Attack of the Amazons (12 page)

“You
know?”

“I can make a good guess. He is certainly a fine-looking young man. Any girl would be proud to have his admiration.”

Merle stared at her.

Walking home, Merle thought,
I don't know much about life or boys—or anything!

Early the next morning Merle was awakened by
loud cries. She sat straight up in bed, and what she heard almost froze her blood.

“Ulla is coming! Ulla is coming!”

“Ulla, the chief of the Londos!” She leaped up, looked out the window, and saw the guards assembling. Warrior maidens were hastily grabbing spears and shields. Quickly she dressed and ran to where her father was helping the queen painfully get out of bed.

“Is it war?” Merle asked.

Queen Faya looked at her, her lips pale and her face drawn tense. “Yes,” she said, “it's war.”

A
s the regiment of women warriors gathered, Marden and Ettore stood to one side.

Marden said, “Remember the plan now. Ulla will come straight down through the valley. The queen will be right in the middle of it, surrounded by a few of her warriors, but she cannot survive his attack.”

“And as soon as the queen—and the princess—go down, that will be the sign for us to attack on the flanks.”

“Exactly.” Marden chuckled deep in her throat. “We will be queens before this day is over!”

“And we will rule well, won't we, Mother?”

The two laughed together.

In the queen's house, Chava assisted his wife into her armor. His face was sad, and he said, “You do not have to do this, Faya.”

“Shall I lie at home on a bed while my warriors go to face death?”

“Let others go who are younger,” he pleaded. “I cannot spare you.”

His plea almost forced Faya to change her mind, but she knew this was one thing she must do.

Chava said, “You cannot win. The army is too small. You nearly lost last time, and this time the odds are even greater.”

“Then we will die with honor.” She put a hand out to him, and he took it. She held it for a moment, searching
his face, and finally whispered, “I would regret leaving you and the children—but I must go.”

Chava helped her to the door, where a litter waited for her. When she had seated herself in it, some of the stronger men picked up the four handles and carried her to where the troops were assembled.

The queen surveyed the ranks of women warriors, and pride came to her—but sadness as well. She knew that before the sun went down many of them would be dead and others would be maimed. She did not feel in her heart that she could win this battle. Chava had spoken truly. Her army
was
too small, and she knew well that Ulla had a mighty force on the way.

Nevertheless, she roused herself and said, “Warrior maids, we go to fight for the honor of the House of Fedor.”

The Amazons raised their spears and shook their shields, and the morning air was rent with their shrill cries. There was no fear in them, Faya saw, and she was proud again of their strength and their courage. She continued, saying, “Many of us will not see another sun; but if we die, we die for the honor of Fedor.” Again there were cheers, and she waited until they died down. “The enemy is powerful, and we are few, but we will fight as we have fought before.”

“Queen Mother!”

Every eye turned to Rolf.

The queen's son held in his hand a bow, and on his back was a quiver. His eyes were fixed on his mother, and his face was tense. Rolf wore no armor, but there was a boldness about him, and he looked strong and able. “I will go with you to fight this battle, and many other of our men will go with us.”

Mutters of disbelief ran through the ranks.

“This cannot be. Men do not fight!” Marden cried out, shaking her shield.

“Why do they not fight?” Rolf said. “I can shoot as straight as you, Marden. I could beat you with a sword right now. I am stronger and faster than you. If you do not believe, come and I will prove it.”

If Rolf had commanded the sun to disappear, the crowd could not have appeared more shocked.

Chava came to stand beside his wife, and he put his hand on her shoulder. “Let the boy go,” he whispered. “He is a man. He must fight for his home and for his people.”

“Must it be so, Chava?” Queen Faya asked. She suddenly realized that she might lose both son and daughter in the battle, but one look at her son's face told her that indeed it must be so. She lifted her voice and said, “Let it be so then, my son. You shall fight beside your mother.”

“I will go too.”

Everyone turned to see Gaelan, who had procured a sword and waved it in the air. “I am a slave here, yet I will fight for the tribe. You will not find me behind when the battle starts.”

One by one, men stepped forward. Some had found old swords. Some bore spears, some bows. They did not look military.

The queen looked them over with shock. She could not speak for a moment.

Cries rose from Marden and Ettore. “Refuse the men. It would shame us,” Ettore said, “to let the weak men go.”

“Try us!” a man shouted and lifted his sword. “We will fight for our homes as well as you.”

“Let us go, my Queen,” another cried, “and fight for you as true men!”

A cry went up then from all the men, pledging their allegiance and their love for the queen. No one had done this before, and Chava, holding his wife's hand, whispered, “Let them go. Let them be men.”

This decided Queen Faya. She held up a hand, and when silence came she said, “We will all fight as one. Together we may be able to defeat the foe. Forward, now, into the battle.”

The Sleepers had armed themselves and were at the front of the ranks. The queen went on before, being carried on her litter. Warrior maids flanked her on both sides and walked in orderly ranks behind.

“It looks like we're going right into that valley,” Josh said, motioning ahead with his bow. “Seems like a good place for an ambush to me.”

Reb looked up at the sides of the ravine. “I think that's where we're supposed to ambush Ulla. At least that's what I heard the queen say. It seems she got word that he's coming to meet us right there. Looks about like the place where we took Ulla before. I hope they send scouts out.”

“I think they have. Not all the warrior maids are here,” Dave said. He looked over the men, and a worried look crossed his face. “The men are eager enough, but they just haven't had any training. We'll have to lead them as best we can. There're some good men in this army, though.”

“Yes, there are,” Josh said. “Let's divide them up into squads. We can handle them better that way.”

The men marched in three groups, commanded by Josh, Reb, and Dave. The tall Sleepers towered above the others, so that they were easy to see. The squads kept in reasonably straight order, and finally they were in the center of the valley.

“There comes Ulla, and he has a host with him!” Queen Faya said.

The maids spread out in a line ahead of the queen, but their ranks looked very thin.

Faya asked, “Where are the rest of the warrior maids?”

“On the flanks,” Marden said. “I will see to them. Come, Ettore.”

When they were gone, Merle said, “You're not well enough protected here, Mother. They've left us with very few warriors.”

“I know—I feel something has gone wrong.”

Merle was suddenly afraid, not for herself but for her mother. She saw that the ranks of the warrior maids were thin indeed. Looking back, she saw Dave, and she ran to him.

“Dave,” she said, “my mother! She cannot survive the attack! Will you help with your men?”

“Of course, Princess.” He turned to Gaelan. “Take half of our men over to the right. I'll take the other half to the left. We'll form a circle around the queen. It'll be hot, but we can stand it.”

Gaelan smiled as he passed close to the princess and whispered, “I still say you're pretty.” Then he was gone.

The battle took form almost at once. It was good, indeed, that the men had come, for when Ulla's troops struck, they struck hard. Arrows flew, and there were screams from the wounded and dying.

The Sleepers commanded their companies well. Sarah stood beside Josh, loosing arrow after arrow into the masked men that rushed toward her. They were tattooed and horrible-looking, but she did not
flinch. Beside her, some of the warrior maids were falling, and she entreated Goél for help.

Merle was in the midst of the battle, staying close to her mother. She cut down three of Ulla's warriors, and then two attacked her at the same time. She saw that she could not survive and prepared to die.

Then suddenly a form flashed by her, and one of her attackers fell. Gaelan had come to her aid. He was battling like a wild man with his sword.

Merle leaped to his side, and together the two drove Ulla's men back.

Still Ulla had the superiority.

“I don't think we can hold them,” Josh said.

Reb yelled, “Look!
There comes help! We got 'em trapped!” as fresh troops of warrior maids rushed down from the sides of the hills. They struck Ulla's men on the right and left flank so that they had only one direction to go, and that was backward. Some of the enemy fought their way out, but most of them finally threw down their swords and pleaded for mercy.

“It's a victory,” Princess Merle called and held her sword high. “Throw your weapons down and surrender.”

Ulla himself had been badly wounded and could not command his warriors. They were now surrounded on all four sides, and the victory belonged to the women—and the men—of Fedor.

Princess Merle had taken a wound on her right arm. She was bleeding and beginning to feel faint, but she went to her mother. “Are you all right?” she asked.

“Yes, but you're wounded.”

“I'll take care of that, Your Majesty.” It was Gaelan who stripped off his shirt, made a bandage, and stanched the bleeding. “Are you all right?” he asked the princess anxiously.

Merle looked up into his hazel eyes, weakness took her, and she felt herself swaying. “I might need a little help,” she said faintly. She felt him pick her up like a child, and she laid her head on his chest. “Take me home, please, Gaelan,” she whispered.

“Yes, I will take you home—and I still think you're the prettiest girl I ever saw.”

It was a weary group that made its way back to the village.

“We will return and tend to our wounded. Keep the prisoners close,” the queen said, “but harm none of them.”

That night there was a victory celebration that the village never forgot. There were heroes aplenty, including Rolf and Gaelan and Princess Merle, not to mention all of the Seven Sleepers.

Later Chava said to his wife gently, “I think things are going to change a great deal in Fedor.”

Queen Faya lay back and half closed her eyes. She smiled and said, “Yes, and I think it's time they did change.”

T
he village set about healing and caring for its wounded. The battle had taken a high toll among the warrior maids. And everyone recognized that the men had turned the tide. They had been untrained, but their courage and steadfastness had spoken for itself.

Marden felt defeated because her plan had failed and the queen lived, but she felt sure that would soon change. “She can't live long,” she whispered confidently to Ettore, “and we can always be sure that something happens to that daughter of hers. It's not too late yet.”

The queen herself said little publicly, but she talked for long hours with her husband. And then the word came forth that the queen had commanded a royal assembly.

Every person who could walk came, and those who could not walk begged to be carried. The meeting ground was filled with anxious heroes. The Sleepers stood over to one side, curious as to what the queen would say.

Queen Faya hobbled out on her crutch, aided by her husband and her son, and took her throne. Then the two men stepped back slightly, and Princess Merle took her place beside her brother.

“My people, you have fought valiantly, and your queen thanks you.” She went over the rolls of the dead, and honor was done them. Then she lifted her head and said, “I am no longer able to rule over you…”

Marden and Ettore looked at each other with anticipation. “Soon we won't have her to contend with,” Ettore whispered with satisfaction.

The queen spoke of the burden of leading the people. Then she said, “If it had not been for the men, we would all be the slaves of Ulla. Is this not so?”

A mutter went through the ranks of the women, but the men said, “You are our queen.”

“I will still be your queen,” she said, “but things will be different from now on in the land of Fedor.” She looked over the ranks of women warriors, and her voice carried clearly on the morning air. “As long as any of us can remember, a queen has ruled over our people. Some of you may think what I am going to do is wrong, but I think it is wisdom. When I was a young woman, I wanted glory as much as any of you warrior maids. It was what I was taught, even as you were taught. But now that I grow older I begin to see that there is something wrong with a system that makes warriors out of women. From this day forth you will have a king.”

A cry went up from the warrior maids, but Faya held up her hands. “Peace—hear me out!”

She turned to her husband and said tenderly, “For many years, the decisions have mostly been made by Chava, as my adviser. It was his wisdom that has kept us from being devoured by our neighbors. He never spoke loudly, but he has never given me bad advice. Now he will be the king, and I name our son, Rolf, as heir to the throne!”

Pandemonium broke out.

Marden cried, “No!
We will fight before we will have a
king.”

Then Marden felt the point of a sword against her back, and she stiffened.

Chava had done his work well. He had warned all the men, and Marden and her daughter were immediately surrounded by men whose bright swords glittered in the morning sunlight. The queen was speaking again, and Marden was forced to listen.

“And now your royal king will speak.” She turned to her husband.

Chava stepped forward. He wore a simple white robe, and he spoke quietly. “Men and women, we need each other. We cannot do without one another. We have heard much of how men and women worked together and loved one another in the land of the Seven Sleepers. They will be our teachers. They will teach us of Goél, who knows the ways of love. We will no more be frightened of Maug, for he will be banished from our land.”

He spoke on with great eloquence. After he finished and stepped back, Dave yelled, “Long live the king! Long live King Chava of Fedor!”

The air rang with the sound of cheering, and even some of the women joined in.

After Chava was crowned and officially given his new office, the crowd broke up.

Princess Merle turned to her brother and looked at him with new eyes. “I never thought of you as being a king, but you will be one day, my brother.”

“We will see if I am worthy,” Rolf said. His eyes were following a young man who was walking toward them. “I think someone wants to speak to you.”

Startled, Merle saw that Gaelan was coming straight for her. Rolf faded away, and she stood stock-still, wondering what Gaelan would say.

He had one hand behind his back. Suddenly he brought it out and presented her with a beautiful bouquet
of red and white flowers. “For you,” he said. He looked a little embarrassed. “Sarah said this is what young men do who admire young women. Will you accept them?”

Princess Merle took the bouquet. She buried her face in it to hide her confusion, then she looked up and whispered, “They're very beautiful, Gaelan. Thank you.”

“Will you walk with me down by the river? There are things I would say to you where it's quiet and peaceful.”

“I will go with you.”

Queen Faya was watching. She reached out and took her husband's hand, saying, “I think we will be seeing a great deal of that young man.”

“There are worse young men in the world to have for a son-in-law,” he replied quietly.

The Sleepers stayed in Fedor for several weeks, training the villagers as best they could. They explained the nature of Goél and how a battle would soon come when all the good and true people of Nuworld would have to stand against the powers of darkness. Teaching the people was easy, for the Fedorians were tired of Maug and the sacrifices he demanded. And Mita left the village with several of her cronies, so that her shrill voice was heard no more.

But the day finally came to say good-bye. Their knapsacks were full, their weapons were bright, and the entire village lined up to wish the Seven Sleepers farewell.

The Sleepers all knelt before the king and queen, who blessed them, and when they rose, they shook hands with as many people as they could. Princess Merle was there to hug the two girls, and the tall form
of Gaelan was by her side. He shook hands with the young men and said, “We will meet again.”

Then it was all over, and they left.

For several hours the Sleepers traveled hard, hoping to make good time before sunset. All of them felt drained, and they made camp early. As they sat around the fire eating, they talked about the return journey to Daybright's ship.

Afterward, Dave said, “Abbey, would you like to go look at the river for a minute?”

Abbey looked at him with surprise, but she nodded. “Why, yes, I think I would.”

They walked along the riverbank for a long time. Sometimes they were silent, sometimes they talked about what had happened in Fedor. They finally sat down on an old log.

The rising moon was bright and illuminated the river. The water glittered as it flowed past, the little ripples seeming to wave at them. They talked awhile about home, and then they fell silent again.

After a while she said, “Dave—”

“Yes, what is it, Abbey?”

“I guess I've had to learn another lesson. It seems like I'm so dumb! I'll never get everything learned.”

“You're not dumb.” He took her hand and held it with both of his big ones. It felt small and soft and defenseless. He saw that she was troubled, and he moved closer and put an arm around her. “What's the matter? Tell me about it. We're friends, aren't we?”

“Oh, Dave, I was so wrong to talk about women needing to boss men. I see how awful that was.”

“You made a mistake, but so did I. Men aren't to boss women around either. I can see that.”

“Then how do we get along?”

“Why, we work together,” Dave said.

Then he started to tell Abbey how he had learned to treasure things he saw in her that he had never noticed before.

Listening, she turned her face toward him.

He was surprised at how large her eyes seemed, and he knew that she had been using her cosmetics, for she smelled faintly of perfume. “When you grow up,” he said, “I'll have a few more things to say to you.”

“I was sixteen yesterday,” she said. “Is that grownup enough? I'm sixteen, and you're seventeen.”

“I think,” Dave said huskily, “that's just about right.” He bent his head and kissed her.

Josh and Sarah had been sitting in the shadows on the riverbank when Dave and Abbey approached. They turned their heads away as the two kissed, and when Dave and Abbey got up and left, Sarah said, “We're nothing but accidental Peeping Toms.”

“I know. It's bad, isn't it?” Josh said. “I probably won't ever do this again—not until the next time.”

Then Sarah said, “Didn't I tell you about those two? I knew they fought so much they'd eventually fall in love.”

Josh put his arm around her. “I don't understand much about romance. How does a fellow go about it?”

“What do you mean, how does a fellow go about it?”

“I mean, do you take lessons? You've read lots of romances. I've never read any of those things.” His arm tightened, and he said, “What does a fellow do?”

“I think you're doing plenty right now,” Sarah said sharply.

“Did I ever tell you how pretty you are, Sarah?”

“Don't try to get around me, Josh Adams.”

Josh said, “I wrote a poem for you.”

“You did? Oh, Josh, let me hear it!”

It was a very bad poem, but when he was through she sighed and put her head against his shoulder.

“Oh, Josh, that's the most beautiful poem I ever heard in my life.”

“I've got lots more poems in me.” He pulled her closer. “Here's another one…”