by Robin Roseau
"She and Nori?" I asked, astounded.
"You didn't know? Malora was Nori's warrior, I guess. I wasn't here yet."
"Do all warriors and companions..." I trailed off.
"No," she said. "And you are only thirteen, so don't even think about it."
I looked back. Malora had disappeared, but Maya was busying herself with her horse. And she was smiling.
"I'll be fourteen this summer," I told Omie with a grin.
"We are not having that discussion, Beria," Omie said. "You are too young, and you will be too young at fourteen, too. If you want a discussion about the birds and the bees, you can have it with your big sister. Consider it an opportunity to make her blush."
I smiled at that idea.
"It's time to go."
I rode in front of Omie and Careen in front of Vorine. I was surprised to see Jasmine on her own horse. I leaned against Omie and quietly spoke in her ear, asking about it.
"Because Ralla can't keep her hands off Jasmine if they ride together," Omie said.
"You can't keep yours off me, either," I said. She was constantly touching whatever bare skin I had available to her.
"Please tell me you know the difference, Beria."
I laughed. I hadn't experienced the difference, but I knew what she was talking about.
We had a nice afternoon. I learned how to set rabbit snares, and then we arrived at the furthest point in our trip. We checked the snares there, moving a couple, and then Vorine and Omie pulled all of us into a circle.
"There are two rules this afternoon," Vorine said.
"You must wrestle with anyone who asks you to wrestle," Omie said.
"And you must have fun," Vorine added.
"You may, of course, also ask anyone to wrestle," Omie explained. "And you all have done this enough you can call your own pins. Submission holds are allowed, but apply them carefully, especially with the newer companions, and give them a chance to tap out."
"Omie, and I will also do some informal training for anyone who wants it," Vorine said. "Maya, that means you."
Everyone looked at Maya and chuckled.
"Don't push it," Maya said, but she was smiling. "Bea, will you wrestle with me?"
We had fun. I wrestled with nearly everyone and twice with my sister, three times with my warrior. I lost those bouts, but I won against Careen and had fun with Bea. Afterwards, we lay in heaps in the grass, most of us exhausted. My head was in Omie's lap.
"All right," said Vorine, "We're going to go around and each say something about this afternoon. I'll go first. When Queen Malora offered Omie and me this job, of training all of you, I was very afraid we weren't ready. I still feel overwhelmed teaching you."
"You're doing a great job," Maya said. "Both of you."
"I agree," said Ralla. "I knew both of you could teach wrestling, but I thought the other skills would be beyond such new warriors. I was terribly wrong."
"I knew they could do it," Bea said immediately. "It's nice to be right all the time."
That earned her some laughter, then we all turned back to Vorine. She was blushing, and when I looked up at Omie, so was she.
"Well," Vorine managed to say. "I was going to thank all of you for being such patient students. Instead, I guess I should thank you for your faith as well." She turned to Omie.
"Vorine spoke for both of us, so I am going to speak only for me. I want to thank Ralla for helping us. I want to thank my own companion for embracing our lifestyle so readily."
"Unlike her older sister," Maya said.
There were chuckles. "Yes," Omie agreed. "Hush now, you'll get your turn. I want to thank Bea for giggling so loudly during wrestling."
"She's definitely the most fun to wrestle," I said. "After my own warrior, of course."
"Ralla?" Omie said.
"I am pleased to see the new companions joining in so wholeheartedly," Ralla said. "I am also pleased to see Omie and Vorine." Then she hugged Jasmine. "And I want to thank my companion for everything she does for me."
That left us quiet for a moment. Then Ralla turned to Maya.
"My turn," she said. "I'm sorry about the fight I had with Nori and Malora." She paused for a moment then turned to Bea and pulled her into a hug. I didn't hear what she said, but when they separated, she said, "I suppose Bea is next."
"I had fun," Bea said. "I think everyone knows that."
As the youngest, they picked me to speak last. "I don't know what to say," I said. "Instead, I have a question. We're not just companions. We're not just Amazons. But we're friends, too, aren't we?"
"Yes," Omie said. "We're friends."
"Good," I said.
* * * *
As an Amazon companion, nearly everything I did centered on my warrior. We shared a bed and we shared our meals. She was my martial arts trainer. I braided her hair, and she braided mine. When we rode somewhere, I rode on her horse, sometimes in front of her with her arms around me, sometimes behind, my arms wrapped around her waist. I had my own horse, which Omie taught me to ride, but she preferred I ride with her when it was possible.
There were days we were never apart, and except when I had other duties for the entire village, it was rare we were apart for long at all. I saw far, far more of Omie than I did of Maya.
I didn't have the type of relationship Maya had with Malora. I understood that even at the beginning of their relationship, Malora treated Maya as a lover, even though they weren't lovers. Omie didn't treat me that way at all, even though she touched me constantly. But the touches were innocent, and even at thirteen I understood the difference.
It was a shock when Omie returned to patrolling. At some level, I knew it would happen, but when it finally did, it left me dismayed. I'd been an Amazon for several months, and I saw the other warriors leaving on patrol, some of them taking their companions, some of the companions remaining home. But I never made the conscious thought that Omie would go on patrol. It was late evening as we were climbing into bed that I understood.
"Will you take me for a ride tomorrow afternoon?"
"Beria, don't you check the duty roster?"
"I have duty?"
"No. I do. I leave on patrol in the morning. I'm sorry, I should have told you."
"What?" I asked. "Am I going?"
"No. You're not ready yet. We start taking companions with us, just to get your feet wet, so to speak, later this summer, but you won't go with us every time I go until you're at least sixteen."
My heart began to pound. I realized she would be in danger. "Will you be okay?"
"Of course."
"You need me!" I said. "What will you do about the voice?"
"Clara and Bea are going," Omie explained. "Bea will take the edge off for me. I'll need you badly when I get back. You will see that you have no duties the day I return. We'll arrive about when morning training is done, so watch for us."
The next morning, we woke early. I checked all her gear for her, realizing I should have been aware she was leaving so I would have done it yesterday. Everything was in good repair.
I cried as she rode out of the village, but I didn't let anyone see. I wasn't sure why I was crying. But then I cleaned up, and it was time for morning training. It felt entirely wrong not having Omie there. Ralla and Jasmine weren't there, either, but Malora helped Vorine until Omie returned.
Before lunch, I examined the duty roster. The patrol duty roster extended for two months, and I saw Omie's name appearing periodically, far more often than I liked. But then I realized that patrol duty lasted three days, and there were always four warriors on patrol, and so a warrior could expect to be gone a third of the time.
Then I checked my own duty roster. Sure enough, as Omie had said, I was assigned no duties the day Omie returned from patrol. The two-week roster didn't extend far enough to see if that was always the case, and when I checked, the same wasn't true for all the other companions whose warriors went on patrol without them. I went in search of my sister, findi
ng her with her warrior. They turned to me.
"Queen Malora, may I speak with Maya for a few minutes?"
"Of course," she said. Maya caressed Malora's face briefly, then grabbed my arm and pulled me to another table. We sat down facing each other, and she said, "What's up?"
"I have no chores the day Omie gets back from patrol."
"That's right," she said.
"The other companions do."
"Yes, probably."
"Was it an accident?"
"No, it was quite intentional. Omie has a little more need than the other warriors whose companions don't patrol with them. She only has one voice, and it hit her harder than it usually does. If you weren't here, then I would have made sure I was free to help her, or I would make Balorie schedule Omie only during trips when Malora was bringing me, too."
"Making the roster isn't just a matter of writing names in however you want?"
Maya laughed. "No. Some weeks it's easy, but most weeks it takes a couple of hours. And if you watch, you'll find that some weeks, one companion or another gets more duty than is fair, because I just can't make everything work out. And when I'm going to be gone, it's even worse, because I have to do it even further ahead, and we're going to be short handed as is. It was hard when Omie and Vorine both became warriors, because suddenly we were down two companions. We gained them back plus one, but beginning probably next year, Jasmine is going to be gone with Ralla most of the time, so she's barely ever going to show up on the duty roster. I hope we have more companions by then."
"Will you always give me no duty days when Omie comes home?"
"I'll try. I won't always succeed. And if I do, chances are, you'll have extra duties the day before and after. I didn't do it this time, but beginning the next time she's gone, I'll probably give you extra duties while she's gone, because you'll have time, and because I know what kind of trouble you can get into without enough to do." She grinned at me to let me know she was teasing.
I nodded. "I didn't realize so much went into it. If there's anything I can do to help..."
"Thanks," she said. "It's one of my responsibilities. But you can bet I'll remember your offer. When you get lunch and dinner duty both on the same day sometime, you'll know not to complain."
"Oh, I'll complain all right," I told her.
I made it through the rest of the day without any problems, but that night, the bed seemed awfully empty without Omie sharing it with me, and I was cold besides. I got up in the middle of the night and found another blanket, but I shivered most of the night. In the morning, I was crabby, and my hair was a mess.
I didn't know how to braid it for myself. Careen saw me fighting with it and helped me. But I realized how much I was already taking Omie for granted.
The day she was due to return, I spent the entire time in training distracted, watching for them to return. I collected more than the usual assortment of bruises, and Vorine berated me for my lack of attention. But when she caught me continually looking over my shoulder, watching for Omie, she pulled me to the side.
"Beria, they don't get back this soon. The two patrols meet on the eastern plain at the edge of the forest, and it takes about two hours to travel. Now, you need to pay attention. I know it's hard, but if you think it's hard now, you should imagine what a real fight can be like. Do you understand?"
"I'm sorry," I said.
After that, I did better, but I still earned a few more bruises, and they were entirely my own fault.
As the morning wore on, I grew increasingly nervous. Why weren't they back yet? Did something happen? What if Omie got hurt? Why weren't they back yet?
We finished training, and then we ran, and for the first time in weeks, Malora had to use her whip to get me to run faster, one in a warning over my head, and then once against my bottom when the warning wasn't enough. After that, I ran for all I was worth, and the other companions struggled to keep up with me. I imagined Omie was in trouble, and if I ran fast enough, I could save her.
We finished running, and they still weren't back. I cleaned myself up and then I found myself hovering around the eastern trail from the village, watching for approaching riders. I was pacing back and forth and wondering if I'd get in trouble if I got on my own horse to go looking for them when Maya found me.
"Hey," she said.
I turned to her. "Where are they?" I demanded.
"Sometimes they run a little late," Maya said. "Sometimes the returning patrol doesn't get here until the middle of afternoon training, and once in a while, it's not until dinner."
"Something is wrong," I said. "I know it is."
"Oh honey," Maya said. "That is very unlikely. This is about the earliest a patrol can arrive."
"Maybe we should go look for them."
"Do you know how much trouble you would be in if you did that?"
"You could take me."
"Do you know how much trouble I'd be in?"
"But-"
"Honey, there are eight warriors and three companions out there. Didn't you notice how light we were at training? If there's any trouble, they have more than enough to handle it. But everything is fine. Come on. I have pool duty. I was going to do it this afternoon, but you can help me."
"No!" I said. "I need to take care of Omie's horse when she gets here."
"All right," she said. "I need to take inventory at the stable. Will you help me? It will go faster with help, and we'll be waiting for them when they get home."
I eyed her. "Are you making work?"
"No. It's not due for another two days, but I can take it two days early. I take formal inventory every month and spot check weekly." She held out her hand, and I set mine in it. Then she pulled me to the stable.
We were there an hour later, sharpening hoof knives together, when I heard horses outside.
"They're back!" I said, shoving my knife and sharpening stone into Maya's hands. I was out the door a moment later in time to see Omie stepping down from her horse. I threw myself on her. "You're okay," I whispered, squeezing her tightly.
"Of course I am," she said. "Did you doubt your warrior?"
"No," I said. "But I missed you."
"I missed you, too," she said. "The voice is really bad, Beria."
I grabbed her hands and shoved them up to my neck, and I wrapped my arms around her neck, pulling her face against mine.
And then Maya was there. "Beria," she said quietly, "Will you allow me to help?"
"I don't understand."
"She is your warrior," Maya said. "But the warriors tell me I am extra soothing. Will you allow me to help soothe your warrior?"
"Of course," I said.
And so we engaged in a three-way hug. Maya leaned against Omie, taking one of Omie's hands from my neck and moving it to her own. Omie sighed.
"Please," Omie said, "just a few minutes."
We stood there, not talking, and it was longer than a few minutes. I didn't notice anything going on around us. But then Omie sighed again and said, "Thank you, Maya."
"You're welcome, Omie," Maya said. She gave my warrior a kiss on the cheek then pulled away. I tried to pull away, but Omie clutched at me, and I knew she needed more.
"I'm sorry," she said. "More. Please."
"Of course," I said.
"Bea took care of your horse," Maya said. "I'll put your things in your hut. You'll want to come to lunch. Beria, you let Omie hold you. I'll grab plates for you."
By the time lunch was over, Omie seemed better, but for the rest of that day, she was especially attentive to me, touching me as much as she could. In bed, she whispered into my ear, "Thank you, Beria. I don't know what I'd do without you."
No one had ever needed me the way Omie did.
It was nice to be needed.
Settled
The weeks turned into months. My birthday arrived. Maya caught me in the morning before training, pulled me into a hug, and whispered, "Happy birthday, Beria. Do you like your birthday present?"
"N
o one has given me any birthday presents," I complained. "This sucks."
She laughed into my ear. "Perhaps you didn't notice that you have nothing on the duty roster today."
"That's my birthday present? No duties."
"Yep!"
I laughed, but I thought it was kind of a crappy present. I was going to remember it when her birthday rolled around.
Absolutely no one else said a thing about my birthday all day. I was disappointed, but I didn't say anything. Maybe Amazons don't celebrate birthdays. As I thought about it, I realized we hadn't celebrated anyone else's since I had arrived, and by the law of averages, there must have been someone's birthday since I had arrived. Lunch came and went, and no one said anything. The same thing happened over dinner: absolutely nothing.
But over dinner, Queen Malora announced we would have a bonfire after dinner. Then she looked around until her eyes settled on me. "Beria, you may build the fire after dinner. I believe you know how by now."
"Yes, Queen Malora," I said. It was the first time she had given me an order, and it was to build a bonfire.
I muttered to myself about crappy birthdays the entire time I was assembling the fire.
"Great," I muttered. "Splinters."
I finished building the fire then sat down in the grass and worked to get the splinter out. A few minutes later, the other Amazons arrived, the mood light. They were carrying the benches from the dining area and set them up in our customary place near the fire. Bea and Maya were carrying a bench together. They nudged me out of the way and set the bench down, then bent over and picked me up by the elbows, setting me down on the bench. Then they wandered off without even talking to me.
Omie sat down next to me. "Splinter?"
"I got it," I said. "I think."
"Let me see," she ordered, so I held out my hand. "No, it's still in there." She looked around. "Splinter patrol!"
"Oooh," said Nori. "Surgery! I've always wanted to perform surgery."
"Keep her away from me, Omie!"
There were chuckles. Nori sent Neela for a first aid kit, and a few minutes later, Omie managed to extract my splinter for me.
"Thanks," I said.