Finally I looked over my shoulder at her. "But we're talking all about me."
"Yes," she said. "You are doing your duty to me."
"How is that?"
"Anchoring me." She paused. "You have a scar," she said. "Here." She brushed my side. "How did you get it?"
"Boating accident," I said. "I was seven and took a skiff much further from shore than any seven-year-old with a desire to become an eight-year-old should go."
"So you have always been foolhardy."
"Quite," I said, picking up on the word she liked to use. I even made an attempt at her accent.
She laughed lightly.
"Are you ticklish?" she asked.
"We're not going to find out today," I told her.
"Are you?"
"Yes. You?"
"I used to be. No one has successfully tickled me in some time. Once you are fully healthy, you are free to try."
"Do I get a prize if I succeed?"
"Perhaps. Do you know how to hunt?"
And so we talked, and the miles disappeared behind us. We reached a wide plain, and in the far distance, I saw clouds.
"The clouds hide the mountains," Malora said. "We will reach the forest tomorrow and be amongst the trees for lunch."
"How long after that until we are home?"
"Another day."
"A vast forest."
"Yes."
"What's it like?"
"Home? Or the forest?"
"Both."
"The forest is rich, set in the foothills of the mountains. We get more rain than falls here but far less than you would get in Gallen's Cove."
"Is water scarce?"
"No. But past the forest, the land dips into a long valley, and it is dry there, and then the mountains begin."
"Where the demons live."
"They do not live in the mountains. They live in the volcanoes."
"How can they live in the volcanoes?"
"They form a portal to their own lands. When they raid, they take prisoners."
"They take prisoners into the volcanoes? They would burn!"
"No. I do not understand it. They disappear. They do not burn."
"Have you been there?"
"Yes." She paused. "We will not discuss this further today."
"Tell me about your home."
"I need you first to tell me about yours." Her voice caught and when I looked over my shoulder at her, her face was clouded. "Please, Maya. Tell me about your home."
"My home is now your home, Queen Malora."
She tightened her arms around me and lowered her chin to my shoulder. "Then tell me what it would be like if we were to we visit your mother and sister."
"And my father and two brothers," I said.
"Nori did not report a father or brothers."
"They were fishing."
"Ohh," she said. "Oh. That makes more sense. We did not know. Then also tell me about that, but your home first."
And so I told her about the house, becoming homesick in the process, but when I turned around, her eyes were closed and brow furrowed. "Queen Malora?"
"Please keep talking, Maya."
"Is this what a companion does?"
"Yes. Please keep talking. Happy thoughts."
I began to wonder if the demons were real.
* * * *
The forest was dark, as implied by its name, the trees tall, and underneath it was like dusk at noon.
"Is it always like this?" I asked.
"Yes, but our home is in a clearing. There is sunlight."
"Spiders?"
"Some. Nothing is poisonous. There are bear and lions."
"Lions?"
"They can be fierce," she said, "especially after a harsh winter, but they avoid us. We are better hunters than they are."
"I have much to learn."
"I will teach you." She paused. "You are too old to hope to be a warrior, Maya, and I would keep you from that life if I can."
"But you will teach me anyway."
"Yes. Of course."
"And it is your wish that I remain your companion then, and not become a warrior?"
"That is my wish for all my companions," she said. "So far, I have never had that wish fulfilled. I hope you are the first."
"Did you just ask me to marry you?"
She laughed. "The bond between warrior and companion is at least as close as most marriages."
"Even without the sex?"
"Yes."
I found that unlikely, but I would learn over time I was wrong.
* * * *
We arrived at home, a collection of huts the Amazons called "Queen's Town." It wasn't a very creative name, but it was descriptive. I looked around as we entered the village and saw only slightly more than a dozen huts. I looked over my shoulder to Malora. "I was expecting more homes. There aren't enough for everyone here."
"Not everyone lives here," she said. "Those who do not will stay for the ceremony tonight and return to their homes tomorrow."
"My students?"
"Which ones?" she asked. "Point them out." I pointed to Morana and Olive.
"I'm sorry," she replied. "Miari lives two days to the north, Narana a half day to the south. You will see your friends again, but you will not see them very often."
I closed my eyes, absorbing the information, then nodded. There wasn't anything I could do about it.
Malora helped ease me from the horse.
I still couldn't carry anything, but I was tending to my own needs by then. Malora pointed me to her hut; it looked like all the others. "You may rest if you like. I will be in shortly."
I nodded in relief and stumbled to the hut.
Inside, I was surprised. It was a single room, shaped into a dome. There was a fire pit to one side, the space prepared for cooking. One large bed dominated the back wall, and I stared at it for a moment. So we would be sharing a bed after all? I finished my examination of the room, then shed out of my clothes and collapsed onto the bed, falling asleep nearly immediately.
It was some time later that Malora woke me, sitting on the edge of the bed. I opened my eyes and looked up at her.
"I am sorry," she said. "It is time to get ready. We will bathe together in one of the pools. Warriors and companions bathe in pairs for the ceremony, and our turn approaches."
I nodded and let her help me sit up.
"You should wear your old clothes to the pool, but I have a simple shift for you to wear until the ceremony." She paused. "The ceremony is important."
"Is..." I paused. "Is magic involved?"
"Only the magic common in any exchanged vows," she explained. "But you attend the ceremony ignorant of what is to occur. I may not tell you. I can only tell you this. If I tell you to do something, you must do it without hesitation."
I looked into her eyes.
"Is it dangerous?"
"I cannot answer more questions," she said. "I shouldn't have answered the one about magic."
I nodded understanding.
"I haven't seen any signs of mutilation on your body," I said with a grin. "So I presume you won't ask me to lop off a body part or anything like that."
She smiled but didn't answer. We stood, and she collected a bundle of clothing. I pulled my old clothing on then followed her out of the hut.
The pools were a short walk from the village, a section of a stream at the base of a waterfall. "It's lovely," I said.
"There are four approaches," she said. "each of them secluded like this. This one was closest, and I applied the right of rank. If you were more whole, we would have taken the furthest."
"Thank you," I said.
"We must strip," she said, "and bathe each other. It is only bathing."
I nodded, and she helped me with my clothes, then I helped her with hers. She had an amazing body, strong and sure where mine was softer, but she smiled at me. I was uncomfortable being naked in front of her, but I tried not to show it. She helped me into the pool, settling in n
ext to me. The water was cool, but felt very good.
"We can relax for a few minutes, then we should clean," she said. "It is customary for me to bathe you first. But here, we can sit." She pulled me to the edge, and there were rocks, but I realized they were smooth and we could sit on them. I thought they would be slimy, but they felt clean. I raised an eyebrow.
"One of the duties of the companions is to maintain the pools," she said. "I will teach you, and the most senior companion sets a rotation. It is important she not shirk her share of the duty."
"Who is the most senior companion?"
"A companion's status is tied to that of her warrior."
"Oh no," I said. "I am the most senior? The newest companion of the village?"
"Not the newest. One of three new companions."
"Still-"
She smiled. "I will teach you all your duties. I will not leave you to flounder. It can't be worse than managing an entire town full of children."
"It was only a village," I said, "and I never had more than forty-four students at one time."
"So many?" she asked. "Did we take too few from you?"
I narrowed my eyes.
"Joke!" she said.
"I'm not sure it was," I said.
"All the villages will be offering proper tithe," she said. "Nori put the fear of a visit from me into each of them."
"You are no more fearsome than she is."
"First off, they don't know that, and secondly, you haven't given me cause to show how fearsome I can be."
"What would you do if a village refuses to tithe, or refuses to give up any girls?"
"Descend on the village with a large force and take their entire population of girls from twelve to twenty years old."
"You wouldn't!" I said, ready to berate her, but she slipped two fingers over my lips.
"Reserve judgment," she suggested. "You will see. You will understand."
"I do not believe I will," I said, "but I will give you your chance."
"That is all I asked. Turn around and I will bathe you."
We took our time. Malora assured me it was customary to enjoy this time together, and I found that I did. When finally we stepped from the pool, she produced a towel for me, then while I wrapped myself in it she produced a brush and brushed my hair.
Hers needed little more than three quick trips of the brush.
"That seems easier," I said.
"I will ask you to keep yours long," she said. "I will braid it for you." And she did just that.
"Is this important to you?" I asked. "Long hair?"
"Yes," she said, "and it is considered poor form to use a companion's hair against her on the training grounds. Anyone who does so with you risks angering me."
"I hadn't thought about that. I thought only of ease of care."
"I ask you to retain the length. I won't order it, but I hope you will grant me this wish."
I nodded. "Yes, Queen Malora."
I dressed in the plain white shift she had waiting for me along with a pair of sandals. Malora dressed in a fresh set of leather clothing looking much like the set she had taken off. She gathered everything together and rolled it into a bundle.
"In the future, this is another task of yours. You will find your own way to do it. I like to roll it all together like this. Tomorrow I shall show you where we do laundry."
She led the way back to the village, and it seemed we were the last pair to return. The center of the village was filled with woman, about twenty of us in shifts similar to the one I wore. Malora gave me leave to wander for a few minutes, and so I found Morana and Olive.
They were sitting together, chatting animatedly, but they looked up when I drew close.
"Hello, Maya," Olive said. "Are you excited?"
I sat down next to them, the three of us forming a small triangle. They were both beaming, but I wasn't sure they knew what they were getting into. I didn't answer the question.
The two of them babbled at me for a while. Olive admitted to having been scared that first day, but Narana was kind to her, and she now found everything a grand adventure. "And no more repairing nets!" she said.
"That might be the best part," Morana agreed. "But Miari told me it's a lot of hard work if I am to become a proper warrior."
I realized I had little to say to them. We weren't friends, after all; these were just two of my now former students. I had known them their entire lives, but we had no real connection. So instead I told them I was proud of them both, and asked them to remember the things I had taught them.
They both nodded, but they were thinking about the new things they would learn.
I hoped they were still happy a year from now. I hoped they were still alive a few years from now.
I climbed to my feet and went in search of Malora but encountered Nori instead.
"You haven't attempted to flee," she observed.
"I am waiting until my arms are healed," I said. "Give me a few more days and I'll be ready to hold a staff again."
She smiled, then smile slowly fading. "Tonight is important, Maya."
"Malora told me."
"She told you that if she gives an order, to follow it without question?"
"Yes."
"Are you going to do it?"
I paused.
"That's what I'm talking about," Nori said. "There can't be hesitation."
"You're scaring me."
"I'm not trying to. Malora is the queen, Maya. Do you intend to embarrass her tonight?"
"Not intentionally," I said after a moment. "A hesitation would be embarrassment? What is she going to ask me to do?"
"Did you ask her questions like that?"
"Yes, and she refused to answer."
"Do these lips," she asked, pointing, "look loose to you?"
It was my turn to smile. "I will endeavor to offer no embarrassment. That is perhaps the best I can promise."
"You can promise to obey her."
"How can I do that when I don't know what she might ask. She may ask me to, I don't know. Plunge my hands into a pool of venomous snakes."
"And if she does, you will do it, without hesitation."
I stared at Nori.
"This is important, Maya. She needs you to do this for her, and from watching you the last few days, I think you are beginning to understand what this means."
"You knew the type of woman I was when you kidnapped me, Nori." She winced when I used the word "kidnapped". "Do you now think suddenly I am someone else, simply because it is important to you? If you wanted someone who followed blindly, what in the world were you doing taking me? I do not believe I am capable of blind obedience, and I think you know that. I stole my village elder's cane to defy you! Think about it."
Nori sighed.
"Furthermore, you both are pushing this at me, which makes me highly nervous. I will not intentionally embarrass her. I hope she can say the same. I will do my best to honor your traditions, and I hope that is good enough for you."
Nori nodded. "I can ask for no more than your best. Thank you," Nori said. I knew she wasn't satisfied with my answer, and I didn't blame her, but if blind obedience was so important to them, they took the wrong woman. "She's our queen. She needs a strong companion. When I accepted Latari's offer to join us, I thought she might do. She seemed bright and willing, but we spent some time together, and I decided I was wrong. She hasn't the fire that Malora needs. You do."
I nodded. "And that you need?"
"Yes, but I am not yet so desperate."
"And so you have no companion?"
"I will take one soon, one who promises to be a warrior until finally I find a companion with fire such as yours. And then I will beg her to remain a companion."
"How does one become a warrior?"
"One fights a demon. And survives."
"Oh." I had no interest in fighting demons.
Nori changed the topic, talking about her childhood for a few minutes, and then I felt Malora step up to m
y side.
"How are you doing without your slings?"
"Sore," I said. "I'll survive."
"Then it is time you began more of your duties." She glanced over her shoulder, and I saw there was food ready. The other companies were standing in line, collecting trays for their warriors.
"The queen's companion does not stand in line," Nori said.
I nodded. "Do I bring one tray to share?"
"That is your choice," Malora said. "But is a sign of intimacy."
"And what is your choice?"
"That you be comfortable in how you serve me."
I nodded and stepped away. I collected a single tray. There weren't many choices. There was a stew, venison this time, bread, and a selection of fruit. I collected two bowls and spoons but used a common plate for bread and fruit. Then I scanned the space for Malora. She wasn't where I had left her, but eventually I spotted her under an awning, sitting at a table with Nori. I crossed to her and whispered into her ear, "Is there a formal way to present this?"
"We are very casual," she said. So I set the tray in front of her. "Is this all right?" I asked. She immediately understood and smiled. "Yes."
I turned to Nori. "Is someone collecting a tray for you?"
"I was about to go."
"I'll go," I said. I didn't wait for permission, but I cut the line again. I figured if Malora's companion didn't wait in line, neither did Nori's. I made a tray for her, then returned and set it in front of her. They both already had something to drink, and so I sat down next to Malora, the two of them making room. I put my hand on Malora's mug then watched her reaction. She smiled, so I lifted it, discovering it contained cider. I drank and set it down, then collected my bowl of stew and began to eat.
I caught Nori watching me.
"What?" I asked her.
"I wouldn't have expected this," she said, gesturing to me.
"I agreed to this in good faith. If the demons are as real as you say, then the village should have tithed, and I may have volunteered nearly ten years ago. If there are no demons, then you will be offering restitution."
"The demons are real," Malora said from my side. "I will ask you not to mention them during what should be happy times."
"My apologies, Queen Malora." I broke a piece of my bread off, dipped it in her bowl, and offered it to her. Her eyes widened, and she allowed me to feed her. I offered her several more pieces, and the smile moved upwards to include her eyes.
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