Svend smiled through the lather. "Thanks. I can’t lift my arms to reach my hair, at least not without consequences."
That explained his disarray. He couldn’t even care for himself.
The dappled rays of sun played in Svend’s clear eyes, as they gazed into hers while she shaved him with the straight razor. Each glide of the blade revealed more smooth skin and a strong jaw line. Although thinner than she remembered, this was the face Zania had missed so much.
Gazing upon his clean shaven features, she felt a stirring in her loins. She kissed the cleft in his chin, then his full lips lightly. Svend responded and pulled her toward him. He stopped in mid movement. She saw him wince and felt him shy away.
Zania disengaged herself gently and tapped his straight nose with one finger. "This will have to wait. You are in no condition to fool around."
"That’s a crying shame." He winked. "Do you realize it’s the very first time we are absolutely alone?"
Not quite alone. Zania thought of their unborn child, but she would wait a little longer to tell him. "I get the irony, believe me. But you have to conserve your energy for the road."
She helped Svend stand up and handed him his crutches, once again admiring the ornate volutes carved upon them. "You’re sure you can walk?"
"That’s the least I can do. It seems you did everything else for me." He balanced his weight on the crutches and took a few steps. His smile strained. "As good as new."
Zania wouldn’t talk him out of walking. She couldn’t possibly carry him home, so he’d have to do it. While they walked, ever so slowly, Zania carried the bags and the meat provisions. She also did most of the talking, relating the difficult trek of the citizens to Amadir.
And Svend listened. Suddenly, he stopped. "Whatever happened to Dakini?"
Zania chuckled. There was so much Svend didn’t know. So she told him of her fight in the forest against Dakini and the gorgon.
Around noon, they reached the waterfall. Zania felt in no hurry to get back home. They rested and ate again. Zania cut loose the vines holding Svend’s splint, to allow him to enjoy the water. His rib taping would hold. "Just don’t bang your leg."
Seeing him in the nude, even with the bandages, awakened her desires, but she would have to wait for him to recover. He looked so thin. Even in the water, she resisted the urge to splash him and play. He seemed in no condition to enjoy such games.
After they bathed in the pond and washed their hair under the waterfall, Zania checked his rib taping. Then she used surgical tape to seal and hold the two halves of the wooden splint in place. They sat on a flat rock, waiting for their hair to dry in the sun. Zania dangled her feet, wondering how to tell him about the baby.
Svend glanced at her, a serious expression on his face. "There is one thing I don’t understand."
"What’s that?"
He frowned. "If you believed me dead, why did you come back?"
Zania hesitated. How would he take the news? "I needed to know exactly what happened to you."
His clear gaze never faltered. "A risky journey just to confirm my death."
"I guess, deep inside, I still hoped you’d survived." The moment of truth had come. "But it wasn’t just for me."
"Oh? Who else?" Svend looked puzzled, even guarded.
Zania paused, suddenly shy. "For the child I carry."
Svend froze and stared at her with pure astonishment. "You mean?"
"Yes!" Zania couldn’t help the burst of joy. "Our child."
His smile lit up his whole face. "I’m going to be a father?" He reached for Zania’s shoulders and brought her close despite the pain he must feel.
"Careful." She laughed.
He winced but kept his hold on her. "I was a father once...."
Zania remembered the horrible tale of his former family. "I’m so sorry."
He stared into her eyes. "I’m not a powerless boy anymore. Now I can protect my family."
Zania smiled. "I wonder how it will be to lay down my weapons and raise a child in peace, without all the excitement and the action."
"Peace is a fragile illusion." A frown wrinkled his high forehead. "Survival is an ongoing battle against many foes, may they be volcanoes, the encroaching forest, wild beasts, famine, disease, fire, devastating weather..." He looked right through her and far beyond. "Or the foreboding shadow of a Collectors ship."
Zania understood. "This new life is going to be a challenge worthy of a warrior. Besides, peace needs warriors to protect it, right?" She chuckled. "We sound like the leaders of my world’s governments."
"We are the leaders of our new people." He gazed into her eyes. "They will rely on us to keep them safe."
"We can do that." She laid a hand on his thigh and squeezed gently.
"You gave me a second chance at life, and at a family." He kissed her cheek. "Thank you."
Zania laid her head on his shoulder. "I’m so glad I found you." But she didn’t mention that they weren’t out of the jungle, yet.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Bent above the campfire, like every night after dinner on their slow journey back to Amadir, Zania stirred the tea brewing in the small pan. She’d learned to recognize the analgesic leaves from Morrigan, long ago it seemed. She sprinkled into the brew bits of other herbs with restorative properties.
She threw into the fire the bones of the hare they had for dinner. "Now that your diet improved, are you feeling stronger?"
Svend looked up from the mask he was carving out of a piece of smooth bark. "The pain is diminishing. I feel better each day." He grinned and held up his work. "What do you think?"
Zania laughed. "It’s starting to look like me. You have real talent."
"I dabble." Svend returned his attention to his masterpiece.
Zania poured the tea in a wood bowl he’d carved several nights ago. She handed it to him. "Somehow, I don’t want this trek to end."
Svend smiled. He blew bits of wood off the mask, ran his fingers over the smooth planes of the carved face, then set aside his work. As he took the bowl, his hand lingered on hers.
"I know what you mean." He blew on the steamy liquid, holding her gaze.
Zania tingled all over. Each touch, each look, each tender gesture brought a wave of mellow pleasure. "I’ve never felt this close to you. I hope we never lose this connection."
"I was about to say the same thing." He took a sip.
"Give me your knife. It must be dull." Zania sat across from him and took the blade he offered. Then she pulled her sharpening kit out of her shoulder bag and set out to the task.
From beyond the light of the fire, the sounds of jungle creatures reached Zania’s ears. But the dangers seemed remote, as if the animal world respected their happiness. Was this happiness? Gazing into Svend’s eyes, she thought it might be.
While she lovingly sharpened the knife, Zania recalled the memories they’d shared on the trail that day. People from opposite worlds were not so different when they bared their souls. She and Svend thought alike in many respects and often finished each other’s sentences.
"Here." She gave him back the blade. "Just like new."
Svend examined the thread. "Couldn’t have done better myself."
After sheathing the knife in his boot, he patted the blanket next to him. Zania gladly joined him, and they lay under the stars, curled up in each other’s arms. But Zania couldn’t sleep. She yearned for the strong physical bond they once had.
*****
After twelve idyllic days, they reached the end of the jungle. When Zania emerge from the shade of the trees she squinted in the bright sunshine. She took in the city and couldn’t believe the progress made. The tall wooden fence now two kliks wide on the jungle front, enclosed the entire complex, making it an imposing rectangular fortress. The traffic of loaded antigravity plates and people crowded the open gate.
Zania stopped in wonderment and Svend came to a halt on his crutches, now entirely etched with intricate carvings.
/> She squeezed Svend’s waist. "Welcome to our new home."
In the wide open space between the east wall and the jungle, citizens tilled the black dirt of new fields with rudimentary ploughs. Others sowed the seeds behind them. Water flowed in the furrows already seeded, and a few fields even displayed the green fuzz of new growth. Strips of cloth, flying in the breeze on tall poles, kept the birds away.
To the far right, groves of freshly planted banana trees graced the land. A small fence protected the fields from wild pigs, and other thieves of the forest. But Zania wondered how they’d keep the monkeys at bay come harvest time. Perhaps they could reap the fruit green and hang it to ripen inside protected storage houses.
To the far left, against the backdrop of the white beach and the deep green ocean, Amazons practiced the bow and arrow on targets of woven reeds. Further yet, on the shimmering waters, a few rafts bobbed on the waves, and sturdy Vikings speared jittery fish.
The sound of hammer on metal told of a nearby smithy. Several smoke spirals wafted above the wall, and the smell of cooking and aromatic herbs teased Zania’s nostrils.
Svend gaped at the bustling activity. "This is much grander than I expected."
Zania chuckled. "Amazing what people can do when they work together toward a common goal."
The sentinels must have spotted the arriving couple. They sounded the happy news by blowing a conch. Within seconds, Kwan and Iva walked through the open gate and rushed toward Zania.
Kwan bowed. When she looked up, her dark slanted eyes twinkled. "Welcome back, My Queen. All is prepared for your return. We are relieved to see you in good health."
Iva pointed to Zania’s loaded shoulders. "May we carry your belongings to your temporary abode, My Queen?"
Uncomfortable with such solicitude, Zania realized that refusing would hurt the woman’s feelings. She unburdened herself. "All right."
The two Amazons picked up bags and bundles and carried them away as if they were holy relics.
Red the Viking now faced the couple squarely and slapped his chest with one fist. "Thor be thanked for answering our prayers, My Prince. We need your leadership." He hung his head, staring at the tip of his boots. "I discovered I do not care much for responsibility. I prefer the carefree life of a simple Viking."
Svend motioned with his chin toward the city walls. "You did well in my absence."
"We had help from the Centurions." Red blushed, or was it a sunburn on his face? "But we still need long boats for fishing and exploring. And a temple to worship Thor, and a great hall to convene."
Svend nodded. "From what I see, together we can accomplish anything."
"Long live Prince Svend, returned from the dead!" Red yelled, publicly resigning his post in favor of his prince.
And the other Vikings present loudly hailed, "Long live Prince Svend!"
More warriors and curious citizens swelled the ranks of the assembled crowd. They parted to make way for Gray, who came down the path at a stately pace with Raven at his side. The couple stopped in front of Zania and Svend.
"I see the Viking champion still stands undefeated." Gray smiled at Zania, indicating he’d forgiven her sly escape. "Not even the gods or mother nature are a match for this Viking." He opened his arms wide, as if to give Svend a bear hug.
Svend held up his hands, shuffling backwards one step. Gray stopped, surprise on his face. Then Svend lifted one side of his vest to expose his bandages.
"Thanks for the welcome, Gray. I see you’ve been busy."
"That we have." Gray snorted. "But seeing you again, after we thought we’d lost you forever, is cause for celebration." The lines around his eyes twitched with mischief. "We just corked our first batch of juju wine."
Gray motioned for everyone to follow, and the excited group entered the city through the open gate. Hundreds of long houses and individual cottages now lined the old streets of Amadir by the Sea. Tiger pelts, crocodile hides and snake skins dried in the afternoon shade of an open shop, stretched on frames against the walls. Further down the street, men wove large reed baskets and what looked like traps.
A fresh ocean breeze tempered the rays of the sun. Women sat on slices of tree trunks serving as stools and conversed vivaciously as they twisted fiber into yarn. Their straw hats flaunted yellow, red, and blue feathers, and their fur tote bags looked as bright and colorful as the exotic animals they came from. Quite a departure from their former gray lives.
Zania noticed that Red glanced furtively at one young woman in particular. The spark in his eyes left no doubt about his hopes and desires. The woman took notice and seemed intrigued. She probably didn’t have an implanted translator, and Zania hoped the language barrier wouldn’t prevent them from understanding each other. But how would a culture denied sex for centuries react to the strong drive of the warriors?
*****
A doctor checked Svend’s injuries and confirmed that he was healing well. The physician replaced the splint with a clay cast and re-bandaged his chest. After giving Svend some antibiotics and painkillers, he recommended sedentary activity for the next few weeks, until complete recovery.
That night, Gray called for the first official celebration. While the tribes gathered in one long house and feasted with much juju wine, everyone else in the city celebrated as well, a new concept for an austere people. After two weeks of back-breaking work, they could now relax a little and enjoy their newfound safety, and the fruit of their hard labor.
At Gray’s table, the conversation switched back and forth from friendly banter to more serious matters.
"The citizens wish to build a temple to the Goddess of Serenity," Gray announced.
Zania understood their need. "And I vowed to build one to Aries for the Amazon tribe."
Red wiped his lips with one sleeve. "Thor needs a place of worship as well."
The Centurion leader raised his bowl. "How about a temple to Jupiter? We need his divine protection."
"Order!" Gray pounded the table and the voices quieted. "We can’t have temples without statues, and there are no sculptors among the citizens."
Zania winked at Svend. "I know someone very skilled in the art of wood carving." She motioned toward Svend’s crutch with her thumb.
Svend frowned at her questioningly. "But I’ve never..."
Zania snatched his crutch and handed it to Gray. "Look at these intricate designs! And he made a large mask in my likeness!"
"Really?" Gray’s face lit up, colored by the warmth of the wine. "We do have plenty of wood."
Svend dropped his shoulders in surrender. "I guess I owe a debt to the gods."
Gray raised his bowl in a toast. "To the gods, who allowed us to survive this perilous journey!"
Zania, Svend, and all the warriors joined in the toast. "To the gods."
Although she fully enjoyed the crocodile stew, the roasted gazelle and the wild pig sausage, Zania couldn’t wait to be alone with Svend in the cottage the Amazons had prepared for their queen. The juju wine reminded her of her first night with Svend in the freedom cave. It seemed that after much abstinence, Svend’s new medicine would finally allow them to enjoy long awaited pleasures.
Svend winked over the rim of his wine bowl. He squeezed Zania’s hand then brought her fingers to his lips. Zania, too, felt the effect of the juju wine. She blinked once, slowly, in assent. Svend rose, as if to go relieve himself.
Zania left the table as discreetly as she could and joined Svend outside in the warm breeze, under a sky full of stars. "You remember how we escaped the feast on our first night in the Freedom cave?"
Svend nodded. When she came closer, he laid his arm across her shoulders. "It seems like so long ago... So much has happened, so much has changed..."
As they walked down the empty street, Svend’s single crutch clicked with each step on the uneven stone.
Zania leaned her head on his shoulder. "And all these people are alive today because of you. You planned the escape of the slaves, who in turn rescued
the citizens."
Svend smiled, bashful. "I just wanted to help."
The noise of the warriors’ revelry followed them for a while, fading gradually as they walked away. They met no one in the quiet street. Apparently the citizens celebrated more sedately, or, tired from a hard day, had already gone to sleep.
Zania stopped in front of a large brick cottage. Above the rough hewn door, the symbol of the Amazon Queen had been carefully painted with a yellow substance. Zania had not seen the inside yet but did not expect much. As she reached for the handle, the door opened wide upon Kwan and Iva. The two Amazons saluted.
Kwan glanced at the couple and smiled knowingly. "Enjoy your cottage, My Queen. It’s temporary, but we’ve made it as comfortable as we could."
Zania smiled back. "Thank you. I appreciate your efforts and your dedication."
After a slight bow, the two Amazons scurried away in the direction of the long house and the feasting warriors.
Zania entered and waited for Svend, who had to duck under the lintel to shuffle inside. Then she barred the heavy door with the simple wooden latch for privacy. As she took in the room, lit by torches hanging on the walls, she whistled with admiration. Brick floor, palm fronds in the rafters.
She walked to the window and trailed her fingers on the rough canvas sealing it. "Nice work." With her boot, she tested the fat leather mattress occupying one corner of the room. It bounced back upon her prodding and she wondered about the stuffing inside. A coverlet, made of various pelts sewn together in a contrasted pattern, gave the bed a festive look.
A sweet fragrance filled the room, and she attributed it to the large orange flowers in a pottery vase on the simple table. Two stools graced the table. Wooden pegs, and shelves against the wall, already held some of her gear, blankets, and the few things she’d left behind.
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