by Robin Roseau
* * * *
Malora, Maya, Aura and Lindara arrived mid-morning the next day. It was the middle of our morning training period, but we were practicing in the village rather than the training grounds, and so we saw them as they rode into town. Nori and I finished the exercise we were doing and then stepped away from each other.
Rora and Narsana had also noticed the new arrivals and broke off from their exercise, sooner than Nori and I had. I frowned at them.
"Companions," I said firmly. "Amazons fight even with distractions."
"Um," said Rora. "Yes, Chief Beria." She turned back to her daughter and was set to resume when I glanced at Nori. She was the acting training chief. I nodded once, and she called out, "Hold."
"We'll get our guests settled," I said, "and then we will complete the morning's training," I declared. "Our guests will be joining us."
Nori chuckled. "Maya's going to hate you."
I returned her chuckle then led our small delegation to meet the queen.
"Good morning, Queen Malora," I called out. "Pleasant trip?"
"Very nice," she said. "But do not let us interrupt training."
"Only a pause," I said. "Long enough to settle your mounts and give you a tour."
The four of them climbed from their horses. I turned to my companion. "Please assist Lin with the mounts."
"Yes, Beria," she said, stepping forward. Maya handed off the reins.
"Queen Malora and her companion will bunk with us," I added.
"Yes, Beria," Narsana replied.
Maya stepped forward, grabbing Aura. "Chief Beria," Maya said with a grin. "Does Lake Juna have special rules we must follow?"
"Lake Juna follows the rules of Queen's Town," I replied. I turned to Queen Malora. "Perhaps you would assist your newest village chief, Queen Malora."
"Of course," she said. "How may I assist?"
"There is a rule about attendance at morning training, but I do not recall the exact words."
"Oh, rules like that are rarely written down, so you could paraphrase simply, I'm sure."
"You wouldn't," Maya said.
"Attendance at training is mandatory," Nori said.
I cocked my head at my sister.
"Beria," she whined.
I turned to Nori. "Queen Malora. Nori. I am contemplating a special rule for Lake Juna, but I feel this is a rule that should be discussed."
"Oh?" Malora said.
"I believe that companions that wish to never become warriors should be trained gently."
"I might support the basic sentiment," Malora said, but she was frowning. "But I believe the phrasing needs work. A significant number of Amazons who later go on to become very good warriors might decide that is not the path for them."
"Perhaps," said Nori, "the rule as to who is eligible for this rule should be determined by the companion's warrior, and the rule should be applied conservatively."
"I believe I would be satisfied with that distinction," Malora replied.
"Perhaps a combination of the companion's warrior and the village chief," I suggested.
"Perhaps," said Malora. "But this could lead to unfortunate disputes if other villages adopt the same rule."
"Why is that, Queen Malora?"
"A companion who travels to another village may expect the rule from home to apply to her, and thus may find herself greatly surprised if a village chief does not agree a particular companion is eligible."
"Then if a companion is determined as eligible by her home chief, that distinction should apply when visiting," I stated. "But I reserve the right to apply the rule to anyone visiting Lake Juna, regardless of her classification at home."
"Excellent," Queen Malora replied. "Nori?"
"With your blessing, I will recommend this rule more widely, once we see how well it works here."
Maya had been watching us the other time. Tears came to her eyes, and she brushed them away.
"Nori," I said, "will your companion become a warrior?"
"No, Chief Beria, she will not."
"Then I declare her eligible for this rule."
"Aura, what say you?"
"I do not yet know if my companion will become a warrior. I wish her trained properly."
"We'll need a different word," Malora said.
"My companion will very likely make an excellent warrior," I said, "and I shall continue to train her for that role. Queen Malora, will your companion become a warrior?"
"Over my dead body," Malora stated firmly. "No, she will not."
"And you are her village chief as well, and so I could not overrule you," I stated, "but even if you were not, I would concur with you."
Maya nearly sagged with relief. She turned to Malora. "Is Queen's Town adopting this rule?"
"Yes," Malora said. "But I want to keep it quiet for a while. Let people think it started here. Does everyone here understand that? This is going to be controversial. I'm sorry, Maya, but we needed to let Jasmine pave the way, and I still hear muttering about her."
"But we're applying the rule, even if we're not advertising it?" she asked.
"Yes, Maya," Malora said. "We're quietly applying it." She turned back to me. "To be clear, every Amazon will still be trained. We must be able to walk this world safely."
"Of course," I said. "I feel safe traveling with my sister. I believe she defines the standard we should train to."
"I agree," Malora said. She looked at Rora. "You have a ways to go."
"Yes," Nori said, "but not so far."
At that, Maya pulled me into a hug and whispered to me, "Thank you."
I hugged her back. I thought Malora should have done this long ago, but finally I was in a position to exert some influence. It felt good.
When I released her, Malora said, "Maya, you will still train."
"I understand, Malora. This will be enough." She grinned. "I like being good enough to handle the bullies we encounter."
I turned to Nori. "I believe there is no reason for Maya to ever pick up a weapon other than staff."
"Actually," Maya said. "I disagree. The staff is a difficult weapon one handed, and sometimes a sword is all that is available."
I bowed slightly. "I will bow to wiser minds."
"It's good you recognize that," Maya said. "Well? Are you going to show us your village, Chief Beria?"
I grinned. "Am I going to get tired of hearing that?"
"I still preen a little inside when someone calls me queen," she replied. "So no, I doubt it."
We laughed together, but then I realized I was at a loss. "How detailed a tour did you care for?"
"Very complete," Malora replied. "Show us everything. We're here at the stable. And I want to know your future plans."
"All right then. Rora, this was all your creation. Did you care to lead the way?"
She smiled, took Nori's hand in hers, and led us to the stable.
Twenty minutes later, our companions now in tow, Rora and I took turns describing the structures that had not yet been built.
"We laid everything out," Rora said. "And moved and adjusted until we were all pleased. We've planned sites for up to twelve huts, building them apart like this for initial privacy, but we'll fill in the sites in between when we build more."
"Do I detect the chief's hut is somewhat larger than the others?" Maya asked.
"That's her fault!" I said, pointing to Rora.
"On my orders," Malora said with a chuckle.
We hadn't been in our hut yet. I had picked one of the empty ones to show what they looked like. Rora led us into my hut. It had extra space she called "the conference room". When I realized what she had done, I commented I could have held meetings in the dining hall, but it was too late to change it.
"I host a lot of meetings in my hut," Malora said. "And far too often, we sit on the floor."
"This will take more wood to heat in the winter."
"I made the walls thicker," Rora explained. "It will take about as much wood as th
e huts in Queen's Town do."
"Well, that's everything," I said.
"Not quite," Malora said. "You have not shown us your lake."
"And I brought a fishing pole," Maya said. "Have you found the fishing holes yet?"
"There's been no time. I am hoping to let our brothers find them when they visit next month."
She grinned. "They won't know how to fly fish."
"Ah, but I have a lake."
And so, I led the way to the lake. We stood together in a line, looking out across the water.
"It's a beautiful location," Rora said after a while. "I have never lived near so much water before."
Maya and I exchanged glances and began laughing.
"Pond," she said.
"Barely a puddle," I agreed. "But at least for now, it's my puddle, and I am very proud of my puddle."
"As you should be," Malora declared. "Oh Beria, I'm so glad you took my offer. We'll miss you at Queen's Town, but somehow I believe you'll find excuses to visit."
"Well, training leader," I said, "training was interrupted."
"So it was. And our muscles have grown cold."
"Then we should warm them," I said. "And if there is time, I would like my skill tested."
"Against one sword or two?" Nori asked with a twinkle.
"Two, I believe," I said. "If Queen Malora doesn't mind."
"She doesn't mind," Malora replied.
The final score: five to two, but I'd never scored a strike against Malora before, and when she hugged me afterwards, she told me she was very, very proud of me.
The Cycle
"There are two," Narsana said.
"I don't see the second one," Badra replied.
"It's standing still right now. I only see the shadow to the right of that large rock."
"I see it," Badra said. "Chief Beria?"
"You're the team leader, Badra," I replied. "Narsana, you're ready."
Badra glanced at my companion. She was nineteen, and she had trained very, very hard. She'd been ready for a while.
In the four years since I had become village chief, Lake Juna had grown to a full compliment of twelve warriors. We had nine companions. Nori and Rora had returned to Queen's Town, and so we had acquired seven new warriors, three of them veterans, the other four much younger. We'd had one personality conflict, but we'd dealt with it.
Two of the joys were a pair of sisters, Glorana and Frida. They were inseparable, but they reminded me a great deal of Bea. They were twenty-one and twenty-two now, and they shared Frida's companion, Yalta. We were companion-rich on this trip, and so I felt comfortable if Narsana would become a warrior today.
Separately, neither of them fought that well, but together, Glorana and Frida were stupendous. And so, Badra gave her orders.
"Glorana and Frida left. Yalta, please manage the mounts."
"Yes, Badra," they said together.
"Tamma, hang behind me," she said to her companion. "We will take the center and reinforce as necessary. Narsana and Beria, right flank. Narsana, do you know what to do?"
"Yes, Badra."
"No stupid risks," Badra added.
"And watch the tail!" all the companions said together.
"I do not want two new warriors today," I said. "Sorry, Tamma."
"I am in no hurry," she said. "I would remain a companion forever."
"But you're too good for that," Badra replied. "Let's do this."
Yalta collected all our horses. We unlimbered our weapons. I was carrying two, my preferred style when fighting demons. I still hadn't decided on a preference when fighting humans, but I was making frequent trips to Queen's Town to train in both styles with Nori and Queen Malora. No one at Lake Juna could press me hard enough.
We strode forth, spreading out as Badra had directed.
"Blow your horn, Narsana," Badra said. "Be firm."
She glanced at me. "You don't have to do this," I told her. "It is your choice."
She lifted her horn to her lips and gave a mighty blow.
"Good gods," Badra said. "You wake the dead!"
"If you're going to do something," Narsana said, grinning, "do it with conviction. That's what my warrior always tells me."
A moment later, both demons turned to us. We saw them bellow in response, and then they were loping towards us. We spread out further then came to a stop on a slight rise, Glorana and Frida thirty paces to our left. I moved behind Narsana, talking quietly so she could follow me with her ears, shifting to her right flank.
"You'll freeze when the voice hits," I said. "And remember, they lie."
"I remember," she said. She gave another blow of her horn, and then Glorana and Frida both blew with their horns.
The demons picked up their pace, both of them still aiming for my companion.
"Beria?" she asked.
"If they don't split, Badra and I will take the charge, and you will drop back," I said.
Glorana began blowing heavily on her horn, and Frida was yelling and waving her hands. Both demons stopped and bellowed.
"Again," I said, and Narsana blew on her horn. Glorana blew on hers. And the demons split.
"Stupid creatures," I said. "Blow once again at two hundred yards and again at fifty."
"Yes, Beria," my companion said. I glanced at her. I could see she was nervous, but she carried herself well, and I had made sure she was well trained.
Narsana and Glorana both blew their horns at the same moment. Both demons stopped and bellowed, but then Narsana's turned to Glorana.
"Yo! Demon!" Narsana yelled. "Yes, you, the ugly one with the green scales. I'm talking to you!"
The demon turned its head towards her, and from the corner of my eye, I saw Narsana stiffen and her sword point dip.
She had just become a warrior.
"They lie, Narsana," I said, just loudly enough to hear. "Everything he says is a lie."
Glorana's demon was charging her now. As long as it wasn't coming for Narsana, I put it out of mind, paying just enough attention to make sure it didn't change directions.
Narsana's began stalking closer. A demon stalking was still a fast creature, but manageable.
There was a clash to our left, and I knew the sisters had engaged.
"They're fine," Badra called out. "Tamma, be ready to drag Narsana out of here."
But then Narsana turned her head to look at Badra. "Narsana is fine," she said. She turned back to her demon. "You pathetic creature. Is that the best you have? I'm waiting!"
He charged.
I firmly believed, if at all possible, a warrior should kill the demon whose voice she takes, and so I didn't kill Narsana's demon. Instead, I stepped forward and to the right, and as it ran past, I leapt and buried both swords straight down through its tail and into the ground.
Narsana dodged right, ducking under the demon, and then she scored a long, raking slash along the demon's side.
It bellowed and fell over, off balance. It had torn loose from my swords, but the tail hung in tatters from about halfway down. I'd never done that before, but I wondered if it needed the tail for balance.
"Careful!" I yelled to Narsana.
She waited, then as the demon kicked with a foot, she met the foot with her sword, slashing into the kick, the demon's own muscles providing a greater impact. She slid the sword exactly as I had taught her, her form perfect, and she opened the demon's leg widely.
Badra moved in from the other side, watching carefully. None of us had ever fought a fallen demon before. The creature tried to struggle to its feet, and the three of us dashed forward together, scoring another cut. Narsana ducked under a thrashing arm, and then I saw her eviscerate the demon before jumping back.
Gore fell out, splashing my former companion.
"Watch your footing!" Badra yelled.
Narsana feinted at the demon, and it hopped forward, landing right on her sword. She thrust upward, and I knew she had found the heart. Then, without even the slightest pause, she withdre
w, rolling away and coming to her feet in a crouch.
Perfect.
The demon shuddered and then collapsed into ash.
Narsana stared where the demon had stood, then we all looked around. Glorana and Frida were standing by, five paces behind Badra, ready to help if needed. Their demon was long dead.
Narsana fell to her knees.
"Tamma!" I yelled. "Yalta!"
Both companions were already moving. Narsana was splashed with gore, but they both dropped their knees beside the new warrior, wrapping her in their arms. Narsana shuddered for a few moments, but then I knelt in front of her, gently taking her sword from her. Yalta took one of Narsana's hands and pressed it against her own face; Tamma took the other.
Narsana looked up at me. "Did she really think I'd believe you don't love me? Stupid creature."
I smiled. "I love you, and you know it," I said.
"I know." She leaned her head against Tamma. "And now I understand even more why. Thank you, Tamma. Thank you, Yalta."
"You are welcome," they said together.
I stood up. "Who took the other voice?"
Glorana looked upset. "She did!" She pointed at her sister. "This was supposed to be my turn."
"I'm sorry," Frida said. "We couldn't let Narsana fight two at once." She stepped forward. "Yalta, may I touch you?"
"Of course," Yalta said. She held out a hand, pulling Frida down next to her. "Take what you need."
Badra stepped up to my side. "And so the cycle continues."
"And so it does," I agreed. "Well led, Badra."
"Thank you, Chief Beria. Will she stay at Lake Juna?"
Narsana heard us talking. She looked up at me. "Chief Beria," she said.
"You are welcome to remain, Narsana," I said. "We can ask your mother to come build another hut for us."
"Chief Beria," she said again. "Lake Juna is full. If Queen Malora would have me at Queen's Town, I would like to move there to be near my mother. But Queen's Town is overfull, and so if the queen cannot make room, I would like to stay at Lake Juna."
"Then we shall travel to Queen's Town and see what the queen has to say."
* * * *
We made contact with the patrol from Black Oak that afternoon, making camp together near a thin river. As soon as they learned we had a new warrior, their patrol leader said, "We'll cover the rest of your patrol if you wanted to take her home."
