by Robin Roseau
We thanked them and accepted the offer. We'd done the same for them, and patrol for Queen's Town, Lake Juna and Black Oak had grown so much easier with Lake Juna's growth.
For the first time in years, I slept without a companion in my arms. I ignored the voices and slept well, although I rose early and took a guard shift, relieving Black Oak of the responsibility.
Narsana looked a little pale in the morning, but she assured me Tamma had kept the voice at bay. Both of our companions and the two from Black Oak were very attentive to our new warrior as we packed camp, at least one of them touching her at all times, and frequently two of them.
I was so proud of all of them.
With Tamma and Narsana riding double, we turned south.
"Home, or Queen's Town?" Badra asked me quietly.
"Queen's Town," I said. It would only take another hour, and I wanted to get Narsana settled as quickly as I could. We weren't expected home until tomorrow, and so no one would be worried. Over the years, we had developed new trails through the forest, and there was a trail from Lake Juna out to the eastern plains near what we considered the border with Queen's Town, then from the same point we could travel southwest to Queen's Town. That was the trail we took.
We weren't expected, of course, arriving during afternoon training. The trail entered Queen's Town via the training grounds, and so we made a proper entrance. As we approached, I kicked my horse into a canter, then came to a stop and climbed down. My sister was there moments later, pulling me into a hug.
I leaned into her, moving my hands to her neck. She pressed her forehead against my cheek, and she stilled my voices for me.
"Thank you," I said to her.
"Why isn't Narsana taking care of you?" she asked.
"Narsana is going to need you now."
"Oh," she said. "She was ready. Is she in immediate need."
"Tamma and Yalta have taken care of her, but you're better than they are. Although Tamma is good."
"She's been one of my favorite recruits," Maya said.
Then she pulled away, and I turned to Malora. "Queen Malora," I said. "I apologize for our unscheduled appearance."
She stepped forward and gave me a huge hug. "Don't be silly," she said. "It's good to see you. Do you bring me troubles?"
"A small decision to make is all."
When I turned to find Narsana, she was holding her mother. Malora followed my gaze.
"Ah," she said. "She wishes to move here."
"She is welcome in Lake Juna, but if you can make room, she would like to be near her mother."
"Karena asked to retire," Malora said. "Ping and Serra have invited her to their home, and I detect matchmaking in progress as well. We have room for your former companion."
Maya slipped between us, nudging us each aside, her fingers finding bare skin.
"Will you stay for a day or two?" she asked.
"I'd like that," I said. "I'd like to spend some time with Nori and Malora."
Malora grinned over at me. "Then you better go take care of your horse. No time like the present.
* * * *
I spent two years without a companion. Twice Maya invited me to the spring recruiting drive, but I declined. "I'm not ready." The companions at Lake Juna saw to my most immediate needs, and I visited my sister once or twice every week.
Nori and Malora both stopped taking bouts with me. They would work with me, but Nori told me not to ask either of them for a bout. At first, I didn't understand why.
But then, one night in the dead of night, I sat bolt upright. I thought about it, and then I slipped from my bed, dressing quickly. It was a cold, winter day, but I had somewhere to be.
I slipped from the bed. No one was awake, and so I slipped over to Ree's hut, slipping inside. "Ree."
"Chief Beria?"
I slipped to the side of her bed. "I'm going to Queen's Town," I told her. "I'll be back in a day or two."
"Is something wrong?"
"I need to speak with Nori. I hope she's there."
Ree smiled in the dark. "She doesn't like leaving her companion and doesn't patrol much anymore. Unless they all went on vacation, she'll be there."
"They better not have gone on vacation without me," I replied.
"Do you need us to do anything special while you're gone?"
"Just what we always do," I said. "Protect Morehama."
She nodded.
"Chief Beria," said Pallie. "Do you need me to quiet your voices before you go?"
"I'm fine," I said, "but thank you. I'm sorry for waking you, but I didn't want to leave like a thief in the night."
"Send word if you'll be more than two days," Ree said. "So we don't worry."
"Of course."
Ten minutes later I was on my horse, pointing her south. She was a little sleepy at first, but she woke up and grew frisky during the trip.
"You know this route well, don't you, old girl?" I said to her, patting her neck. "Got a boyfriend in Queen's Town?"
She snorted at the suggestion. Right. She was an Amazon's horse. She had a girlfriend, not a boyfriend.
I arrived unnoticed right at dawn. I let the horse loose in the paddock and strode, quietly, to the dining hall, making myself at home.
"Good morning, Beria," said Bea, three quarters asleep.
"Morning, Bea," I said. "Wrestle later?"
"I'd love to."
It was five minutes before she stood up at her place. "Chief Beria, what are you doing here?"
I giggled at her. It felt nice to be home.
Nori and Rora appeared a few minutes later. "Morning, Bea, Halla, Beria," she said. Rora gave me a double look, but Nori didn't register anything strange at first, either. The two of them sat down opposite me, then Rora got back up to retrieve breakfast for Nori.
It took Nori a minute, then she grinned at me. "Making yourself at home?"
I nodded. "I need to speak with you, very, very privately."
"A long conversation?"
"I don't know."
"Let's go start it, and we can always finish later. Once Maya sees you, we won't be able to talk for hours." We both got up, and she said, "Rora, Beria and I are going to go talk for a few minutes. Come find us if we're not back in ten minutes."
"Yes, Nori," Rora said.
Nori led the way to her hut. Once we were there, I paced back and forth several times before coming to a stop.
"Nori, is the reason you and Malora wouldn't fight me anymore because you don't want anyone to know I can beat both of you?"
"Yes."
I stared at her in horror. "I wouldn't. Nori, I would never challenge her! She is queen until she decides to retire."
"I know," she said. "We don't want any ideas getting into anyone else's head. Right now, we have a certain reputation, and we don't want it sullied."
"She's queen until she decides to retire," I said firmly. "And I will kill anyone who tries to challenge her!"
"Then the three of us are in agreement," Nori said. She smiled.
"All right then," I said. "I needed to know."
"Maya said you'd figure it out."
"Took me long enough."
Nori smiled.
"Nori, I want to move back here."
"Why?"
"To help protect her."
She smiled again. "Why do you think you're so close? And Beria, she's not decrepit. Neither am I."
I smiled and hugged her quickly.
"Beria, you're good. You're really good. But you're not quite as good as Malora was at her peak."
"Or as you at yours?" I asked.
"I don't know," she said. "Don't grow complacent."
I nodded.
"Anything else?"
"No," I said. "That's all I had."
"Sticking around?"
"A day or two," I said, "if I'm welcome."
Nori grinned. "Good. It will be nice to have you on the training grounds." She threw an arm around my shoulder, and together we exited her hut
at the same time Maya and Malora stepped out of theirs. Maya nodded to us.
"Good morning, Nori, Beria," she said. She grabbed her warrior's hand and turned towards the dining hall, then stopped dead in her tracks. A second later she was running to me. I'd seen her just a week previously, but we were always overjoyed to see each other.
"When did you get here?"
"A half hour ago. I needed to talk to Nori."
"Come on," she said, "I'll still the voices." She turned us towards the dining hall.
"Chief Beria," Malora said from behind me.
Maya and I turned together.
"Were you going to say hello?"
I grinned. "Good morning, Queen Malora. It's good to see you."
She stepped forward for a hug of her own then released me. "I'm glad you're here. I want to talk to you later. How long are you staying?"
"For a day or two," I said. "I'll leave tomorrow afternoon or early in the morning on the following day."
"Excellent," Malora replied. "We can talk after morning training, if you are available."
"Of course, Queen Malora."
Then as a group, we turned to the dining hall.
* * * *
We met in Malora's hut. I sat next to Maya and wondered when the grey had begun to appear in her hair. It was just a few strands, but I didn't like seeing it. Mama had been completely grey the last time we'd visited, and I hadn't liked that, either.
"Well," said Malora. "I have a job for you."
"You only need ask, Queen Malora," I replied.
She smiled. "I am so pleased to hear you say that. Ralla has asked to retire. I need a replacement."
"And you want me to help you find one?"
"Don't be coy," she said. "I am looking at her replacement. You know you're going to do what I ask, so let's skip over that part and discuss the transition."
"I have recommendations for my replacement at Lake Juna," I said immediately.
"I am not interested in replacing you at Lake Juna, although you will need to begin grooming a second in command, if you haven't already."
"Ree then," I said.
"Why Ree?"
"She is oldest with the most experience."
"She is oldest, I grant you that, but her experience is insular and she is not a forward thinker."
"Badra."
"Solid and a good fit, but she is just like Balorie: always on patrol. And that is where she should be. She is an excellent patrol leader and a perfect woman to have your back."
I ran through the list.
"Does the second in command need to be one person?"
Malora smiled. "There cannot be conflict."
"I've never seen Glorana and Frida disagree, or if they do, they settle it privately. They're in agreement with my goals. I don't know if they would set overall policy, but they would certainly apply policy consistent with my goals."
"You should begin to culture your contacts and your village members," Malora said. "Think beyond this year. Decide who could fill in for you if I need to pull you away for an extended period."
I nodded. "I understand."
"Ralla is gone today. She is expected back tomorrow, but it may not be until late. I wish you to remain here and visit with her when she gets back. And in three weeks, Maya and I will take our winter tour. You and Ralla will join us. We will introduce you as Ralla's replacement and complete the transition during the trip. We aim for two weeks for these trips, but winter travel is slower, so you should plan for three. Will you be able to be gone from Lake Juna for that amount of time?"
"Yes," I said. "The village runs itself."
"Good," Malora said. "You and I will need to talk further, after you have spent some time with Ralla."
I nodded.
"There is something else we must discuss," Maya said.
"Summer trip to Gallen's Cove?" I asked.
"Two more things," Maya said with a grin. She turned to Malora with a pleading look. Malora laughed. "Yes, yes," she said. "We can go."
Then Maya turned to me. "I would like to know why you have turned down a new companion."
My smile evaporated.
"Come on, honey," she said. "Talk to me."
"I want what you and Malora have," I said. "I want someone to love. All these years, and I still miss Omie, Maya."
Maya smiled and caressed my cheek. "I understand completely."
"She's going to want to see you," Malora said. "She's on patrol, but they'll be back tomorrow."
"That's what Vorine said," I replied.
"Beria," Malora said, "You have touched a lot of lives here. You have a lot of friends amongst the Amazons."
"I know. And they are very, very close friends."
"I have one more thing for you," Maya said. "I have some mail for you to bring back to Lake Juna."
"Mail?"
"A letter to Tamma from her sister." She paused. "It's not good news. She wrote me as well. Their mother died a few weeks ago. It was sudden, or Lia would have sent for her sister."
"Didn't their father die two years ago?" I asked.
"Yes," Maya said.
"Tamma is going to be devastated," I said.
"She'll need friends around," Maya replied.
"She'll have them," I said. "We Amazons take care of our sisters."
* * * *
Ralla and Jasmine arrived back in Queen's Town late the following evening. Still, we found time to talk for an hour and a half.
Her job on the surface seemed straightforward. She coordinated patrols between the villages. As each village operated independently, the most important part of the job was making sure that patrol coverage was overlapping and the villages talked to the other villages on either side. When we had first formed, I had directly worked with Balorie in Queen's Town and Jala in Black Oak, but had transitioned that duty to Badra instead.
I would not be responsible for working out the details of the arrangements villages made, but simply make sure they were making them.
But I also had a second job. I was Queen Malora's eyes and ears, paying attention to the attitudes and events at the other villages, and occasionally helping to spread the word about new policies. I could frequently also be asked to directly carry messages. Nori, as training leader for all the companions, also did this, but Nori traveled far less than Ralla did.
"I'm gone about a third of the time," Ralla said, "and I also run a patrol now and again, although far less often now than I once did."
"Do you know why Malora wants me to do this instead of someone closer to home, perhaps someone who isn't running a village?"
"She wants someone young enough to travel with a good head on her shoulders," Ralla said.
"Bea-"
"Is too trusting. Beria, you weren't her first choice. You were her only choice. We didn't even discuss anyone else. Narsana is the next possible candidate, and I do not want to wait another ten years."
"Where will you go? What will you do?"
She smiled. "I've asked Jasmine if she wants to go home."
"To Gallen's Cove? I thought she couldn't wait to get out of there."
"She was fleeing a bad situation. That situation no longer exists. She misses the sea. But we may pick another location on the coast, close enough for Malora and Maya to stop by when they come to visit your parents, but perhaps not right in Gallen's Cove."
"How will you live?"
"Retired Amazons receive an annual stipend, and it is Morehama law that we may receive a parcel of land when we retire. We receive a home in town or a moderate farm in the country. What we do with it is then up to us. Serra and Ping accepted their orange grove, and then Karena retired there as well, so they grew the plantation." She smiled. "Jasmine and I visited last year. They are now living far more comfortably than anyone here. I was quite tempted, but Jasmine misses the sea. Perhaps we will open an inn."
"Who pays the stipend?"
"It comes from the tithe," she explained. "It is not a lot, but it is enough
to keep us fed and clothed. Amazon needs are not extensive."
"I'm going to miss you," I told her, tearing up a little. "It seems like you were always here, and soon you'll be gone."
"I know," she said. "I'm going to miss all of you, too. But you'll come visit, and if we get too bored, we might stop by from time to time."
I didn't think that would happen, but it was nice to consider.
"But I'm not leaving yet," she added. "I'll pop up to Lake Juna next week for a day or two, and then we'll have the tour. We can stick around for another few weeks if you think you'll need me, but you'll be fine."
I got my wrestling match with Bea, and two with Omie. Even Maya asked for a match.
I left early the next morning. Maya woke with me, and she pulled me to the deserted dining hall before she would let me leave.
"I love you, Sister," she said. "I miss you around here."
"I come to visit all the time," I said. "I bet we see each other more than if we were married back in Gallen's Cove."
"And we definitely see each other more than we would have if you hadn't become an Amazon," she said. "I am so proud of you, honey, I could just burst."
"The Softpeace sisters did all right, one practically the queen of the Amazons, and the other a village chief."
She laughed. "Malora's the queen."
"When's the last time she did a thing without your approval?"
"She simply respects my wisdom," Maya said.
"She respects the sharp edge of your tongue," I suggested. "Has this been better than being a teacher?"
"You know, for a long time, it wasn't. But yes. I'm glad I wouldn't let Nori take you."
We laughed together. "Yeah," I added, "if anyone was taking me from home, it was you."
"That's right. And now look at you." She paused. "Do you wish you'd stayed home and had a houseful of babies?"
"Sometimes I think about it," I admitted. "But then I think about what a pain in the ass I was." I shrugged. "This is the life I picked, and this is the life that picked you. Every choice means you not only have picked something you will do, but you have also picked many things you won't do."
"Any regrets?"
"Not finding a way to stay with Omie. I envy what you have with Malora. But we knew when we started that it wouldn't last forever."