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14
Chapter 15 � The Priestess
Spokeswoman
Lee-Dolkivna decided that, before anything, she needed to talk to Victor
and let him know what was about to happen to Criminal # 101025. She
called to make sure he would wait at his office, before turning her
attention to the detainee who was supposed to appear before the
arraignment committee that afternoon. Fortunately it turned out the
three committee members were still in the building, so Kim's newest
client could be arraigned after all. Kim noted that the committee
members were furious about the delay and an explanation that she had
been summoned to talk to the Grand Duchess calmed them only slightly.
Kim sighed, because the delay had not been her fault and it seemed
things were only going to get worse for her.
Once the arraignment was finished and her client was fitted with a
temporary collar and released for the weekend, Kim went to Victor's
office. She explained what his niece was planning to do with Criminal #
101025. Before Victor had the chance to react, Kim added that she was
going to formally petition to have formal custody of Maria Elena
transferred back to the Ministry of Justice. Fortunately she did have a
good justification: the Colombian only spoke Spanish and would need a
translator until she could learn Danubian. In truth Kim was not
particularly worried about her client's lack of language. She was much
more worried about what Anyia might do to her. She also was worried that
Maria Elena's mental health was fragile and that it was important that
her life be as normal as possible. Victor offered the hope of a normal
life in a fairly normal household, and the university offered the hope
of a normal life through a routine job. The Royal Household offered
nothing that could be considered normal.
Victor was distressed upon hearing what had happened that afternoon at
the Royal Residence. He was more pessimistic that Kim's efforts would
accomplish anything other than get her in trouble, because of the
ancient tradition she was trying to confront. Kim did not fully
understand the extent to which the Royal Family had the benefit of
protocol and the difficulty the Prime Minister would have trying to deny
the Grand Duchess a privilege that was a divine right under Danubian
law. To that Kim replied:
"Cecilia pointed something out to me today. I told her that I am worried
about what's going to happen when Anyia's behavior becomes a public
scandal, which at some point it will. She said 'what good is it gonna do
to tell that to me? You need to tell it to the Prime Minister.' I
realized she's right. Anyia's behavior is only going to get worse until
someone brings her under control. And besides, I took an oath to defend
my clients' interests to the best of my ability. I do not believe that
Criminal # 101025 should be moved to the Royal House. It is my duty to
try to get her transferred back. I realized that if I get fired, I get
fired, but I cannot allow myself to be dishonored. And if I get fired,
then I will know that the Creator wants me to pursue a different Path in
Life. I suppose I could always go back to singing full-time."
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As they walked back towards Victor Dukov's house, Cecilia told Maria
Elena what was going to happen on Monday; that she would have to report
to the Central Courthouse to have her Ministry of Justice collar removed
and instead be collared with a Royal House collar. Then Maria Elena�s
trial judge would sign the documents officially transferring custody
from Ministry of Justice Spokeswoman Kimberly Lee-Dolkivna to the Grand
Duchess. Criminal #101025 would officially become property of the Royal
Family. The Royal Representative would shackle her and she would be
taken to the Royal Residence. Upon entering the Residence, she would
receive training to become a Royal Servant.
Cecilia explained that Royal Servants had lives that were different from
criminals that belonged to the Ministry of Justice. They ate extremely
well and each had a private room with a bathroom. At night they were
allowed to cover themselves with a sheet or a blanket. They were
expected to be extremely clean; to bathe in the morning and in the
evening, and also any time before they performed an official duty for a
member of the Royal Family. Royal Servants also had excellent medical
and dental care and were forced to exercise on a daily basis to keep
their bodies fit and attractive. They were highly trained and took pride
in their positions in the Royal Household.
Traditionally to be a Royal Servant was considered an honor among
criminals. Unlike ordinary criminals, who often performed menial or
dirty tasks, Royal Servants served the Royal Family during meals and tea
time, and participated in ceremonial functions such as carrying banners
and unrolling carpets. When not performing official duties they
practiced and trained, so that every movement was perfectly
choreographed. Part of their training consisted of staying perfectly
still for long periods of time, even if forced to stand or kneel in an
uncomfortable position. Cecilia warned Maria Elena that much of her
training during the first week would consist of learning to stay
immobile.
There were other differences between ordinary criminals and Royal
Servants that were not so pleasant. Ordinary criminals were considered
property of the Ministry of Justice, and thus belonged to an
institution, not an individual. Apart from adhering to protocol, staying
within their collar zone, and performing adequately at their assigned
job, criminals assigned to the Ministry did not face many restrictions
on their daily behavior. They were free to talk, move about within their
designated area, buy and eat what they wanted, have relationships, make
love, and even marry and have children. Royal Servants did not enjoy any
of those freedoms, because their status was totally different. Their
lives were restricted and they did not have any free time. When they
were not working, they were exercising or training. Talking was not
allowed unless responding to a superior and correspondence with the
outside world was prohibited. There was no such thing as having a
personal relationship, because the Royal Servant's Path in Life was to
provide undivided loyalty to the member of the Royal Family holding
custody.
Although in theory he or she belonged to the Royal Household, in
practice a Royal Servant always was assigned to an individual member of
the Royal Family, usually the person who demanded the transfer. In Maria
Elena's case that meant she would be the personal servant of Grand
Duchess Anyia. Cecilia explained that, from what she understood, Anyia
would be more than Maria Elena's custodian; she would become her owner.
She commented:
"For some criminals it's not that bad of a life; there are some people
do well under total control. But to keep servants under those
conditions, the members of the Royal Family have to respect them and not
be abusive. Traditionally that's not been much of a problem because of
Royal protocol, but things have changed under Anyia. For one thing,
she's got a lot more servants than the previous Grand Duchess had. The
old Grand Duchess only kept five servants, and she had the same ones for
decades. Anyia's already got at least 20, after being on the throne for
just a couple of years. Another problem is that she's not nice at all.
She keeps that switch in her hand all the time, because she's constantly
using it on her servants. And I hate to say this, but you can expect her
to be using it on you."
"But... why? Why does she punish them? What do they do?"
"In most cases, nothing... the servants don't do anything wrong, or at
least nothing major. However, the Grand Duchess feels that, because
she's wearing this country's crown, the world owes her treating her like
a goddess. If she thinks a servant is disrespecting her, she'll punish
that person immediately. She's got a real violent temper, and the least
little thing can set her off. The least little thing, and there's no one
to control her."
Maria Elena said nothing for a long time, as she walked in horrified
silence with her translator. What else could she say? She had just
become accustomed to her routine as a criminal and was looking forward
to living a fairly normal life, but it turned out that the productive
life she had expected wasn't going to happen after-all. Instead she was
destined to become the personal slave of that maniacal young queen.
Cecilia didn't know what to say either, because she felt horrible for
her companion. Whatever her faults, she certainly did not deserve the
grim life that she faced under Anyia.
----------
When Cecilia and Maria Elena returned to the university, they ran into
Cecilia's fianc�. Jason had just finished his classes for the day and
was about to go in the opposite direction of the two women, downtown to
the Temple of the Ancients. As a condition of his Public Penance, most
Friday nights he had to report to the Priestess who held custody over
him to receive the Church taskings that he had to perform over the
following week. The taskings normally entailed manual labor for the
upkeep of buildings, or assisting in moving food and other supplies for
Church charity work. Increasingly, however, he was being called upon to
provide counseling for recent converts and for people who had just
started performing Public Penance.
Jason could tell that both his fianc� and the Colombian were miserable
from dealing with some bad news. Cecilia told him what had happened that
afternoon at the Royal Residence. She didn't expect him to have much to
say about the matter. However, without any hesitation he responded:
"Did you go to the Temple and discuss this with anyone?"
"No, we didn't. What does the Church have to do with it?"
"To me it's pretty obvious. The Creator has determined that Maria
Elena's Path in Life will be to serve the Grand Duchess. The problem is
that the Duchess has a broken soul, and to deal with a person with a
broken soul, Maria Elena is gonna have to seek guidance."
Cecilia looked at Jason with a stunned expression. It had not occurred
to either her or Kim that Maria Elena might benefit from talking to a
member of the Clergy. Maybe that wasn't such a bad idea. She turned to
the Colombian and translated what Jason had just told her. Maria Elena
thought for a moment.
"You mean... Jason thinks I should talk to someone from their Church?"
"Yes. I hadn't thought about it, but I think he�s right."
"But... I'm not a member of their Church. I don't know anyone there...
why would they want to talk to me?"
"That's what they do at the Temple. People go there with questions and
the Clergy talk to them."
"And do they get answers?"
"Yes, they get answers. Sometimes not the answers they want to hear, but
they always get answers."
Maria Elena turned to Jason and asked him in Spanish: "If you're going
to the Temple, can you take me there? And get someone to speak with me?
Can you do that?
Cecilia translated Maria Elena's Spanish to English, and Jason's
response:
�Yes, I�ll have you talk to my Priestess, the one I work for. She�s the
most perceptive person I know, and I�m sure she�d be curious to hear
about your Path in Life.�
----------
A few minutes later Jason led his companions to a plaza in a section of
the city center that Maria Elena had not yet seen. Most of the buildings
were older than the late 18th Century architecture surrounding the
Central Police Station and were made out of stone. Dominating the plaza
was a old temple that obviously had been built long before anything else
in Dan�bikt M�skt. It had pillars and a large staircase leading off the
street to the main floor. The stairs were full of people going in or
coming out, most of whom were dressed in black robes. There were many
naked people as well; some of them wearing Church collars like the one
Jason had on, and the others wearing collars from the Ministry of
Justice. Unlike the Cathedral and other churches Maria Elena had seen so
far, there was nothing Christian about the building�s architecture at
all. Jason explained:
�This
is the Temple of the Ancients. It�s the main building for the Danubian
Church and the holiest place in Danubia. The building itself is 3,000
years old, and it�s been used non-stop ever since it was built.�
Maria Elena�s prejudices urged her to get away from that Pagan building
as quickly as possible. However, Jason�s confidence that he knew what
she needed to do gave her the courage to follow him in.
Cecilia had to borrow a prayer robe. She paid a copper coin to an
attendant and received a garment similar to the one Victor used. She
slipped it over her clothes before joining her fianc� and her housemate.
Jason quickly located the Priestess who was his Church custodian and
fell to his knees and placed his head at her feet. Maria Elena followed
his lead. Cecilia also knelt, but unlike Jason and Maria Elena, did not
have to put her head on the floor.
The Priestess told the three foreigners to stand up in Danubian. They
saluted her and she saluted back. The woman was unlike any religious
authority Maria Elena had ever seen. She must have been about 40 and was
tall, elegant, and carried herself with an air of dignity and severity.
Like every other female member of the Danubian Clergy, she wore a black
dress with dark red trim that was her only worldly possession. It was
obvious that she was intelligent and perceptive of other people�s
emotions. She was extremely intimidating as her gaze seemed to penetrate
the depths of the soul of anyone she was conversing with. Even Cecilia,
who normally dominated other people with her abrasive self-confidence,
was quiet and timid in the presence of that Priestess.
The Clergy woman spoke acceptable English, but Jason and Cecilia had
long since mastered Danubian and conversed with her in her native
language. While Maria Elena stood by nervously watching, Cecilia
explained her situation with the Grand Duchess. The Colombian could make
out just enough of the conversation to realize that both the Priestess
and Cecilia were talking at length about Anyia.
The Priestess suddenly turned to Maria Elena and spoke to her in
Danubian. Cecilia translated:
�She wants you to tell her why you came to Danubia.�
Maria Elena started giving a short summary of her trip and her arrest.
As soon as the Priestess realized that the Colombian was not giving her
the detail that she wanted, she impatiently drew her fist across her
chest, which in Danubian was an impolite way of saying �Shut up!�
After several unsuccessful attempts the Priestess explained that she did
not want Maria Elena to simply tell her what happened. She wanted to
know why the Colombian had chosen to violate herself by using her body
to store cocaine. She did not want to know what happened to Maria Elena;
she wanted to know why it happened.
Maria Elena haltingly started explaining about her past, and how she got
mixed up with the man who introduced her to Alex. A few probing
questions got out of her the story of her ex-boyfriend Jose Pablo and
how she indirectly caused his death. Now the Priestess felt that she was
getting out of Maria Elena details that she needed. However, it was not
until Maria Elena repeated what Kim had told her, that she actually had
been duped into a white slavery operation and only by sheer luck had
avoided that by landing in Danubia, that the Priestess was satisfied
that she had heard what she needed to know. She spoke and Cecilia
translated:
�Your soul is broken, Maria Elena. Your soul, and all of the souls of
the women who went before you to Frankfurt. Your companions remained in
the grasp of the Destroyer. You did not. The Creator rescued you and
brought you here. Now, can you tell me why that is? Can you tell me why
you were spared?�
�I don�t know� but my Spokeswoman told me the same thing, Priestess. She
told me that El Flaco was responsible for the disappearance of a bunch
of women, and I was spared. She told me to ask myself why I was the one
who didn�t end up like the others. I guess it was so he could get
arrested� El Flaco, I mean� that�s the only thing I can think of.�
The Priestess told Maria Elena to put out her hands. Cecilia translated,
adding: �She�s gonna squeeze hard and it might hurt. Don�t get scared,
�cause it�s the way they pray when they�re with another person.�
The Priestess grabbed Maria Elena�s hands and clamped down in a
vice-like grip. She closed her eyes and began shaking her arms
violently. Maria Elena, in spite of the warning, was totally terrified
as the woman painfully gripped and spasmodically shook her hands. After
the longest minute of the prisoner�s life, the Priestess suddenly
stopped. She continued holding the Colombian�s hands, but turned to
Cecilia and asked yet more questions about Grand Duchess Anyia.
Finally she had enough information to give Maria Elena the answer. Still
gripping the Colombian�s hands, she pulled her within a few centimeters
of her own face, staring hard into her eyes. She spoke in Danubian:
�The Creator brought you here to Danubia. The Creator brought you here
not to save you, but to save others. You are here because you will have
to perform an important task for the Danubian people. Your Path in Life
has not been completed yet. The arrest of El Flaco wasn�t the purpose of
your Path in Life; that wasn�t your contribution� or I should say; that
wasn�t your most important contribution. The most important part of your
Path in Life has not yet transpired.�
The Priestess waited for Cecilia to translate, and continued.
�You understand that the Grand Duchess has a broken soul?�
�I� I guess so, Priestess��
�That is not a guess, Maria Elena; that is a fact. The Destroyer has
taken control of Anyia�s soul and she is broken. What you must
understand is that through corrupting the Grand Duchess, the Destroyer
can inflict a great deal of harm on our country. You have to understand
that before you can understand anything else. You also must always
remember that the Creator brought you to our country for a purpose. You
will be placed before the Grand Duchess for a purpose, and you will
suffer under her for a purpose. The Creator has not enlightened me of
what that purpose might be. I do know that your Path in Life, your
destiny before you ever came to Danubia, was to serve the Creator, and
in doing so repair your own broken soul.�
Maria Elena whispered to Cecilia: �Who�s this �Destroyer� she�s talking
about?�
�That�s their version of the Devil. What she�s saying is that she thinks
Anyia is possessed with evil. It�s kinda different than the Christian
version and more complicated, but that�s the simplest way I can put it
so you'll understand.�
The Priestess continued:
�I am convinced that you are more important than you realize, even
though you are just a humble criminal. I am convinced that, through
Jason, the Creator brought you to me. There is a reason that happened.
And I believe it is my Path in Life to listen to your troubles, so I can
try to better understand what has happened to the Grand Duchess.�
�But� I won�t be able to come here, Priestess. I�m gonna be locked up.�
�I can provide you a letter saying that I am your spiritual guide, a
letter that you can take with you to the Royal House. That letter would
give you the right to see me once a week. The Royal Family does not have
the authority to cut you off from the Church, not if you have officially
declared someone in the Clergy as your spiritual guide. Also, if I am
your spiritual guide, I can provide you with correspondence that others
may wish to give you. When you are with me, I can let you see letters
from other people in your life, and allow you to respond.�
There was no question that Maria Elena would jump at the opportunity,
which she did. To have a few hours a week away from the Royal Household,
to be allowed correspondence, to have someone sane to talk to� of course
she wanted all that. Who wouldn�t?
However Cecilia, who was always suspicious of other people�s motives,
realized that there was a huge benefit for the Priestess as well. It was
certain that Maria Elena would tell her new mentor, in graphic detail,
everything that was going on in the Royal Residence. The Priestess would
have access to a lot of inside gossip about Anyia, something that would
give her and her superiors valuable information that they possibly could
use against the Royal Family in the future. At that point it was hard to
tell whether or not the Priestess�s intentions were altruistic, but the
fact remained that she had just acquired a window into the opaque world
of the Royal Household.
----------
Maria
Elena left the Temple of the Ancients in a much different mood than when
she entered. She had been fearful and resentful upon going in, but after
talking to the Priestess, she was calm and resigned. She was not looking
forward to entering the Royal Residence, but according to the Priestess
she was going there for some higher purpose. Another detail that calmed
Maria Elena considerably was the fact that she would continue to have
some contact with the outside world and that she had placed herself
under the authority of a person who had at least some power over the
Grand Duchess. It also occurred to Maria Elena that, if there was a
possibility that her actions would be reported to a Clergy member of the
Danubian Church, Anyia might moderate her behavior.
The inward calm that Maria Elena took with her from the Temple lasted
throughout her final two days as a Ministry of Justice criminal. She
described her visit with Jason�s Priestess to Victor, along with the
clergywoman�s conviction that her internment in the Royal Household was
destined to serve a higher purpose. Maria Elena could not believe it was
her own words when she heard the following coming out of her mouth:
�You prayed for your wife, for her to rest in peace. Now you must pray
for me, Victor. That is all that remains until the Creator chooses to
further enlighten us, where our Paths in Life will lead us.�
"Paths in Life"... well, if it was indeed inevitable that he and his
lover were destined to be separated, then at least they could enjoy each
other's company for the last three nights they had together. It was as
he suspected, the Creator had given them only a fleeting moment to be
together. The moment would come and go, and there was nothing that could
be done other than to enjoy what little joy the Creator was willing to
grant.
As she had since her arrival in Danubia, Maria Elena spent Saturday
braiding her hair with her Spokeswoman and her friends. Cecilia felt
that it was fortunate that Kim could hear first-hand about Maria Elena's
conversation with the Priestess, because that was additional information
the Spokeswoman could take with her when she spoke to Vladim Dukov about
what should be done concerning the custody of Criminal # 101025. It
would be better if the Prime Minister knew right away that the Danubian
Church now had direct access to what was going on inside the Royal
Residence, and thus be forewarned of the impending scandal. Kim seemed
not as concerned as Cecilia about the Priestess's motives. Instead she
was glad about the correspondence, because she had every intention of
staying in contact with her client while she appealed the transfer of
custody.
----------
The following day Maria Elena and Victor went together to the see the
Priestess in the Old Temple as a couple. They went alone, without
Cecilia, without Jason, and without Spokeswoman Lee-Dolkivna. Victor, as
usual, wore his black prayer robe, which was the only garment he
normally wore when attending worship services. He and Maria Elena knelt
in front of the Priestess as she prayed in archaic Danubian.
Maria Elena did not understand much of the conversation between Victor
and the Priestess, but she understood enough to realize that the Clergy
woman was asking about his relationship with her. Victor responded to a
series of questions. Maria Elena felt uneasy, because it was obvious
that Victor had to confess that he and the criminal were having a sexual
relationship without being married. What she did not know at the time
was that, to a member of the Danubian Clergy, a sexual relationship
outside of marriage was not as big of a taboo as it was to most other
religious sects. The Priestess was more interested in Victor's
intentions than in the fact that he and Maria Elena were not yet
married. When the questioning ended, the Priestess took Victor's hands
and prayed. That didn't surprise Maria Elena, but what came next was a
total shock.
The Priestess let go of Victor's hands and led both her guests to the
back part of the Temple. They ended up on a large stone balcony
overlooking a forested park that led to the East Danube River. In the
middle of the balcony was a round stone pit with a smoldering fire. Both
Maria Elena and Victor knelt. The Priestess placed her hands on Victor's
shoulders and again prayed in archaic Danubian. Maria Elena could tell
that Victor looked nervous. When the Clergy woman was finished, she
ordered him to stand up. He stood perfectly still as she pulled the robe
over his head and handed it to a Temple attendant. With the robe taken
away from him, Victor was as naked as Maria Elena.
The Priestess then placed her hands around Victor's neck and wrote down
a number, which she handed to an attendant. A moment later the attendant
returned with a metal collar. Victor knelt, and the Priestess put the
collar on and locked it. It turned out the Priestess had ordered him to
perform Public Penance.
Although she was totally shocked and bewildered at the moment, later
Maria Elena would learn what exactly had happened at the Temple. The
Priestess did not have any problem with Victor's affair with her, but
had decided that the relationship needed to be tested while she was
interned at the Royal Residence. It was indeed Victor's Path in Life to
be with Maria Elena, but only the Creator knew when he would be reunited
with her. Therefore, until they were reunited, he would wear a Temple
collar and perform Public Penance. Along with praying over what had
happened to his first wife, he would pray every night to be reunited
with his lover, and until that happened he would live in humility. The
collar, and his own nakedness, would be a public display of Merchant
Victor Dukov's commitment to Criminal # 101025.
Maria Elena knew that performing Public Penance would be extremely
difficult for a man used to running his own business and giving orders.
However, it was obvious that he loved her enough that he was willing to
make the sacrifice for her. He would wait for her, collared and naked,
until her custody could be returned to the Ministry of Justice and she
could return to his house. That might take years, but it didn't matter.
During that time, it would be his Path in Life to remain collared for
her.
----------
Sunday night was the final night that Criminal # 101025 and Merchant
Victor Dukov would be together before she was taken away to the Royal
Residence. Victor reflected that if he had not taken Maria Elena with
him to his brother's dinner; Anyia never would have seen her and the
transfer of custody never would have happened. However, the Priestess
would have told him that to think like that was to pursue a false vision
of the Destroyer, because the Colombian's Path in Life was to serve the
Grand Duchess. The change of custody had nothing to do with any actions
that Victor took or did not take; it was the Creator who had decided
that Anyia would see her and want to add her to her collection of
servants.
Maria Elena and Victor made love one last time in his bed, and spent a
long time quietly caressing each other's bodies. She touched his collar
with both regret and fascination, feeling bad that he had to perform
Public Penance on her behalf, and yet extremely grateful that he would
do something like that for her.
Finally he fell asleep, which gave her time to stand up and spend some
moments looking out the bedroom window. She contemplated the moon, which
was almost full and already starting to go lower in the western horizon.
Just a few more hours� and the sun would come up in the east and
Criminal # 101025 would return to the Central Courthouse and have her
Ministry of Justice collar removed, not even a month after it had been
put on. She touched the device, regretting that it no longer would be
part of her life. She realized that, while the collar marked her as a
convicted criminal, it also gave her official status and some legal
rights and protections. The collar destined to replace it would offer no
protection at all. The she would endure that awful moment when she would
see Kim, and Cecilia, and Victor for the last time, one last glance over
her shoulder before she was taken away and loaded into a minivan. That
moment would be painful.
Maria Elena went downstairs and stepped out of Victor�s front door. For
a long time she stood in the street listening to the rustling of the
leaves and the strange twittering of creatures that were either birds or
bats� she couldn�t tell which. Finally she went back inside and snuggled
up to Victor� to be with him one final time� for a fleeting moment in
her life.
Chapter 16
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