Back to Chapter 23
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.
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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
S�upeckt 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 S�upeckt�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 Ilm�tarkt. He originally was from
Nagor�nkti-Ser�fkti 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 Ilm�tarkt when she helped bring in her wounded
squad-mate for a follow-up examination and to have the wound
disinfected. Ilm�tarkt 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 Ilm�tarkt, 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 Nagor�nkti-Ser�fkti, the vaccination campaigns, and
the True Believers. Because of his training and association with the
Cult of the Ancients, Ilm�tarkt 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 Star�vktaki M�skt. The sisters went their
separate ways: one enrolled in the Old Believers� Seminary and the other
married a blacksmith�s apprentice.
Ilm�tarkt could have remained in Star�vktaki M�skt, 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 H�rkustk
Ris. Although by that time H�rkustk 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 Iy�shnyakt-Krep�ckt, Ilm�tarkt�s unit quickly moved
east to attack villages of foreigners still living in H�rkustk 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. Ilm�tarkt 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 Ilm�tarkt and the others, and escaped
with the prisoners. The Defenders lost two of their own men, so even though they had saved their countrymen, they were not sympathetic
towards them. They took the women to H�rkustk 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.
Ilm�tarkt had been with the Defenders ever since, although his original
senior officer traded him to Commander S�upeckt 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 H�ckt-nem�t 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 Bab�ckt Yaga. The pair exchanged
information and gossip about people they had both known in
Nagor�nkti-Ser�fkti and Star�vktaki M�skt. When she mentioned Ermin, she
found out that Ilm�tarkt 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 Ilm�tarkt�s sisters.
The conversation turned to the destruction of Bab�ckt Yaga�s settlement
and the True Believers� effort to consolidate their power in
Nagor�nkti-Ser�fkti. Danka described what happened and the sacrifice
Ermin made so she could escape and warn Alchemist F�toreckt in Sev�rckt
nad Gor�dki. 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 Ilm�tarkt 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
Ilm�tarkt about Alchemist F�toreckt�s revenge against the True
Believers� priest, although she did mention that she had heard the
priest later went mad and the townsfolk of Nagor�nkti-Ser�fkti 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 F�toreckt 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, Ilm�tarkt
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.�
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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
Seb�rnekt Ris at the time. The doctor did not press her on the
discrepancy in her narrative.
Throughout December, Danka spent most of her time with Ilm�tarkt.
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 Bab�ckt Yaga and from her time at the university with a man
who was genuinely interested in what she had to say.
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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 Ilm�tarkt 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 Bab�ckt 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.�
Ilm�tarkt 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.�
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Oana was increasingly irritated that Danka was gone most of the time,
but she was not about to confront Ilm�tarkt 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.
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 Ilm�tarkt. 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. Ilm�tarkt 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.�
Ilm�tarkt 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.�
Ilm�tarkt�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 Ilm�tarkt 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.
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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
S�upeckt, since flogging was reserved for the severest offenses and only
he had the authority 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 S�upeckt. 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 S�upeckt. 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.�
Ilm�tarkt 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 Ilm�tarkt, 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.�
Ilm�tarkt 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, Ilm�tarkt put each of the items on his fianc�. 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.
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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 Ilm�tarkt�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.�
Ilm�tarkt 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 S�upeckt 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 S�upeckt 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 S�upeckt 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 S�upeckt 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 S�upeckt 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 S�upeckt 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
S�upeckt 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 Ilm�tarkt�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
Ilm�tarkt 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 Ilm�tarkt 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
Ilm�tarkt 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 H�ckt-nem�t 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.
----------
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 Ilm�tarkt 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 Ilm�tarkt�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. Ilm�tarkt had formal
education and had done some reading before fleeing Nagor�nkti-Ser�fkti,
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 Seb�rnekt 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.�
Ilm�tarkt�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
S�upeckt. 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, Ilm�tarkt. 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.�
Ilm�tarkt 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."
Ilm�tarkt 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: Bagat�rckt
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
Bagat�rckt 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 Ilm�tarkt 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 Ilm�tarkt'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 S�luckt..."
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 S�luckt, don't try that with me. You know it won't work. You
can't wish me out of your life."
"Then how can Ilm�tarkt 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 Ilm�tarkt was still
alive and still needed his breakfast.
----------
