The Courier Ch. 20

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cecilia tried to hold back her tears.

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

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

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Cecilia had to return to the Temple. The Priestess released Jason, but flatly announced that Cecilia would not be going home that night. Instead the two women took a trolley to the outer edge of Danube City. They got off at the very last stop and in the darkness walked several blocks to the last row of houses. Cecilia was terrified, being alone with the intimidating Clergy-woman. When they passed the last house, the Priestess stopped. Cecilia immediately knelt. The Priestess then did something that totally shocked the American: she pulled her dress over her head, exposing her statuesque figure.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Doc-Doc!"

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

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

"Doc-Doc Dukov!"

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

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

"Where is Criminal # 101025?"

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

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

Crack!

"Speak, you foul dishonored creature! Speak!"

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

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

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

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

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

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

One of the guards responded:

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

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

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

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

"Lord, do you recognize this document?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

The shock of hearing a member of the Danubian Clergy calling him the worst thing a person could be called in Danubia momentarily stunned the Lord. Before he could react, the Priestess ordered the guards to grab him and push him into a holding cell, the very same cell where Maria Elena had been kept. Meanwhile, Kim ordered Cecilia and the other servant to unbuckle Criminal # 101025's bonds and help her off the table.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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