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 ï>¿The Courier by EC

   Chapter 21 - A day of reckoning

   Prime Minister Vladim Dukov did not have much time to contemplate the
fate of the Royal Family.  His cell phone went off while he was still in
the throne room talking to the Priestess.  When he checked the number he
realized it was a call from an agent working for the Danubian Secret
Police. The agent reported that eight foreigners suddenly had checked out
the historic Water View Suites, Danubikt Moskt's only 5-star hotel.  They
had rushed to load their suitcases and briefcases into the back of a rented
van, tossing several 50 Euro notes at the bellhops before speeding off. 
Obviously the bellhops were happy about the overly-generous tips, but
having the money thrown at them in such a manner was an insult in Danubian
culture.  If a person wants to give anything to another person in Danubia,
the item is always handed to the recipient, never tossed.  The bellhops
commented about the insult to their supervisor, who happened to be a covert
agent of the Secret Police.

   Dukov called the Danubian Rural Patrol to see if any rural police
officers had seen a van with eight passengers traveling north of Danubikt
Moskt.  Sure enough, within a few minutes a cop at a checkpoint called back
to respond that he had seen a vehicle matching the description headed north
towards Danubia's border.  The main crossing was only about 50 minutes to
the north if a vehicle drove along the main highway, but it was
well-guarded.  Dukov suspected the driver would turn off the main road,
head east, and escape using one of several service roads that crossed the
mountains forming the border along the country's northernmost province. 
The province itself was covered with small farms, fruit orchards, and
villages; all connected by a maze of unpaved roads and paths.  If the
vehicle managed to get into that area, finding it would be almost
impossible, and there would be numerous escape routes from which the
foreigners could choose.

   Fortunately for the Prime Minister, the Grand Duke liked motorcycles and
had several expensive ones stored in the garage of the Royal Residence. 
Vladik and his partner knew how to ride, so they were able to get on the
road immediately.  They sped out of the Royal Compound, kicking up dust as
they tore off towards the main road.  With luck they would be able to catch
up to the van before it got too deeply into the farming area.  They entered
the main highway and hit the gas.  The motorcycles were expensive racing
cycles and were able to move fast.  Vladik knew they would be much less
useful on dirt roads, but he hoped to intercept the van before it got off
the paved area.

   Vladik called for backup as he and his partner swerved around a moving
obstacle course of trucks, buses, and farmers' pickups.  The two cops
passed the checkpoint where the van was last seen and were joined by four
Rural Patrol cops riding standard Ministry of Justice motorcycles.  The six
officers exited the main highway where the road turned east, confident
about the Prime Minister's guess that the van would leave the main road. 
If it had not turned, the customs officials at the crossing would be there
to intercept it.

   The road east led through some steep hills before descending into the
flat farm country that lay beyond.  Unlike the main highway, the farm road
was completely deserted because it was Sunday morning.  The six cops
swerved along the curves as they climbed towards the summit of the ridge.
Close to the summit they saw the van, but the occupants also saw them.  A
man with a semi-automatic weapon stood up through the sun-roof and fired at
the police officers.  One of the highway patrol officers took a shot in the
shoulder and nearly wiped out.  Vladik signaled for him to pull off and for
one of the other patrol officers to stop to administer first aid.

   The remaining four cops fell back to allow a bend in the road to
temporarily conceal them from the semi-automatic.  They pulled out their
revolvers and sped up, with the hope of shooting the van's wheels before
they had to fall back again.  As soon as the van was in sight they emptied
their pistols in unison, blowing out one of the rear tires and hitting the
gas tank.  A lucky shot also hit the man with the semi-automatic.  He
dropped the weapon and it fell tumbling onto the road.  Vladik's partner
had to swerve to avoid it and nearly lost control of her motorcycle.

   As Vladik and his three remaining companions reloaded their weapons and
closed in on the van for the third time, they noticed the trail of gasoline
that was dribbling out of the hole in the tank.  The van was kicking up
sparks and swerving.  Several more shots flew past them and they fell back.
The cops realized that they no longer needed to stay within firing range of
the vehicle because, without one of its rear tires, there was no chance it
could travel much further.  The pursuit, if there was to be one, would be
on foot.  The cops would stay just within sight of the van and wait for it
to stop and the foreigners to flee.  Then the officials would try to pin
them down with small-arms fire and wait for back-up to arrive to make the
arrest.

   It turned out there would be no foot pursuit and no arrest.  There was a
flash as sparks from the bare wheel rim ignited the gas dribbling out of
the tank.  The driver lost control and the van spun off the side of the
road, tumbling over and over as it rolled down the hill.  The vehicle
landed on its roof, crushing the occupants.  As though to make sure the
Mega-Town plotters were indeed dead, the gas tank exploded.

   Vladik knew there was no hope that anyone inside the van could have
survived the wreck and the fire that followed.  He still felt it was
necessary to go down the hill, just to be absolutely sure no potential
survivors had been thrown clear of the vehicle as it went off the road.  He
left his partner to stand guard over the motorcycles and with the two
patrol officers started to descend into the ravine.  Even where they were,
the officers were able to feel the heat from the fire and smell the burning
flesh of the crash victims.  There were several secondary explosions,
followed by a flash and a sudden increase of flames coming from within the
wreck.  Vladik suspected that the occupants were transporting several
containers of extra gasoline, presumably to avoid having to stop for fuel.
The additional gas added to the extreme heat of the fire and scorched the
corpses.

   The remains of the wreck burned hot for the next several minutes. 
Without any firefighting equipment, there was nothing the cops could do
about the van.  Anyhow, Vladik's main concern was the injured Rural Patrol
officer.  He ordered his companions to mount their motorcycles and return
to the spot where the injured cop had been left behind with the man
treating him.  Vladik tried to contact them using his radio, but the hills
prevented transmission.  He realized something important, that no radio
traffic about the final moments of the chase had been overheard by Central
Command.

   On their way back, Vladik's partner retrieved the semi-automatic that
had fallen during the shootout, and a few minutes later Vladik and the
others rejoined the two patrol officers.  The officer who had been shot had
a serious injury, but it would not be life-threatening if the others could
get him to a hospital within the next hour.  That was not a problem,
because there was a clinic just a few kilometers away, heading back in the
direction of the main highway.  The injured man gave Vladik a perfect
justification to leave the crash site.  Obviously the officer's life was
more important than the burning vehicle.  Vladik took over one of the
patrol motorcycles and ordered the others to strap the injured man to his
back.

   The cops parked one of the Grand Duke's motorcycles in the bushes before
returning to the clinic they had passed on the way up.  The clinic was open
(in Danubia all medical clinics are public and must have at least one staff
member on-duty at all times).  There was yet more luck for the officers,
because a group of surgeons had just finished another operation.  The
injured cop was safely in the operating room minutes after his companions
brought him to the clinic.

   Vladik realized that because of a unique set of circumstances there was
absolutely no evidence that eight employees of Mega-Town Associates had
just been killed a few kilometers up the road.  The fire and multiple
explosions had destroyed everything identifying who had been in the van,
because the fire was so hot that it would even partially melt the metal
parts of the vehicle.  As the officers were waiting for news from the
operating room, the corpses in the burning wreck were being cremated.  Such
heat also would incinerate any indication that the crash had been preceded
by a shoot-out.  The road had been deserted during the chase; not a single
civilian had witnessed a white van with eight foreign passengers being
pursued by six cops on motorcycles.  The burning wreckage was not visible
from the road unless someone stopped in the exact location where it went
off the road and looked over the edge.  The accompanying patrol officers
had no clue who was in the van; they simply joined the chase because Vladik
had radioed for assistance.

   As for the Mega-Town employees, they had entered Danubia using false
passports, so there was no reason why anyone at the US or Brazilian
embassies would inquire about missing citizens.  According to official
records the occupants of the van never entered Danubia, so there was no
reason for the embassies to worry about their disappearance.  They never
existed in the first place.

   While the operation on the injured cop was still going on, Vladik
explained the situation and how he wanted the other officers to handle it.
For national security purposes they were to stay silent about the van. 
They would let someone else discover the burnt wreckage.  (It turned out
the wreckage would not be discovered for several years.  Two days after the
crash a heavy rainstorm partially buried the remains of the van in mud and
by the following summer it was overgrown with bushes and weeds.)

   So, the chase never happened.  If the three Rural Patrol officers agreed
to stay silent about the incident, Vladik would personally assure they
could put in for any assignment they wanted within the Danubian National
Police and would be guaranteed to get it.  As for the man who was injured,
he would have the choice of taking any assignment he wanted or retiring
with a full pension.

   Vladik told the officers that the reason he did not want the story to
get out was because he did not want Mega-Town to know what had happened to
its employees.  Let their disappearance remain a mystery, something upon
which the company could waste its resources investigating in vain.  The
officers, all of whom hated Mega-Town, loved Vladik's idea.  He realized
they would have gone along with it even without his promise about their
assignments.

   *****

   Vladik and his partner returned to the Royal Residence mid-afternoon. 
They returned the Grand Duke's motorcycles to the garage before seeking out
the Prime Minister.  Vladik described the chase to his father and explained
that, as far as he knew, no one except himself, his partner, and four Rural
Patrol Officers knew about the deaths of the Mega-Town employees.

   The crash had not been intentional, but it was extremely fortunate for
the Prime Minister that it happened.  Had the Mega-Town employees been
captured, it would have been necessary to put them on trial and have them
formally executed.  The international scandal would have been horrendous,
but the Danubian government would have had to stand its ground.  The
country was in a declared state of war with Mega-Town Associates and by law
anyone working on behalf of the company was an enemy of the Danubian
people. The struggle between the Danubian government and the Directorate of
Mega-Town was a fight to the death.  Just as the executives of Mega-Town
had sworn to destroy Danubia, the Danubians felt obligated to kill anyone
from Mega-Town they could lay their hands on.

   Had the deaths from the chase been officially reported, that scandal
would have been only slight less damaging than what would have resulted
from a trial.  Mega-Town would have launched a campaign to turn the eight
men into martyrs, into innocent businessmen run down and murdered by the
son of the brutal leader of a backwards and ignorant society that hated
progress and economic freedom.  The chance for such propaganda no longer
existed, because the men had not been killed, they had mysteriously
disappeared.  Mega-Town would have to investigate privately, because to
make an official declaration that eight of its employees had vanished in
Danubia would open up a bunch of other questions the CEO's would not want
to answer.

   Dukov immediately realized what his son's quick thinking had done for
him and for the Danubian government.  The Mega-Town plotters were dead, but
their deaths happened in such a way that there would be no scandal at all.
The plot to take over the country by corrupting the Royal Family had
failed. It had failed in secret, which would spare the need to put Grand
Duchess Anyia on trial for treason.

   *****

   Only one other person directly involved in the plot was still at large,
the other Lord who had been Anyia's second confidant.  Tracking down Lord
Horskti turned out to be easy because he was part of the Grand Duke's
hiking party.  A group of forest rangers went after the Grand Duke's group
with the instructions that the hikers were to be told that there was an
emergency in the Royal Residence and they had to return immediately.  As
soon as they were within sight of the national forest parking lot, the
group realized that something was wrong indeed.  They were surrounded my
uniformed National Police officers and ordered to get into separate
vehicles.  The Grand Duke was detained by the Minister of Justice.

   The Grand Duke was treated as civilly as possible, but the Minister of
Justice informed him that the Grand Duchess was facing a series of serious
charges related to the abuse of her servants.  The Duke angrily inquired:

   "And just who had the audacity to make such accusations against my
wife?"

   "Grand Duke, the charges were brought against her by your father-in-law
and by Grand Prophet # 4.  This was not something that was considered
lightly.  You will understand that your father-in-law had to move against
the Grand Duchess, and if you have been listening to the council of her and
her advisors, I believe you clearly understand why action had to be taken."

   The Grand Duke said nothing more.

   When the police convoy arrived at the Royal Residence, the Grand Duke
noticed that in the courtyard Anyia's pillory and whipping post had been
taken down and the holes already filled with small trees.  No Royal
Servants were in sight, nor were any uniformed staff members on the grounds
except for two gardeners.  The Grand Duke inquired about his wife,
obviously concerned about her well-being.  One of his escorts responded
that she was being held in a guest room and watched over by her mother. 
Meanwhile, he was taken upstairs and ordered to remain in the Royal
Bedroom. When he picked up the phone he discovered it had been
disconnected. The television and radio were missing, as was the modem on
his computer.  He realized he now was a prisoner.

   Lord Horskti did not fare as well as the Grand Duke.  Uniformed National
Police Officers took him to the basement and locked him in a holding cell.
To his horror he realized that, not only was his fellow conspirator being
held in a separate cell, but the men watching them were deputized Royal
Guards.  The Royal Guards had switched sides and now were cooperating with
the Prime Minister.  So...  that was it...  a plot that was supposed to
have taken over an entire country was reduced to four people being held
prisoner in the Royal Residence.

   *****

   The Prime Minster took over a small reception room, accompanied by the
Minister of Justice, the Priestess who had helped him set up the operation
in the first place, and Grand Prophet # 4.  He had four interviews to
conduct and four cases to address.  The most difficult, the case against
his own daughter, he would save until the end.

   The first interview was with the Lord that had been tormenting Maria
Elena.  The official tried to appear indignant that his rights as a member
of the nobility had been violated, but the Grand Prophet quickly shut him
up.

   "Lord Vidmarkt, you wish to tell us that your privileges as a nobleman
supersede those of a Grand Prophet?  Do you really think you have the
authority to silence the Danubian Church?  This Priestess has acted on my
behalf.  Everything she has done has been with my blessing.  If you wish to
criticize or threaten her, please direct such comments to me."

   The Priestess read Criminal 101025's confession and statement in its
entirety.  She followed with a written statement that she had prepared
describing what she had seen the moment the door opened and Maria Elena was
rescued.  Finally she asked:

   "Lord Vidmarkt, I am curious about one thing.  What was the purpose of
making Criminal # 101025 bark like a dog?  In what way was that intended to
improve her service to the Grand Duchess?"

   "I did that because it was my right as a Lord, Priestess.  That criminal
was handed over to me for my benefit, and I treated her in a manner that
brought pleasure to me."

   The Minster of Justice spoke next:

   "In trial we will determine whether or not abusing the Grand Duchess's
servants was indeed your right.  The statements of your actions against
your servants will be presented, in detail, for the nation to consider.  If
you wish, make the case that your actions were not dishonorable.  I will
request that your wife and your children present themselves at your trial
so they can listen to a full accounting of your behavior and your actions,
and they can determine whether or not you acted with honor.  You will also
understand that we will hold your heirs financially responsible for any
psychological counseling the servants might need.  You will understand that
such services are costly, so I might suggest you liquidate all your
properties and investments and have the cash available to compensate the
Ministry.  You will serve the pig, your family name will be held in
disgrace because of what you did, and your heirs will face impoverishment.
The results of your case will destroy not only you, but your family.  The
impoverishment of your heirs and the dishonoring of your ancestors will be
the legacy your actions will leave behind."

   It was at that moment Lord Vidmarkt realized how hopeless his situation
truly was.  He had squandered not only his life, but also the lives of his
descendants and his ancestors.  Serving the pig...  a Life without Honor...
that was only the beginning of the destruction he had brought upon himself
and those around him.

   The deputized Royal Guards took the Lord back to the holding cell and
left him alone while the other Lord faced a similar depressing interview.
The two men sat in their respective cells with no hope, in the depths of
despair that they had brought upon themselves.

   *****

   The next person that Dukov had to deal with was the Grand Duke.  The
ruler was escorted downstairs by Vladik and the Minister of Justice to the
same sitting room where the two Lords had been interviewed.  Dukov was not
sure how to handle the Grand Duke; he would have to determine how much he
knew about the Mega-Town plot.

   The Prime Minister was surprised that the Grand Duke's main concern was
not preserving his title, but the honor of his wife.  He had heard that
Anyia had been whipped by her mother and was incensed that Anyia, the Grand
Duchess of Danubia, could have been treated in such a disrespectful manner.
Dukov stopped him.

   "You will understand that to you, Anyia is the Grand Duchess.  To me and
to my wife, she is nothing but our daughter.  She was our daughter before
she met you, and in our eyes she remains our daughter.  As such, I am aware
of some weaknesses in her character, weaknesses that I believe you failed
to notice.  If you wish to remain married to her, you must come to terms
with those weaknesses and assist her to overcome them.  I love my daughter,
just as you love your wife, but I am able to look at her clearly and see
her for what she is.  You must look at her as well, and understand the
great harm that she has committed against this country, and the harm she
has done to both of us."

   Grand Prophet # 4 questioned the Grand Duke about his wife's activities
and how much he knew about the abuse of her servants.  He turned out to be
fairly honest and was willing to recount various incidents that involved
Anyia and Royal Servants.  Dukov's assessment of him was accurate, that he
was nothing but a dilettante.  Mentally he was lazy and had no desire to
confront the much more strongly-willed Duchess.  It wasn't just that he
loved her and wanted her to be happy.  He knew what she was doing was
wrong, but justified his inaction by hoping Anyia's treatment of the
servants was a phase that would calm down once she became pregnant or had
some other event in her life to distract her.  The weeks and months passed
by and the Grand Duke decided to ignore the problem instead of addressing
it.  He left the house more frequently so he did not have to deal with what
was going on, taking with him his favorite servants so they would not fall
victim to Anyia's temper tantrums.  He treated his own servants well and
became close to them, but ignored what was happening to the others.

   Over the past year Anyia's influence over him and his ability to make
decisions had increased because he was more concerned about his leisure
activities than anything else.  He vaguely realized what she was plotting
but, as always, he procrastinated trying to deal with her.  Over time Anyia
began to convince him that he was indeed the person in Danubia most fit to
make decisions because of the family history.  Towards the end of the
interview he admitted that at some point it was likely that Anyia would
have persuaded him to dissolve Parliament.  He would have committed such a
rash action just to please her, barely paying attention to the consequences
of what she and her advisors had planned.

   During the interview, Dukov realized that his son-in-law was totally
unaware that Anyia's advisors were actually consulting with employees from
Mega-Town Associates.  He seemed genuinely horrified when he found out that
Mega-Town was ultimately behind the Lords who had influenced the Grand
Duchess.

   Vladim Dukov felt that the Grand Duke should have been prosecuted for
negligence and dereliction of duty.  He had not willfully committed
treason, but he was too apathetic and disinterested to concern himself with
where his wife and her advisors wanted to take Danubia.  Dukov commented:

   "As Grand Duke, your duties aren't onerous, but the Danubian people do
expect you to love your country.  Your father understood what it was to
love Danubia, which is why he's now dead.  As Prime Minister and as your
father-in-law, I don't think I'm asking much, but I am asking you to use
what the Creator has granted you for the benefit of the Danubian citizenry.
I believe that by ignoring what Anyia was doing in your house, you
neglected your duty to your servants, and you neglected your duty to our
nation."

   "That is true, Prime Minister.  I will not argue with you because I was
indeed negligent.  If you wish to say that against me in public, I won't
dispute it."

   Dukov changed the subject:

   "Grand Duke, I'd like to ask you how much you love my daughter."

   "I love her, Prime Minister."

   "Do you love her enough to sacrifice for her?"

   "Yes.  I think that was part of my problem.  I was willing to sacrifice
for her.  I still am."

   "I love my daughter as well, but I have come to understand that she is
untrustworthy.  To be honest, she is also rash and stupid.  I am concerned
that she may commit some idiotic act in the future.  I am determined that
will not happen, and I am determined to place you and your household beyond
politics.  Your family and your heirs will remain an institution that is
dedicated to linking Danubia's present to its past.  My wish is to spare
the Royal Family from scandal, because I believe such scandal would harm
the Danubian people.  However, if I am to spare your household from
scandal, I will need to make changes in the constitution to protect your
legacy."

   Dukov handed the Grand Duke the same typewritten copy of the Danubian
Constitution he had shown Spokeswoman Lee-Dolkivna.  To his surprise, the
Duke looked over the document and agreed that the changes were acceptable.
He commented:

   "If the Grand Duchess ever nags at me again about dismissing Parliament,
I can just shrug my shoulders and tell her that clause was deleted. 
That'll make my life easier...  "

   Dukov said nothing, but inwardly felt disgust that the man sitting in
front of him was his son-in-law.  It seemed that everything the Grand Duke
did was motivated by laziness.  He even was willing to sign away his
family's traditional powers if it meant he did not have to argue with
Anyia. Oh well...  at least in this situation this dilettante's laziness
will work to my benefit, Dukov thought to himself...

   The Grand Duke concluded:

   "I will go along with your changes, Prime Minister, but under a
condition.  I will not allow any harm to come to the Grand Duchess.  I do
not want her put on trial or in any other way humiliated."

   "Grand Duke, the Church will determine what is best for the Grand
Duchess.  I have failed to temper my daughter's weaknesses, and you have
failed as well.  We must accept the will of the Creator.  Anyia must set
aside the vices she has nurtured up to now and learn to assume a life of
humble service.  If she accepts the life the Church is planning to offer
her, she will not face humiliation.  If you love your wife and wish to
spare her any further difficulties and anguish, you would serve her by
convincing her that she needs to listen and obey when the Priestess speaks
to her."

   *****

   Later that afternoon, Vladim Dukov went into the basement alone.  The
deputized Royal Guards opened up the cell where the Lord who had tormented
Maria Elena was being kept.  The guard closed the door behind him.  The
Lord stood up and saluted.  Dukov did not return the salute.

   "Lord Vidmarkt, it is unbecoming of you to salute a man whose daughter
you corrupted, whose son-in-law you attempted to turn into a tool of the
Destroyer, whose household you have ruined, and whose life you sought to
destroy.  To salute me is inappropriate, because you are my enemy."

   "Very well, Prime Minister.  Have it your way.  We are enemies."

   "The decision for us to become enemies was yours, Lord, not mine."

   Dukov shrugged and continued:

   "Anyhow, you will be interested to know that earlier today; three
Americans, a German, and four Brazilians failed in their effort to leave
the Danubian Republic.  A piece of news that I thought I'd share with you.
Fascinating, is that not so?"

   The Lord went pale.

   "W...  why would I care?  Foreigners...  they come and go...  and...  "

   "True...  foreigners come and go...  almost all, but not all, are
innocent tourists...  a few...  like the eight I mentioned, have other
things on their mind than simply seeing the country, is that not so?"

   "Maybe that is so, but...  in the end...  you can't win, Prime Minister.
You are doing a disservice to the people of this country by fooling them
that it is possible to fight against Mega-Town.  They are the new reality.
Mega-Town Associates is the future.  It is foolish to fight the future. 
The planet will belong to them, and sooner or later their holdings will
include Danubia."

   "I am proud to be a fool then, because I will fight.  I know what I want
for the future of Danubia, and that future does not include Mega-Town. 
Anyhow, I'm not here to debate the future of Danubia with you.  I am here
to see if I might assist your family."

   "Assist them?  My family?  And just how are you going to assist them?"

   Dukov pulled out a small bottle of water from his pocket and a plastic
cup.  He also pulled out a small plastic box containing five pills.  He set
the items on the table.

   "A dead man cannot be put on trial, Lord Vidmarkt.  I am giving you the
opportunity to spare your family from the consequences of what you have
done.  You will understand that I am doing this for your family, not for
you."

   "And for your daughter, undoubtedly."

   "Very true, but in your situation I wouldn't worry about that.  I would
worry about your children.  I would worry about how the world remembers
your ancestors."

   Dukov turned away and exited the room.

   *****

   During the final hour of his existence in the Realm of the Living, Lord
Vidmarkt quietly stared at the water and the pills that would separate his
soul from his body.  The Danubians do not have any strong social taboos
against suicide; if a person's situation is unbearable or threatens the
honor of loved ones; then suicide is considered a reasonable choice.  In
the case of someone like the Lord, to attempt to go on living would not
have made any sense.

   Finally, after contemplating the futility of everything that he had done
with his life, Lord Vidmarkt worked up the courage to do what was needed to
spare his family humiliation and impoverishment.  He unscrewed the bottle
and filled the cup.  He took the pills one at a time, following each with
several sips of water.  He took a few more sips to make sure the pills were
completely washed down.  He lay on the bed, already feeling deliciously
relaxed.  A few minutes later he was deeply asleep, as his soul began its
journey into the Realm of the Dead.

   *****

   The sun already was low in the horizon when Vladik ordered the Royal
Guards to go to the basement and retrieve two bodies.  The guards dressed
the bodies in black burial robes that were used exclusively by members of
the nobility before moving them upstairs.  They lay in main reception hall,
awaiting transportation to their respective families.  An envelope
containing a death certificate was lying on top of each corpse.  One of the
corpses also had a suicide note to his family that read:

   I have lived the last three years of my life in dishonor.  Today the
Creator confronted me with the consequences of my actions.  Instead of
continuing to dishonor and harm those around me, I have chosen to separate
my soul from my body.  Because of the final decision I have taken during
this life, you will be spared knowing about the evils I committed and the
consequences that you would have suffered as the result of what I did.  I
regret that I will never see you again.  You were a gift from the Creator
that I did not appreciate until it was too late.

   *****

   While Cecilia slept on a bed in the infirmary, Maria Elena nervously
waited for the final order to leave the Royal Residence.  That wait was
briefly interrupted when Kim sent in a Ministry of Justice doctor to
examine Criminal # 101025.  The exam was a typical post-rape examination.
The doctor impassively looked at the sores and abrasions on the Colombian's
vagina, then rubbed antiseptic cream into her sphincter.  As soon as the
cream was covering her bottom, the burning stopped.  He gave her a rectal
exam, but was gentle with his finger.  He commented that she had been
roughly treated, but that her pain was just from bruising.  At the end of
the appointment he gave her a bottle of antibiotics and told her that she
should completely recover within a couple of days.

   The doctor took a look at Cecilia and ordered Maria Elena to wake her
up. Neither woman had noticed, but Cecilia's feet were in bad shape from
the walk the night before.  She did not have time to become used to being
barefoot for long distances and was suffering from the results of 12 hours
of non-stop walking unprotected on pavement and dirt.  As a result her feet
were dirty, the skin had worn off, and the soles were covered with broken
blisters.

   The doctor ordered Maria Elena to fill a large medical basin with water
and dumped in a bottle of disinfectant.  He handed her a sponge and a towel
and told her to clean off her translator's feet.  Cecilia winced as her
housemate rinsed the dirt out of her blisters and covered them with
bandages.  Maria Elena decided to completely wrap Cecilia's injured feet,
hoping the Priestess would not object to bandages that would serve as
temporary footwear.

   The doctor departed and Cecilia went back to sleep.  Maria Elena once
again was left alone.  She was desperately tired, but did not dare go to
sleep out of fear that her translator might disappear the moment her eyes
closed.  Once again she sat on Cecilia's bed, determined that the moment
her translator left the room, she would go with her.

   It was dinnertime before Spokeswoman Kimberly Lee-Dolkivna finally had
time to get Director Sanchez and Criminal # 101025 out of the infirmary. 
Vladik's partner pulled up to the main door in a police van, ready to take
Cecilia and Maria Elena to Victor Dukov's house.  Kim pointed to the front
and told Cecilia to help Criminal # 101025 to the door.  However, Maria
Elena turned out to be the one helping Cecilia, as she walked gingerly on
her bandages.  When the Priestess saw Cecilia painfully limping out of the
infirmary with her feet covered, she held her tongue, realizing that she
already had put the poor penitent through a lot.

   Maria Elena was desperate to get out of the Royal Residence, but before
she and Cecilia got to the door she saw something that stopped her dead in
her tracks.  Near the entrance, positioned to be taken out, were the bodies
of the two Lords that had been the assistants for the Grand Duchess.  Just
one day before, they were destined to become the next rulers of the
Danubian Republic, but now they were lying dead.  Maria Elena held her
breath, unable to believe what she was seeing.

   "Spokeswoman Lee-Dolkivna...  did...  they...  I mean...  were they...
executed?"

   "No, not executed.  They would have had to go on trial to be executed.
They committed suicide.  They knew their ambitions had been thwarted; they
knew that their lives had no further purpose, so they killed themselves. 
You need to understand that as well, Criminal # 101025.  It's over. 
Everything that went on in this house, everything that you saw and
experienced, stopped today."

   Maria Elena trembled as she approached the grayish face of the man who
had tormented her.  Still not believing what she was seeing, she raised her
hand...

   "Touch him, if you want.  He's nothing but an inanimate object.  Nothing
but a thing.  That's all that's left.  Touch him so that you can be
satisfied, in your own heart, that his existence has ceased."

   Maria Elena pushed her fingertips against the corpse.  It already had
started to cool and felt...  different.  She quickly drew back her hand.

   "There's your proof your torment has ended and your task here is
completed, Criminal # 101025.  Not pleasant to look at, but this is the
last time you'll ever see him."

   Kim pointed at the waiting van.

   "That's it, time to go home.  I'll call Victor to let him know you're on
your way.  I'll see you tomorrow in my office at 7:30.  We've got the court
hearing at 8:00."

   Cecilia and Maria Elena then knelt so the Spokeswoman could dismiss
them.

   "Good night, Spokeswoman Lee-Dolkivna, may the Ancients protect you."

   "Good night Cecilia Sanchez and Criminal # 101025.  May the Creator
guide you and protect you on your journey."

   Director Cecilia Sanchez and Criminal # 101025 exited the Royal
Residence and boarded the waiting police van.  The van pulled away from the
Royal Compound, passed through the gate, and drove along a dark road for
several kilometers.  The driver turned onto the main road, which was
largely deserted because it was Sunday night.  A couple of minutes later
Maria Elena saw something that raised her spirits considerably, a sign that
read:

   Danubikt Moskt - nad 22 km.

   That sign, more than anything else, assured her that she was indeed
going home.



   Chapter 22 - Anyia's transformation

   As soon as Cecilia and Maria Elena departed for Merchant Victor Dukov's
house, Spokeswoman Lee-Dolkivna asked Officer Vladik Dukov to drive her to
the Central Police Station.  She ran upstairs and returned to her office
with a list of tasks that she needed to accomplish to be ready for the next
day.  She began by notifying the former servants' respective Spokespersons
of their release and that they needed to show up to court the next morning
to re-assume custody of their clients.  The other Spokespersons, in turn,
would have to notify their clients' family members and make sure each had a
home to go to Monday night.  Former employers also would have to be
notified, to make sure each of the 30 criminals was gainfully employed
within three days.

   After notifying her co-workers, Kim called the Ministry of Justice
doctors and the single psychiatrist who worked at the Central Police
Station.  Before returning to court the criminals needed to have their
medical histories updated...  and the women needed to be checked for
pregnancy.  Kim desperately hoped the Royal Couple or Anyia's two Lords had
forced the female servants to take birth-control pills, but she had no way
of knowing for sure without seeing whatever medical records had been kept
at the Royal Residence.

   The psychiatrist had a busy night ahead of him, because he would have to
interview all 30 criminals before 8:00 the next morning.  There were a
bunch of psychological issues to work out.  Kim reflected that an outsider
such as Cecilia might have felt that it was unfair to keep the former Royal
Servants overnight in the Central Police Station, but she remained
convinced they needed to have at least one night of transition before
returning to their previous lives.  Some of Anyia's slaves had not used
their voices for over a year, so even the simple act of talking or
participating in a conversation would be difficult at the beginning.  Most
of them were traumatized and full of fear or hatred, some more than others.
She knew that some would be full of self-loathing and might contemplate
suicide.

   Six of the former Royal Servants had been Kim's clients.  She felt that
she needed to see them right away, so for her there would be no rest upon
finishing her phone calls.  She went into her outer office, opened six case
files, and asked one of the cops on duty to go to the holding cells and
bring up her clients.  All six were foreigners; five young women convicted
of drug charges, and one young man who had been part of a clandestine
missionary group and was convicted of proselytizing a foreign religion. 
The six clients quietly knelt while their Spokeswoman explained what had
happened.

   "I don't think anyone would have imagined that one person could have
done so much harm in the position of Grand Duchess in such a short time as
Anyia Dukov.  I don't know what to say to you, because that woman's
behavior went way beyond dishonorable.  I'd like to be able to hold out
some sort of reward for you, but I can't offer much.  I will tell you that
the conditions of the remaining part of your sentences will improve. 
Tomorrow each of you will get a collar with a brass ring, which means you
won't be restricted to the Danubikt Moskt collar zone.  Also, the Ministry
thinks you've had enough whippings, so that's over as well.  All of your
remaining scheduled switchings will be canceled."

   Most criminals would have been elated to be told that they would be
issued brass rings for their collars.  Criminals who wore brass rings were
the most privileged of anyone under ownership of the Ministry of Justice.
The brass ring normally was issued under special circumstances to criminals
considered exceptionally trustworthy or who had performed an act of
heroism, or to criminals who in some way had assisted the Danubian police.
Criminals who wore brass rings were forced to remain naked (nakedness was
automatically required of anyone wearing a collar) but they were free to
move about Danubia and did not have to worry about corporal punishments.  A
criminal wearing a brass ring essentially held the same status as a person
performing Public Penance.

   Kim looked at the reactions of her clients.  The former servants looked
at their Spokeswoman impassively, their faces devoid of any expression. 
She was not surprised, because Royal Servants were forced to hide their
emotions.  It would take several weeks and some counseling to convince them
that it was all right to express themselves.  She continued:

   "You've been through a lot, and I think that issuing brass rings is the
least we can do to compensate you.  Now, you will understand that in spite
of your brass rings, you are still criminals serving sentences.  I expect
you to remember that.  If any of you violates protocol, the conditions of
your original conviction and sentencing will be restored."

   The tall German girl with the tattoo on her ankle shyly raised her hand:

   "Spokeswoman, Lee-Dolkivna, I request permission to speak."

   "Yes Criminal # 100904?"

   "What's going to happen to the Grand Duchess?"

   "Well, her parents will have to deal with her.  To be honest, with the
way they feel about her, I wouldn't want to be in her shoes.  The Prime
Minister is so mad that he wanted her to be sentenced to Life without
Honor. That won't happen, mainly because of the public scandal that it
would cause.  The Grand Duchess is going to have some restrictions in her
life, however.  A lot of restrictions, from what I understand."

   *****

   Maritza Ortskt-Dukovna spent the afternoon locked in a guest bedroom
with her daughter.  She wanted to talk to Anyia about her situation, but
the only thing the younger woman wanted was a dress and to be let out of
the room.  Several times Anyia demanded a dress and her crown, props that
could have given back some of her self-confidence and feeling of authority.
However, Maritza repeated the ominous news that it was unlikely she would
ever be allowed to get dressed again.  The Grand Duchess found that hard to
believe.

   If Maritza was not willing to quit blocking the door, Anyia had nothing
more to say to her.  For a long time neither woman said anything, so the
room was full of tense silence.  Maritza finally gave up trying to
communicate.  She simply sat reading, with the hope that her presence would
keep her daughter from trying anything stupid.

   Anyia remained shocked and incredulous that her mother would have been
capable of punishing her with a belt on her own whipping post in front of
her household staff.  Tears rolled down her cheeks and her soul burned with
humiliation.  She sat on a chair looking out the window, every so often
shifting uncomfortably on her bruised backside.  She hated her mother for
the crime committed against her, but said nothing because for the time
being she was concerned about suffering another punishment.  She wanted to
avoid that, but as soon as the Grand Duke got home and could straighten
everything out, she fully planned to get even with her parents.

   Maritza could tell by the girl's behavior that she did not feel any
remorse over what she had done, but instead harbored a smoldering rage that
fueled fantasies of revenge.  She sadly shook her head.  Anyia, you just
don't get it...  it's over.

   *****

   Shortly after Cecilia and Maria Elena left the Royal Residence, Vladim
Dukov approached the room where his wife was watching over his daughter. 
He knocked.  When Maritza opened the door the Prime Minister whispered to
her everything that had transpired that afternoon, concluding that he and
the Clergy members were ready to confront Anyia.  Maritza whispered back
that it was obvious that she still did not recognize how serious her
situation was.  He pushed open the door and raised his voice.

   "Our daughter does not think I am serious.  Very well, I will persuade
her otherwise."

   The tone of her father's words unsettled Anyia.  What happened next
unsettled her much more.  Vladik and his partner entered the room, grabbed
the Grand Duchess, and cuffed her hands behind her back.  Anyia struggled
and screamed indignantly.  Vladim stepped out for a moment and returned
with a finely crafted leather switch.  It was her favorite switch, the one
she kept with her at all times so she could punish her servants on the spur
of the moment.  He held the switch to her face, touching it to her cheek
like she had done so many times to her servants.  Anyia took the warning
and calmed down.

   "Grand Duchess...  " (He pronounced the title using a contemptuous tone
of voice...  ) "...  you will come.  I believe you wish to see your two
advisors."

   With her brother and his partner firmly grabbing her by the arms, Anyia
was led out of the room and downstairs to the main entryway.  She felt her
heart stop when she saw two prostrate figures in burial robes lying near
the door.  She was terrified and did not want to go any closer.  Vladim
signaled to his son to force her forward.  The Grand Duchess struggled to
get away, but she was no match for Vladik and his partner.  They lifted her
off the floor and carried her to the bodies.

   "NO!  You murderer!  You...  "

   Anger swept through the Prime Minister.  He trembled with rage as his
normally quiet demeanor snapped:

   "Take a look at them, Anyia!  Take a good look at the dead traitors! 
Take a look at my enemies, the enemies of my government, the enemies of our
people, the enemies of Danubia!  Take a good look at men who betrayed
Danubia, who attempted to sell this country for Euros!"

   "No...  NO!"

   "Take a good look, Anyia!  These two are dead, because they wanted to
sell our country!  Sell it, Grand Duchess!  They negotiated a selling price
for Danubia and they signed a contract with Mega-Town Associates!"

   Dukov grabbed a folder that had been taken out of the car belonging to
one of the Lords.  He pulled out an official-looking document.  He held it
in front of Anyia and pointed to a figure in the text, an agreement that
the two Lords would receive five hundred million Euros in exchange for
conceding Danubia's natural resources to Mega-Town.

   "Those two tried to sell Danubia for five hundred million Euros!  They
tried to sell the Realm of the Ancients, the land of your ancestors, the
home of the people who love you, who are na�ve enough to think you care
about them!  If only the public knew, Anyia!  If only they knew what a
vile, contemptuous, dishonored creature you have become!"

   The Prime Minister moved in front of his daughter and slapped her hard
across the face.

   "Oh!  Did I defile your Divineness?  well...  just so there is no
doubt...  let me defile your Divineness again!"

   Dukov laid a second fearsome slap across the young woman's face.  Before
she could react, he grabbed her by the back of the neck and forced her face
within centimeters of the grayish face of Lord Vidmarkt.

   "Maritza, go get her crown and bring it to me!"

   A moment later Maritza returned with Anyia's finely-crafted crown.  It
was not the antiquity traditionally worn by Danubian Grand Duchesses; it
had been special-ordered the year before from a jeweler in Monaco for a
scandalous price.

   Dukov released Anyia's neck, but Vladik and his partner still held her
arms tight.  What the Prime Minister did next shocked everyone in the room.
He threw Anyia's crown on the floor and repeatedly stomped on it.  He
kicked at the pieces, scattering diamonds and sapphires.

   "If you think you will avenge yourself against me, Anyia, you are sadly
mistaken!  You will not have me killed, because no one will ever follow an
order from you...  ever!  Dishonored traitors like you are not in a
position to issue orders!"

   To prove his point, Dukov grabbed Anyia's switch and viciously struck
her across her thighs.  Anyia screamed from pain and fright.  The Prime
Minister struck her four more times before tossing the implement across the
room.  As Anyia continued to sob with terror, her father screamed:

   "And that's just the treason!  How do you justify defiling your
servants? How do you justify destroying Church documents?  How do you
justify trying to have your own parents killed?  How do you justify
spitting on your own mother?  How do you justify all that?  With your
crown? Take a look at your crown!  Take a look at what I did to it!"

   Everyone present stood in terrified silence.  In all the years he had
served in public, first in the courtroom and then as Prime Minister, no one
had ever seen Vladim Dukov lose his temper.  He paused, noting the
reddening welts crossing his daughter's bare thighs.  He took a deep breath
and tried to calm down.  He felt ashamed of his outburst, but he knew there
was no way to undo what he had just done.

   However, everyone noticed a change in Anyia.  She slumped in the grip of
the two police officers.  Tears were streaming down her face as she
contemplated the corpses of her friends and the scattered jewels of her
crushed crown.  Her father may have felt ashamed of his behavior and
striking her across her legs, but it turned out that was precisely what was
needed to break her.  The illusion she had of her own grandeur melted away
in an instant.  Dukov noted the change as well.  He resumed his normal tone
of voice.

   "Take my daughter to the sitting room and present her to Grand Prophet #
4."

   As Anyia was being led away the Prime Minister turned to the various
servants and cops standing in the room

   "Officers, please remove the corpses from this property and return them
to their families.  And gather up those jewels and crown pieces.  They need
to be taken to the Ministry of Finance and secured in the vault."

   *****

   Vladik and his partner dragged Anyia into the smaller reception room
where the Priestess, Grand Prophet # 4, and several other Clergy members
were waiting.  The Prime Minister and his wife followed.  They immediately
approached Grand Prophet # 4 and knelt, touching their heads to the floor.
It was strange to see a man in a business suit and a woman in a formal
dress kneeling before a member of the Clergy, because normally anyone not
performing Penance would be wearing a prayer robe.  However, under the
circumstances at the moment prayer robes were the least of anyone's
concerns.  The Grand Prophet blessed the First Couple and told them to rise
and take a seat.

   Vladik and his partner forced Anyia to kneel.  The Clergy members
immediately noted the same change in Anyia that the cops and staff in the
main reception hall had noticed, that the Grand Duchess's spirit had
broken. She no longer was the cruel imperious mistress of the Royal
Household, but instead a miserable and frightened young woman who was just
beginning to understand the awful consequences of everything she had done
over the past three years.

   The Priestess rose, carrying a folder full of confession statements from
the Royal Servants, as well as statements from several members of the
salaried staff who also had requested interviews with the Clergy.  She
picked out five of the statements, the ones that she considered the worst
examples of abuse that Anyia had inflicted on those tasked to serve her.

   What followed was a formal hearing that would strip Anyia of her Royal
Immunity.  For the next two hours, the Priestess read the five statements
in their entirety.  She only interrupted when she came to a particularly
grievous action or order the Grand Duchess had given, asking her if indeed
the statement was true.  Anyia, who knelt quietly with tears still
streaming down her cheeks, repeatedly answered: "Yes, Priestess, that
statement is true."

   Anyia's parents and brother listened in appalled silence to the steady
stream of protocol violations and bizarre behavior that had constituted
Anyia's daily routine since she assumed the crown.  Listening was
especially painful to her parents.  They had known for several weeks what
was going on in the Royal Residence, but to hear the details made them
physically sick.

   After two hours, the Priestess concluded by asking:

   "Anyia Dukov, do you feel that your servants did anything to deserve the
way you treated them?"

   "No, Priestess, they didn't.  They didn't deserve it."

   "Then...  why?  Why did you constantly beat and defile people whose only
wish was to serve your desires and needs?  Why were you so desperate to
treat your servants as sexual toys and strip away their honor?  How can you
justify what you did to them?"

   "I can't justify what I did them, Priestess.  I just did it because it
was what I enjoyed doing.  That's the only answer I can give you."

   The Priestess looked hard at the Grand Duchess.  Anyia's simple
response, along with her subdued behavior, indicated that the young woman's
transformation already had begun.  The shock of her detention, being
punished by her parents, seeing her co-conspirators lying dead, and finally
hearing her own actions read to her by a member of the Danubian Clergy, had
broken the imperious view of herself that she had developed over the past
decade.  There was no need to break her any further.

   The Priestess read a series of passages from the Texts of the Ancients
concerning the plight of evil rulers.  According to the Texts, it was clear
that Anyia had violated the trust the Creator had placed in her.  The
violation of that trust superseded the Royal Protocol that had protected
her up to that moment.  Therefore Anyia's Royal Immunity would be canceled.
She would return to being an ordinary citizen, and thus be subject to
trial.

   "There are two separate sets of violations that you have committed.  The
first is the one that has brought you before me, the way you treated your
servants.  The Church will cancel your Royal Immunity so your father can
address the second issue, the fact that you provided assistance to the
enemies of the Danubian people."

   Dukov spoke next.

   "Anyia, you will recall that four years ago Danubia was invaded by
Mega-Town Associates.  We placed the leaders of that operation on trial. 
Do you remember what happened to them?"

   "They were sentenced to Life without Honor, Father."

   "That is correct, Life without Honor.  A life of serving the pig.  Do
you consider their crimes against this country any more heinous than what
you and your confidants were planning?  I consider what you planned worse,
because your predecessors attempted to take over the Realm of the Ancients
through an honest force of arms.  Nations have done that since the
beginning of time.  But your plot was not through force of arms.  Your
confidants wanted to sell Danubia.  Sell it.  And you intended to use your
title and your relationship with your husband to assist that sale.  So, my
daughter...  answer the question.  Can you think of any reason you should
not be put on trial, your actions and intentions publicly exposed, and you
sentenced to Life without Honor?"

   Anyia cried.  For the first time she truly understood what the two Lords
had been planning.  They had befriended her, but the purpose of that
friendship was to use her to take over the country so it could be sold, for
what was a paltry sum of money.  Five hundred million Euros for an entire
country...  really that was nothing.

   "I...  I don't want to continue with my life, Father...  I... 
couldn't...  couldn't you have me executed instead?"

   "But do you think you deserve something as simple as a clean execution?
Because I don't.  What you deserve is not a simple separation of your body
from your soul, Anyia; what you deserve is to spend the rest of your life
serving the pig."

   Anyia sobbed and nodded.  Dukov turned away, because his own eyes had
filled with tears.  He had said what he needed to say to his daughter, but
it didn't make him feel any better.

   The Priestess realized that Dukov would not be able to speak again
without his voice cracking.  She came to his aid...  with the offer from
the Church that would spare Anyia her life, her title, and most of her
honor.

   "Anyia Dukov, you need to listen to me.  You need to fully comprehend
what you have done, and the extent to which the Destroyer took over your
life.  You need to understand the fate that you deserve.  I believe you do
understand."

   "I...  I don't know what to say, Priestess.  I don't know whether I
understand or not...  why...  what happened to me...  "

   "I believe you understand more than you realize, which was one of many
requests I had for the Creator that concern you.  Now, there is something
else that you must understand.  The door has not closed on your life, Anyia
Dukov, at least not yet.  For a person with a damaged soul, you are
extraordinarily lucky.  You have a chance to be spared from everything you
have done.  Few people with damaged souls have such an opportunity.  You
do."

   The Priestess and the Prime Minister exchanged glances.  He wanted her
to continue:

   "You will understand that the Danubian people do not know anything about
your behavior and your intentions for the country.  They are under the
illusion that you are an honorable sovereign who cares about the well-being
of Danubia above anything else.  You have the opportunity to make that
illusion become reality.  You can assume a simple life of service to your
country and to the Church and escape from who you have been up until this
morning.  You can set an example of humble service by accepting a collar
from the Temple, an example for your fellow countrymen to follow.  If you
take the collar, you will escape from your sins, because you understand
that once you are collared, no one will ask you about your misdeeds.  You
will be protected from yourself, from your own past."

   Performing Public Penance had been the farthest thing from Anyia's mind,
but she realized it did offer her an opportunity to escape from the
multitude of crimes she had committed over the past several years.

   "If you submit to Penance, you can remain in this house and continue
your life as Grand Duchess.  Your relationship with your subjects will be
preserved.  In fact it will be strengthened, because you will show yourself
as a servant of the nation.  You have the opportunity to redeem yourself."

   Anyia was silent for a long time.  Finally she asked:

   "Father, if you say what I deserve is serving the pig, that I am
unworthy of even being executed, then...  why are you sparing me?"

   Dukov turned back to face her.  His eyes were still full of tears, but
he managed to maintain control of his voice.

   "I can justify sparing your title by saying that the Danubian people
have suffered many changes and many traumas since I became Prime Minister.
Right now is not the time for our nation to lose the Royal Family, not on
top of everything else that has been lost.  I can say that, but that is not
the main reason.  The main reason is that you remain my daughter.  In spite
of everything, you are still my child and I still love you."

   "Even though I tried to have you killed?"

   "Your mother and I are hurt, but...  I want to forgive you.  I can
forgive you if you make yourself worthy of being forgiven.  I believe you
can do that, if you wish.  That is why we are sparing you."

   Dukov changed the subject slightly.

   "I think...  we all need to start over...  and you need to start over
with your husband.  Redeem yourself and then go meet him for the first
time. He is a weak person, but he loves you and is willing to sacrifice for
you.  No matter what you do, he will strive to accommodate your desires. 
You are destined to influence him and the future of the Royal Family.  Why
not make that influence something from the Creator instead of from the
Destroyer?"

   Anyia sobbed again, but managed to respond:

   "Yes, father...  I'll do...  what I can...  to help my husband.  I... 
what do I have to do?"

   The Priestess responded:

   "Anyia Dukov, you will come with me.  We will walk to the church that is
just outside the Royal Residence.  We will arrive before daybreak so no one
sees you.  Tomorrow night we will walk again, and the night after that we
will walk yet again.  On the third night we will arrive at the Temple of
the Ancients.  Once we arrive at the main Temple, you will submit to the
collar.  During the days you will rest, but we will also talk to you, so
that you understand what the Creator is asking of you.  You will not assume
the collar until you are ready.  That is the purpose of our journey. 
During three days and three nights of traveling, you will prepare yourself
for your new life."

   Dukov spoke next.

   "I will tell your husband where you are and what you are doing.  I don't
think you should see him until you have completed your journey and assumed
the collar."

   "Father...  will anything happen to him?  Please...  he didn't do
anything...  I was the one...  "

   "You will be held responsible for your own transgressions, but your
husband has committed transgressions as well.  He will have to come to
terms with his actions, just as you will come to terms with yours."

   The Priestess and three Priests stood up.  Vladik un-cuffed his sister
and helped her to her feet.  She was unsteady after having knelt for such a
long period of time.  After a short prayer, the four Clergy members led the
naked young woman to the door of the Royal Residence.  They stripped off
their garments, folded them, and handed them to Anyia to carry.  The group
silently set off into the darkness, walking in single file, to a small
church that was about ten kilometers to the west.

   As they watched the departing group vanish into the night, Grand Prophet
# 4 addressed the Prime Minister:

   "Your daughter will be traveling with my Clergy for three days, Prime
Minister.  I understand that during that time you will be promoting your
constitutional changes for the Royal Family?"

   "That is correct, Grand Prophet.  Three days should be enough.  The
Grand Duke already assured me that he will accept my proposals.  I'll have
the legislation passed before Anyia returns to this house."

   The Grand Prophet smiled slightly.

   "You didn't think it would be this easy, did you Prime Minister?"

   "No, Grand Prophet, to be honest, I didn't.  I was convinced Anyia would
put up more resistance."

   "Then maybe you didn't know her as well as you thought, Prime Minister.
Did it ever occur to you that, in her conscience, she knew that her soul
had been occupied by the Destroyer, and that perhaps she was deeply
frightened?  That maybe, even as we speak, her spirit is uplifted with joy
at having been released?"

   "I don't know, Grand Prophet.  I don't know what is going on in her head
right now.  I'm sure she is relieved at being spared a fate of serving the
pig, but I don't know how much remorse she really has."

   "Remorse...  no, Prime Minister...  that will come later.  But I can
tell you that over the next three days she will feel the joy of being
liberated from the grip of the Destroyer.  I believe...  that she must have
felt she controlled everything around her, but in reality it was everything
around her that controlled your daughter.  Now, we have removed all those
burdens and the only thing Anyia needs to worry about is herself.  She will
control nothing, and nothing will control her.  That is the understanding
she will achieve during her walk."

   "Grand Prophet...  the thought of my daughter worrying only about
herself is nothing new.  Throughout her life, the only thing Anyia has ever
worried about is herself...  she never gave any thought to anyone else...
or anything...  unless it brought her pleasure"

   "Ahhh...  but when you say that your daughter only thought about
herself, what truly concerned her was the material items in the Realm of
the Living she could control.  I repeat, she now controls nothing of the
material world, and thus the material world has completely released its
grip on her.  When I say she will worry about herself, what I mean is... 
really worry about herself...  her soul...  the meaning of her presence in
the Realm of the Living.  I believe that will be a new experience for her."

   Dukov did not reply...  he found it hard to accept that he did not know
his daughter as well as he had thought, that perhaps his negative opinion
of her was not justified.  Noting his skepticism, the Prophet concluded:

   "Three days from now Anyia will stand in front of the Temple of the
Ancients and she will perform her first act of service to the people of
this nation.  Right after her Public Penance begins, she will present
herself in front of a camera and speak to the Danubians.  Following the
advice of my Priestess, the Grand Duchess of the Danubian Republic will
tell our people that she is wearing the collar to escape from the control
that the material world attempted to place on her.  The public will accept
that explanation and respect her even more than they do now.  Your daughter
will be happy and liberated, not subdued and miserable as you anticipate.
Most importantly, by presenting herself as an example of austere and honest
living, she will assist you in your battle against Mega-Town Associates and
everything they stand for.  She will become an enemy of consumerism, and in
doing so help move this country even further from what your enemies
envision for its future."

   Dukov contemplated what the Prophet had just told him.

   "You will witness illusion as it becomes reality, Prime Minster.  Your
daughter has been cast down, but now the Creator will lift her up.  She
will serve our people in ways you never could have imagined."

   *****

   Anyia followed the four naked Clergy members away from her house, across
the Royal Grounds, and finally through the gate that led to the outside
world.  Her backside was still sore from the punishment her mother had
given her earlier that morning.  The welts on her thighs continued to burn.
She could feel the aching numbness in her cheek where her father had
slapped her.  Her legs were tired and her feet hurt from walking barefoot
on open ground.  Her arms started to ache from carrying the clothing of the
Clergy members who were leading her away from her old life and towards a
new one.  None of that mattered.

   In spite of her fear and her physical discomfort, Anyia was increasingly
happy as her journey progressed.  She had never been outside in the country
at night before, so everything she was experiencing was totally new to her.
Bats chirped over her head and owls hooted in the distance.  There were few
lights during that first leg of her trek, so she could see the stars in
their full glory.  The cool night breeze caressed her bare body.  Her life
was one of pain and pleasure, and now a life of silence and peace.

   For the first time in her life Anyia Dukov felt that she could clear her
mind.  She no longer controlled what was happening to her, so she could let
her spirit relax.  For the next three days her Path in Life would to obey
whatever the Priestess told her to do.  Finally she would arrive at the
Temple, take her collar, and start over with her life.

   After a night of peaceful walking, Anyia could see a small church in the
distance, the first stop in her three-day journey.  She was immensely
tired, but happy.  The words spoken to her earlier in the evening repeated
themselves in her mind:

   "The door has not closed on your life, Anyia Dukov, at least not yet. 
For a person with a damaged soul, you are extraordinarily lucky.  You have
a chance to be spared from everything you have done.  few people with
damaged souls have such an opportunity.  You do."