Chapter 9: The Follower of the Ancients

The first two Followers among those who had left the settlement for the winter returned in the middle of March. The men braved several days struggling up mountain trails covered with icy mud, leading four pack mules loaded with spices, dried fruit, books, and correspondence from Sebernekt Ris. The men’s arrival was a time of excitement in the settlement as its residents spent their meals reading letters and listening to the newcomers’ updates on events around the Duchy.

One of the men, a middle-aged field-surgeon named Ermin, also brought some bad news. In October he had left in the company of his pregnant wife, but returned as a widower. In January the wife had suffered a miscarriage and died of blood-poisoning a few days later. Ermin was distraught, because he was unable to help her and never managed to figure out what happened. He spent the day after he arrived with Babackt Yaga, carefully describing his wife’s symptoms and the measures he took trying to save her. The Cult leader kept a journal in which she detailed unsolved medical cases, and now faced the unhappy task of adding one of her Followers to its contents.

Danka never understood why, but of all the middle-aged men in the settlement from whom she had received instruction over the previous summer, she had liked Ermin the best. He had traveled widely and was interesting to talk to. He also was an excellent instructor for the newcomers, patient and capable of explaining complicated subjects so that anyone could understand them. If an initiate did not grasp what he was teaching, he did not automatically assume it was because of his pupil’s stupidity or stubbornness.

Precisely because Danka liked Ermin, Babackt Yaga tasked her with helping him unpack and setting up his bath. The alchemist figured that Ermin needed to talk and knew that Danka was an excellent listener. She also calculated that being alone with Ermin might help Danka begin winding down her relationship with Kaloyankt. She disposed of Danka’s current lover by sending him on a fishing expedition with another young female Follower.

So, Danka accompanied Ermin to the bathhouse. She took his clothes and dropped them in a tub of hot water as he settled into the bathtub. She stripped as well, taking advantage of the heated water to wash her own clothing. She then covered his head with soap so she could shave his face and scalp. He had not been shaved since the end of January. He sat quietly while his young companion cleared away two months’ growth of hair.

After she finished shaving Ermin, Danka told him to just relax while she dealt with their clothing. The Followers had constructed a rolling device to extract water from wet clothes that was much more efficient than trying to wring them out.

She noticed her companion staring at her body as she moved about the room. She couldn’t fault him for it: after having spent two months alone, he couldn’t be expected to look away from the bare figure of an attractive young woman. Danka realized she was somewhat attracted to him as well. The years had taken their toll and he was not particularly good-looking, but she liked his personality and appreciated his talent for teaching. Most importantly, she found him interesting to talk to. She patiently listened as he described what happened to his wife and his own feelings of guilt and sadness. His situation was frustrating, because he understood medical knowledge was advancing and eventually the ability to help a woman in his wife’s situation would be developed. That was fine for future generations, but didn’t do him any good.

As she passed the clothes through the roller, she continued with the conversation. Her background did not give her much experience for expressing sympathy, so she did not try to comfort him with kind words. Instead she encouraged him to go into technical detail about what went wrong with his wife’s pregnancy and what would have been needed to save her. She prompted him to talk as a doctor and a teacher, not as a grieving husband. As always, she wanted to learn. As Ermin’s teaching instincts took over and when he continued to talk about the miscarriage as a medical practitioner, his emotions began to recover.

Danka returned to her companion to rinse off his head and make sure she had not missed any spots. She decided to rub some more soap on his back. Without thinking about what she was doing, she massaged his shoulders. When she inadvertently brushed his skin with her breasts, he reached up, grabbed her arm, and pulled her to his front. He looked up at her with a hungry expression. Suddenly, the mood in the room completely changed.

“You do understand, young lady, that it’s been over six months for me. I have not touched a woman for six months. If you wish to tempt me, there will be consequences.”

Danka was shocked. She hadn’t really thought about sex, but how could she have been so oblivious? She was naked, with a naked man, in a warm room, and had just spent the last hour letting him watch her as she went about her duties. Finally, she was massaging him. Yes, that would indeed be tempting for any man. Yes, there would be consequences. She realized that’s what she wanted. She glanced into the bathwater and noted that he was hard.

She wasn’t sure what to say, but with her free hand she caressed Ermin’s arm. So ... it was decided. She would give herself to him. That afternoon her body would belong to Ermin, not Kaloyankt.

Ermin let go of Danka’s arm. He knelt in the bathtub and grabbed the girl’s shoulders. He kissed her hard on the neck and ran his wet hands up and down her back. He stood up, kissed her passionately, and ran his hands over her bottom. She massaged his penis, making it as hard as she could. And yes, he was hard. He certainly would have no trouble entering her.

The bath house was not set up for love-making: there was no comfortable place to lie down. Danka noted a sturdy worktable. That would have to suffice. Actually, the table gave her an idea. She placed her hands on the surface, spread her legs, and looked back at him. She assumed the traditional submissive love-making position.

She looked back at him and smiled. I’m yours. Take me. I surrender myself to you.

Neither lover really understood what was going on in Danka’s mind at that moment. There was no hesitation, nor a single thought about Kaloyankt. She was desperate to give herself to Ermin. Without saying anything, he placed one hand on her shoulder and caressed her bottom with the other. He explored her vulva and slipped his finger into her wet pussy. He teased her clitoris and ran a fingertip around her trembling sphincter. He continued to tease to make her desperate, to make her truly want it.

Finally, he pushed her down onto the table and motioned her to arch her hips to expose herself as much as possible. Six months ... he had waited six months. He thrust very hard as six months of pent-up desire and frustration poured out of him into Danka’s eager body. She squealed with pleasure and he grunted loudly. Oh yes, so good.

Babackt Yaga stood near the back wall of the bath house listening to her two subordinates. She was deeply satisfied. Hopefully, Danka would realize on her own that her Path in Life did not include staying with Kaloyankt. He was a fine young man, but it was not his destiny to be Danka’s husband. The alchemist knew that his Path in Life would take him back to Severckt nad Goradki. He would take over his father’s house and help transform that city. To fulfill his Path in Life, he needed a girl acceptable to the town’s nobility. Danka wouldn’t suit him, nor would life among the spoiled aristocrats suit her. They needed to separate. Now that Danka had betrayed her relationship with Kaloyankt, hopefully leaving him would be much easier.

The next day Danka had finished some outdoor chores and was about to return to Babackt Yaga’s study to continue working on transcribing a book. It was still too cold to walk around naked, so she was wearing her coat and boots. As usual, she was bare between her waist and her knees. She saw Ermin repairing a fence. She could tell by his expression that his mood had greatly improved. She now understood the reason that Babackt Yaga had wanted her to be alone with him and was strangely excited to see him. It wasn’t that she simply wanted another round of sex: she wanted something more that she really couldn’t define. She realized that she wanted him to take her again. She wanted to submit to him, a desire she had never experienced with Kaloyankt.

The two Followers exchanged some comments about the day’s chores, before the conversation shifted to the book Danka was working on. Ermin gave the young woman some observations about the translation, but was distracted by the strange look in her eyes. Without really thinking about what she was doing, Danka placed her hands on the fence and smiled. Ermin’s penis started to stiffen. He grabbed her hand and led her behind a storage cabin, to a spot that was hidden from the rest of the camp. There happened to be an abandoned barrel partially buried in the ground, at perfect level for what the two lovers wanted to do. Danka got on her elbows and knees, exposing herself as much as she could. Ermin caressed her bottom and teased between her legs. Already she was wet, but Ermin made an odd comment, originally meant to be a joke, that set loose a wild fantasy in her thoughts.

“You really are an undisciplined temptress, young lady, distracting me from my duties and ignoring your own. Perhaps your bottom is more suited for touch of the birch rod than the touch of my hand.”

Her heart pounded at the thought of submitting to discipline from him. As her lover’s hand gently stroked her bottom, she went wet thinking about what it would be like to endure the birch rod. To be alone with him in a hidden part of the forest, to be bent over, feeling his fingertips on her unprotected skin, but knowing that the sharp sting of the birch rod was only moments away ... yes ... she knew that she wanted it, as long as it was Ermin wielding the switch. She thought about the anticipation, of going out among the birch shoots and finding the perfect rod, peeling off the bark and cutting it to the right length. Oh yes ... then she’d shyly hand it to him ... and surrender herself.

Ermin’s fingertips gently traced her wet labia and teased her clitoris. He was surprised by how wet she had become. Her breathing was coming out in gasps. Fascinated by her reaction, he patted her bottom and added:

“You haven’t answered my observation, young lady.”

“I, I’d like that.”

Danka was shocked by her own answer. Yes, it was something she suddenly craved, but she couldn’t imagine confessing such a strange desire.

“Yes my love, you would like it, wouldn’t you? Naughty girl ... I knew it. Then I’m obligated to accommodate you. As soon as the snow clears I’ll take you to the birch grove and we’ll spend a nice long afternoon there.”

With that he entered her. She experienced a delicious orgasm as her thoughts filled with the strange fantasy that she was destined to share with her newest lover.

Kaloyankt returned from his fishing trip in a strange mood. He was eager to make love to Danka, but there was something very strange about what he was doing. It seemed he was desperate, as though he wanted to prove to either himself or to her that they were still a couple and still committed to each other. Danka wondered if he suspected her relationship with Ermin. However, she reasoned it was much more likely that he had cheated on her by making love to his fishing companion, which would have been fine with her.

Instead of paying a visit to Altar of the Equinox, the Followers spent March 21 through March 23 stranded in their settlement. A late winter storm covered the entire northern mountain range with heavy wet snow. Nearly half a fathom fell in less than a day, forcing the followers to spend their time cleaning off rooftops and clearing paths instead of giving honor to the Ancients. The leader retreated into her study which, during a moment of crisis, was unusual for her. No one saw her for three days. When she emerged, she was sullen, morose, and appeared depressed. She seemed reduced in stature, as though she had lost something in her soul. She had nothing to say at the moment, apart from announcing that she had decided to send three of the newest Followers to the seminary in Danubikt Moskt. Out of five recruits, only Danka and Kaloyankt would remain behind. After a moment of silence, one of the young women asked:

“So, we shall not be working in the villages this summer?”

“No. That is no longer your Path in Life. Your Path in Life will be to serve the Ancients through the Danubian Church. You’ll be safer there than anywhere else.”

The young Followers looked at each other. Safer? That was an odd thing for her to say.

Babackt Yaga’s settlement remained isolated for two weeks following the late snowstorm. The snow started to melt within a few days of the storm, but on March 30 the temperature rose and there were two days of heavy rain. The snow was now gone, but the paths were covered in deep mud and washed out in many places. It wasn’t until the second week of April the Followers began using the trails.

Meanwhile, in the settlement Danka continued with her studies and her daily chores. She also struggled to balance the two men in her life. Unlike her relationship with Kaloyankt, from the beginning both Danka and Ermin knew their affair was just that, an affair. There was not a chance they could stay together. And yet, he excited her, for reasons she could not have explained, even to herself. She loved being submissive to him in a way that never would occur to her when she was with Kaloyankt. With her younger lover she would never even think of assuming the submissive love-making position, but with Ermin it seemed to come naturally. As for the promise of a birching in the woods, had Kaloyankt suggested such a thing, she would have brushed him off with a joke. Had he insisted, she would have become angry. And yet, with Ermin, the promised afternoon of discipline and love-making in the birch grove was something she very much anticipated.

As she lay awake, pondering the strange twist in her love life, she wondered what it all meant. She could only hope it wouldn’t end badly. She was still known as “Kaloyankt’s woman” around the settlement and her partner seemed totally oblivious to what she was doing with the Elder. Ermin was tremendously helpful with being discreet. He had his own reason to be quiet: the older women would have disapproved had news about his relationship with the peasant girl become public.

On April 15 the entire settlement packed up for traveling. There were 50 Followers from Babackt Yaga’s compound and the area surrounding Severckt nad Goradki. The Followers’ first destination was the town of Nagoronkti-Serifkti. They spent several days in a frustratingly slow descent as they led pack animals loaded with books, manuscripts, equipment, partially prepared ingredients, and finished potions. The trek down the mountain was uneventful, apart from its physical difficulty. Upon emerging into the flat farmlands of the Western Valley, the Followers put on their formal garments, picked up their skulls, and marched solemnly along the road leading to their destination. They marched at night with their skulls lit, singing ancient hymns in a ritual that had been going on for 5000 years. Along the roads, groups of True-Believer Christians stood quietly and gawked.

Upon arriving in Nagoronkti-Serifkti, Babackt Yaga’s group greeted more of their brethren and set up camp. The town continued to be surprisingly receptive to the Cult of the Ancients, in spite of it being full of True Believers. The Followers had the local Priest to thank for the welcome, given that he was much more concerned about what the Followers could do for his parishioners than he was worried about their Pagan beliefs.

The Followers spent three days in Nagoronkti-Serifkti. During that time, Danka and her companions had little to do, so they took advantage of their free time to walk around the town and the surrounding area. She felt very proud of herself as she showed off to the locals, especially to well-dressed young women and men that were her age. Strange to think, just two years ago they would have dismissed her as an illiterate and dishonored laborer. Had she approached them, they would have hissed and kicked her. Now, they were intimidated. Yes, now, when she looked at them, they were actually afraid of her, afraid of the haughty-looking girl in the sinister back dress.

And the skull on my staff ... yes it is real ... and I saw the man to whom it belonged when he was still alive. You’ll never match any of that. None of you.

Her thoughts wandered to her hometown of Rika Heckt-nemat. It was not far from Nagoronkti-Serifkti; less than a days’ journey south. Could she go there? Oh, how would she love to return in her Cult outfit and show off and then ... and then ... and then what? Well, if she went back unaccompanied and her neighbors remembered the Beelzebub story, it was quite possible they’d finish what they started: strip off her outfit, tie her hands, and throw her into the Rika Chorna. That thought made Danka understand a very important reality: her Follower’s dress only protected her and gave her status if she was with other Cult members. As soon as she was alone, she’d be just as vulnerable as she was while wearing her laborer’s clothes.

So ... Danka was smart enough to understand that returning home in a Follower’s dress wasn’t going to do her any good. Her Mistress would never approve such a trip and even if she did, the girl’s status as a Follower would be irrelevant. Rika Heckt-nemat was a city of True Believers, where the town council was even more hostile to the Followers of the Ancients than the leaders of Severckt nad Goradki.

However, the temptation of seeking status and power so she could seek revenge did not leave Danka’s thoughts. She wondered: if I can’t do it as a Follower, then how could I do it? She tried to suppress the idea, but it stubbornly resurfaced.

Status ... power ... revenge...

The long solemn line of Followers marched west from Nagoronkti-Serifkti. They traveled slowly, in single file, with their skulls showing their presence and lighting their way. Each night additional groups of Cult members joined the main procession. They sang ancient hymns and chanted as they marched. They only traveled during darkness and stopped to set up camp as soon as the sun came up.

During the day, the Followers not tasked with cooking or attending pack animals engaged in the usual medical routine; spreading out among the nearby villages to vaccinate the locals against smallpox, perform surgeries, and sell medications. The Cult doctors were welcomed by most of the local villagers, in spite of their strange songs and sinister-looking clothing. Babackt Yaga’s subordinates adjusted their prices according to people’s ability to pay and were perfectly willing to accept trade goods or workers’ services in lieu of silver. When performing operations or delivering a baby, they only demanded payment if the procedure was successful. Even villagers who were totally destitute received attention. The Followers always needed help digging out cave-charcoal, so many of the poorest clients trekked up to the mountains to spend a couple of days pulling black rocks from the ground as reimbursement for medical attention for family members.

With Kaloyankt accompanying her as a bodyguard, Danka spent most of her mornings in village squares or marketplaces selling finished potions and recipes. The birth-control paste was the favorite; Danka could count on selling all of her jars within an hour or two of presenting her wares. Nervous young women, many of whom were keeping their purchases secret from their husbands or fathers, furtively approached her with silver coins as soon as they discovered what she was selling.

The procession left the Western Valley and turned northwest, traveling several days along a winding road through hills and mountains. On the final day of the journey the Followers did not stop when the sun came up, but instead continued moving towards their destination of Sebernekt Ris. In the distance Danka could see the East Danube River and a huge waterfall on the northern horizon. Above the waterfall there were yet more hills, most of which lay beyond the Duchy’s northern border.

Sebernekt Ris was situated in a stunning location, on top of a hill with the main road passing by to the east and steep slopes running to the East Danube River to the west. Danubia’s northernmost city guarded the only route that connected the Duchy to north-central Europe. The waterfall blocked the river as a possible transportation route, so the only way into the Western Valley was by traveling along the road. There was a fort with a cannon battery facing to the north and the main city had two walls encircling it. The city was surrounded by gardens that concealed traps and defensive positions. Assuming that a foreign army could ever force its way past the cannon crews guarding the border defenses, they would still have to conquer Sebernekt Ris before moving south.

Danka knew through her history studies that during the reign of King Vladik the Defender there had been two major invasions passing through Sebernekt Ris by armies from the Holy Roman Empire trying to conquer the Danubian capitol. On both occasions the invaders had captured the town and killed most of the inhabitants, but there they remained trapped, unable to make it past the rugged terrain and King Vladik’s guerrilla archers. It was interesting to see the place in real life and try to imagine how it must have been when the King’s Royal Army was battling the invaders.

Babackt Yaga’s old friend Fitoreckt ran the town’s university and print shop. Both institutions were set up inside a large compound that included a bathhouse and bakery. The instructors all wore Cult of the Ancients uniforms, but many of the students were dressed in ordinary civilian clothing. Students stepped outside to unload the pack mules, while the travelers entered the compound to bathe, change their clothes, eat, have sex, and sleep.

The trip was an annual event that mixed religious fanfare, getting all of the Followers together in one place and delivering translations and medical research for printing. Following a huge feast there were singing competitions with sweet-cakes given out as prizes. Danka and her two companions from the previous year won prizes by singing the seduction hymn they had used to capture the Austrian fortune-hunters. The singing was followed by the annual naked dance. All of the Followers, the elders and leaders included, stripped and spent the next hour dancing rhythmically around several bonfires. The dance was followed by the Great Fire Benediction, where everyone had to make love to at least one person he or she had never met. Danka was thrilled and took full advantage of being able to experiment with different partners and without worrying about any consequences or obligations. She wore herself out having sex with six men, ranging from an initiate from Sebernekt Ris to an Elder working in Nagoronkti-Serifkti.

The next morning Danka was one of the first Followers to wake up. She was surrounded by hundreds of naked, sleeping bodies. The entire compound reeked from the stench of stale sex. Danka knew that undoubtedly she must have been among the most offensive, with the sweat of six men covering her body and their semen dripping out of her vagina. She didn’t know what to make of her situation, now that she was alone with her thoughts. Her body ached and her vulva was raw, but she certainly had no regrets. No Christian could ever do what she had just done. Her thoughts wandered to the uptight Seminary student in Starivktaki Moskt, the one who had taught her how to read. She’d love to see that judgmental woman’s expression if she only knew what her former student had just done. With that the young woman rushed to the bathhouse to bathe ahead of the waking crowd.

She passed Babackt Yaga, who was lying with her arms around a young man who couldn’t have been any older than Danka. The leader’s century-old body was not a pretty sight. Danka smiled and suppressed a laugh. Not bad, Alchemist... 110 years old and you’re still going ... not bad at all...

Some of the Followers began departing the day after the Great Fire Benediction, mostly medical staff who would be working in the villages surrounding Sebernekt Ris. Meanwhile, Babackt Yaga and Fitoreckt organized the annual trading expedition that would cross the border. There were items the Followers could not obtain in Danubia, such as amber, copper, jade, chalk, dyes, and several alchemy ingredients. For those items they would exchange medicines, Danubian mushrooms, potions, magnifying glasses, fine linen, and vanity items such as crafted jewelry. A total of 40 Followers would travel north, leading teams of pack-mules and driving several wagons. They changed out of their Followers’ uniforms for the trip. The men put on Trader’s Guild outfits and the women wore average Danubian dresses. The trip was extremely important, so both Babackt Yaga and Fitoreckt would lead the others.

Danka was thrilled as she sat in a wagon riding next to Kaloyankt. Never could she have imagined that she’d actually have to opportunity to leave the Duchy and see a foreign land. Her excitement built as they traveled north of Sebernekt Ris and passed over a ridge between two hills with steep rocky cliffs.

There was a small fort on the road itself, but the more important defenses guarding the route were higher up. Danka knew that the Kingdoms of Austria and Poland, both of which were much larger and more powerful than the Duchy, lay on the other side of the border. However, there had been no foreign invasion attempt since the early 1500’s because of the region’s topography. The cliff-sides were a perfect defensive location, in which the Danubian Royal Army had constructed underground forts filled with captured enemy cannons. The Duchy had been fortifying and improving their positions for two centuries. As long as there were enough soldiers to staff the forts and operate the gun batteries, the northern border now was impenetrable.

After passing the fort and cliffs, the Followers could again see the East Danube River, but now they were above the waterfall. They descended a short slope leading to a small tributary of the main waterway. The smaller river formed the Duchy’s northern border. The region to the north was covered by low hills, most of which were treeless and were being used as sheep pastures. A stone bridge, guarded on both sides by garrisons of border guards, spanned the river. On the opposite side, about half an hour’s ride north of the border, was the town that was the trading expedition’s destination.

The group stopped on the Danubian side of the bridge. They split up: Babackt Yaga would stay behind with the group managing the animals, while Fitoreckt would lead the group making the crossing. Danka would go with the group crossing over because of her experience with bartering and because she had studied German and Slavic. The young woman had her doubts concerning her abilities, but was determined to do her best. She knew having to trade with foreigners was another of Babackt Yaga’s challenges that she’d have to pass.

Kaloyankt explained that the foreigners were scared of witches and would be very likely to burn the alchemist alive if she fell into their hands. Therefore their Mistress had to stay on the Danubian side of the border. He explained how the trading would be arranged: the Danubians crossing over would take a single wagonload of wares. After those items were sold or traded the wagon would return and a second wagon would transport another load. The precaution was necessary to prevent the entire caravan from being attacked and robbed.

“They need what we’re bringing. They’d prefer to slit our throats and take our things for free, but they can’t do that if we have only a small portion of our trading goods with us at a time.”

Danka didn’t know what to expect on the opposite side of the bridge. Unconsciously she had expected everything to be exotic and beautiful, for the Duchy’s northern neighbor to be a land of beauty and mystery. The foreign land was none of that. The trading group found themselves surrounded by stench and squalor as they passed filthy hovels and hoards of malnourished sick children. She observed the peasants working in the fields and noted that the women were much more heavily dressed than Danubian peasants would be. All of the women were wearing aprons, long sleeves, and headscarves. As a peasant’s daughter, Danka couldn’t imagine working outside in such an outfit on a hot day.

The Danubians entered the town. The inhabitants were different from the visitors in every way imaginable. Everyone, except people who were obviously poor, seemed way over-dressed. The women wandered about in large frilly dresses and covered their heads with shawls. The men wore heavy coats with multiple rows of buttons. The hair of both sexes was totally different from the hairstyles of the Duchy. Instead of shaving their heads or cropping their hair short, the male foreigners wore their hair in long pony tails. A few official-looking men had an abundance of white curly hair, which Danka later learned were actually wigs. The women had their hair done-up, but it was not braided. A big difference was the use of hats. Many of the foreigners wore them as symbols of status, which contrasted with the Danubians. In the Duchy hats were a practical item worn by workers and peasants. Guild members wore them as well, but average citizens, especially women, tended not to use head garments.