Amazon Chief (88 page)

"What that woman did to you bothers me a great deal," she said. "But you, my darling, are perfect just the way you are. You are so tender to me and to the girls. Someone else might have been broken by that."

"I was, for a while. But I had Maya and Omie."

I heard rustling on the bed, and then Omie's face appeared over the edge of the bed, looking at both of us.

"And you had Nori and Malora and Bea and Aura and Neela," Omie said. "And Jasmine really came through. Do you remember? She was always a little aloof with all of us, but she became part of our group after that."
She looked at Lia. "I thought I had lost her. We weren't lovers yet; she was only fifteen. But I loved her, and I needed her so badly. That woman tried to take her from me." She turned back to me. "Malora killed her for us. For you. But all I could think of was getting you far, far away from her."

She reached out a hand, and both Lia and I shifted position and clasped it. "I have wishes for making things from the past different, but I only have one real regret, and that was leaving you unprotected in that village, but never in my life would I have considered one Amazon would do that to another for the simple reason that she could."

"We don't have many Amazons like that," I said. "But there are some." I didn't mention any names, but I had a list. Jalad wasn't the only one I was thinking about.

"It's why she fights so well," Omie said.

"Hmm?"

"What Parlomith did -- it's why you fight so well. You've made sure no one can ever hurt you like that again."

"No," I said. "I've made sure I can stop it when someone else is getting hurt. I've made sure no one can hurt any of the people I love, not the people in this hut, not my sister or our queen, and not the companions under my care."

We all lay there like a moment, Lia and I still clasping Omie's hand.

"I need to get up," I said. "Omie, can you help me?"

"Get up? I'm pretty sure you can do that without me."

"I need to stretch," I said.

"Oh. Of course."

"Honey?" Lia asked.

"I'm fine. Just a little stiff."

"Let's grab Bea, too," Omie said. "A little wrestling will feel good. Lia, want to see your warrior lose a wrestling match?"

"Bea is that good?"

"I taught her everything she knows," Omie said. "No. I am."

I heard the girls shifting around. Joelle's head popped up. "I like Bea. She laughs a lot, and she's really nice to us. May I come, too?"

"If you come," I said, "You'll have to wrestle."

"With Bea?"

"And with Omie," I said. Then I grinned. "And probably with your mother."

Lia laughed. "I presume you mean yourself."

I climbed out of bed and found my clothes. I managed to get out of the hut, Omie following me, and Lia promising to meet us on the training grounds shortly.

"I'm going to clean up and grab a light breakfast, then go start stretching."

"I'll grab Bea and be right there. We'll get you nice and loosened up."

"Thank you, Omie."

* * * *

We hadn't started wrestling by the time Lia showed up with two girls. Omie and Bea were both helping me stretch, and I was beginning to feel pretty good. My three girls all sat down, and Omie turned to them. "You must stretch. You know how by now. Lia, you will lead your girls, but you may watch while you stretch. But we'll be watching, so stretch properly."

"Yes, Omie," Lia said.

"We have rules today," Omie said to Bea and me. "Fast tap out from all submission holds. We aren't going to risk anyone getting hurt." In other words, we weren't going to risk me getting hurt. I was fine with that. "Beria and I first, then Beria and Bea, then we'll see if these three are ready."

I lost both my wrestling matches. I'd beaten Omie from time to time, but it was rare, and we didn't wrestle much at Lake Juna, either. But I got my heart going, and by the time Bea pinned me, I was feeling pretty good. I lost to Omie by submission, of course. She hadn't been able to pin me for a very, very long time.

Joelle was immediately ready to wrestle. She was
enamored with Omie -- everyone was, really. But she turned big eyes to Bea.

"We have to teach you a little, first," Omie said. Lia wasn't as interested in the lessons as Joelle was.
Annalise didn't seem as excited, either, and seemed a little sleepy. She crawled into her mother's lap and listened as Omie began to teach them about wrestling.

I moved next to Lia and she leaned over. "Do I have to?"

"You don't like the idea of wrestling with me?"

She smiled. "You'll win."

"That would be horrible?"

"I like to win."

"Hey!" said Omie. "This is important."

"Pep talk," I said. "Someone resembles my sister, I think."

"Oh hey," said Bea. "It's all in fun. Do you want to see us beat up your warrior a few more times first?"

Lia laughed. "Do you think you two can hold her down while we all tickle her?"

"Sure," Bea said.

"My sister has a story about tickling," I said, looking at Bea pointedly.

"Hey!" Bea said. "That's blackmail."

"Omie has one, too," I said.

"I've heard that one," Lia said. "But you have a pretty similar story, don't you, Beria?"

"While this is all fun," Omie said, "It's time to get back to the serious business of wrestling."

"Please, Mama," Joelle said.

She sighed. "All right," she said. "For all of you, I'll give it a try."

"Omie, we don't wrestle much at Lake Juna. Do you think the two of you would like to come up now and then and help teach it?"

Bea's grin told me everything. "We'd love to, wouldn't we, Omie?"

Omie finished the lesson, then she asked Joelle if she would wrestle Bea. Bea let the girl roll around with her for a while, and she gamely tried to pin my old friend. Eventually Bea rolled her over and pinned her. Joelle came away from it with a grin. "Can we do that again?"

Bea laughed. "Oh, we are going to be really good friends, Joelle."

"We are?"

"Oh yes," she said. "We are going to be the best of friends."
She looked at Lia. "My companion will become a warrior soon. Could you stand it if this one were one village away?"

"As companion to your current companion?" Lia asked.

"Good goddess, no," she said. "They'd hate each other. No, as my companion."

Joelle looked between Bea and Lia, then turned beseeching eyes on her mother. "Please, Mama. I really like her."

Bea wrapped arms around her and gave her a squeeze. "I like you, too, Joelle." She turned to Lia. "I know I seem lighthearted and almost frivolous, but I promise I would make her work hard and train her well. No insult intended to the warriors of Lake Juna, but we have the best training program here at Queen's Town."

I smiled. I wasn't sure if Lia fully understood what Bea just told her. To a mother, the most important thing was that her daughter was safe and well cared for. But to an Amazon, the most important thing for a companion was she be trained well.

I leaned over to Lia. "Joelle could not do better than Bea. Bea will mother her to pieces. This is the best offer she could possibly ever get."

Lia turned to me. "She's too young."

"I'm sorry, Lia, but she's not," Bea said. "But my current companion is not yet a warrior. It may be this year; it may be the next. It's up to the demons at least as much as it is to us. But she's taken the point for the last three demon fights, and it's just been the vagaries of the beast she's not a warrior yet. If I know I will have such an amazing companion as this, I can wait a little while."

"Who will teach her the things I am teaching her?" Lia asked.

"Maya was a schoolteacher and holds classes whenever we have companions who wish them," Bea said. "She will teach any subject."

She looked at Joelle. "If I agree to this, you will make me promises."

"Yes, Mama!" the girl said immediately.

"You will obey your warrior."

"Yes, Mama."

She looked at Bea. "You will bring her to visit. Often."

Bea smiled. "Yes."

She looked back to Joelle. "You will take classes from Maya until you are eighteen."

Omie shifted, and I thought she looked uncomfortable, but she didn't say anything. I gave her a questioning look, which she noticed but pretended not to.

What was going on?

"Yes, Mama," Joelle said.

Lia looked at Bea. "You will not chase my daughter like you are a demon."

Bea frowned. "I will train my companion to become the best warrior she can be. I do not believe she will require that sort of incentive, but if she does, then I will do it."

Lia looked at me, and the distress in her face was clear.

"Bea is right," I said.

Her distress grew.

"It's not today, Lia," Bea said. "Please, think about it. Talk to Beria some more."

Instead, she said, "You're sure?"

"She couldn't do better, Lia."

"Please, Mama," Joelle said.

"She'll be happy, darling," I added. "She'll be protected and loved, not just by Bea, but by everyone in Queen's Town. She'll learn from the best there are. And you know my sister will watch over her, too."

Lia took a breath and her face cleared. She turned to Bea. "Yes," she said.

"Thank you, Mama!" Joelle said, launching herself at her mother. Lia wrapped her arms around her daughter, but I saw her wipe a tear away. I put a hand on her shoulder, and she smiled wanly at me for a moment. But I knew this was the best match Joelle could make. Bea would be perfect for her.

Finally Joelle pulled herself away from her mother and turned to Bea. "Are you my warrior now?"

"Not yet," Bea said. "We have to wait until my current companion becomes a warrior. But you can be my companion-to-be."

"What does a companion-to-be do?"

"Well, for now, you still obey your mama."

"She will always obey her mama, won't she?" Lia asked fiercely.

"Yes, Mama," Joelle said.

"And you obey Beria."

"Yes, Bea," Joelle said.

"But then after that, and if Maya doesn't need you, then you may help me."

Joelle smiled. "Will we wrestle some more?"

Bea smiled. "Oh yes. But now I believe it is Annalise's turn."

The girl had been sitting quietly, listening to all this. She looked at Omie. "If Joelle is going to be Bea's companion, does that mean I'm going to be yours?"

"No, honey," Omie said. "My companion will never become a warrior, and we will be together forever, just like your mothers will be. But when you're a little bit older, we'll start looking for just the perfect warrior for you." She looked at Lia. "Maybe my sister, if there isn't someone at Lake Juna who would be a better fit."

"We have a few years to watch," I said. "And to see what Annalise wants."

"Right," said Omie. "And right now, Annalise needs to wrestle with me. And then Lia can choose which warrior she is wrestling, or she may ask me to choose for her."

Bea grinned. "Me! Pick me!"

"But I want to wrestle you again," Joelle said.

"And so you shall," Bea said. "There's always time for more wrestling." And then she looked at Lia and mouthed the words, "Thank you."

Lia nodded.

* * * *

There were to be
two rounds of matches again this day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Maya reduced us to three rings in the morning. I was scheduled for the second fight in ring three, which was Malora's ring today. My opponent was to be Haldara.

Haldara used her great sword differently from a staff. Every fight I'd seen her, her opponents had treated her sword like a sword, but I thought that was a mistake. She swung with the force of a staff, and her body motions were much closer to how one moved with a staff than with a sword -- or two swords. And so, I decided the way to face her was if she was carrying a staff, not a sword, although my ingrained habits for fighting a staff would need to change. After all, she held onto the end with two hands, and thus her reach was much greater. On the other hand, she wouldn't have the same leverage when defending. She would be very strong with strikes near the hilt of her sword, but the top of the sword would waver easily.

And so I stepped into the ring carrying not my practice swords, but a staff. Haldara saw me and smiled, stepping close to me.

"I was wondering when I'd face a staff."

"Have I made a mistake?"

"I haven't seen you with a staff. If you are as good as you are with your swords, then no, I do not believe you have."

We clasped hands. I decided right then that I liked her.

Then she grinned. "On the other hand, I have fought against staffs before. Have you fought against someone my size holding a sword like this?"