A Slave to the Servants Ch. 27

"Is he not Daddy," Damien asked passing me a cup.

I smiled at Damien's use of the word. While we sat I taught them the different names for a male-breeder in English and how I would have used them. There was no equivalent in their language, so they used my words. It would have served no purpose to have such variety of phrasing here, males were just sperm donors.

We made it to the cabin in the late afternoon. The small squat building was old and well used. This building had no windows, which I was sure would make it feel cramped on the inside. I hoped the inside was roomier than the outside looked. With eleven of us here it seemed it might feel full very quickly.

Bane and Damien took the boys inside and taught them how to check the rooms for pests. You had to find any cracks that a Scar could crawl into. The dwelling had to be safe enough for your Brothers to sleep in, so you always checked it well.

The kids had never stayed outside the compound and they were giddy with excitement. I watched them follow at the big mens' heels, doing just as they did. The young ones checked every bit of the cabin, just as instructed.

Once given the all clear, I walked into the main door with Christof. The youngsters were still checking everything out. They looked in the empty cabinets and explored the fire place. Evan helped them start the fire, while Kein brought the first of our bags in. Damien encouraged the boys to be useful and they hauled everything inside for us.

Christof and I unpacked the kitchen area and Bane had them help unpack the other rooms. Evan explained it was easier to be organized if everything was put away as soon as we arrived.

"Going through your pack every time you need something is wasteful," Damien explained. "This is a comfortable place and you should make good use of your surroundings. We will be here several day cycles. There is no reason to keep your things tightly packed. Everything should be neatly put away."

"Now when you stay outside, things are different," Kein said as he took towels to the bathing room. "Your family will have a pack and everything must be replaced in it after you have used it."

Damien asked and the boys rattled off what a pack for traveling toward the mountains should contain. They had obviously rote memorized what they would need although they'd never used it.

"Just as when we learned it," Kein said proudly as Bane congratulated Aryn on his good memory. Damien told the boys that they would have to always remember that information; it was a constant in life.

The comment shook me and I looked strangely at Kein for a moment. On Earth I remembered looking at camping gear with Uncle Eddy in a store. He had been laughing at some new thing you could use to start a fire. There were obvious basics, but someone was always inventing a better way.

My eyes shot down at the appalling fact I'd just realized. Nothing changed here. The men were not encouraged to be curious or to seek to better themselves. They just wandered around occasionally fighting over worthless stones, but being careful not to kill one another.

Steadying my hands I placed the bowls we ate out of on a shelf behind Christof.

How many generations had the men been living this way? They did not grow or change. There was no evolution here. They did whatever little job the women had told them to do and just existed until they died.

I thought of the men Damien had used to Keep me when Nu-reeh had separated us, Rue and his Brothers. How stifling they must have found it. No wonder they detested the other Warriors. They must have understood how limited they were. No one else saw the world the way they did. To have designed the experiments they did without any outside support was mind boggling. Those men were truly geniuses.

Bane got my attention as he boomed a laugh from the main room. He was so happy to be with his son. I was glad they were entertained by the boys and had not noticed me. My train of thought would upset them. I shook myself out of it before it became obvious.

"Ciara," Damien said walking toward me, "we will hunt for dinner now. The cabin is safe and secure. There is no way for pests to enter, you are safe inside. The boys are going to come with us. We will teach them and let them experience the way we hunt."

I nodded and smiled at him, that was fine with me. He came closer and laid a hand on my shoulder. His eyes were serious as he looked deeply into mine.

"It will not be like when we take you. This is very important for the boys and we will have to leave you here. The door will be closed and the fire is started. You must not go out, though, stay inside," he commanded.

"Of course," I agreed, "I'll sit and knit. I brought my needles and yarn."

"It is part of our promise to the Child Keepers," Damien continued. "If the boys leave this cabin, we are all to go with them. If one of us stays with you, one of them cannot go."

"I understand, Damien," I said nodding my head at his redundancy. "I won't go anywhere."

He leaned down and looked in my eyes, as though seeking out the truth. "It is important you do not go outside."

In a flash, I understood his concern. In the distant past, I'd wandered off and gotten in trouble when I was curious. Damien didn't want to see me repeat that mistake.

"It is dangerous outside," I repeated sincerely. "If I go out there without you, I might be hurt. I have to stay inside until you return."

Damien grinned and kissed my forehead. Christof commended me on understanding. They were trying to feel good about leaving me here without them.

No one really expected trouble, but they had brought my sword. Kein laid it beside me on the low couch I'd chosen. This is where they expected me to stay.

They'd know if I opened the door, they warned.

I smiled up at my men and shook my head. I had no intention of opening that door, ever. This hunting thing might last a while and I wanted to eat dinner eventually. Kissing each of their lips, I pushed them out the door.

For the first time in a long time, I was left alone. I stood for a moment before the fire and relished the feeling. No one was talking and the room was quiet. I wasn't supposed to be keeping up with all of them, all at once. Flopping on the chaise, I laughed.

Blessed silence surrounded me and I sat staring at the fire. The ride here had been long and tiresome. I enjoyed just sitting and relaxing for a moment.

Leaning back I curled up and closed my eyes. I started to doze and roused myself. Evan would never understand if he found me sleeping when I wasn't pregnant. He'd probably think I was ill.

My needles and yarn sat in a cupboard in the kitchen. I had watched Christof put them away. Setting back down I started to make a blanket. Even though they didn't really need them, my girls did seem to like things I had made. It made me feel good.

I was concentrating on what I was doing when the door creaked. I looked up expecting Damien or his Brothers.

"Did you forget something?" I asked happily as the door opened completely.

It wasn't Damien or the new young family. The men that entered all had shaggy, bulky outfits on. I screamed and reached for my sword laying several handspans away.

One man moved quickly toward me and I scrambled away. Darting away from him was foolish, he was obviously stronger, but I tried as I screamed. He leapt across the room in a surprising burst of speed and grabbed me.

The man snagged my arm and pulled my back to his chest. Without a second thought I screamed for Damien again. A hand clamped hard over my mouth and nose, effectively silencing me.

The rules, I had to remember the rules. I looked down and quieted myself. These men would not hurt Damien's property if I acted appropriately. I just had to pray these were honorable men and not bandits.

"Kev, release your hold, that is too tight for a human. She is silent now," the man in front of me said.

The hand on my arm relaxed and I felt the feeling flow back into my hand. The man's grip had been so powerful it had cut off my blood supply. As his hand relaxed on my face it felt sore. He might have left a hand shaped bruise over my lips and cheeks.

"Rachel, we are sorry to have frightened you," the man in front said. "You do not need to fear us, Kennedy sent us."

I looked up into his eyes and he smiled at me. He looked familiar, but it was hard to tell. His face was coated in a fine layer of dirt. He was dressed from head to toe in an outfit the color of the land outside. It was shaggy and made him look slightly like a dirty gorilla.

I was reminded suddenly of pictures from the television. Snipers on Earth wore camouflage like this. I'd seen pictures on the military shows my uncles watched. Uncle Bob had called them Ghillie suits.

My eyes travelled across the outfit and took it in. It was very much like the pictures they'd shown on the television. It surprised me to think they had these here, too. This man would be invisible lying outside.

"We cannot spend long, Rachel," the man said politely. "This land is not safe for us. We have been waiting for you. Your daugh-ter asked us to bring this package to you. The girls could not come themselves. It is important that they appear to be doing as they are supposed to. Both of your offspring travel as the older females demand they do."

I nodded and the men laughed lightly. Hannah and Kennedy had taught them what that meant. It was good I understood.

A tall man stepped forward and motioned to the door. "We have to go now," the man in front said pushing a box into my hands.

The tall man was so lanky. His height was marked even for this place. It struck me who these men were.

"You got away," I said softly.

This was the first family I'd released from the wall. The man doing the talking had been the first one I'd freed.

"Of course, we did," the man said confidently. "The map led us out and the food gave us strength. We are grateful to you, Rachel, be well."

The men slipped out the door and dispersed quickly. I turned and watched their backs disappear as the shock settled.

My first impulse was to pull open the door and see where they'd gone, but I stopped and just pushed it firmly closed. I'd promised Damien I would not do that. Instead I looked down at the box in my hands.

I smiled as I sat down and looked at it. The box was about the size of a shoebox and it was lashed closed with twine. Damien's symbol rested proudly on the front.

Using my sword I sliced through the string closing the box. Gingerly, I lifted the lid and wasn't surprised at the small bunch of tami leaves inside. They had a pungent aroma, not particularly good or bad as far as I was concerned. Beneath the leaves was my letter.

This letter wasn't like the last one the girls sent. It was on paper with no fake cover letter. I opened it and it was very short.

Mama,

Hello from Kennedy! My Sisters and I found out you would be near the mountains, so we wanted to give this to you. Our friends that did the delivery were happy to help us. They did it as a 'thank you' for saving them.

The pad enclosed is for you and it is very special. Hannah and I can use it to contact you and leave messages. You can also use it to contact us and leave us messages.

My Sister, Eve, designed the interface. She's quite brilliant with computers. We met less than a month after I went out on my own. My other Sister, Dara, attached the camera so you could see us and we could see you when we are in the right places.

It will start as soon as you lay your palm across the pad. The directions will be spelled out after that.

Love you!

Kennedy, Dara, and Eve.

At the bottom of the box was a small pad about the size of a small notebook. At the top I saw one of those flat circles that we knew to be cameras. The contraption was light in weight and I just stared at it for a moment.

I laid my hand across the face of the pad and it lit up. The imprint of my palm stayed for a moment and then words flew across the screen.

Do you wish to gain information or to contact someone? the pad asked in English.

Writing with my finger I wrote the words 'contact someone'.

Who do you wish to contact, Kennedy or Hannah?

Well, now was time for me to feel guilty. Choosing one child over the other felt wrong. I chose Kennedy since she'd been the one to arrange this.

Kennedy is available to talk, the pad said. Would you like to talk or send her a letter?

I wrote the word talk wondering what that meant.

Lines played across the front of the pad and then the screen seemed to blur. When the lines all cleared I was staring at Kennedy surrounded by two girls both a little taller than her. My eyes filled with tears as her face lit up in a smile.

She waved at me and I cried as I heard her voice.

"Hi, Mama," she said happily, "this is pretty cool don't you think?"

"Incredible!" I choked out watching her.

Kennedy looked wonderful. She was healthy and well. Seeing her surrounding by strong looking girls thrilled me.

"This," she pointed to her left and right, "is Eve and this is Dara. We've bonded fully, Mama. You can speak English and they will understand you, too. None of us took the implant the women offered. We are all part of the new generation."

I was so glad to see her but I was curious why she wasn't with Hannah. Gathering my courage, I just asked her. The answer surprised me.

"Hannah," Kennedy sighed, "is just too temperamental for me to bond with Mama. I hope you understand, I love my birth Sister, but she grates on my nerves."

"She is like her father, just like you are like yours," I smiled. "I hope these Sisters are good for you?"

They were good for her. Kennedy told me the things she had seen and some of the places she had been. Dara was slightly older, but Eve was just about Kennedy's age.

The girls shared similar mindsets, but their ancestry was different. Eve had Earth heritage, but Dara did not. The girls were all agreed that this world was run wrong, though. They did not believe in slavery or forced servitude.

Dara's mother was a very powerful and old female. She had lived a long time before birthing her only daughter. Because she had only Paterian lineage she remembered the time before the men were put in the compounds.

Life had been better before. The men died young sometimes, but they were happier. Dara's female breeder missed the relationship her ancestors had had with their men. It saddened her to see the fear in the men's eyes every time she approached. Over many years (the women tracked time that way also, so they taught me the Paterian word) Dara's female breeder had come to think it was wrong.

Eve had shorter memories than Dara. Her feelings on slavery were the same as her Sisters'. She remembered Earth of the mid eighteenth century. Hearing Kennedy talk amazed her. She said she would enjoy sitting and discussing Earth with me one day.

Talking of Eve's Earth breeder from several generations ago saddened her. The woman had taken her own life after her child was weaned. She could not bear being the slave this place demanded. I felt for the woman and her offspring. My sad eyes met Kennedy's and she looked hard at me.

"You felt that way, Mama," she said firmly. "Do you still feel that way?"

I denied it, but Kennedy wasn't satisfied. She had thought I might do something foolish. Kennedy demanded to know how I'd been since she left.

"I've been fine," I lied, "never better."

My words angered my daughter. Her eyes narrowed and I got the feeling she wanted to come through the screen.

"You can't lie to Dad because he knows how to read you," she reminded me. "I know what he knows. You are not telling the truth."

This was so embarrassing and I told Kennedy that. I didn't really want to explain my flaws in front of everyone. It just wasn't normal for my children to have all my memories. Kennedy should not know how I felt about certain things.

"I love you and worry about you," Kennedy sighed. "Do you wish to harm yourself?"

I had to admit the whole thing to them. Every piece of my jumbled recovery was discussed in detail with the three girls. I felt absolutely humiliated.

They didn't seem to think it was something I should be embarrassed about. Dara congratulated me on surviving my inner turmoil. Eve reassured me as Kennedy looked at me with absolute understanding.

"We will free you," she promised me. "You will not die a slave."

That brought me to another concern and I cleared my throat. I told Kennedy what the men wanted. My men had planned to ask Hannah, but I wanted to see how Kennedy would react.

Dara asked pointed questions about the boys. She wanted to know about age and training. I was honest with her, but I felt bad knowing where this was leading.

"What if they understood?" Eve asked suddenly turning to face her Sisters. "What if we didn't steal them? What if they came to us?"

It made no sense to me, but Kennedy explained. Rescuing men meant capturing the entire family. That could be really hard to do. The women had to keep the men safe, but show them they were free. It often took a long time and it was difficult.

"What if these boys came to us willingly?" Eve asked getting more animated.

It was a novel concept. Damien could teach the boys about the world and then the free men could take them away without a fight. That would make it so much easier.

"We have to talk to some Elder Women," Kennedy said suddenly facing the monitor.

"Wait!" I called suddenly desperate not to lose my connection to her. "I've so enjoyed talking to you..."

Kennedy sighed and gave me the same patient look her father would have.

"Mama, send a message to Hannah. She's deep in the mountains, so she won't be able to talk to you like I am. She would enjoy it if you wrote her a letter. Your pad is set up so you can do that. She'll get the message and send you one back."

I smiled and tried not to be a whiny, needy mother, but in truth I just wanted to see my girls. It had been so long since I had seen or heard from either of them.

Eve spoke next, she explained the pad would not transmit sound if the girls were in the mountains. Kennedy and her Sisters had made sure to be in a place they could talk to me today. Hannah would probably arrange to be somewhere she could talk soon.

"The pad burns," Dara said suddenly and Kennedy slapped her forehead in a very human gesture. "You can't get caught by the General or other women with this. It will burn quickly in a fire pit. Don't stand too near, though. The device is powered by the ore, there will be an large discharge of power when it burns."

I looked at it and smiled. Of course they'd run it on the ore.

"You are curious, Mama," Kennedy informed me. "This pad will let you learn about whatever you want. I'm not sure how to describe its ability to you. The closest I could say is like a computerized encyclopedia."

I thanked the girls and sent my love. Kennedy seemed to be in a big hurry as she blew me a kiss and signed out. She was very excited about talking to the Elder Females.

The screen blurred and the girls were gone. I sat and stared at it. God, how I had missed them. This was the first I had heard from Kennedy since she had flown off. If it had been my choice I would have talked to her all day, but she was a busy girl. Just like Hannah, I smiled. Both girls fighting for freedom, I felt proud of them.

The pad was remarkably easy to use. I figured out how to send a message to Hannah quite quickly. The pad would let me know when she sent a note back. At least according to the instructions the thing provided it would.