by Robin Roseau
"I don't think my sister is interested in hearing either of those, Clara," I said. "I think she's been looking for an excuse to grow the village. Malora is getting older, and Maya doesn't want her going on patrol as often."
"And Malora doesn't want Maya on patrol at all," Clara said. "Why two huts?"
"One is for me," I said quietly. "I bet she builds it in that place immediately next to hers."
"Of course," said Clara. "I don't want to go tomorrow, Beria. I don't want to think about another companion right now."
"Maya is on a mission, Clara," I said. "She's not going to take 'no' for an answer. She's going to mother hen you."
"And peck me to death if I don't submit to her," she said, offering a smile. She took a breath, then said, "I don't know where Bea keeps anything. I haven't had to worry about it for ten years. Ten years we were together. I almost thought it would last forever."
"I'm sorry, Clara." I caressed her cheek once then began digging through the chests.
"That must be Bea's," Clara said. "Oh my god, is that pink lip paint?"
I looked over at Clara in confusion. "Why would she have this?"
"Long story. Ask your sister sometime. It went with pink hair."
"I remember the pink hair," I said. "I've never disobeyed Queen Malora since."
Clara laughed. "I suppose you wouldn't. You looked quite cute, you know."
"I'm sure," I said. I pulled out things for Bea, making one pile on the bed, then made a second pile for Clara.
"Aura must have your packs," I said. "I'll go get them." I got a half step out of the hut but saw that Aura had left them by the door, leaving Clara some privacy with me while we talked. I brought them in, emptied them out, and repacked them.
"You must think me positively helpless," Clara said. "Bea's done all of this for me for every trip the last eight years. I don't even remember how anymore."
"I'm not sure Omie remembers how, either," I said. "I'll take care of your hut while you're gone, and it will be ready for you and your new companion when you arrive."
"I don't want a new companion," Clara said. "I want Bea." She began crying again, and I sat down on the bed with her and held her.
"I know," I said. I spoke soothingly to her and wondered who would hold Omie when the time came.
* * * *
They left early the following morning. Maya pulled me to the side and basically said, "You're in charge." I didn't believe that for an instant, but they were barely gone before the companions clustered around me.
"Beria, what do we do?"
"Our jobs," I replied. "We start with feeding our warriors."
And so we did.
Balorie had a new patrol duty roster based on nine warriors for the next three weeks, adding Nori and Malora after that. She caught me looking at it.
"Maya told you to borrow warriors."
"The nearest villages are still light," she said. "I'd have to send Ralla halfway to Northglen to pick up two new warriors. Other villages have run for years on nine warriors; we can run light for a few weeks." She chuckled. "And Maya isn't queen here. Malora told me to use my judgment, and she said it in front of Maya."
I joined her chuckle.
Looking at the duty roster, I could see I would need changes immediately. I would see to them after morning training.
I was nearly late for training. Omie may have waited for me. "Whose turn is it to lead stretching?" she asked.
"Neela's," I said. I actually had no idea whose turn it was, so we would start over. Neela this morning, Gweneth this afternoon, and I would figure out the rest from there. With four of our members gone west and six more on patrol, it felt like a morning where patrols overlapped, but everyone was quiet. It felt like someone had died.
So I let them finish stretching, but then I stood up. "Before we run, I want to say something." I didn't wait for permission. "This morning, our queen and her companion went on a quest. But they did not venture into danger. They are traveling to the home of friends, and when they return, the Amazons will have grown. This week, we gained a warrior, and next week we will gain two new companions. Does anyone here doubt my sister's promise?"
A few people smiled at that.
I looked around. "Maya thinks we're going to fall apart without her here to watch over us. We're not going to let that happen, are we? We're short handed for a couple of weeks, but we'll make do. We'll have good, hot food and warm beds. Our weapons will be sharp, our huts neat and clean, our laundry freshly washed. Now, I want a foot race. Let's go."
As speeches go, it wasn't much, but my heart was in it, and they responded. I didn't win the foot race, but everyone put her heart into it, and when Omie let us all come to a stop, we grinned at each other.
* * * *
I wasn't involved in the preparations, but I know Ralla sent Jasmine with messages to the other villages. Ten days after Maya left Queen's Town, warriors arrived, coming one or two at a time. All told, we received eight warriors as well as four companions. Amongst them were Ree and Benala, Vorine's and Omie's old warriors.
The only reason Omie and I were home and not on patrol was because Balorie and Ping were both taking double duty, taking a little pressure off the rest of us. Omie and I would be going back out in another two days.
The meeting between Omie and Benala was a little tense at first. Benala arrived during afternoon training, finding us on the practice field. She watched the training for a moment before she said, "Omie!"
Omie looked in Benala's direction. We all did. It was good to see our old friends, but we stood back as Omie slowly walked to her old warrior. She stopped a half pace apart, looking up into Benala's face.
"Where had those grey hairs come from?" I wondered.
"Might I have a hug?" Benala asked her.
Omie nodded, and then the two of them hugged briefly. After that, everyone began talking at once.
Friends had come home, if only for a few hours.
And then that afternoon, Ralla herself led all of them west.
* * * *
Omie and I went with them but then rode hard for Howard's Den, arriving well after dark, our horses worn and ready for a night or two of rest. We climbed from our horses, and Omie took them from me. I went to the nearest door and knocked loudly.
The woman who came to the door couldn't have been more surprised.
"Lost, are you, Amazon?"
"My apologies for the late interruption," I said. "My warrior and I must speak with Chester, but I do not know how to find him."
The woman smiled. "My daughter will take you. And she will undoubtedly beg to leave with you when you depart."
I smiled. "How old is your daughter?"
"Eleven."
I laughed. "Perhaps she should grow a few more years."
The woman smiled. "I believe you are correct, warrior's companion." She turned her head. "Narsana, you are needed." The woman turned back to me. "I am Rora."
"Beria," I said. "I am the queen's companion's sister."
"Ah how are Malora and Maya?"
A girl of eleven appeared next to her mother.
"They are good. They have business west but should be home in another week. I will tell them you asked after them."
Rora put her hands on her daughter's shoulders. "Narsana, this is Beria. She needs you to take her to Chester's home. Bring her there and then wait to see if she has further need of you." Then she looked at me. "Do you have a place for the night?"
"We thought the stable."
"Nonsense. Chester's house is overfull, but we have room here. You will stay with us."
"Thank you, Rora, but we will accept only if we are not putting anyone out of a bed."
"Narsana can join her sister for a night or three," she said. "You don't mind offering your bed to the Amazon and her warrior, do you, Narsana?"
The girl's eyes had grown wide the moment she saw me, and she shook her head slowly, never taking her eyes off of me. I preened a little. I wasn't accusto
med to this type of attention.
"Go now," Rora said, giving her daughter a little push out the door. She stood watching us as we stepped away.
"We must go to the stable first," I said, "and collect my warrior."
So the girl took my hand and pulled me to towards the stable. I could have found it on my own, but she was cute.
"Are you a companion?" she asked.
"Yes, I am," I said. "I am Beria and my warrior is Omie."
"Is she a fierce warrior?" she asked.
"She is, although you couldn't tell from looking at her. She is only the slightest bit bigger than you are, although she is old enough I found a grey hair just last week. I haven't told her yet, but maybe tomorrow I'll show it to you."
I was sure Omie would love that.
"She must be really old," the girl said.
"If she knew about the grey hair, she would blame it on me, I'm sure," I replied. Then we reached the stable in time to see Omie releasing my horse into the paddock.
The girl stared at Omie for a moment before turning to me. "I'm going to be an Amazon, too! I could start now."
Omie heard the girl and turned to face us.
"Our guide," I explained. "Narsana, this is Omie, my warrior. Omie, this is Narsana. She is eleven and wishes to join the Amazons the year she turns fourteen."
The girl eyed me. "I want to join the Amazons now."
Omie strode forth. "A good Amazon follows orders, Narsana."
"Yes, Omie," she said. "Mama said to bring you to Chester's house." She took my hand in one of hers, Omie's in another and began tugging us forward.
It was so cute.
Howard's Den wasn't a big village. If one counted the surrounding farms, it included a significant geographic area, but there were only about as many residents as two Amazon villages. Chester, the village chief, lived in town. I'd been here once before, but I didn't know much more than that.
Narsana led us directly to the house, dropping Omie's hand to knock on the door. It opened a moment later, a man about my ages poking his nose around the door.
"Narsana?" he said. "And Amazons?"
"Are you Chester?" I asked.
Narsana giggled. "This is Larrick!"
"Chester is my father." He opened the door wider. "Please, come in. It must be important for you to come so late." Over his shoulder he said, "Father, we have visitors."
We slipped past him into a simple house, one large, open room covering a sitting area, dining, and kitchen, with a couple of doors to bedrooms and a loft area with, one presumed, more bedrooms.
Climbing to his feet was a man about the age of my parents, and with him a woman. They strode forward together, and we clasped hands, sharing introductions. "I am Chester," he said. "This is my wife, Blara. You seem to have met Larrick. Our other children now have homes of their own."
"We apologize for this unusual arrival," I said.
"Nonsense," he said. "Please, sit."
"Tea?" Blara asked.
"If it's no trouble," I said. "What we need tonight is simple."
"Well, sit," Blara said. "We'll brew some tea, and maybe we can have a little snack as well."
Maya had told me this was how the plains villages would treat us. It felt nice. Chester offered seats to Omie and I then looked questioningly at Narsana.
"She is our guide, and Rora has offered a place for us to sleep tonight," I explained. "We have nothing to explain she cannot hear, or we can send her home."
Narsana impressed me with her response. She turned to Chester with imploring eyes, but it was clear she would accept his command.
"Then she may stay, but I believe she will need to accept a seat on the floor."
"Thank you, Chester," she said, and she crossed the room to plop herself on the floor between my legs and Omie's. Omie gazed at her fondly. Chester took a place, and Larrick also took a seat on the floor.
"While Blara is busy," Omie suggested, "perhaps you can share any news you have. We hear so little of what happens west of our forest."
Chester told us the village news first, in broad terms, and then shared rumors from the rest of Morehama. Blara called for Larrick, and a minute or so later, the two rejoined us. Blara poured tea for all of us, even Narsana, and Larrick offered small biscuits.
"You can dip them," Narsana explained. "But I don't like crumbs in my tea, so I eat them like this." And she demonstrated, biting a piece of the biscuit then drinking a little tea.
She was adorable.
Chester finished with his news, and then he said, "But you came here for a reason. How can Howard's Den assist the Amazons?"
"With your expertise," I explained. I told him we needed to build two new huts and that Maya and Malora were collecting the materials for it. "But we are unsure we will build them properly. Is there someone here who can teach us what we need to know? They are simple, and perhaps we can copy the construction of the others, but perhaps it isn't as easy as it looks."
"Howard's Den has helped with this in the past," Chester said, "and we are honored to help again." He smiled. "But you do not need my assistance."
"They need Mama's!" Narsana said. "My Mama is the best carpenter in town."
"And so, Narsana," Chester said, "Run home and ask your mother if she would join us. Together we will see how much assistance Howard's Den shall send back with our Amazon friends."
Narsana didn't wait but simply announced, "I'll be right back." She ran from the house, barely closing the door behind her, all of us staring after her.
"She's a joy," Omie said.
"She is," Chester said. "And now we have a minute or three to discuss anything too sensitive for such young ears."
"Things are well for us," I said. "It is not easy what we do, but is life anywhere ever easy? You scrape out a living here on the plains. That is very hard work."
"But we are safe to do so because the Amazons keep us safe," he said. "It may appear you deal only with the demons, and perhaps from time to time a bandit group, but you also act as a steadying influence throughout the entire region. Everyone knows if they bring us trouble, they are at the doorstep of the Amazons. Only a fool would wish that upon himself. Perhaps the rest of Morehama has little understanding what you do for us, but the villages upon the plains couldn't survive without you, demons or no demons. We only wish there were more we could do in return."
"You do so much already," Omie said. "And it is appreciated. Howard's Den is an especially good friend to the Amazons."
There was a knock, and Larrick popped to his feet, giving entry to Rora and Narsana. Rora looked a little perplexed, but said, "Narsana told me you needed a carpenter."
"Perhaps you are too busy to help," Chester said, "but our Amazon friends bring us a puzzle and request our assistance." He summarized the situation. "And so, what do you think of this puzzle, Rora?"
She began peppering us with questions. We answered them as best we could, although there were many we couldn't answer.
"Can you teach us?" I finally asked.
She frowned. "May I speak plainly?"
"Of course."
"No."
Omie chuckled. "That is quite plain."
"If I knew exactly what materials your queen was to obtain, and exactly what tools you have, I could perhaps describe how to build these huts. But I fear there are too many decisions to be made, and I cannot make them from here, and I cannot teach you how to make them in a day or three. I will need to go with you. Am I welcome?"
"Of course," Omie said, "but-"
"But nothing," Chester said. "Rora, what responsibilities do you have here?"
The two of them talked back and forth, and I understood little of what they said. Finally Rora said, "I will travel to you in a week's time."
"We'll send an escort for you," Omie said immediately.
"The Amazons have far too many worries to send an extra escort," Chester declared.
"We cannot ask you to risk yourself crossing the plains unguarded," Omie said.
"It would be reprehensible of us," I added. Yes, my sister taught me that word, probably to describe some prank I had played.
Chester and Rora conferred again, and then she said, "Then if I am welcome, and my daughter as well, we would travel with you tomorrow when you return home."
"Your responsibilities here-"
"Will wait," Chester said.
"There won't be anything for you to do until Queen Malora and Maya return," I said, "and they may not bring the materials with them but instead may expect them to follow along after."
"Am I welcome? Is my daughter?"
"Of course," I said.
"Then we will come, if you do not mind traveling more slowly."
"We do not mind," Omie said.
"I have a narrow cart for my tools that can navigate your forests," she said. "And a horse to pull it, but no other horses."
"I will provide a horse," Chester said. "She is a gentle filly."
"We can prepare the place for the huts," Rora suggested. "And perhaps you will allow me to harvest a tree or two."
"Of course," said Omie.
"But Maya didn't tell us where to put the huts," I said. "And knowing my sister, she will want to be involved."
"Maya, the queen's companion, and not the queen herself?" Chester asked.
Omie smiled. "The queen is quite besotted." She grinned. "She leads the Amazons, but Maya leads the village." Then she turned to me. "And my companion wishes to follow in her big sister's footsteps."
"Oh," Chester said. "I did not realize you were Maya's sister. Then we are doubly pleased to have you. I remember her first visit here."
"She wore such shockingly pink hair," Blara said.
"I have had my hair pink for a time," I said. "And my warrior as well. We were quite the source of amusement."
"Your sister is quite a bit older than you are," Chester observed.
"Ten years," I said. "A fact which I used to hate, but once she turned thirty, she no longer cares to be reminded of the difference."
We had long finished our tea. Blara collected our things, and we all stood up. "Chester," I said, "thank you for your guidance."
"If you send Narsana as messenger, we will see you off in the morning," he said.
A moment later we were outside. Narsana turned to her mother. "I am going with?"