by Robin Roseau
I thought about that. This was twice Omie had distracted me. I wondered if it was intentional.
"Maya likes Queen Malora," I said.
"Yes, she does. Everyone likes Queen Malora."
"Maya likes-likes Queen Malora. You know what I mean."
"Oh," said Omie after a moment. "Amongst Amazons, that is not considered unusual."
"I think I like you," I told her. "But I don't like-like you, Omie."
"Ohhh," she said. She unwrapped herself from me, and I felt sad for some reason, but she did it enough so she could look into my face. "You are thirteen, Beria. We may grow to like-like each other, but not until you are at least sixteen. And maybe not even then." She looked away and then started to let me go.
"Wait," I said.
"It's not like that," she said quietly. "With some warriors and companions, it becomes that, but it's not like that, Beria." She wouldn't look at me, and then said, "I should return you to your family."
"Omie," I said. She tugged on my arm, but I stood firmly where I was and didn't let go of her hand. She turned back to me.
"It's not like that," she said again quietly.
"Okay," I said cheerfully. "Would I be a good companion?"
She looked up and smiled. "I think you would."
"And you came here to find companions?"
"Yes, we did."
"Then maybe we should dance some more, and you can tell me what it would be like to be your companion."
She stepped forward again, and when she pulled me back into her arms, I let her. I didn't understand this like-like thing, and I didn't understand how my sister could be with the queen. But I've always looked up to my sister, and if she could be a good companion, then so could I.
We danced a whole song, neither of us talking. Another song began, and Omie didn't let go of me, and I didn't want her to. I wanted to know what it was like to be an Amazon.
"I didn't like that my sister was my teacher," I said to her.
"Wasn't she a good teacher?"
"It wasn't that," I said. "I always had to do what she said. At home, she was my big sister. At school, she was my teacher. And I couldn't get away with a thing."
Omie didn't say anything.
"But I wish she were my teacher now," I added.
"I'm sorry we took her from you," Omie replied.
"I don't like the new teacher. No one does. Maya was strict, but she was fair. And I saw how hard she worked as a teacher. It was hard to complain about the work she gave us when she was working harder than any of us."
"You know, if you become my companion, I will be strict and make you work hard, but I would be fair, too. And Maya is the queen's companion, so that makes her the senior companion. You would have to do what she said."
"What else is new?"
Omie laughed for a moment.
"You would have to do whatever the queen ordered you to do, too."
"Tell me what it's like," I said.
"How about if I tell you about three days, very different days. It will give you a feel for what we do."
"All right."
We swayed back and forth for a moment, then she said, "Let's pick a typical day at Queen's Town, and let's assume you were my companion." She paused for a moment. "We get up early."
"When it's still dark?"
"Usually about sunrise," Omie explained.
"That's not so early. Father and my brothers get up earlier than that to go fishing, so Mother and I get up to prepare breakfast and lunch for them."
"As my companion, you would have duties to me," Omie said. "Simple duties. You would make our bed. We would braid each other's hair. And then it's time for breakfast."
"Would I make breakfast for you?"
"All the Amazons in Queen's Town eat together, and you would help prepare meals. There is a duty roster. Breakfast is usually simple and requires little preparation, but all the companions take turns helping with lunch and dinner. For breakfast, you would make a tray for both of us. After we eat, you would clean up and wash our dishes."
This wasn't much different than what I already did for my brothers.
"Then we have morning training."
"Training? Like school?"
"Sort of. But we learn to fight."
I grew quiet for a moment. "Companions learn to fight."
"Everyone learns to fight. We have training every day, and unless you are sick or away from the village, you attend every day. There are severe punishments if you skip training."
She let me think about that.
"Does the queen run the training?"
"Actually," Omie said, "You aren't going to like this part. Nori is the training leader."
I stiffened for a moment.
"But Vorine and I train the newer companions," Omie added.
"Not Nori?"
"She oversees us," Omie added. "Training is very, very important, Beria. Can you understand why?"
"Because the demons are terrible, and you need to learn to kill them."
"Yes, and you need to be so much better than the demons you don't get hurt. We train very hard. You would train very hard."
"I understand," I told her.
"Training lasts about two hours," Omie explained. "You will be tired afterwards, and at the beginning it can be difficult until you get used to it. You understand we make you work hard so that you will be as ready as we can make you long before you ever see a demon."
"Do we go to school, too?"
"No, although Maya has offered to hold classes in the past. She teaches some of us to play musical instruments."
"She used to teach me piano."
"Did you like it?"
"I'm not very good," I admitted. "What happens after training?"
"That varies. Sometimes we go swimming in the river. Your sister is the best swimmer of all of us. Can you swim?"
"Not as good as Maya," I said. "But everyone in Gallen's Cove learns to swim as early as we learn to walk. We swim in the cove. It's cold."
"The river is cool and feels nice when it's hot. It's where we bathe in the warmer months. So sometimes we swim in the river. Sometimes we have chores."
"Chores."
"There is never an escape from chores, Beria."
I sighed.
"Then it's time for lunch," she said.
"I would help cook?"
"Some days. And you would bring a tray for us, and clean up afterwards. Then there is usually a short break before afternoon training."
"Another two hours?"
"Yes. After that, you have a few hours until dinner. Some of the companions have rabbit snares, and they use that time to check their snares. You can do chores, or if you don't have any, you can go swimming or do other things. Do you know how to ride a horse?"
"I've never been on a horse."
"Then some days, you and I would use that time to teach you how to ride a horse. Maybe we would check rabbit snares or go hunting for deer."
I smiled. "Girls hunt?"
"The Amazons are all women," Omie pointed out. "There are no boys, no men. So yes, girls hunt."
"Why do you hunt if we send you food?"
"Because the villages don't send enough food, and because fresh venison tastes much better than salted pork."
"Oh."
"Then there is dinner, and if it is your turn to help cook, then you would need to get there early enough for your duty. We all have dinner together, and then it is evening. Every several days, we have a bonfire where we tell stories or sing songs. That's when Queen Malora is most likely to tell us any news she has for us or when we can talk about the things we need to discuss as a village. The other nights are yours to spend the way you like, as long as you are caught up on your chores."
"It sounds like there are a lot of chores."
"It wasn't so bad for me," she said. "I would teach you."
I thought about it. It didn't sound too bad.
"Are you thirsty?"
"Yes."
&nbs
p; Omie pulled out of my arms, but kept my hand, and she drew me away from the dance floor. We collected mugs of cider. "Where can we talk?"
"There are more tables outside, but it might be cool. I have a cloak."
She smiled and followed me to the table where Mom and Dad were talking with Maya and the queen. "I want to talk to my sister for a minute," I told Omie. She nodded to me, and I turned to Maya, collecting my cloak at the same time. I stood waiting for a moment, and then Maya turned to me and smiled.
"How are you doing, Beria?" she asked.
"Good. Could I talk to you for a minute?"
"Sure, sis." She squeezed the queen's hand for a moment as she stood, then drew me to the side.
"Well?" I asked her.
"Well, what?" she asked.
I glanced at Omie.
"Honey, Omie is wonderful."
"What about.... Nori?"
"You want to be Nori's companion?"
"No," I said. "I don't like her."
"Oh. She and I got off to a very poor start," Maya said. "And she can be scary, but honey, she saved my life, and she's taught me a great deal. She and I are friends, very good friends now. I know it seems strange."
"Would she tie me the way she tied you?"
"No!" Maya said firmly. "I'd kill her, and she knows it."
"Omie says you aren't a very good warrior."
"I'm a horrible warrior," Maya said. "I am, however, smarter than Nori is."
I laughed.
"And she has to sleep sometime."
I laughed again.
"Beria, you know you'd have to do anything Omie told you to do." I nodded. "Or anything I told you to do, but you're used to that." I nodded again. "And you would have to treat Queen Malora and Nori like you do Juna now."
I smiled. "I'm trying to wonder how scary Juna would be if she had a big sword instead of a cane."
Maya returned my smile. "It is difficult to imagine Juna any scarier than she already is."
I glanced over at Omie and saw her watching me.
"She would treat you very well, Beria, but you need to be sure."
"Mother forbade me from going."
"It's not Mother's decision," Maya said, quietly but with conviction. Maya taught me that word, too. "Beria, it is your decision."
"And Omie's?"
"It is Omie's whether she wants you as her companion, but if she does not, there are other warriors who would love to have you."
"Do you think she does?" I asked Maya. "Want me as her companion?"
Maya looked over her shoulder then back at me. "Without question." She turned back to me. "She would be a very good warrior for you."
"My decision?" I asked her.
"Yes. Do you want my advice?"
"Yes!" I said firmly. "Um. Maya, I hate the new schoolteacher. She's mean."
Maya looked at me sadly. "I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault."
"Beria, is that why you're thinking about this?"
I looked down.
"The truth, honey," Maya said gently.
"A little. Would you make me go to school?"
"I would offer to teach you the things you haven't learned yet and strongly encourage you to accept, but that would also be your choice, and perhaps Omie's as well. But you would have a great many other things to learn instead."
I looked back at my sister and realized she was looking up at me instead of down at me. The thought made me smile. "You were going to give me advice?"
"This is a big decision, Beria," Maya said. "If you are seriously considering it, then you should spend more time with Omie. Ask her to show you what it's like to be an Amazon, as best she can. She can stay here for a few days. You can camp out with her, and then when the rest of us come back, maybe you'll have decided. Maybe you'll want to talk more with me. If you don't think you like Omie, I can introduce you to some of the other warriors, the ones I think might suit you."
"What do you want me to do, Maya?"
"Oh honey, don't ask me that."
"Why not?"
"This is your decision."
"I am asking."
"Honey, I miss you so much. I want you to come, and I want Omie to have a companion. I can't imagine a better fit for either of you. But it's your life, not mine."
"You're treating me like an adult."
"How do you feel about that?"
I smiled. "I like it."
"Honey, I wouldn't let you make a mistake. You know that."
"I'm going to ask Omie to show me, then," I said. "Will you tell Mom and Dad for me?"
"I'll handle them, honey," I replied. "I'll send Omie to you now, but if you want to talk more, you know where to find me."
She hugged me quickly, then stepped away, speaking quietly into Omie's ear before sitting back down next to the queen. A moment later, Omie stood in front of me.
"Would you like to get some fresh air?" she asked.
"I'd like you to teach me what it's like to be an Amazon, Omie. If you want to."
She smiled broadly. "I would love to, Beria." She took my hand, but I was the one who led us outside.
It was quieter outside, and I didn't have talk so loudly for her to hear me. "Do we have to stay here?" I asked her.
"We can go wherever you like," she replied.
"Have you seen the ocean at night?"
"I've never seen the ocean at all, except what we could see this afternoon. It was beautiful."
"Come on." I grabbed her arm and tugged, but then I said, "You can hold me if you want to." So she stepped closer to me and laid one arm across my back, her fingers finding the skin at the back of my neck. I swung my own arm out and over hers, resting my hand on her neck the same way. "Like this?"
"Yes, Beria," she said. "Just like that."
I turned us to the waterfront.
Gallen's Cove is just what it sounds like, a cove on the ocean. There was a narrow outlet to the open ocean protected by two arms of land. It was almost like the land was hugging a portion of the sea, and that formed the cove. That meant within the cove, the water was much smoother than out on the ocean, and the waves were never very big at all, hardly noticeable except in the worst of storms. There was a rocky beach where the smaller fishing boats and skiffs could be pulled up, well clear of high tide, and a pier out into the water.
I took Omie onto the beach first, although it was rougher, and we had to separate.
"Will you be okay?" I asked her.
"Oh, of course. Between you and your sister, the voice is very, very quiet tonight. Thank you."
"You're welcome," I said. I led Omie along the beach, pointing out the different boats.
"You take these little boats out onto the ocean?"
"Sometimes," she said, "but we have bigger fishing boats. They are anchored." I pointed. "It's a dark night, but maybe you can see them."
She looked out across the water.
"I see them," she said. She turned to me. "Why aren't there any waves? I thought the ocean always had waves."
"It does," I explained. Then I told her about the cove. "If you listen, you can hear the waves breaking against the rocks, but it's a mile and a half away from here." I pointed towards the mouth of the cove, and we could see the line of white breakers.
Omie looked for a while. "You go out there?"
"My father and brothers do. Sometimes they take Mama and I, on nice days, but the men think it's bad luck to take a woman fishing. I think the bad luck is they're afraid we'll catch bigger fish."
Omie laughed. "Your sister fishes in the river. She calls our fish small, but they taste good." She looked out over the water. "I think I would be terrified out there."
"Can't you swim?"
"I can," she said. "But that's a lot of water, and it smells funny."
I took a sniff. It smelled normal to me. I didn't say anything. Instead I asked, "Do you know how to skip rocks?"
"As a matter of fact," she said, "I do. My father taught both my sister and me a long
time ago."
We both turned to the rocks, looking for small, flat ones we could skip. I found a good one and was pleased when I got two big skips followed by a bunch of little ones before the rock sank.
"Good one," Omie said. She threw her rock, but she did it wrong, and it just made a big splash. "Oops. I thought I knew how."
I found a rock for her and explained why it was a good skipping rock. Then I showed her how to hold it.
"I think mine was too round," she said. She threw it and got a couple of skips. We each found a few more rocks, laughing together as we skipped our rocks. I was a lot better than she was.
"I guess tonight you are the trainer," she admitted.
"There's a bench at the end of the pier," I said.
"Let's go," she replied. I led the way. Once we were on the smooth planks of the pier, she stepped to my side, not quite touching, but I put my hand on the back of her neck, and a moment later, I felt her hand on mine.
It wasn't a long pier. Sometimes there were ships tied along the side, but today there were just a couple of the fishing boats. They had probably arrived late in the afternoon and hadn't had time to anchor before all the excitement from the Amazons. We walked to the end, and I pulled Omie down onto the bench next to me.
"Did you need to hold me?"
"I don't need to hold you," she replied. "But I would like to, if that's okay."
"Sure," I said.
She turned partway to me and pulled me into her arms. We leaned together, our heads touching. She found one of my hands and laced her fingers in it, and then I felt her other hand at the back of my neck again.
"This is what a companion does?"
"Yes," she said. "This is your most important duty, followed closely by training."
We sat and talked; we talked for a long time. Omie answered all my questions, and I felt she was being honest with me. After a time, I ran out of questions, and we grew silent.
"Beria," she said after a while, "I have some of my own questions."
"All right."
"You understand you would have to obey me."
"And Maya, Queen Malora, and Nori."
"Yes," she said. "And the punishments for misbehavior may be much worse than you've experienced before."
"Would you beat me?"
"I wouldn't want to," she said, "but depending upon what you did, I might not have a choice."
