by Robin Roseau
"It's not that poisonous," I said. "It doesn't hurt anywhere near as bad as a man-o-war sting."
"Oh, those hurt," said Jasmine, coming up behind us.
"See?" I said to Omie. I turned to Jasmine. "She didn't believe me."
"I got stung by a man-o-war this one time. It hurt for a week. Normally it's bad for an hour, but you just go swimming again and it's not so bad."
"Hello," said Omie. "Man eating spider in the tent."
"So?" I said. "Go kill it."
"What kind is it?" Jasmine asked.
"The big kind," Omie replied.
"Oh. Those." She sighed. "I suppose someone has to go take care of it."
"I'll go," I said.
"No, no," Jasmine said. "I'll go."
"We can't let either of you in there," Ralla said. "Not if there's a potentially dangerous spider in there."
"I'll be fine," Jasmine said. "Beria knows what to do if I get bit."
"I don't think this is a good idea," Ralla said, but Jasmine crept to the edge of the tent.
"Where was it?"
"Right side somewhere," I said. "It fell off the wall of the tent when Ralla shook it."
"Right." She slipped into the tent and we heard her moving around. Then she said, "There you are. Naughty thing. There's nothing in here to eat. There, gotcha!" There was a pause. "Oops, where did it go?"
I tried not to snicker. A moment later, Jasmine crawled backwards out of the tent. "I lost it," she said. Then she turned around, and it was crawling on her shoulder.
Omie squeaked and pointed.
"What?" Jasmine turned around as if Omie was pointing behind her.
"The spider," Omie whispered, "is on your shoulder."
"Oh," Jasmine said. "There you are." She lifted her hands and Ralla almost freaked out.
"Freeze, Jasmine!"
Jasmine ignored her but cupped her fingers around the spider, who obediently began crawling on her hands. "Aren't you a cute one?" she said, cooing at the spider.
"What are you doing?" Omie asked.
"Isn't it cute?" she said, holding it out to Omie, who backed away from it. So she held it to Ralla, who took two steps backwards, too. So Jasmine lifted her hands above her face and looked at the spider. "You're so unappreciated, you poor thing," she told it.
Then she took twenty steps to the edge of the field and let the spider go in a tree, calmly walking back. Ralla and Omie both looked terribly freaked out, then Omie slowly turned to me. "You said it was poisonous!"
"No I didn't," I said. "I asked if I would be out here if it weren't. I never said it was poisonous."
"Beria," she said warningly.
"Oh, it's poisonous," Jasmine said. "Most spiders are. But that one rarely bites, and if it does, the worst you get is a red mark for a few days."
Omie turned back to me again. "Then why were you so freaked out?"
"I told you. I don't like spiders," I said. "You promised to kill them, too. I'm starting to wonder if you keep your promises."
Ralla snickered.
"I'd have killed it," Omie said. "Eventually. If Jasmine hadn't taken care of it."
"Right," I said. "So get back in there."
"What?"
"That was the wrong spider," I said.
"What?" she shrieked.
"That was an orchard spider," I said. "The one we saw was a lynx spider. They aren't even the same color, Omie."
She stared at me. "Please tell me you're kidding."
"You want me to go with you?" I asked. She nodded. I pointed to the tent.
"Is it poisonous?"
"All spiders are poisonous," Jasmine said. "Do you need me to go find it?"
"I'll do it," Omie said. She turned to the tent and then began pulling things out of it, very carefully checking everything for spiders.
Jasmine stepped over to me and whispered, "Lynx spiders are rare this time of year."
I shrugged and continued to watch Omie as she carefully pulled everything from the tent. Finally the tent was empty, and Omie had gone through everything but the pack pretty carefully, even shaking out the clothing.
"There's no spider in here, Beria," she said. She backed out and stood looking at me, her hands on her hips.
"Well, not anymore," I said. "But there was a second spider in there."
Omie glared at me.
"Um," said Jasmine.
"You don't believe me again?" I asked.
"I'm not sure I do," she said.
"Um," said Jasmine. "Omie, don't move."
"Not you, too."
"Omie," said Ralla quietly. "Do not move."
Omie froze.
"I thought you said it was a lynx spider," Jasmine said.
"So I was wrong," I replied.
"Get it off me!" Omie said. "Get it off me!"
"Shhh," said Jasmine. "They sense fear." She stepped forward then said quietly, "Don't move." Then she reached up and brushed Omie's shoulder.
Omie freaked out, running to hide behind me and jumping around, trying to shake the nonexistent spider from her.
"I got it," said Jasmine. She turned to me. "You freaked out over a daddy longlegs?"
"I didn't get a close look," I said.
Omie turned to Ralla. "Was there really a spider on my shoulder?"
"Yes," she said. "It was terrifying." Ralla turned away, shaking her head and chuckling.
Omie turned to me. "Was that the right spider?"
"Yes," I said. "Thank you for hunting it down, Omie."
She looked around at all our stuff sitting on the ground. Then she turned to me. "Beria, you said you wanted to know what it's like to be a companion."
I nodded.
"Good. Put our stuff away."
* * * *
Over breakfast, I asked her quietly, "You're not really mad about the spider, are you?"
"Yes," she said, but the corners of her mouth curled.
"Oh," I said. "We weren't done with our conversation."
"Which conversation."
"The one where you were helping me decide. Maybe you don't want me, now that you know I hate spiders."
She glanced at me. "Beria, that's too serious a conversation for teasing, okay?"
"Actually," I said quietly, "I wasn't kidding."
"I don't really like spiders, either, if you couldn't tell. But I'll take care of them for you."
"Were there more reasons I shouldn't go?"
"Hmm." She turned to Ralla, sitting with Jasmine. "Ralla, what are the reasons you can think why Beria shouldn't be a companion?"
"I don't know if the Amazons are ready for two Softpeace sisters," Ralla said without blinking.
"We're serious," Omie said.
"So am I. Maya is a handful. And judging by this morning, I think her sister is just like her."
I looked away, a little hurt. Omie and I were done eating, so I took her plate and turned away.
"Beria," Ralla said. "I'm teasing. Maya is one of the best companions I've ever met. Did you see the long coat she was wearing yesterday morning?"
I turned around and nodded.
"I gave that to her in thanks for everything she was doing for me. And I think you are just like your sister. That's about the highest compliment I can offer."
"We're not at all alike," I said. I grinned. "I enjoyed training yesterday."
"The exception to prove the rule," Ralla said, returning my smile. "Did you really want me to give you reasons to stay home?"
"Yes."
"You'd have to follow orders. It can be a hard life. You won't see your parents very often."
"We talked about those," Omie said.
"It sounds like you've hit the important ones, then," Ralla said.
I turned to Omie. "Maybe," I told her.
"Maybe?" she asked.
"Maybe I'll go with you," I said.
"Maybe?" she asked again.
I nodded. "We have to live in the same village as Maya. And I want to see my parents as often as we a
re able."
Omie began to smile, and then the smile grew.
"Promise," I told her.
She jumped to her feet and pulled me into a hug. "I promise," she said. "But we'll have to make Queen Malora promise, too."
"Will she?"
She raised her voice. "Ralla, do you think Queen Malora will agree?"
"Oh yes," Ralla replied. "She'll do anything for Maya."
I let Omie hug me for a while before I asked, "What are we doing today?"
She stepped away. "Normally, we train every day."
"If I'm leaving, then I have the rest of my life to train, but only a few days to do some things here."
"Oh," said Omie. "Of course. What did you want to do?"
"Could we go with Ralla and Jasmine this morning, and then this afternoon, could I take you sailing out in the cove?"
She smiled and turned to Ralla. Ralla said, "We'd love to have you. We're going to go down the coast for a couple of hours and turn around. We'll have a trail lunch on the way back. It won't be fancy."
"Can we stop by my house and tell my mother? Maya said she took care of everything, but I should check in."
"Yes," Ralla said. "Jasmine, do you need to check in with your family."
"No," she said.
* * * *
I rode in front of Omie, her arms around me. She leaned against my back part of the way, and she sighed a lot. She told me, "Thank you," three times before we pulled up in front of my house. She helped me slide from the horse, and I led everyone to the front door. I opened and stepped in. "Mama?"
"Beria!" I heard my mother's voice. "You didn't leave with them!" She appeared from the direction of the kitchen and pulled me into a hug. Then she pushed me away. "Where have you been?"
"Mama," I said, gesturing. "You remember Omie." I pulled her more completely into the house, then invited Ralla and Jasmine in. "This is Ralla, and you know Jasmine."
Mama looked at Omie, and her face fell.
"You decided," she said.
"Mama," I said, "I'm going to need your help."
She turned around, leading the way to the kitchen, and I gestured for everyone to follow. I think the Amazons were a little nervous about it, but they followed me. Upon arriving in the kitchen, Mama asked, "Can I get you something? Have you eaten?"
"May I make tea, Mama?" I asked. I turned to Omie. "Do you like tea?"
"I do," she said.
Everyone decided tea would be good. The stove was still hot, and there was even hot water. I brewed a pot of tea then replenished the water for Mama. I set everything on the table then added cups for everyone.
"Please," Mama said, remembering her manners. "Sit."
The five of us all sat down. Mama turned to Omie. "Will you take care of my daughter?"
"Of course, Mrs. Softpeace."
"My name is Renee," Mama said. "And you are Omie."
"Mama," I said, "when the other Amazons come back, I need your help."
"With what?"
"Convincing the queen how often Maya and I may come home to visit."
Then, right in front of me, she began crying, pulling me into her arms. "They took Maya, and now you're letting them take you, too. Both my girls."
"It's important, Mama," I said. "Omie needs me."
"I need you!" Mama said.
"No, Mama," I said. "You don't. Dannick is going to bring a girl home in another year or two, and you'll forget all about me."
"Don't say that!" she said, clutching me more tightly. "You're too young. I'm not ready to let you go. Maya should have been married by now, and I knew she could come home any day and tell me she met someone. But I'm supposed to have you for another five years!"
Then I could tell she was looking past me. "Why do you take them when they're so young?"
"To give them time to learn," Ralla said gently. "To make sure when they fight their first demon, they've had as much training as we can give them. Normally we wait until they're fourteen."
"Beria is only thirteen, and that woman last year tried to take her when she was twelve. Come back next year."
"I'll be fourteen this summer, Mama," I said. "And Omie needs me now, not next year."
"I misspoke," Ralla said. "We take them in the spring the year they will turn fourteen. If Beria were from one of the plains villages, and she were to join us, it would have been three weeks ago."
"You already took Maya," Mama said. "Take someone else's daughter. It's not right to take two daughters from one house."
"Mrs. Softpeace," Omie started to say.
"I told you to call me Renee!"
"Renee," Omie said again. "My sister and I are both Amazons. We have no other sisters, only an older brother. One of our cousins moved in with my parents to help my mama out, once I left, but in my village, it's a source of pride for two daughters to join the Amazons, and the entire village helps out when that happens."
"Mama," I said, "You know I love you and Father. But you raised me to live up to my responsibilities."
She pushed away from me, sniffling, and looked at me. "I'm proud of you, Beria," she said, "you and Maya both. But are you sure you're doing this for the right reasons?"
"What reasons do you think I'm doing it for?"
"To be like your sister and to get away from your teacher at school."
I looked down. "I admit I thought of both of those," I told her. But I reached backwards and clasped Omie's hand. "But Omie needs me. And I think I'd be a good Amazon. Maya will be there to look out for me, and I'll be there to look out for her, too."
Mama put her hand on my cheek and said, "I think you'd be a good Amazon, too." Then she looked past me. "But if you don't bring her home to visit, you'll hear about it from me!"
"I promise, Renee," Omie said. "I'll take good care of her. It's a long trip, but we'll come as often as we can."
"Renee," said Ralla quietly, "It's not unheard of for parents to visit us, if you and your husband can get away."
"My husband could come?" she asked. "I thought men weren't allowed."
"Men can't fight the demons, and we don't let them live in the forest, but from time to time, they come to visit. Other times, we meet somewhere in the middle, maybe one of the plains villages. And you can send letters. They can take time to arrive, but we get them eventually."
"Maya has been sending letters," Mama said. "And you, young lady, will do the same!"
"Yes, Mama," I agreed.
She rose from the table and turned away, drying her tears. She puttered around for a moment before turning back. "When do you leave?"
"When the rest of the Amazons get back," I said.
"Several more days," Ralla explained.
"Then I expect you here for dinners," Mama said. "Do I make myself clear?"
I turned to Omie, and she nodded. "Both of us, Mama?"
Mama stared at Omie for a moment. "Yes," she said. "Both of you." She turned to Ralla. "You two are also welcome."
"That's not necessary, Renee," Ralla said.
"I know it's not necessary," Mama said. "Please come this evening, unless you have another commitment."
"We'll be here, then," Ralla said. "Thank you. Can we bring anything?"
"We're going for a ride down the coast," I said. "But I'm taking Omie out on the cove this afternoon. We can try to catch some fish."
"Your father catches plenty of fish for us," Mama said. "Just bring your appetites. Where are you staying at night?"
"We have a camp set up in one of the fallow fields," I explained.
"We have room here, if you would prefer a roof over your heads."
"We're used to tents," Omie said. "But thank you."
"Then I expect you to take care of your pets before you go, Beria," Mama said. "You may let them go outside."
"Yes, Mama," I said.
"Make sure they don't get loose in the house," Mama said. "Do you need me to pack a lunch for you?"
"That's very generous, Renee," Ralla said. "But we have a goo
d trail lunch."
"I baked fresh bread this morning," Mama replied. "There's a spare loaf."
"You just invited guests for dinner," Ralla pointed out.
"And I can make more bread, Ralla," Mama said. "Beria, go take care of your spiders. They haven't been fed in two days."
"Spiders?" said Omie. "You have pet SPIDERS?"
I turned and grinned at her. "Chandor is allergic to dogs."
Omie immediately turned to Renee. "Your daughter has a mark on her ankle. What is it from?"
"Left or right ankle?" Mama asked. "And how is it you know about that? She's only thirteen."
"Right ankle," I provided. "And I told her."
"That was the man-o-war sting, wasn't it?" Mama asked.
I turned to Omie and crossed my arms in front of me.
"You should have heard her howl," Mama said, "but the scary one was the shark that bit Chandor."
"It wasn't my fault!" I said.
"It most certainly was your fault," Mama said. She turned to Omie. "She dangled him into the water, calling out, 'here, sharky, sharky'. It's all fun and games until someone gets bit by a shark."
"It wasn't a shark!" I said. "Why does everyone insist on calling it a shark? It was only a barracuda, and it barely nipped him. And he was giggling while I did it."
"He wasn't giggling after the fish bit him," Mama said.
Omie finally lost it, cracking up.
"It's not that funny," Mama said sternly.
"She tried to tell me it was Maya, dangling her in the water."
"Where do you think I learned it?" I asked hotly.
Omie shut up, turning to look at Mama.
Mama shrugged. "If Maya ever did that to Beria, she never got caught. But there's a much bigger age difference, and Maya babysat Beria from the day she was born. I wouldn't put it past her."
I turned to Omie. "See?"
"Oh, don't take that tone with me," she said. "You have pet spiders?"
"Only four," I said. "Come on, you can help me let them go."
"Oh, I don't think so," Omie said.
Mother began to smile. "The big strong Amazon is afraid of spiders?"
"I've had my share of spiders today," Omie said.
"Come on, Omie," I said. "I'll show you my room."
* * * *
She wouldn't even look at the spiders.
* * * *
Later, out in the cove, she didn't think it was at all funny when I dangled my feet in the water saying, "Here, sharky, sharky, sharky."