The Girl with No Name Ch. 16

Silvítya spent the next several days in the Grand Duke's study, dictating Babáckt Yaga's coded script into modern Danubian while he wrote down the formulas in his own hand. Unknowingly, she was providing him with yet more inventions he would eventually claim credit for. Upon assuring himself the formulas were accurate and would provide the explosions he needed, he would burn Babáckt Yaga's texts and retain only what was in his handwriting. Even in an hour of grave danger, the ruler's thoughts never strayed from shameless plagiarism.

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The Royal Army of the Grand Duchy of Upper Danubia was at full strength by the middle of May. The Austrian muskets had arrived, so the men spent countless hours practicing with their new weapons. The cavalry units rode around the countryside to the east of the capitol practicing maneuvers and leading enemy horsemen into ambushes and traps. Meanwhile, traditional archers with crossbows practiced around the buildings of the capitol, which was something the men thought was very strange. Wouldn't it make more sense to go into the forest and practice there, since that was the place from which the Duchy had always been defended?

The Grand Duke vanished for a couple of days with several alchemists and explosives experts. There were a series of very loud explosions that terrorized local villagers and could be heard as muffled booms in the capitol. The ruler returned, satisfied that his experimental new explosives and ingenious fuses had worked exactly as he had hoped. His chemists immediately set to work creating wagons-full of the new explosives, countless fathoms of fuse line, and large containers shaped like bowls. The mood of the troops improved when rumors spread that the Grand Duke had invented a secret weapon and was planning to use it in the upcoming campaign.

One of the Grand Duke's final tasks before starting the campaign was to pick his most trusted medical team. Yes, he had the castle medics and field doctors, but now he also had 17 women with knowledge of the practices of the Followers of the Ancients. He decided to split the women. The majority of the concubines would stay behind in the castle to take care of any needs arising in the Royal Household, while four military wives and three concubines would accompany the Royal Army. His favorite concubine would lead the group. Fortunately for Silvítya's peace of mind, Antonia was among those remaining behind at the castle.

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The Grand Duke and his top generals received blessings from the Grand Prophet of the Danubian Church in the Great Temple of the Ancients on the final day of May in 1754. Silvítya and her two fellow concubines were among the Royal entourage, dressed in lavender dresses and wearing the red headscarves that marked them as the Grand Duke's women. It felt strange to be wearing clothing again after having spent nearly a year in the nude.

It was also strange to watch the Grand Duke kneeling to receive a benediction. She knew he was not the least bit religious, but he had to put on a performance to satisfy his soldiers and the people of the capitol. Immediately after the blessing, the Duke's men would start their journey south. Many of the men, perhaps most of them, perhaps all of them, would never see the capitol again.

The Grand Duke had received information the Lord of the Red Moon had assembled his army and was preparing to move northward. The enemy had received assurances from other European countries that no one would send aid to the Duchy. Throughout the rest of Europe, rulers and advisors had written-off the Grand Duchy of Upper Danubia. Within a few weeks the country would cease to exist and the rest of Europe could move forward with grand international plans to attack the Ottoman Empire. The Duchy was looked upon as a stone in the road that needed to be kicked aside.

The Grand Duke had to give a speech: everyone expected that from him. However, he did not want the world to remember him for bombastic words of victory, should that victory elude him. He gave a very short statement:

"Today we march: tomorrow we will discover where our Paths in Life will lead us, and how much longer our Paths will continue. I do not know our fate, anymore than any other soul in this city would know our fate. We will either lose and die by our enemy's hand, or we will win and return. The Creator and the Ancients will make that decision."

The Grand Duke looked around at his subjects and concluded:

"I will not see any of you again if we are not victorious. My Path in Life is the same as the Duchy's Path in Life. Without the Duchy and the men who are defending it, I am nothing. I will show my face to this city only when I think the Duchy's fate is secure. So...for those of you who remain behind, I ask that you pray for us, and you pray that I, and the men standing with me, will once again see our fair land. When that moment comes, it will be a happy one for all of us."

There was no cheering, because the Duchy's citizens knew how serious their situation had become. Instead, as the Grand Duke and his entourage departed, the entire city sang an ancient ballad of farewell. It was the same song the residents of the capitol sang in 1531, when King Vladik the Defender left the city for the last time in his life, to fight his final battle against the invading Ottomans.