by Robin Roseau
"Make you spank me again, of course." And then I pulled away from her, but I waved my bottom at her, barely scampering away when she reached for me.
We were late for breakfast and on the verge of being late for training. "Go ahead, Malora, I'll bring some food." I knew it would make me technically late, but Nori wasn't going to punish me for it, not when I came bearing food for Malora. I hit the kitchen, assembling a basket of food, light things she could eat without giving her a heavy stomach. With a jug of water in my other hand, I was fully laden.
I was, indeed, late arriving to the training ground. They had already begun stretching. I sat down next to Malora and popped some food in her mouth then fought to catch up with the stretches.
I looked around; Beria was there, smiling at Omie. I worried about her back, but it had been over two weeks, and I wasn't going to get between her and Omie deciding what was best for her. She glanced over at me and smiled, but then offered a worried look. Everyone knew I was late.
We finished stretching, and Nori climbed to her feet. "Gaylie, set a fast pace for the run. Maya, set a pace for the companions."
I gave them only a second or so to climb to the feet, and then I was running. A moment later, Nori was beside me.
"Don't make a habit of it," she said.
"You will cut me every tiny bit of slack between now and the challenge," I replied. "Right now we both have one duty, and one duty only, and that is making sure she's ready. I'm seeing to her soul and her heart, and you will not interfere."
"Of course not. But the next day, I am working you until you drop."
"You get her ready, Nori. I want that fight to last three seconds with Parlomith's head separated from the rest of her."
"So bloodthirsty."
"She whipped my sister, she wants to kill my warrior, and she wants to destroy the Amazons. If I'd let Malora kill her three years ago, we wouldn't be facing any of this now. You go worry about Malora. Omie, Vorine and I will watch over the companions."
"Yes, Queen's Companion," she said, and her voice was filled with respect. She pulled away from me, cutting across the field to fall into step next to Malora. The two of them were beautiful to watch, and I knew they would lap us soon if I didn't step it up.
"All right, Companions!" I yelled. "Step it up or there will be a demon on your heels!"
We ran faster.
They lapped us anyway, but only once, and when Gaylie pulled the warriors to a slow, we caught up, slowing with them, and then all of us came to a stop, although many of us continued to walk around slowly, keeping heated muscles from clenching.
"The warriors are practicing with swords," Nori announced. "Bea, I want you with the companions today." Bea was good enough to practice with the warriors, but she wasn't good enough to help train Malora. I fully approved of Nori's decision. Bea nodded.
"Companions," said Vorine, "grab swords for your warriors and yourselves."
I led the way to the storage shed and asked Bea to help pass out the weapons. I grabbed two swords and a staff. Bea raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything. I ran back to Malora and gave her both swords. "Did you want a whip, too?"
She shook her head. "Too distracting."
I paused, then ran back to the storage shed and retrieved a whip and sword for Nori. When I handed them to her, I said, "Parlomith likes the whip, but I don't think she's as good as you are." Nori nodded understanding.
Then I ran to join the companions, carrying my practice staff. Omie raised an eyebrow.
"Omie, Vorine," I said, "I am hopeless with a sword, and I always well be. But I am at least adequate with a staff. I will practice with staff against sword, if you please. If you need me to also grab a sword to assist my sister Amazons, I can do that as well."
The two of them eyed me for a moment. I wasn't sure they understood.
"Try this for a few weeks," I said. "After that, you judge." In other words, until after the challenge.
And that they understood, both nodding.
We practiced for an hour. The companions were all unaccustomed to facing a staff while holding a sword, and no one knew what to do when facing me. Omie focused on the other companions, but Vorine stayed next to me, trying to envision exercises for sword against staff. For me, it was easy. I could defend against the swords in a fashion very similar to defending against another staff, although I had to be careful to avoid letting my knuckles get slashed. Swords were sometimes faster to use than a staff, but the range was shorter.
I was cycling against one frustrated companion after another. I'd been gentle, but I had delivered a few bruises. Finally Vorine sent my latest sparring partner, Aura, over to Omie. Vorine stepped in front of me herself and said, "Sparring at half speed."
I kicked her ass.
"Three quarter's speed."
I kicked her ass.
"Full speed but pull the blows," she said.
I didn't kick her ass, but I still was able to beat her back.
"Vorine, we never practice this combination," I said. "The only time we see it is in the partner matches."
"I know. And I don't have a clue what to do."
"Vorine, work with the other companions for a while. I'll be back."
I turned and ran over to the warriors. Malora was sparring with Chalena, her swords a blur. I waited for a strike and a pause and yelled, "Hold!"
Both fighters paused and stepped away before looking at me. Malora and Nori both raised eyebrows at me.
"Chalena," I said, "step away." As soon as she was clear, I stepped into place before Malora and raised my staff.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
"Half speed," I said. "Fight."
She got a couple of points on me, but I made her work for it. I pulled back and said, "Three quarters speed." That was more lopsided for her, but I could tell she found it awkward. She got a few more points, but I got one, too. Everyone stared.
I stepped back. "Do we know for a fact Parlomith is going to use a sword?"
"No," said Nori.
I turned to her and threw my staff at her. She caught it one handed. "I can't fix this, Nori. You have to." I stepped back.
Nori looked around. "Ralla, you're better with a staff than I am. Let's see if we have a problem." She handed the staff to Ralla, who stepped in to face Malora. The two bowed, and Nori called "Fight."
Ralla kicked Malora's ass. It wasn't even close. When Nori called the bout, I stepped forward, helped Malora to her feet, then pulled the three of them into a huddle.
"You will fix this!" I said. "You hear me? You will fix this!"
"Yes, Maya," Nori said. "We're going to need to test other combinations. Malora, none of us can use two swords as well as you do."
"That's only a little different than two separate opponents," Malora said. "We'll have to practice that."
"You're as good as you need to be against one sword," Nori said. "We'll make sure that stays sharp. Maya, we've got this."
"Nori, the companions need the same training. Vorine and Omie are at a loss. Are you going to work with swords and staff now?"
"Yes," she said.
"I'll send Omie and Vorine over to learn from you, then."
I pulled out of the huddle after offering a quick caress to both Malora and Nori. I could see the tension in both their eyes, but I could work on that later. I collected another staff from the supply shed and returned to the companions.
Omie and Vorine, and probably everyone else, had seen the fight between Malora and Ralla.
"They're fixing it," I said. "You two go learn what you can while they're working it out. You're going to have to teach us later. What do you want us working on in the meantime?"
"You guys want to wrestle for a while?" Omie asked. That earned a lot of nods, so the companions put our weapons away while Omie and Vorine ran over to sit with the other warriors.
"All right," I said, taking over the class. "Wrestling practice or should we hold a mini-tournament?"
"Tourna
ment!" Bea said immediately to nods from most of the rest. "We're each wagering one night of dinner duty paid to whoever wins."
I laughed. Bea was the probable winner.
"Dinner duty if the winner is Sixteen or younger. Lunch otherwise." Looked at Beria. "It is your choice if you want to wrestle."
"I'll wrestle," she said.
I got some unexpected looks. "Why does she get a choice?" Aura asked.
"You don't know?" I asked. "None of you know?"
"Know what?" Bea asked.
Beria looked at them and said quietly, "Parlomith whipped me." And then she started to cry.
I immediately went to her, sitting down in the grass and pulling her into my arms. Soon all the remaining companions were clustered together in one large group hug, soothing her.
"Why?" asked Jasmine.
"Because she's a psychopath. You all know she challenged Malora, right?"
They nodded.
"This was the opening move, challenging Malora's authority. I'm only shocked she didn't whip me, too, but maybe she decided going after my sister would cause more damage to my relationship with Malora."
Beria was still crying quietly, clutching at me.
"We'll have our wrestling match this afternoon," I declared. "We're going swimming instead. Beria will that be all right?" She nodded. We climbed to our feet.
"We need to train," Aura said.
"We're going to train," I replied. "Go ahead. I'll be along in a minute." I gave them a collective push towards the river then ran over to speak to Nori. She was watching Malora facing off against Ralla. The other warriors had divided themselves into swords and staffs as well and were working through moves slowly.
"I'm taking them swimming, Nori," I said. "I'll give them a good workout. When you're done here, we want company. Bring everyone."
She nodded.
I watched Malora with Ralla for a moment. "Will she be ready?"
"She'll be ready." She turned to me, putting her hands on my shoulders. "Parlomith is good. She's very good. But she doesn't have all of Queen's Town behind her. She doesn't have you, soothing her voices. She doesn't have Ralla and me, working her hard. She is probably training against two swords; everyone knows that's Malora's style. But she doesn't have anyone who she can train with that is as good as Malora. She'll need to train against four opponents to match Malora, and four opponents make a very big, very clumsy target. I promise you, Malora will be ready."
I nodded.
"Meet us in the river. I'll have towels and soap but no changes of clothing."
She nodded once more and turned back to Malora and Ralla.
I ran to the laundry and collected as many towels as I could carry, stuffing a few bars of soap in my pockets at the same time. Laden down, I waddled to the river then set the towels out in the sun to warm up.
The companions were just stepping into the water when I got there. Beria was still dressed, sitting on the rocks next to the pool, her knees clutched in her arms. I sat down next to her.
"They'll see," she said.
"They need to see."
"I don't want their pity."
"They need to know why we're fighting."
"We should be fighting demons, not other Amazons."
"Beria, an Amazon fights to protect the weak from the bullies. Demons are not the only bullies in the world. Will the water feel good?"
She nodded. "I'm sorry I cried. I thought I was over that. I don't want their pity." I was worried when she began to repeat herself.
"You won't have pity. You'll have strength and love." I stood up. "Sisters!"
Out in the water, they all turned to me. I was pleased to see Aura had been splashing around with Bea, well out in the deep section of the pool. She had come so far in three years.
"We are all companions. It is our duty to ease the pain of our warriors. We do so when we honor their strength and we honor their sacrifice. And we ease them through our touch, our love, our laughter, our play. But sometimes it is not only our warriors whose pain we ease. We must also, from time to time, ease the pain of our other sisters."
I bent down and took Beria's arm, then began tugging her to her feet. I turned her to face me, her back to the river.
"I love you," I whispered to her. "Close your eyes."
She did, and I began to untie the laces of her tunic. Slowly, I eased it from her shoulders. I left the undershirt in place, then I took her boots from her, then her leggings. Finally, very carefully, I pulled the shift from her.
There were several gasps from the companions in the water, and a tear slid down Beria's cheek. I stepped closer, whispering, "I love you," to her again. "Keep your eyes closed."
Then I took her hand and turned her, leading her to the water. By the time we arrived, Jasmine was there, surprising me, and she reached for Beria's hands. "You're still dressed," Jasmine said. "We've got her." Then Neela and Bea were there, too, and the three of them led Beria into the water.
While I undressed, all of them took turns bathing her, talking quietly to her, being gentle with her back, but I heard laughter, and I thought perhaps they were all teasing each other.
I undressed slowly and entered the water quietly, swimming out into the middle of the pool without disturbing the ritual cleansing of my sister. They were companions, and they would ease her soul. It's what we did.
I floated in the water, watching. The companions were gentle with her, but they didn't baby her. They washed her hair, which is always soothing, but they also washed her back, their touch gentle. I watched as Beria stiffened for a moment, then relaxed.
Finally, she turned to me, and she smiled before ducking under the water. I wonder if she was about to begin a dunking game. Instead, she surfaced a few feet in front of me, smiling. I returned her smile.
"We should be training," she said.
"Before the warriors join us, we are all going to talk." I led the way back to shallower water, collecting all the companions together into a loose circle around me. "Do you know what's going on?"
"Some chief from the south challenged Malora," said Gweneth, the youngest. "Malora will beat her." She shrugged. "What's the big deal?"
"The chief who challenged Malora is the same chief who whipped Beria's back," I explained. "That's a big deal, I'd say. And she's the same chief who once beat me so badly I couldn't properly serve as companion to Malora."
Bea, Aura and Neela knew the story. "That Parlomith?" Bea asked.
"Yes."
"She's a bitch!" Bea said. "Why didn't Malora kill her then?"
"That's my fault. I begged her not to. The Amazons needed every warrior we had, and I didn't want her blood on my hands. It was my mistake."
"No," said Bea. "You made the best decision you could at the time, and no one can blame you."
"That's right," said Beria. "So put that guilt away."
I nodded.
"But Malora's going to beat her. Will she kill her?" Gweneth asked.
"It's to the death," I said. "One of them is going to die during that fight."
"So no biggie," said Gweneth.
"You never underestimate your enemy," Bea said. "And Parlomith is good." She paused. "Clara is worried."
"So is Ralla," Jasmine said.
I explained the concerns, and I explained the other challenge matches. "If you hear warriors challenging Malora, and they are Malora's allies, do not become angry."
"But Malora is going to win. Right?" said Gweneth. "She can't lose."
"The entire village is going to do everything we can to make sure she wins," I said. "But she may lose. And that is why Nori and Ralla and most of the other warriors have challenged Malora."
"All of them?"
"I don't know if Omie has gotten around to it yet. She wasn't here."
"What do we do?" Aura asked.
"Our jobs. We are companions. For the next two weeks, we do everything to ease the souls of everyone in Queen's Town. Our warriors will need us."
Aura,
Neela and Bea conferred for a moment then Neela said, "We'll bring our rabbit snares in for now. We'll do that this afternoon."
"Take your warriors for walks or rides, though," I said. "Anything to ease their souls and drive away the voices. Remain calm and steady."
"And you, Maya," Beria asked. "Will you remain calm and steady? Or are you going to fight with Malora like you always do."
"I will make sure Malora is ready to fight." I looked around. "Any other questions?"
There weren't any.
"All right," I said. "Which of you thinks she is the best swimmer?"
"You are," Beria said immediately.
"After me."
They looked around, eyes finally settling on Beria.
"All right, Beria and I are captains for team water wrestling. I'll explain the rules once we've picked teams. Beria, pick first."
"Bea."
I ended up with Neela, Aura and Gweneth. Beria had Bea, Jasmine, Serra and Careen.
"All right, you have to protect your team captain," I said. "We'll start at opposite sides of the pool. The idea is to get the other team captain to either tap out or get held under for a slow count of thirty. Anyone else who taps out or is held under switches teams. You should each play your best for whatever team you're on. Anyone who has recently been flipped to another team can have a brief break out of the water if she needs it, and anyone towing someone to safety is immune to attack. Questions?"
There were none, so I led my team to the right side of the pool. Beria took hers to the other side, and the four of them huddled for a minute.
"You three can hold your breaths for a long time, right?"
"Sure," Gweneth said, Neela and Aura nodding. I clasped Aura's hand for a moment, proud she wasn't afraid of the water.
"Okay, what we're going to do is this. When I say 'go', we're all going to sink. You're going to both stick together and swim to the right, way over to the edge near the rocks. Then stay underwater together as long as you can and still come up very quietly. Keep doing that. Catch your breaths then if they see you, go back under the water and come up somewhere else."
"We're supposed to protect you," Aura said.
"I'm going to try to strengthen our odds. I'm going to see if I can flip one or even two of them. Got it?"