"There are others?" I ask excitedly. "Are they here?"
Her face softens and she gives me a genuine smile. "Yes, there are more from our group of underground women. They're eager to meet you, if you're interested. They love the idea of a woman becoming a warrior and travelling the outlands to distribute a vaccination. You’ve become a legend around here, the hope for our survival."
I laugh out loud, unable to help myself. "I'm nobody," I say with scorn. "I'm just the lady with the lucky blood."
She doesn't laugh but gives me a serious look. "No true leader wants the position. Any who do are usually power greedy. People who reluctantly end up in positions of power are the ones who feel the weight of responsibility. I would far rather have a leader who despises the position, than one who covets it."
I immediately think of my brother-in-law, Diogo Fuentes, Warlord of the Tucson Sanctuary. According to my sister Taran, the responsibility of the most prominent Sanctuary in what used to be America weighs heavily on him. There are times that he wishes he wasn’t the leader, but knows his Sanctuary thrives because of him and because of my sister. They're both effective but reluctant leaders.
Uncomfortable with the direction of the conversation, I change the subject back to the doctor's group of underground women. "What do the other women do for work?"
She replaces the vial in my arm and fills another. "Anita is our resident engineer. She can look at an engine and know how to make it work, like magic. Dolly is our tech wizard. If you have any old technology, broken or otherwise, she'll make it work. Tabitha is an agriculturist. When we lived in New York she was responsible for creating vast gardens in our underground network. We shared with everyone in our group and those in need. Christine is Tabitha's wife. Obviously, they had to take their relationship underground so that neither was forced to marry someone else and produce his babies. Christine is a really fabulous cook, has a big heart and loves being around children. In New York, she worked as a teacher."
My heart aches as I listen to the doctor talk. She's talking about an impossible dream world. A place where there are fewer rules and restrictions. To even be able to survive in an underground capacity this group of women must've been fierce. I long to be part of them.
"Thank you for telling me all this," I murmur, my thoughts still filled with the images provided. Then another thought occurs to me. "But you’re the doctor here in Santa Fe Sanctuary. You must practice out in the open, or you wouldn’t be meeting with me. You’re not underground anymore?"
Hannah answers for the doctor and I turn my attention to the other woman.
"In one word, Wolfe,” Hannah says, watching my face carefully. "At first the women remained hidden, fearful that they would be separated and forced to marry members of the city security force, but Anita stepped in to show us her skill when the west wall fell after repeated attacks. She risked herself in order to save an entire city. She helped plan the new wall and actually helped build it with her own hands, alongside our men. When Wolfe found out about Anita and the others, he had them gathered up and brought to him. We expected him to marry them off to his eligible soldiers, but instead he demanded a full explanation and then allowed them to leave peacefully. He utilizes their skills when he needs them. Which is how you’re having this conversation with Dr. Summers."
"He didn't force any of them to marry?" I ask incredulously. Even under Silas, a Warlord who ruled with unusual compassion, women were still forced to marry, whether they liked it or not.
Hannah shrugs. "We were all surprised. Since coming back to the city and taking over, he's made many improvements and worked diligently toward a harmonious city."
I nearly laugh out loud at the pairing of Wolfe’s name with the word harmonious. Hannah's words don't jive with what I know of Wolfe. He's a soldier. A Warlord. No part of him is soft or understanding. But he is smart, and I have an inkling that he's decided these women can be far more useful in a professional capacity.
"I wish I had a skill that he coveted more than marriage," I say bitterly, thinking back to our conversation earlier.
The doctor squeezes my arm comfortingly and gently removes the needle. She presses a small piece of gauze against the pinprick of blood that wells up.
"You’re set to marry the Warlord." It's not a question, which means both women must know already.
Hannah speaks up. "If it makes you feel better, I don't think it would matter what kind of profession you were skilled in, he would make you his wife anyway. It's about you, not what you bring to the table."
Hannah's words sound wistful and I frown at her. "If you want the job, please take it. I have no desire to marry him and the first opportunity I have to get out of here, I'm leaving."
"He doesn't want me, he wants you." Hannah turns away abruptly, mumbling, “The favourite… always the favourite."
Then she shakes her head as though to dispel the bitterness that takes everyone in the room by surprise. Hannah is usually a gentle and loving creature with no bad thing to say about anyone.
She continues, her moment of annoyance over, "That man has been obsessed with you from the moment he laid eyes on you when the Outsider Talon brought you in and presented you to Silas. Wolfe has waited years for this moment. There's no chance he's letting you go this time."
I stare back at Hannah, our eyes clashing. There's something different about her, less forgiving, harder. The past year has had a significant effect on her.
"It doesn't matter." I shake my head. "I won't marry him."
Hannah laughs. "As if that ever stopped a Warlord. As if it will stop Wolfe.”
We fall silent. Hannah's words ring true in a way we’ve all experienced. Warlords rule over everything: land, resources and people, particularly women. The doctor finishes up and she and Hannah leave together. Once more I'm alone in the harem, contemplating a future that I want nothing to do with.
Fifteen
Wolfe
Exhaustion hits me as I make my way to the harem, to Skye. She’s been in my city for four days now. Enough time to calm down. Enough time to contemplate her new reality and reconcile herself to the inevitable.
I run a hand over my face and beard, then slap a cheek, trying to wake myself up. Skye is a sharp woman, always coming at me with something, so I need to be alert to handle her. Which is hard to do when this fucking city is sucking everything out of me.
There's a reason I never wanted to be Warlord. I could've had my pick of cities. When I left Tucson, I toyed with the idea of going back to Tijuana, taking out the Warlord there and creating a viable Sanctuary out of my birthplace. Ultimately though, I dropped the idea. I didn't want the responsibility and I sure as fuck didn’t give enough of a shit about people that I’d ever prioritize their health or the health of a city. There's a big difference between being able to do something and wanting to do the thing.
Then I ended up in Santa Fe, saw the destruction and people struggling to rebuild, and stepped in with the necessary expertise. Over the course of months, the citizens of Santa Fe Sanctuary began looking to me more and more for leadership, until it became official. Now I find myself in the exact position I’d been avoiding for years. Warlord.