by Danica Avet
“I didn’t hate your guts,” Lucian said slowly, trying to remember his mind-set at the time of Bernard’s death. “I hated mother and father for not letting Bernard live his life the way he wanted. They were so concerned about what everyone else would think they never thought about how Bernard felt, or thought about how they were treating him.” Remembered pain crashed through Lucian, but he held it at bay. “I wanted you to come home because I wanted someone to talk to. Uri was in denial, thinking our parents would relent. I didn’t know you were my brother, but I always thought of you that way until…um, all this Eturi stuff, that is.”
Malachi grinned. “I didn’t make it easy on you. I figured if you were going to kill me, you’d have to work at it.”
Lucian shook his head, unable to speak lightly of it. “I didn’t want to kill you, but I wanted you to be the honorable man I knew you as.”
“Well, hell, Luc,” Malachi said, his voice sounding tight. “You’re not gonna kiss me or anything, ‘cause I’m not like that, and if you are, then I really will seduce your mate.”
“Ass,” Lucian said with a strained smile and another punch to Malachi’s shoulder.
“Sissy,” Malachi answered, socking Lucian in the opposite shoulder. “Now all the mushy stuff is over. Let’s go get the girl.”
* * * *
They drove through the night, Izzy’s heavy foot guaranteeing they broke speed limits in at least four counties and twelve parishes as they raced to the Amazon encampment. Ruby rested her head on the window and watched the scenery shoot by.
Izzy and Rosetta kept up a steady stream of chatter and singing as they talked about music and the “hawt” men they knew. No one mentioned Fallon, and they steered clear of talking about any incubi. Bretina said nothing, but Ruby could feel her eyes on her now and then.
Ruby regretted telling Bretina about the wedding, though she congratulated herself for keeping her cool. All she’d wanted to do was cry at the thought of Lucian marrying that woman. Cry or rage, and either one would make her look like a crazy woman, not something she wanted her newly found family to think she was.
It was only as dawn began creeping over the horizon that Ruby began to recognize some of the landmarks. The rice fields along the interstate had given way to sugarcane fields and the town names began to sound more familiar.
Izzy pulled off the interstate just outside of Lafayette, driving south. Less than an hour later, they were following a bumpy, dirt road on the outskirts of Forked Island. Rosetta was talking about some bustier she wanted to buy next time they were in town, and Izzy was singing along with the Beastie Boys.
“Why is the encampment way out here?” Ruby asked, speaking her first words in seven hours.
Izzy and Rosetta exchanged glances and concentrated on the track in front of them. Bretina just sighed.
“The girls aren’t exactly welcome in town. Out here, there are only a few neighbors, and they all mind their business.”
“Why aren’t they welcome?” Ruby asked, wondering what the Amazons could’ve done to be unwelcome anywhere.
Izzy and Rosetta ducked their heads reflexively. Ruby looked at them all curiously and waited for some kind of answer.
She continued waiting as they drove for at least three miles into the marsh. There were very few trees, just a cypress here and there struggling to survive. The marsh grass was at least waist high and the road was continuously covered by encroaching water. Once in a while, Ruby would see the swish of a tail as an alligator slipped into the brackish water on the side of the road.
Still, no one answered her question. She tapped her foot impatiently. Then, just when she was about to demand an answer, she heard music that overpowered the speakers in the SUV. A glow up ahead showed there was a large fire, and Ruby prayed they hadn’t driven into a marsh fire.
The SUV came to a skidding stop, and Ruby’s mouth dropped open. It looked like Sturgis, Purgatory, and the Playgirl mansion all rolled into one. Ruby retracted that. It looked like Sturgis, Purgatory, and a meeting of the Young and Hung Club all rolled into one. A blush rode up her cheeks.
The silence inside the vehicle was absolute as the other three allowed Ruby to take it in. There were women in every shape, size, and color strutting back and forth in various stages of dress. Some were fully clothed while others were partially dressed. They were sharpening weapons, practicing moves, shouting encouragement. All the while, music blared from massive amps. There was a wooden house closely resembling a Viking longhouse of old and, from there, several women sauntered out carrying baskets of clothing, food, and leading men on leashes.
The men. Ruby blushed more. Men were everywhere. The majority of them wore some kind of loincloth that didn’t leave much to the imagination. Some looked to be human, while others looked alien, but none of them looked unhappy. If anything, they looked very pleased with themselves and the women who watched them. They swaggered and preened like peacocks.
While they watched in silence, two of the women came to blows over a very handsome man who resembled Orlando Bloom’s character in Lord of the Rings. He had long blond hair flowing freely down his back, and his slim body bare but for the loincloth, showing just how excited he was the two women were fighting over him. As they watched, he just got happier.
Ruby smothered a choking giggle. Izzy glanced at her in the rearview mirror, her eyes crinkled with amusement.
“Shara and Ravanna don’t share well.”
Rosetta winced as one brunette gave the other a solid whack to the solar plexus. “Ravanna had better watch herself if she’s gonna have breath left to handle up on Collin later.”
The women fell to the ground, rolling over and over until they came to a stop against their prize’s legs. When they looked up and saw just how happy he was, they jumped to their feet in unison. The blond became a manwich, and Ruby averted her eyes until they led him away.
“Well, that’s one elf that’ll die happy,” Izzy muttered as she opened the driver door.
“Sho ‘nuff,” Rosetta agreed, opening her door. “To think he actually thought he was above his tithe just ‘cause he’s some kind of prince.”
Their voices died as they headed to the party, being hailed by all the women they passed. Ruby watched Izzy smack one man’s bare backside as she passed by, which set him to blushing and laughing.
“Tithes?” Ruby asked Bretina, who’d stayed behind with her.
“You know we compete in tournaments every ten years for rights to breed, right?” Ruby must’ve looked surprised because Bretina continued. “Okay. Every ten years, all Amazonian tribes gather for a two-week tournament. We compete against each other for breeding rights. Since only the strongest should procreate, the winning tribe wins the right to breed for the next ten years. The tournament is called the Battle of Lionesses. Every tournament, the Blood Maiden Tribe, this tribe, competes. We have over two hundred members, and since we’ve won the Battle the last four decades, we’ll continue to expand. We have to sit out if we win a fifth time as our own group will be too big to support.”
She paused with that cocky grin splitting her face as she watched the women’s antics. “They’re good women, excellent warriors, and loyal friends at your back. But they’re a bit high-spirited,” she said, her voice trailing off as one particularly burly woman paraded past the vehicle with a slightly less muscular male over her shoulders in a fireman’s carry. “We’re not allowed close to towns anymore because some men tend to be intimidated by stronger women and pick fights that we finish. After a few close calls with human law enforcement, we decided to move on the outskirts of towns and demand a tithe of the Veilerians in those communities.”
Bretina paused then looked at Ruby. “We do not rape these men. They come of their own free will. Some of them are humans who have debts to be paid to Veilerians, some are half-breeds who have no chance to marry and breed within their own communities, and a few are even war captives who prefer to remain here rather than go back to their people.”
“Do they all have to become, um, studs?” Ruby asked hesitantly. It didn’t seem right that her people were enslaving men for their breeding purposes.
“Oh, no! Not at all! Most of them prefer to be studs,” Bretina answered with a short laugh. “There is a legend that says once an Amazon mates, that male will never find another who will bring him to the heights of Heaven without dying. The men remain here searching for such a mate, and sometimes they even go to other tribes in the hopes of finding one there. If they don’t want that, they just do cleaning and housekeeping duties or babysitting duties until their time is up,” she said with a gesture towards some men who appeared to be cooking.
Ruby noticed a sizable group of men who were wearing pants with designs that matched the tattoos on their chests. Bretina noticed where her attention rested. “Those are mated men. The symbols on their chests are part of their mate’s war shield. My Ingvar refused to wear a shirt no matter how cold it was,” she said, her face softening in memory. She snapped out of it. “Come, you need to meet the queen.”
Bretina got out of the vehicle and waited by the hood for Ruby. Suddenly feeling nervous, Ruby took stock of herself. Ratty sweats she’d washed in the bathroom sink back at the council house and bare feet. Her last bath had been her first day of captivity. She braved one armpit and winced. She stunk to high heaven. Great, just great, she thought. Her first meeting with royalty and she smelled like a jock.
She got out of the vehicle and took a deep breath. “Let’s go.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
The walk through the encampment was enlightening.
“What’s that?” Ruby asked Bretina as she caught a glimpse of strange looking buildings in the center of the camp. Closer up, she saw there was some kind of barrier between the camp and the buildings. By turning her head just the slightest bit, Ruby could see what looked like the outline of a door in the middle of empty space.
“It’s a Watching Wall,” Bretina responded, pressing her hand against the barrier, showing Ruby how her hand disappeared through it. Shrieks sounded and several Amazons raced up to the barrier before seeing Bretina and Ruby there. “That’s where all of our children are rather than living in camp with us. We’ve used one ever since you were lost to us. It reflects the children’s area but doesn’t allow them to see us. If you have a child there, and only if you have a child there, you can enter otherwise the alarms sound.” Bretina withdrew her hand and they spent several long minutes watching the empty area.
“Where are they?” Ruby whispered, worried that her voice might bother the stillness of the scene. Ruby noticed nocturnal animals had begun wandering through camp, being chased off by a stone thrown at them from an unseen guard.
“They’re in Scythia, our homeland. They’re brought there after their first year and remain until maturity.”
Ruby thought about it carefully. She knew if she had a child, she wouldn’t want it running around a bunch of half-naked men, but also knew their ways had been set long ago so the women wouldn’t stop having their beef showcased. The best solution would be for the kids to be kept away from the main area. Sometimes tradition was a bitch.
“Come on, the queen will know you’re here and wonder where we are,” Bretina said, leading Ruby to the longhouse.
Everyone who noticed them stopped to watch the Chieftain-marked woman pass, nudging their neighbors until the entire camp was silent except for the music. Coincidentally, whoever was in charge of the playlist chose that moment to strike up “All Hail the Chief,” punk-style.
Bretina chuckled under her breath. “Infantile brats,” she mumbled and continued walking.
With the punk song as their theme, Ruby found herself following Bretina at a brisk pace, and soon they were in the cool, dark confines of the longhouse. When she heard the shuffle of clothing and feet, she realized most of the crowd had entered the hall behind them.
Pretending she wasn’t the least bit intimidated, Ruby followed Bretina up the Amazon lined aisle. The building was nothing more than a single large room with chests lining the floors and hundreds of shields decorating the walls. There was no way the entire tribe slept in here though. There would be no room and, God forbid, no privacy.
At the opposite end of the house, there was a single wooden chair. In it sat a woman who looked just a few years older than Ruby. Her long brown hair was held up in some elaborate style Ruby would never be able to duplicate, but it showed off her strong features. Features that became more familiar the closer Ruby got to her.
The woman stood and Ruby saw the queen was just a bit shorter than herself. In fact, Ruby realized suddenly, she was one of the tallest women in the camp. Most of them came only to her shoulder, though one or two looked as though they could be taller than her by a couple of inches.
“You’ve brought us the Lost Child, I see,” the queen said as they came within speaking distance, though her voice carried throughout the hall. Ruby idly wondered if that was the purpose of the building, to make public speaking easier.
Bretina bowed to her queen, her hair nearly sweeping the floor with the steepness of her stance. Ruby stood tall and inclined her head at the queen. She might be part Amazon, but she was no one’s subject.
The queen’s soft brown eyes lit with unholy glee. “The child grew up, hmm?” the queen murmured, her eyes lingering on Ruby’s tattoos and proud stance. “Tell me, Lost Child, how did you find this Amazon who calls herself your grandmother?”
Bretina stepped back to Ruby’s side and nudged her gently, encouraging her to speak. Ruby glanced around. Bretina nudged her again. Ruby saw Izzy and Rosetta off to the side beaming at her.
“She found me and helped me to fight a group of demons,” Ruby grudgingly admitted.
“How did you find each other, Lost Child?” the queen asked loudly, her eyes steady on Ruby.
“I escaped from Council.”
“Hmm. Tell me this story. It sounds interesting,” the Queen said, sitting down again and arranging her long, leather-clad legs in a comfortable sprawl.
Taking a deep breath, Ruby told the story of her escape, but not the real reason why. She told of the fight with Bretina and her subsequent surrender back to Council hands, but again, not the real reason why. She told the queen about the impossible-to-escape cell she’d been given and her rescue from it by Bretina, Rosetta, and Isola.
Throughout the entire recitation, there were soft whispers, softer gasps, and murmurs of approval. When she finished, there was silence, and Ruby dreaded to hear what the queen would say. She didn’t think they would harm her, but they might give her some means of punishment for being weak.
Instead, the queen stood again. “Lost Child has returned with tales many warriors would envy. Not many of us have escaped from Council not once, but twice. I ask you. Is she worthy of the Blood Maiden Tribe?”
It was quiet for a moment. Then a roar echoed throughout the room. Ruby looked around at the women cheering wildly. Bretina was cheering as well, her shoulders stiff with pride.
The queen held up her hands for quiet. “Lost Child has become a Chieftain, the first female to ever be given into that duty. Do we accept her as one of our own and offer her sanctuary from her enemies?”
Again there was a roar, this time accompanied by thumps upon shields and chests. Ruby’s eyes watered, but she held the tears back. These strong women were offering her shelter and protection against Council should she need it.
The queen stepped down from the small dais that held her chair, approaching Ruby with her hands outstretched. “My people have charged me with the duty of welcoming Lost Child back and renaming her Lineage Chieftain Ruby Fontenot-Blue of the Elkfire line. My family has honored me with the task of offering our home to our Lost Child. Do you accept these terms, Chieftain Ruby?”
Everyone seemed to hold their breath as they waited for Ruby’s answer. Bretina looked worried at Ruby’s silence, as did the queen.
She bowed her head slightly. “I accept, Your Hig
hness.”
The resounding cheer almost deafened Ruby while the sudden thumps on her back just about brought her to her knees. Everyone wanted a chance to touch the newest addition to their tribe. Ruby could hear Izzy bragging to someone that she’d seen Ruby stand against an incubus and come out on top. The leering smile she gave her audience made Ruby laugh. These women were fabulous, she thought with an inner grin.
When the well-wishers finally wandered off to prepare the feast Ruby overheard the queen order, she felt battered, yet happy for the first time in a long while. Her heart was lighter, even with the shadow of her feelings for Lucian lurking around.
“I’m glad to see you again, Ruby,” a soft yet commanding voice said, drawing her attention back to the queen whose eyes were searching Ruby’s face intently. “You don’t remember me, do you?”
Ruby frowned, trying to sift through the very few memories she had of her childhood. Once in a while, she’d dreamed of a young woman with few worries and lots of laughs. A woman who looked a lot like the queen, but Ruby had always thought she dreamed of her mother.
“I…don’t know,” Ruby said hesitantly, watching as the queen’s face fell. “I remember a woman who looked like you, but I think she was my mother? She used to sing to me.”
Happiness bloomed on the queen’s face with Ruby’s last words. “That was me! I used to sing you lullabies because Zoe had a terrible singing voice, and we all threatened her with death if she croaked one note!” The queen beamed. “I’m Albreda, the sister closest to Zoe in age, your aunt.”
Ruby tilted her head to the side, studying the queen carefully. She could see it now, she thought. She vaguely remembered a sweet singing voice and someone scolding her mother about having a horrible voice, telling her she needed to work more on her battle skills because if anyone else heard her singing, they would think she was dying and try to put her out of her misery. Laughter, lots of laughter, Ruby remembered. Laughter and love. It crept into her mind, a child’s voice talking to her favorite aunt.