Carnal Rites by Ines Johnson (learn to read books .TXT) 📕

they all looked the same to Merlyn. They were all dressed in robes of the deepest purple with accents of greens and blues, the colors of the Goddess' womb.

"True," said Merlyn. "The Goddess has withheld females from this world due to the devastation wrought by men."

Merlyn recited the facts she'd heard all her life. The words landed hollow in her ears. She met her Mother's eyes. Lady Angyla's stern face is what made Merlyn continue.

"But the Goddess also designed females with superior knowledge that we might fix what men destroyed."

Merlyn saw the only man in the crowd bristle. His muscles bunched under his linens. He was the Male Voice, the sole representation for the male population. He had no vote, but he was allowed to speak for the men. Though, he was only allowed to speak at appointed times. Merlyn's voice ceased at the sight of his closed mouth.

Her heart ached at the loss of Jaspir. Her mind swirled at the absence of Liam. Her body still felt the effects of their lovemaking from the previous night.

"Lady Merlyn," said Sister Mychelle of the Chamber of Culture, "what you propose —to designate the gender of a child—smacks at the hand of the Goddess and Her designs."

Merlyn snapped out of her memory and found her voice. "The Goddess gave us our brains and our own two hands. Women of science healed the tear in the sky. We eliminated pollution in the air by banning the use of fossil fuels and coals and only using solar energy and hydroponics. Female medics have eradicated many diseases by a simple change in diet. None of this smacked at the Goddess' hands. I believe we've stood up to the potential She set within us.

"What we know about insemination, back in the time before the Great Destruction, is that the procedure was performed due to low fertility in women. That is no longer a problem with the women of our time. We are able to conceive. We just aren't able to conceive the correct sex."

The Male Voice bristled again. From the corner of her eye, Merlyn saw his fists clench and unclench. She saw his chest heave in a deep breath and then let it out slowly.

"My partner and I—" From the other corner, Merlyn saw her Mother bristle. Merlyn began again. "By the grace of the Goddess, I was been able to identify the female chromosome in the makeup of spermatozoa."

Merlyn's tongue felt swollen as she forced the words out of her mouth. It wasn't by the grace of the Goddess. It was by the mathematical work of a man. She wished Liam were here now. He rarely stood beside her when she presented findings to her Mother and Grand Mother, but at this moment, he was sorely missed.

Merlyn's hand went to her lips. They still tingled from his kiss. Her hand reached back to the nape of her neck where he had held her to him. She'd watched his fingers fly across a calculator for years, but she had never known how strong they were. Had never thought it.

"Merlyn."

She looked up. Her Mother glared at her. Everyone stared at her, including Alyss, who sat behind Sister Valyrie of the Chamber of Health and Sciences. Alyss' appointment to the Chamber of Health and Sciences was still fresh. She was an intern. Her eyes told her sister not to embarrass her in front of all these people. Alyss cared about appearances. Merlyn cared what people thought, but not about her appearance. She cared that they thought her smart.

"Merlyn," her Mother said in a tone of false kindness. "Please finish explaining your findings to the Sisterhood."

Merlyn took a step forward. "We—"

Her Mother glared. Merlyn clearly read in her Mother's eyes: men don't count.

Merlyn stepped back. "I was able to isolate the female spermatozoa by a mathematical calculation. You see, they weigh more than a male due to the extra leg of the chromosome that forms an X. We could isolate these X spermatozoa and place them in a fertile female uterus. The procedure would be painless, with little to no side effects."

"And then nine months later," interrupted Lady Angyla, her voice dripping with enthusiasm and fervor, "a guaranteed baby girl."

"And thereby completely eradicating the need for men."

There was a gasp through the room. Merlyn didn’t doubt it had less to do with her Mother's conclusion and more to do with the speaker.

It wasn't the Male Voice that spoke, but a male behind him. His skin was a deeper brown than Jaspir's. He looked at Merlyn with narrowed eyes. Merlyn had never seen this male before, but suddenly she felt ashamed.

"That will be all, Emet." The Male Voice motioned for the young man to step back.

His fingers gripped the banister. He released the banister, hunched his shoulders and hung his head. The maneuver made him appear smaller.

"My apologies ladies, for the outburst," said the Male Voice. "But I do feel that I need to speak to this matter."

"It is not your appointed time," said Sister Valyrie.

"If I do not speak now, men may no longer be able to speak. We will be minimized to laborers, slaves."

"Don't be outrageous. Men have been given a voice on this panel."

The man nodded. "A voice, but not a vote."

The male's eyes connected with Merlyn. The mix of anger, frustration, and... fear. It overwhelmed her. The Male Voice sat down beside Emet in their small booth.

Once again, Merlyn struggled to find her voice. But her voice was no longer needed. Lady Angyla stepped in front of her.

"In truth, ladies," Angyla said. "There are more of them than there are of us. I think the Goddess showed my daughter this jewel of reproductive science so that we can take our destiny in our own hands, and defend this planet and Her womb from more of mankind's ill will. We have had peace these last centuries. But we all know resistance is within men's ranks." Lady Angyla pointed to the Male Voice and his assistant who