The Girl with No Name Ch. 16

The final stop was at the Temple of the Ancients, where she would have to go to obtain cadavers. Purchasing the bodies would not be difficult: there were plenty of destitute refugee families living outside the capitol who were unable to give their dead relatives proper burials. Many desperate families would be happy to release their relatives' corpses in exchange for having money to buy food for several weeks.

Silvítya approached a Priest, who told her to kneel and wait until an Apprentice could deal with her request. After several minutes of kneeling with her face to the ground and being forced to completely expose herself to Protector Buláshckt, a pair of female Temple Apprentices dressed in ragged black seminary robes approached to take her request. By very unfortunate coincidence one of the women had been one of her fellow initiates during her year in Babáckt Yaga's settlement. Silvítya's former companion was totally shocked to see her in the capitol and wearing, of all things, a concubine's scarf.

The former Followers badly wanted to catch up on each other's news, but Silvítya's embarrassing predicament prevented them from having any meaningful conversation. Silvítya explained about purchasing cadavers and having them delivered to the castle. The Apprentice wrote down the request. They were about to part ways when she commented:

"Follower Danka...I need to ask...what...I mean...what happened to you? How did you enter His Majesty's service...as a concubine?"

Tears welled up in Silvítya's eyes, but she forced herself to respond:

"Hubris, Apprentice. My soul was full of hubris and the Ancients chose to punish me. Things like this happen when hubris makes a person stupid and that person acts on her stupidity. I was a fool, with my head full of pride and foolish thoughts. If you knew what I was thinking at the time my Path in Life crossed with that of His Majesty, you would agree the punishment the Ancients gave me was just."

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Silvítya set up a make-shift medical school in an empty Royal Guard barracks located in the city at the base of the hill where the castle was located. The location forced the concubines to leave the castle each day. The classes started at the beginning of April. Fortunately, spring that year had come early to the Duchy, so the weather was warm enough for the women to walk down the hill in relative comfort. They put on their red scarves and shoes and, under the escort of Protector Buláshckt and one of his squad members, cheerfully made the trek. Although their days no longer were spent in idle relaxation, they enjoyed the walks and the chance to get away from the confines of the castle. It was nice to have the chance to exercise and see the East Danube River and a portion of the city.

The Grand Duke originally had planned for the concubines to conduct their medical training inside the castle, but Silvítya reminded him about the cadavers and pigs. She persuaded him to move the teaching venue when she asked:

"You humble serving girl wishes to know of Your Majesty truly wants dead bodies and screaming pigs inside the Royal Household. Perhaps Your Majesty would prefer a different location?"

The concubines already had received some medical training from their spokeswoman, but it was mostly related to women's healthcare, potion-making, and disease prevention. The women now would receive training that would be totally different: treating injuries. On the first day Silvítya started the lesson by killing and dissecting a pig. The cadavers had not yet arrived, and the spokeswoman figured it would be less traumatic for her class to be used to looking at dead animals before having to deal with looking at dead humans.

Silvítya wondered about the castle doctors. The Royal Household did have several doctors, but none of them had come to the class to assist with the teaching or monitor what was going on. It turned out the Grand Duke had sent the rest of his medical staff to be with his troops while they were training. There was another reason no castle doctors were present: the Grand Duke wanted the women trained according to the practices of the Followers of the Ancients, with no interference from his staff, whose training had been very different.

On the second day of class, the concubines were joined by six wives of Royal Guards. The six newcomers totally ruined the day for the instructor by assuming they were superior to their naked instructor and ten naked classmates. No...that would not do. Silvítya would have to remove them from the class or force them to behave if she were to teach.

The sovereign's solution was simple: the wives would have to strip before leaving the castle and accompany the concubines as they walked in the nude down the hill. The wives would spend the entire day as naked as their classmates. The Grand Duke added two more rules to make sure there was no more friction among the students. Any student, whether she was a concubine or castle wife, would have to kneel when talking to the instructor. Also, the instructor would carry a leather switch and had the Grand Duke's explicit authority to use it on any student causing trouble or failing to perform.

The six wives were aghast the next morning when Protector Buláshckt ordered them to undress, while Silvítya tapped the switch in her hand. Their pride and arrogance vanished immediately. They huddled together and walked very slowly down the hill. Silvítya realized she had the chance to exercise her authority by demanding they uncover themselves and walk normally. After several warnings, she ordered the worst offender to place her hands on a fence. When the woman desperately looked at Protector Buláshckt, he responded:

"You heard His Majesty's orders, just as well as I did. You are commanded to obey your instructor. Disobedience merits the switch. What part of that can't you comprehend? Now, you will place your hands on the fence and accept punishment. If you don't, I will report your disobedience to His Majesty and he will deal with you directly."

The woman started to cry, but she reluctantly placed her hands on the fence and stuck out her bottom. Silvítya struck a hard blow across both sides. The woman shrieked and pulled away, holding her injured backside with her hands. Protector Buláshckt pulled out his sword.

"Hands on the fence, bottom out. Quit dishonoring yourself with your cowardice."

Silvítya delivered four additional hard strokes. The wife shrieked and pulled away with each new welt, only to face the Royal Guard's sword and a warning to resume her position. After the fifth stroke, Silvítya ordered all six wives to kneel and concluded with:

"Now, you've heard your orders and you will comply with them. You will continue walking, at a normal pace, with a normal posture, and with your hands at your sides. You might as well pretend you're concubines, because as long as you are with me, you are no better than any of your classmates. Remember, if you had just treated us with respect yesterday, none of this would be happening to you."

Silvítya could tell that Protector Buláshckt and his squad member were thoroughly enjoying the spectacle. They knew the arrogant wives and relished the sight of them being humbled by, of all people, a concubine.

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Silvítya realized that she had a gift for explaining things such as complicated medical procedures and operations. Her peasant background assisted her, because she felt much more comfortable demonstrating with her hands instead of just talking and pointing to pictures in her medical texts. Every lesson revolved around hands-on practice with cadavers or injured pigs; from the very first day the women were expected to get their hands dirty.

The instructor had proven her willingness to use the switch with the Guards' wives. Knowing that they would have no recourse if they misbehaved, none of the visiting women dared test their instructor again. They were afraid of Silvítya, but all they had to do was follow her instructions to the best of their ability and nothing would happen to them.

Oddly, the next woman in the group to face the switch was Antonia. Silvítya's lover did not understand that when she was instructing, the personal relationship they shared was irrelevant. Antonia had to learn field surgery just as much as any other student, but Silvítya could tell that she was taking the class for granted and not paying attention to the careful calculations needed to administer anesthesia. When it was her turn to anesthetize and operate on a pig that had been shot with two arrows and had a broken leg, Antonia totally botched the assignment. The pig died from an overdose because Antonia had improperly prepared the formulas for both the general anesthesia and the local pain-killer.

Silvítya was furious, partly because a pig had been wasted and partly because by slacking off, Antonia was inadvertently challenging her authority. She ordered her student to bend over the instruction table. At first Antonia was bewildered by the command; not yet realizing the instructor was dead serious.

"If that pig had been a Royal Guard, what would have happened, Sister Antonia? What would have happened?"

"Well...uh...Sister...I would have been more careful...but it was just a pig..."

"It was practice for reality! It was not 'just a pig'! I can tolerate mistakes...those happen! But I will not tolerate a person who dishonors herself through negligence! That I will not tolerate! You will suffer the consequences of your negligence, you will learn from your dishonor, you will try the operation again, and the next time you will succeed! And now, you will suffer the consequences! Bend over the table, with your bottom facing the class. Hold the edge with your hands..."

"Sister Silvítya...seriously...you can't..."

"Oh...you think I can't? I believe I can, because His Majesty clearly gave me the authority to discipline you. And so...what makes you special, Sister Antonia?"

Antonia's expression reflected total shock and hurt at the instructor's last comment. Her eyes met Silvítya's, silently begging to be let off. You know what makes me special, she plead with her look. I love you. Doesn't that matter?

Silvítya tapped the table with her switch. No, it does not matter, she silently replied with her unyielding expression. You love me at night. You are my student during the day. You're no different than anyone else.

"You're already facing 15 strokes for incompetence, inattention, and disobedience, Sister Antonia. If I need to tie you, I will make it 25. Do as I say. Bend over and hold the edge."

Silvítya banged the table with her switch. Tears welled up in Antonia's eyes. She couldn't believe the person she most loved could do this to her. Trembling, she bent over the table, with her face towards the wall and her bottom in clear view of 15 classmates and two Royal Guards.

Silvítya faced her task with very conflicted thoughts. She was furious about the wasted pig, but even more angry that Antonia had placed her in such a difficult situation. Everyone knew that Antonia was the person closest to Silvítya. Therefore, the students, especially the six military wives, were carefully watching to see how their instructor would handle her. Silvítya knew she would have to be harsh with her lover if she wanted the others to take her seriously. It was an opportunity to make everyone, including Antonia, understand she was not about to show any favoritism.

Silvítya also knew her relationship with Antonia would be forever changed. Until that moment, there had been nothing but tenderness between the two women. Silvítya knew that Antonia would be devastated for days, and that it was very possible the relationship would end. Silvítya did not want to lose her lover, but she couldn't jeopardize her standing with the Grand Duke or her class.

Silvítya felt something else as she rubbed the switch over her lover's trembling bottom. She was aroused. She very surprised and felt guilty about it, but she realized she was becoming wet between her legs.

Silvítya struck hard with a severe blow that was even more severe than the first stroke she gave to the guard's wife. Antonia cried out from the shock of the blow. Her hands immediately covered her injured bottom. Silvítya shouted:

"Lie down, Sister Antonia, and do not try covering yourself again! If you dare disobey me a second time, I will hit you 25 times. Now, is that what you want?"

Antonia sobbed: "No Sister."

"The lie down. Face forward, hands on the table, feet on the floor, legs spread. DO IT!"

Shaking with fear, hurt, and humiliation, Antonia complied. She sobbed throughout the rest of the punishment, but did not dare move. Silvítya struck, waited for each welt to rise so she could clearly see it and avoid crossing it, and struck again. Although she was not used to wielding the switch, she had witnessed enough punishments in Sebérnekt Ris to know how they needed to be carried out.

After finishing with the 15th stroke, the instructor ordered Antonia to stand in front of the class, with her hands on the wall and her back arched to display the darkening welts on her punished bottom. The girl's body shook with sobs. Fortunately, she did not have to stay in that position for very long, because the day was almost over. Silvítya ordered the other students to clean the room and carve up the dead pig so the meat could be delivered to the castle's main kitchen. As they went about their duties, the students constantly glanced at Antonia's trembling bottom, watching as the welts grew darker.

Antonia's face was still streaked with tears as the group trudged up the hill towards the castle. When the concubines bathed for the night, Antonia sat silently in the water, soaking her injured bottom. Silvítya did not approach her, but some of the other women tried to comfort her. Silvítya slept alone that night. Antonia slept in her own bed.

Antonia did not speak to Silvítya for three days. During that time she practiced preparing anesthesia and making sure the measurements were correct. When Silvítya felt she was ready for another hands-on test, she managed to sedate and successfully operate on the injured pig. The second animal survived its ordeal.

That night, Antonia shyly returned to Silvítya's bedchamber. She didn't say anything, but she allowed Silvítya to take her in her arms and comfort her in bed. Silvítya sat on her bed and pulled Antonia over her thighs so she could gently caress the bruises and massage her still-tender backside. Antonia greatly enjoyed lying across her lover's lap with her hand gently caressing her bottom. The submissive position became part of their nightly routine: Antonia lying across Silvítya's lap and enjoying having her bottom gently traced with her lover's fingertips and massaged. Silvítya enjoyed the new routine as well. As much as punishing Antonia had excited her, she hoped she'd never have to mark those lovely bottom-cheeks a second time.

The two women never spoke about the discipline incident. On the surface it appeared their relationship had returned to normal. However, Antonia's personality changed: she became quieter and even more submissive than she had been before. During their remaining time together, she was careful to obey Silvítya and comply with anything she wanted. Silvítya realized she could have converted Antonia into her personal servant had she so desired. She wanted to talk to her lover about the switching, but that conversation never happened.

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Throughout the late spring, the Grand Duke kept Silvítya in his bed chamber to share his bath, after he had satisfied himself with his other concubines and she had finished her medical instruction for the day. He spent countless hours with his favorite servant, talking about the Duchy's military dilemma and possible options. He really was not talking to her at all: he was just thinking out loud and needed another person in the room; one who was presumably harmless, to allow his mind to work through the thinking process. It indeed was true that she would never do anything to counter his plans or betray him. She was his subject after-all but, more importantly, she was a Danubian who wanted her nation and her people to survive. It sounded like the Lord of the Red Moon was a very frightening enemy. It was unlikely anyone in the castle, not even the concubines, would be spared if the Army of the Moon took over Danúbikt Móskt. She would do whatever she could to assist her ruler. As flawed a man as he might be, the Grand Duke was the Duchy's only hope for surviving the looming crisis.

About two weeks after she punished Antonia, Silvítya spent a normal evening with the Grand Duke, first satisfying him sexually in the company of two other concubines, and then sitting alone with him in his bath. She massaged his back and legs. He became hard and ordered her to bend over the side of the bath so he could take her from behind. Then she dried him off and he took her to his bed so she could give him a final massage for the night. The ruler was not able to relax. He suddenly sat up and turned to his servant:

"I have a question and you will answer. When you fled from the mountains and went to Sebérnekt Ris, what exactly happened to the Followers' settlement? I understand that it exploded, at a great cost to the True Believers I believe, but I need to know the details of how that happened. How exactly did the settlement explode? How did your Elders prepare for it?"

Silvítya told her master what she knew, which was frustratingly little. She believed there must have been a series of tubes connecting holes in the ground with hollowed-out spaces in the buildings that contained musket powder. The Grand Duke countered that musket powder could not have made such violent explosions: it had to be something else, or at least special musket powder that had somehow been altered to produce an enhanced detonation.

"I am commanding you to figure out how those explosions were created. I have settled on a plan to defend the Duchy, but that plan depends on you finding out how your Elders managed to create those blasts. I will give you free access to the papers I've taken from the Cult and anything else you need, but you absolutely have to find that formula and replicate it. And the fuses as well. I need to know how those fuses were created. Your life depends on it. The Duchy's life depends on it. And if you need further convincing, you might consider what the Lord of the Red Moon would do to Servant Antonia, if he ever gets his hands on her."

Silvítya felt sick to her stomach. So, the Grand Duke did know about her relationship with Antonia. However, that didn't matter. What mattered was he had touched on the one person Silvítya would do anything to protect. He couldn't have chosen a better way to motivate her to figure out the mystery of the Followers' explosive powder and how to replicate it.

"Yes, Your Majesty. To hear is to obey."

Silvítya spent an entire afternoon of frantic searching in the secret annex of the Royal Library. She suspected the formula would be written in archaic Danubian in Babáckt Yaga's coded script, which narrowed her quest considerably. Sure enough, after sunset she found what she was looking for, a diagram of the settlement with coded images of the fuse lines. A few minutes later she found the formula for making the fuses and waterproofing them. She later found several versions of the explosives recipe, all written in archaic Danubian. She realized the variations were designed to focus blasts depending on where they were located and what needed to be blown up. Although she already had what she needed, she continued searching to see if there was anything else that could be useful to the Royal Army. She was rewarded by finding the recipe for making the Followers' explosive goose eggs.