silence, completing in her mind, a way of proving to myself that I would never wear chains for any man… Kindra said once to me that most women, and most men too. believe themselves free and weight themselves with invisible chains …
Cholayna brushed her hand absently over her silver-white hair.
“If everything you have done since you left the Dry Towns has been a way of proving that you were not one of them, then, whether you live by their precepts or no, they have formed everything you have done. If they had left no influence on you, you would have chosen your way without thinking whether it was their way or the reverse - wouldn’t you?”
Jaelle muttered “I suppose so.” She was still carefully breathing, forcing herself to relax, to unclench her fists.
Cholayna added, casually, “I know little of the Renunciates, either. You spoke of the Oath, and so did Magda, but I know nothing of it. Is it a secret, or can you tell me what a Renunciate, a Free Amazon, swears?”
Jaelle said tiredly, “The oath is not secret. I will gladly tell you.” She began “From this day henceforth I swear - “
“Wait - ” Cholayna lifted a hand. “May I turn on a recording device for the records?”
There was that word again ! But what was the point in arguing? It was, perhaps, the only way to make the Guild House comprehensible to an outsider. She said, “Certainly,” and waited.
“From this day I renounce the right to marry save as a freemate; no man shall bind me di catenas and I will dwell in no man’s house as a barragana ,” she began, and steadily recited the Oath from beginning to end. How could Cholayna believe that she, if she were truly, as the woman said, a product formed by the Dry-Town culture, without hope of change in personality or sexuality or will, could have freely chosen the Oath? Ridiculous, on the face of it!
Cholayna listened quietly, nodding once or twice at some provision or other.
“This is, of course, not strange to me,” she said, “for in the Empire, and particularly on the Alpha planet where I grew up, it was taken for granted that women had these rights and responsibilities; although we also admit,” she said with a faint smile, “that the father of a child also has rights and responsibilities in determining care and upbringing. Some day, if you wish, I should like to discuss this with you at length. Also, I can see why it was that the Free Amazons - forgive me, the Renunciates - were the first Darkovan women to seek to learn from the Terrans. I have two things to ask of you. The first is that you should visit Magda in the Guild House and talk with her about choosing suitable women as candidates for Medic training - or whatever else seems suitable.”
“That will be my pleasure,” Jaelle said formally, but her mind ran counterpoint, If she thinks I will help to persuade our women to act as Intelligence spies, she may think again .
“Jaelle, what was your work among the - the Renunciates? What sort of work do they do?”
“Any honest work,” Jaelle said, “Among us there are bakers, cheese-makers, midwives - oh, yes, we train midwives especially in the Guild House in Arilinn - herb sellers, confectioners, mercenary soldiers - ” Abruptly she stopped, realizing where this line of questioning was leading.
“No, we are not all soldiers, Cholayna, nor mercenaries, nor sword-women: if I had to gain my porridge with the sword, I should have starved long ago. The outsiders think always of the more visible Free Amazons, the ones who hire out as soldiers and mercenaries. There was a time, long ao, when there was a Sisterhood of the Sword - in the Ages of Chaos - it was dissolved when the Guild, the Comhi-letzii, were formed. The Sisterhood were mercenaries and soldiers, then. You asked what I did? I am a travel-organizer; we provide escort for ladies traveling alone, at least that was how it started, because we could chaperone as well as guide and protect. Later, men also came to us, so that
Cholayna brushed her hand absently over her silver-white hair.
“If everything you have done since you left the Dry Towns has been a way of proving that you were not one of them, then, whether you live by their precepts or no, they have formed everything you have done. If they had left no influence on you, you would have chosen your way without thinking whether it was their way or the reverse - wouldn’t you?”
Jaelle muttered “I suppose so.” She was still carefully breathing, forcing herself to relax, to unclench her fists.
Cholayna added, casually, “I know little of the Renunciates, either. You spoke of the Oath, and so did Magda, but I know nothing of it. Is it a secret, or can you tell me what a Renunciate, a Free Amazon, swears?”
Jaelle said tiredly, “The oath is not secret. I will gladly tell you.” She began “From this day henceforth I swear - “
“Wait - ” Cholayna lifted a hand. “May I turn on a recording device for the records?”
There was that word again ! But what was the point in arguing? It was, perhaps, the only way to make the Guild House comprehensible to an outsider. She said, “Certainly,” and waited.
“From this day I renounce the right to marry save as a freemate; no man shall bind me di catenas and I will dwell in no man’s house as a barragana ,” she began, and steadily recited the Oath from beginning to end. How could Cholayna believe that she, if she were truly, as the woman said, a product formed by the Dry-Town culture, without hope of change in personality or sexuality or will, could have freely chosen the Oath? Ridiculous, on the face of it!
Cholayna listened quietly, nodding once or twice at some provision or other.
“This is, of course, not strange to me,” she said, “for in the Empire, and particularly on the Alpha planet where I grew up, it was taken for granted that women had these rights and responsibilities; although we also admit,” she said with a faint smile, “that the father of a child also has rights and responsibilities in determining care and upbringing. Some day, if you wish, I should like to discuss this with you at length. Also, I can see why it was that the Free Amazons - forgive me, the Renunciates - were the first Darkovan women to seek to learn from the Terrans. I have two things to ask of you. The first is that you should visit Magda in the Guild House and talk with her about choosing suitable women as candidates for Medic training - or whatever else seems suitable.”
“That will be my pleasure,” Jaelle said formally, but her mind ran counterpoint, If she thinks I will help to persuade our women to act as Intelligence spies, she may think again .
“Jaelle, what was your work among the - the Renunciates? What sort of work do they do?”
“Any honest work,” Jaelle said, “Among us there are bakers, cheese-makers, midwives - oh, yes, we train midwives especially in the Guild House in Arilinn - herb sellers, confectioners, mercenary soldiers - ” Abruptly she stopped, realizing where this line of questioning was leading.
“No, we are not all soldiers, Cholayna, nor mercenaries, nor sword-women: if I had to gain my porridge with the sword, I should have starved long ago. The outsiders think always of the more visible Free Amazons, the ones who hire out as soldiers and mercenaries. There was a time, long ao, when there was a Sisterhood of the Sword - in the Ages of Chaos - it was dissolved when the Guild, the Comhi-letzii, were formed. The Sisterhood were mercenaries and soldiers, then. You asked what I did? I am a travel-organizer; we provide escort for ladies traveling alone, at least that was how it started, because we could chaperone as well as guide and protect. Later, men also came to us, so that
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