Amazonia (5 page)

Shale jumped back, narrowly
missing another punch. She dodged around Melaina, willing her eyes to
regain their focus. When she was able to see properly again, Shale noticed
that Melaina’s main strength was also her weakness. Melaina had a lot of
power, but her bulkier frame also slowed her speed. If Melaina were to
strike her a few times, Shale knew she would fall, but Melaina wasn’t as
fast as Shale was, and couldn’t get in the blows she needed.

Shale delivered a roundhouse
to Melaina’s skull, and still she kept coming. Two more direct hits made
Melaina stumble, though she remained standing. Shale was beginning to
tire, but managed to maintain her pace. Her backhand caught Melaina off
guard, and Shale put her down with a hook.

All in all, things hadn’t
gone too badly. In fact, bar a headache, she wasn’t much worse off than
when she’d entered the ring. Shale was quite pleased with herself. Maybe
now Melaina would back off, knowing that she wasn’t unbeatable.

Despite her intense dislike
of Melaina, Shale still offered her hand, remembering too late about
Lathana’s warning. A handful of dirt was tossed into her eyes, blinding
her momentarily.

Melaina took full advantage
and kicked Shale in the stomach, causing her to double over. She then
rammed her knee into Shale’s face, and Shale fell to the ground.

She heard Aris’s voice on the
sidelines, who was having to hold Kale back. “Kale, don’t,” Aris said.

“Is she allowed to do that?”
Blake asked, stepping forward.

“It’s no restraint,” Aris
replied. “She can do what she wants.”

“But what she did doesn’t
seem fair.”

“It wasn’t,” Amber muttered.

“Battle isn’t fair,” Aris
said. “The enemy won’t show mercy.”

Amber pointed. “She’s getting
up.”

Shale got onto all fours, but
another kick to her stomach sent her down again.

“That’s it, I’m stopping
this.” Blake began to move.

“Wait,” Kale said. “Just
watch this.”

The confidence in Kale’s
voice stopped Blake in midstride.

Shale managed to get to her
feet. When Melaina threw a punch, Shale caught it in her fist. She then
brought her head forward sharply, and head-butted Melaina square on. Blood
erupted from Melaina’s nose, and she fell to her knees. Shale raised her
arm to strike again, but let it drop, she was above that.

No one clapped this time, no
one dared. Melaina was their second in command, and no warrior wanted to
get on the wrong side of her. Shale also showed compassion, where Melaina
had none.

Blake looked to Kale in awe.
“How did you know?”

Kale started toward Shale.
“It’s a twin thing.”

SHALE WAS STILL brushing the
dirt out of her eyes when Kale reached her.

“That was a dirty trick,”
Kale said, wiping some muck off Shale’s face.

“Mm,” Shale agreed. “Lathana
warned me, I should’ve seen it coming.”

“She did, huh? Maybe we’re
not as disliked as we thought?”

Shale glanced around. They
were still being glared at, though now it was with a wariness that wasn’t
there before. “I wouldn’t go that far. Lathana was just thankful I didn’t
crack her ribs.”

“So I noticed. It was a risk
not taking her out completely.”

“I know, but it worked out.
Let’s hope it gets us into favor with some of the warriors. We’ll need it
now, Melaina’s going to be a real bitch.”

Kale looked thoughtful. “It’s
a good thing it was you out there then, ‘cause I’d have cracked her ribs.”

Shale had known that, which
was why it had been such a gamble. If she’d been wrong, Kale would have
lectured her on it for days. She knew Kale was just watching out for her
though, Kale didn’t want her to get hurt.

“A little compassion goes a
long way, Kale,” Blake said, stopping in front of them, Amber still beside
her.

“Compassion can get you
killed,” Kale replied curtly.

“Or it can save a life. Or at
the very least pain.”

Kale snorted. “I’d rather
they be in pain, as to me lying dead.”

“Kale—” Shale was cut off.

“No, it’s all right, Shale.
Kale is entitled to her opinion. I know a lot of warriors think that way,
though I’m pleased to see that not all do.” Blake smiled pointedly at
Shale, who immediately returned it.

“I wonder if you’ll think
that when she’s dead.”

Shale glared at her, Kale
could be so awkward at times. She didn’t know what was wrong with her
lately. Kale wasn’t only being rude, she was deliberately being
argumentative. Shale wasn’t surprised when Blake narrowed her eyes, she
imagined the princess wasn’t used to being spoken to like that.

“I thought you of all people
would be grateful for compassion, Kale,” Blake said.

“Why’s that?”

“Because if our queen hadn’t
shown you some, you’d be in our jail right now,” Blake said firmly.

Kale was breathing hard, but
she didn’t reply. She grabbed Shale’s forearm and pulled her away, leaving
a fuming Blake behind them.

Shale didn’t resist, wanting
to get Kale out of this situation before things got worse. After a few
steps, she yanked herself free, shaking her head at Kale as she did so.

“BLAKE?” AMBER TOUCHED
her back to get her attention.

Blake was still frowning when
she looked at her good friend. “Yes, Amber?”

“What in Gaia’s name did you
do to her?”

“I have no idea. I’ve barely
spoken to her. I’ve spent more time with Shale than her.” As soon as she
said the words, things became clear. “Of course. She’s jealous.” That
explained everything. If Kale was used to having Shale solely to herself,
Blake’s sudden presence would make Kale feel threatened. Perhaps that was
why Kale was being so difficult, and was also insisting on ignoring her
request to be addressed informally, by her birth name. It annoyed her, but
she was doing her best not to let it show.

“Maybe she feels left out,”
Amber said. “They seem pretty close.”

“You’re right.” Blake nodded.
“I’ll make more of an effort to include her.” She silently hoped that
would solve whatever problem Kale had with her.

“WHAT HAS GOT into you,
Kale?” Shale was still shaking her head as they headed back to camp.

“Me?”

“You’re being really rude to
Blake.”

Kale rolled her eyes. She’d
pulled Shale away from Blake intentionally, as she hadn’t liked how they
were looking at each other. She could see their joint attraction clearly.
Blake’s rank of princess made things more difficult, but princess or not,
Kale wasn’t going to allow her to become involved with Shale. “You’re
exaggerating.”

“Well if Blake decides to
punish you, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“NOW, KALE—”

“Shale, not again, you’ve
already told me five times.”

“And I’m telling you again.
To be invited to dinner with the queen and her counsel is a great honor,
treat it as such. Hold your tongue.”

“I know how to act, Shale. I
am the elder of us, remember?”

“Only because you were as
impatient in the womb as you are in life.” They left the sanctuary of the
trees and entered the village.

“You’re just sore that I beat
you out,” Kale goaded.

“So you keep telling me.”
Shale headed for the main lodge, excited at the notion of seeing Blake
again. She kept it to herself though.

Surprisingly, Blake opened
the door when Kale knocked. Shale had expected anyone but royalty to let
them in. Evidently, Blake didn’t think such menial tasks were beneath her,
and greeted them both with a smile.

Blake scanned Shale’s bruised
face. “That looks painful.”

“That’s the princess’s polite
way of saying you look like horse dung,” Kale said.

A slight furrow appeared
between Blake’s eyebrows. “That’s not what I was saying at all. Are you
all right, Shale? I didn’t get a chance to ask you earlier.”

“I’m fine, Blake. Thank you
for your concern.”

Blake nodded, and moved aside
so they could enter.

Shale saw that the table was
all but full, only three spaces remained. “We’re not late, are we?” she
whispered to Blake anxiously.

“No,” Blake assured.
“Everyone else was early.” She gestured to the two seats next to each
other. “Please.”

They sat as Blake took her
own seat, directly opposite Shale.

Queen Zayla, who was at the
head of the table, in between Blake and Shale, introduced everyone.

Shale tried to make note of
all their names, the only people she knew were Aris and Melaina.

Melaina was eyeing her
bruises smugly, but Shale didn’t let it bother her. Not only had she won,
but Melaina was sporting a few good bruises of Shale’s own creation.

Once the introductions were
complete, the food was passed around. Shale didn’t take much, unlike Kale,
who filled her plate.

Shale was glad she hadn’t
when she took a careful bite of the bread. It was pleasant enough, but the
chewing motion made needles of pain shoot up her jaw. She’d expected that,
her face hurt when she talked, so she knew it would be worse when she ate.
Despite her discomfort, Shale kept eating, not wanting her hosts to think she
was rude. She stuck mostly to bread, which she found ironic. It wasn’t
everyday Shale was treated to such a feast, and now that she had been,
that simple food was all she could manage.

Shale took the time to
examine the inside of the lodge. She had been preoccupied on her first
visit here, and hadn’t taken much in. The room was sparse, the only
furniture being the table and chairs. The walls, however, were full. The
wall behind her was lined with weapons, and the one opposite was filled
with impressive artefacts, gold trinkets, and rare stones, all spread over
several shelves. The other walls were covered in animal skins and large
furs.

Shale thought it was somewhat
overstated, but recognised the reasoning behind it. As the main lodge, it
would house many important meetings, and both guests and enemies would be
brought here. In the case of enemies, if negotiating, it was vital to show
a strong and capable tribe. An enemy would be much more likely to attack
if they thought the tribe was weak and defenceless. This lodge made the
Amazons look as though they wanted for nothing, showing both strength and
power. It was a clever tactic, and Shale found her respect for the queen
growing.

Shale felt eyes on her, and
glanced to Blake, who was looking at her oddly, head tilted slightly in
thought.

Blake abruptly stood, excused
herself, and left the lodge.

Shale frowned, wondering what
that was about. She focussed on the others, grateful that Kale was taking
care of most of their side of the conversation. Kale was answering the
inquisitive questions patiently, and asking a few of her own.

A short while later, Blake
re-entered, and placed a bowl full of hot soup in front of Shale.

Shale was surprised. She
hadn’t thought she was that obvious. From the confusion on the others’
faces, she was certain that no one else had noticed. Blake was either very
observant, or was giving her extra attention. Shale smiled up at her.
“Thank you.”

Blake squeezed her shoulder,
then returned to her seat.

Shale received an even
sharper glare from Melaina, but she didn’t know why. Surely it should have
pleased Melaina to know that she was in pain as a result of their fight.
She dismissed it and dug into her soup, the liquid sliding down her throat
effortlessly. She gave Blake another smile.

For the whole evening, Kale
was a model Amazon, as Shale knew she could be, and kept everyone
entertained with stories of their old tribe.

Shale listened with a wistful
expression, prompting Kale whenever she left something out.

When it was time to leave,
Shale paused outside, at the bottom of the steps. She dropped her voice to
speak to Kale. “I’ll see you later at camp.”

“Why? Where are you going?”

“I’m going to walk Blake back
to her cabin.”

“How gallant of you.”

Shale chose to ignore the
sarcasm, and moved away before Kale had a chance to say anything further.
She joined up with Blake, walking with her. It wasn’t very far, Blake’s
cabin was opposite the main lodge, across the center of the village.

Shale was mortified when
Melaina entered the cabin directly next door, on the right, but understood
that it was tactically sound to have the best warrior close at hand should
the princess need her. The queen’s cabin was on the other side of Blake’s,
and Aris’s was directly next to the queen’s.

“You are certainly well
protected here,” Shale said.

Blake chuckled. “I am, though
I insisted they put those trees in.”

Shale spotted the line of
trees that were in between each of the four cabins. “I take it you like
your privacy?”

Blake nodded. “I do. But
that’s about as much as I can get around here.”

“Always in demand, huh?”
Shale teased.

Blake grinned. “Something
like that.”

“Then I’m honored you’re
giving this time to me.”

Blake’s eyes twinkled in the
moonlight. “You should be.”

“Oh, I am,” Shale said in all
seriousness, laughing when Blake slapped her arm playfully. “I guess that
means I should make it count, since I don’t know when you’ll find the time
for me again.”

Blake’s eyebrows rose
curiously. “What did you have in mind?”

Shale coyly peeked at her
from under long lashes. She stuck her arm out. “Walk with me?”

Blake took her arm. “Sure.”

It was a clear night, and as
the moon was full, it cast enough light for them to see by.

“It is I who must apologise
to you tonight,” Blake said, after they had passed by Melaina’s cabin.

“How so?” Shale asked,
bewildered. “You didn't poison my soup, did you? Thinking I was Kale?”

Blake giggled. “No. I can
tell you two apart.”

Shale already knew that, but
it still pleased her to hear it.

“I’m apologising because it
seems that I’m one of the fair few who can.”

Shale grew confused. “You’ve
lost me.”

“You spent the entire night
with those people, Shale, and at the end of it they still didn’t know who
was who.”

Shale now understood. “That’s
hardly your fault. Don’t worry about it, I’m used to it.”

“You shouldn’t have had to
get used to it. I know you’re identical, but there are differences, you
just have to look. Bar my mother, only Aris knew who you were.”

“You think it’s bad now? Wait
till my bruises fade.”

“I don’t know how you put up
with it, Shale,” Blake said. “It would drive me mad.”

“Don’t have much of a choice.
Though I admit it gets tedious at times.”

Blake shook her head. “By the
gods, imagine what it would have been like if your mother had given birth
to three or four, there’d be utter chaos.”

Shale snickered. “It’s funny
you should say that.”

Blake stopped abruptly.
“You’re kidding?”

“No, my mother had triplets.”

“Wow.” She continued walking.
“What happened to the third?”

“It was a boy.” Shale glanced
at her. “In my tribe, boys were drowned at birth.”

It depended on the queen to
make that decision: some opted for death, some allowed local villagers to
take them in. “In ours, they’re given away,” Blake said. “My mother and I
would never allow an innocent child to be killed, even if they are male.”

“But with our brother, an
exception was made. Because we were triplets, our mystic believed we all
shared the same soul, and killing him would harm all of us. She said,
‘Where one will be, the other will follow. When one is seriously hurt, the
other will pay the price.’” Shale paused. “He was given to a farmer.”

“Do you believe that? That
your souls are linked?”

“Mine and Kale’s are,” Shale
said, without a shadow of a doubt. “I don’t know about Zale.”

“Zale?”

“That’s what Kale and I call
him. He wasn’t given a name by our mother, but that’s what we refer to him
as. It fits with our names.”

“It does.” Blake observed Shale
closely. “I wonder if he looks like you? He must be handsome if he does.”

Shale bumped Blake with her
hip. “Are you saying I look like a man?”

“No! Not at all.”

“Then what are you saying?”
Shale halted, faced Blake, and put her hands on her hips.

Blake’s mouth curled upward,
apparently recognising that she was being teased. “I’m saying that you’re
beautiful.”

Shale blushed, though she
hoped Blake wouldn’t notice in the dim light. A bashful smile formed on
her face. “As you said, there are differences between us, and I always
thought Kale was the prettier.”

“Kale is very attractive,”
Blake said. “I guess it comes down to personal taste.”

Shale wanted to know more
about Blake’s personal tastes. A lot more. “And?” For some reason, it was
very important to Shale for Blake to find her more appealing than Kale.

“And what?”

“What’s your opinion? On me
and Kale?”

“I’ve already told you.”

“No, you haven’t.”

“I have.” Blake chuckled at
Shale’s raised eyebrow, and waited for a moment longer before repeating
herself. “Kale’s very attractive.”

Shale’s heart dropped.

“But I think you’re
beautiful.”

Shale grinned from ear to
ear.

“Please don’t tell Kale I
said that though, I don’t think she likes me very much as it is.”

Shale was still grinning.
“Give her time, she’ll come round.”

“I hope so.” Blake linked her
arm through Shale’s, and they walked on. “I’m so sorry about your mother,
Shale. I think you’re handling it really well.”

Shale realised that Blake
thought she had lost her mother in the recent battle. “No. She died over
ten years ago. I didn’t lose any blood family in the attack, Kale and I
are all that’s left.”

“And Zale,” Blake added.

Shale tipped her head. “And
Zale.” After a few more steps and a minor hesitation, she took a breath
and changed the subject. “So tell me, Blake, why are you, the most
eligible woman in the entire tribe, single?”

Blake gave her a curious
look. “How do you know that I am?”

“I asked,” Shale replied,
point blank.

Blake smothered a pleased smile
at Shale’s attention. “I don’t have the time. And I’m the princess.”

Shale smirked. “Oh, I know.”
When Blake wasn’t more forthcoming, she said, “Surely that means you’ve
got half of the tribe falling at your feet?”

“Quite the opposite,
actually. Most are too afraid to try, and the only ones who dare tend to
be warriors, and they’re too—” Blake stopped short, and gave Shale a
sheepish look. “Sorry.”

Shale merely grinned, not
even the least bit insulted. “Stoic? Reserved? Cold-hearted?”

Looking relieved, Blake
laughed. “Exactly.”

Shale raised a brow. “To
which one?”

Still laughing, Blake said,
“All three.”

Shale chuckled. “Not all are
like that, though I admit a lot are. Amber’s not like that.”

Blake nodded. “I know, that’s
why we’re good friends.”

Shale tried to keep her tone
neutral. “You’ve never thought about becoming more than that?”

A shake of blonde hair. “No,
she’s like a blood sister to me.” Silence fell for a moment, then Blake
said, “And then of course, there’s you.”

Shale hastily swallowed.
“Oh?”

“You’re not like that either.
Not in the slightest.”

“I should probably be
offended, most warriors would be.” Despite her words, Shale smiled widely.

Blake returned it. “As I
said, you’re not like other warriors.”

“YOU’VE BEEN GONE a long
time,” Kale said as soon as Shale was in hearing distance of their camp.

“I was talking with Blake,”
Shale said, getting inside the bedroll that Kale had already laid out for
her.

Kale grunted. “Took her on a
midnight stroll, did you.” It wasn’t a question. “How romantic.”

Shale rolled over, peering
across the fire to look at Kale’s face. Kale had her back to her, and she
frowned, sensing something was wrong. “Blake’s really nice, Kale. You’d
like her if you gave her a chance.”

“If you say so.”

“I do.” Shale settled onto
her back. She didn’t expect a response, and she didn’t get one.

Shale had the treasures of
the night sky above her, but as they twinkled down at her, all she could
think of was Blake.

“ARE YOU LISTENING to me?”
Melaina asked testily. “Did you hear what I said?”