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“But only after she was unwillingly in your control.” I had never really thought on it much in the past, but now I wanted to know. “Why are there no female generals? This corruption in thought is due to an imbalance. You have ignored women for so long that you do not think their opinions have value.”
“We are muddying the waters of this conversation by reaching outside of the original point. These are complex topics?—”
“I disagree. I am finding a great deal of clarity. Equality is simple. These issues are so much deeper than males’ desire for control. Without a mate, you have had no reason to consider females at all. If they do not sing, they are an afterthought.” It all began to make sense, and it was so very sad. “The women here tonight are begging me to give you a reason to care, because you have power but no consideration. This is so much deeper than manipulating females’ access to information. Are we purely ornamental to you?”
Cyderial did enjoy dressing me, styling my hair, demanding I arrive with a large belly so his friends might see. Would he have supported another female had she made reasonable suggestions? Without a mate’s opinion, he may not have been capable of it.
Leaving males in power was dangerous for us all.
But giving them my daughters might mean my girls could suffer. Cyderial claimed they were worthy, but I was not so sure.
It was an impossible position to be in.
“You may have some point that we do not consider other males’ mates. It is not in our nature, nor is it our place to do so. Not unless something can be learned that may be beneficial to the keeping of a woman of our own. It is the mated male’s duty to ensure his female is content. Unmated males serve, we work, we bleed, and we do this year after year—alone.”
So, we were not ornamental. It was worse. We did not exist to them. Not without a song. “This would be beneficial to all unmated females. Such benefits would pass to you through happy mates that may grow to love you without violence and manipulation.”
And that was the key to tempting these males’ attention.
They did not care about the greater good of females. They cared only about their female.
With everything to lose, I made a wager. “Let me prove it. General Thayer has heard the song of my exceptional friend. She will graduate in two weeks. If the three of you and Thayer agree, I will teach her, personally, what to expect when he comes for her. Together, we can all observe the outcome. You may be surprised how a female will act if she has not been abused by a man who believes his violence comes from a place of love.”
Unexpectedly, it was stoic General Boreal who instantly offered me his hand. “I will agree only if you are pregnant first. The details will be worked out later, but at least one of us will have a mate born within a year.”
His caveat made my hackles rise. “Agree to which part?”
Husky-voiced and serious as the grave, he said, “Your friend will receive private instruction, and we will observe the outcome. Should it go well, all females of age may be educated in this manner. If they disappoint us, the privilege will be retracted.”
Privilege? How I held my tongue, I could not say.
Jaw clenched, I looked to the other two.
The eldest seemed the most reasonable, but he did not reach out a hand. Aegir frowned deeply. “I will agree to the terms as well, so long as you are pregnant before speaking with your friend. But, should things fail with your exceptional friend and General Thayer, I will consider it proof that education on sexual topics for women is impractical. I believe you are the exception, not the rule.”
General Murdoch smiled, arm outstretched, voice velvet, as he said, “I demand twins.”
How could they possibly ask me to make such an impetuous decision with less than two weeks to deliberate? A baby was a serious consideration! This was not patience or compassion for females. It was force, with no promise of real follow-through.
They were demanding I go against my core beliefs.
I wanted to change things for women, but I would not sell my daughter for a handshake and halfhearted promise. Not to men who would not care about her concerns if she didn’t sing for them.
General Aegir, General Boreal, and General Murdoch… not one of them was worthy. This problem was too big for me to fix.
Devastated our kind could be so callous, I drew away. “I refuse your terms.”
Looking at males through new eyes, I felt a great weight come over me. “Not one of you cares about the improvement education could have on females’ lives. Your focus is only on your own selfish motivations to have a mate. How can you properly care for a woman you refuse to create a better world for?”
Murdoch looked to my mate. “You must convince her.”
Cyderial shook his head. “No. Lorieyn is correct. Expand your consideration and accept that we are discussing my offspring as well. For ten years, I have had reason to view the world through the eyes of a mate. This is something you must do as well, song or not, or you may never have what you want. Lorieyn has the power to deny you indefinitely… or only bear sons, who would be further competition should another genetic anomaly occur.”
My attention flashed to the man who held me, who had taken me from the world to keep me for himself. And the strangest sensation came over me.
Never would I have thought I might appreciate what he had done. But in that moment, I thanked God Cyderial found me first. That he’d been wise enough to keep me far away from all of them. Horrible as he was, these men would have made me miserable.
And then my mate edified them further. “Do you not think I have made difficult decisions regarding the keeping of females at the academy? The results of my work are clear; their survival rate is higher than it has been in a century. Less are assaulted or stolen by lower-ranked boys. This required me to earn recruits’ animosity, including the dislike of my Lorieyn here. But it was done to benefit them all, not for my advantage. Lorieyn may be affectionate, but there is a hardness in her hearts and good reason for it to be there. That was my sacrifice for the greater good. I could have taken her at twelve and groomed her as I pleased, but instead, she was left to endure the same as the rest. Because it was best for her, not for me. Think on that in the upcoming years of your solitude.”
