In the time the women traveled ten miles, we traveled a hundred. Our delegation approached theirs only five miles beyond the Burrow-Eyry road. Bubbling Water called a halt, then came toward our delegation alone.
When I first saw her, I didn't recognize her. Bubbling Water wore her hair bound in a braid. Her thick-soled moccasins reached her knees. Her breeches were a loose, thickly padded cotton. Her fur-lined leather tunic dropped to her thighs. From a distance her face looked severe and sharp. She didn't look happy as she descended the hill, striding like a man. She wasn't wearing an electrical shield—her mindshields were like the stone walls of a castle.
Our company bowed as she reached the base of hill.
Nodding, she said, “Infinite be with you, Bear.”
“And with you, Lady Matriarch,” I replied, introducing her to the ten warriors in our delegation.
“Where'd you find so many beautiful women, Lady?” Brazen Bear asked.
She smiled, a mere crack in her ice. Nearly everyone liked Brazen Bear instantly, so I wondered what was bothering her. “Would you and the warriors help them set up camp? We're done traveling for the day.”
“Happily, Lady Matriarch.” Bowing, Brazen Bear gestured the warriors to follow him.
A cold wind began to blow as the contingent climbed the hill. Bubbling Water looked at me. I saw her deep, deep sadness. “I'm sorry your sister miscarried,” I said—and instantly wished I hadn't.
Sighing, she closed her eyes. “That was my fault.” She looked off to the north to avoid looking at me.
“Let's walk, eh?” Knowing to ask nothing from her—not even for her to tell me her troubles—I emitted acceptance, guessing she needed that more than anything.
Nodding, she fell into step beside me. Skirting a large boulder, we began to climb a hill, weaving our way through thick manzanita. She slipped once or twice but soon walked on the leaves like a native. “Six weeks ago, before your audience with Smoking Arrow, he and Steaming Water promised Scowling Tiger I'd mate him to redress him for his loss of the Caven Hills. When they told me—last week—I was furious, and refused.”
Nodding, I held out my hand to help her over a deadfall.
“Even if I did want to mate that fur-licking alley cat, I'd have refused because they didn't ask me first. 'I don't understand,' Steaming Water said. 'Scowling Tiger's the perfect mate. He's young and immensely wealthy. Other than that stupid revolt of those dung-headed peasants, his reputation is immaculate. Why don't you want to mate him?' I couldn't stop myself from laughing in her face.”
Her care-worn face saddened me. “Watch the gopher holes here,” I said. Pushing aside a heavy bough, I let her pass and settled into step beside her.
“I tried to explain why,” Bubbling Water said. “Remember our talk the day before your first audience with Smoking Arrow? Scowling Tiger's probably the most cynical of all the young nobility, and certainly of the Prefects. I'd rather mate a peasant! Steaming Water couldn't understand my reasons. When I stood fast, she demanded I resign as Matriarch. I told her to go to the Infinite. Instead, she went to Smoking Arrow and asked him to remove me. He couldn't, of course; men might rule with their swords, but women govern with their sheaths. All the Matriarchs would've ordered their daughters to cease having children if he'd interfered. Steaming Water was livid and miscarried an hour later.”
Bubbling Water sighed, and I saw she was crying. I put my arm around her, and she sobbed on my shoulder. I don't know how long we stood there. Sensing she just needed to work it through, I didn't say anything. I knew the miscarriage wasn't her fault. From what she'd told me, I guessed Steaming Water had aborted the fetus herself. I reflected what terrible pain we inflict on ourselves merely to hurt others. Glad Bubbling Water had stood her ground, I drew strength from her courage. The cold wind blew lonely leaves around us, the first the deciduous trees would shed.
After awhile, she pulled away and began to walk. “I'm sorry, Guarding Bear. You must think I'm too sentimental and foolish to be a Matriarch. I come here to help, leading an army of women, and end up crying on your shoulder over something that wasn't my fault. I just needed to talk. I can't tell anyone in Emparia City what I say to my sister or she to me. In minutes, everyone knows or thinks he or she knows. I can't even tell Aged Oak. That old salt might be my crewmate, but his gale of words could blow the ship of state off course, eh? Thank you for listening.”
Nodding, I cast her a melancholy smile and turned my eyes to the treacherous ground. We reached the crest of the hill, where the wind was a stiff breeze. The trees were wind-swept gnarls of branch and leaf, the soil stony and cracked.
Below us was the camp. Gray smoke billowed from a large communal fire. On the air floated the smells of frying meat and perfume. Smiling, I wondered how these soft, pampered females would fare in our harsh landscape. “Are they all daughters of yours?”
Bubbling Water shook her head. “Some are, most aren't. I've spent the last month asking the other Matriarchs for volunteers. Those stone-brain noble males refused to help me, saying you'd have to succeed or fail on your own. Men!” she snarled in disgust. Glancing at me, she ducked her head in chagrin. “I don't mean you, Guarding Bear.”
“Well, thank the Infinite, I'm not a man.”
“You know what I meant.” Bubbling Water grinned at me. “Anyway, I've brought two hundred chemathons, two hundred levithons, sixty medacors, twenty empathons, twenty portathons, and supplies enough to feed and clothe them throughout the winter. Few of them have mates and children, so they won't run home the first time a family member falls and scrapes a knee. Most are young and think we're on a grand adventure. When the rains begin, I hope they'll have the courage to stay. I warned them, but the difference between an empty word of warning and the brutal reality is like the difference between Scowling Tiger and you.”
“I'm a 'brutal reality'?”
“And he's the empty word of warning.” She laughed, shedding her cares.
“You're beautiful when you laugh, Lady Water.” You're beautiful no matter what you do, I wanted to tell her. “Thank you for bringing them all to help. Infinite bless your golden soul.” I looked down at the camp from the crest of hill and shook my head. On my arm, I felt her hand and smiled at her. “I have an idea. Since the crew's here and needs to get there—” I pointed to the east “—why don't we put in a road?”
“That is smart! I was wondering how many days travel it is to Bastion. We aren't the swiftest afoot, certainly not in this terrain.”
“I'm glad you couldn't convince those rock-headed noble males to help,” I said. “When the peasants see your army of women, they'll smile and laugh and do all they can to make their stay comfortable. If you'd brought men, the peasants would've cursed and stolen their supplies and kicked them out in the cold.”
Drawing a deep breath of evening breeze, I felt confident we'd succeed. Looking at the woman beside me, I felt her mind touch the edge of mine. She smiled, sharing my confidence. “Shall we join them, Lady Water?” I gestured at the camp below.
Looking around, she stepped toward the other side of the hill, gesturing me to follow. Out of sight of the camp, she stopped and motioned me closer. Standing on her toes, Bubbling Water kissed me softly on the lips. “Thank you, Guarding Bear,” she said, and walked toward the camp.
Warmth coursing through me, I stood there bemused, my hormones telling me to behave in undignified ways. I felt like the young, virile, adolescent male I was. After a few minutes, I followed her.
We worked through the winter, slogging through mud choked streams and rain soaked bushes, over slippery hills under cloudy skies, bringing order to a chaotic land. Of the five hundred women Bubbling Water had brought, four hundred stayed until planting. By then we'd terraced a hundred farms. Throughout the winter, I'd work beside her for a week or two, then wouldn't see her for a week. When we happened to camp near each other, we felt so exhausted from working all day, we had only an hour to talk before fatigue dragged us off to sleep.
Most of our talks weren't very private. We both had people always wanting a moment of our time to discuss the canal I was digging or the school she was building. Even so, we found time to talk about the people and the land, and the dreams we had for them. Somewhere in there, we also found time to laugh and be friends, to cherish each other's company.
When spring came, Bubbling Water needed to return to Emparia City. She invited me to visit her if I happened to go there. As my brother and I watched them march away, Brazen Bear asked me, “Do you think that 'army of whores' will come back?”
I smiled at our affectionate cognomen for them when they couldn't hear us. Shrugging, I picked up a plowshare. “If she doesn't, I'll go find her.”
“You wouldn't betray the Caven Hills by mating some outlander noble wench, would you?”
I knew he was joking but asked him seriously, “Would you mate her?”
Not answering, Brazen Bear looked mournfully after them.
A few months later, Steaming Water conceived again. Less than a week after that, early one morning, Bubbling Water appeared on my doorstep in Bastion, only her personal servant and a pair of guards with her. She grinned at me as I opened the door. “The Lord Emperor banished me from the castle.”
Laughing, I invited her in. The others stayed outside. The moment I closed the door, Bubbling Water put her arms around me. I held her, feeling a comfort I can't describe, as though someone had reached into my chest and was stroking my heart. It was timeless and still didn't last long enough. I don't know how long we stood in the central room of my modest home, not talking. The eternal moment ended when the door swung open—right into my back.
“Why are you blocking the door?” Brazen Bear asked, poking his head through. “Oh, uh, Infinite be with you, Lady. Will you be working today, Brother? The sun's been up an hour now. Of course, a day of rest wouldn't harm you.”
I smiled at him. Nodding, Brazen Bear ducked back out, closing the door.
“You have an invitation to Emparia City next week,” Bubbling Water said. “Smoking Arrow's going to hold that auction he promised you. Did you collect the statues?”
“You said he banished you.”
Shaking her head, she smiled. “He would have if my sister had let him. Oh, look at those beautiful statuettes!” She gestured at the central room.
“Brazen Bear and I've made hundreds of them, and we dug up seventy five statues from the battlefield.”
Fascinated with each, Bubbling Water wandered among them. “Oh, you've got work to do today, don't you? I'm sorry. Let's go, eh?” Kissing me on the nose, she stepped out the door.
Throughout the week she stayed at my side, going where I went and helping with whatever I was doing. At night, I insisted she sleep in the next cot or next room. Wanting to stay beside me, she nodded glumly. By the end of the week, of course, the whole Empire assumed we'd sought the Infinite through our joining. Being the Matriarch Water, she could couple with anyone she wanted—except possibly the Emperor. While I very much wanted her body, I felt reluctant. I value the beauty of her spirit, which happens to live in the temple of a goddess. We didn't spend all our nights apart. One night Bubbling Water couldn't sleep, and we talked until the sun rose. That week I always knew she was near. I developed a faith in her presence that nothing has shaken since.
Near the week's end, we packed almost two tons of statues and statuettes, and I turned my duties over to Brazen Bear. “Bring back money, and mate the wench while you're there, eh?” he whispered quickly in my ear.
With four levithons carrying the statues behind us, Bubbling Water and I traveled to Emparia City. The Bastion Nest road was in poor shape. The autumn before, we hadn't had time to design and construct it properly. Patience, I told myself, wanting to stop and fix it right then. We traveled slowly because of the statues. A seasoned warrior travels the distance in twenty four hours, but we took three days.
Fortunately, the Emperor had given us permission to stamp the crates with the Imperial insignia, or Scowling Tiger would've found some way to confiscate them. As we passed through Nest, we could feel his spies watching our every motion.
Bubbling Water's home in Emparia City was a palace. The walk from the gate to the door took us a full ten minutes. As we approached the front entrance, she instructed the levithons to take the crates to the side entrance for unloading.
“Eh? Why unload them here?” I asked.
“We're having the auction here.”
“The place looks large enough for an auction.”
Bubbling Water smiled, and I knew I'd insulted everything nobility held sacred. “Don't say that to Steaming Water, eh? When we go in, I want you to stay in the antechamber and say nothing, all right?”
“What's an antechamber?” I asked, following her. I looked around while she entered the central room. The antechamber glittered. Coating the walls was a layer of crushed crystal. Arches soared above me, twice as high as my house in Bastion. From the ceiling hung a chandelier that looked so heavy I prayed it didn't come loose. I heard her speaking with someone inside. I waited placidly, feeling grimy in that immaculate place. Even so, I felt I belonged because she wanted me there.
I heard her voice getting closer. “… While he's here, I want you to meet my betrothed,” Bubbling Water said, leading a woman around the corner.
I recognized her instantly. I bowed to the Lady Empress Steaming Water. 'Betrothed'? I wondered, glancing around as I rose, seeing no one else. “Infinite be with you, Lady Empress.”
Steaming Water turned to her sister. “Where is he?”
Bubbling Water glanced at me and looked at her sister.
The Empress looked baffled.
Then Bubbling Water pointed at me with an outstretched arm. “Him.”
“That's the Peasant Upstart Usurper, Sister. You can't mate him!”
“Why not? He's young and immensely wealthy—or will be after the auction—and he has more face than Scowling Tiger.”
I could see the Empress was about to miscarry again. Laughing aloud, I said, “It's a joke, Lady Empress. I persuaded the Lady Matriarch to tell you that as a practical joke.” I laughed again as if I expelled excess wind.
Steaming Water's relief was plain until she saw her sister's face. “It's not a joke, is it? Oh, Infinite blast you, Bubbling Water!”
While her sister raved, Bubbling Water stepped toward me. Putting her arm around me, she lay her head on my shoulder and watched the tirade sadly.
“… You're the most insolent, insufferable, intolerable, infuriating sister I have! Well, Lady Matriarch, that won't last long!” Steaming Water said, sneering the title and staring at us. “I'll ask my mate to…”
Pulling my face down to hers, Bubbling Water kissed me as though her sister weren't even there. I lost myself in the kiss and didn't hear what Steaming Water said after that. Somewhere in the distance I heard the voice of a shrew rise and fall like waves at a beach too far away to see. After a few minutes, the sound faded, the kiss transporting me. When Bubbling Water released me, I thought I was still far away, because I didn't hear that harping voice anymore.
“I'd like your permission to mate the man I love, Lady Empress.”
Steaming Water shook her head, exasperated. “You'll mate him with or without my permission. Why the Infinite do you ask?”
“Because I love and respect my sister as I did our mother.”
Steaming Water cooled in the gentle breeze of Bubbling Water's soothing voice. “He's ugly, and he smells.”
“The beauty inside Guarding Bear far surpasses his handsome looks, and he smells like the land he loves.”
“If he loves it so much, he ought to return to it, and never come back!”
“He'll always return to the land, thank the Infinite,” Bubbling Water replied, “because he cares about the people and the land far more than any noble I know.”
“They're peasants, blast it—offal!”
“Forgive me, Lady Empress,” I said, “but they're citizens fi
rst, peasants second, and offal never.”
“Where'd you get such a crazy, Infinite blasted idea, Peasant?”
“From my father, Crazy Bear,” I replied, trying not to grin. “Forgive me for saying so, but without peasants, you wouldn't be Empress, Lady.”
“True enough, Bear. You're incorrigible, Sister. Very well.” Steaming Water sighed, losing her head of steam.
“Oh, thank you, Sister, and bless you.” Bubbling Water hugged the Empress, who tolerated the embrace as a cat would a bath.
“Thank you for your blessing, Lady Empress,” I said, bowing.
Steaming Water watched me, probably to insure I wouldn't hug her as well. “I suppose you'll announce your betrothal before the auction, eh?”
Bubbling Water smiled sweetly. “How did you know?”
“Because your heart's an abacus, like mine, Sister.” The two women shared a laugh. After a moment, I caught on that my statues were more valuable if I were the Matriarch Water's betrothed. Steaming Water smiled at me, her teeth gleaming white—the wrong color, I thought. “I'll see you at the evening meal, Sister. Bring him, and we'll begin to civilize him.” Smiling again, Steaming Water wrinkled her nose as though at an offensive odor, then turned and left. I knew we'd be great friends.
“That's as polite an invitation as you'll get from her.”
“Gracious of her,” I said, shaking my head. “Bubbling Water,” I asked, “this man you love, have you told him yet?”
Laughing, she stepped into my arms.
On the day of the auction, Bubbling Water and I scandalized the Empire by announcing our betrothal. The only Eastern nobles who didn't attend the auction were Scowling Tiger and his brothers. The only ones who didn't buy something were his very staunch allies. We set prices for the statuettes, which sold in an hour, all four hundred. Then the bidding began. I'd never heard such high amounts tossed around in casual conversation. Before the bidding was over, I was wealthier than I'd ever dreamt, and certainly than I'd ever need.
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