I gasped for air, and she turned to face me, breathing deeply herself.
"Good match?" I asked her quietly.
She didn't have air to spare, but she nodded.
"Are we done?"
She shook her head.
"Sore loser?" I grinned at her when she nodded.
"Well," I said. "Whenever you're ready."
She fought to catch her breath, and then she began stalking me. I waited for her, and I let her catch me. I surprised her with it, and she used my own trick on me, wrapping her legs around me and then shoving me underneath.
I made sure I had a big breath of air before I went down.
I struggled halfheartedly, then let my struggles grow weaker and weaker until finally I went limp.
She held me down for another ten count, and then she was reaching for me, hauling me to the surface, I hung limply, then grabbed fresh air, slipped around to her back, and began clambering up her body. She went under right away and tried to slip away from me, but I held on, my arms around her neck, and then I wrapped my legs under her arms and around her chest.
We were both underwater, but when I felt my back surface, I lifted my head and took two deep breaths before we plunged underneath again.
She struggled to free herself, managing to peel my arms from her neck, but as soon as she went to work on my legs, I wrapped my arms around her again.
She struggled for only a few more seconds, then she was tapping frantically against my legs.
I released my legs on her and hauled her to the surface, supporting her on her back, my arm thrown across her chest.
She gasped for air, and I swam for both of us, slowly pulling her towards shore while all she could do was gasp for air while coughing up water. I got her to shore and rolled her to the rocks where she could cling to them herself, then I swam away a couple of feet and waited to see if this was over.
It was several minutes before she had control of herself again. Malora hovered nearby, not saying anything. Finally Nori turned around.
"Damn, Malora," she said. "If we could get the demons to fight in the water, we'd have our best warrior."
"I thought you had her when you held her down so long."
"She played 'possum with me."
Nori turned to me. "What if I hadn't believed you?"
"Want to try again?"
"No. But perhaps your warrior does."
"Perhaps she doesn't," Malora said with a chuckle. "I'm not sure my ego could take it."
"Chicken," I said.
"I thought you didn't like competition," Malora told me.
"This wasn't competition," I said. "This was just roughhousing. It's not like we were trying to hurt each other. It's not like there was anything at stake. The worst that happens is you get a little water down your throat. No biggie."
She smiled at me.
"Come on," I said, backing away. "It's just a little dunking."
"I tell you what, Maya," Malora said. "The day you can engage in a bout with this healthy attitude is the day I'll come here and roughhouse with you all you want."
"Chicken," I said. "Nori, what happened to your soap?"
"I have it," Malora said. I swam cautiously to her, and she handed it to me without any games.
"Come on, Nori, I'll wash your hair, then I'll bathe my warrior."
She swam out to me and turned around, and I began to wash her hair.
"What was that thing you did to my foot?"
"Ankle lock," she said. "I was sure I had you with it."
"It didn't seem very effective."
"What?" she said, spitting the words. "My ankle locks are legendary!"
"Seemed lame," I said.
Malora was chuckling. "You won't say that if she does it to you on dry land."
"Wet, you're so slippery," Nori said. "And when you pulled me down in the water with you, I didn't know what to do."
"Total shame about that," I said, not at all meaning it.
They both chuckled.
"Maybe you'd like me to teach you the ankle lock," Nori suggested.
"Sure," I said, and I wrapped my legs around her again, clasping them together, but I didn't dunk her. "Show me again."
"Not here!" Nori said. "On dry ground. Dry ground!"
I let her go.
"You suddenly have a cocky companion, Malora."
"You offered her a lesson and she accepted. I didn't see anything cocky about that."
"Your hair is clean," I said. "Time to rinse it." And I put my hands on her shoulders and pressed down, but she pulled away from me and turned, glaring at me.
"What's the matter?" I asked. "You have more in you. Why aren't you giving it to me?"
"That's enough, Maya," Malora said quietly.
I grew quiet after that. I'd only been teasing, and I hadn't worked Nori remotely as hard as they both worked me. I gave Nori the soap so she could finish bathing then swam past her to my own warrior and began bathing her quietly. No one spoke for a while.
"You didn't see her expression," Malora told me quietly some while later.
"I bet it was akin to mine when you're making me run. Why is it okay you give me that expression, but when I do it, I get 'That's enough, Maya' ?"
"The pools are not the training ground. This is a place for fun and relaxation. She already carried it past fun, but more would have been too much."
"That seems like an arbitrary rule."
"I'm the queen. I can make whatever arbitrary rules I want."
"I bet if the queen was selected in a water fight instead of a land fight, we'd have a different queen."
She laughed. "You're probably right, but you aren't the only Amazon who grew up on the coast."
"Do any of them live in Queen's Town?" I asked.
"I'm not absolutely sure. None that I know of, but I don't know everyone's history." She raised her voice. "Nori, are any of the other women living in Queen's Town from the coast?"
"No, but Ree lived on the shore of Lake Manlana."
"Can you all swim?" I asked.
"Can WE all swim?" Malora corrected. "You're an Amazon now, too."
"Fine. Can WE all swim?"
"Most of us," Malora said. "Nori any idea if anyone swims as well as my companion?"
"No. I've roughhoused before but never been trounced like that, but I haven't roughhoused with everyone."
I lowered my voice. "Are you angry I pushed Nori too hard?"
"No. You stopped the moment either of us told you to. In the future, keep it fun."
"I don't think she had fun while I was beating her, not by the end, but she kept coming after me. It would have ended a lot sooner if she had dropped it. Should I have let her win?"
"Did you consider that?"
"Of course. Winning is important to her."
"And you were worried she would offer paybacks later?"
"Yes. I still am, even if it's not intentional."
"She won't. She might drive you slightly harder on the training grounds for a few days, but if she does, she's doing it ultimately for your best interests, anyway."
I sighed. "But that's what I was afraid of."
"Ask her to teach you the ankle lock. You won't care for the lesson, but she'll be pleased you asked."
"It hurt when she did it."
"You won't get away on the ground, either. If she gets one of those on me, I don't get away, but I know how to avoid them to begin with." I nodded, and she ordered me to turn around so she could wash my hair.
I loved it when she washed my hair.
* * * *
"One horse or two?" I asked Nori, later at the stables.
"Do you mind one?"
"Not at all." I collected her horse and saddled it, and a few minutes later we were on our way.
We rode quietly. I had intended to ask her about her first demon kill, but it was too nice a day, and I wasn't sure I wanted to hear.
"I'm sorry," she said after a while.
"For what?"
&n
bsp; "Your lost wagers."
"Don't be," I said. "Was I foolish? I didn't think. I just stood up."
"It depends on why you did it. The odds were against us, and if Balorie or Ralla had been there, or some of the Amazons from other villages, the results would have been much more one-sided."
"I only intended to wager with the other companions, but then Karena offered a skin."
"And a bear skin at that," Nori added. "A tempting prize."
"I didn't know how to politely decline the wagers when the warriors turned to me."
"Honestly, they shouldn't have. You were making enough of a statement for your warrior. Malora was deeply touched by your faith in her, even if we disappointed you."
"You didn't disappoint me." I nudged her. "Don't think I am disappointed."
"You may tell me that after you view the duty roster tonight."
I shrugged it away. "I may not be a very good Amazon, Nori, but I am a teacher. Sometimes you need to make a gesture."
"Is that what today was?"
"I think perhaps more than one." I paused. "And I wanted everyone to know I am trying to fit in. I didn't wager anything I couldn't afford to lose, although the size of the debt is daunting."
We rode quietly after that, and I took us to the gulch.
"You know the way now," Nori observed.
"At least in this light. I will want someone to bring me in other light, perhaps."
"Perhaps your warrior will wish to ride with you."
We had two more rabbits. I took care of them. We moved two of the snares and set two more, for a total of six.
"Good," Nori said when she was done. "Can you find them if it snows?"
"I would mark them if they were to be up past the middle of autumn."
"It is colder here and snows sooner than you are accustomed. The beginning of autumn." She paused then said, "Take us back to the gulch, then we have a little time. I would like to sit with you for a while, if you don't mind."
"I don't mind, Nori," I said softly. We walked back, leading her horse, but used the horse to cross the river. She pulled me to a comfortable-looking tree, and we sat down, side-by-side.
Nori took my hand, caressing it, but not speaking for a long time. She didn't look at me, but I thought she would say what she meant to say eventually. I waited, not rushing her.
"You have delicate hands," she said. She turned it over. "Unusual callouses." She caressed my fingers.
"Those are from pencils," I said. "The tools of my trade. I know they aren't impressive to a warrior."
"I couldn't guess what they were from. I tried to guess how you could get them fishing."
"I have a scar from fishing. Did you want to see it?"
"Yes."
I slipped off my left boot, then gave her an ankle. "If you tickle it, I will be very upset at the loss of trust."
Instead, she ran her fingers over my foot. "Here?" she asked, finding the scar. "This is from a fish? It must have been a small fish."
"I said it was from fishing, not from a fish," I corrected. "My little sister caught me instead of a fish."
"This is from a hook?"
I laughed. "Yes, and it got infected besides. My scars are not as impressive as yours or Malora's."
She released my foot and I replaced my boot.
"I have not shown you my scars."
"You have one on the back of your calf that looks like it hurt."
"That one was more dangerous than it looked. Lower, and I would have been crippled."
We sat quietly again. Nori still hadn't said whatever she wanted to say.
"We should be going."
"Then perhaps you should spit it out."
She smiled a half smile. "Are you sure I had something I wanted to say?"
"Yes."
"Maybe I simply wanted to sit here with you."
"Did you learn the art of misdirection from Malora?"
"No. She learned it from me."
I laughed.
Nori made no effort to stand up. Finally she drew near what she really wanted. "You're fitting in just fine."
"In some ways," I agreed.
"In the most important ways."
She stood. She still hadn't gotten to it, but when she reached for my hand, I let her pull me to my feet.
"You're not going to tell me what you really wanted?"
"I did."
I dropped it.
Back at the village, I cleaned both rabbits, presented the meat to Serra, and then handed the skins to Nori. She looked at them, then handed one to me. "This is yours."
I smiled at her. "Thank you."
"You know, I don't really have the time to check those snares. I think perhaps you should take them over from me."
I laughed and hugged her. "Thank you, Nori."
She hugged me back. "Does this mean you are done serving my meals?"
"Of course not. That is meant in friendship and respect, not payment. Just like teaching me the snares was meant in friendship."
* * * *
The duty roster looked horrible for me. I didn't complain.
* * * *
That night, I gave Malora a massage. She was sore in the most interesting places. When I was done, we snuggled together, and she told me how happy I made her.
* * * *
Ralla came home, arriving shortly before dinner a week after she had left. Due to my heightened duties, I hadn't completed her entire stack of mending, but I had completed the important pieces and looked carefully at the piece from her first warrior. After dinner, I excused myself, collected the pieces I had repaired, and went in search of her. She was talking to Balorie, so I waited patiently until they both turned to me. Ralla saw the clothes I was holding.
"You can put them in my hut," she said.
"I would talk to you," I said. "I can wait, or perhaps another time."
"We're done here," Balorie said. And so I followed Ralla to her hut. She gestured, and I put her clothes away.
"I'm sorry, I didn't finish yet."
"I saw the duty roster," she said. "And asked how that happened. I appreciate what you've done so far. If it's too much-"
"No," I said. "It's not too much, but if you need the rest back, you can leave me just one or two pieces and I'll find time to do them before collecting others from you. I could get more done in the evenings, but I don't have the light, and I don't think Amazons use lanterns quite as heavily as I am accustomed."
"Summer is almost fully arrived, and the days are longer."
I nodded.
"If you ask Queen Malora, she may obtain more fuel for the lamps. I don't say that to rush you."
"I understand. I will." I crossed the room to her, still holding the piece from her first warrior. "I looked at this, but I haven't touched it yet. I can repair all the old stitching, but it still won't be whole. I can replace the most worn of the material, but I wasn't sure if that is what you would want."
She took it from me and held it to her chest.
"You loved her."
"Yes. Very much."
"I am sorry."
"Life is uncertain," she observed. "I do not want the material replaced." She held it tightly. "Thank you for looking at it."
"You're welcome." I stepped forward, putting my hand on her arm. "Let us sit for a few minutes."
"Your warrior-"
"Knows where to find me if she needs me."
I drew her to the bed, the only place we could sit together, and I pulled her down, leaning against her. She didn't clutch at me the way Malora and Nori did, but she leaned against me in return. I thought perhaps she was too reserved to take what she needed, and I didn't want to confuse her by offering too much.
"I do not turn to the other companions," she said.
"I know. Why not?"
"I am afraid of taking too much."
"Or taking what isn't offered?"
"Yes."
"Then I will guide us," I said. "You will accept what I give and not ask
for anything else." I took her hand and moved it to the back of my neck, underneath my hair. Then I clasped her other hand in both of mine.
"Close your eyes," I told her. "Calm your breathing. Think about the touch of my skin under your fingers."
We sat together for a while, and I felt some of her tension leave. I took the hand I was holding and caressed my face with the back of her fingers. She tried to control the caress, but I held her firmly, and she relaxed again.
"We mustn't start the wrong rumors," I said, climbing to my feet, but pressing her down to stay seated on the bed. I turned to face her, pulling her arms around my waist, then pulling her head so she laid an ear and cheek against my stomach. I wrapped my arms around her neck, and I felt her arms tighten. I caressed her gently.
"Does this help?" I asked.
"Yes."
I held her, she held me, for a few more short moments, then I pushed away. "I will finish the rest of your mending as I can."
"Thank you," she said.
"I have a string of snares near Backbend Gulch. Did you know?"
"I did not. How did this happen?"
"Nori could no longer attend to them and offered them to me."
"I did not know Nori had any snares at all."
I smiled. "I check them in the afternoons after training. Some days my warrior rides with me. Some days Nori does. We usually only take one horse. If you ever wish to go, I would enjoy your company. It is just a ride out, check the snares, and return, but it is a gentle ride and perhaps relaxing."
"I can show you other places to set snares."
"You could," I said, "but that is not why I am inviting you. I am inviting you if you wish to go. That is all."
"I may," she said. "I would not take from your time with your warrior or Nori."
"They allow me to go alone some days, too, as long as I report to Malora both before I leave and immediately upon returning. Well, Malora allowed me to go alone yesterday, but she said this is the rule. If anyone else is going with me, then I am allowed to take a little more time, but must be back for my dinner duties with Serra. If you go with me, then we must tell Malora together."
The rules were because Malora didn't trust me. I didn't blame her, as I'd promised them I'd attempt to run if I had the chance. I hadn't reverted my promise.
"Then tell me the days you are to go alone, and if my schedule allows, perhaps I shall go along."
I nodded. "I'll see you at the fire."
Amazon Companion Page 19