Amazon Chief (36 page)

"You have to manage the queen?"

"She is looking for every opportunity to send Maya home, but Malora has two many voices, and I don't like her without her companion. She doesn't sleep."

"So much," I said.

"It's not so bad," Balorie said. "I handle it okay." She grinned at me. "Did you have more questions?"

"I didn't realize I was going to have these. I came looking for Maya."

"Did you need to talk to me?"

"Sometime, but I just needed this." I clasped her hand. "Thank you."

"You're always welcome," she said. "Better now?"

I nodded.

"Dinner is soon," she said. "Sit with me then."

"Count on it. I'm going to work on my hut some more. Thank you again, Balorie."

I got up but instead of heading to my hut, I went first to the storage room, bringing a lamp in and poking around for a while. I was just looking for inspiration of things to brighten the hut up. I didn't find anything, but then I opened a drawer of dried rosemary, and it smelled absolutely wonderful. I took some out and gave it a deep sniff, then put it back and went in search of Serra.

"You're not on kitchen duty!" she said the moment I stepped in. But she crossed the room, drying her hands, and set a hand on my neck.

"I'm okay," I said.

"I didn't used to do this," she said. "But I've been watching Maya. I'm trying to make it automatic like she does."

I nodded. "Thank you."

"Were you hoping to raid the kitchen early?"

"No. I'm trying to decorate my hut. I was wondering if I could have some of the rosemary from the storage room. It smells good. But if you needed it, I wanted you to know where it was."

"As long as you don't take it all. If I run low, I'll come see you. And warn Maya you have it so she doesn't freak out. If you really like it, I can show you where I harvest it, next summer."

"Oh that would be nice," I said. "Thank you. Why don't you make the companions do it?"

"I used to, but then a couple over-harvested and destroyed one of my favorite patches of thyme. It takes so little time to harvest, I'd rather just do it myself."

"Well, I hope you'll show me. Thank you, Serra."

She caressed my cheek and sent me on my way. I collected the rosemary then trudged to my hut.

* * * *

"So," I asked Maya over dinner, "where are you going for spring recruitment?"

"My rotation is off because of the trip for Bea and Clara," she replied. "I was scheduled to go to the central coast."

Which meant
Gallen's Cove.

"Now I haven't decided. Why?"

"I want to go with, and if we can go home, I'd love to."

"Honey, I might have a companion for you sooner than that."

"Really?" I thought about it. "I still want to go, if Queen Malora will allow it. And I'm going to need to snare a lot of rabbit skins. I want to go shopping."

"Ah ha," Maya said. "For what?"

"Decorations and furnishings for my hut. I want reminders of home. And a mirror."

"You may have to ride some extra patrols before and after," Malora said. "And if you have a companion, you will need to see to her training during the trip."

"I may go?"

"If you still wish to, and Balorie isn't impoverished of warriors for patrol, yes, you may go."

"We'll make do," Balorie said.

"The available slots go first to the warriors in need of companions," Malora said.

"So a definite maybe?" and she nodded.

"You're due for a trip home, Beria," Malora said. "If not this spring, then we'll find a chance this summer. To be honest, I could use a couple of weeks beside the ocean."

Several heads turned her way. I had never heard her say anything like that before.

"What?" she asked. "I don't get vacation?"

"You've never taken one," Nori said, "not the entire time I've known you. Have you ever gone home to see your family?"

"Not a good subject," she said quietly. "Maya's family is mine now."

"Oh honey," Maya said, laying her head on Malora's shoulder.

"That means you, too, Beria," Malora said. "You know, the more I think about it, the more I think two weeks in
Gallen's Cove sounds about perfect. When's the best time to be there?"

"Any time in the summer," Maya said. "The fishing is better the rest of the year, but it's warm enough to swim, and the ocean is calm enough for sailing."

"Then whether Beria has her trip with us this spring," Malora declared, "we're taking a trip this summer."

"I'd love that," Maya said.

* * * *

I sat bolt upright, a scream on the edge of my throat.

"Oh, can you feel your heart pounding, Amazon?" the demon asked me. "It is positively bursting from your chest." The voice went on and on. I scrambled from my bed and barely pulled on boots before running out of the hut.

Malora woke when I entered. I think she heard me whimpering. Their lamp was offering a faint glow, and I realized they had left it partially lit for me. Malora lifted the covers for me, and there was a Beria-sized space beside my sister. I kicked off my shoes and wrapped myself around her, trembling.

"Oh honey," she said into my ear. "I've got you. I've got you."

"You can't hide from me forever, Amazon," the demon said before it faded away.

"I'm sorry," I said.

"Shh," Maya said. "We left room for you."

Malora fussed with the covers, making sure I was properly covered, and then she climbed from the bed and poked at the stove for a moment.

"Did you bank your stove properly, Beria?" she asked.

"Before bed," I said.

"Sometimes the demons cause tricks when we sleep. I'm just going to go check."

She didn't bother dressing, just slipped out the door. She was back a few moments later. "Everything is fine." She warmed at the stove for a moment then slipped back under the covers.

Slowly I calmed down. Maya kissed my nose and smiled to me. "Better?"

"I'll go," I said.

"No. Stay."

"It's only a little after midnight, Beria," Malora said. "If you go, you'll be back twice more before morning."

"I-" I thought about it. "I should make a bed in here, shouldn't I?"

"Yes," she said, "although you could start out in your hut then come here when you need to. But you are welcome in our bed, or in a bed next to ours, as long as you need."

"Thank you, Malora."

"Of course," she said. "You would do the same for any of your sisters, after all."

"I don'
t know if I would have, before. I didn't know it was like this."

"You would have. It may have taken Maya explaining more to you, but you would have, and i
n the future, you probably will be doing this for someone else."

I lay back in the bed, Maya holding me, Malora holding Maya.

"Maya," I said, "the day I took the voice, the demon told me things."

"The demons lie," Malora said. "Don't believe a thing they tell you."

"It told me Father wasn't my real father," I said.

"Ridiculous," Maya said. "You don't remember her, but you look just like Grandma Softpeace."

"The demon said a man raped mother and made you watch."

"Lies, honey."

"It said he raped you, too."

"Oh honey," Maya said. "Lies. It never happened. I have never lied to you, and you know it. It never happened."

"Why would it tell such a poor lie?"

"To spread doubt," Malora said. "To make you doubt your family, your sister, yourself."

"If it had happened, would you admit it, Maya?"

"Honey, who taught you the gift of misdirection? If I didn't want to answer, I wouldn't lie. I would misdirect. It didn't happen. The demon lied. Malora is the only person who has ever come remotely to touching me, and to the best of my knowledge, Father is the only one who has ever touched Mother. But I don't know if she had a boyfriend before meeting father."

"Or a girlfriend," Malora said. Maya and I both rolled to look at her. "What? It could happen. Both of you seem perfectly content with girlfriends. It might run in the family. Personally, I think your Grandma Alara has something going with Juna."

"Oh that's just gross," I said. "Do you have any idea how old Juna is?"

Malora chuckled.

* * * *

I spent the next two weeks trying to wean myself from my sister, at least at night. I never made it more than three hours, and usually not that much. I felt bad for it, but Maya and Malora told me not to worry about it. I was welcome until I had my own companion, if that's what it took.

On the other hand, I began riding patrol as a warrior. I missed Omie horribly, but it felt good to be one of the warriors.

It was hard seeing Omie but not being lovers anymore. We had been so close for so long, and it was really hard. Then one evening after dinner, Omie asked me to come talk to her. When I got there, she had a bottle of wine.

"I traded for it," she said. She poured me a glass and handed it to me. "Sit," she said, gesturing.

"Vorine and I have been talking," she said.

"No!"

She smiled. "Are you sure?"

She was offering to leave Queen's Town.

"I couldn't stand it if you left," I said. "This is hard, but it would be harder never seeing you at all. But if you want to go-"

"No," she said. "I don't. I like it here, and while it hurts that I can't hold you, and it hurts knowing you are just over there-" she pointed towards my hut, "and it hurts knowing that you are hurting, it would be far, far worse not seeing you."

"Maybe you wanted to be a village chief somewhere."

"Nope. Neither of us
is interested."

"Please don't go," I told her. "I couldn't stand it."

She smiled. "Then we'll stay."

We talked for a while, and then Maya stopped in. She sat down on the floor next to Omie and leaned against her, then she kicked off her boots and set them in my lap.

"Oh, just like that," she said five minutes later.

Before we left, I pulled Omie into a hug. We squeezed each other tightly, then she pushed me away. "Hugs are good, but I was tempted to kiss you."

I nodded.

"Omie," I said, "I wouldn't have changed a thing of my time with you. Not one single second."

"Me, either," she said. "I love you, Beria."

"I love you too, Omie."

Then Maya hugged her, and I saw her soothing Omie, undoing any damage the hug may have caused. A moment later, Maya and I stepped away.

"Did you know what she wanted?" I asked
Maya later.

"Of course," Maya said. "I know everything. I told her what your reaction would be, but she felt she should offer. Idiot."

I laughed. "Yep."

* * * *

It got easier, after a fashion. I wasn't any less dependent on Maya and the other companions, but I felt my old spirits returned. Omie and I were able to talk without too much pain. And I began playing jokes on Malora.

She caught me in one of them, and the next night after dinner, Malora had Serra dye my hair pink while the rest of the Amazons watched.

"Have you learned your lesson?" Malora asked me.

"Yes, Queen Malora," I told her. "Don't get caught."

There were chuckles from some of the Amazons, but Malora glared them into silence.

"Um. I mean. Don't pull pranks on anyone who outranks me."

"That's better," she said. Then she leaned down and whispered to me. "I love you, Beria." She stepped away and added, "It will remain this color for a month. Any more pranks, and I will add to both the punishment and the duration. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Queen Malora," I said. "Am I allowed to pull pranks on Maya?"

"If you make her angry and she takes it out on me, I will take it out on you."

"Oh. Um." I sighed dramatically.

* * * *

I continued to try to wean myself from Maya, at least at night. I moved back to my hut. That lasted four hours, most of it spent awake and shivering, trying to ignore the demon.

Two nights later, Malora took me aside. "I need to speak with you tonight. My hut in an hour."

"Did I do something wrong?"

"Not since I dyed your hair," she said, smiling. "No, you've done nothing wrong, Beria. There will be a few other people there, too."

I'd gotten a few rabbits, so I went back to my hut and worked on them for a while, finally adding them to my growing pile. I had a good collection of skins, although I'd had to set my snares quite a distance from the village. We didn't want to deplete the area, after all. But the weather had warmed somewhat, so I hadn't minded going out.