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 ï>¿The Courier by EC

   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withdrawn and did not want to look Maria Elena in the face.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.

   *****

   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.

   *****

   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.

   *****

   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 Danubikt Moskt, 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.  Danubikt Moskt
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.

   *****

   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.  Danubikt Moskt'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 Moskt, Rika Heckt-namat, Daguruckt-Tok...  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 Danubikt Moskt.  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.



   Chapter 20 - The Downfall of the Duchess

   Program Director Cecilia Sanchez spent the following day with her normal
routine.  On Saturdays she always met with her students to receive updates
on their studies and how they were handling life in Danubia.  The majority
seemed to be adjusting well, and as for the few who were having problems,
those problems were routine and manageable.  There was no reason for
Cecilia to feel uneasy that day.

   However Cecilia did feel uneasy, a feeling which only increased every
time she met with one of the 13 students who were wearing a collar on
behalf of Maria Elena.  Earlier in the week she had lied to the group,
allowing them to assume that their friend would be better off in the Royal
Residence than she possibly could be at the university.  She showed them
old reports and articles that talked about how well Royal Servants had been
treated under the old Grand Duchess and the rulers who had come before her.
She had wanted no further trouble from her students, so she deceived them
by telling them that Maria Elena was fine in her new home.

   Carmen's counseling session was almost at the end of her schedule, and
out of the collared group she was the last.  By the time Carmen came in for
her appointment Cecilia was so guilt-ridden that she could not look her
student in the face.  Carmen looked at her director, wondering if she was
going to be sick.

   "Yeah...  yeah.  Truth is I must have eaten something...  don't feel
good at all...  "

   Great.  Now she was compounding lies with yet more lies, something that
was considered highly dishonorable in Danubian society.  She figured that
she would tell Carmen the truth after Maria Elena was returned to the
Ministry of Justice, but her motivation for waiting was purely selfish. 
What she wanted was to avoid any further public spectacles from her
students and thus avoid any further headaches for herself.  She knew what
she needed to do, simply tell Carmen what really was happening and also
tell her that it was likely Maria Elena would be extracted the next day. 
But to do something like that was not in Cecilia's character.  She was by
nature a secretive person who always felt that the less people knew about
her affairs, the better.

   When Carmen left, Cecilia decided to cancel the remaining appointments.
She repeated what she had said to Carmen, that she was feeling ill.  She
stepped outside into the cool late summer air.  At first she thought about
going home, but she could not face Victor and the sight of Maria Elena's
empty room.  Instead she decided to walk in the direction of the campus
Temple, which was an old church that was being used by the university.  She
knew that her fiance Jason would be there, working on a routine maintenance
project with several other students who were performing Public Penance.

   Jason was not scheduled to get off work for several more hours. 
However, the Priest overseeing the maintenance crew took one look at
Cecilia and knew that she needed Jason much more than the Church needed
him. He released Jason and told him to return on time the following day. 
Jason knelt, touched his head to the ground, and said goodbye to his
superior.

   Cecilia had a hard time putting into words what was bothering her so
much.  For several minutes she spoke incoherently about Carmen and other
protesters.  She hardly expected her fiance to understand what was going
on. She looked at Jason's youthful innocent face, assuming that the person
listening to her was the same naive freshman she had seen standing in the
hallway of the second floor of Huntington Hall five years before.  However,
she had underestimated him, because during his four years in Danubia he had
studied under the Priestess and had taken the teachings of the Danubian
Church seriously.  As a result of his efforts, he had acquired insight and
understanding about life that few people from the US would ever experience.
It wasn't long before he gently cut off Cecilia and bluntly asked her:

   "You feel guilty about all the lies you told this week, don't you?"

   "Yeah, I 'spose.  I 'spose that's it."

   "Or maybe it's not just the lies, Cecilia.  Maybe it's that you told all
those lies because you were just worried about protecting yourself, trying
to save yourself some embarrassment?"

   Cecilia became defensive: "I was doin' it for the program.  I don't want
Carmen doin' a bunch of shit that's gonna embarrass the university that...
"

   "...  and so you thought lying was the best way to handle it?  You never
thought that if you took the time to explain, in detail, what's really
going on, that Maria Elena is in the Royal Household because it's her Path
in Life to go there, that she had to go there so the Prime Minister could
get the other servants out...  that maybe Carmen might not have reacted the
way you thought she'd react?"

   "Carmen would've wanted to protest.  I just wanted to shut her up."

   "You know that for a fact?  Did you ask her?"

   "No.  I didn't ask her.  I just knew she was gonna stir up shit and I
don't need it.  I don't need her shit, Jason."

   "So it all comes back to you, doesn't it?  You don't need her shit.  You
don't want to be embarrassed.  So you dishonored yourself by deceiving her
and all the others wearing collars.  Next week they're gonna know the
truth, and the Church is gonna know the truth.  Next week everyone's gonna
see you for what you are."

   Cecilia angrily turned away.  Tears welled up in her eyes.

   "Look.  If you're gonna insult me, then you can go fuck yourself.  I
don't need you."

   "I'm not insulting you, Cecilia.  I'm just telling you that you've dug
yourself into a big hole with your students.  You lied to them, and next
week they're gonna know that you lied to them.  And I'd bet they'll figure
out real fast that you lied to protect yourself, even though you keep
talking about protecting the exchange program, which is total bullshit. 
You dishonored yourself by lying to people who are wearing Church collars,
to people who trusted you as their leader.  The relationship you might have
had with them is now broken, because once you break trust, you're
dishonored and you can't fix that."

   Cecilia was horrified to hear her normally docile fiance speak to her
with such cold confidence, as though he were a Priest who had spent decades
in the Temple.  The worst part of it was that she knew he was right. 
However, she couldn't bear hearing such a harsh assessment from Jason.  Her
reaction was typical of her when she felt cornered, she counter-attacked.
She tore off her engagement jewelry and threw it at him.

   "Call me dishonored?  Then you can take this shit and you can shove it
up your ass!"

   Jason said nothing, which infuriated Cecilia even more.  Not knowing
what else to say, she stormed off, assuming that she had just broken off
their relationship.  Jason calmly picked up the engagement necklace and
hair-piece.  It took him a few seconds to spot her ring, almost buried in
the grass.  He did not follow her and he did not try to shout anything
after her.  The truth was that Cecilia had indeed dishonored herself by
lying to Carmen and the others, and she needed to understand that reality
before she could attempt to repair the damage.  He simply had told her the
same thing that any Priest or Priestess would have told her.  It was not
his Path in Life to try to comfort her, because all that would accomplish
would be to prolong her own self-deception.  He loved her too much to tell
her that her behavior was acceptable or that everything was going to be
fine, when it wasn't.

   Cecilia walked about 100 meters and stopped.  She was totally
horrified...  how could that have happened?  Jason...  he was the only man
she had ever loved...  five years they had been together...  and now...  it
was over...  gone...  just because she was pissed at him...

   She looked back.  He was calmly standing right where she had left him.
He had not chased after her, but he had not walked off either.  He was
still there, if she wanted to go back to him.  But that decision would be
hers to make.  She would have to return to him.  He would not be coming
after her.

   She knew that she had to go back.  Without Jason her life really had no
meaning, but to go back to him would be the hardest thing she could imagine
doing.  To go back would be to admit that she was wrong.  She took a deep
breath, summoned her courage, and slowly retraced her steps.  As she got
closer she could see him quietly holding her engagement jewelry in his
hands.  So, all along he had known she couldn't leave.

   He waited until she was within arms' length before holding up her
hair-piece.  She stood quietly as he worked it back into her hair.  After
her engagement necklace and ring were safely restored to their proper
places on her body, he announced:

   "I'm taking you to the Temple.  Then you're gonna need to go to Carmen's
place and tell her what's really going on."

   *****

   The Priestess was at her usual post in the Temple of the Ancients when
Jason Schmidt brought in his forlorn-looking fiance.  As usual, he was
completely naked and she was wearing a simple one-piece dress that was
typical of the informal attire young Danubian women wore during the summer.
As he had over the past four years, he knelt and put his head on the
ground, rising when she gave him permission.  Cecilia simply knelt upright,
staring ahead with sad glassy eyes.

   The Priestess had seen Cecilia and Jason together and separately many
times over the past four years, so she knew both of them well.  What was
interesting to the cleric was that Jason had changed so much, while Cecilia
had changed so little.  The Priestess knew why.  Jason had been performing
Public Penance almost the entire time he had been in Danubia, while Cecilia
had not.  From the beginning it was obvious that Jason desperately wanted
to free himself from the burdens he carried from his past.  He understood
what he needed to do, and he was willing to take any measure he or the
Priestess felt was necessary for him to achieve that freedom.  The most
important part of the break from his past was his collar.  Officially he
might have declared himself property of the Danubian Church, but in doing
so he had liberated his soul from all of the guilt and burdens he had
brought with him from the US.  He never could have experienced such freedom
had he not accepted the collar.

   Cecilia Sanchez's concerns were always much more worldly.  She was a
competent and skilled program director, a good student, and a dedicated
caretaker for host Victor Dukov and her nephew Pedro.  She had learned a
lot during her time in Danubia, but unlike Jason, her character had not
undergone any real changes.  After four years of being in Danubia, she was
the same person she had been in the US, while Jason had grown and had
become totally different.  The Priestess could see that so clearly that she
wondered how it was possible that Cecilia could be so blind to what had
happened to her partner.

   Even before Cecilia began speaking, the Priestess knew that, at the
insistence of her fiance, the Dominican had come to her to confess
something she had done wrong.  She also could tell that what Cecilia was
about to do would be difficult for her.  The Priestess decided not to
immediately address whatever it was that was bothering Cecilia, but instead
talk about what was going to happen the following day.  Even though the
stated purpose of the trip would be to obtain a simple confession and
counseling for Criminal # 101025, everyone involved in the affair knew that
the real purpose would be to find legal justification needed to get Maria
Elena and the other Royal Servants away from the Grand Duchess and her
predatory assistants.

   The Priestess had her sources within the Royal Household, so she also
knew about the strange meetings between Anyia's two Lords and mysterious
groups of visiting foreigners.  She momentarily let down her guard when she
commented:

   "The Creator has enlightened me that our task may be much more important
than merely addressing what is going on within the Royal Household among
the servants.  It is not my Path in Life to make idle speculation about the
people I work with and the tasks I must accomplish.  I have access to
information.  I am fully aware of what is going on in that house; a
dwelling that has become a refuge for the Destroyer.  For that reason, I
have asked the Prime Minister to accompany me, along with his son Vladik.
The father and the brother of the Grand Duchess will be witnesses to her
full disgrace."

   The Priestess turned to Cecilia: "The Destroyer has been active in the
life of your friend.  You must understand that tomorrow you will be
speaking to a person who will be traumatized by what has happened to her.
You must summon your strength and not be shocked when you see her."

   Cecilia understood that the moment had come for her to confess her own
problem.  In just a few sentences she related that she had lied to her
students about Maria Elena's situation to keep them from protesting and
causing her embarrassment.  As a result, the following week she faced being
dishonored when Carmen and the others found out that their program director
had deceived them about their friend's situation.  She concluded by saying
she was deeply sorry for what she had done.

   Cecilia expected the Priestess to give her an angry lecture about the
evil of lying, but all she said was:

   "You are kneeling here before me, so to me that means you are aware of
the dangers of deceit.  You understand what you did; you broke trust.  I
need not say anything more about that.  I do know what you must do to
minimize the damage you have done, and to regain the confidence of your
students.  But before I tell you what I believe you should do, I would like
to comment about something, something about your country that has always
troubled me."

   "What's that, Priestess?"

   "You Americans have a custom that strikes me as strange.  A few minutes
ago you used the word 'sorry' to express how you felt about the betrayal
against the trust of your students.  It is not a word I took seriously
because I have heard it too often from the people of your country.  You are
always saying "sorry" for things, for things both trivial and significant.
I understand that "sorry" is even posted on signs and recorded telephone
messages.  If one feels remorse over something one has done, how is it
possible to express such sentiment on a piece of paper or a recorded
device? How is such a thing possible?"

   "I...  it's just kinda the way we do things, Priestess.  I guess...  so
people won't be mad...  "

   "So, in your country, people normally say 'sorry' when they want a
problem they have created to disappear, for a wrong they have committed to
be forgotten.  But not to actually correct that wrong through their own
initiative.  Is that not so?"

   "Yes, Priestess.  That is so."

   "I asked you the question because I expect you to understand that the
American word 'sorry' is a concept with no meaning.  You would do well to
abolish 'sorry' from your vocabulary and thoughts.  There is no point in
expressing remorse if that expression is not supported by action to remedy
what you have done.  Do you understand that?"

   "Yes, Priestess."

   "The Creator does not forget, Cecilia Sanchez.  A problem will not
disappear unless you take specific action to correct what you have done."

   "Yes, Priestess."

   Cecilia cringed slightly, because she knew what was coming.  She already
knew she would have to put on a Temple collar and perform Public Penance.
Wearing her collar, she would have to go over to Carmen's house and confess
what she had done.  As difficult as it would be to appear in front of
Carmen and her host family naked, approaching her while performing Public
Penance would solve one problem for Cecilia.  She would not have to try to
find any words to apologize, because the collar would do that for her.  All
she needed to do was tell her student what had happened.  Under the
traditions of Danubian culture, because Cecilia was collared, it would be
Carmen's responsibility to forgive her.

   "Stand."

   Cecilia stood up and the Priestess put her hands around her throat to
measure her neck size.  She wrote a number down on a small piece of paper
and handed it to a Temple attendant.

   "Kneel"

   Cecilia knelt.  The Priestess looked at her severely.

   "Before we go to the fire pit and before I ask you to surrender that
dress you are wearing, I wish to make you understand something important.
My impression is that you expect that I would allow you to perform Public
Penance for a short time, as I have allowed for your students.r You hope to
properly express remorse for your deceptions, and then after the equinox,
to resume your life as it has been up to today.  That is your hope, is it
not?"

   Cecilia hesitated in answering, because that was indeed what she was
expecting.

   "Speak, Cecilia Sanchez.  Answer my question."

   "Yes, Priestess...  that is...  kinda what I was hoping."

   "Then I want you to understand the condition of your Penance will differ
from that of your fiance.  He is wearing the collar of his own free will.
After knowing him for four years, I trust that he has the maturity of
spirit to determine for himself when it is best to ask for release from his
Penance.  I do not believe that you have such maturity of spirit. 
Therefore I anticipate the Creator will communicate to me about the length
of your Penance, not to you.  If you accept the collar, you will wear it
for a long time, not just a few weeks.  The winter will come and the cold
wind will punish your exposed body.  Everyone in your life will see you,
day after day, week after week, month after month, in your condition of
Penance.  It will be up to the Creator to enlighten me when you are to be
released, and you are not to inquire about being released until that moment
comes.  Do you understand me?"

   Cecilia was horrified.  She had come to the Temple simply wanting to get
her problem with Carmen and the other students resolved.  What Jason had
told her really seemed to make sense: just display remorse by being
collared and tell the truth about what she did and what her motivations
were for doing so.  She would be naked for a few days, participate in the
Day of the Dead ceremonies, and then she would get dressed and everything
would be fine...  or so she had thought...

   To the Priestess however, Cecilia's deception was the manifestation of a
much deeper problem in her soul.  Cecilia Sanchez obviously suffered from
an over-developed concept of self-worth that could only be addressed
through a lengthy time of Public Penance that had no fixed date for ending.
The first thing Cecilia would have to surrender was the idea that she
controlled her own future.  She would remain collared for a long time;
months, maybe years, maybe the rest of her life.  She had to accept that
reality and in doing so submit to the Will of the Creator.

   "You will come, Cecilia Sanchez.  You will come and you will submit."

   Cecilia followed the Priestess to the back of the Temple, with Jason
trailing behind.  The trio emerged onto the large platform in the rear and
approached a circular fire-pit.  Cecilia felt a pang of regret about the
dress she was wearing, because it would be torn and burnt as part of the
age-old ceremony submitting to Public Penance.  Cecilia and Jason knelt as
the Priestess took two items from a Temple attendant.  One of the items was
a small knife; the other was the collar that Cecilia would be wearing
within a few minutes.

   Cecilia stood as the Priestess quickly slit her dress down the front. 
The Priestess nodded to Jason, quietly ordering him to pull the ruined
article of clothing off his fiance's body.  Another quick slash cut
Cecilia's panties, which Jason picked up.  He handed both pieces of
clothing to Cecilia.  The Priestess prayed for a moment before ordering
Cecilia to toss the ruined articles of clothing in the fire-pit.  There was
a flash as the burning coals consumed the cloth.

   Cecilia also had to take off her shoes.  A Temple attendant took them
away.  Unlike clothing, shoes were not tossed in the fire-pit, but still
they were permanently surrendered to the Church.  If the shoes were in good
condition they were given to people who could not afford to buy new
footwear.

   Cecilia knelt and held the collar in front of her, contemplating the
pending surrender of her freedom.  She felt totally helpless, much more so
than the first time she performed Penance four years before.  She began
crying as the Priestess placed her hands on her shoulders.  A few minutes
later the collar was locked on her neck.

   *****

   Cecilia Sanchez had two tasks to accomplish upon receiving her collar.
The first was to go to Carmen's house and explain what had happened with
Maria Elena.  Cecilia was extremely downcast as she confessed.  Not only
was she admitting to behaving dishonorably, but also the lack of clothing
completely took away her self-confidence.  She felt vulnerable and exposed,
even though Carmen was just as naked as she was.  Carmen quietly accepted
Cecilia's explanation.  When the director finished, her student had a
question:

   "I was just kinda curious...  how long are you gonna keep your collar?"

   "I...  I'm not sure.  The Priestess said I wasn't 'sposed to ask about
it...  how long, I mean.  I'll have to wait until she says I can take it
off."

   "Then I'm gonna keep mine, as long as you have to keep yours."

   Cecilia tried to hold back her tears.

   "Carmen, I don't want you to do that.  You've got your own life to live.
I fucked up...  that's what the Priestess told me.  That's not your
problem."

   "You fucked up.  But you're trying to fix it.  That's what matters.  So
I will keep my collar as long as you have yours, and I will tell her that.
The Priestess, I mean...  "

   *****

   Cecilia had to return to the Temple.  The Priestess released Jason, but
flatly announced that Cecilia would not be going home that night.  Instead
the two women took a trolley to the outer edge of Danubikt Moskt.  They got
off at the last stop and boarded a light-rail headed towards the provincial
capitol of Rika Heckt-nemat.  They got off at a junction leading towards
Daguruckt-Tok and in the darkness walked past several blocks of houses. 
Cecilia was terrified, being alone in the middle of the night in the
countryside with the intimidating Clergy-woman.  When they passed the last
house, the Priestess stopped.  Cecilia immediately knelt.  The Priestess
then did something that totally shocked the American: she pulled her dress
over her head, exposing her statuesque figure.

   "Rise, Cecilia Sanchez.  Rise and fold my dress.  We will walk, and you
will carry my garment."

   Cecilia did as she was told.  She took the dress that was the
Priestess's only worldly possession.  Once the dress was folded, the
Priestess showed Cecilia how to use the sash to properly tie it into a
small bundle.  With the dress safely folded, the two naked women set out
walking in the direction of the Royal Residence along a dark country road.
Adhering to Church protocol, Cecilia followed about five meters behind the
Priestess.

   They spent the entire night walking in silence.  At daybreak they
stopped at a small Temple where they were greeted by two Priests.  The
Priestess put on her dress and prayed while Cecilia was allowed a breakfast
of buttered bread and blackberry punch.  Her feet were sore and raw from
being without shoes, and she was desperately tired after having spent the
entire night walking.  However, there was no indication there would be any
rest.

   The Priestess took a satchel of papers from her fellow-Clergy members,
tapped Cecilia on the shoulder, and took off her dress for a second time.
She handed her garment to the American.  The two Priests approached
Cecilia, stripped off their robes and also handed them to her to fold and
carry.  Cecilia would have to carry their hats as well.  Cecilia later
learned that it was common for Clergy members to strip off their garments
if they had to walk long distances, and it was also common for Temple
attendants or persons performing Public Penance to assist by carrying the
clothing.  The vestments were expensive and the Clergy members were
expected to conserve them as much as possible.  From the point of view of
the Church, it did not make any sense for a Priest or Priestess to walk on
a dusty road in Temple clothing, so the garments had to be taken off and
carried.

   Following ancient protocol the three naked Clergy members and their
attendant continued their silent trek towards the Royal Residence.  They
walked in single file along the quiet road as the sun came up and the mist
lifted from the countryside.

   *****

   As Cecilia continued on her painful and tiring journey with her
Priestess, Officer Vladik Dukov put on his police uniform.  He kissed his
wife goodbye before getting into a police van that he had signed out from
the National Police motor-pool the night before.  He drove downtown to pick
up his police partner before he retrieved his parents from the Prime
Minister's residence.  The van stopped at the Temple of the Ancients to
pick up Grand Prophet # 4.  On their way out of town, the van stopped one
final time, at the house of Spokeswoman Kimberly-Lee Dolkivna.

   Within a few minutes, Vladik drove up the same road that Cecilia and the
Priestess had spent the entire night traversing on foot.  They approached
the front gate of the Royal Residence, where the three Clergy members were
waiting with their exhausted attendant.

   The Clergy members had put their garments back on and quietly standing
by the roadside.  Cecilia was kneeling.  Everyone stepped out of the van
and knelt, including the Grand Prophet.  The Priestess, because she was the
one leading the group, remained standing.

   "Oh Creator.  We have come to you seeking the truth.  We ask only the
truth.  We seek only the truth.  You know what is in our hearts.  We ask
that we may proceed with humility, but also with the strength of will to
carry out this tasking."

   The group knelt forward, touched their heads on the ground, and knelt
upright.  The Priestess continued:

   "I ask something specific of you, Oh Creator.  I ask you to speak to us
through Criminal # 101025, the woman who was formally known as the
Colombian Maria Elena Rodriguez-Torres.  I ask that you speak to us through
her, and that once you have spoken to us through her, you safely deliver
her into our hands.  That is my request, Oh Creator."

   The group knelt forward a second time, and then stood up.

   The Priestess took the satchel, pulled out a copy of the letter granting
permission to speak to Criminal # 101025, and with Cecilia walked up to the
guard-post.  She introduced herself to the guards.  Cecilia expected an
argument, but the gatekeepers immediately opened the gates to allow the
group to pass.

   Cecilia realized the operation had been carefully planned and had the
support from several people working inside the Royal Residence.  Two
uniformed guards showed up and saluted Officer Dukov and the Prime
Minister. They led the Prime Minister, his wife, his son, and his son's
partner to the courtyard, pointing to a badly beaten young man hanging in
the pillory.  Vladik took several pictures for evidence before ordering the
servant to be taken down and moved to the infirmary.  As was typical, the
punished servant had been left there all night.

   Meanwhile, the Clergy members entered the Royal Residence along with Kim
and Cecilia.  Naked servants and uniformed staff rushed into the main
hallway to see what was going on.  The servants immediately knelt, but
guards ran up to the group with their pistols drawn.  The Priestess calmly
passed out copies of the order allowing her to see Criminal # 101025 for a
confession.  The Priestess stated:

   "I will pass unimpeded.  If any of you wishes to shoot me, I challenge
you to do so.  I will fall, as any human will fall.  But then the world
will clearly see which Master you serve."

   The guards looked at the four Clergy members, then exchanged frightened
glances with each other.  Suddenly they holstered their weapons and knelt.
Vladik and his partner entered the room leading several more guards.

   "All guards, rise!  Under the authority of the National Police of the
Republic of Danubia, you are deputized to serve under the orders of this
nation's Prime Minister!  You will do his bidding!

   "Doc-Doc!"

   The guards turned towards Vladim Dukov, who was just entering the room.
The men saluted the Prime Minister.  He saluted back.

   "Secure this property immediately!  I want no one to leave!  I also
expect that you will detain anyone attempting to enter!  I am placing my
trust in you, and I expect you not to fail in your duty to the nation!"

   "Doc-Doc Dukov!"

   Cecilia was dumbfounded by how quickly and how thoroughly the Royal
Guards switched sides.  They were not stupid; they knew the game was up. 
It was obvious the Prime Minister and the Clergy had defeated the Royal
Couple, because otherwise they would not have dared set foot on the Royal
Estate with such audacity.  What certainly helped the Prime Minister was
the presence of Grand Prophet # 4.  To oppose the Prophet was to oppose the
Church.

   The Priestess turned to a couple of the trembling naked Royal Servants.

   "Where is Criminal # 101025?"

   One of the Royal Servants, the tall German girl with the tattoo on her
ankle, pointed towards the holding cells.  The Priestess did not wait.  She
ordered Kim, Cecilia, and two Royal Guards to accompany her.  With the
others trailing behind, she strode down a corridor, turned a corner, and
descended a flight of old stone stairs.

   The Priestess and her four companions quietly opened a thick wooden door
leading to the main basement hallway.  As soon as the door was open they
could hear a broken human voice attempting to bark.

   Crack!

   "Speak, you foul dishonored creature!  Speak!"

   There was another weak bark, followed by a vicious crack of the belt.

   The Priestess silently pointed at the cell door, ordering one of the
guards to open it.  He snuck a key into the door, and quickly pulled it
open.

   The scene shocked the Spokeswoman and Cecilia, but it was typical of
what Maria Elena had been enduring over the past week.  She was strapped to
the copulation table, her body covered with fresh welts.  She was bleeding
at the lip from having been slapped several times.  Her hair was undone and
her dark eyes full of tears.

   Lord Vidmarkt's other servant was quietly kneeling, but she also had
been slapped several times and, like Maria Elena, her hair had been undone.
She looked up, bewildered, as soon as the door opened.

   The Lord was naked as well.  He struggled to pull on his pants and
screamed at the guards:

   "What is the meaning of this?  What is that Priestess doing, violating
the sanctity of Royal Household?  What is she doing on this property? 
Remove her, immediately!"

   One of the guards responded:

   "My Lord, the Prime Minister of Danubia is upstairs, along with Grand
Prophet # 4.  We escorted the Priestess and the Spokeswoman to this room at
their behest."

   "What is this madness?  You are Royal Guards!  Your duty is to serve the
Grand Duchess!  I order you to arrest those women!  They have invaded...  "

   "My Lord, we will not.  We are no longer under your orders.  We are
serving under the National Police, with the blessing of the Church."

   The Priestess held up a copy of the Criminal #101025's confession
letter.

   "Lord, do you recognize this document?"

   The Lord went pale, but denied ever having seen it.  The Priestess
commented:

   "Lord Vidmarkt, you are a dishonored liar.  You have indeed seen several
documents similar to this one, documents we sent with servants that have
been called upon to live in the Royal Residence.  All of those documents
disappeared.  We of the Clergy tired of the tendency your staff has for
losing things that are important to us, so this time we took the liberty of
making copies.  That is what justified my coming here today with my
translator.  This woman will be released, and I will hear her confession
and counsel her.  You will adhere to your duty, just as I will adhere to
mine."

   The two guards pulled out their pistols and pointed them at the still
incredulous Royal Official:

   "You will do as the Priestess has ordered, my Lord.  You will allow the
criminal to be counseled by the Clergy."

   The Priestess stood straight, with her hard eyes tearing into Anyia's
confidant.  The full wrath of the Church was in her expression.

   "Let me repeat what I just told you Lord Vidmarkt, in case you missed
it. You are a dishonored liar."

   The shock of hearing a member of the Danubian Clergy calling him the
worst thing a person could be called in Danubia momentarily stunned Lord
Vidmarkt.  Before he could react, the Priestess ordered the guards to grab
him and push him into a holding cell, the same cell where Maria Elena had
been kept.  Meanwhile, Kim ordered Cecilia and the other servant t unbuckle
Criminal # 101025's bonds and help her off the table.

   The Priestess led her entourage towards the exit, minus one guard who
would remain behind to secure the area and keep the Lord from attempting to
escape from his holding cell.  Kim was relieved that Maria Elena was in
such bad condition; because there was no doubt that the Priestess had
plenty of justification to transfer custody back to the Ministry of
Justice. Maria Elena had endured a week of horror, but it now was over and
she would have the rest of her life to recover.

   The main hallway of the Royal Residence was empty except for a couple of
deputized Royal Guards.  The guards told the Priestess that the Prime
Minister had ordered everyone to assemble in the throne room.  When the
group entered the ornate chamber, it was obvious that the Prime Minister
was completely in control.  The Royal Servants were quietly kneeling in
formation along one side of the room, while the uniformed members of the
household staff where standing on the other side of the room, opposite the
servants.  It was clear that many of the regular staff were angry or upset
but, like the guards, they fully understood it would be foolish to oppose
the Prime Minister if he had the support of the Church.

   Kim and the Priestess saluted the Prime Minister, who saluted back.  Kim
motioned for Maria Elena and the other servant to kneel.  When Cecilia
remained standing, Kim snapped:

   "You too, Cecilia.  You're collared, so get on your knees."

   Embarrassment swept over Cecilia, because she had totally forgotten that
she was naked and collared...  and here she was, in front of the nation's
Prime Minister.  Of course, Cecilia's state of undress was the least of his
concerns at the moment, but that did not make her feel any better.  She
knelt with the two servants; feeling totally exposed and remembering that
the Priestess had told her she would be collared indefinitely.

   At that moment Vladik and his police partner entered the room with the
Grand Duchess, followed by four deputized Royal Guards and three additional
Royal Servants.  Anyia was completely naked, because her brother had pulled
her out of bed.  Her hands were cuffed behind her back, totally exposing
her attractive body.  The Grand Duchess was livid with rage and struggled
viciously as she was brought into the throne room.  When she saw that her
entire staff had been assembled in the chamber she screamed:

   "What are you dishonored creatures waiting for?  Kill them!  Kill them!
Don't you see what they're doing to my Divine Honor?  KILL THEM!!!"

   The staff was terrified.  Their instincts told them that they needed to
rush to the aid of their Mistress, but a quick glance from Grand Prophet #
4 let them know they needed to stay silent.

   Vladim and Maritza Dukov quickly tired of listening to their daughter
screaming that they needed to be killed.  The Prime Minister ordered his
son to take the Grand Duchess outside and chain her to the whipping post.

   "She can scream all she wants out there.  Once she calms down we'll
bring her back inside and I will talk to her."

   Maritza accompanied the two cops as they took the Grand Duchess outside
and chained her.  Her arms were immobilized above her head and her feet
were spread and chained to the ground.  She was chained facing the post,
leaving her backside exposed and totally vulnerable.  She was incredulous
over what was happening to her and still did not realize that now she was
as helpless as any of the servants she had flogged over the time she had
worn her crown.  Undeterred, she screamed with blind rage and continued to
hurl insults and threats.

   *****

   Anyia's distant shouting in the courtyard reminded the Priestess that
she had not yet taken care of Maria Elena's confession.  That confession
was extremely important, because it was to be the justification for the
Church's authorization for Vladim Dukov to move against the Royal Family
and occupy their estate.  Already the day was not going according to plan,
because originally it had been the intention of the Church that the
servants would be removed from the Royal Estate before any action was taken
against the Grand Duchess.

   The criminal still was in shock over the treatment she had received from
Lord Vidmarkt and her sudden rescue.  The Priestess instructed Cecilia to
tell Maria Elena that she would need to calm down as quickly as possible so
she could confess and be counseled.  Cecilia added:

   "Whether or not we can get you out of here depends on how badly you've
been treated.  If you haven't been treated badly enough, we're gonna have
to leave without you.  So make sure you tell the Priestess...  in as much
detail as you can remember, what they did to you over the past week."

   What Cecilia had told Maria Elena was a stretch of the truth, because it
was obvious that even without a formal statement she had been treated
atrociously.  The Priestess walked in on her at the moment she was being
raped, which was enough justification for an immediate transfer of custody.
However, Cecilia wanted to be sure that Maria Elena shared whatever
salacious information she had on the Duchess, partly to justify the release
of the other servants and partly to make sure Lord Vidmarkt could be
formally prosecuted.

   Maria Elena tearfully nodded.  One of the accompanying Priests found a
small reception room with a thick door that could be locked.  Although the
original plan had been to counsel Maria Elena off-site, the Priestess
decided that there was no time to move the servant and that her statement
needed to be taken immediately.  She ordered Kim, Cecilia, and the Priest
to accompany her and serve as witnesses.  She ordered Cecilia to bring a
pitcher of water and a glass.  Although by that time Cecilia was about to
collapse from fatigue, she knelt, placed her head on the floor, and then
rose to go to the kitchen to get water for Maria Elena.

   Cecilia entered the room and knelt with the water in front of Maria
Elena, who was sitting on an elaborately carved wooden chair.  The punished
servant gratefully took the glass and emptied it.  It was the first time in
nearly a week she had not been forced to drink out of a bowl.  The
Priestess spoke and Cecilia translated:

   "The Creator asks only one thing of you, that you tell me of you
experiences over the past week in this house.  You must tell me what has
happened to you.  No detail is too trivial.  Something that you think is
small may turn out to be extremely significant."

   Maria Elena sadly nodded.  Under normal circumstances the Priestess
would have chided her for nodding instead of answering properly, but she
knew that protocol was not something to worry about at the moment.  She
ordered Cecilia to take a seat.  Then she knelt in front of Maria Elena and
took her hands.  The other Priest and the Spokeswoman sat on a sofa with
notebooks and pens, because they would be serving as official witnesses.

   The Priestess began by getting Maria Elena to talk about what was
happening the moment she was rescued.  Within a few minutes the complete
story of Lord Vidmarkt's cruelty and debauchery had been documented.  Kim
realized that there easily was enough information in Criminal # 101025's
statement to press charges against him for sexual abuse.  Additionally,
there were other witnesses, the other servants with whom she had been
forced to humiliate herself.

   The Priestess moved on to the first day Maria Elena was in the Royal
Residence and her treatment at the hands of Anyia.  The Priestess was
especially interested in hearing about the incident with the two male
servants and the fact one had been forced to perform oral sex on the other,
on the direct orders of the Grand Duchess.  Kim knew that there was plenty
in that incident alone which would allow charges to be filed against Anyia,
and the Colombian had witnessed several other incidents that were only
slightly less perverted.

   The conversation moved onto the more trivial details of life in the
Royal Household.  Even in the most mundane activities of daily life at the
Royal Residence, Anyia's utter contempt for her servants was clearly
evident.

   Maria Elena's portrayal of the Grand Duke was more neutral.  The Grand
Duke was totally detached from what his wife was doing, eager to go out
with his three servants and play golf, or polo, or play soccer with nobles
or Royal Guards.  Undoubtedly he was at least vaguely aware of what Anyia
was doing with the other servants, but he did nothing to rein her in.  He
was attached to her and did not want to offend her, but more importantly,
his mind was lazy and he had no desire for any confrontations.  However,
she never had seen him act abusively towards a servant, which was why those
three favored women so desperately stuck close to him.

   The Priestess then sought information about the various meetings between
Anyia's assistants and their business associates.  She allowed Maria Elena
to go at her own pace, because she knew the meetings were far more
important for the future of Danubia than anything else Maria Elena had
witnessed.  The Priestess extracted, in minute detail, everything the
servant had seen that proved the connection between the two Lords and
Mega-Town Associates.  She teased out of the girl's shattered memory
physical descriptions of the visitors and even some names.  As she
desperately copied Maria Elena's statements into her notebook, Kim was
amazed at how skillfully the Priestess conducted the interview and
extracted information.

   Kim had expected the interview to end with lengthy prayers, but the
Priestess kept that part of the confession brief.  There would be plenty of
time to pray later.  Instead she asked her superior, Grand Prophet # 4, to
enter the reception room.  With him present, she signed the document that
officially sanctioned the return of Criminal # 101025's custody to the
Ministry of Justice.  Kim put a metal tag on the ring in Maria Elena's
collar which had the Ministry of Justice emblem on it.  Cecilia explained
to Maria Elena that, as of that moment, Spokeswoman Lee-Dolkivna was her
provisional custodian.  The custodianship would become permanent during a
court hearing the next day.

   Maria Elena was surprised that she did not feel much emotion at that
moment.  She would have expected to be elated, or angry, or vengeful, or...
something.  But she really felt little because she was exhausted and
psychologically drained.  The only thing in her mind was that it was
extremely important not to get separated from Kim or Cecilia.  Until the
actually left the Royal Residence, the promise of transfer would remain
only that, dream based on a promise.

   *****

   Kim decided to send Cecilia and Maria Elena to the infirmary so they
could get some rest.  It was obvious that Maria Elena was terrified of
being separated from Kim, but the Spokeswoman and the Priestess had a busy
day ahead of them.  Cecilia entered the infirmary and passed out on one of
the medical beds.  Maria Elena sat next to her sleeping translator.  She
was terrified of being seized and pulled away from Cecilia.  If it had been
possible, she would have chained their collars together to make sure one
could not be moved without the other.  She waited, curled up on the foot of
the bed with her arms around her knees, for the final order that would take
her away from the mansion where she had spent the most hellish week of her
life.

   Criminal # 101025's statement had been taken, but now Spokeswoman
Lee-Dolkivna had to obtain corroborating statements from other Royal
Servants.  She and the Priestess had planned to transfer all of the
servants from the Royal Residence based on the initial testimony of her
client, but she could not remove them as a group; she had to interview them
one by one and the Priestess had to sign release documents one by one. 
That meant a total of 30 interviews.  The local Temple helped out by
sending over five additional Priests and Priestesses to help with the
confessions and taking statements.  The Clergy members would work in
two-person teams, one conducting the interview and the other transcribing.
If there was anything of legal interest for the Ministry of Justice, Kim
would have to be called in.

   Dukov was concerned about the paltry representation by the Ministry of
Justice at the Royal House; just one Spokeswoman and a few police officers.
However, he wanted to keep the affair as quiet as possible and transfer the
servants before any scandal broke out.  The following day they would be
returned to their former Spokespersons and more detailed statements could
be taken later in the week.  At the moment the only issue that concerned
the Prime Minister was obtaining Church sanction to dispossess his daughter
of her slaves.

   The Clergy members stood in front of the kneeling servants and explained
that they had come to take confessions.  Several of the servants had waited
to confess for months, but to their dismay had never seen a member of the
Clergy.  The Priestess told the criminals what had happened, that the Royal
Household kept "losing" the confession requests, and used the lack of
documentation as an excuse to turn away Clergy members that had shown up at
the gate.  Then she held up a copy of Criminal # 101025's letter and
explained how the Church finally had outwitted the Grand Duchess and her
advisors.  When she asked which servants wanted to confess first, the
majority immediately raised their hands.

   Prime Minister Dukov took a deep breath.  There was no doubt his
daughter's reign of terror was finished.  As he looked at the forlorn group
of servants, anger swept over him at that thought that his own daughter had
been capable of treating people entrusted to her in such a despicable
manner.  He remembered what he had said to Kim, that for the good of the
nation and the tradition of the Royal Family she would escape the
punishment she truly deserved, Life without Honor.  However, she would pay
for her crimes; he and the Clergy would see to that.

   *****

   While the Clergy members collected confessions and statements, Anyia
remained chained to the whipping post in the courtyard.  She screamed
insults and threats at her captors, still indignant that she was
immobilized naked to the same post where she had so often beaten her
servants.

   The young woman's mother and brother stood by, sadly watching her. 
Maritza finally tired of the spectacle and decided to attempt to get her
daughter to calm down by reasoning with her.  All Anyia had to do was be
quiet and stop threatening everyone, and she would uncuffed and released.
Maritza approached her and placed her hand on the younger woman's shoulder.

   "Anyia...  Anyia...  please...  you must stop this nonsense.  I assure
you that...  "

   At that instant the Grand Duchess made a mistake that considerably added
to her troubles.  She spat at her mother.  As soon as she felt the spit hit
her cheek, the last of Maritza's patience vanished.

   "Vladik, please remove your belt and pass it to me.  Your sister has
sufficiently dishonored herself and our family name."

   The officer did as his mother requested.  He took off his heavy leather
belt, removed the various police items that were attached to it, and passed
it to Maritza.  She calmly doubled the implement, tapped it to Anyia's
bottom, and struck hard.  There was a tremendous CRACK and an enraged
scream coming from the Grand Duchess.

   "No daughter of mine will spit at me, Anyia!  I don't care what title
you have!  I don't care that you are an adult!  You remain my daughter and
I am not to be dishonored in such a manner by the child I carried in my
womb!"

   With that Maritza struck hard a second time.  The Grand Duchess pulled
hard on her chains, as though she expected that her title would force them
to give way.  However, the whipping post and the belt did not care about
Anyia's title.  The cuffs held her as tightly as they held her servants and
the leather stung just as viciously.  There was nothing more for her to do
but scream.  Unfortunately for her, she foolishly continued hurling insults
at her mother and tried to spit at her again.

   "You are the one who is restrained, my daughter.  Not me.  Spitting in
your circumstances is stupid, but I guess I raised a stupid child."

   Maritza struck again, laying a third cruel welt across Anyia's bottom.
The helpless Grand Duchess screamed, but this time the scream was from
pain, not rage.

   "Anyia, throughout your adolescence your father and I were patient with
you.  We treated you with restraint and kindness, even though you were a
willful, selfish, and difficult child.  We believed that kindness was a
trait that we could pass along to you, because your father and I had so
little of it in our lives when we were young.  Obviously, we were
mistaken."

   CRACK!

   Anyia screamed and sobbed, while her mother continued: "You chose not to
pay attention to the lessons we tried to teach you.  You left our household
and turned into a person whose behavior far exceeds the simple definition
of dishonorable."

   CRACK!

   "You chose the Dark Path, my daughter.  The Creator gave you everything
you possibly could have wanted, and the only thing you did with all those
gifts was to squander them and trample them."

   CRACK!

   Maritza had no desire to stop flogging her daughter anytime soon.  She
was a patient woman, but she harbored nearly a decade of resentment,
disgust, and anger at Anyia's behavior.  Even so, she would have stayed her
hand, because the only reason Anyia was chained to the whipping post was to
keep her under control and force her to calm down.  No one had planned to
inflict corporal punishment on her, but Anyia had done two foolish things.
The first was screaming at the Royal Guards to kill Prime Minister Dukov
and the others.  It was a terrible shock to Maritza to realize that Anyia
would have been perfectly capable of murdering her own parents and brother,
had the guards acquiesced.  However, what finally broke Maritza's patience
was the spit.  To spit upon her own mother was the ultimate insult, the
ultimate statement Anyia could have given to show how little regard she had
for her parents.

   "My child, you will suffer for spitting on me.  I will make you regret
that, just as I will make you regret trying to kill me.  You will learn all
about regret, Anyia."

   CRACK!

   While Anyia screamed and let out a pitiful cry, Maritza turned to
Vladik.

   "Bring the Royal Household staff.  Bring everyone in this household who
is not in confession so they can bear witness to what is happening to their
Mistress.  Remind them that under the rules of the Crown, no one may raise
a hand against a member of the Royal Family except a relative.  I am this
girl's natural mother; therefore I am within my rights and my obligations
to punish her."

   A few minutes later, almost everyone from the Royal Household, staff,
servants and guards, had entered the courtyard to watch the Grand Duchess
being punished by Maritza.  Anyia wailed with despair and humiliation, but
she no longer tried to threaten anyone.  Her imperious facade broke; she
ceased being the Grand Duchess and returned to being Anyia Dukov.  She
became nothing more than a dishonored young woman who had insulted her
mother and was being punished for her misdeeds.  Everyone present clearly
saw the change in their Mistress.

   CRACK!

   Anyia cried every time her mother struck her, but no longer did she
threaten anyone.  She realized that the others no longer saw her as Divine
and that no one was coming to her aid.  Her mystique had been broken,
broken by her own parents.  The only reality in her life now was the belt
and the pain tearing into her bottom...  and the sobs and tears rolling
down her cheeks.

   Vladim Dukov came into the courtyard just as Maritza was finishing their
daughter's punishment.  The young woman's bottom was deep red and swollen.
Maritza quietly handed the belt to Vladik, who put it back on.  Anyia
continued to sob while Vladik reattached his police gear to his belt.

   Maritza touched her daughter on the shoulder for a second time:

   "Anyia...  I'd like to release you from your punishment.  It is painful
to me to see you like this.  But I need to know if you are ready to change
your behavior.  You have no right to threaten me, or your father, or your
brother.  And you certainly had no right to threaten and abuse those who
tried to serve you."

   Anyia continued crying, but tried to nod.  Maritza continued:

   "My daughter, a period of your life has come to an end.  I want to
loosen your bonds, but you have to understand that your Path in Life has
changed.  You must acknowledge that before I release you.  Now...  are you
ready to be released?"

   "Yes...  yes, Mother...  "

   "Very well, my child...  I will let you down from the whipping post."

   Maritza unhooked Anyia's cuffs.  The broken young woman no longer was
restrained, but she had to remain standing in front of her household.  She
was naked, her bottom covered with painful welts, and her face covered with
tears.  The servants saw their former Mistress as they had seen each other
after their beatings.  The only difference was that, unlike the whippings
administered to her servants, Anyia's punishment was well-deserved.

   *****

   A few minutes later a city bus that had been commandeered by the
Ministry of Justice pulled up in front of the Royal Residence to take away
the former Royal Servants.  They would be transported to the Central Police
Station and kept overnight in holding cells.  The following day they would
be formally transferred, re-collared with Ministry collars, and turned over
to their Spokespersons to resume their lives as ordinary criminals.  They
would not speak about their ordeal to anyone outside the Ministry of
Justice, for a simple reason.  Dukov announced that as long as they all
stayed quiet about had gone on in the Royal Residence, their scheduled
judicial switchings would be cancelled for the remainder of their
sentences.

   Once the bus departed, Vladim Dukov addressed the uniformed staff:

   "I want this whipping post taken down and disassembled.  I also want the
pillory taken down.  Take the lumber back to the carpenter's shop and see
if it can be re-used for something more productive."

   *****

   Maritza took her stricken daughter to a small guest room in the Royal
Residence and ordered a guard to lock both her and the Grand Duchess inside
the room.  Maritza would take charge watching over Anyia until her
situation was resolved.  Anyia did not resist.  She quietly let her mother
take her into the small room where she would be kept as a prisoner.  She
asked if she could have a dress, but Maritza replied:

   "My daughter, a dress is not something you should be concerned about
right now.  I doubt you will ever wear clothing again."

   Meanwhile, the Prime Minister was busy talking on the phone with various
police officers.  The Grand Duke was on a hike and still needed to located
and brought back to the Royal Residence.  The second Lord assisting the
Grand Duchess also needed to be located and detained, along with the
Mega-Town executives.  Later Dukov would need to figure out what to do with
the salaried staff of the Royal Residence.  Resolving custody of the Royal
Servants and locking up Anyia was only the beginning.

   *****

   While he waited for his police officers to return his calls, the Prime
Minister entered the throne room with the Priestess.  The ornate chamber
was now totally empty.  The two officials contemplated the thrones,
especially the one that had been used by Anyia.

   "They've been with us so long, Priestess...  ever since the Epoch of the
Ancients...  the same family...  3,000 years...  in their time they were
heroes, they were considered Divine...  and now...  what has become of all
that...  an empty house...  a dishonored girl locked up in a room with her
mother...  a couple of treasonous Lords who will face the firing squad...
and a dilettante on a hike.  This is how 3,000 years will conclude...  "

   "Everything comes to an end, Prime Minister.  Three years or 3,000
years...  long or short...  In the end it doesn't matter.  Ultimately it is
the Destroyer who is tasked to bring closure to all...  to all life, to all
material goods, and to all dreams.  The Destroyer concludes everything. 
You were a fool to think the Royal Family would be any different.  You are
also a fool to take blame upon yourself."