Back to Chapter 11
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 Seb�rnekt Ris and go where no one knew her.
Leave Seb�rnekt 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, Dan�bikt M�skt. 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.
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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 Seb�rnekt 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 H�ckt-nem�t 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
Seb�rnekt 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 Star�vktaki M�skt. 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
Dan�bikt M�skt. 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.
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Jadranka understood, before going anywhere, she needed to talk to Dean
F�toreckt. 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
F�toreckt 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 Bab�ckt 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 Seb�rnekt 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.
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During her final weeks in Seb�rnekt 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 Seb�rnekt 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 S�luckt. 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 F�toreckt.
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 F�toreckt. She walked
through the busy streets of Seb�rnekt 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 Seb�rnekt
Ris came to an end.
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By the time Danka left Seb�rnekt 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 Seb�rnekt 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.
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