The Courier
Copyright 2008 by EC
EC's Erotic Art & Fiction - http://www.ecgraphicarts.com/

(warnings: erotic discipline, sex between adults, medical fetish, 
forced public nudity, rape, harsh police interrogation)


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, Danube City’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 
Danube City. 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 secondary crossings that 
exited through the mountains that formed 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 service 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 very 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 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 flames coming from within the 
wreck. Much later, investigators would speculate 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 very 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 his 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 very 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 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 want to 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 
inquire about their disappearance. They never existed in the 
first place.

While the operation 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. The 
chase never happened. If the three Rural Patrol officers agreed 
to stay silent about the incident, Vladik would personally assure 
that 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 Vidmarkt turned out to be extremely 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 very 
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 very 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 Vidmarkt 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 very 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, 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, 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 the Lord 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 mentally he was very 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, once again, 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 consulting with 
employees from Mega-Town Associates. He seemed genuinely 
horrified when he found out that Mega-Town was ultimately behind 
the advisors who had influenced the Grand Duchess.

Vladim Dukov felt that the Grand Duke should have been prosecuted 
for negligence and dereliction of duty, if nothing else. 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 the country. Dukov commented:

“As Grand Duke, your duties aren’t very 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 Danubia.”

“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 above 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 man’s laziness will work to my benefit, Dukov 
thought to himself…

The 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, 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 quite 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. 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 left the room.

----------

During the final hour of his existence in the Realm of the 
Living, the Lord 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, the Lord 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. 
Rather than 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 very gentile 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 walking 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 very 
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 girl 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 quite 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 
are 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 very 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 12 km.

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

