Tip of the Spear

by Marie Harte

  “They made the Nature Laws, laws which have stood for hundreds of years now. No pollutants. No unauthorized firearms or electronic devices, which none of us can handle anyway. Never saw the sense in that stipulation. No mining, farming, or cutting down trees without UTO permission.”

  Thais bit her lip, and he wanted to soothe the soft flesh with his mouth. “So your people created laws to save the land?”

  Your people? “Yeah, I guess. If you don’t register with the UTO when you visit a town, or you violate the Nature Laws, you hang or get shot, whichever the UTs prefer. It’s that simple.”

  She nodded slowly. “That makes sense.”

  “You agree with that?”

  “Why not? Our history tells of outsiders stealing our lands and killing our forests. They came to us with fire makers to steal our treasures and capture our people. But we survived. And then the Time of Dying came, and they bothered us no more.” She frowned, and he thought he saw a flash of anger in her green eyes.

  “The Time of Dying, huh? A great way to describe the time after the Great Storm.” He thought about all Kitty had told him when he’d hounded her earlier this morning. “You’re looking for a woman like you, with a picture of a flower on her face.”

  “Yes.”

  Guaranteed she’s not from the Territories either. From the look of Thais, he didn’t think her an Easterner, especially since crossing the Divide normally killed anyone stupid enough to brave the danger. Perhaps the rumors were true about people still living beyond the borders. “Are you from beyond the border?”

  Her face closed. “Where I am from is not your concern.”

  “What you don’t know about the Territories will get you killed,” he said bluntly.

  “I am from Temeco. Satisfied?”

  Not by a long shot. She lied and didn’t care that he knew it. He found himself respecting her grit. “Satisfied? Not yet,” he muttered. But I will be. You can count your pretty little ass on that.

  Chapter Three

  Thais wasn’t sure what she’d done to irritate Hinto. It seemed everything she said drew a certain tone from the man. Annoyance, and something more. Something she didn’t like, yet couldn’t look away from.

  “You’re so curious about my life. What about yours?” she asked, expecting him to avoid the question. From what little she’d seen in her time away from home, people shied from sharing information. Even Kitty, who professed to like Thais, would only trade what she knew about Pilar and Bartel, rather than give it.

  Hinto glared at her, his eyes bright despite the shadow of his hat’s brim. The wind blew, the scent of pine and grass and man filling her with a strange impatience. Black hair drifted across his cheek and traced the planes of his hard face. Unlike the Territory men who’d invaded her home, Hinto had bronzed skin honed by the sun. Like her people.

  “Hell, compared to you I’m an open book.”

  “I don’t understand.” What did he mean about books? And why didn’t he slide that silken strand of hair from his firm lip, where it had caught?

  “I have nothing to hide,” he clarified but said no more. To her relief, the wind blew his hair back from his face again, before she’d done something insane like touch him.

  Silence descended as they rode toward the western mountains. Though very different from her rainforest, the land here shone with beauty. Large, black and purple mountains butted against the clear blue sky. Puffs of clouds, a sight she never tired of seeing, lingered overhead. Birds, so different from the colorful variety at home, flew from tree to tree, feeding their young and building nests while deer and wild dogs kept their distance, barely visible through the trees.

  The mare beneath her snorted and shook her head at Hinto’s vore, which ambled a bit too close.

  She shot Hinto a glance and found him staring at her. Heat pooled in her loins, an uncomfortable and unwelcome sensation. She shifted in the saddle and nearly shot off her horse when that place between her legs flared with heat. What the hell was that?

  “What?” she snapped at him when he continued to stare. Her cheeks burned. “You said you have nothing to hide. Then speak.”

  He grinned slyly, as if he knew what bothered her. “All you had to do was ask.” He warned Beast to behave and continued. “My mama died when I was a kid, victim to a fever that killed her and half the town. My dad settled the rest of us in Shine. We have a ranch there. It’s wild but beautiful.” The expression on his face as he looked at her could only be described as hungry.

  “You miss your home,” she breathed, annoyed that it took her a moment to relax under that look.

  “I do. Probably as much as you miss yours.” His insightful words soothed a part of her wishing for distance. A strange kinship to have with a foreigner and man.

  “You are a tracker, Kitty said.”

  “I prefer bounty hunter. I find men and bring them to justice.”

  “To justice? Bounty hunters work for gold.” If she recalled correctly. There was so much to learn in this place. Every town and territory had its own set of rules. It gave her a headache trying to remember it all.

  “Anyone can hunt for currency.” He snorted. “There are too many men out there doing whatever they damn well please. Between the corrupt marshals and the UTO that only cares about violations against the land, what’s right often gets lost under piles of gold.”

  His bitterness surprised her, and she realized he wasn’t such an open book, as he wanted her to believe. Something in his past had hurt him. Again, a common bond they shared.

  “Tell me about Morrow,” she said to change the subject.

  “Anyone ever tell you you’re bossy? Tell me this, tell me that,” he mimicked, drawing an unwilling smile from her. “Oh my God, a smile? Say it ain’t so.”

  She pursed her lips but couldn’t stop grinning.

  “Damn,” he rasped then shook his head. “Morrow, right. The town, if you can call it that, is a lot smaller than Little Valley. It’s got one bar, one church, and one store. Lots of miners, and lots of criminals trying to get their hands on anything they can. How the damned town wound up close to the railroad I can’t say. But don’t expect we’ll find any law enforcement to help us with Gregor. The place still doesn’t have a UTO.”

  “And this trip will take how long?”

  He glanced at her mount then at her. “Four days at the most. You don’t sit well on the horse, but you’re holding your own.”

  “Don’t sit well? What exactly does that mean?” She took affront to his criticism. Just getting on the Goddess forsaken beast had been a feat in itself. If horses had been meant to be ridden, they’d have been found in the jungle. Then again, her mare had proved reliable thus far.

  “You’re too stiff. You need to lean back a little, to roll with your horse’s gait. Don’t fight it so much. Take Beast. He’s huge, ragged, and has no sense of timing.”

  Beast snorted, and Thais had the idea the vore understood exactly what Hinto said.

  “But he can run a helluva lot faster than I can. He’s tireless, dependable, and so smooth you wouldn’t believe he’s a product of the Divide.”

  “How so?”

  “Vores used to be horses, you know. He looks like your mare, doesn’t he? Except for the fact that he’s at least four hands higher and has sharp teeth and eyes that glow in the dark. When the Great Storm hit, the sky rocks not only killed most of the world, they affected the beasts in it as well.”

  “Ah. And some men too, I’ve heard.” Monsters lived in the Divide—a stretch of land between the Territories and the East that few had ever crossed and lived to tell about. Dark things traveled those twisted lands, things better left alone. She could only hope Bartel hadn’t passed into the East in his quest to hold onto the queen’s crown.

  She noticed Hinto’s silence. “What?”

  He cleared his throat and glanced away from her. “Nothing. We have a few more hours before we reach the pass. But we can break sooner, if you want.”

&nb
sp; “No. I want to cover as much ground as we can before dark.”

  “Sounds good,” he drawled, his low voice like warm honey.

  They continued to ride, stopping only to see to necessities before they reached the place where Hinto wanted to break. She dismounted and glanced around. The sun had begun to set, and the sky turned a cool lavender in keeping with the light wind chilling the temperature. So different from home, yet she found the colder weather refreshing.

  Tired of wearing her hat, she tore it off and sighed as a breeze wafted over her head. Thais also removed her bandana, wishing for a lagoon or lake, anything to rid herself of the sweat and dirt covering her. Her horse looked just as uncomfortable, so she unsaddled the mare and laid out her saddle and bedroll on the ground. A blanket would do for warmth, so long as they built a fire. For all that she liked the cooler weather, her body had yet to adjust to being cold all the time. Most of her time spent in the Territories had been in Temeco, where the weather was just as hot, though drier, than the Amazon.

  Thais tended to her horse, finished putting her things in order, and waited for Hinto to reappear. Giving him his privacy ensured a few moments for herself. The ride hadn’t been all that bad. The scenery took her breath away, as did the space all around. At home, with the trees and vegetation and animals so close, the jungle felt like a warm, though at times, smothering blanket. Here, some of the trees had needles, while others had height but not the vast canopy of leaves to block the sky.

  And such wonderful colors. Red, orange and yellow leaves fell off the trees once a year, only to be replaced by new shoots when the cold of winter bled into the warmth of spring.

  Such a fascinating place. Yet her surroundings didn’t captivate her half as much as her obstinate companion.

  It gave her some small satisfaction to know he didn’t like riding with her anymore than she liked having to be with him. Why Kitty thought Thais needed protection, she didn’t know. Then again, most of the females in the Territories were weak creatures. Bred to endure, the women here didn’t receive a warrior’s training. Hampered by long dresses and dainty shoes, the ones she’d seen wouldn’t last a day on their own. Most had been told from an early age to obey men. As wives or slaves, it made little difference in Thais’s mind. Smaller and frailer than the men in this place, the women often had no choice when it came to procreating or serving the opposite sex.

  Thais couldn’t imagine living in such a state. At home, all Amazons were treated as equals…by the queen. Pilar and her friends didn’t see beyond the guardians. They viewed the other castes as inferior, whereas the queen—she shook her head—the former queen, had insisted fair treatment be distributed throughout the tribe.

  In a perfect world, Thais, a guardian, would converse with Yara, a healer. Isadora could live as a historian and still deserve as much respect as Luiza, who would make an excellent hunter.

  Except there was no more tribe, no more great people to hold on. Likely by this time, Estefina had passed into the Goddess’s keeping with the other Amazons. With Thais’s mother.

  The sadness she struggled to keep at bay hit her hard, and she sank to the ground with her head in her hands. Perhaps her presence in the village on the night they’d been slaughtered would not have made a difference. Estefina might have had the right of it, and they’d all have been killed. But Thais would never know.

  She took a black piece of stone no larger than a jaguar’s tooth out of her pocket and closed it in her fist. The memories swarmed her like fireflies.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” Her mother’s low voice demanded a response.

  “Mother, ah, I—” Thais had no excuse. Every other proud Amazon waited attendance on the men at the behest of the queen. Even the princess had not found a way to escape paying tribute. Personally, Thais could think of less painful methods of torture than waiting for the queen to choose participants to join the males for procreation. Like having her fingernails pulled out one by one.

  “Thais, haven’t I taught you better than this?” The tip of her mother’s spear prodded her to turn around. Even for an Amazon, her mother stood tall. Broad shoulders, arms corded with strength, a flat stomach that belied her ever giving birth, and muscular thighs denoted Aliane’s guardian status as much as the flower inked onto her cheek did. Her long fingers gripped the staff of a spear that had never seen anything but victory over their enemies.

  Thais might have been her mother’s twin, except for her green eyes, eyes inherited from the male her mother had been paired with to serve the tribe. Thais forced herself to meet her mother’s gaze, ashamed she’d considered ducking her responsibilities. “Mother, I—”

  “A true warrior always has a ready excuse.” Aliane’s lips quirked. “Would that I had less responsibility, I would join you.”

  Thais breathed a sigh of relief.

  “I don’t like these snake-tongues. They speak with reverence, but their eyes lie. Go, Thais. Watch over your friends. But I’ll expect you back here in three days. The time has come for you to join our circle. I couldn’t be more proud.”

  Thais smiled at the satisfaction on her mother’s face. Having passed the guardian’s test, Thais deserved the respect afforded a great warrior. But her mother’s pleasure meant more to her than anything.

  “Thank you, Mother. Goddess bless you well.” Thais bowed her head and struck her fist to her chest. She raised her head and grinned. “You’ll need it.”

  Aliane chuckled and leaned over to kiss Thais’s forehead. “Yah, when did you grow so tall?” She turned Thais around and pushed her forward. “Now away with you, and enjoy these last carefree days.”

  With a wave to her mother, Thais gathered her pack and raced silently along the trail her friends had taken. Her mother had the right of it. The days with her friends spent fishing, hunting and playing grew fewer as they reached maturity and found their paths. Best to enjoy herself while she still could.

  She caught up to Yara in no time. The trail they traveled was a familiar one to the tribe. It led to several favorite spots among the hunters, as well as to the healing spring and The Cave. Monkeys screeched high above while several macaws retaliated with angered squawks and the fluttering of wings. In a damp, hollowed tree trunk, bees buzzed around a popular hive where Thais had once gathered honey. The reassurance of the earth around her did much to make up for the unease of strangers in their village. Thais took comfort from the fact that by the time she returned, the Territory men would be gone.

  “Where were you?” Yara asked. She took a banana from her bag and ate while she walked, skirting several lizards hissing from under thick tree roots.

  “Mother found me. She wished us luck.”

  “I love your mother. Had mine found us, we’d be sitting astride those disgusting pigs, pretending to pray for babies.”

  “What, Yara? You don’t long to carry young babes in your womb? No small girls to strengthen our tribe? Little healers with the skills of their mother?” Thais teased. She knew Yara had no fondness for the sexual act, not since she assisted her mother with the tribe’s birthing duties.

  “Goddess, no!” Yara tried to trip Thais with a long stick she’d picked up. When Thais nimbly dodged her and parried with a strike to her ankle, Yara laughed and ran ahead.

  Thais smiled. Were it not for the tribe’s constant need to build their numbers, life would be perfect. A thousand years ago, there had been no need for birthing prayers and celebrations to consecrate worthy mates. Then, it had been all the Amazons could do to remain apart from a civilization encroaching upon their world.

  The stories told day in and day out reminded Thais and the others of the great storm and the Time of Dying. The Amazons had prayed and remained devoted to the Goddess, and She had provided. Unfortunately, Thais had no wish to partake in the Good Mother’s helpings. Men. The only ones she’d seen had made her wish for a sharp spear.

  Though her mother had often commended Thais’s father for gifting his daughter with strengt
h, intelligence and cunning, she would say no more about him. The rare male children born to the Amazons quickly found their way into neighboring villages, never to be heard from again.

  From what Thais gathered, men made two things very well—babies and war, and Thais could do without either.

  As she walked along the path that led to The Cave, she wondered how many babies might be made this very night. She hoped for none. These males weren’t right. Though she could credit nothing more than a bad feeling, she knew in her heart that no good would come from their visit. The leader, a stocky male with watery blue eyes and dirty yellow hair, eyed the queen with greed. For her body or her jewel encrusted crown, Thais couldn’t say.

  Many stories about the crown had been told throughout the ages. To date, it had survived wars, famine, and a massive civil war that ended just before Thais’s birth. The current queen ruled with her heart and soul, always looking out for her sister warriors.

  Just as Thais would look out for her friends. She, Yara, Isadora, and Luiza had grown up together. Best friends and companions, the foursome were inseparable.

  Thais frowned and moved from a fast walk into a jog when the rain began to fall. Here, where the canopy was thinnest, a barrage hit her. As the sun set and a full moon rose high overhead, she wondered what the future would bring. In a few days, she would join the other guardians among her tribe. She would protect the princess, the tribe’s future queen. Guardian: a revered title and role in the community, but one that would separate her from the others.

  Yara already showed exceptional skill in the healing arts. Dark of skin, like the male who had joined her mother, she looked like an earthen princess, her beauty paling only next to her talent with medicine. Her mother took her for longer and longer periods of time, until Yara would no longer have the time to walk with Thais, but serve the village in all its needs.

  Isadora didn’t have the hunter’s spirit that Luiza, her twin had. Both blond with brown eyes, the girls were a mix of their Amazon mother and the Anglo who had raped her. The male had died seconds after violating their mother, but he’d left behind a gift. A set of twins to appease the Goddess and the tribe. While Thais felt sure Luiza would join the hunters, she imagined Isadora in a softer role. Perhaps as a historian, a singer, or maybe a gatherer. Though every Amazon was first a warrior, many women preferred a peaceful life, protected by their harder, tougher sisters.