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Chapter 19 � Two conspiracies
Maria
Elena woke up the next morning, disoriented after dreaming about her
more pleasant experiences in Colombia. At first she didn't recognize
where she was. Then she looked down at her cellmate, who was sleeping on
the floor with her back facing the rest of the room. She sat up.
Immediately felt the welts and bruises that covered her backside and the
burning soreness in her vagina and sphincter. She winced as she shifted
on the mattress, and then noticed a spot of blood on the sheet, a
reminder of the rough treatment she had received the day before.
She again glanced at her cellmate, finding it hard to believe her
forlorn companion would have been capable of sleeping on a bare tile
floor. She wasn't sure what to do. She wanted to tell the young Danubian
to get up and lie on the mattress, but didn't dare because she knew that
any spoken conversation could get them both in huge trouble. Finally she
simply decided to use the toilet and wash her hands, hoping that the
noise would be sufficient. The Danubian did wake up, with an expression
of despair combined with sad resignation to her fate. She was completely
withdrawn and did not want to look Maria Elena in the face. It was
obvious that besides being depressed, she also was stiff and sore from
having slept on the ground.
Maria Elena pointed at the toilet and then turned to face the wall so
the Danubian could relieve herself. The cell door opened shortly
afterwards. Of course, the man standing at the door was her tormenter.
Both servants immediately fell to their knees.
Lord Vidmarkt put two plates of food on the floor, kicked both servants
several times, and ordered them to eat. Maria Elena noticed that the
Danubian had glanced at her with total hatred. As she nervously put her
mouth into the food and tried to eat, she remembered having seen her
cellmate eating normally the day before. She knew that eating with
utensils was a privilege that came only when a servant had completed
training. It also was a privilege that could be taken away at any moment
if a servant was in disgrace. According to the logic of the household,
the Danubian was in disgrace because of her association with Criminal #
101025, even though that association had been forced upon her. It was a
cruel psychological trick that forced the servants to blame each other
for their misfortunes instead of blaming the Grand Duchess and her
entourage.
Maria Elena shot back an angry look, resentful that she was being hated
for something she had no control over.
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Criminal # 101025 began her regular routine on the second full day she
was at the Royal Residence. She spent much more of her time in silent
training, learning how to serve food and drinks, practicing kneeling and
standing for long periods of time, and coordinating her movements with
the other servants. The Royal Servants had to rise and kneel in unison,
walk a precise distance from the others, and establish a pace of walking
as a group that was choreographed as a single clean movement.
Between Wednesday and Saturday, Maria Elena saw little of the Grand
Duchess except at dinnertime, and even less of the Grand Duke and his
three servants. The Grand Duchess had satisfied her curiosity about the
Colombian and no longer had any particular interest in her. Eventually,
when the Duchess got bored, Criminal # 101025 would be called back into
her room for another round of sex, or a bath, or a massage. However, the
Duchess had numerous other servants and liked to rotate them. From the
beginning it was obvious that Maria Elena would not be one of her
favorites.
Not seeing much of her official owner was of little consolation, because
Maria Elena's other tormentor, the Lord who was training her, was a
constant presence in her life. From the moment she got up until the
moment she went to bed, Lord Vidmarkt was with her. His fascination with
making her behave like a dog did not dissipate. He delighted in forcing
her to go to the bathroom with him closely watching. Her hair remained
loosened and her bottom remained covered with fresh welts from his belt.
He was constantly slapping her across the face when she stood and
kicking her when she was kneeling. All the while he insulted her and
forced other servants to dishonor themselves by touching her. He also
told her that she had little to look forward to, because it already was
obvious that the Grand Duchess was bored with her and soon enough she
would be turned over to him permanently.
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Because Lord Vidmarkt held Maria Elena in such low regard, he was not
particularly concerned about allowing her to see details of his life
that he would have wanted to keep secret from anyone not wearing a
collar. For example, he made her watch while he went to the bathroom,
forced her to cut his toenails and put medicine on a planter's wart,
pull hairs out of a mole on his back, and help him change his clothes.
More importantly, he had a tendency to leave papers around that she
could see. The documents were written in Danubian or English, but she
could make out a few things, such as evidence of money transfers and
correspondence with numerous foreign companies.
The
official's lack of caution with his servants was even more evident when
he met with various associates. It was obvious he had numerous financial
dealings and was ambitious about international investments and
purchases. He always seemed to be on the phone talking in Danubian or
English about money. Because Maria Elena spoke both languages badly and
was nothing more than dishonored property anyway, he was not worried
about having her present when he was talking about sensitive topics.
During most afternoons Lord Horskti and Lord Vidmarkt hosted business
meetings at a small administrative building that was separate from the
main residence of the Royal Family, but still part of the property's
compound. Several naked servants knelt in the room, ready to serve tea
or to present themselves as foot-rests. If anyone in the room wanted to
put up his feet, a servant was expected to get on her elbows and knees
and present her back as a cushion. On Friday afternoon the Lords met
with a group of businessmen from the US and Brazil. The men were a
sinister-looking group with briefcases full of documents. Most of the
documents were in English, but some of them were in Portuguese. The
discussion drifted from English to Portuguese and back, with various
translations for the US members of the group who did not speak the
language of Brazil. As Maria Elena knelt with the heels of a foreigner's
shoes digging into her back, she listened to the Portuguese portion of
the conversation, hoping to get a clue when the gathering would end and
she could get out of her uncomfortable position.
The meeting meandered on, without any hope for the kneeling servants
that they would be relieved of being used as human foot-rests anytime
soon. However, Maria Elena listened with increasing interest to what the
Danubian Lords and their guests were talking about. From what she could
understand, the men were representatives of the US conglomerate
Mega-Town Associates. Apparently the Brazilians worked for a division
that was in charge of Mega-Town's lumber and wood products processing
operations. Folders and documents casually set on the floor within the
Colombian's field of vision confirmed that all the foreigners in the
room were working for Mega-Town. That struck her as strange, because she
knew that the Danubian government officially had declared war on
Mega-Town Associates and anyone helping the company automatically would
be prosecuted for treason. It was a capital offense for any Danubian
citizen to associate with an employee from Mega-Town Associates, and it
also was a capital offense for any employee of Mega-Town Associates to
enter Danubian territory. All of the men in the room were risking their
lives if the guests were indeed representatives of Mega-Town.
Because she spoke Spanish, Maria Elena understood about half of what was
being said in Portuguese. The men talked about the Grand Duchess in
detail, concentrating on her relationship with her husband and to what
extent she could influence his decisions. Lord Horskti and Lord Vidmarkt
were convinced that the Grand Duke was so disinterested in anything
having to do with Danubia or the government that out of sheer laziness
he would comply with whatever Anyia told him to do. That presented
Mega-Town with the opportunity it needed to move against Vladim Dukov's
government, because with a simple Royal Decree the troublesome Prime
Minister could be put out of office. One of the US visitors commented:
"This is unreal. Four years ago we lost 20 billion dollars trying to
take out that fucker, and you're telling us that we can do the exact
same thing with a Royal Decree?"
"Yes my friend, that is what I am telling you. All we need is the word
of the Grand Duke. He will listen to the Grand Duchess. The Grand
Duchess will listen to us. It is that simple. It is that simple because
the people of this country love the Grand Duchess and they love the
Royal Family. There will be no argument, and the government of Vladim
Dukov will be dissolved with a simple stroke of a pen. You see my
friends, it is tradition."
That comment was followed by a long discussion about setting up a new
government and what role Lord Horskti and Lord Vidmarkt would have in
the project. Maria Elena understood only a portion of what was said, but
she understood that the two Lords would take total control of the
government, financed by Mega-Town money. In exchange, they would grant
exclusive concessions to Mega-Town allowing the corporation to take
complete control of Danubia's natural resources. There were a lot of
jokes and laughter, followed by drinks.
Maria Elena was appalled by what was about to happen; that those two
hideous Lords were about to become the new leaders of the country. She
was not as concerned about the fate of Danubia as she was about her own
situation. Danubia she didn't care about, but there truly would be no
escape from her horrid life if those two were successful in their
plotting with the business leaders.
And the plotters most definitely would be successful, because the people
who control the most money are automatically successful. That was what
life had always taught Maria Elena Rodriguez-Torres. She saw no reason
why this time would be any different.
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Criminal # 101025 had lost any hope that she could ever escape from the
distorted world into which the Grand Duchess had buried her and the
other Royal Servants. She knew that her former Spokeswoman had no
control over her. She despaired that her lover could do anything to
extract her. As for the Prime Minister, it was apparent that his
kindliness was totally deceptive, because has he wanted to stop the
transfer, he could have done so. She was at the Grand Duchess�s
residence because he had allowed it. Anyhow, the Prime Minister didn�t
matter, because he would be out of office soon enough.
What Maria Elena had forgotten, however, was her conversation with the
Priestess from the Temple of the Ancients. The Priestess certainly had
not forgotten about the young Colombian, nor had she forgotten about the
prospect of talking to her about what was going on in the Royal
Residence. All of the Clergy's previous efforts to talk to Anyia's
servants had been frustrated, but this time the Priestess had made sure
that the permission to see a new servant for a confession and counseling
was legally binding. She fully suspected that Anyia's assistants would
"lose" the letter that had gone to the Royal Residence with the
criminal's transfer papers and assume there would be no proof remaining
that the Church had any claim to be able to talk with her. Several other
such letters had disappeared and the Church, because it had trusted the
Royal Household, did not make copies. Well, this time would be
different. Not only had the Priestess retained the original with the
stamps and signatures, but she had scanned it in color to create a
duplicate that looked identical to the original. She turned over the
scanned copy to the Royal Household to let Anyia's assistants think
that, once again, the Royal Household had in its possession the only
proof the Church had the right to talk to one of Anyia's servants.
Undoubtedly that paper would be "lost", but unknown to Anyia and her
staff, the original letter was still in the possession of the Church.
The day after Maria Elena had gone to the Royal Residence, the Priestess
and her superior, Grand Prophet # 4, spoke with Prime Minister Vladim
Dukov about authenticating the document. Dukov called in witnesses,
including Jason Schmidt, Cecilia Sanchez, and Cynthia Lee, to verify the
Priestess's claim that Criminal # 101025 had indeed requested the right
to confess to a member of the Danubian Clergy. He personally drafted a
letter to the Chief of Police of Dan�bikt M�skt, granting him authority
to enforce the order from the Danubian Church that Criminal # 101025 was
to be escorted to a neutral location, out of earshot of anyone
associated with the Royal Couple, so she could speak with her spiritual
counselor. An official Church order superseded any order given by the
Grand Duke.
To make absolutely sure the Church's edict would be enforced, Dukov
presented it at a meeting of his ministers, most of who were perplexed
that he would make such a move against his own daughter and son-in-law.
However, under the Danubian Constitution approval by the Cabinet was
needed to make sure the Grand Duke could not delay by appealing to the
full Parliament. On Sunday the Priestess would travel to the Royal
Residence and speak with Maria Elena. If the Grand Duchess dared turn
her away, she would return an hour later with an armed escort and the
legal documents needed to enforce the edict. Dukov's letter included
another condition, that Director Cecilia Sanchez would accompany the
Priestess as a translator and witness.
Dukov already was thinking past the anticipated confrontation with his
daughter. On Friday afternoon he called Spokeswoman Kimberly Lee-Dolkivna
and instructed her to draft a formal request that the custody of
Criminal # 101025 be transferred back to the Ministry of Justice. The
request was post-dated to Sunday the day of the planned visit by the
Priestess, in anticipation that the Church would find grounds to
terminate Anyia's custody arrangement. The Priestess would have to add
her signature to the document, but Dukov was convinced that after
talking to the criminal her approval would be guaranteed.
----------
Kim
drafted the letter as ordered and was about to walk it over to the
Parliament Building, when she heard a knock on the door to her inner
office. When she opened, she was shocked to see the Prime Minister
standing alone, waiting to be let in as though he were any ordinary
citizen or criminal. She immediately saluted him, and he sadly saluted
back.
Kim could tell that Dukov was extremely depressed. He said nothing as he
sat in one of her guest chairs. While the Spokeswoman prepared him some
tea, he quietly read the draft of her letter. For a long time he sat
quietly, sipping his cup. Finally he made a strange request:
"Kimberly, I wish to ask a favor of you. I would like to sit at my old
desk for a few minutes."
"Of course, Prime Minister."
Once Dukov had moved behind the desk that Kim now used, he again sat
quietly. After a few moments he commented: "You know, when I sat at this
desk and this was where I pursued my Path in Life, everything made sense
to me. My life... it made sense... but that was a long time ago, wasn't
it, Kimberly?"
"It does seem like it's been a long time, Prime Minister Dukov."
Dukov responded another strange request. "Kimberly, I do not wish to
hear �Prime Minister� for a few minutes. I would be grateful if you
could call me Spokesman Dukov, just for now, just until we leave this
office. Spokesman Dukov... that is what I wish to be called. I wish
that... because in my dreams and fantasies... it is what I still am... a
simple Spokesman... and not... what I am now... a man who works in the
most dishonored profession there is... a profession that is even lower
than that of a career criminal... dishonored...�
"Prime... I mean Spokesman... you're not dishonored... no one is saying
that about you...�
"Kimberly... to be a politician is to live in dishonor... to be a
politician is to live in duplicity, to operate in secret, to distort
reality to achieve questionable goals... to plot... to conspire... and
now I must conspire against my own daughter. What father would do such a
thing... other than a father who is a politician and the father of a
public figure such as my daughter? Who other, than a dishonored
politician?"
"But... Spokesman... it's your daughter who's... doing all that stuff...
not you... you didn't do anything... and... all you're doing is just
trying to stop her."
"Kimberly, consider this. Had I not become Prime Minister... had I
continued my life as a humble public employee... and had Anyia not met
the Grand Duke... she would have not become what she is now. She would
be in college... or married... and leading an ordinary honorable life.
If only I had not become Prime Minister...�
"Maybe� but, Spokesman... you had to become Prime Minister... you didn't
have any choice. What would have happened to Danubia if you hadn't been
here to lead us?"
"I... I don't know Kimberly. I don't know what would have happened...�
"I can tell you, Spokesman Dukov. We'd have had logging companies in
here right now clearing out our forests. We'd be building a
super-highway with our own money to make a bunch of foreigners happy.
Dan�bikt M�skt would be full of foreign cars and all polluted. Everyone
would be in debt so we could import junk from China. Our criminals would
all be locked up in jail instead of working. We would still be having
border problems with our neighbors instead of peace. We would have
become just another dependency of Mega-Town Associates, and they'd be
even more in control of the world than they are now. We wouldn't be
producing anything and everyone would be going out of business and
everyone would be unemployed and the country would be broke. That's what
would have happened if you hadn't been elected. There is nothing
dishonorable about anything you've done. Nothing. You've fought with
honor and you've saved the country."
Dukov remained silent.
"This is just another fight, Spokesman. That's all it is... just one
more thing you have to do for Danubia. Get Anyia under control."
"Not just Anyia. The Grand Duke as well. He has dishonored himself every
bit as much as she has. If there were any justice in this world, both of
them would go before this nation's courts and both of them would be
condemned to 'Life without Honor'."
Kim was shocked. "'Life without Honor'? You'd actually do that to them?"
"That is what would be fair, Kimberly. A 'Life without Honor' is what
should happen to a person who squanders something as precious as the
trust our people have in the Crown. When the moment comes for me to
confront my daughter, I will tell her that what she truly deserves is a
life of serving the pig. But, I have talked this issue over with the
Clergy, and we have decided what would be best for the Royal Family, for
the Crown, and for the Danubian people. I suppose that what is best for
our people is not that everyone is punished justly, but instead that we
resolve this incident with as little stress to our nation as possible.
That means that Anyia and her husband will be spared the punishment they
truly deserve. They will live out their lives with their current titles,
and the nation will continue to look upon them as our monarchs and the
guardians of our traditions. However, I will assure that Anyia, and the
Dukes and Duchesses who come after her, never again will be in a
position to disrupt the peace of our society."
Dukov held out a copy of the Danubian Constitution with a series of
typewritten amendments.
"You
will notice that the role of the Grand Duke will change under this
proposal. The Grand Duke will become a public employee and will have to
answer to Parliament. The Crown will become a public service position,
with a contract and responsibilities. Failure to uphold that contract
will result in dismissal. The Duke's ability to interfere with the
affairs of Parliament will be abolished and, as I've stated, the Royal
Family will become public servants, no better than someone like my son
Vladik, or yourself."
Dukov turned the page: "Here I am proposing that all Royal Estate lands
will become part of our National Park System. The Royal Family will
retain an advisory role in the maintenance of those properties, but
ultimately they will become public domain. Even the Royal Residence will
become property of the National Park System. The members of the Royal
Family will have the right to nothing except their regular salary and
benefits. The household staff on all properties occupied by the Royal
Family will be employees of the National Park Service and will not be
under the orders of the Royal Family members. The right to hold custody
over collared criminals will disappear."
Kim looked over the proposals. She knew enough of Danubia's history to
understand the significance of what was about to happen. The Danubian
Crown had ceded power to the Parliament over several centuries, always
with the idea that if they made limited concessions at the moment, the
nobility would not have to make deeper ones in the future. The process
started in 1780, with further concessions by the Crown in 1895, 1946,
and 1972. The concessions followed a time of crisis or change, but
always resulted in further reduction of the real power exercised by the
Grand Duke. After the reform of 1972, the Royal Family had managed to
maintain the formal right to dissolve Parliament and to retain control
of all its properties. Now, a new crisis had arisen thanks to the Grand
Duchess, and the result would be a final set of reforms that would turn
the Royal Family into ordinary civilians.
Kim had little doubt that the Grand Duke would go along with the Prime
Minister's reforms. He really had little choice because the only
alternative was for him and the Grand Duchess to face trial for the
mistreatment of their servants. The charges would include rape, assault,
human trafficking, prostitution on unwilling persons, forced
pornography, violation of a position of public trust, and the violation
of the integrity of personal honor. The scandal would shock Danubia and
destroy the entire legacy of the Danubian nobility. There was no way the
Grand Duke would be willing to dishonor his ancestors. However much he
wanted to placate Grand Duchess Anyia, ultimately the reputation and
perceived honor of the Royal Family would come first. Besides, the Grand
Duke really cared little about exercising power. If he could continue
undisturbed with his various leisure activities he would be content with
his life. The problem would be dealing with Anyia.
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A few minutes later Prime Minister Vladim Dukov and Spokeswoman Kimberly
Lee-Dolkivna decided to go for a walk. Dusk was settling over the city
and already the streets were becoming quiet as the government employees
left for the day. Without thinking about where they were going or what
they were doing, eventually Kim and Dukov ended up in front of the
Temple of the Ancients. They passed through the building and emerged
into the forested park behind the Old Temple, into the holiest land of
the nation, the spot where Danubia began thousands of years before. The
weight of all that history pressed down upon them.
Kim suddenly felt the irresistible urge to do something extremely
strange, given that she was a public employee walking with the nation's
leader. She grabbed his hand. He was surprised, but did not resist. She
felt driven as she led him through the darkness to a bench near the
river. It was the exact spot where she had been arrested almost a decade
before. She knelt on the ground, precisely where she had been smoking
marijuana when Officer Malka Chorno spotted her and pulled out her
revolver. The Prime Minister knelt beside her.
"You know Spokesman Dukov; every time I come here it seems that
something significant happens to me and to those I care about. The first
time I was here, I got arrested. A year later I came back and Officer
Chorno ended up losing her badge. I came back a year after that, and
made up with my sister. I came back again and made up with Malka Chorno.
I came here again with her, and her husband found her sister's body."
"Yes Kimberly, indeed... an interesting coincidence, if that is what it
is."
Kim took a deep breath and continued:
"Spokesman, that is why I needed you to come here, so I can do something
significant with you. I want to tell you that... you are the most
important person in my life. Not my parents, not my sister, not my
husband, not my friend Eloisa. None of them comes close to meaning to me
what you mean to me. None of them comes even close to what you have done
for me. I owe you my life. I want you to understand that."
Dukov pondered Kim's confession of her feelings towards him. Finally he
responded:
"Kimberly, you will understand that my Path in Life as a Spokesman for
the Criminal was to do for all of my clients precisely what I did for
you. That was my calling."
"But you didn't see me as different? Unique in some way?"
"I did, Kimberly. Much. That I cannot deny. Yes, you were one of many
clients, but from the moment I saw you kneeling in my office, I knew
that you were special and that because of you my life was about to
change. That I did understand."
Kim was not sure how to respond. She was thinking about asking whether
or not Dukov felt that her presence in the house might have had an
impact on Anyia's behavior, but before she could think of how to put
that thought into words, he continued:
"Kimberly, you feel that you owe me a debt. That is what you are
expressing to me, is that not so?"
"Yes, Spokesman. I guess that's what I'm trying to say."
"Very well, Kimberly. Then there is something I wish to burden you with.
I will tell you something that I have told no one other than Maritza."
"Yes, Spokesman?"
"You will understand that it was during the Fall Equinox the year after
you finished your sentence. It was when my son participated in the Day
of the Dead procession with Criminal # 98946. That night, the dead chose
to speak to me, and I witnessed something that haunts me to this day.
After all this time, I still have nightmares about it. It remains in my
mind constantly. Every time I sign a law, or sit with my cabinet, or
negotiate a treaty I think about it."
"A vision, Spokesman Dukov?"
"Yes, Kimberly. A vision of what you alluded to when we were conversing
in our office. I had a vision and this is what I saw. I witnessed the
death of our nation, the end of Danubia. Not only the demise itself, but
also how that demise was to transpire. It wasn't just the end that I
saw, but also the changes and events that led up to it.�
A frightening change came over the Prime Minister�s expression. He was
trembling and clenching his fists. Sweat trickled down his face. It was
obvious that he was tormented, but he forced himself to speak.
�I saw what would become of our country if we ever were to submit to
corporatist globalization. I� I saw Danubia as an impoverished,
polluted, deforested wasteland. Dan�bikt M�skt�s historical buildings
were torn down and its smoky streets jammed with cars. I watched as
street gangs roamed freely, attacking at random. I saw desperate
pensioners as they stood outside the dilapidated Parliament Building
clamoring for what little the government could provide them in food
relief. I walked through the plazas and parks. They were full of drug
addicts, and the hospitals full of AIDS patients. Billboards and
advertising for foreign products filled the landscape, but from all the
closed stores and factories it was obvious our people no longer were
producing anything, not even food. As my mind traveled through my vision
of our country, it seemed the only industries doing well were casinos
and sex tourism. That was what I saw, Kimberly.�
�In other words, what we�ve managed to avoid so far, thanks to your
government.�
Dukov continued:
�What I saw was what you mentioned, but then an even more frightening
scene filled my mind. My soul was carried east to the recently
deforested mountains of Rika Chorna province. I watched as heavy rains
washed vast amounts of mud from nearby hills into the Rika Chorna
Reservoir. Suddenly, huge landslides plunged into the lake, breaking the
dam and sending floodwaters downstream. The wall of water annihilated
provincial capitols� Starivktaki M�skt, Rika H�ckt-nam�t, Dagur�ckt-T�k�
and many villages. Throughout the western valley, not a building
remained standing, not a soul remained unseparated from its body. Then
the flood completely leveled Dan�bikt M�skt. My last vision was of a
Danubian flag floating in muddy water, among thousands of corpses. I
caught a fleeting glimpse of King Vladik's empty throne, and then I came
back to the Realm of the Living.�
Kim said nothing while she waited for the Prime Minister to calm down.
He took a deep breath and concluded:
"To this day I do not know if what I saw is an event that is about to
transpire, or an event that could transpire if I do not work to prevent
it. The Creator has not revealed that to me yet. But I can tell you that
flood was real, as real as us kneeling together at this moment, here in
the darkness. I could feel the raindrops on my face... I could smell the
river... I could hear the screams of the dying. I watched the Danubian
people die as a nation. When I looked back upon that event, I understood
that our death really did not come with the flood. Before our people
died, everything that was good and worthwhile about Danubia already had
passed into memory. The society that vanished in the flood was but a
shell of its former self."
Finally, Kim felt that she could respond.
"You know Spokesman, when I was marching the year before, I also saw
something. I knew what was going to happen to you, but I was afraid to
say anything because I didn�t want to spoil it. I saw you a bit older,
speaking in the Central Plaza to thousands of cheering people. I
realized that the Creator had something much greater in store for you
than just being a Spokesman."
"I do not believe that being a politician is greater than being a
Spokesman, Kimberly."
"Then� I�d think that must be the reason why the Creator made you the
Prime Minister. Precisely because the Creator knew it wouldn't go to
your head."
Dukov felt uneasy with the compliment and decided to change the subject.
"Kimberly, you will understand that I am determined to remove your
Colombian client from my daughter's house. I regret that she had to go
there at all, in the same way that I regret that the other servants have
gone there. My hope is that the dishonorable treatment they are
receiving will cease by next week. If you wish to take my hands, we can
make a request of the Creator. We should ask that by this day next week
Criminal # 101025 will be returned to your custody and again will sleep
in the house of my brother."
"Yes, Spokesman."
For a long time Vladim Dukov and Kimberly Annette Lee-Dolkivna held
hands and prayed. The request was simple, that the Ministry of Justice
would find justification to remove Criminal # 101025 from the household
of the Grand Duchess. After they finished praying, the former Spokesman
and his former client walked to the river's edge to contemplate the moon
and its reflection on the water. They stood quietly for a long time, not
saying anything because they both understood that words were not needed.
Finally they left the shoreline and walked back through the woods to the
Temple. As they passed through the main chamber, Kim saw the Priestess
to whom her client would confess within a couple of days. The two women
exchanged glances and at that moment Kim knew that her prayer with the
Prime Minister would be answered.
