“I don’t know, that’s the point, they’re very good at hiding.”
Brandon shoved his way past him with a rude snort of derision.
“Whatever, you are so full of shit.”
The smaller man was expecting the shove, and so he leaned away as Brandon moved past him.
“Maybe, but seriously, I have to walk you out. It’s for your own safety.”
Brandon whirled back on the smaller man.
“My own safety?! What, like you’re some kind of big shot now? Fuck off!”
“Hey Brandon, come on man, this isn’t the place to make a big scene. What if Magnus shows up?”
Dillon was tugging on Brandon’s arm, as if holding him back from attacking the little dude, at the same time he was nervously glancing around, though he wasn’t sure if he was more concerned over the local lawkeeper or the thought of the apparently invisible Amazons.
The smith’s son was too annoyed to be dissuaded by either.
“Like that fat fuck would be out here in the middle of the night! And this little prick is just full of shit.”
Nameless sighed again; he was surprised with just how... trivial this whole encounter seemed to him.
“Look I’m not a big shot, I’m tired. And I’ve seen exactly what an Amazon’s spear can do to a person, and you’re being really loud, so can you just leave already? You’re going to wake my bond-mates.”
Brandon blood boiled at the mention of bond-mates, the thought of this tiny guy getting as much action as he could handle was too much for the smith’s son and he let him have it.
“You arrogant little fuck! Me and Dillon will leave, you can just suck it! Have fun with your dumb tree.”
With that he turned and stomped towards the woods across the field, the anxious Dillon in tow.
Nameless briefly considered just leaving the two young men to their fates, but they were heading in the wrong direction.
“Hey guys!” He called out.
Brandon kept walking.
“Guys, the trail is that way! Unless you want to try to clear a path through the woods?”
The pair stopped, and then reluctantly Brandon turned to where Nameless was pointing. It maddened him to have to change direction, but Dillon already had, so he followed his friend.
Nameless watched them go, then rolled his eyes and followed from a distance.
__________
“What a fucking little puke! You see the way he talked to me?!”
Dillon was still trying in vain to get Brandon to stop making so much noise, at least until they were off of Paul’s property, then he knew he’d have to listen to him the whole way home.
“Brandon, come on man! Chill for now! I remember this trail lets out on Fletcher’s driveway, so we’ll have to be quiet, or his Cockatrices might get us. We could cut through the trees, but it’s pretty thick in there and I think the road turns away around here somewhere.”
His words fell on deaf ears as Brandon kept cursing out Nameless while they walked.
“Like he’s so damned important now that he finally got laid! Remember when he was in school? Even a couple years ahead of us he was still a little weenie!”
Dillon rolled his eyes; he actually did remember Nameless from school, an odd little guy wearing clothes too large for him. But he didn’t remember him being a weenie, in fact he remembered him being kind of nice, if introverted.
“Look Brandon, man I don’t know what your problem is with this guy, but you seriously need to cool it! We’re still trespassing! My uncle would kill me if I got another fine from the-”
Because he was watching Brandon’s face, he abruptly ran into someone on the trail, stumbling back in surprise with his thought left unfinished.
An orange glow lit the face of the statuesque woman in front of them, the light coming from a pipe hanging out of her mouth.
She was leaning on a massive spear.
“An Amazon.” Dillon squeaked.
Brandon gaped, the woman had come out of nowhere and her sudden appearance had taken the vitriol right out of him.
Even the arrogant teen wasn’t stupid enough to piss off an Amazon on purpose.
Aside from being muscular and incredibly wild looking, with feathers and beads braided into her hair, she was just so damned tall.
“Look, um, we were just leaving, so no need for… anything.”
The shift in his attitude was almost comical.
The orange glow lit the woman’s face again as she took another draw from Paul’s pipe, and then blew the smoke towards the pair in front of her.
“Were you? I do not believe that leaving is your decision anymore.”
Again without making a sound, several more Amazons slipped out of the woods to loom large over the now-huddled pair.
“Whoah! Easy! We’re cool, we’re all cool!” Dillon’s voice was unusually high and frantic.
One of the girls gripped him by the front of his shirt and pulled his face close to hers, his feet leaving the ground entirely.
“Why are you here?”
She was even taller than the one with the pipe as she demanded an explanation from them.
Dillon tried to equivocate but her eyes narrowed, and she quickly lost patience with his lame excuses.
“Hey! Gerroff!” Brandon cried out as the Amazons set on the two of them and wrestled them to the ground with ease.
The warriors ignored their protestations, and he and Dillon soon found themselves pinned to the cold dirt of the trail, their wrists held behind their back in the fierce grips of the warrior women.
“Myrina, what is to be done with them? Though they are certainly interlopers, we cannot just slay them here, I do not believe that our Valkyrja-datta would approve.”
The Amazon with the pipe let out a disgusted sound.
“You did not hear the impertinence with which they spoke to him! Had he not intimated otherwise, their heads would even now adorn my spear, well, this one’s at least.”
Brandon froze as the butt of her spear bonked him in the back of the head a couple times for emphasis.
Dillon whimpered in terror.
There was an angry mutter from the gathered women, and then the apparent leader silenced them.
“Enough! It is too late to disturb the cottage or the Fletcher man’s home for so trivial a matter. Strip them naked and hang them by their ankles for the night, and then in the morning we will decide.”
“What?!” Brandon cried.
“We’ll die!” Dillon squeaked at the same time.
The thought of hanging upside down in the chill night was enough for the two teens to struggle against their captors, however hopelessly.
“Myrina, Helena please stop.” Nameless’s voice called out.
Out of the corner of his eye Brandon saw the little man walk right up to the Amazons as if they weren’t in the least bit intimidating to him.
The one with the pipe clicked her tongue and pouted a bit.
“I had thought you had finally returned to your bed. You needn’t concern yourself with these two, a night hanging from the branches will do much to toughen them, and teach them… manners.”
She glared down at Brandon as she spoke.
Nameless met Brandon’s nervous gaze and frowned.
“Maybe, but I wouldn’t be able to sleep knowing they were hanging from a tree out here.”
One of the Amazons with pale blue eyes leaned in to Nameless’s side, and though she spoke low, Brandon could still make out what she said.
“You already do not sleep. We watch over you, you are out tonight just as you were last night, when you should have been sleeping in the arms of your loves.”
Nameless conceded the point with a shrug.
“Yeah, it’s been an adjustment coming home, but I’ll be fine. These two, on the other hand, wouldn’t make it through the night. So let them up, please, they’re harmless, really. They were just trying to sneak into the neighbour’s garden to have a go with the Blomma there
.”
The Amazons quickly dragged the pair to their feet, and then considered them with skeptical expressions.
Helena tilted her head to one side, pipe in hand.
“Is this true? You were merely seeking to couple with some flower girls?”
Her demanding eyes flicked between the two of them, lingering on Brandon.
Sensing a trap, he said nothing, though Dillon nodded emphatically.
She popped the pipe back between her teeth and spoke around it.
“Meh, the Blomma could do better, though that is for them to decide.”
The sting in her dismissive tone was greatly lessened by the continued discomfort the two felt at the Amazons’ still-threatening posture.
“So, c-can we go? Or…”
Dillon asked, studiously avoiding the Amazons’ piercing gazes by focusing on Nameless.
In contrast Brandon stared into the night, his pride kept him from looking at the small man.
“You may, but only because he allows it. You would do well to learn some respect, little boys, or you are very likely to die by our hand.” Myrina said gravely.
She made a gesture with her hand and the Amazons shifted to one side to let them pass.
Brandon grit his teeth as he and Dillon all but fled down the trail, once away from the Amazons the humiliation of the past several minutes made the prideful young man angrier than ever before at the little orphan that had so upset his world-view.
__________
“That was a bit much wasn’t it Myrina?” Nameless asked while rubbing at his tired eyes.
The woman set her arm on his shoulder as they watched the two young men flee down the trail.
“No, I believe it was just the right amount, Valkyrja-datta.”
After the two teens disappeared into the night, Nameless turned to go home, but his eyes fell on Helena’s face as she exhaled more smoke.
“Are you going to give Paul his pipe back?”
The Amazon grinned.
“He has but to take it from me.”
The way she spoke hinted that there was more than just the pipe at stake.
“That simple?”
Her smile widened.
“Simple? Yes. Easy? No.”
After his adventures Nameless had a much better understanding of Amazon courtship so he wasn’t stupid enough to get in the middle of it.
“Well, good luck to you then. You should know though, Paul is pretty cunning.”
She nodded gravely.
“For a man who was given the Dragon’s Kiss, I would expect no less.”
He thought about her words for a moment, and then figured that she had to be referring to Xalanth breathing on the old man and let the matter drop.
“Anyhow, goodnight girls. And you should all get some sleep too. The thought of you out here chafes at me more than the thought of them.”
One of them smirked at him and licked her full lips.
“I don’t know, some chafing can be fun, if done correctly.”
“I will walk with you, Valkyrja-datta.” Escrya announced.
He wanted to object, but knew that it would be pointless, and might possibly hurt her feelings.
As they exited the woods and strode back through the field, she stopped walking.
“Why did you come out here again tonight? The same as last night, you merely sat under that beautiful tree. What fills your thoughts?”
He was about to brush her off, but her earnest tone brought him to a halt and he turned to look up at her, her expression was warm, but concerned.
He sighed and turned his eyes to the stars above before speaking with some reluctance.
“When I close my eyes, all I can see is how Kar died-” His throat was thick with emotion, and he coughed before continuing; “I’ve heard that after someone… you forget what they look like as time goes by. And I don’t want my only memory of her to be like that.”
He titled his head up, the vast expanse of the cosmos clear to see in the cold night as tears seeped down his cheeks.
“Here under the stars, when everything is still and quiet, it’s easy to remember her face. The way she smiled, or laughed, even the way she tried to seduce me.”
He said the last part with a helpless chuckle which Escrya shared, and then the Amazon put her hand on his shoulder as he wiped away his tears.
“Regrettably I know something of what you speak. I have not seen my father since I was very young.”
He knew that her mother, Alcaia, was bonded to a woman, but not much else.
“I cannot picture his face, even on the rare occasion when I wish to. To my knowledge he yet lives, but if we were to meet in a crowd, I doubt that I would know him. But what troubles me, is that he would not know me.”
“I’m sorry.”
She shrugged.
“Don’t be, he chose to leave our village when my mother found her heart’s mate, he left out of jealousy, and said many unkind words when he did. The only reason I would ever want to see him again would be to show him what he missed out on, to show him that I am my mother’s daughter.”
He patted her hand still on his shoulder.
“You are that Escrya, you are amazing.”
She turned coy.
“Feel free, Valkyrja-datta, to say more nice things about me.”
They shared another laugh.
“Yeah, I’ll get you a list, for now though, I should go and try to get some sleep.”
She set her other hand on his forehead, her thumb tracing the lock of hair with Volka’s feather braided into it.
“Yes, you should. Your heart is troubled with grief and pain. I met her only the one time, but it was enough for me to know that Kar Brael would have made a good wife. And like my sisters, I would do anything to take the pain of her loss away from you, even if only for a little while.”
The sting of fresh tears took his eyes at her touching words.
“Thank you.” He whispered.
They shared a long embrace, with his cheek pressed to her breasts, the warmth of the young monster girl’s chest radiating into his face while she stroked his hair and back.
When they parted, her eyes narrowed and she adopted a teasing tone as her hand drifted over his cheek.
“Like, anything, anything. Whatever it takes to relieve you.”
“…Right.”
“Even stuff that maybe your bond-mates won’t do for you.”
“Okaaay…”
He was beginning to figure out her game, but feared it was too late.
“If you want you can even put it in my bu-”
“Goodnight!” He yelped and fled while she laughed at his expense.
As he went back inside the cottage, Escrya’s mirth faded and a wistful expression claimed her face as she stared at the squat structure.
“Sleep well, beloved.”
Chapter 6:
Picking Flowers
Despite the girls’ concern for his newfound sleeping problems, a tired Nameless insisted on taking the milk to market with Milly first thing the following morning, and not even Nina was able to threaten him back to bed.
For the first time they had bottled the milk without any help from Paul. So he and his cow pulled the cart along after finishing in the barn, while Helena and Kaylee tagged along, both to keep them safe and to give them some welcome company.
But a harsh voice caught up to them as they walked the road towards town.
“You! Boy! I have work for you!”
They turned to see an elderly lady with a heavy bag on her arm and wrapped in an oversized coat tottering towards them.
Janet Skinner had always been abrupt, even abrasive, with the people of Kettering, and Nameless was no exception to that, though she hadn’t often spoken to him before.
“Yes?”
He gave the two Amazons an apprehensive look as they bristled at the woman’s rudeness.
“I know you’ve helped that old fart with his bloody chickens, now I need some
help with my garden! Come along!”
With that she turned and stomped away.
Nameless turned to Milly helplessly, unsure of what had just happened.
Janet turned back to them.
“Well? Don’t stand around like a half-wit all day! There’s work to be done!”
“Now?”
She stomped one foot, reminding Nameless of nothing more than a spoiled child.
“Yes now!”
But he didn’t move.
“Missus Skinner, I’m-”
“Don’t you ‘Missus Skinner’ me boy! You and everyone else in this town know I never married! Call me Janet or don’t call me anything at all!”
Her arms were crossed over her chest as she glared at him.
Nameless nodded as he held his hands up placatingly.
“Fine, Janet. We’re busy at the moment, but I would be happy to come by when we finish at the market.”
She was taken aback, the stuttering orphan she knew wasn’t one to argue, she opened her mouth to give him a piece of her mind, but then the cranky woman noticed the Amazons gripping their spears tight and staring death at her.
“Don’t you barbarians go and try to bully a poor old woman! There’s no honour in that.” She barked at them.
Helena and Kaylee looked ready to fold her in half, so Nameless quickly whispered to them that it was fine, so they relaxed, though their fierce gazes lingered on the rude woman.
Satisfied that the Amazons weren’t going to cause her any grief, Janet frowned back at Nameless.
“You have two hours boy. Two! And bring the Minotaur, and these two muscle-heads, we’ll need the strength since you obviously don’t have any!”
With that she stomped away, muttering to herself.
“That woman is very rude.” Helena observed with a frown.
Nameless sighed.
“Don’t take it personally, she’s rude to everyone.”
Milly watched him for a long moment.
“What is it?”
“Oh nothing Master.” She smiled warmly; “It’s just that before we left Kettering, I think you would have just did what she said without even arguing at all.”
He shrugged.
“I suppose, there are much bigger things to worry about now than one mean old lady.”
Milly’s smile faltered and Nameless immediately regretted his words. They had been having a good morning, up until he brought their minds back to the events in Garland.
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