Amazon Companion

by Roseau, Robin

  Loren and Malora were watching, and Loren began to laugh. "She spends hours at it, and she has hundreds of these hanging on a wall in our hut."

  I turned to Malora. "Two minutes more? Please?"

  "Go," she said. And Meena took my hand and pulled me to her hut. I stared. She had a net on a wall, and clinging to the net were hundreds of her little flies, organized by type. No two were identical.

  "So many kinds?"

  "Five or six kinds," she said. "I make changes to see if this small difference works better than another small difference."

  "Does it?"

  She laughed. "If so, I haven't discovered it yet."

  She showed me her pole. It was very long and slender.

  "It doesn't break?"

  "The fish are not large, and the long pole lets me reach further when I cast the line."

  I examined the construction of the pole and smiled. I could make such a pole. I hugged her spontaneously. "Thank you."

  We talked fishing all the way back to our warriors.

  "Are all the fish good to eat?" I asked.

  "Yes," she said. "You will learn which are your favorites."

  "All right," said Malora. "We have a long ride, Maya."

  "I'm sorry," I said. I hugged Meena once more, thanking her again, and she said it was nothing.

  "If you can't find the fish, perhaps I can come visit, and we can hunt for them together, if my warrior will allow."

  "Ride with me, Maya," Malora said. I climbed onto her horse. She thanked Loren once more, then climbed up behind me, wrapping her arms around me, and we rode away from Two Bends.

  "And so, you have made a new friend."

  "You didn't tell me there were fish in the river."

  "What do I know about fish?" she asked. She tightened her arms. "You were brilliant."

  "Were you upset about the lip paint?"

  She laughed. "No. You bring me joy, and I am pleased you are comfortable teasing me. But I ask you to be careful in your teasing."

  "Don't get carried away?"

  "Yes."

  We rode a while longer, and I babbled at her about fishing. Eventually she interrupted and said, "I did not realize fishing was so important to you."

  "I didn't think it was." Then I realized something. "Oh no! I didn't ask Meena where she gets her hooks or line! We have to go back."

  Malora laughed. "Leave this puzzle with me."

  "You'll get me hooks and line?"

  "At least some, perhaps not a lot, but enough to start. You can make a pole?"

  "Yes. There are tools in the storage hut."

  "You may be asked to make more than one," she said, "especially if you are successful catching the fish."

  "I hope no one intends to steal my favorite fishing holes! Once I have favorite fishing holes."

  She laughed. "Only me."

  I frowned, although she wouldn't see. "I wonder when I'll find time."

  "You could give up chasing rabbits."

  "Maybe someday," I replied, "but I need the skins more than I need the taste of fresh fish. Serra does a good job feeding us."

  "I am pleased you help contribute to the pot."

  "I eat more than I contribute. Rabbits are small."

  "Maya, we all eat more than we contribute. That is why we receive tithe. But you contribute fresh meat, and while it may not be venison, Amazons need fresh meat. We lead very active lifestyles."

  I hadn't thought about that. "Anyone can snare rabbits."

  "But not everyone takes time to do so, and you do so without neglecting your other duties. Most are not so willing to give up their leisure time."

  "I did tell you the elders used to order me to take a day off every two weeks."

  She laughed. "I remember that story."

  "I didn't tell you -- the day I was taken, it was only luck I was even there. I was out sailing that day and only got back in time to see your warriors herding my village together. If I'd stayed out another half hour, I wouldn't be here, and Riva would have taken my sister. I wouldn't even have been able to say goodbye."

  The thought clouded my happiness, but Malora reached up and caressed my face. "Mistakes from the past. Please don't dwell."

  I grew even more morose. "I didn't get to say goodbye to my father, Malora. Will I ever see him again? Or should I grieve the loss of the people who love me? Consider them all dead?"

  "Maya," she said quietly. "You'll see them again. I promise."

  I leaned against her and let her jolly me back into a proper mood.

  We traveled through two villages that day, remaining for only a brief visit in each. We ate a trail lunch between them, cleaning up in a small lake we passed. When I asked, Malora said, "These are minor villages, well-run, but they patrol sections that rarely see demon activity. They have no problems that need solving, and the residents are content. I cannot neglect them, but they require no special attention, either."

  "There were no problems to solve in Two Bends."

  "No, but Loren has been a friend and strong ally, and it is a good place to spend the night. I also thought you would enjoy time with Meena, although I didn't realize how much you would enjoy it."

  "She was kind to me."

  "I thought you should see there are other companions who will never be warriors, and see they are deeply respected."

  I glanced over my shoulder at her. "Thank you."

  Training With Another

  And so, we traveled through the dark forest, visiting each of the Amazon villages one after another, staying only briefly at some, longer at others. At some, Malora was offered gifts, handing them to me for safekeeping. Animal skins were most common, but she received a wide belt at one village, promptly asking me to buckle it in place around her and then presenting me with her old belt. In another village she was given a slender necklace of pretty stones from a nearby river, polished smooth, and when the gift-giver realized Malora had a new companion, I soon found my own neck similarly adorned.

  The villages were all similar, each with their own unique differences. In some, the village chief's hut was much larger than the other huts, and I thought these were the villages with chiefs I would not like. I asked Malora about it, but she said, "The huts have been here longer than the chiefs. It may be the chiefs who built these huts were the type of leaders you believe, or it could be their warriors built the huts larger as a sign of respect or perhaps simple need."

  "Need?"

  "A leader must confer with her followers."

  "Ah, of course."

  On our third day in a village called Hope, I was pleased to see Morana, one of the two girls taken from Gallen's Cove. We only stayed for lunch, and she held back, but we were able to exchange a few words before departing. She seemed to be doing well, bubbling about her training progress. She admitted she missed home but said she wasn't crying in bed anymore.

  I didn't talk to Malora for two hours after that, and I refused to ride with her when she asked. Finally she asked me what was wrong. "Is your friend being abused?"

  "No," I said. "She told me she finally stopped crying herself to sleep at night."

  "Oh. Well, that's good then."

  "She shouldn't have been crying herself to sleep at all."

  Malora turned her horse. "I did, for the first few weeks. I missed my family and I was deeply homesick. It is a fairly common reaction even amongst those girls who compete to join us. I have apologized for the way we took you, but I will not have you continue to berate me."

  "I did not berate you. I kept my thoughts to myself until you asked."

  "You have been staring daggers into my back for two hours."

  "Looks don't kill or all of us would have been killed by younger siblings years ago."

  She cracked a smile then smothered it. "Nevertheless..."

  "Nevertheless," I interjected, "I have not berated you today. I believe I have been gracious on this trip, relaying stories of my capture as humorous rather than a more accurate terror-filled ac
count of humiliation, discomfort, and hate. But reminders are going to affect me negatively from time to time." I paused. "I am sorry I was ungracious this afternoon. But your back is whole; there are no daggers sticking out of it. So perhaps you can forgive me."

  "Are you done sulking?"

  "For now." I offered a tentative smile.

  "Good. Does that mean you will ride where you belong?" And she patted the front of her horse.

  "Are you sure you're not more physically comfortable having the entire horse to yourself?"

  "Stop teasing and get over here."

  I didn't stop teasing, but I climbed onto her horse and wriggled against her.

  "Tease."

  "You knew that when you invited me."

  And we were fine.

  Finally, late on the sixth day, and well after I thought we might be camping out, we pulled into a village called Northglen. "We will stay here two nights," Malora told me. "The village chief has asked me to assist with training tomorrow."

  I hadn't attended training since we left Queen's Town, and my throat began to close immediately. I knew I would be forced to attend training, and it wouldn't even be with the women who had become friends with me.

  "This is the furthest north we travel," she explained, "and then the morning after tomorrow, we begin to circle south. We'll move out onto the plains to the west so we can travel more rapidly." She paused. "Do I need to worry you will attempt to flee west?"

  "No." I could barely get the word out around my closed-off throat, the single word forming a lump. Malora didn't seem to notice.

  We climbed from the horse, greeting the village chief, a fierce warrior name Mar. Her companion was a ratty-looking woman named Slip. I found my voice and managed to express pleasure at meeting them, although the words were forced.

  This was one of the villages that didn't have a hut available for us, so I was directed to a location past the stables for our tent. "Do you need help?" Malora asked.

  Slip didn't seem like the type to help anyone, and I wasn't fit company, anyway.

  "I'll be fine."

  I attended to the horses first, and it was nearly full dark by the time I began setting up the tent. I found the softest place I could, removing twigs and a few rocks, then struggled with the tent. I had only put it up twice before, both times in better light, and I'd had help besides, so it was a chore before I got it assembled to what I considered Amazon crisp standards.

  I arranged our bedrolls and bedding, then ran out of opportunity to stall, but found inconsequential things to adjust in the set of the tent. That was what I was doing when Slip stepped up behind me.

  "My warrior sent me to see if you required assistance."

  I turned to her. "I am a new Amazon," I said, "and setting the tent up in the dark took longer than expected."

  "If you are done, we should return. Our warriors require our service."

  "We missed dinner."

  "There is food being prepared."

  I nodded and let her lead me back into the main part of the village. Malora's eyes settled on me as I drew closer, sitting in a circle of light from two lanterns. Slip showed me where the food was, a cold platter of meats and cheeses with weak beer to go along. I prepared a plate and mug, finally sitting down next to Malora. I ate my share of the meal quietly while listening to the conversation.

  Finally Malora asked, "What is the schedule for tomorrow?"

  "Breakfast, then swords in the morning. Staffs in the afternoon. We focus on swords here, as staffs aren't much good against demons, but of course they're important against bandits, and they make good training aids."

  I set a hand on Malora's arm, wanting to ask a question but not wanting to interrupt.

  "Yes, Maya?"

  "Can someone explain why staffs are important against bandits? And what was that about training aids?"

  It was Mar who had made the comments, so Malora looked across the table to her to answer.

  "We do not like to kill the bandits if it is not necessary," Mar said. "Dead bodies can't spread stories reminding people not to tangle with the Amazons. So given the chance, we'll crack skulls -- and other bones -- and then we tattoo them. Any bandits we catch in the future with a tattoo we execute, but in the meantime, everyone will know they lost against the Amazons. We believe it is a solid deterrent against future attacks."

  "Who would be foolish enough to attack a band of Amazons?" I asked. "You would need an army."

  "We do not usually travel in bands," Malora indicated. "Instead, traveling in small groups, like a warrior and her companion, is common."

  They gave me a chance to think about it. "What about training?"

  "Ah," said Mar. "New recruits frequently become far too excited when they first begin training. The sword is best used by a delicate hand, but the staff can be wielded with less fine accuracy. So it makes a better weapon to teach first. But we also find, from time to time, that a recruit needs a little incentive, and a few minutes in the training ground with me or Parlomith can be all the incentive required."

  "Parlomith?"

  "She's my head of training. You'll meet her tomorrow."

  "I'm looking forward to it," I lied.

  Later, once we were settled in our tent, Malora commented, "You were quiet tonight."

  "Mmm."

  "And you're being quiet now."

  "Mmm."

  She rolled over to look at me, but of course it was far too dark to see expressions. She reached out for me, brushing her fingers over my face.

  "Your brow is furrowed. What's wrong?"

  "Nothing."

  "I thought we agreed we wouldn't lie to each other."

  "Nothing you're going to fix. Can we go to sleep now?"

  "How do you know I'm not going to fix it? Tell me."

  "Tomorrow, I would like to watch you when you train the Amazons."

  She listened to my words. "You want out of training tomorrow."

  "Please don't make me, Malora. Please."

  "Parlomith is a very good trainer, better than Nori. You could learn a lot from her."

  I rolled away from her, muttering, "I told you that you wouldn't fix it."

  "You'll be fine. Just do your best."

  * * * *

  I slept poorly, waking up from nightmare after nightmare. I think I kept Malora awake, as she was crabby as we dressed, and we avoided talking to each other.

  "Carry your staff, but set it aside during training. This afternoon, you will use a practice staff," she said as we left the tent, heading to breakfast.

  We were late to breakfast and had to rush or be late for training, too. At least if I were with the queen, they couldn't punish me for it. Could they?

  I was sure I wouldn't like any punishment they issued, and Malora had told me she wouldn't intervene unless it was egregious.

  The training ground at Northglen was similar to the one at Queen's Town. It was situated slightly differently, and the field holding it was smaller than ours, but it had a ring for training with a whipping post in the center. Off to the side was a storage shed, and there were sections of the field that seemed trampled down, probably serving as other training circles.

  Gin, a warrior I didn't know, led the stretching exercises. Some of the exercises were the same we used, but many were different, and I didn't know how to do them. Malora settled right in, not paying attention to me, and I struggled to emulate the other women. I didn't do well, and I felt awkward. I imagined I looked even worse, a suspicion that was confirmed when Gin narrowed her eyes at me.

  "Why aren't you stretching properly?"

  "I'm trying," I replied, looking down, trying not to get sick. Everyone was staring at me, and I caught Malora frowning at me.

  "Try harder," she said.

  But two minutes later, she snapped at me. "That is completely wrong? Pay attention!"

  I was ready to snap back, but Malora had told me to be exceedingly polite, so I simply said, "Yes, Gin."

  When I glance
d at Malora, she was frowning. What did she expect? No one had taught me, and snapping at me wasn't helping.

  Finally, to my mixed relief and dread, stretching was over, and it was time to run. I glanced around, and no one was carrying a whip, but I was sure they had their own alternative, or maybe one would appear when I ran slowly.

  We set off as a pack, with six of the Amazons leaving the rest of us behind. Malora was among them, and I had to admit she was amazing to watch. I kept up with the main group for the first two circles of the field, but then they began to pull away from me. Miraculously, no one seemed to pay any attention to me, but I was sure if I slowed down any more, someone would be obligated to take notice, so I continued to run as fast as I could.

  The leaders lapped me, some of them making sounds of disappointment as they went around me, but I imagined I wasn't the only woman who would find these amazing warriors pass her, a suspicion that was confirmed some time later.

  But when the main pack caught up to me, that was when I began to suffer the taunting, various forms of "stop lollygagging" or "some Amazon you make" and I even heard a few, "the queen must be disappointed to be saddled with you".

  On the next lap, the leaders passed me again, and I heard more sounds of disapproval, but not actual taunts. Either they were more polite, or they weren't going to openly criticize me in front of Malora.

  Finally, the leaders came to a halt, and behind them, the main pack. I slowed as I approached, but Parlomith, the companion-training chief, yelled at me. "What are you doing? You have two more laps. Move it."

  So I ran, but I knew they were all watching me, and when finally I was done, Parlomith told me, "It's about time. You kept all of us waiting."

  I could have handled that, but the look of disappointment on Malora's face nearly killed me.

  They broke us into two groups, the warriors and most advanced companions, and the remaining companions. After we all collected practice swords, Parlomith pulled me and four other companions to the other side of the training grounds.

  She looked straight at me. "Do you at least know how to hold that?"

  "Yes," I said.

  "Show me."

  I held the sword the way I had been taught, my grip not too firm, not too soft, the blade held with the tip at eye level, my legs shoulder-width apart with the left slightly in front of the right. I looked straight ahead, prepared to watch the chest of my opponent and not her own sword.