Amazon Companion (16 page)

She was brutal with me during training, but away from the training ground, she treated me with care and tenderness. She seemed interested in my opinion and consistently expressed appreciation for the things I did for her.

And she touched me, she touched me a great deal. If we were standing apart, perhaps while she was dealing with assigning a patrol or a minor discipline issue, or even just talking to one of the other warriors about the hunt, I could see the tension in the set of her shoulders or her furrowed brow. So I would approach, perhaps excusing myself from my own conversation with another women or one of the young companions. And as intent as she was in her conversation, and as quietly as I might approach, she always knew as I drew near. She would reach for me, every time, and as I came close against her, perhaps brushing fingers against her arm, I could see her physically relax. I could see the tension ease from her body, and a smile creep onto her mouth.

She didn't pressure me for more, although I thought perhaps she would welcome a loving touch. But she touched me and she held me, and even when she was easing the aches of my tired body and bruised muscles, I could hear her sigh in her own relief.

I was needed.

I vowed to make her proud.

I failed in my vow. For the first time in my life, I failed in something I set my mind to. But the telling of that would come out of order, for it took months for me to fail. I must first explain more of what life was like for the Amazon warriors, and more about the type of women they were.

The Amazons were, after all, warriors, and they were warriors for a reason. I know I had my doubts when I was first taken, but everything they did was consistent with what they
had said all along. They were at war, and Queen's Town was near the front of that war.

There were a dozen warriors living in Queen's Town, four without companions, and Malora told me all the Amazon villages
should have twelve warriors, or as close to twelve as could be maintained, along with their companions and, from time to time, a retired warrior. "But we have had attrition, and several villages are down to eight or nine warriors. And ideally, each warrior has a companion, but as you can see, we have not been able to maintain that, either." She paused. "We will continue to recruit until we are at full strength again."

I pursed my lips. "When?"

"Every spring," she said.

"So I have almost a year to come up with a better plan."

She smiled. "Yes."

"Will you listen when I present it?"

"Yes, but I do not promise to try it, or to not utilize other methods at the same time."

Of those twelve warriors, four were always on patrol, passing through the Dark Forest and watching for demons coming from the mountains beyond. The villages maintained overlapping patrols, so every piece of land was covered by the warriors from two villages.

Malora's duties were varied. She was not directly responsible for the organization of the Amazons. Instead, Nori and some of the other women held the direct responsibility, and Malora oversaw them all and resolved disputes. On the training grounds, it was Nori that led the training, and Malora who either worked with me or acted as an assistant. Ralla coordinated the patrols with the other villages, but it was Balorie who organized the patrols for our village, coordinating with Ralla.

Amongst the companions, while I was considered senior due to my association with Malora, I was, of course, one of the three junior companions, in spite of being older than most of them. Prior to my arrival, the companions shared the management of the training grounds, but they were happy to allow me to coordinate. I learned from them what they had been doing, which wasn't much, and implemented minor changes. I handled some of the duties directly, such as keeping the equipment shed organized, and shared the duties with the other companions.

Ping's companion, Serra, was one of only two companions older than I was, and she was the head cook for the village. All of the other companions reported to her, including me.

There was a duty roster with a copy maintained in Malora's hut, posted near the door, and the public copy posted on a sheltered bulletin board just outside the kitchen. There was a hierarchy of importance. For instance,
Balorie posted the rotation for patrols, listing warriors and their companions. After that, Serra posted kitchen duties. Other duties were then posted from amongst those not otherwise assigned. We were each expected to handle our other duties around the posted duties.

Training was a constant, and if you were at Queen's Town, you attended training.

I learned much of this during my first few days as Malora's companion; the rest I began to learn over time.

Patrols were the most important part of Amazon life. Patrols consisted of four warriors, usually accompanied by at least one of their companions, two being more common, and sometimes all four companions would go on patrol. From watching the duty roster, I couldn't detect any pattern.
Serra and the newest recruits were the only companions that hadn't been on patrol by the time I'd been in Queen's Town for two weeks.

Each patrol lasted three days, and it wasn't until some time later that I was to learn the details of how they were conducted. Patrols were overlapping, so one patrol would head out to relieve the previous patrol; that team would return several hours after the first had set out, so the meeting distances couldn't be too far away.

Malora was generous answering my questions, and I had many. It was late one night while she was easing my latest pains that I asked, "Do you still patrol?"

"Yes, although not as often as the other warriors."

"You aren't listed on the duty roster."

"I have a new companion to train," she said.

"Lidi and Gaylie are listed."

"Not for another two weeks," she said. "We don't send a warrior away from her new companion for the first month."

"You aren't listed in two weeks."

"Are you anxious to be rid of me?"

I couldn't answer immediately. She was working the muscles of my lower back, and it felt too good. But finally I responded. "No, I am not anxious to be rid of you." I rolled over to look up at her.

"Hey, I wasn't done."

"Are you afraid if you aren't here to watch over me, I'll run away?"

She didn't answer immediately.

"Are there other reasons as well?"

"Yes," she said. "That's part of it. I told you, as queen, I don't patrol as often as the other warriors. Nor
i doesn't, either, although she patrols more than I do. She and I also visit the other villages. You will go the next time I go."

"There's more though, isn't there?"

"Your duties are more complicated than those of the other companions."

"They don't seem drastically more complicated."

"You're still settling in."

"I have duties you haven't taught me?"

"You will find the other companions will begin to come to you to sort out their difficulties."

"Nearly all of them know more than I do about being an Amazon."

"And yet they will come to you, anyway. As I am the leader of all Amazons, you will, over time, become the leader of the companions."

"I-" I paused. "I couldn't."

"Tell me. How long would it have taken you to free yourself from the puzzle I gave Varda and Bea?"

"Assuming I could get my co-prisoner's cooperation? No more than a few hours. Are there rules about the puzzles?"

"Only the ones I state when I apply them," she responded. "The only rule I listed was they could not receive help of any sort. I could have phrased it differently. I could have said they could receive no physical help."

"I could have offered suggestions."

"If I had phrased it that way, yes. And the way you responded when they came to me for their freedom means next time, they are likely to ask." She shifted on the bed, reasserting physical contact, before continuing. "You were a school teacher. You are accustomed to leading. You are well-suited for this role."

I thought about it, then narrowed my eyes, although she probably couldn't see. "Why else aren't you going on patrol?"

"Why are you sure there is more?"

"Are you evading my questions?"

"I want to oversee your training. For now."

"Nori cracks a whip as well as you do."

"Nori needs to be free to oversee everyone's training."

"I am a burden?"

"You are a welcome burden," she said, clasping my hand.

I turned away. I wasn't accustomed to being a burden. But Malora turned my face back towards her. "There is one other reason, Maya. It is the most important."

"What?" It was said petulantly, and I regretted it as soon as it was out. "I'm sorry."

She caressed me. "
I needed you more than any of us realized. I am not ready to part from you, and you are not ready to join a patrol. At the very least, you must ride better than you do, but optimally a companion does not join a patrol unless she is ready to be a warrior, or at the very least can protect herself in an attack."

I clasped her hand, looking up at her dim shape in the dark.

"Do I help?" I asked softly.

"Yes."

The thought made me glad. I didn't realize it at the time, but that was probably the moment I began to fall in love with her.

"Roll over now," she said. "I wasn't done. I need this time with you at least as much as you do."

Obediently, gratefully, I rolled back onto my stomach, and I was asleep before she was done.

* * * *

A week later, I asked Malora what I needed to do to make more clothes for myself.

"You must obtain the leathers and furs," she said.

"You've seen me shoot a bow."

She didn't laugh, although I could tell she wanted to. "Yes."

"If I am dependent on my ability to shoot to remain clothed, I fear you will soon have a naked companion. I do not believe that would enhance your reputation."

"Our hunters feed the village," Malora said. This I already understood. "The meat belongs to all. Everything else belongs to the hunters who took down the animal."

"All right."

"Some warriors hunt for both themselves and their companions."

I smiled. "So I am not dependent on my bow. I am dependent on yours."

"You would be, but my d
uties do not allow me to spend the time to hunt for my own clothing, much less mine and yours both."

"Then how do you stay well-dressed?"

"I am queen. From time to time a hunter gives me her kill."

"And so I am dependent upon the gift from another hunter?"

"Yes, but not the same way I am. If you cannot hunt for yourself, then you must convince another hunter to hunt for you. You could ask me, but as I said, I do not have time."

"So I should ask another hunter to hunt for me?"

"I would rather my companion not ask for charity."

"Are you going to tell me what to do?"

She smiled. "I believe you admitted a fondness for puzzles. This is my first for you. You may not ask for charity."

"I am hopeless with a bow."

"You will improve, but perhaps not fast enough to keep yourself clothed."

"I could fashion a snare."

"We snare small animals, such as rabbits, but you must tend your snares. We do not torture the animals. We do not snare large animals, and it would take a great many rabbits to cloth you properly. I would rather you not look like you are clothed in patchwork."

"Will you teach me to snare rabbits?"

"I do not have time," she said. "And frankly, you don't, either. You could manage snares around the village, but you would rapidly deplete the local rabbit population."

"You have not forbid me from learning to set snares."

"No. But I require they be properly constructed and maintained, and teaching you to set them will take someone time. You know your schedule by now, and you know my needs for your time."

I thought about it. "You said I needed to learn to ride better."

"Yes."

"You said you need me."

"Yes."

"And we agree I need to learn to hunt."

"Or acquire your clothing in other ways."

"Could we not ride a circle each day?"

"And check your snares while we are at it?"

I smiled. "Yes."

"Learn to construct a snare and catch a few rabbits near the village, and then we will see."

I paused. "My mother used to say 'we will see' which nearly always meant 'no'."

She laughed. "It means 'yes, if I approve of your ability to set a snare and later skin the rabbit'. But you still have two puzzles to solve. Do you know what they are?"

"Find someone to teach me to set a snare, and find a hunter to give me larger skins. And neither can be done from charity."

"Exactly. Do not embarrass me."

"I won't." And I didn't.

The next day, I began to serve Nori meals again. The first time, she raised an eyebrow, but she accepted graciously, and I didn't explain. Malora saw what I did and laughed, but didn't otherwise comment.

It was a week later over lunch that Nori broached the topic. "After training this afternoon, I was going to check a few rabbit snares. Malora, may I borrow your companion?"

"You may invite her. I do not know if she has other duties scheduled."

"I can move them," I said immediately. "Will we be back by dinner?"

"Barely," Nori said. "We may need to go out again tomorrow and the next day, if your schedule is free."

"I will make it free," I replied.

I had domestic duties I had planned for the afternoon, but there were none that were pressing. I was on dinner duty the following three days, but I was sure I could trade. I cleared dishes for Malora, Nori and myself then went in search of someone to trade duties with. I checked the duty roster first then approached Varda.

"Varda," I said. "You have breakfast and lunch kitchen duty tomorrow."