by Sky Croft
When the plant was free of the soil, Shale placed it inside the cloth, and Blake carefully tucked it away inside her satchel.
“Appollonia will be pleased,” Blake said. “As am I. These herbs will help many in our tribe, and they’ll all have you to thank for it, Shale. Your foresight could prove quite invaluable.”
Shale’s smile was shy, making her all the more endearing to Blake. “I just want to do my part. Anyone else would’ve done the same.”
Blake, on her knees, leaned forward and captured Shale’s lips. “I’m so proud to call you my wife.”
Shale beamed. “That makes two of us.”
“And as for anyone else doing the same, did you not hear Kale just now? Most people wouldn’t even think to do such a thing.”
Shale shrugged modestly. “I must have too much time on my hands.”
“You must be kind, thoughtful, and generous. Which of course,” Blake tweaked her nose. “I know you are.”
“Blake,” Shale began to brush the soil from her hands. “You’ll make me blush.”
“You look lovely when you blush.” Blake kissed a reddening cheek. She then whispered playfully in Shale’s ear. “You’re selfless, too.”
“By the gods,” Shale’s tone dripped sarcasm. “You must be married to the perfect woman.”
Blake held her gaze, deadly serious. “That I am.”
Shale shook her dark mane, though she grinned, clearly delighted that Blake believed such a notion. “If I get a big head, it’s on you.”
Blake scoffed. “You have more chance of growing a third eye.”
“Now, there’s an image.” Shale stood, offering her hand to Blake.
Blake smiled as she was helped to her feet. “Courteous, t--” She was cut off as Shale pressed her mouth to hers. The kiss was deep, and Blake blinked dazedly when Shale withdrew.
“I’m going to keep on kissing you until you desist.”
Blake raised a defiant eyebrow. “If you want me to desist, you shouldn’t have given me an incentive.”
Shale grinned cheekily. “Damn, you found me out. I just wanted to keep kissing you.”
Blake snaked an arm around Shale and tugged her closer, making a show of looking around as she did so. “Well, you’re in luck, because we seem to be all alone in the woods.”
Clearly recognizing Blake’s underlying question, Shale’s gaze turned inward, as if checking her twin’s sense to detect Kale’s whereabouts. “We are. They’re nowhere near us.”
“Good.” Blake ran a teasing hand down Shale’s torso. “I’d hate for us to be interrupted.”
“SHALE, I’VE FOUND it,” Kale called out triumphantly.
Shale’s voice came back almost instantly. “Be right there.”
Kale couldn’t hear her coming through the trees, after all, Shale was trained in stealth, but she could sense her approach. Kale began to climb up the large tree, its old age apparent by its wide trunk and its many thick, sturdy branches.
“Kale, wait for me.” Shale chuckled excitedly as she all but bounded up the tree, taking Kale’s outstretched hand to be yanked up onto the wide branch beside her. “I’m so pleased its still here, and hasn’t been cut down for timber.”
They were nearing where their old village used to lie, and the tree they were currently in held many fond memories. They’d spent a lot of time gallivanting through the surrounding area, and this spot had become a favorite of theirs.
Kale held a finger to her lips as Amber and Blake finally came into view, hurrying through the woods in a clear effort to catch up.
“Now where did they go?” Blake asked, sounding a bit winded. “Don’t tell me we’ve lost them?”
“Kale?” Amber shouted. “Call out, will you?”
In the following quiet, Kale leaned against Shale and chuckled silently, these sorts of tricks amused her no end.
“Shale?” Blake tried now, yelling loudly.
Shale kept quiet as Kale had done.
Kale’s broad grin widened as Blake came to a stop directly under the tree they were hiding in.
Amber threw her hands up in the air. “Well, that’s just great! We’ll have to search for their tracks and find them that way.”
She began to pace around, and soon pointed out the twins’ trail. Following it, Amber put her hands on her hips when the trail suddenly ended near the foot of the tree. She shook her head at Blake. “No good. The trail stops here.”
Amber’s red curls bounced as her head abruptly whipped up toward the branches overhead.
Kale and Shale erupted into raucous laughter, and it only increased in volume as Blake and Amber scowled up at them.
“Why you...” Amber shook her fist at them.
“That wasn’t funny.” Blake clearly tried to be stern, but her face cracked into a smile. “We thought we’d lost you.”
“That was the point,” Kale said, completely unrepentant. “We had you completely fooled.”
“That you did,” Blake said.
Shale slapped Kale’s outstretched hand in success, then she patted the tree’s trunk affectionately. “This is the tree. You can see our names etched into the bark there.” Shale pointed downward, near the base, and Blake and Amber obligingly moved to take a look.
“I bet you two were a handful as adolescents,” Amber said.
Kale laughed. “Were we ever.” She looked eagerly to Shale. “Shall we show them?”
“Why else are we up here?” Shale scrambled up the trunk. “I’m going first.”
“I don’t think so.” Kale raced around the other side, shinning up the trunk as fast as Shale was. They both climbed past the next branch, and up onto the next, Kale pushing past Shale so she could emerge on the branch ahead. They were now so high that if either were to fall, it would likely be fatal. Despite that, they both balanced on the branch with such assuredness it was as if they stood on flat, secure ground.
“Shale, be careful,” Blake called out.
“Don’t worry, Blake,” Shale said. “We’ve done this plenty of times.”
Kale took off at a jog, running toward the end of the ever-narrowing branch. A moment later Shale followed, and as they neared the branches tip, their weight caused it to shake, and it began to sag.
Just before the branch reached its limit, unable to flex any more, Kale leapt off into the air, her arms rising to grab an overhead branch from a neighboring tree. Using her momentum, and the drive of the now swaying branch, she swung her legs forward and released her hold, falling through the air and landing nimbly on yet another branch, this belonging to the tree planted opposite to the one they’d started in.
Kale didn’t stop there. With Shale not far behind, she began to jump down the tree, leaping from one branch to the next, sometimes dropping quite a distance between each level. When Kale landed on solid ground, she felt herself grinning from ear to ear. Shale landed an instant later, the same grin reflected on her face. Four identical blue eyes looked expectantly to their gaping spectators.
Blake’s hand covered her chest, as if in fright. “Shale, don’t you ever do that to me again.”
Shale’s grin faltered slightly. “You didn’t like it?”
“It was one of the most incredible things I’ve ever seen, but you scared me half to death.”
Shale crossed to Blake and gave her an apologetic, one armed hug. “It wasn’t my intention to scare you. And I’m sorry that I did.”
Kale waved off her reaction. “We know what we’re doing, Blake. Amber, what did you think?”
Amber, being a warrior herself, seemingly appreciated the talent needed for such a feat. “It was phenomenal.” She clapped her hands. “And I want to amend my earlier comment—as adolescents, you must have been a bloody nightmare!”
“WHAT A VIEW,” Blake said admiringly. “It’s so beautiful around here.”
Shale wrapped her arms around Blake from behind, and Blake leaned back into her, resting her head against Shale’s collarbone. From their vantage point o
n the crest of a hill, they were able to see the valley as it unfolded before them. Kale and Amber had gone on ahead, leaving them to catch up when they so desired.
Shale pointed to the floor of the valley, which was quite expansive in width. Her finger tracked across the grass plains and wild flowering meadows. “That’s where the livestock were kept. Where the horses grazed.” She felt Blake’s nod against her chest. “The forest we just left, it continues right down the length of the valley, though only on this side, as you can see. The hills opposite helped to shelter us from the wind, and as the incline is a lot steeper on the other side, they helped to keep out invad...” Shale broke off with a grimace. Swallowing hard, she forced herself to continue, immensely grateful for Blake’s comforting squeeze to her arm. “Can you see that river in the distance? Along the valley?”
Blake craned her neck, squinting a little against the sun. “Where? Oh, yes, I’ve got it.”
“That was the border of our land. The river is actually a good bit wider than it appears from here, and the streams that flow off it provided our village with drinking water.”
“It’s beautiful,” Blake said. “I can see why a village would be built here. Where exactly did it lie?”
Shale frowned at her oversight. “Just west of the meadows.” She focused her gaze on the spot. From this distance, it didn’t appear any different from the meadows themselves. Since the village had been burnt to the ground, and more than a year had passed since then, nature had reclaimed the land as her own, leaving not a trace, at least none that Shale could see from here, of a village ever being in existence.
A single tear rolled slowly down her cheek. “It’s like we were never there.”
THE JOVIAL ATMOSPHERE from earlier had disappeared completely, and was replaced by a mournful, respectful silence.
Walking through the remnants of the Amazon village, where Shale and Kale used to call home, a profound sadness fell over the group. Amber and Blake hung back. They were there, should either twin need them, but allowed them the space to be alone with their thoughts, and one another.
Most of the fire-charred earth had healed itself, new growth or plants shooting through the once damaged soil. In some places, however, where the flames had burned particularly hot, a black scorch remained, a reminder of the heinous attack that had once taken place here.
Debris from the odd structure lay scattered about, the timber darkened from the blaze, warped beyond use.
When Shale and Kale had first discovered the massacre, their sisters’ weapons—swords, axes, staffs, bows and arrows, all had lain beside their fallen masters, and were left as such, even after the mass funeral pyre. Now, those weapons were nowhere to be seen, and it was clear from their absence that the village had been picked clean. Scavengers, and not of the animal variety, had taken whatever had survived the fire, whatever had been of worth.
Shale felt sick at the realization—the idea of strangers callously picking over what was left of their murdered tribe, making a profit from their untimely deaths. It was simply too much for her to take.
“Bastards.” Kale seethed from beside her, having obviously drawn the same conclusion.
They suddenly found themselves in front of a large black void in the grass, and they shared a pained look. They both remembered this spot well. It was where they’d piled their dead sisters, where the funeral pyre had been lit. The intense heat of the pyre, now burnt down to nothing, had left a permanent scar on the landscape, similar to what the twins felt in their hearts.
Shale withdrew her sword from the sheath on her back and embedded it, tip first, into the ground. She dropped to one knee, hand still on the hilt, and dipped her head to pray.
Kale followed suit an instant later. They were twin profiles against a backdrop of black.
Many moments passed, then clearly sensing her distress, Kale embraced Shale, who shook in her arms as she cried. It wasn’t long before they were crying together, both overcome with grief. The only comfort they had was the satisfaction of knowing they’d brought the man responsible to justice, and by avenging their tribe, their sisters’ spirits could now rest in peace.
A short way back, Blake and Amber stood quietly, their faces showing nothing but sympathy. They didn’t intrude, seeming to recognize that in that moment, all the twin’s needed were one another.
KALE ROSE FLUIDLY to her feet, sheathing her sword back in place. Shale began to rise also, but she dropped back onto her knee, causing Kale’s hand to dart out to her in alarm. Kale motioned for Blake and Amber to join them, but she needn’t have bothered, for Blake was already hurrying toward them—in fact, she’d already covered half the distance, an anxious look etched onto her face.
“Shale, are you all right?” Kale asked quickly, her grip to Shale’s shoulder tightening reflexively.
Shale glanced to her in visible surprise. “Of course.” She twisted her sword in the dirt, seemingly searching for something. “When I pulled up my sword, I felt it grate against something. I think it was metal.”
Blake suddenly dropped down beside them. “What’s wrong, Shale?”
Shale frowned. “Nothing.” She touched her face self-consciously. “Do I not look well or something? Kale just asked me the same thing.”
“You collapsed,” Blake said.
“I did no such thing.”
“I saw you just now, Shale.” Blake gently brushed her thumb over the drying tears on Shale’s cheeks. “You’re grieving, I understand.”
Shale stilled Blake’s hands on her face, looking touched by her concern. “I’m fine. I just found something in the ground.”
“Oh.” Blake chuckled. “My mistake.”
Kale began to dig around with Shale’s sword. She heard a clink as the blade made contact with something other than soil.
Amber leaned over Kale. “Sounds metallic.”
Shale smiled at her. “That was my guess too.”
Kale removed the sword, passing it back to Shale, then started to shovel the mud out. She came up holding a silver leg greave, the shine dulled somewhat from being in the ground. Surprisingly, the styled pattern on the front, which protected the shin, could still be made out.
Kale shared an incredulous look with Shale.
“What?” Blake said. “Do you recognize it?”
Kale held out her hand. “Amber, pass me your water skin.”
Shale took the greave from Kale, so that Kale had both hands free to squeeze the water skin. As the water squirted out, Kale increased the pressure to get more force into the flow. The soil and dirt came off quite easily, though Shale had to rub at a few spots where it had become more ingrained. On the inside, the plain undecorated side, they took more care, cleaning every part, focusing particularly in the corners.
“Here it is.” Shale tapped her finger close to one corner.
“Let me see.” Kale eagerly peered over, then clapped her hand delightedly against Shale’s back. “It is hers. She always did like to mark her things.”
“Who?” Amber and Blake exclaimed together, clearly impatient to be informed.
Shale and Kale blinked in shock. Shale was the first to laugh. “You sound like us.”
“We don’t sound like that,” Kale said.
“You do!” Blake and Amber again spoke in unison, this time breaking into giggles as they did so.
Kale blinked once more. “It’s quite jarring.”
“Now you know what we have to deal with,” Amber teased.
Kale frowned in affront, but Shale was still laughing. “You’re both spending too much time in the company of twins.”
Blake smiled warmly. “I’m sure we can cope.” She pointed down to the greave. “So who does it belong to?”
“It was Senna’s,” Shale said. “You remember, who...”
Blake nodded. “You considered her to be a blood sister, I remember.”
“The woman who got skewered by that wild boar?” Amber asked, obviously recalling a story they’d once told.
Blake shook her head in wonder. “What are the chances of you finding this?”
“Pretty remote.” Kale took the greave and caressed the mark fondly with her forefinger. Her eyes filled with happy tears.
Amber draped an arm across Kale’s shoulders. “Perhaps Senna wanted you to have it?”
Kale gave her a doting look, and it was reflected on Amber’s face. “That’s a nice thought.”
“ARE YOU TIRED, sweetheart?” Blake asked, as Shale stifled another yawn.
Shale turned her head slightly, giving Blake an amused look over her shoulder. “You’re playing with my hair. You know it puts me to sleep.”
“I’m plaiting your hair,” Blake said, busily weaving three sections together, intertwining them into a single long braid down Shale’s back. “You have beautiful hair, Shale.” Her locks had a reflective shine, sleek and glossy, dark as a starless night.
Shale chuckled. “I don’t know who enjoys this more, me or you.”
A guilty smile. “Hmm, that’s a tough one.”
Once the plait was finished, Blake seated herself on Shale’s lap, folding her arms around her neck. Shale was sitting on a low tree stump—she’d thoughtfully done so to make it easier for Blake to reach her hair.
“Are you enjoying the trip?”
Blake nodded emphatically. “Very much. It’s nice to be able to see where you grew up—the area at least.” Blake appreciatively took in her surroundings, the rolling countryside lush and green. “It’s wonderful around here, very picturesque.”
“It is.” Shale smiled, but it was tinged with sadness. “Though I wish you could have seen it before.”
Blake rested her forehead against Shale’s in silent support. She knew there was nothing she could say that would fix the situation, so she remained quiet, using simple touch to provide the comfort needed.
