"I'm an excellent archer. Please, let me help."
Sibilla and Bianca exchanged a glance.
"You won't be able to leave while the Queen is alive," Bianca said.
"But we can't keep him here," Sibilla objected, worried.
"Melania," Bianca suggested. "She already hides Kyrio and she lives on the main square in front of the Temple."
"Is Kyrio the dark-haired man who was kept in the cell in front of mine?" Branwen asked. "I thought he was dead!"
"We faked his death," Bianca smiled. "I carry his child."
"And why did he stay here?"
"He wants to avenge another victim of our Queen."
"Then I shall join him. Please take me to this Melania, and as soon as Amazonia is out of the way, I'll go home, taking Sibilla and her children with me."
Chapter 12
The Queen was denied access to the Temple of the Goddess of Maadre for the first time after one hundred and seventy years. Princess Irene and High Priestess Olimpia stopped her on the plinth in front of the main door, forbidding her to enter.
The temple stood on the side of the palace in the main square of Maadre and had a luxuriant garden right behind it. The building had a square facade with crenelated top, three steps leading to the plinth, and an entablature held by four marble columns, with mullioned windows on what looked like a first floor but was actually still part of the huge room where prayers and ceremonies were held. Dragons curled and fought, carved on the wall around the door that was taller and wider than usual, big enough to allow the passage of an elephant.
When the temple had been built, the Goddess still lived in Maadre. And she had a small pet dragon the size of an elephant always with her. The Temple had been the little dragon's lair until the Goddess had left with it because it had grown so much in one century it didn't fit through the door anymore. How it got out was a mystery, but it had vanished with the Goddess.
Amazonia stomped her foot, glaring at the two gray-haired women – one her direct descendant, the other probably also related to her somehow – who weren't allowing her into what she considered her mother's house.
"How dare you deny me entrance?" she demanded.
"We think you're betraying your mother's legacy," the High Priestess answered sternly. "You have twisted her words to suit you."
The Queen scoffed. "And what do you know? You weren't even born when she left!"
"My predecessors have recorded everything," Olimpia replied, undaunted.
"We also think you're unfit to rule and should abdicate," Princess Irene added.
"What?" The Queen couldn't believe her ears. "I am perfectly fit to rule this country! I made it what it is! I subdued all the tribes of Maadre and they now thrive under my rule!"
"They have accepted you as queen, but we're not really thriving because of your excesses. You might have created the first all-female army of the world, but your random killing of men, especially with the Fall Sacrifice, is weakening our blood. We request you abdicate before it's too late."
"Never!" Amazonia stared at them with contempt.
The square was now filled with people of both sexes – men hidden by Modesty Cloths, women wearing their best clothes for the celebration. Priestesses crowded the door of the temple, while women and covered men leaned out of windows and balconies to have a better view. The palace stairs were filled with people standing, and the Queen's Guard had a tough time keeping them off the Temple plinth. Everybody was trying to hear what was going on and every line spoken was whispered to the people in the back – although the Queen's voice was quite loud, so even though she gave her back to the crowd, her words bounced on the walls of the temple and resonated in the square.
The priestesses moved to allow Princess Laurisa out of the temple. She was holding a big, leather-bound book. She stopped between the two elder women and presented the Queen with the book.
"What is that?" Amazonia asked authoritatively.
"A book of complaints," Laurisa answered. "Almost all the women of the capital had something to say about your ways. Some Merchantesses also mentioned how you treat men and then brought more stories from the other cities. We have had enough of your ruthless rule. Abdicate now, or we will kill you."
"So you want to sit on my throne, huh?" Amazonia stared at Laurisa with open contempt. "My own descendant... Guards, arrest her for high treason!"
Nobody moved. The square fell silent and the guards seemed frozen. Even Captain Nerissa, who stood by the Queen, seemed unable to decide what to do as Laurisa slowly smiled in triumph.
"I believe your Daughters just voted for your dismissal," she said, sarcastic.
"You don't get to vote!" Amazonia exclaimed. "I'm the Queen! I rule!"
She swirled around and grabbed Captain Nerissa's sword from its scabbard, attacking Laurisa, who used the book of complaints as a shield, blocking the blade.
Startled into action, Nerissa tried to stop her Queen and was taken down mercilessly. Furious, Amazonia attacked her descendants again, and Laurisa pushed her mother and the High Priestess back into the safety of the temple as Bianca, Sibilla and the other guards came to the rescue, trying to restrain the Queen without killing her.
***
Kyrio and Branwen had observed the scene from Melania's first-floor window. They had their bows ready and out of sight and wore Modesty Cloths, but when Amazonia attacked, they quickly freed their bodies and grabbed their weapons.
"It's a mess, we should have hit her when she grabbed the captain's sword," Kyrio said, pursing his lips. He didn't want to shoot Bianca or Sibilla or Laurisa, who was still at the temple's door.
The crowd was screaming now, obviously split between the Queen's supporters and the rebels.
Branwen assessed the situation again, then took aim. "I can shoot a stag in the forest and not hit the trees," he said. "I think it's the same thing here."
"You're right." Kyrio took aim too. "Let's do it."
Branwen shot first, but Kyrio was close second.
Melania, who was at the other window with her children, gasped when the arrows flew forward.
Kyrio glanced at Smeraldo's daughter, then Amazonia's scream of hatred got his attention. Both arrows had hit her in the back. The guards had fallen back and she was turning around, growling with pain and rage.
"Who dared?" she demanded to the stunned crowd.
"I think she wants more," Kyrio told Branwen with a quick smile.
The Kelvan nodded. "Let's see who's faster in planting ten arrows in that target."
This time Kyrio won. Amazonia's screams were deafening. She staggered forward, panting, and people retreated, scared by her bloodied fury.
"She's not Human," Branwen muttered.
Amazonia saw Kyrio and Branwen. "You!" She pointed her finger. "You're still alive, still here! Kill those wicked men! Kill them!"
"I hope you locked your door," Kyrio told Melania who nodded, fearful. The Queen's supporters might mob the house to get to the men.
Then something happened that froze everybody.
Amazonia screamed in pain, dropping her sword, then slowly turned into a huge dragon the color of the Queen's favorite tunics – dark blue, the color of the Goddess. The arrows fell off the scaly skin and its size took down half of the temple's entablature, which crumbled over folded, bat-like wings.
The crowd screamed in terror and started running away. The dragon shuddered, as if adjusting to its new form, then started walking on all fours towards the house and the two men, ignoring whoever it trampled with its passage.
"Shit!" Kyrio grumbled. "What's going on here?"
"The Goddess Benjasmine!" Melania whispered, shocked. "She's back!"
"That's very unlikely," Branwen said, but his voice was shaky. "I didn't know you had dragons in Maadre. We had many in the former Moren Empire. If I had known, I'd have brought a team of dragon slayers."
"Get away, Melania," Kyrio ordered. "I doubt that beast will spare anyone. It's wounded and hur
ting. It will destroy anything in his path."
"We need spears," Branwen added, getting away from the window.
Melania nodded and quickly hugged Kyrio before rushing out of the back door with her children.
Kyrio and Branwen went out, meeting with Bianca and Sibilla.
"Spears, lances, fire arrows," Kyrio told them. "Where's the palace armory? We need big weapons. A battering ram would be perfect."
"No battering ram," Bianca said, still breathless. "But we have plenty of spears. Come."
***
Amazonia was surprised by her shape shift, but quickly adjusted to her new size and eyesight. She didn't know how – maybe the pain caused by the arrows in her Human body – but she had turned into her mother's true form.
The wounds inflicted under her new scaly skin still hurt, but she felt powerful and unstoppable. The silly little women would pay for trying to dethrone her – but mostly she wanted to crush the two foreign men with her new fangs and set of teeth. She marched on Melania's house, stomping over whoever wasn't quick enough to get out of her way.
She saw the men vanish from the window and come out of the front door to join her treacherous guards in their revolt. She screamed in anger as they rushed past her and into the palace. She was too slow, but moving her bulky frame was harder than walking on two legs.
The square was almost empty now, except for the corpses.
"You're an evil queen!" Laurisa shouted from the Temple's door.
Furious, Amazonia turned to face her again. She'd destroy her stupid descendant who had dared challenging her – the little bitch would never sit on her throne, ever!
But before she reached the temple, the rush of sandals down the palace stairs made her turn around again. Here were the two men with two dozen of her guards. They had spears and lances, some made on the spot by tying a dagger to a pole, which made for a longer thrusting blade. And her archers had fire arrows pointed at her.
Goddess, could those longer blades pierce her scaly skin! And the fire arrows burned her! Amazonia shrieked in pain, trying to take down as many opponents as she could. But her big wings were in the way – she didn't know how to use them, and they were soon torn to pieces by swords and lances. She didn't know how to spit fire, but fire was burning her. She didn't know how to take advantage of her dragon form – that was what had made her so slow and clumsy on all fours – except for the size and the claws.
She blindly locked her powerful jaws on a body and heard a crunching sound as a spear dove into her left eye. She released the body, screaming in pain, and another blade swished through her unprotected throat.
Amazonia collapsed, panting, and resumed her Human form. "May the Goddess damn you all," she whispered with her last strength.
A dozen swords dove down, pinning her to the ground. The last thing she saw was Kyrio's determined expression.
***
A sigh of relief passed through the guards that had gathered to take down the dragon queen.
"You're a great team of dragon slayers," Branwen told the women, who were still quite shaken by the strange battle. "I'm very proud of you."
Kyrio spat on Amazonia's still body and was about to join the others when flames erupted from the corpse and it vanished without smoke, consumed by a magic fire.
The women gasped at the new prodigy as Laurisa joined them, breathless from the jog from the temple. More people slowly came back towards the main square in the sudden silence.
Princess Irene and High Priestess Olimpia also reached the spot where the Queen had vanished, puzzled. None of them had expected the Queen's body to vanish.
"She was obviously some kind of magic creature," Branwen said, serious. "There were plenty in the Moren Empire, but when it collapsed, they vanished. Maybe one of them took refuge here."
The two elder women nodded, thoughtful.
"Thank you for your help," Laurisa told Branwen. "We shall give you back the ransom money and you will always be welcome in the Queendom of Maadre." She turned to look at Kyrio. "You too, of course."
Kyrio nodded and turned to look at Bianca who was leaning on Sibilla because of an ugly gash on her leg – Amazonia's dragon claw had barely missed her belly, where she would have done much more damage.
"Just go, Kyrio," the guard told him, exhausted. "Smeraldo is avenged, your life can go on."
"I will come back to see if you had a boy or a girl," he replied. "If it's a boy, as you'll have no use for him, I'll take him to the Lekisha Kingdom."
She nodded. She had told him she wouldn't follow him, so that felt like the best solution.
Kyrio turned towards Melania's house and saw her at the door. He went to her.
"I'm leaving, Melania. I will come back to visit Bianca in a year or so. You have a lot to rebuild here," he waved at the destroyed plinth, "but I'm sure you'll be all right. Laurisa will be a good queen."
"May the Goddess be with you," Melania answered, caressing his cheek. "And if you find another Smeraldo, I'd love to meet him."
Kyrio smiled ruefully. "There won't be another Smeraldo," he said. "I'm tired of looking for my soul mate."
"So you will be alone for the rest of your life?" she asked, concerned.
He glanced at Smeraldo's daughter, who stood inside the house behind her mother, then sighed.
"I don't know, Melania. Maybe I'll just come back here, eventually."
"You know you'll always be welcome," Melania concluded tenderly.
The End
The Public Man
All the men regarded with envy Leone, the Public Man of the village. He was young, handsome, and all the women adored him. The others vanished next to his beauty still stuck between boyhood and adulthood. He was twenty-three and had the most kissable lips available for miles. His brown mane earned him his name, and his only duty was to please the women who wanted to enjoy his company.
Leone was happy, idolized as he was by all the women of the village. The others envied him, but couldn't do anything against him, so they just left him alone. Especially since he used his influence over women to have a better treatment for all the men of the village.
Since it was a small community, Leone had made it possible that inside the village no man had to wear the Modesty Cloth outside the house, as was customary in the rest of the country. His mane brought smiles on the women's faces and the other men were happy to be able to show their bodies without being rebuked.
A few people didn't like him, though. A couple of elders muttered it was a scandal he was allowed to wander through the village half-naked and show off his good looks. He simply ignored the hags, innocently smiling at them when he crossed their paths and pretending not to notice the hostility.
And then he realized there was a young woman who had never visited him.
"Who is that?" he asked one of his admirers, observing the brunette talking to another woman by the village well.
"That's Clio."
"Where does she live?"
"She has a farm outside the village."
"Since when?"
"Oh, she inherited her mother's a few years ago. But she was born here."
"How come I never saw her before?" he wondered. "She never comes to the Public House."
"And never will!" The woman chuckled. "Clio hates Public Men."
"But why?"
"Who knows? She has strange ideas about men and thinks you're not good enough for her."
"I'm not?" He was genuinely surprised to hear this. He thought he had figured out women and how to please them – if they came to him. But Clio pointedly ignored him whenever she visited. Since all the other women were attracted to him, it was startling to discover someone thought he wasn't good enough.
"Just ignore her." The woman hugged him. "She probably wants you to wear a Modesty Cloth, like the old hags."
He grinned and kissed her and for that day Clio was forgotten. But he kept seeing her and curiosity won him. He needed to know what she thought of him, but since she never e
ven looked his way, he decided to make a move. So he went to her farm, and found her busy putting loaves of bread in the courtyard oven.
"Hello," he greeted. "I'm Leone."
"I know," she answered after glancing at him, closing the oven's opening. "What do you want?"
"You never come to visit, so I decided to visit you," he replied, ignoring the obvious hostility as she busied herself with a broom in front of the oven.
"What for?" she snapped.
"To meet you," he answered as if it were obvious. "I like knowing everyone."
"I don't," she retorted, putting away the broom and looking around the courtyard. She opened a sack of seeds and fed the hens loitering around.
"Why are you so hard on me?" he protested. "You're so sweet and smiling with your friends!"
"Exactly, with my friends." She stared at him with icy-blue eyes. "You're a man, and you weren't invited here. I don't need your services, therefore get lost and let me work."
"I'm working too," he objected, a little shaken by her blunt words.
"Well, don't do your job with me. I haven't requested you, so get out of my property," she replied, furious.
Leone didn't insist and went back to the village more puzzled than ever. That woman really hated him!
***
Leone started wondering about the secrets of his success. He was young, handsome and then what? What was wrong with him that he couldn't please Clio? Maybe he was too outgoing?
He didn't know who to ask, since he knew what the other women thought of him, so eventually he went back to the source, Clio herself.
"I'm sorry," he greeted with a new shyness. "Help me understand. What did I do wrong?"
"You shouldn't have come back," she said sharply.
"I know, but I'm here now. What's wrong with me?"
"You're a Public Man," she answered after a brief hesitation.
"So?" he asked, confused. "It's my job description, but..."
"I don't like your job," she retorted. "I don't want a Public Man. I want my own man and I don't want to share him."
"Why are you a Farmer and not a Huntress, then?"
Tales of the Queendom of Maadre Page 7
