She took it for granted that her family would not have survived the epidemic. Still, she had to know for sure. With her crossbow ready, she mounted Moonlight and set out for her family's homestead. The familiar old road was still there, but the side path that led to her house was completely overgrown. She couldn't even be sure of its exact location. There was not a hint of anyone still living among those trees. Not her family, and not any of her neighbors. All gone and all forgotten. ---------- Nightfall was approaching. Vesna needed to figure out what she was going to do for a place to sleep. It seemed there were no desirable options: if she went back to the city she risked getting sick, if she tried to set up camp anywhere outside she risked attack from wild dogs and roving gangs. She opted for going back into the city. However, as she turned on the road to return to the south gate, she remembered Farmer Tuko Orsktackt. It was unlikely he'd still be alive, but Vesna figured there was no harm in checking. She'd have to pass his farm anyhow, to get into the city. The farm seemed run-down, but to Vesna's surprise, it was not deserted. The outer part of the orchard had been abandoned, but the trees closest to the farmer's house were still being maintained. Could it be that Farmer Orsktackt survived the plague? Vesna passed the fallen fence and approached the portion of the farm that was still active. She tied her horse to a tree and tossed several apples down for him to eat. She walked the rest of the way on foot. Sure enough, she could see him between the leaves, trimming branches on one of the trees he still was maintaining. She continued towards him, slowly to avoid startling him. She called out: "Farmer Orsktackt! Farmer Orsktackt!" When he turned, he dropped his pruning saw and stared at her in utter shock. He looked different. He had aged, obviously, but that wasn't it. The authoritative way he had carried himself ten years before was gone. He looked weighed down by sadness and futility. He stared at the familiar face, trying to place her. Finally he remembered: "Peasant... Danka? Danka Síluckt?" "Yes, Farmer Orsktackt. That's who I am. Or at any rate, that was the name that I had...a long time ago." The young woman smiled. "I'm now using the name Vesna...Vesna from Rika Chorna." "I'm so glad... at last... a familiar face... please... come in...Vesna... come in." "I need to bring my horse." "Yes...please...put him in the barn...I'll help you." Tuko Orsktackt helped Vesna unload her belongings from Moonlight and led the horse into a stall. The farmer saw to the animal's needs, making sure he had hay and water. Both the farmer and his visitor were glad to have their hands occupied for a few minutes. They needed to talk, and they had a lifetime of catching up to do. But...where to begin? They both needed a few moments to put their thoughts in order. Vesna looked around. It was obvious that her host was the only occupant of the residence. His family was gone and his servants were gone. He lived alone. "...and your family, Farmer Orsktackt?" "The same as yours. They died in the plague. All of them. My children. All of my servants. My workers. I buried 36 people. And I never got sick. I wanted to, I mean...get sick and join them...but it never happened." "And you didn't want to leave?" "I did. But people need to eat. I know how to grow food. So...the Lord Creator spared me, for the others, I'd imagine. I didn't want to remain in the Realm of the Living, but I'm here, whether I want to be or not. There are times I don't think that city deserves to eat, but I feed them anyway." "Everyone deserves to eat, Farmer Orsktackt. You're the one who provides the food for the others. One farmer is more useful than a hundred guards. There wouldn't be anything, or anyone, without you." Vesna's last comment seemed forced, but her intention was to make Tuko realize his life was vital for others and his existence in the Realm of the Living had a purpose. There was an awkward moment of silence, but it passed. Vesna suddenly became overwhelmed with emotion and fell into the farmer's arms. It was the first time he had the pleasure of embracing another person for a decade. Without warning, and without understanding why, she began to cry. They stood holding on to each other for a while, but finally they recovered enough for Vesna to move her things inside. They ate a simple dinner of apples and vegetables as they talked about Tuko's efforts to keep the farm going. The conversation shifted to the rat-plague as Tuko gave a more detailed account of what happened to the city during that terrible summer of 1750. The day laborers were the first to get sick. They panicked and spread out from their homes, which probably infected the rest of the area surrounding the city, including the Orsktackt estate. When the laborers tried entering the city to get assistance from the doctors, the city council closed the gate and ordered the guards to shoot arrows and fire a cannon at them. "In their blind panic, the guards killed a lot of the men. It's very possible your father could have been among those shot by an arrow at the gate." The farmer did not have any news of the outside for over a month, because he was attending to his own family and workers. Not a single member of his family, nor any of his employees, survived. However, he was so busy digging graves that he didn't have time to mourn those whose souls already had separated from their bodies. When Tuko was left alone, he ventured off his land, mostly to avoid going mad from the horror of having lost everyone he cared about. The countryside was deserted and the city was a disaster area, with rotting corpses lying everywhere. He, along with a city councilman, the only remaining Priest, three other Farmers' Guild members, and a few city guards, organized the disoriented survivors into squads to collect and burn the corpses. "The Destroyer was true to his name when he visited us. As a people, we were destroyed." Tuko spent the following year trying to figure out how much of his farm a single man could maintain. A few workers came and went, but they were nothing like the happy and loyal servants he had when Vesna first met him. To him, his old workers had been like family, but the new ones were shiftless vagabonds who usually stole more than they produced. "There were only four of us farmers left. The city was dying as it was, but without our food, our people would have died much faster. By the second year, we managed to control the food crisis and grow what the city needed. That first year was the hardest." Tuko's expression changed, reflecting anger and bitterness. "...and the Grand Duke did absolutely nothing to help us! In fact, he ordered the roads that pass through our city closed and all travelers to bypass us. Everything was blockaded. Even those of us trying to get out...he ordered the soldiers to strip them and burn their clothing before they could continue on. They had to leave all their belongings tossed on the road. So, many turned back." "I hate to say this, Farmer Orsktackt, but the Grand Duke was right. He had to isolate the city and make sure no one was coming out with poisoned fleas." "Poisoned fleas?" Vesna shared Alchemist Babáckt Yaga's discovery that it was the fleas, and not the rats, that spread the plague. "It's the fleas that are poisonous. It's not bad air or rat piss or anything like that, and the rats die just like we do. Those fleas, the ones that bite the rats, carry some kind of poison, and that's what makes us get sick. The only way to cure plague, it seems, is by eating a special kind of mold. The mold is an antidote for the poison, but a person must do it as soon as he realizes he's getting sick. I know it sounds totally weird, but I know Alchemist Babáckt Yaga was right." "And your alchemist? What happened to her?" "She was killed. The True Believers crucified her...and my lover had to burn her settlement with special musket powder...and he killed himself in the fire...that happened two summers after I left here. But I had a good year in the settlement...with the Followers of the Ancients, until the very last day...she taught me a lot." Vesna's comment made Tuko realize that he was not alone in his suffering. Vesna could understand what he went through, but without feeling sorry for him or being condescending. ---------- Vesna's overnight stay in Tuko's house extended into several days, and then into a week. She helped him with the farm tasks and in making several repairs. She cooked for him while he took care of Moonlight and his own horse. They went out hunting together and challenged each other's archery skills. Tuko seemed to come alive with her presence. There was no hint that he wanted her to leave. Then one afternoon, he started talking about Rika Héckt-nemát. Not about its past, but about its future. "I hate that city and the cruel idiots who've always run it. It was the stupidity of its own people that caused the plague to affect us as badly as it did. And yet, for the sake of the Duchy, we are going to have to rebuild and encourage outsiders to settle here. Maybe the future generation can do better, and actually make it a decent place to live." As they rode around the countryside, or worked in the apple orchard, Vesna noticed that Tuko constantly talked about the future, but always about the future of Rika Héckt-nemát, never about the future of himself. It wasn't hard to figure out why: Tuko's family was dead. Several times he had told Vesna that he wanted his soul to separate from his body, but felt that it was his Path in Life to do as much as possible for his city, a city that had done very little for him in return. Vesna realized that she had no future either. Of course, she could take off and go wandering again any time she wished, but had no desire to continue her travels. She never really enjoyed wandering, but every time there was a hint of settling down with a person she loved, that chance of happiness vanished in a bloody flash. She loved, she grieved, and she moved on. That had been the Path of her Life. Ten years ago she left with nothing more than a collar, a pair of boots, and a bucket full of apples. Over the past decade the only additions she had made to her life were a horse, a few weapons, and a couple of outfits. No love and no possessions. She saw no point in continuing. She was alone, and Tuko was alone. Their time together was a welcome break from their lives of loneliness. More importantly, they actually enjoyed being together. Maybe it didn't have to end. ---------- At the end of her second week at Tuko's farm, Vesna decided it was time to pose an important question. If she didn't receive the answer she wanted, she was prepared leave. She had to make sure Tuko understood without confronting him directly. Over dinner she started probing him about his vision of the future. As she expected, he talked about the future of Rika Héckt-nemát without including himself. "Farmer Orstackt, I really don't see how Rika Héckt-nemát can have a future without you having a future. Do you really think the Path of your Life is nothing more than growing fruit for a village of idiots? Don't you think you have so much more to contribute? You're convinced that your Path in Life is stay alone...and die unburied and un-mourned? Do you really think that's all the Lord Creator wants for you?" "I've thought about it... but there's no one... that town... I just can't imagine..." "Really? No one? Not even a dishonored apple-thief who left and came back?" Tuko looked up and exchanged looks with his determined guest. She was not the naïve girl from ten years before. Her body was thinner and sinewy from a decade of running and hard living. Her face and arms were dark from constantly being outside. She looked tough, but in the eyes of the farmer, a man who appreciated strength, perseverance, and determination, the woman in front of him was more beautiful than ever. The Girl with No Name Ch. 33 She continued: "Both our families are dead. We are the last survivors. But it doesn't have to stay that way." After a pause the farmer asked: "So...you're not upset about..." "There is very little you did that I need to forgive you for. You saved my life. It's because of you that I got away from this town, from my father, and from the rat-plague. I've always thought about you, always admired you. You're what a man should be. You're not perfect...but that's not what I want. I've seen perfect men, and I can't stand the sight of them." Tuko took a deep breath. He wouldn't have given Vesna a second thought ten years before, but now he understood why the Lord-Creator had made him wait so long. She had come back, changed, and ready to begin a new life. He reached out his hand, but she shook her head and pulled back. "Not here, Farmer Orsktackt. I said there is very little you did that I need to forgive you for. There is one thing you did, that I'd like you to fix." There are a lot of things I did to you, Tuko thought to himself. "Very well. Whatever it is...I'll try to make it right." "When you sent me off, you never said goodbye. I was grateful for all your help, but that one small thing hurt me." "I didn't...because I didn't know what to say..." "So you just said nothing? Just ran off? I'd like to think that's not typical of you." "How can I fix it?" "After the sun sets, I'm going east...to the place we parted. I'd like you to meet me there. Wait here, and give me an hour head-start. Find me on that hill, and bring me back." "That's all you want me to do?" "That's all. I know it's a strange request, but I need you to do it for me." For the last time in her life, Vesna put on her collar and her boots. She picked up her bucket and dropped in the silver coin. She set out into the darkness. She knew there was some risk, going out unclothed and unarmed, but she had to do it. She had to finish her journey the way she began it. She was much more experienced moving through the nighttime forest undetected than she had been the first time she went up the hill. She walked silently and cautiously to avoid both hostile animals and hostile people. She crested the dark summit and emerged into the clearing. The view was exactly as she remembered it: the same moonlit river, the same rolling hills, the same lights off in the distance. She stood silently, remembering and enjoying the sensation of the cool night breeze and the moonlight caressing her body. It feels good to be like this. It's one thing about my old life that I'll miss. Her old life. Already Vesna was thinking of her years of wandering as her old life. She'd finally have a proper wedding and wear the nice dress she always wanted. She'd toil alongside her husband in the orchard and rebuild the farm. She'd have children and bring them up to learn, question, and think, not just react to the challenges of life. She wondered if she'd ever get restless and feel the urge to go out again. She hoped not, but one never knew. Because she had moved so cautiously, even with the head start she did not have to wait very long for her former mentor and future husband. When he emerged from the woods, she was standing quietly, her bare body illuminated by the moon. At that moment she looked exactly the same to him, as though the passing of ten years had not happened. He reached out to her, and this time she did let him take her hand. "Danka, please come with me. It's time for us to go home." She nodded and, for the first time in their lives, they shared a proper kiss under the moonlight. He took her hand and led her back up the hill and onto the road leading to Rika Héckt-nemát. They returned to the orchard just as the sky was starting to lighten in the east. There was a final part of Vesna's homecoming. She took off her collar and handed it to Farmer Orsktackt. She always had felt nervous about the Guild's secret getting out. With the collar safely returned, she had once less thing to worry about. The Girl with No Name Ch. 34 Chapter Thirty-four -- Vesna Rogúskt-Orsktacktna So...Danka Síluckt's travels ended when the Path of her Life finally brought her back to Rika Héckt-nemát. Who would have thought she'd end up precisely where her journey started? Certainly not the traveling singers and story-tellers, who already were making up increasingly sorrowful and outlandish versions of her adventures. It seems that she lost all desire to travel after she married and became known to the world as Vesna Rogúskt-Orsktacktna, Farmer Tuko Orsktackt's wife from the east. She became the partner he needed to repair his broken farm, and in doing so, she helped him repair his broken soul. Within eight years she bore him seven children, of whom six survived to become adults. There were four boys and two girls, all of whom were vital to the rebuilding of Rika Héckt-nemát. One son became a city councilman, another became the town Church's leading priest, another served in Parliament, and the youngest boy...the roughest one who was always causing trouble, eventually became captain of the city guard. The two surviving girls did just as well: one married the mayor of Rika Chorna, and the other stayed behind, to marry a farmer and double the size of the Orsktackt estate. The Orsktackts became one of the leading families in Grand Duchy of Upper Danubia during the nineteenth century. Although she lost the desire to travel, Vesna's soul remained restless. She took over the abandoned trading house in her city and converted it into a medical research center. The project had humble beginnings, just a few doctors, alchemists, and potion-makers studying medical texts and cadavers, but over time the medical library grew, a hospital was added, and the project flourished into the medical university that we have today. Vesna frequently visited the hospital, constantly asking questions and occasionally assisting the staff when they had to set broken bones. Rika Héckt-nemát started to recover the same year the girl-with-no-name secretly returned home. Farmer Orsktackt impressed upon the city council the need for rat-control programs and improved sanitation. When word got out that the city was safe, outsiders came to take advantage of the free houses in the town and the free land outside. Eventually there were enough workers to re-start the aqueduct project. Workers returned to farms and orchards, the harvests were good, and the plague and famine of 1750 became a distant memory. Farmer Orsktackt and his wife continued their rides and hunting trips in the fields and forests, observing the countryside and noting with satisfaction the province's recovery. ---------- The Grand Duke of Danubia spent the following decades working on a multitude of projects. In 1761, the son of the Lord of Novo Sokut Tok went to the capitol to talk to the Grand Master of the Trader's Guild. From there he planned to travel to Austria, to see about procuring some new muskets for his father's militia. The night before he was supposed to leave, he accepted an invitation from the Grand Duke to have dinner at his castle. Seated with the sovereign was a beautiful young woman who had just braided her hair. The young woman captivated the visitor, and turned out to be available for marriage...very much so. Three days later, without understanding what exactly had happened, the son of one of the men most loyal to the Vice-Duke of Rika Chorna was in the Great Temple of the capitol, getting married to the daughter of a man his father considered an enemy. The ceremony was very public and greeted with the blessings of the highest clergy members in the nation. The young man had to cancel his plans to go to Vienna. Instead, he returned home with the Grand Duke's daughter and the shocking news that his entire family had just switched allegiance. Along with his marriage certificate, the young man brought home a letter from the Grand Duke addressing his news with kind words of greeting and the "pleasure we will have working with each other as we address the challenges the Destroyer has placed at the feet of the Grand Duchy of Upper Danubia." That marriage was the first out of many. Some ambitious politicians even traveled to the capitol to intentionally seek an audience with the ruler and bring back one of his daughters. In 1763, a junior council official from Plátnackt Dék persuaded the Grand Duke to allow him to marry one of his daughters. The ruler normally would not have given a daughter to such a low-ranking official, but there was something about the young man that appealed to him. Perhaps he saw a lot of himself in the petty representative. Anyhow, he reluctantly followed his instincts and allowed the man to take away one of his less attractive offspring. Upon returning home the councilman used his new family alliance to seize control of the entire city, declare the area loyal to the sovereign, and appoint himself the local governor. The Grand Duke was very impressed with the young man's audacity and rewarded him by adding several nearby towns to his jurisdiction and making Plátnackt Dék a separate province. Because of their perception of public honor and Danubian protocol, the Grand Duke's sons never warned anyone else not to travel to the capitol or let their friends know how they had been duped. They had to pretend they had willingly married the sovereign's daughters. As a result of the informal code of silence, years went by and no one could accurately calculate how many daughters the ruler actually was marrying off. Over five years the Vice-Duke lost family after family of his best allies to the wiles of his rival's daughters. By June, 1767 he realized that more than half of the provincial governors, town council leaders, and guild chiefs had someone in their family who had married a daughter of the Grand Duke. At that point the idea of starting a rebellion or threatening a rebellion as a political maneuver had become impossible. The Vice-Duke realized another awful fact; that his two surviving sons had recently departed for the capitol. The Vice-Duke desperately sent messengers to find the young men, but already it was too late. An elaborate entourage of Danubian Clergy members, Royal Guards, and ministers were escorting the happily-married young men back to their homes in the east. The Grand Duke led the procession, bringing with him gifts and bottles of his best wine to celebrate with his news. The Vice-Duke became dishonorably drunk at the festivities, while the Grand Duke looked on and coldly smiled. The Vice-Duke died the following year. One of his heir's first announcements was that farming taxes throughout the Vice-Duchy would be reduced. The heir also announced much of his father's artwork and jewelry would be sold-off to pay debts. In 1770, after a decade of planning, the Priests of more than half of the parishes in the Vice-Duchy declared they were switching allegiance to the Old Believers' faction of the Danubian Church. The religious coup brought western Danubian religious traditions to the east and ended all foreign religious influence in the Grand Duchy of Upper Danubia. ---------- The Grand Duke's attentions were focused on the Duchy's borders and securing control of the east, but occasionally he received reports about the plague town Rika Héckt-nemát and its recovery. Yes, a town that he had considered completely dead seemed to have recuperated and was starting to prosper. He sent a group of doctors to investigate the inhabitants and see if the quarantine should be lifted. Sure enough, not only was the town's population healthy, but a new medical institute was operating, using a lot of the knowledge from the Cult of the Ancients. The messengers brought back news of the impressive work of the town's leading couple: the farmer Tuko Orsktackt and his wife Vesna Rogúskt-Orsktacktna. The Grand Duke lifted the quarantine and re-routed the trade road to enter Rika Héckt-nemát. He decided to pay a visit to the city to see its progress for himself and investigate what the Crown could do to assist. Tuko Orsktackt, the town's entire Clergy, and the City Council received the ruler in the most elaborate ceremony the city had seen in many decades. The Grand Duke and his ministers attended the Council to listen to suggestions that would improve the region. The Grand Duke visited the medical institute the following day. He was eager to meet its director and see if she really did have knowledge from the Cult of the Ancients. When she approached him and saluted, he stared at her in shock. She looked very familiar... no... it was impossible... but there she was, right in front of him. He was looking into the face of his favorite concubine... the smart young Follower who had mysteriously vanished during the Great Fire. Yes indeed, it was her! Director Vesna Rogúskt-Orsktacktna smiled at her former Master. There was defiance and mischief in her expression, because there was no way the Grand Duke could do anything against her without seriously harming his own interests. He had come to the city to honor the achievements of the Orsktackts, with the entire political elite of the country watching. The ruler quickly regained his composure and congratulated her on the medical institute's remarkable progress. When he asked what he could do to assist, she responded: "Your Majesty has conducted extensive medical research and our people are grateful. I trust that Your Majesty would wish to see that remarkable work expanded for the people of the Duchy. This city would be most appreciative if Your Majesty could share your research materials with our school." "Yes, of course. Send your students to the Royal Library, and I will make my research available to your institute." Vesna couldn't resist another mischievous smile and a final question: "I trust that Your Majesty finds your loyal subject's service to the Duchy satisfactory?" "Yes. Your service has been... truly remarkable... exceptional..." The Grand Duke kept his word and opened the Royal Household to students from Vesna Rogúskt-Orsktacktna's institute. She sent 14 young people to transcribe the entire contents of the Followers' research. When they returned to Rika Héckt-nemát, a wagon crew transporting a gift from the Royal Household accompanied them. When Vesna took off the cover, she saw a printing press with a supply of parchment and bookbinding materials. Vesna reciprocated the following year. She traveled to the capitol, passing the new ministry buildings that would comprise the ruler's vision for the grand new city. She visited the castle and met with the Grand Duchess, who was the daughter of the Vice-Duke in Rika Chorna. She surprised the castle staff by not having any visible gifts for the ruler, but she asked to meet with him in his private study. The Grand Duke seemed nervous, wondering if his former concubine wanted to confront him about the past. However, there was no mention of her two years in the castle at all. Instead, she presented her gift to him: a supply of blue powder. She showed him how to use it by making tea and explained how the Followers had set it aside to extend the lives of their most important researchers. "This is the last of my supply, Your Majesty. Now it is yours. The Ancients have given you their final gift, and the only thing they ask in return is that you use your extra time among the Realm of the Living wisely." Vesna left the castle and never again saw the Grand Duke. However, after that meeting he changed. His arrogance vanished, leaving behind his intelligence, cunning, and desire to see his realm prosper. He became even more obsessed with research and education than he had been previously. He was interested in judicial reforms and infrastructure development and applied innovations throughout his time on the throne. He would live until 1816, long enough to guide the Duchy past the partitioning of Poland, the turmoil of revolution, and the Napoleonic wars. The ruler remained aloof from Europe's politics, so the conflicts that afflicted the rest of the continent never troubled the Grand Duchy of Upper Danubia. ---------- Isauria attended the university in Sebérnekt Ris from 1759 until 1763, completing the four-year program to become a scribe of historical events. During that time she wrote and published numerous articles about the wars of 1754 and 1758. Later she wrote a book of poetry romanticizing life in the Kingdom before the country's civil war. Her poems became particularly popular after 1764, when the Ottoman Sultan's army crushed both factions and re-annexed the entire territory. As soon as the Kingdom of the Moon was lost, people throughout Europe immediately began to romanticize it. Isauria married another student the same year she graduated from the university. Two years later the Grand Duke, not knowing anything about Isauria's relationship with his former concubine, assigned her husband to join the Danubian ambassador in Constantinople. Isauria accompanied her spouse, undoubtedly passing through Sumy Ris and other parts of the former Lower Danubia. While abroad and living in a country where living conditions for women were much more constricted than in the Duchy, she alleviated her boredom by concentrating on her writing. She had been fascinated by the stories about her former mistress circulating around Sebérnekt Ris and added new material to the tales and gossip she had collected during her year in Gordnáckt Suyástenckt. She also was fascinated with Danka's ill-fated marriage to Doctor Ilmátarkt and wrote a series of sad poems about the short-lived relationship. She embellished and romanticized many of the details. Like various writers before her, Isauria did not mention Danka or Ilmátarkt by name. She did not use her own name and chose to publish using various pen-names. When she returned to the Duchy with her husband in 1775, she published a collection of poetry called "Lovers among the Ruins" that included not only material based on Danka's adventures, but also various romantic fantasies and some of her own early sexual encounters with various boys serving as apprentices with the Defenders' militia. During the 1780s, two popular Danubian poets plagiarized Isauria's work and recast her subject, using the increasingly popular title: "the girl-with-no-name." ---------- There was one final tragedy that Danka, or Vesna, or the girl-with-no-name, had to endure. At the age of four, her youngest daughter died of appendicitis. Even though she had other children, she took the child's death very hard. She refused to allow the girl to be buried in the family cemetery. Instead, she set off on her own, carrying the child's body to an abandoned piece of land on the east side of Rika Héckt-nemát. In the days before the plague, the area had been a labyrinth of dirt paths and squalid huts, the home of the city's day laborers. However, it had been totally abandoned for almost three decades. And yet, in those woods, next to a pond and the foundation of a ruined hut, Vesna insisted on laying her daughter to rest. The following year, Vesna Rogúskt-Orsktacktna had a chapel constructed on the site of her daughter's grave, over-looking the pond. On the other side of the pond she later built another chapel to honor the families who had died in the rat-plague. "There were people here. They've been forgotten, but that doesn't mean they never existed. I plan to remember. My daughter and I will bear witness to the lives that passed through here, and the ones that ended here." The chapel project brought peace to Vesna's soul. Over time her workers cleared away the brush and converted the woods into a large park. Her husband took official title to the entire area, but the two chapels became public places where the residents of Rika Héckt-nemát made pilgrimages and performed penance. A final touch for Vesna was reintroducing the ducks. The ducks were important to her and they have remained a feature of the pond for more than two centuries. ---------- Aided by his wife's mysterious blue tea, Farmer Tuko Orsktackt lived to be 91 years old. In his old age he jokingly complained that his wife wouldn't let him depart the world without her, and "she's too busy to worry about trivial things such as dying." The year 1800 came and went. As the new century opened, Rika Héckt-nemát's leading couple frequented the concert house to listen to musicians and traveling singing troupes. Almost all of the traveling singers had a version of the legend of the mysterious girl-with-no-name as part of their performance. As the ordinary citizens whistled and sang along to the sad tales, Vesna always gave Tuko a knowing look and took his hand. The old couple smiled, thinking about the secret they shared, a secret they would take with them to the grave.