Chapter Twenty-Four – Three Familiar Faces

Danka and Isauria spent several days traveling northwest through the forest along paths that were barely visible to anyone not accustomed to navigating the backcountry. Danka walked in front of the mule while Isauria held her new crossbow and watched for potential trouble. Danka enjoyed those days of walking, of exploring the forest while not having to carry anything, of feeling the cool breezes blowing against her exposed body. She was able to clear her mind and enjoy the moment, knowing that troubles and responsibilities would catch up with her soon enough. But for now, to just casually walk through the forest, with her belongings on the mule and her former servant watching over her with her crossbow, that was enough for Danka to momentarily feel at peace with the Realm of the Living.

The travelers were silent when they were moving, but chatted about many things when they were resting. Danka continued with Isauria’s education, teaching her about rock formations and explaining how flowing streams had shaped the land they were passing through. They exchanged stories about their lives in Malenkta-Gordnackta and their troubled relationships with the family of Alexandrekt Bulashckt. Danka later talked about the towns and villages in the western valley she had seen when she was a member of the Followers of the Ancients.

When Danka described Sebernekt Ris and the university, Isauria seemed especially interested. The more Danka told her companion about her experiences there, the more the girl wanted to see the city herself. Every detail fascinated her, the waterfall, the cliffs full of Royal Guards and cannons, the hills, the strange foreign country to the north, and especially the details of student life. Danka found Isauria’s interest in the university surprising, because she was not an intellectual. She seemed much more suited for running around with a sword or a crossbow than sitting at a desk with a quill in her hand. But, maybe there was a hidden side of Isauria, because the teenager kept asking questions and returning to the topic of Danka’s university time.

“I’d like to do that, I mean, what you did when you came back from the Kingdom. You wrote all about the war in Aksheriri Ris. Because of that, people won’t forget. They’ll always know who was there, and what happened. You told everyone’s story with your report. I think that’s really wonderful. Because, there wasn’t anyone to tell the story of my village. The Lord of the Blue Moon’s men came in, they killed most of us, and then they left. Now no one remembers and no one cares. You saw it for yourself when you went through, didn’t you?”

“It was abandoned. You’re right about that.”

There was a long pause. Then Isauria asked: “When you were there, at the university, did you see any foreigners?”

“Oh yes. Many foreigners. Including people from the Kingdom of the Moon.”

“Do you think the university would accept someone like me?”

“I have no idea, Isauria. No idea at all if they’d take you. I think they would if you had a recommendation from a Priest or a town elder, and if you could show up with writing samples, maybe give them an idea of what kinds of research you’d be able to do and what topics interest you.”

Danka thought about the thick packets of parchment in her bucket, all those heavy papers that made it unpleasant to carry. They had a lot of information that perhaps would be useful to future generations, so there was no way Danka could part with all that work. All that writing and research… she didn’t have time to develop it, but she’d gladly turn it over to someone who could appreciate it, who’d work with it and could put it into a publishable format and share it with others…

She caught her breath. Isauria. Why not give the papers to Isauria and enroll her in the university? She could spend the next four years of her life working with all that material and adding it to the university’s historical archives. Yes, that was a solution to two problems. Isauria wouldn’t have to come up with any research topics: she had everything she needed in those packages. Being from the Kingdom of the Moon, she could look at the wars of 1754 and 1758 from a unique perspective. She didn’t want to make any promises to the teenager about the university, but there wasn’t any reason they couldn’t at least go there and look at the town.

“Then we have a place to go. I need to return to the capitol anyway. Sebernekt Ris is just to the north and I can give you the chance to see it.”

———-

Their path led well to the north of the three villages and the now-empty garrison. Danka had hoped to find a trail that would lead back in the direction of Horkustk Ris province, but it turned out there was no such path. Instead, a mountain loomed ahead and the trail veered to the right, which meant Danka and Isauria were heading almost straight north. Danka recognized the mountain, because it also was visible from Starivktaki Moskt, the town where Danka had spent her first year away from home living in the Old Believers’ seminary. Danka looked towards their destination with anxiety: she did not want to return to Starivktaki Moskt and risk running into the High Priest or anyone else associated with the Temple.

As the women descended the foothills, sure enough, there it was, Starivktaki Moskt. Fortunately there was a fork in the trail that veered to the right and would emerge into open farmland to the north of the old provincial town, which meant that Danka and Isauria could bypass it. Isauria was clearly disappointed about not having the chance to see Starivktaki Moskt, because from a distance it looked like a really nice place. Danka responded:

“I’m a fugitive in that city. I’m sure they’d welcome me back, but only so they could put five arrows into my chest.”

They emerged near the Rika Chorna river and took a ferry across. They passed the road going northeast towards the Vice Duchy of Rika Chorna, went over a low hill, and emerged onto the main road going north to Severckt nad Goradki. Danka felt a lot of personal pain as she entered the familiar stretch of countryside, thinking about her trip with Bagaturckt seven years before and how she was so naively in love with him.

The women traveled along the main road until sunset, making a very strange sight. Danka was still naked and wearing her penance collar, as she walked accompanied by a very young-looking maiden with black hair, wearing a trader’s outfit, and sitting with a crossbow on top of an over-loaded mule. Isauria’s wide eyes took in all the sights, because now she was in the western valley, the very heart of the Grand Duchy of Upper Danubia.

Danka thought about the best route to take towards Sebernekt Ris. There were two options: go directly northwest between the towns of Nagoronkti-Serifkti and Daguruckt-Tok (avoiding going into both places if at all possible), or go first to Severckt nad Goradki and try to use the old forest trail built by the Followers of the Ancients. Severckt nad Goradki had an advantage and a disadvantage: her former lover Kaloyankt. There was no question he would help Isauria, but did Danka really want to see him again? What would she tell him about her life since she last saw him? How would she feel, looking at his elegant wife, knowing he’d probably leave her in a heartbeat if she gave him any indication she loved him? She could face enemies with a crossbow, but was she strong enough to face a man she mistreated? No. She was not strong enough to do that, not even for Isauria. She couldn’t return to Severckt nad Goradki. She’d have to take the diagonal route across the farming country of the western valley.

It was getting dark, so the travelers had to stop for the night. Setting up a campfire and sleeping in the forest was no longer an option. They’d have to find a Church and Danka would have to use her status as a Public Penitent to request safe lodging. Fortunately there was a small town called Gordnackt Suyastenckt just a short distance to the west of the main road. They entered the town, approached the Church, and Danka looked for a Priest or Priestess. Following protocol, she knelt and stretched her hands on the ground in front of her while the attendant summoned the ordained Clergy members. It was very strange for Isauria to see her former mentor in that position, kneeling with her hands on the ground, her legs spread, and her back arched to expose herself in absolute humility. Well, it was what she had to do. Danka and Isauria needed a place to sleep and a decent meal, which meant following Church protocol. Danka whispered to Isauria that she needed to kneel as well, but to remain upright and not to put her hands on the ground or spread her knees.

The Priestess came out and told the penitent to kneel upright. When Danka looked into the face of the Clergywoman, she felt her heart stop, because she was looking into the face of her former mentor from the Seminary, the student who first taught her how to read and exposed her mind to the world of education. As a Priestess, the woman had aged, but very clearly she was Danka’s old mentor, with the same haughty expression and strict demeanor she had eight years before.

“You look very young, Penitent. Obviously the passage of time has been kinder to you than it’s been to me.”

“Thank you, Priestess.”

The Priestess ordered Isauria to stand up, take the mule to a nearby stable and unsaddle him, the to report to the Church bath house so she could clean up for the evening meal and prayers. That left Danka alone with the Priestess. Danka’s knees quivered, because had she known her old mentor was the Priestess of Gordnackt Suyastenckt, there was no way she would have wanted to stop there. The Priestess took her visitor into the study that she shared with her husband and shut the door. Danka, not knowing what else to do, assumed the kneeling position.

“Stand up, Penitent. Stand up and face me.”

When Danka stood up, the Priestess continued:

“I prayed that I’d have this moment. I prayed for seven years I’d have you standing in front of me. The Creator answered my prayer by delivering you into my hands, so you can answer my question.”

“What question is that, Priestess?”

“As though you wouldn’t know? What do you think my question would be? I want to know how you defeated the High Priest’s son. How did you manage to kill him?”

“I didn’t kill him, Priestess. The Destroyer killed him. I was with him, however, and I did see what happened.”

Danka spent the next hour describing in detail how Bagaturckt took her into “the Graveyard of Virtue”, how the house servant comforted her afterwards and gave her advice, the ill-fated trip into the forest to hunt for “the Joy of the Ancients”, and finally how Bagaturckt ended up hanging on a branch. She also explained how it was Babackt Yaga who drove a stake in the back of the corpse and put out the sign. She concluded with: “I wish I had more to do with his death, because I hated him as much as you did, and for the same reason. But no, I was just a bystander. A mere witness.”

“That is the strangest story I’ve ever heard. People in Starivktaki Moskt have made up plenty of weird stories about you and what happened to Bagaturckt, but no one ever came up with anything as bizarre as that.” The Priestess smiled, the first time Danka had ever seen her smile. “Well, I can say hearing all that was worth the seven-year wait.”

“So, I was right to stay away from Starivktaki Moskt?”

“Oh, very much so. You’re quite the villain at the Seminary. I have the vicious seducer and cruel murderer of poor dear pious Bagaturckt, the son of the High Priest, standing right in front of me. You’re still wanted. The new High Priest keeps a couple of old fugitive posters inside the Temple, just in case anyone happens to see you. If I wanted to turn you in, I’d probably receive a promotion and most certainly a blessing from the entire Temple.” The Priestess smiled again. “Not that my turning you in is likely to happen.”

The Priestess interrupted the conversation so they could join the rest of the Church staff and penitents for dinner at a dining hall owned by the town’s most wealthy landlord. Danka and Isauria saw the Priestess’s husband sitting at the head of the table. He seemed shocked to see her, but his wife silenced him by quickly drawing her fist across her chest to warn him not to say anything until she had a chance to explain to him what was going on with their fugitive guest. At dinner Danka could see why the Priestess had aged: she had three children. Also seated at the table were three penitents and an apprentice.

Danka cleaned up in the bath house and made sure Isauria was settled in bed before seeking out the Priestess. Just a few hours before, she would have done anything possible to avoid seeing anyone from her past, but it seemed the woman could be trusted and had nothing against her. Danka was comforted at the thought of seeing and talking to someone familiar.

The Priestess took her back to the study and closed the door. For a while the Clergywoman did most of the talking, updating Danka on events in Starivktaki Moskt and the surrounding region and also giving some details about her own life and family. The conversation lasted well into the night, as the Priestess updated Danka on events throughout the western valley. Danka found out some details about Severckt nad Goradki and how her former lover Kaloyankt had used his family’s influence to consolidate control over the town for the Grand Duke and the Old Believers’ faction of the Church. The Old Believers also took over the parish in Nagoronkti-Serifkti following the very public display of madness and evil by the leading priest of the True Believers. Danka explained her part in the incident, but added that she never found out what happened to the priest after she and her companions fled the town. Now she knew how much her Lilith ploy really did change the course of Nagoronkti-Serifkti’s history.

They chatted all night. Sunrise already had passed when Danka and the her former mentor finished talking. It was obvious she and Isauria would not be departing that day, because it was raining heavily and traveling would be unpleasant. More importantly, the visitor and her former mentor wanted to continue exchanging experiences and information. Danka rested while Isauria took care of the mule and cleaned up and organized their equipment. That night the Church apprentice asked the teenager to entertain him and the penitents by describing her travels through the mountains and Horkustk Ris province.

While Isauria was occupied with the Church staff, Danka resumed the conversation with the Clergywoman. Now it was her turn to talk. She needed to describe her life, to confess, to make sense out of all the weird things that had happened to her over the past eight years. The Priestess listened to the torrent of information, trying to comprehend how all those strange and unpleasant experiences could have happened to a single person. And yet, she believed everything Danka told her. Even if there was something she didn’t believe, Danka had all those notes and writings in her bucket to prove she was telling the truth. Had the Priestess questioned anything, chances were her doubts could have been resolved by reading her papers.

So, over a two-day period Danka unburdened all of the secrets she had kept to herself for eight years, from her sentence on the pillory for petty theft to her departure from the Defenders’ winter encampment with Isauria. The only detail she did not share was the fact her Public Penance collar was not a real one issued by the Church. At the beginning of her travels she had promised Farmer Tuko Orsktackt she’d never divulge that secret and she would stay loyal to that promise. When the Priestess asked about her collar, she presented the certificate with the alias Vesna Roguskt given to her by the Defenders’ Priest. The Priestess decided not to pursue that issue. The certificate was issued by an ordained Priest, even if he was a renegade militia cleric, and it did look authentic. Given Danka’s situation, it was better that she was traveling under an alias anyway.

The most difficult episode for Danka was describing her two years with the Grand Duke and the ongoing humiliation of being a pleasure slave and having dozens of the ruler’s household staff seeing her every day with her hair loosened. When the Priestess responded that Danka shouldn’t be ashamed of something she had no control over, the visitor countered:

“But it was my fault. More than anything else I ever did, my internment in His Majesty’s castle was my fault. My mind was full of hubris, I had evil thoughts of using the Church to pursue my own fantasies, and the Ancients punished me for that hubris.”

Danka held back tears as she described the circumstances under which she left the university and the thoughts going on in her head the moment the Grand Duke and his entourage spotted her in the Plaza of the Ancients. The Priestess responded:

“So let’s consider what happened. It was your knowledge of the Followers’ explosives that helped His Majesty win two, not one, but two battles in Horkustk Ris. It was because of you he withdrew the Royal Guards from Sumy Ris, just in time to avoid a disastrous defeat. You comforted your companions and because of you many of them became better women. In those two years you accomplished more than all of His Majesty’s ministers together. Because of you, the Duchy is safe and strong. The Creator blessed the Duchy and protected it during those difficult years, through you. It was your Path in Life to provide wisdom to His Majesty so he could carry out his Path in Life as a competent ruler. So, it was not your fault you ended up in the Royal Household. It was your Path in Life. And when your usefulness to the Duchy as a concubine ended, the Creator allowed you to leave and serve the Duchy elsewhere. Yes, you committed the sin of hubris, but that sin was necessary for you to fulfill your purpose.”

Danka knelt forward and placed her hands on the ground. She had confessed to the person who would have been the one most likely to judge her harshly, but there was no such harsh judgment. Instead, the Priestess encouraged her to look at herself in a more forgiving manner, and to understand that her suffering and humiliation were part of the Creator’s larger plan to protect the Danubian people in a time of extreme danger.

The Priestess stood up and told Danka to kneel upright and hold onto her hands. She gripped them very tightly and her arms trembled as she prayed. When she finished, she ordered Danka to stand up.

“I saw your future. The Path in Life the Creator has placed in front of you will include another act of redemption, a very significant act of redemption, not just for you, but for many others. But that lies in the future. This summer you’ll still have to travel. If you’re going to the capitol, you’ll need to continue your journey.”

Danka had one outstanding issue to ask about before leaving; if it would be possible to write a recommendation for Isauria to enter the university in Sebernekt Ris.

“I will, but any such document would be for next year, not this year. I can’t write a letter of recommendation unless I know her and can say that, in the eyes of the Creator, she’d make a good scholar. You’ve done an admirable job teaching her certain skills, but you couldn’t do everything and the girl’s knowledge needs refinement. Also, she’s 14. She shouldn’t enroll until she’s at least 15. I don’t want to write a lie on her letter about her age.”

“But, what can I do? I don’t think she should stay with me.”

“No. She shouldn’t. You’ve been an excellent mentor for her, but I know your Paths in Life must separate. I also know you would be doing her a great disservice simply taking her to Sebernekt Ris and thinking that she could withstand being separated from you, precisely at the time she’s starting new studies with a bunch of people she doesn’t know. She would be lost, quit within a month, go looking for you, and probably risk being captured by brigands and re-enslaved. She needs a period of transition, to prepare mentally and spiritually before she goes to Sebernekt Ris.”

“Do you think you could provide her with that transition?”

“I could. I’d spend the winter helping her prepare the notes you’re planning to give her, so when she goes to the university those reports would already be prepared for publishing. She’d know the material, so that it would be hers as much as yours. I can do that for you, for both of you. Then, next summer she’ll go to Sebernekt Ris, and I will be proud to send her off with my recommendation and my blessing.”

Danka separated the papers that she’d leave behind, the packages that would provide Isauria with the work she’d need to attend the university and enter Danubian society as an educated adult. She also took Isauria’s slavery and emancipation certificates to hand over to the Priestess. She wanted to make sure the Danubian Church had, in its possession, proof Isauria was not a slave and hadn’t been for a couple of years. Danka re-packed her bucket with her medicines, recipes, her two collaring certificates, her supply of salt, the brush and thread to keep her teeth clean, and the silver coin given to her by Tuko Orsktackt. There were other coins, but she’d leave those behind so Isauria could buy herself a nice dress before going to the university.

Isauria was not happy when she found out about Danka’s plans to leave her behind. It took a full day for both Danka and the Priestess to reason with her, explaining that if she wanted to attend the university, she had to spend the next year getting ready and only the Priestess could help her prepare. Also, now that Isauria was about to become a ward of the Church, she would be much less likely to ever be re-enslaved, in spite of her dark hair and foreign appearance. The Priestess explained the need for Isauria to spend several months converting Danka’s writings into real reports and that only through correctly-written works could either Danka or Isauria complete their obligations to “bear witness” to all the events they had witnessed over the past several years. When Isauria’s determination to leave with Danka finally started to weaken, Danka took her to the Church garden.

“There is something else you need to know about me. I carry with me the Destroyer’s curse. Everyone I’ve ever loved, even remotely, has had their soul separated from their body, and I had to bear witness to that separation. There is only one person I loved who ever escaped, and that is because she was lucky enough to be separated from me before my curse caught up with her. You have no idea how much it meant to me that she survived, that one person I loved, when all the others died. It was always my fear that you’d fall victim to my curse as well. Had that happened, I would have hated myself even more than I do now. Isauria, you have the chance to get away from me before it’s too late. It would mean a lot to me to see that happen, to leave you behind and know that you will prosper and lead a Path in Life that serves the Creator, that you won’t fall victim to whatever the Destroyer has planned for my future. If you love me as much as you say you do, if you care for me as much as I care for you, you won’t put me through having to witness your soul separate from your body.”

Danka put her head in her hands. Leaving Isauria turned out to be harder than she realized. The girl was both a daughter and a younger sister to her, but like all children, the time was coming when she’d have to pursue her own Path in Life. The Priestess would train and mentor her, just as she had mentored Danka eight years before, and then she’d be ready to travel to Sebernekt Ris and hopefully be more successful as a student than Danka had been. Isauria was crying, but finally she agreed to stay behind and accept the life offered to her by the Priestess. She changed her merchant’s outfit for a Church apprentice robe and knelt before her new mentor, accepting that her Path in Life had changed and that she was now officially under the jurisdiction of the local Old Believers’ parish.

Besides transcribing Danka’s notes and turning them into reports, Isauria was left with another task. Danka wrote two letters to the sisters-in-law she never met: informing them about her marriage to Ilmatarkt, the final months of his life, and the circumstances under which his soul separated from his body. Danka couldn’t go into Starivktaki Moskt to deliver them in person, but Isauria, escorted by the Priestess, would deliver them the following week.

———-

As soon as she was convinced Isauria would not change her mind and try to follow her, Danka lost no time getting out of Gordnackt Suyastenckt. She donated the mule to the Church and went out on foot as a penitent, wearing nothing but the same collar and same boots she had set out wearing when her journey began in 1750. She could have bought new boots, but instead chose to wear the ones her father had given her nearly a decade before. They had been repaired so many times that almost none of the leather was original They looked hideous with all the patches, and yet Danka had kept them, not understanding herself why.

For the moment she wanted to rid herself of all the trappings from the previous eight years. She would carry no weapons, no clothing, and no money. She would start over, place her faith in the Creator, rely on the charity of the parishes along her way, and return to the capitol as a penitent. She still had her recipes, medicines, and supply of blue powder, but anything that couldn’t fit in her bucket would not accompany her on the trip.

She walked naked along country roads in the heat of July, trying to avoid passing through towns where people would be likely to recognize her from her service with the Followers of the Ancients. Whenever possible she slept in isolated chapels or the houses of clergy members. She stayed a single night and moved on as soon as she had breakfast the following day. Along the way she stopped to take snacks from farms, but was careful to adhere to the protocol of taking only one piece of food from any place she stopped. Still, she traveled well-fed, eating breakfast and dinner with whoever hosted her for the night and munching on fruit and raw vegetables throughout the day as she walked.

In spite of choosing a route to minimize the chances of running into someone who’d remember her from her days with the Followers of the Ancients, she did pass through plenty of villages she had visited with Ermin, Kaloyankt, or other companions from the Cult. She even saw people she had vaccinated but, because she was not wearing her Followers’ dress, no one recognized her. To the locals she was just a wandering penitent, worth looking at because she was attractive, but otherwise not noteworthy.

As Danka traveled westward, she was able to clear her mind of a lot of the memories that had burdened her up to that point. During the trip she used her new identity Vesna Roguskt and tried to remember not to refer to herself as Danka. She had no past and was nothing more than a uncovered traveler moving with the protection of the Church. She was not Follower Danka, nor Jadranka the student, nor Silvitya the concubine, nor Defender Danka the wife of Doctor Ilmatarkt. She had no responsibilities apart from trying to find out what happened to her former squad leader Oana. Perhaps Oana didn’t even survive the evacuation from Aksheriri Ris and if that were true, then she didn’t have any other concerns or responsibilities. But, if she didn’t have any responsibilities, then her life really had no purpose. She pushed that thought aside. Better to enjoy the moment while it lasted, because she was sure that responsibility and duty would crowd into her life soon enough.

After spending July walking at a leisurely pace across the entire western valley, Danka finally arrived in the capitol on August 2. The area outside the walls had changed dramatically over the past four years. Instead of military encampments and rows of squalid refugee tents, the zone immediately outside the walls was covered with new, nicely-built houses and shops, which had been built from the huge piles of lumber, stone, and bricks that were stockpiled in anticipation of expanding the city wall. The buildings were much roomier than the cramped wooden structures of the old capital because there was plenty of space for the builders to spread out. Many of the newer structures had gardens or courtyards, and all of them had tile roofs because thatch was prohibited as a fire hazard. Danka realized that the capitol’s inhabitants must have learned their lesson about fire, because the new houses were built from much less wood and flammable materials than the older structures that burned in 1755. Most of the old wall and its watchtowers were still standing, but they were barely visible behind all those new buildings.

Danka made her way towards an opening in the wall. An entire section between two watchtowers on the eastern side was missing, leaving a gap that was four blocks wide. She freely walked through and was greeted by a truly bizarre sight. The entire city was a huge construction zone, with the ground covered by the foundations of stately ministry buildings that were part of the Grand Duke’s plans for a renovated capitol. The narrow winding streets of the old city were gone, replaced by straight boulevards. From her location Danka could see all the way to the opposite side of the old walled area, because in most places only the new buildings’ foundations were in place. To the southwest she could see the hill containing the Grand Duke’s castle and the military buildings at its base. To the northwest the Great Temple and a couple of ancient stone buildings loomed in the distance. A few older stone buildings, most notably the Christian cathedral and another Roman Christian church, remained standing. Straight ahead there was an old fortress-like garrison standing next to the cathedral that had survived the fire, which would become the future headquarters of a national police force.

Danka looked around at the wall. To the south the Merchants Gate, through which she and Alexandrekt Bulashckt had escaped during the Great Fire, was still intact, although its wooden doors had never been replaced. To the north there were two other large gaps between watchtowers, openings through which new streets could pass. Danka noticed the cannons had been taken down and the towers were mostly unoccupied. It was clear the Grand Duke had completely dismissed the Old City Wall as being a useful part of Danubikt Moskt’s defenses, although he left the majority of it in place to demarcate the new government district.

It was much easier to move about Danubikt Moskt than it had been three years earlier, in spite of all the construction. Danka’s goal was the Great Temple of the Ancients, so she simply walked along a wide boulevard until she arrived at the western side of the city, then turned north and followed another wide street for two blocks until reaching her destination. The area near the Temple was much more “normal” than the rest of the capitol, because the old stone buildings around the Plaza of the Ancients remained standing and the rebuilding of some adjacent blocks to the north had proceeded faster than elsewhere. Near the Temple there were businesses offering services and food to its visitors.

Danka approached the Plaza of the Ancients and for the second time in her life looked at the front of the Great Temple. At least that hadn’t changed. Five years had gone by since she stood in that spot, wearing the same penance collar and boots, and carrying the same bucket. However, during her second visit she had no illusions about the Danubian Church nor any desire to seek greatness for herself. Her purpose was very straightforward: to see if she could find out what happened to her fellow militia members and whether or not Defender Oana had survived the battle.

The crowd in the Plaza suddenly fell silent and was stepping to the sides of the plaza. She heard a series of very loud whistles and then the shout:

“Doc-doc Danube!”

The crowd roared its response and snapped to attention. Fortunately, Danka was paying attention and managed to slip behind some standing spectators and avoid drawing attention to herself. She knelt upright, her heart pounding. The Grand Duke was passing through the plaza. Four foot-soldiers preceded the nation’s ruler, loudly whistling to announce their presence. The Grand Duke followed, along with four Royal Guards and two of his ministers, on horseback. The Royal entourage rode past the crowd, placing their fists against their chests to return the public’s salute. Danka was scared out of her wits, wondering if bad fortune had followed her and the ruler would somehow notice her. She had enough time to imagine the Royal Guards returning her to the castle in chains to face the hard judgment of an imperious man who undoubtedly would think she betrayed him by escaping. Still, she couldn’t resist the urge to peek through a gap of the people standing in front of her and catch a fleeting glimpse of her former Master. He seemed not to have changed at all, as he scanned the crowd for attractive young women. He was unaware that just three fathoms from his entourage his favorite former concubine was kneeling and shaking badly.

The crowd dissipated and resumed walking as soon as the Sovereign left the plaza. The Grand Duke and his men turned south before turning east to move along the same partially constructed boulevard through which Danka had entered. When she realized where they were going, she was sickened by that narrow miss. Had the Royal entourage passed that way while she was coming in, her naked body would have been visible from a distance and there was no way she would have been able to hide. Protocol dictated she would have had to kneel immediately and remain stationary until the Sovereign came up to her… and recognized her.

Danka knew her dead husband would have told her it was lack of caution and bad luck that made her fall into the hands of the Grand Duke in 1753, and that five years later she avoided falling into his hands because she moved out of the way in time and her luck was better. Danka’s religious mind would never accept such a casual dismissal of the deities and their impact on her life. In 1753 the Ancients chose to punish her for her hubris, but in 1758 she interpreted her narrow escape as a sign she needed to proceed with her plan to enter the Temple and find out the fates of the surviving militia members. She also was curious to see the inside of the Temple building. Previously she only had a fleeting glimpse of the entrance while she struggled to remove and hide her fake Church penance collar, but this time there was no impatient Royal Guard waiting for her outside. Apart from having to remember to properly kneel whenever she was near a Clergy member, she could examine the Great Temple at her leisure. Meanwhile, she worked up the courage to select an approachable-looking Cleric and ask how she could find out what happened to the Defenders’ militia.

It turned out, she didn’t even need a Priest or Priestess to answer her question. She went all the way to the back of the Temple and explored an ancient stone platform that contained a row of deep fire pits. Several naked penitents were cleaning out the ashes and stockpiling cave-charcoal for the next round of religious ceremonies. Danka recognized one of the men as a fellow militia member from the Defenders. He was older than most of his companions and had a resigned expression on his face. She hadn’t known him well because he was with a squad of musketeers, but she remembered his name as Marksman Tanelickt. When she approached him and he recognized her, his expression changed from resignation to shock.

Tanelickt excused himself from his fellow penitents. He motioned Danka to kneel and wait for him so he could request permission from a Priest to take a break from his duties. When he returned, he had two charcoal circles drawn on his left shoulder to indicate he had requested and been granted consent to leave the main building. He motioned with his fingertips for Danka to stand up and follow him.

The former Defenders exited the back of the Temple and made their way to the forested shore of the East Danube River. They looked across the wide stretch of water and the distant steep cliffs on the other side. It was a very peaceful setting on a lazy hot August afternoon that gave the two survivors the opportunity to collect their thoughts. Finally Danka broke the silence and asked what happened during the evacuation from Aksheriri Ris. Before he responded, she added:

“As you can guess, I missed it. I missed the evacuation. I’ll explain why in a few minutes.”

Tanelickt spent the next hour giving Danka a detailed description of the evacuation and how he and his surviving companions managed to escape from the Kingdom of the Moon. In doing so gave his visitor more insight into the personalities of both the Grand Duke and Commander Saupeckt. Although the Grand Duke provided material support to the Defenders, it turned out from the beginning he was very skeptical of the militia’s chances of being able to capture and hold onto Sumy Ris. Suspecting the Defenders’ operation was likely to end in disaster, he organized a column of Royal Guards who had trained to fight in open terrain, stationed them at the fort in Iyoshnyakt-Krepockt, and waited to see what happened to the south. When he received the message that the Defenders had conquered Aksheriri Ris and were “waiting to assist the Royal Army in the glorious re-claiming of Sumy Ris for the Duchy”, the Grand Duke fully understood the Defenders they were not ready to re-claim anything: they were cornered and needed to be rescued. The Sovereign personally led 4000 Danubian Royal Guards to extract the Defenders. He was correct about the need for a rescue, but the militia’s condition was much more dire than he had anticipated. His scouts observed enough to give him a summary of the situation: the Defenders were mostly fighting against the Red Moon faction among the houses, while the Blue Moon faction occupied the area outside and was mostly fighting the Red Moon faction at the east gate to get in.

As his army approached Aksheriri Ris, the Grand Duke sent a messenger to the commander of the Blue Moon Army asking for a temporary truce, pointing out the Danubians’ desire to extract their fighters and the Blue Moon Army’s desire to seize control of the town were compatible. A truce would allow both the Danubian Royal Army and the Blue Moon Army to concentrate their efforts against the Lord of the Red Moon’s men. The Blue Moon commander responded that he would agree to a truce as long as the Danubian Royal Army stayed to the north and did not send anyone into the city. The Blue Moon troops would concentrate their fighting on the east gate and not interfere with any Danubian militia fighters trying to get out through the north gate.

When the Royal Army secured the area between the north gate and the outer wall of the demolished Ottoman garrison, the surviving Defenders had about 40 minutes to flee through the two escape routes, while having to withdraw under fire. During those 40 minutes, 534 Defenders managed to escape and bring out the bodies of 97 fallen companions. The Lord of the Red Moon’s Army tried as much as possible to prevent the break-out, but they were occupied with the advancing Blue Moon units and thus unable to stop any Danubian who made it past the open marketplace square. The Danubian Royal Army provided cover fire for the Defenders as they scrambled down the hill, but took shots themselves and lost a total of 43 men. The Grand Duke later pulled his Guards out of range of the city’s cannons to re-group and to give a few extra minutes to any remaining militia members who might have missed the main break-out. Thirteen stragglers managed to join the Royal Army before it started moving northward. Tanelickt was one of those lucky stragglers, and he claimed that he owed his life to the militia’s commander.

“We were the last ones to make it to the outer wall of the garrison before the Red Moon soldiers closed in on us. We were with Commander Saupeckt. The hole was small and only one of us could fit through at a time. There was a platoon of Red Moon troops chasing us. They were getting their muskets ready to fire all at once, and it would have been an execution against a wall, pure and simple. But the commander grabbed two crossbows and ran back at them, screaming. He shot a crossbow, then the other. The Red Moon troops emptied their muskets into him instead of us and they had to reload before coming after us. There were sixteen of us, and thirteen managed to run down the hill to join His Majesty’s army. The other three didn’t make it. A Royal commander asked if anyone else was coming out. I told him what happened to Commander Saupeckt and that I thought we were the last ones to get through the garrison ruins. So, we all left. 547 Defenders and a hundred recovered bodies. And 43 dead Royal Guards. And to think… we started out with 2500 fighters and 600 assistants. All those people, and only a sixth of us made it out, and even that was only because of His Majesty’s rescue. What a disaster. We should have stayed in the forest.” Tanelickt paused for a moment before concluding: “Commander Saupeckt and the Priest told us to place our faith in the power of the Destroyer. Well, we did place our faith in the Destroyer, didn’t we? And we were the ones who were destroyed.”

“We shouldn’t have been surprised. My old Mistress from the Followers told me: ‘the Destroyer helps no one. The Destroyer won’t help you.’ We should have known better than to think relying on the Destroyer wouldn’t end badly. So, what happened when you returned to the Duchy?”

“Well, the march back wasn’t pleasant, not pleasant at all. No one from the Royal Guards spoke to us, except to give instructions and orders. They let us know they were very angry at our folly and they had every reason to be, because they lost 43 of their own men trying to save us. As soon as we passed the fortress in Iyoshnyakt-Krepockt, most of the Guards went back to their garrisons, but His Majesty and about a thousand of his men escorted us to the capitol. When they took away our weapons, we realized we were prisoners. We didn’t know what was going to happen to us, but rumors started circulating the Danubian Church wanted to collar us as heretics. And we were right, the Prophets did want to collar us. We were brought to the Plaza of the Ancients and ordered to strip. They took all our clothes and burned them. We were not a pretty sight, if you can imagine 500 dirty, starving, exhausted militia fighters, many of us with injuries, having to huddle naked in the plaza over there. They had execution stakes set up and we were wondering if we had been rescued only to have our souls separated from our bodies in the capitol. Then the Guards separated us into groups and the Priests started calling us forward, one by one. They wrote our names, asked what unit we were with, and demanded to know who we saw killed in combat and under what circumstances. Then each of us had to stand on the steps of the Temple and in a loud voice publicly rebuke the Destroyer. You can imagine how hard that was for many of us, to deliberately insult the Destroyer and claim the Destroyer has no power over the Creator or the Ancients. There were 19 militia members who couldn’t do it, couldn’t insult the Destroyer, and they ended up tied to the execution posts with five arrows embedded in their chests. The rest of us did as we were told.”

Tanelickt paused to collect his thoughts. Danka stayed silent until he continued:

“The Prophets wanted to collar everyone from the militia and have us spend the rest of our lives performing Public Penance, but the Grand Duke wanted to take us as experienced fighters for his army. So, he and the Prophets reached an agreement over what to do with us. We are sinners, worshipers of the Destroyer, and renegades, so we deserved to be collared. It is the Path in Life of each of us to be collared and spend the rest of our time in the Realm of the Living serving the Church and performing Public Penance. But the Grand Duke issued a reprieve for those of us willing to serve him first. If we join the Royal Guards, we can delay wearing a Church collar until our enlistment ends. I’m sure you can guess which choice, the collar or Royal service, was more popular. And the arrangement makes sense for both the Grand Duke and us. As long as we stay with the Royal Guards, we can avoid wearing the collar, but we must report to the Temple and turn ourselves in for Public Penance the moment we leave His Majesty’s service. Not much incentive to leave the Guards and return to civilian life, is it?”

Danka smiled slightly.

“No, I suppose not. I guess I’m different, because I really don’t mind wearing a collar. I enjoy being naked, and in some ways I feel I have more freedom with a collar than without. Very well, I have a question. I was wondering if you know what happened to Defender Oana, the nymph who… ”

“Oh yes. Her. She fled the city through the north gate with the first group of survivors. It was strange, because she was the only nymph from the two squads of women serving directly under Commander Saupeckt to survive. Plenty of nymphs from other companies escaped, but no women from the commander’s group. Just Oana, and you, of course.”

“From Defender Dalibora’s squad, no one got out?”

“No.”

“Nor from Oana’s group of recruits, no one?”

“No one.”

“Oana left completely by herself? She didn’t bring anyone else out?”

“No, and I found that very strange. She was the only commander who didn’t come out with at least some of her troops.”

“What did she say about that?”

“She said it was simple luck. All of her nymphs were killed on the rooftops, except for four who were injured. She helped them get into a stone house and went to get help, but when she returned, the door was kicked open, the four women had been bayoneted, and the house was set on fire. She managed to kill one of the men who set the fire, but then had to flee because she didn’t have time to reload her crossbow. Then she saw the Defenders had started to evacuate, so she joined the others. That was the story she told. So, now, I’d imagine what she said wasn’t the truth. If it was the truth, you wouldn’t be sitting here, would you?”

“I was one of those four nymphs she was talking about. I wasn’t injured, but I was taking care of the others. My squad leader, Defender Dalibora, had a bad leg wound and was with me, along with a couple of Oana’s women. When she last saw us, we were very much alive. She left us and never came back.”

“and you think she left you on purpose?”

“Absolutely.”

“But why would she do that?”

Danka explained the circumstances surrounding Oana’s squad being taken away from her for poor leadership and the commander’s effort to soften the blow by having her recruit a new squad of nymphs. Then she described what Oana told her and the others in the house, not to look outside until she came back. Finally, she repeated Dalibora’s suspicions about her fellow squad leader.

“But, you think she was so bitter that she’d abandon injured nymphs, women from her own squad, to the enemy? I’ve never heard of that. I always thought nymphs went to extremes to make sure other nymphs were never captured.”

“Oana went to extremes, but in our case to do the opposite. She wanted to abandon us and make sure no one found us, except Kingdom of the Moon troops.”

“So, are you planning to do anything about it?”

“Well, the main reason I came here was to find out if she was still alive. Dalibora was still my commander when she issued her final order: for me to poison her so she wouldn’t be captured, and then I was to sneak out of Aksheriri Ris. The reason she wanted me to get away was so I could find Oana and deal with her. The Ancients helped me escape. Now that I’ve returned, I’m sworn to carry out my squad leader’s final order. Do you have any idea where Oana went?”

“The last I heard, she went east to a town called Novo Sokukt Tok, which is located in the Vice Duchy, to the south.”

Danka sighed. “I just came from that direction. Now I have to go back.”

“Then you’ll have to hurry, if you want to get to the pass before the weather gets cold. I suppose I can learn more about her from my supervising Priest, if you’d like, and make sure your trip is not wasted.”

Danka nodded, but she was curious about her companion’s decision to stay at the Temple. “What about you? How did you end up here, performing Public Penance at the Temple? Why didn’t you join the Royal Guards?”

“I prayed about it. I wanted to join, but I received a very strong feeling I needed to accept the collar and stay behind, that there was something important I needed to do. I suspect I just did it.”

“Telling me about Oana?”

“Yes. If it’s true she deliberately abandoned you to the enemy, then Oana is the very definition of dishonor. As Defenders, it is our duty to remove such a person from the Realm of the Living.”

Danka wondered about Tanelickt’s words “our duty”. Was he planning to help her seek vengeance against Oana?

The two penitents sought out and knelt in front of the Priest responsible for supervising Tanelickt’s duties in the Temple. Danka recognized the Priest: he had been one of the younger Followers in Babackt Yaga’s encampment and had enrolled in the Old Believers’ seminary with the Alchemist’s encouragement. He was shocked upon seeing her, but quickly regained his composure.

Danka and Tanelickt explained the situation and Oana’s reprehensible actions in combat. The worst part of her behavior was not that she acted from mere cowardice, but from pure malice. She deliberately left four subordinates behind, fully expecting the enemy to capture and torture them. On the topic of retribution, the Priest was a Follower of the Ancients first, and a Clergy member of the Church second. Yes, he agreed it was very important that Danka and Tanelickt find and exact revenge against Oana. However, he added the two ex-Defenders would have to figure out how to avenge Dalibora and the other nymphs without actually killing the former squad leader.

“Killing is very easy. You militia fighters know that better than anyone else. So, let me lay a challenge at your feet. How can you achieve vengeance without killing? It can be done and it’s what I expect from you. So, you will leave this Temple, both of you, with my permission and my blessing, provided you don’t shed her blood. Think it over, and we’ll talk tomorrow.”

Danka and Tanelickt were too tired to further discuss Oana that day. Instead, they exited the back of the Temple to walk through the woods and bathe in the East Danube River. When they emerged from the water, she noticed him looking at her with a longing expression. It was obvious he wanted her. She saw nothing wrong with that: she was a widow and he already had endured several months without having sex. She took his hand, placed against it her chest, and allowed him to explore her body. She expertly teased him until he was hard, before pushing him to the ground. She straddled him and pushed his penis deep inside. For a moment her old fantasy of being Lilith returned as she climaxed. It was the first time she had enjoyed an orgasm since the beginning of April, the last time she made love to her husband.

When they both finished, she bent down to kiss him. Then she put her finger on his lips:

“Until we’re finished with Oana and we part ways, you can have me whenever you want. My only request is that we always make love this way. I can’t explain it, but it’s what I need. Give me that, and I’ll give you what you need.”

Tanelickt agreed. As a penitent, he didn’t have any opportunities to have sex, so Danka’s condition for love-making was a very small sacrifice for a man in his situation.

———-

When Danka and Tanelickt returned to the Priest the next day, he handed them letters instructing any Clergy member in Novo Sokukt Tok to remove the penitents’ collars when asked, and also to provide lodging. He gave Tanelickt another letter granting him permission to join the Royal Guards as soon as he completed his tasking with Danka. The ex-Defender was very grateful for the second letter. When, against his wishes, he chose the collar over the Royal Guards, he had assumed the choice was final, that he’d have to endure the rest of his time in the Realm of the Living as a penitent.

The Priest took Danka aside, away from Tanelickt.

“Do you remember the True Believers’ Priest in Nagoronkti-Serifkti?”

Danka smiled. “Of course I remember him. That was one of the most fun things I ever did in my life.”

“That will give you something to think about when you go looking for Oana. Think about how you’d set up something like that. And most important, think about what you’d want to say to her.”

Danka’s heart raced at the suggestion. Of course. It was so obvious. Oana would receive a visitor, from the Realm of the Afterlife.