Soldier at the Door by Trish Mercer Read Free Book Online Page B

better than anyone else. Well over a million people. At least two hundred thousand died over those five years. If it weren’t for the war, we’d have far too many people now. One million is all the land can support.”
    Mahrree ignored his rationale, cultivated into him by his Idumean education. “Yes! Over one million people! Now the only way we got so many was because families were bigger . Now Perrin, consider this—what if the world is already supporting more than only us? Somewhere else? Perrin, how many Guarders might there be?”
    He blinked rapidly and thought for a moment. “Uh, no one’s sure. When they left there were maybe 2,000. But they can’t be more than 10,000 now, according to some of the estimates my father has been given. That’s still a large number to battle, especially if they arm their wives and children. That’s why we’re increasing the army to 15,000.”
    “Has anyone ever encountered an armed woman or child?” she pressed.
    Perrin paused. “No,” he said slowly. “Just the rumor.”
    Mahrree was unimpressed. “ Rumor . Since when do you believe in rumors?”
    His eyes flared, and she realized she’d nudged awake the ca ptain again. “ Rumor , Mrs. Shin,” he said in a low voice, “was how we knew the Guarders were becoming active again. You might even say rumor is also how I found out about you being marked last season.”
    Mahrree scrunched up her mouth, realizing she was losing that debate. So she shifted it.
    “Then I suppose you should also believe the rumor that Guarder women can have up to fifteen babies. So, with birth rates like that, might there not be more Guarders? Maybe even tens of thousands?”
    “Surviving in the wilderness? ” Perrin challenged back.
    “Why not? Didn’t our ancestors live in a kind of wilderness at first and have many children?”
    Perrin shook his head to clear out the fog. “Mahrree, what’s your point?”
    “That the Creator made us capable of having more children!” she nearly exploded. “In order to have reached over one million people in six generations, families were much larger. No one remembers, or even thinks about it, because all the family line records were destroyed. That fire can’t have been an accident. King Querul the First did it on purpose, so generations later no one would remember!”
    He stared at her with what she thought might have been fear. But having never seen fear before in him, she didn’t know how to interpret the look that tried to penetrate her mind.
    “Perrin, if we remembered—had any records left—as to how many children our ancestors had, we would know we could bear more children. Our bodies haven’t changed in merely one hundred twenty years to produce only two children safely. The Office of Family is wrong! Can’t you see?” she pleaded.
    If she wasn’t holding her newborn she would have grip ped his shoulders and shook him.
    “It’s a lie, Perrin! A lie started by the kings and continued by the Administrators. I don’t know why they want to keep the popul ation down and refuse to let us explore, but they’re doing it on purpose! I’ve searched The Writings and I can’t find anywhere that the Creator said, ‘And when this people has reached one million, cease to multiply!’ We are only replacing now. And many couples aren’t even doing that. But we can! My body can do this!”
    “Mahrree, Mahrree!” he whispered urgently. “You’ve got to stop! You don’t know what you’re saying—what you’re imagining. Yes, there are questions about the loss of family lines, but we can’t deal with that now. We just have to live with it.”
    He wasn’t holding a baby, so he did grip her shoulders and shake her gently.
    “Everything you’re saying—you must realize—is traitorous! Wanting to go against the edicts of the Administrators?! Please, Mahrree, if you love your family, just stop . Remember, the Administrators don’t hold much to The Writings. I’ve heard Nicko Mal say that