"You gave the impression that a Sacred Mother is not something good, and I braced for the bad news I would have to deliver to Number Eight. He's very anxious to hear about his mother."
"Poor guy," Sullha said.
She glanced toward the climbing frame. Tomek was arguing with an older girl about whose turn it was on the second bar. Sullha watched him for a second, making sure that the argument was not escalating, and then turned back to Yaaf.
"Some of the women in the enclosure formed their own order. A mirror organization to the Devout Order of Mortdh Brotherhood. They believe that as women who carry the godly gene, it's their sacred duty to birth warriors for Mortdh's army."
"That's nothing new. Women in the enclosure have been told that since they were old enough to understand what was required of them."
"True, but even those who accepted their fate without question were not delighted to perform their duty. It's not like we are being treated as anything sacred." She snorted. "We are treated like things. Like we have no feelings. We are supposed to obey, endure, and ask no questions." She took a deep, steadying breath. "Anyway, the women who belong to this order believe that to please Mortdh they need to do everything they can to fortify his army, so one day it is strong enough to conquer the world and spread Mortdh's word to every corner of the earth. They believe all the women here were chosen by Mortdh for this task, and that what we have to endure is a privilege, not a hardship. They are overjoyed when they conceive, especially when they have a son. They celebrate when their boys are taken to the training camp. They're proud of having been the vessels for Mortdh's will."
The collective had not expected this. Number Eight hadn't expected it. None of them knew how to categorize this new information.
She wasn't like that when I was growing up, Number Eight thought.
"What do they do?" Yaaf asked. "Do they organize prayers to Mortdh?"
"Among other things. They organize themselves into circles. Each circle has a leader who is an older woman who has birthed at least two sons. She is considered wise inthework. The circle leaders are called Venerable Mothers. The head of the order is called the First Mother. She started it."
"How many of them are there?"
"I don't know exactly. I guess about a fifth of the adult women by now, maybe a bit more. The order is gaining popularity."
"How long has it been going on?"
"About four years. At first, it was a small circle of women, but the First Mother is good at collecting followers. She's charismatic."
Yaaf turned that number over. Four years wasn't that long for such a big change to happen in the enclosure. Twenty percent of the adult women had converted, which meant there were between two hundred and two hundred and fifty of them. The collective must have felt vibes of the order while Number One had been passing through the compound, but since they hadn't known what those vibes represented, they had not cataloged them.
There was fervor in the eyes of some of the women, and a sense of satisfaction that made no sense in this place. It had beenhiding in plain sight, but the collective hadn't known what they were looking at.
"What's in it for them?" Yaaf asked. "What do they get out of it? Additional perks that the others don't get?"
"Among other things." Sullha sighed.
She looked toward the climbing frame again, probably more out of habit than because she needed to check on Tomek, who was hanging upside down on the lower bar like a boy-shaped bat.
She turned back to face Number One. "I can understand the appeal. It gives meaning to the suffering. It gives them pride where there was shame. They feel special. It's not fun to know that we are regarded as nothing more than wombs to produce boys for an army we will never see, and girls who will endure the same miserable existence as we do. There is no way out other than death. What the First Mother offered was not a solution but a different way to think about the situation."
He nodded. "I understand. It's the same in the Brotherhood. Except, there the brainwashing is so relentless that most of the warriors believe that their lives belong to Mortdh, and that dying while doing his work is the highest honor. We are trained to fight to the death. We cannot allow ourselves to be taken alive."
She tilted her head. "Are they proud to be warriors in Mortdh's army?"
"Of course."
"How are you different? Did the enhancement have something to do with that?"
"Yes, but there were other factors as well."
"Like what?"
"I can't tell you what they are."
She narrowed her eyes at him. "You are sharing with me your escape plans, the most dangerous thing you can tell me, but you are hiding personal things. I don't get it."
"I will tell you soon, I promise."
In the background, the collective didn't agree.You can't tell her before she opens her heart to you. She will never love you if she knows that you are part of us.
