A Slave to the Servants Ch. 15

"I don't think the female children are taken from the female breeder," Christof said sitting down. "The way Nu-reeh explained it to us earlier today the young female will leave when it is time."

It didn't make any sense and Christof explained as best he could.

After Nu-reeh took me, Tosu and Dinah talked to my men. They had wanted to tell me these things, but had not gotten the chance. Nu-reeh finished the story after she warned the other men to stay away from me.

Women were not like men. They were born with knowledge, they just had to learn to apply it and get stronger. My daughter would quite quickly become frustrated with limiting herself to just this mountain. She would want to get out and explore her world.

"The women of our race are the rulers of this entire planet. We considered ourselves well travelled to have seen a different compound," Kein said. "As a young woman Nu-reeh went all over the world. She was not even born on this side of the great ocean, but found she preferred it here. Most powerful women do that: travel, find Sisters, and then earn funds to stake a claim on some men."

Christof continued when Kein stopped talking. "Your daughter will want to explore this planet before she settles somewhere. That is why Nu-reeh taught you how to survive in the mountains. She expects your daughter to travel and live in them for many turns of the moon."

"In the world she will find her strengths and become powerful," Evan said. "That is how the women always do it."

"So strange," I whispered brushing my fingers across Hannah's tiny cheeks.

I'd talked to Christof about how I grew up. They would know this was nothing like I was used to.

"It sounds strange to us, too," Damien admitted. "We grew up as a family. We always depended on one another. To go out into the world alone..."

"Why, why did Nu-reeh help Hannah? Especially if she expects her to go to some far flung place."

My men didn't understand my question. It was obvious to them. Nu-reeh trained Hannah because she was the offspring of one of her men. The fact I was the mother was irrelevant.

"Especially if she is Damien's," Christof said. "Tosu said daughters from his line are impressive and so very rare. The women are glad they put the effort into training Hannah through you."

The day had been exhausting and I just sat staring dumbly at my men. I wasn't sure I had any emotions left. Eventually Damien clucked a tongue at my sleepy face and walked me to the bed.

Damien took the first night sleeping next to Hannah. His Brothers all clasped him on the shoulder and wished him luck. He returned the sentiment and told them he had always cared for them. All the men said if this was their last night, they were glad to spend it together.

I was absolutely confused as they said what seemed like good-bye to one another.

"What is wrong with sleeping next to Hannah? She is your daughter!" I exclaimed sitting on the bed and watching their display.

"If he touches her, Nu-reeh will kill him," Evan said bluntly. "We will not survive without our Brother."

"I will wrap her so that doesn't happen and nobody here would say anything-" I started to say and Christof pointed to my sleeping daughter.

I took a different tact. "I'll put her on my chest to sleep. Is that better?"

"You like to sleep on your side," Kein informed me. "In the middle of the night you turn on your hip."

Strangely observant, but it was still true.

In an attempt to find a solution I offered up the idea of a crib, but that wasn't how Nu-reeh had said to sleep. Instead, Christof and I built a barricade of blankets between Damien and Hannah. I could only imagine what the baby books at home would have said about doing that.

We lay down in our spots and my men's breathing evened out very quickly. I lay staring at the ceiling and thinking. So much ran through my mind, I didn't know where to start.

In the days I'd shared a bond with my family, I had thought whatever they did. With that compulsion gone, I could think clearly. For the first time in ages, I felt normal.

The day drifted through my head. It had been strange, stressful, and wonderful all at once. Parts of it were stranger than others, parts of it more stressful. I refused to think of the day my daughter would leave, that would break me.

Instead, I thought about Nu-reeh and her entrance into the mens' living quarters when my owners almost killed my tutors. Damien had been ready to decapitate the man he was holding. It hadn't mattered that Nu-reeh didn't want him to do it, but he stopped when she said to.

It wasn't that he stopped because he wanted to, though. Damien and his Brothers were made to stop. Something outside of them forced their decision.

My eyes shot open when I realized. Nu-reeh had made them stop. That collective consciousness that pulsed between them; she had enforced her will on it. My men did not know. They weren't even curious about their sudden change in opinion.

I looked over at my sleeping daughter and understood. The women here could control the men completely. It was done at such an intrinsic level the men weren't even aware of it.

That was how tiny unborn Hannah had learned about the world. She took over the mind of her father and examined his memories. I didn't control his dreams, she did. I was just along for the ride, so to speak.

I wondered why the women bothered with all the pretense. They could have the men just line up and do what they wanted. What was the point of letting them do their own thing at all?

Nu-reeh didn't like her men broken and waiting on her explicit instruction. She wanted them to fight and make their own decisions. Nu-reeh only stepped in when the men would do something that would cost her, like killing another family.

The women could control the men, they just had better things to do. It was both shocking and terrifying in it's simplicity.

I would have to tell Hannah, although I should probably ask Nu-reeh first.

On second thought, perhaps I should not tell Nu-reeh I understood. She may kill me if I knew her secret.

Well, I decided, I had six turns of the moon. Hopefully, in that time I would figure out what I should tell little Hannah.

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