Amazon Queen a-2

by Лори Девоти

  My call to the high council would have to wait.

  I gestured to the warrior. She followed me into the kitchen. It was empty and would stay that way for a while. The farmer's market stayed open until two, then the hearth-keepers would have to clean up and drive back here. Dinner would be late or self-serve, which meant cold something grabbed from the refrigerator. But even that was a ways off for most of the tribe.

  While Areto pulled out a chair, I went to rummage in the refrigerator for a late lunch for myself. I found cold chicken and potatoes. After dumping them onto a plate, I carried it back to the table.

  She watched me as I picked up a leg and bit into it. "How was your trip?"

  It was a strangely polite and somewhat distant question. I chewed the meat, then answered, "Fine."

  She glanced to the side.

  The suspicions that Lao's comments had created sprang to life. I took another bite of chicken, then asked, "What happened this morning?"

  She sat with her back straight and her eyes facing forward, like a robot. Her posture made me realize I'd been wrong before. The length and color of her hair aside, she was nothing like Mel. There was always fire in my friend; frequently it was misdirected or not directed at all, but it was always there.

  "We did as you said. We took the birder's body to the remains of the cabin. Lao came too. She had us prop the body against an old tractor, made it look like the woman had been messing with it. Then she turned on the engine and worked the cord on her binoculars so it got caught in the belt. The cord pulled tight. We left with it still running."

  I waited for her to say something else, some opinion on moving the body, or my leaving and taking Bern, or on the birders I'd found in the front yard. . anything, but she gave me nothing. She just waited.

  Suddenly her lack of opinion, or at least inclination to keep it to herself, bothered me. Just days earlier I would have said that is what I wanted in a lieutenant, but now I wasn't sure.

  I set the chicken leg down on my plate. "Areto, what did you think about it?"

  She blinked. "About what?"

  "Moving the body. Making it look like she died somewhere other than where she did."

  A line deepened on her forehead. "It's what you told us to do."

  "What if I hadn't?"

  "But you did."

  "But if I'd said to do something different? What if I'd had Bern take responsibility? Asked her to have her givnomai covered, then say she'd killed the birder. Would you have agreed with that?"

  She didn't hesitate. "Yes."

  "Because?"

  "You're queen."

  "And that's enough? You'll do what I ask because I'm queen?"

  Confusion and a little wariness shone from her eyes. She nodded.

  "What if I wasn't? What if the high council announced a different queen? Would you follow her too?"

  Again, not so much as a breath before her reply. "Of course."

  I wiped my fingers on my shorts, thinking and not liking my own thoughts. I looked at my would-be lieutenant again. "What if I asked you to kill someone? Someone who as far as you knew had done nothing wrong, just in my opinion held the potential. Would you do that?"

  There was a flicker this time and for a second I tensed, expectant.

  Then, "Of course."

  Of course.

  I looked at her again, hoping I'd see something that would change the sick feeling twisting in my gut, making me regret my lunch.

  She sat waiting, ready to do as I said, whatever I said. But there was no fire inside her, no life.

  No, she wasn't like Mel. She was like me, a blind follower, a sheep.

  Chapter 11

  I put in another call to Kale before moving back out into the sunshine.

  In the meantime I'd done what I could do and my bit of self-discovery didn't seem that grim. Maybe I had been a sheep, but it didn't mean being one hadn't served the tribe well. Areto following my orders served the tribe well. . it was all about the leadership. If the right Amazons were in the top positions, following them had to be okay.

  So as far as the baby, I just needed to talk to someone. There was every possibility the sons were lying and had convinced Mel of those lies. When the council called back, I'd know. Until then there was no reason to stew.

  With my conscience clear, I headed toward the barn. I hadn't ridden in days and not only did the horses need exercise, I needed the peace that came with galloping across a field. I could indulge that need and work in some practice throwing spears from horseback for our upcoming performance at the state fair while waiting for my call.

  As I stepped onto the gravel that separated the yard from the barn area, Thea pulled back down the drive. She parked under a big maple, hopped out, and strode toward me.

  "I've found the child."

  The sugar cubes I'd brought for the horses fell onto the ground.

  "She's in Madison." She placed two fingers in her mouth and blew, a move that resulted in a sharp whistle.

  The warriors immediately appeared from the barn and Areto from the house. Sare, who had been sitting under a tree carving fetishes, brushed dirt off the seat of her shorts and moved toward us too.

  Thea glanced at the approaching Amazons, then addressed me. "The bird son took her to your friend. Did you see them?"

  My mind played back the scene in the basement like an old movie reel, jumpy and scratchy. Had I seen the baby? One looked just like another to me, but the bird son? I knew I hadn't seen him. Of course, I had seen Jack, not at Mel's but soon after.

  I shook my head.

  Areto walked up, followed closely by Sare. The warriors had already taken up a position a few feet away. I was surprised that none of them had stepped closer or lined up beside me. As it was, they could have as easily been flanking Thea as me. She had signaled for them, but, still, their choice of position was odd.

  I forced myself not to look at them, not to let any sign of my confusion show. Instead, I answered Thea. "I didn't see them, but Bern stayed behind. I can have her check it out." Thinking we were done, I bent to pick up the sugar cubes.

  "That will only alert them that we know she is there. In fact, your trip and leaving Bern there may have already endangered our success. We should go tonight."

  "And do what?" I'd picked up the cubes and held them in my loosely closed hand.

  Thea glanced at the others and then back at me. "Attack, of course. Get the baby back and bring her here."

  I shook my arm, felt the cubes rattle inside my fist like beans in a maraca. "No. Not yet." I turned toward the barn.

  Thea reached out, placing a hand on my shoulder to stop me.

  I stiffened. It was instinct when anyone touched me, but in this circumstance being watched by the warriors and artisan of the camp, I particularly didn't want to be touched, especially by Thea. I stepped to the side and spun, causing her hand to drop and bringing me back to facing her.

  "There is no reason to wait."

  I could feel eyes on us, but when I glanced at the warriors their gazes dropped.

  Thea stepped closer and stage-whispered in my ear, "It was one thing to run last night, to leave those here to clean up. I understand your past, that you can't afford a second run-in with the human police so soon after your arrest last fall, but to add to the crime of losing the child by not going after her now, how can you justify that?"

  Two of the warriors shifted their feet.

  My fingers tightened on the treats in my hand. The cubes cut into my skin. I didn't know where to start with her outrageous claims. That I ran? That I was denying a charge?

  But I was queen. I didn't have to explain.

  Instead, I moved the cubes into my other hand and wiped the left-behind bits of sugar off my palm and onto my shorts. "How exactly did you learn where the baby is? How do we know she is there at all?" I used the feminine because Thea had. I didn't want to alert her I might not believe everything I had been told. . not yet.

  Emotion flickered behind he
r eyes. Annoyance, I guessed.

  "We tracked the. . son."

  I had been feigning interest, really only concerned with reminding her I was in charge, but her response surprised me. "We?"

  She opened her mouth, then closed it with a smile. "I hired someone. I know it isn't normal, but we needed someone with experience researching."

  "A detective?" I frowned. "What did you tell this detective? What job did you give him?" I was concerned now. Amazons all had created pasts. You couldn't live to be five hundred in the human world. The fact that we did required some creative paperwork-or a complete avoidance of paperwork. Both of which a detective could easily spot.

  "Not a detective. . friends."

  "Friends? Amazons?"

  "Friends to the Amazons." She waved her hand, as if waving away any other questions. "The point is, I know where the child is, but the son could move her. We need to go tonight."

  This time I was more direct. "No."

  Her eyes flickered. "No? What about the high council?"

  "I'll talk to them."

  "I already have."

  "I'll talk to them again." My temper was slipping. I wasn't used to being challenged, and despite my concern that the Amazons were becoming sheep, I didn't like this obvious proof that Thea was not among that group-at least where following my command was concerned.

  Thea pulled in a breath, a patient I can't believe I have to say this breath. "There is no reason or time to talk to them again. We have to go tonight."

  Then as if that settled everything, she gestured to Areto, and my would-be lieutenant hurried over. I took a step back, surprised and for perhaps the first time in my life, unsure. Somewhere, somehow I had lost control.

  It was, however, a momentary setback. I glanced down at the sugar cubes in my hand, staring at them blindly as my mind whirled. Unless the high council said otherwise, I was queen. Thea, no matter how she presented herself or what her magical abilities, wasn't.

  And right now I didn't even know if the high council still existed.

  I dropped the cubes on the ground. "We will do nothing until I have talked to the council." I stared at Areto, let my gaze bore into her. It took longer than it should have, seconds when it should have been immediate, but her eyes flickered and her head dropped. . she nodded.

  Having made my point, I turned, paced back toward the house, and hoped to hell my call was returned soon.

  It was, two hours later.

  I answered on the third ring. I had the phone in my hand on the first ring, but I waited until two more peals had passed before pushing the button to connect. The call felt more important than it was, I told myself. It was just a call, like a thousand others I had participated in in the past.

  The future of the Amazons wasn't riding on this; my future wasn't riding on this.

  "Zery?"

  "Kale?" I asked. I didn't speak with my contact enough to recognize her voice.

  "Away. This is Padia. Why did you call?"

  I hesitated. To question her again would be to question her authority, but to not question her. . it reeked of sheep. Still, breaking one hundred years of training was a hard thing to do in one step. "I wanted to know what we are to do with the baby."

  Her tone sharpened. "Do you have the baby?"

  I hesitated. "We captured her from the sons three days ago."

  "Three days?" There was a pause; I could hear her thinking, judging.

  "Yes, I called, but no one called back." I paused. "Where did you say Kale is?"

  "Don't worry about Kale. Give the child to. . Thea. She knows what to do."

  I stared at the wall. I was sitting in a small sitting room, off the dining area. A fold-out couch was crammed in one corner, a bureau in the other. It was where Bern had slept before I'd left her in Madison.

  "I'm queen. I should know what the plan is for the infant."

  There was silence, then. . "Give the child to Thea."

  There was a spot on the wall. I hadn't noticed it before even though it looked old and had probably been there for two decades. I stood and placed my palm over it, then pulled my hand back and stared at it again.

  "It's true." The stain was still there, still as obvious. How had I missed it all this time?

  "What, Zery? What's true?" Padia's voice had an edge now, held a challenge.

  I turned my back on the wall and the stain. "Sorry. I wasn't talking to you. Someone walked in, asked me a question."

  There was tension on the other end of the line; I could feel it vibrate. "Good. So you understand what you are to do." Each word was an order: short, terse.

  My fingers were tight around the phone; my wrist began to ache from my grip. "I understand." I understood way too much. "One last question. The council, have they met recently?"

  Silence for a second, then. . "The council isn't your worry. Giving the infant to Thea is. Tell her to call me, after."

  After. One word and it was all the answer I needed. More than I wanted to know.

  "Zery, the tribe has to stay strong. Don't question what you don't understand."

  Be a sheep. That was my job. Being queen had never felt so demeaning.

  I knew it was a farce then. That everything, every bit of pride I'd had in my elevated position, was a lie. The son Jack was right. I was nothing. . not to him, not to anyone. I might as well have been a human in a dead-end job tightening whatever cog I'd been assigned to tighten.

  "Zery?"

  I snapped out of my daze, but not the fog that now seemed to engulf me. "Yes."

  "I think I need to talk to Thea. Can you get her?"

  Of course I could. That was what I did-follow orders. I carried the phone into the yard and handed it to our new high priestess; then I walked into the woods.

  I knew Jack was watching. I knew he would find me.

  * * *

  If the son was watching, he didn't show himself. I wandered along the meandering path for half an hour, waiting. For what, I didn't know. If he showed, what would I do?

  Tell him he was right-the council did plan to kill the baby?

  I'd lied to Padia, by omission at least. She thought we had the child. Of course, after she spoke with Thea she would know differently. What was the punishment for a queen who lied to the council?

  I had no idea.

  Just as I had no idea what I was going to do when I returned to camp and found the Amazons, my Amazons, planning their attack on Mel.

  I stopped by the obelisk. Someone had been here recently. There were leaves from a plant I didn't recognize strewn on the ground. The birders, I assumed. What they had been doing I couldn't imagine, but it wasn't important, not right now.

  I placed both hands on the cold stone and closed my eyes while I prayed to Artemis. She was a moon goddess, but she didn't sleep. I had to believe she was near, near enough to guide me.

  I needed guidance and I had no one else to go to to find it. At one time I would have gone to Mel, but she had moved on. Yes, she would still talk to me, but she had left the Amazons. What kind of advice could she give me, who couldn't imagine life without the tribe?

  And that I realized was what this was coming down to. Go along with what I knew the council had planned, as I assumed Thea was doing, or walk away and leave my entire life behind.

  A pain, worse than any I'd felt in the last few days, shot through me.

  Leaving might not have been easy for Mel, but for me? It was unimaginable. It would be easier to pick up a sword and hack off my own arm. That would hurt less.

  So I drew on every bit of faith I could muster and let my desperation show. . bared myself to the goddess I had taken for granted and prayed she'd look in on me now.

  Something rustled in the trees. My hands still on the stone, I opened my eyes. A hound sat five feet away at the edge of the forest. Hounds were one of Artemis's animals, and we had a number of them back at camp.

  While I didn't recognize this one, there were strays in the area-it was how most of the dogs at camp c
ame to us. A year ago I would have had no reason to be wary of the creature, but the sons had changed that. In fact, the son who had killed the teens last fall had shifted into a dog. He'd been in his dog form when he learned my givnomai and used it against me.

  So I had every reason not to trust this creature, or at best, to brush his appearance aside, but I didn't.

  I took him as a sign, which probably showed how desperate I'd become.

  He watched me from the cover of the brambles for a bit, neither nervous nor aggressive. Not even, I realized, curious-more patient. Like he was waiting for me to come to some conclusion or finish what I was doing, but since I was doing nothing, I continued standing there, waiting too.

  After a second, he sat.

  It was then I started to feel silly. I lowered my hands and took a step toward the creature, still half expecting him to disappear in a puff of smoke before I got too close.

  Instead, he whimpered. Another step and I could see him more clearly, more of him. Enough to realize he wasn't a he at all, but a she, and she had recently given birth.

  Which made sense. Pregnant dogs, or dogs in heat, are frequently dumped on rural roads by humans too weak to do what needs to be done if they are not prepared to care for the creatures. They let nature take care of the ugly tasks they lacked the guts for.

  Disgusted and prepared for the worst. . to find the bitch had been starved and beaten, I kept my demeanor mild as I continued to approach. I had no food on me, but I hoped presenting a calm energy would gain her trust so I could at least assess her condition.

  Before I got close enough to touch her, she stood and turned to move deeper into the woods. I followed. She went off the path. The underbrush was thick. Briars slapped against my legs and what was probably poison ivy tickled my ankles, but for whatever reason it seemed important I continue.

  Maybe I just needed it to be important.

  Finally, at the base of an oak, she stopped and the whining increased, but this time it wasn't coming from her. Hidden in a bed of leaves were three tiny bodies. They were white with black spots and speckles and they were squirming. At least two of them were; the third was still, heartbreakingly still.