Tip of the Spear (6 page)

“Sounds
good,” he drawled, his low voice like warm honey.

They
continued to ride, stopping only to see to necessities before they reached the
place where Hinto wanted to break. She dismounted and glanced around. The sun
had begun to set, and the sky turned a cool lavender in keeping with the light
wind chilling the temperature. So different from home, yet she found the colder
weather refreshing.

Tired
of wearing her hat, she tore it off and sighed as a breeze wafted over her head.
Thais also removed her bandana, wishing for a lagoon or lake, anything to rid
herself of the sweat and dirt covering her. Her horse looked just as
uncomfortable, so she unsaddled the mare and laid out her saddle and bedroll on
the ground. A blanket would do for warmth, so long as they built a fire. For
all that she liked the cooler weather, her body had yet to adjust to being cold
all the time. Most of her time spent in the Territories had been in Temeco,
where the weather was just as hot, though drier, than the Amazon.

Thais
tended to her horse, finished putting her things in order, and waited for Hinto
to reappear. Giving him his privacy ensured a few moments for herself. The ride
hadn’t been all that bad. The scenery took her breath away, as did the space
all around. At home, with the trees and vegetation and animals so close, the
jungle felt like a warm, though at times, smothering blanket. Here, some of the
trees had needles, while others had height but not the vast canopy of leaves to
block the sky.

And
such wonderful colors. Red, orange and yellow leaves fell off the trees once a
year, only to be replaced by new shoots when the cold of winter bled into the
warmth of spring.

Such
a fascinating place. Yet her surroundings didn’t captivate her half as much as
her obstinate companion.

It
gave her some small satisfaction to know he didn’t like riding with her anymore
than she liked having to be with him. Why Kitty thought Thais needed
protection, she didn’t know. Then again, most of the females in the Territories
were weak creatures. Bred to endure, the women here didn’t receive a warrior’s
training. Hampered by long dresses and dainty shoes, the ones she’d  seen
wouldn’t last a day on their own. Most had been told from an early age to obey
men. As wives or slaves, it made little difference in Thais’s mind. Smaller and
frailer than the men in this place, the women often had no choice when it came
to procreating or serving the opposite sex.

Thais
couldn’t imagine living in such a state. At home, all Amazons were treated as
equals…by the queen. Pilar and her friends didn’t see beyond the guardians. They
viewed the other castes as inferior, whereas the queen—she shook her head—the former
queen, had insisted fair treatment be distributed throughout the tribe.

In
a perfect world, Thais, a guardian, would converse with Yara, a healer. Isadora
could live as a historian and still deserve as much respect as Luiza, who would
make an excellent hunter.

Except
there was no more tribe, no more great people to hold on. Likely by this time,
Estefina had passed into the Goddess’s keeping with the other Amazons. With
Thais’s mother.

The
sadness she struggled to keep at bay hit her hard, and she sank to the ground
with her head in her hands. Perhaps her presence in the village on the night
they’d been slaughtered  would not have made a difference. Estefina might have
had the right of it, and they’d all have been killed. But Thais would never
know.

She
took a black piece of stone no larger than a jaguar’s tooth out of her pocket
and closed it in her fist. The memories swarmed her like fireflies.

“Where
do you think you’re going?” Her mother’s low voice demanded a response.

“Mother,
ah, I—” Thais had no excuse. Every other proud Amazon waited attendance on the
men at the behest of the queen. Even the princess had not found a way to escape
paying tribute. Personally, Thais could think of less painful methods of
torture than waiting for the queen to choose participants to join the males for
procreation. Like having her fingernails pulled out one by one.

“Thais,
haven’t I taught you better than this?” The tip of her mother’s spear prodded
her to turn around. Even for an Amazon, her mother stood tall. Broad shoulders,
arms corded with strength, a flat stomach that belied her ever giving birth,
and muscular thighs denoted Aliane’s guardian status as much as the flower
inked onto her cheek did. Her long fingers gripped the staff of a spear that
had never seen anything but victory over their enemies.

Thais
might have been her mother’s twin, except for her green eyes, eyes inherited
from the male her mother had been paired with to serve the tribe. Thais forced
herself to meet her mother’s gaze, ashamed she’d considered ducking her
responsibilities. “Mother, I—”

“A
true warrior always has a ready excuse.” Aliane’s lips quirked. “Would that I
had less responsibility, I would join you.”

Thais
breathed a sigh of relief.

“I
don’t like these snake-tongues. They speak with reverence, but their eyes lie. Go,
Thais. Watch over your friends. But I’ll expect you back here in three days. The
time has come for you to join our circle. I couldn’t be more proud.”

Thais
smiled at the satisfaction on her mother’s face. Having passed the guardian’s
test, Thais deserved the respect afforded a great warrior. But her mother’s
pleasure meant more to her than anything.

 “Thank
you, Mother. Goddess bless you well.” Thais bowed her head and struck her fist to
her chest. She raised her head and grinned. “You’ll need it.”

Aliane
chuckled and leaned over to kiss Thais’s forehead. “Yah, when did you grow so
tall?” She turned Thais around and pushed her forward. “Now away with you, and
enjoy these last carefree days.”

With
a wave to her mother, Thais gathered her pack and raced silently along the
trail her friends had taken. Her mother had the right of it. The days with her
friends spent fishing, hunting and playing grew fewer as they reached maturity
and found their paths. Best to enjoy herself while she still could.

She
caught up to Yara in no time. The trail they traveled was a familiar one to the
tribe. It led to several favorite spots among the hunters, as well as to the
healing spring and The Cave. Monkeys screeched high above while several macaws
retaliated with angered squawks and the fluttering of wings. In a damp,
hollowed tree trunk, bees buzzed around a popular hive where Thais had once
gathered honey. The reassurance of the earth around her did much to make up for
the unease of strangers in their village. Thais took comfort from the fact that
by the time she returned, the Territory men would be gone.

“Where
were you?” Yara asked. She took a banana from her bag and ate while she walked,
skirting several lizards hissing from under thick tree roots.

“Mother
found me. She wished us luck.”

“I
love your mother. Had mine found us, we’d be sitting astride those disgusting
pigs, pretending to pray for babies.”

“What,
Yara? You don’t long to carry young babes in your womb? No small girls to
strengthen our tribe? Little healers with the skills of their mother?” Thais
teased. She knew Yara had no fondness for the sexual act, not since she
assisted her mother with the tribe’s birthing duties.

“Goddess,
no!” Yara tried to trip Thais with a long stick she’d picked up. When Thais
nimbly dodged her and parried with a strike to her ankle, Yara laughed and ran
ahead.

Thais
smiled. Were it not for the tribe’s constant need to build their numbers, life
would be perfect. A thousand years ago, there had been no need for birthing
prayers and celebrations to consecrate worthy mates. Then, it had been all the
Amazons could do to remain apart from a civilization encroaching upon their
world.

The
stories told day in and day out reminded Thais and the others of the great
storm and the Time of Dying. The Amazons had prayed and remained devoted to the
Goddess, and She had provided. Unfortunately, Thais had no wish to partake in
the Good Mother’s helpings. Men. The only ones she’d seen had made her wish for
a sharp spear.

Though
her mother had often commended Thais’s father for gifting his daughter with
strength, intelligence and cunning, she would say no more about him. The rare
male children born to the Amazons quickly found their way into neighboring
villages, never to be heard from again.

 From
what Thais gathered, men made two things very well—babies and war, and Thais
could do without either.

As
she walked along the path that led to The Cave, she wondered how many babies
might be made this very night. She hoped for none. These males weren’t right. Though
she could credit nothing more than a bad feeling, she knew in her heart that no
good would come from their visit. The leader, a stocky male with watery blue
eyes and dirty yellow hair, eyed the queen with greed. For her body or her
jewel encrusted crown, Thais couldn’t say.

Many
stories about the crown had been told throughout the ages. To date, it had
survived wars, famine, and a massive civil war that ended just before Thais’s birth.
The current queen ruled with her heart and soul, always looking out for her
sister warriors.

Just
as Thais would look out for her friends. She, Yara, Isadora, and Luiza had
grown up together. Best friends and companions, the foursome were inseparable.

Thais
frowned and moved from a fast walk into a jog when the rain began to fall. Here,
where the canopy was thinnest, a barrage hit her. As the sun set and a full
moon rose high overhead, she wondered what the future would bring. In a few
days, she would join the other guardians among her tribe. She would protect the
princess, the tribe’s future queen. Guardian: a revered title and role in the
community, but one that would separate her from the others.

Yara
already showed exceptional skill in the healing arts. Dark of skin, like the
male who had joined her mother, she looked like an earthen princess, her beauty
paling only next to her talent with medicine. Her mother took her for longer
and longer periods of time, until Yara would no longer have the time to walk
with Thais, but serve the village in all its needs.

Isadora
didn’t have the hunter’s spirit that Luiza, her twin had. Both blond with brown
eyes, the girls were a mix of their Amazon mother and the Anglo who had raped
her. The male had died seconds after violating their mother, but he’d left
behind a gift. A set of twins to appease the Goddess and the tribe. While Thais
felt sure Luiza would join the hunters, she imagined Isadora in a softer role.
Perhaps as a historian, a singer, or maybe a gatherer. Though every Amazon was
first a warrior, many women preferred a peaceful life, protected by their
harder, tougher sisters.

To
look at the group of women, one would not see physical similarities. Tall,
short, dark, fair. Yet every woman in the tribe handled a spear, a bow, and a
knife with skill. Even gentle Isadora could hit a target at fifty paces, every
time.

My
family, Thais thought with happiness and a rising excitement, finally looking
forward to the night’s activities. Thank you, Good Mother, for this precious
time with friends.

Breathing
heavily and drenched by the time she reached The Cave, Thais noted the torch
sitting inside—proof the others waited within. She followed the dirt trail past
the crystal imbedded in the black rock, further through the cold spots, where
warriors long-dead lingered to protect the cave’s spirit, and further still
until she found the majesty of Goddess Cave, where the very first Amazon had
sprung to life.

The
interior glowed, turning the turquoise lagoon in the middle of the massive cave
into a shining pool of welcome. The spirits in the pool shimmered, sparks of
white light glittering like diamonds over the water’s surface.

“I,
for one, needed a bath,” Isadora said with a sigh as she floated naked in the
water.

Yara
scrunched her nose. “As does Luiza.”

“I
heard that,” Luiza growled and splashed Yara in the face.

Thais
grinned, sat down and cooled her feet in the healing water. Sweat trickled down
her chest, dampening her top. “I am so glad we’re here. Just think, three days
of fun, food and—”

“Drink,”
Isadora added helpfully, holding a wineskin in one hand. “I swiped it from
Pilar’s tent.”

Everyone
shrieked with laughter. “That witch,” Thais gasped. “Can you imagine her face
when she realizes some of her precious wine is gone? Ooh, I want some.”

“Me
first,” Luiza said.

“Then
me,” Yara added.

Pleased
with the way their night was unfolding, Thais ignored the quiet unease
lingering in her belly and once again thanked the Goddess. Determined to enjoy
herself, she avoided thoughts of strange men and relaxed.

Though
time had passed, Thais’s heartache and guilt had not. Already four long years
lay behind her as she sought the crown she’d been commanded to retrieve. Justice,
Hinto had said, would not be found in the Territories unless he brought it to
those deserving of it. On this, Thais agreed. She would find Aaron Bartel and
his men. She would track down her enemy sisters, Pilar, Renata, Marcela, and
the others. They would pay for their disloyalty and pay dearly, for their
crimes hurt more than those of the men.