Chapter 22:

The first of the golems were already upon the rear of his column, cutting down those at the rear, when Braith released the water.  With a roar, it surged into the rift, covering the golems -- all but about a hundred that had gained the beach. 

Dylan's army set upon those.  Still, they lost five men to every one of the golems; and they had outnumbered them fifty to one.  Had five hundred golems reached the shore, the battle might have gone against them.

"You did it," Dylan said to Braith, after the battle was over.  "You saved us."

"No," said Braith, " the God saved us.  I was but his instrument."

The crossing hadn't been without cost.  Neither Islwyn or any of his boys survived; and the golems reaching shore had killed another five hundred.  Out of five thousand, they had lost more than eight hundred that day; but -- for now -- they were safe. 

Cadwell would have to create another golem army; and Dylan had left no uncut males of any age between Langaris and the coast.  Cadwell would have to travel to the other parts of the country to find more recruits.

Then, to cross the straits, he would have to build boats.  They would have months, at least, before they would have to worry about another attack. 

But in the meantime, they would have to subjugate all of Anglesey, less than five thousand of them, most untrained, against perhaps the forty thousand males that occupied the island.

Ten thousand of those would be already cut slaves, however, eager to join them against their masters, the ones that had cut them like animals. 

Others, too, upon hearing the message of the God, upon hearing of the miracle of their crossing of the straits, would also join them, willingly sacrificing their cocks and balls in the hope of becoming part of the God's kingdom on Earth.

At first, they attacked small towns, ones they could easily overcome, accepting all those willing to join them, slave or free, cut or uncut, into their army. 

They killed all those not joining them.  Unlike on the journey to Anglesey, they could leave no one behind to oppose them.  They had to subjugate the whole of Anglesley.

Before long, each town, to avoid destruction, submitted.  Each male, the smallest infant and the oldest grandfather, was cut, their cocks and balls dedicated to the God.  Sometimes, they cut over a thousand in one day, but lost few of them. 

Braith stopped the bleeding and began the healing of each cut male.  It would be days before they no longer hurt; and they would be scarred, but most would live.  Usually, only the old and feeble died.

By the time they attacked the walled city of Llangrifrolis, their army had swelled to over fifteen thousand.  Ten thousand males were in the city, but four thousand of those, cut slaves, had no loyalty to their masters.  Besides, even the walls of the city couldn't stand against Braith and the God.

Braith caused the earth to quake, collapsing sections of the walls.  Dylan's soldiers swarmed into the city, joined by the slaves within, who revolted.  Those that surrendered, they cut and let live.  Those that didn't, they cut, then killed. 

It was the last battle they fought in Anglesey.  Every other city they approached surrendered.  Dylan had every male cut. 

With in six months, not one cock or one set of balls, survived in Anglesey.  Every last male had been castrated.  Since the weather was warm, no male or female -- to prevent a male dressing as a female -- was allowed to wear clothes, so they could ascertain at a glance that an individual had been cut.

At first, some tried to avoid being castrated, but those were cut, then impaled.  Before long, males were offering themselves and their sons up for castration, dedicating their cocks and balls to the God.  Since leaving Langaris, Dylan had caused to be cut over forty-five thousand.

Dylan might not yet be Emrys, but he was a prince.  He ruled over the entire Isle of Anglesey.  The God was stronger in Braith than he'd ever been.  Braith was -- perhaps -- even strong enough to oppose Cadell. 

Dylan had positioned spies up and down the coast of the mainland.  So far, no word of the approach of Heddwynn and another golem army had reached him.  They had rebuilt the walls of Llangrifrolis and Dylan and Braith ruled from the castle within those walls.

They couldn't sit and wait for Heddwynn to attack, however.  Within a generation, they would be old.  Within two, most would be dead.  Not one male had a cock or balls.  There would soon be no more children.  If the God did not win soon, there would be no one to fight his battle.

Even Dylan sometimes wondered at the wisdom of castrating all males; but he had followed the God, trusting in his wisdom.  Braith had confirmed that the God wanted every last male cut in Anglesey cut, so they had -- every last male.

Once the one hundred forty-four thousand were cut, the God would establish his kingdom on Earth; and Megan and Emrys would become the mother and father of a new species, a race of gods.

A child of the new species, although resembling humans in form, would contain wholly the essence of the God, receiving it from both the mother and the father.  Even females of the new species would contain the essence of the God.  Now, Megan was the only of her gender that did.

Dylan was training his army.  Some of those coming over to him were trained soldiers.  They trained others.  There was no longer a distinction between free and slave, since none any longer had cock and balls.  All his men worked together. 

It had been difficult at first.  Old prejudices die hard; but since all males no longer had cocks or balls, it was difficult to tell who had been a slave and who had not.

If there was an inferior class of people, it was the women.  What function, except to serve, did any of them any longer have?  They did much of the work.  Without a cock or balls, no man had much other need of them.

One morning, some months after the last male in Anglesey had been castrated, Dylan awoke.  He looked over, expecting to see Braith, who always slept beside him. 

Instead, he saw Megan.  Braith had changed back to Megan.  Before, even with his increased power he hadn't been able to.  Neither had he been able to change Dylan into Emrys.

Megan lay on her back, awake, one hand on her belly.  She looked over at Dylan.  "I'm with child," she said