A Slave to the Servants Ch. 37

The small build and sweet voice could fool you, but I'd seen the power these girls carried. They weren't going to be simple singers, content to create beautiful things. From nearly the moment of their birth they'd proved they were willing and ready to fight.

Long ago, in another life, I had looked at baby names with my cousin in a large book. At the time she'd been compiling boy and girl lists. It had been too soon to know what she'd have. I'd loved the names Kaley and Kelli and they had both meant "warrior maid", but my cousin had hated those names.

"I don't want warriors if I have girls," my cousin had said disdainfully, "I want princesses!"

Pink and frilly would never suit these little powerhouses and I knew that. For their delicate builds and singsong voices, they were leaders and Warriors. Their small statures would have no bearing on the power they would wield.

"This is Kaley," I said pointing to the first born of the twins, "and this is Kelli," I stated gesturing to the second in my arms. "Their names mean Warrior in my native language."

It was suitable, very suitable to the family.

A large woman limped slowly beside us and I looked up to see the woman I'd known as Asper staring at us. She had, it had seemed, been quiet the entire she'd been here. I knew she was virtual royalty on this world, but she had said next to nothing. The camp had found her continued silence odd. Asper didn't interact with almost anyone. Now she was looking at me and my family.

"I am Asper, born of the T'stald Mountains," she said formally. "I have never introduced myself to a human before or to males, but I feel it is time I changed my way of thinking."

I was shocked and too surprised to speak, but Damien spoke calmly and introduced himself. Shaking myself out of my amazement I followed his lead as Tosu approached.

"Ciara, from Earth," I stuttered.

Tosu sat on the edge of my slab, but made no move to touch my girls. She merely needed to rest her bad leg, which was still healing. I was glad for her presence. Despite what Asper had said, I wanted to be cautious.

"You have made up your mind then," Tosu said solemnly to Asper. "You know your opinion will make a difference."

"It will," Asper responded looking carefully around the room, "and I have withheld it until I was sure. Women in my breeder's line have not seen T'vailk girls in countless generations and yet here two sit, born to a female not of this world. We were fools to lose this gift. We gave the right to breed T'vailk women away to humans. That never should have happened."

The strain on the big woman's face was evident. She was frustrated and angry, but the aggression seemed to be directed inward and not at us.

"I have seen The Spirit here," Asper continued watching Kein intently as he held Kaley. "The strength the men have has returned in full. It scares me: their power and defiance."

My Husbands noted the same thing I did. Asper wanted to treat the men like children. Their determination to make their own decisions scared her. She wanted to make the choices for "her" men.

"The rebellion is educated," Damien interjected. "We are not simple men from the compounds doing as we please with no thought. None of us here make choices without understanding the consequences of our actions."

Tosu agreed with him as she gave Asper a patient look.

"The men are educated and intelligent," Tosu stated. "Yes, they are injured and some die, but they are happy and constructive. We lost a great deal treating them as we did. They were right about the ore, Asper, you know they still are. It should not be sold off this world."

Asper sat heavily on an unoccupied slab beside us.

"Free men," she said looking around, "I never thought I would see them for myself. I never imagined I would support them, but I do. What they have created here is precious and saved our world. The beliefs, though, will be difficult...We have obligations and contracts-" she started to say, but stopped and sighed instead. "Many alien nations will attack us if we refuse to provide the ore," she said plainly.

This woman had been the leader of the slaving women and here she sat, discussing politics with a family of men. It was unheard of and I was shocked, but Damien's family wasn't.

One at a time. That's what the men were seeing happening. The women saw the truth one at a time. The rebellion knew they just needed to be patient and it would happen peacefully.

The men had been right, frustrating as it was. The women had to walk freely in the camps and see the men. Then their minds would change.

Damien found the conversation with Asper, our new ally, thought provoking, but something cooled his interest. This type of problem should go through the proper channels. Asper didn't seem like the kind of woman who spoke casually, but she obviously didn't understand our organization. The Great Spirit connected the men, but there was a chain of command everyone followed.

"We have strong Administrators," he said to the woman, as he waved over some young men. "Your concerns are valid and should be addressed by our leaders. These men can take you to them."

Asper watched us closely for a moment before standing.

"Will you accompany me, Tosu?" she asked turning to our friend. "I find your counsel has been helpful and the company would be appreciated, much has changed."

"It is a new Pateria," Tosu stated as she rose slowly.

"And I am alone in it," Asper said with some sadness.

After a life spent in the company of strong Sisters, I imagined the large woman must feel abandoned. I pitied her situation.

"We are both alone," Tosu said smiling, "better to be alone together, perhaps?"

They would be strong together and I knew that. It made me feel better that neither woman would continue on without family.

Not surprisingly Hannah and Ra had tagged along with the group heading to Administration. They wanted to be part of the larger planning and the logistics. I suspected the more interest they showed the more often they would be rewarded with responsibility.

It would have been interesting to Damien to be part of Asper's conversation, but he had other plans, ones that would take us far from here. We couldn't be locked into a set of jobs that limited our travel. It wasn't what the family wanted.

Kein cradled Kaley and smiled like a kid in a candy store. She slept in his arms peacefully. Our daughter felt secure under his watchful eye.

"They need to see the T'vailk Mountains," Kein stated as he stroked Kaley's brow and understanding dawned on me.

Administrators stayed in one place and managed their camp. We wanted to see the whole world. When the girls went on their first flight, Damien and his Brothers planned to travel with them. Kein had been mapping out our journey, it would be a lovely trip, and long.

"Hodlen's family will come," Bane said as he took Kelli from me and gently burped her. "They have long had curiosity and we need to collect the rest of our extended family."

"The trip will be good for Mycah's family and Tyle's family," Evan agreed handing me a cup of water as Christof tidied up around me. "The boys will learn the world by seeing it and experiencing it."

This alien issue would not be over for a long time, but it would soon be controlled. If the planet worked together, Damien was sure the next attackers would never breach our atmosphere. The planet could be made reasonably safe.

Kein had the entire trip planned out in detail. There were places we would camp outside and other regions we could visit with established communities. He knew where we could restock our water. Damien's family had always been superior hunters, so that was no issue. The excursion would be a good way to get new experience and meet new Paterians.

It wasn't like we'd do this alone. Damien explained many men wanted to travel. It sounded like they were setting up caravans from the Wild West. Some men were traveling for curiosity, some were going to find extended family, and some were just looking for a change. Lots of families had some reason to do this.

"There are so many places I would like to see myself..." I said thinking back on my studies.

There was a body of water in the coldest region of the world that shone red part of the year due to minerals. Other places had herds of giant beasts that didn't live near here. Kennedy and Hannah said they were like dinosaurs. These were things I'd found immensely interesting, but never thought I'd get the chance to see.

"We know what you want to see," Kein informed me proudly. "It is part of my plan."

*****

T'vailk girls, we soon learned, weren't like other women from this world. They never grew fur and their thick golden skin was impossible to breach. Unlike other women who liked it cool and dry, they preferred warmth and water. Kaley and Kelli were swimming before they were walking. They were at home in the warm dampness of the bathing cave.

The mountains Kein's ancestors were from was on the edge of a tropical sea. It was stormy and windy, but steamy hot. The rain that fell almost continuously was a blessing to cool the area.

Here, in these mountains, cold predominated, so Kaley and Kelli needed clothing to stay warm. They hated the cold. The tiny clothing that I made and put on them really did make them look like small elves.

As they grew it became obvious they would never have the towering stature of other women. Tosu estimated the twins would only be slightly taller than me full grown. Their delicate limbs were deceptively strong, though, and the talons on their fingertips grew in markedly soon. Kaley and Kelli were just as tough as typical Paterians, just built for a different climate.

Other things made me think they were slightly elfin and different from other Paterian women. They liked to play jokes and were into everything. No one around us minded their antics when they were small. Kaley and Kelli grew up surrounded by the families we knew well. The twins enjoyed livening up our days.

Once the girls learned to walk they'd sneak into someone's room and do silly things. Short sheet Basin's bed in the afternoon or tack the cover over the entrance to Stayne's lodging shut in the middle of the night. They would do anything and everything to amuse themselves.

As Kaley and Kelli got older their games began affecting the entire camp. The twins became more and more elaborate in their designs for practical jokes. Since Pateria was not a planet accustomed to this type of fun, there was mixed reaction. Kein and I quickly learned that losing sight of our girls resulted in trouble.

Luckily for me Damien and his Brothers took a very active role with our young miscreants. Unlike Hannah or Kennedy these girls explored the world outside our camp with their male breeder and his Brothers. Damien made sure they knew how to hunt and Kein helped them hone their tracking skills. Bane made sure they could use a gun and Evan took them for target practice regularly. My men did everything they could to keep the twins busy and constructive.

Despite all our best efforts, it was still far too common that we were asked to present the twins to the Administrators. Kaley and Kelli delighted in the irritated looks I saw Hannah throw them. Knowing Hannah's goals I did my best to control my youngest girls. The sprites were fast and sneaky. They were truly a menace.

Mycah's young family was a weapon in my arsenal against the twins activities. The attentive young boys kept a running commentary on their sisters' antics. While we often missed the subtle signs the girls were up to something, Mycah never did. He and his Brothers always seemed to know when Kaley and Kelli were planning a caper.

"They are bored again," Mycah would tell me quietly during the evening meal.

A frantic search would find the twins loosening the tops of spice jars in the kitchen.

"I don't know where Kaley is," Jonathan would inform me as we swam and bathed in the morning.

Kein found them painting bright eyes on a shadowed patch of wall in the very back of the cavern.

"Come on, Daddy," Kaley whined while she perched on a warm stone.

"It will be funny when someone sees it!" Kelli exclaimed as Kein quickly rubbed the haunting visage off the wall.

They just couldn't seem to stop their antics. The twins sharp wits were not entertained with simply learning about the world. I got the feeling they enjoyed the excitement their stunts caused.

Kaley and Kelli weren't all fun and games, though. They were fiercely protective when it was necessary. Damien and his Brothers had come across a Rack while with the Sisters one day. My youngest girls had just learned to fly and only sharpened their spears on their wings the day before. The Rack did not see the twins flying above and attacked my men. Kaley and her Sister did not wait.

"It was unreal," Kein told me later while watching the girls laugh and talk outside our dwelling.

The twins were playing a card game with Hodlen's family. They looked so delicate and small next to the men; it was deceptive. My girls were powerful like nothing my men had seen before.

Kaley and Kelli were fast and efficient. Damien and his Brothers had never witnessed a female fight the way the twins did it. Their lack of cold tolerance was their only weakness. My twin girls moved with fluidly and with precision. The Rack was distracted and neutralized before it understood who was attacking it.

It relieved me to know the twins were not as weak as they looked. This world was incredibly dangerous and they would not survive if they weren't tougher than everything in it. I was grateful once again for my strong, competent offspring.

Kaley and Kelli were using their teeth and eating before I knew it. They were small, for a Paterian female, giving me the illusion they were younger. Since there was no Nu-reeh to shove them out of our nest, I thought they might stay. I was wrong.

"We need to go," Kaley informed me after the evening meal one night.

I had been sitting with Mycah and his Brothers as they learned to sharpen a blade. It was an important lesson and my focus had been entirely on them. The comment took me by surprise.

"We have our bag packed," Kelli stated showing me the satchel slung over her shoulder. "We'll need clothing for the colder areas."

As a mother I always saw my girls as the tiny, weak creatures I'd first seen at their births. Now, I saw two Sisters ready for life in the world. Their wings were barbed with an impressive array of spears and their talons were sharp. The twins' needle like teeth had proved they could bite through anything. Still, they were my baby girls...

"Aliens-," I started to say and Kaley shook her head.

"Are an inevitable part of life now," Kelli said sounding unconcerned. She casually brushed the rock wall beside us with her talons and the solid stone easily chipped away. "We are strong enough to deal with aliens."

"Your father and I wanted to travel with you," I said standing and starting to feel frantic.

I hated it when my girls left.

"Mama," Kaley said in an exasperated tone, "you and Dad can travel with us, but not WITH us. Nobody's female breeder travels WITH their offspring. We could plan to meet up with you in a moon's time at the T'leen camp, that would work for us."

They were so absolutely assured that what they were doing was right and I just wasn't ready. My anxious state was transmitted directly into my voice.

"Some of the women still think slavery is an option. I know they think you two are symbols for the resistance. It could make you a target!" I argued as Kein approached from the side.

Kaley and Kelli stared at us with obvious frustration. They wanted to just be gone. Their instincts to make this trip were very strong. My desire to protect them was just as strong. The world wasn't like it once was and they faced new dangers, but they wouldn't listen to me. Their father had a plan, though.

"We won't travel WITH you," Kein said placing a hand on my back and watching the girls, "but we wish to travel. It would be safer for us if you both were near us during the trip. My Brothers and I wish to take a similar route to the one you have planned. We would never impinge on your freedom, but we would like you to watch over us."

I withheld my smile as the Kaley and Kelli processed this information. Asking them to guard us spoke to a deeply ingrained protective desire. I knew they'd agree as soon as Kein asked.

The great adventure started slowly enough three days later. We left the safety of the T'lynien Mountain with thirty two other families of men, several women, the mates to men like Hodlen, and the promise to be careful. Kein had drafted us an amazing journey and we were all anxious to take it.

Basin's family travelled with us. They were in search of the rest of their extended family, just as we searched for ours. I felt lucky to get to take this trip with Rose right beside me. We continued to teach the boys as we rode on the transports over deserts and through jungles.

************************

"On my home world, we would have called those things dinosaurs," I told the boys one day as we flew over something that looked very much like an apatosaurus, originally misnamed brontosaurus Earth. On Pateria they were called Untars.

The massive herd of herbivores was moving about a wide, shallow lake eating the tasty vegetation in the water. They had long necks, powerful bodies, and enormous tails, but they were essentially peaceful. We stayed far above on our transports to avoid other smaller creatures that tended to travel near them.

"You see the creatures in the water displaced by the Untars feeding?" I asked Mycah's family. "If they do not find cover soon they will be plucked out by the Crassas. The Crassas follow the Untars and eat the smaller creatures flushed out of their homes. Those things attack in packs and can overwhelm a single family of men. You must not be on the ground when they are near."

Jonathan had been looking like he was going to ask to get closer, but then stopped. The Crassas swarmed some amphibious mammals that had been living under the Untars latest meal. Even from our distance it was easy to see the danger. Only bones were left once the Crassas had fed.

"They could devastate a lake community..." Mycah said sounding concerned.

He was right, the Crassas ate everything made of meat in their path. They were a menace and one we took seriously. There were stories from the distant past of futile battles against these creatures.

"They only feed for half a moon cycle every year," I instructed the boys. "The rest of the year is spent in their dens: hibernating in colder times and breeding in the warmest time. You must know what period they will be active in. They cannot be defeated, only avoided."

Damien interrupted our lesson as he cursed under his breath and sent out a message to the rest of the caravan. Our lesson had his attention as a leader of this troop. We couldn't stop anywhere near here tonight. The wetland would have been a good place to refill our canteens, but safety came first.

Hodlen's family pointed to an open space far up the hill nearby. The rocky slope would put us on high ground and be easy to defend. Untars and hence the Crassas, would have no interest in that area. Hodlen's Brother had seen the shimmer that indicated a small waterfall cutting down the mountain near there. Our stores were low and fresh water would be a blessing. Relief spread through all of us as we made our way to the location.

"Where The Great Harmonious Spirit puts up a wall, we are always offered a tunnel," Tos remarked happily.