Queens of Tristaine

by Cate Culpepper

  “Brenna!” Bethany stepped between two women. “We’ve lost enough dear blood to this nightmare. The youngest in our clan are—”

  “The children of Amazons,” Brenna finished. “And just as worthy of respect as all our adanin, Bethany. Their bravery is needed as well, to preserve our family.” She stared at Bethany, and found compassion for her. “I’ve lost dear blood in this battle too, sister. I understand your fears, and share them. But listen well.”

  Brenna turned in a slow circle on the stone, taking in the faces around her. “The remedy we brought from the City will work. We’re seeing it happen. But this drug does not bring an instant cure. The ill among us will regain strength slowly, over several days. And it will not save all. We may still lose those most gravely sick before we wake from this shared nightmare.”

  An uneasy rustling moved through the crowd. Brenna sought out Jess among the shifting figures, keeping watch near the edge of the throng. Jess looked at her with simple pride, affirming Brenna’s faith in their clan. She was following Shann’s teaching—tell Amazons the whole truth, and trust them to follow their Mothers’ lights.

  The mob was loosening, groups of women separating, all focused on one face.

  “Our healers now have enough medicine to protect all our sisters, including our young, from falling ill with this flu. Aria?” Brenna lifted the torch, and saw the voluptuous Councilor move into its light, her smile as welcome as a warm bath. “Help our adanin move in shifts to the healing lodge. See that all who still need this remedy receive it before they sleep.”

  “It’ll be done, Brenna.” Aria winked at her, a signal of approval and thanks.

  “We have ill who need tending.” Brenna addressed the quiet crowd, her tone gentle now. “And the caretakers who have nursed them for days are exhausted. Those of you who are strong, offer our sisters respite, and care for their charges while they rest. Oisin, Jackson. Build a storyfire here, so the rest of our clan can gather and share comfort and hope.”

  Brenna waited, and heard no more murmurs of protest. She released a long breath. “We meet here again in the morning to hear our queen’s address. May the Goddess protect your sleep, adanin.”

  “And yours, lady.” The traditional response was called by several voices.

  Brenna tossed the torch back to Jackson and stepped lightly and without ceremony off the stone block. Several women drifted nearer to speak to her, but Brenna moved past them with a quick touch and whispered apologies.

  “Well done, lass.” Jess’s warm hands enfolded her own.

  “Where’s Elise, Jess?”

  “She’s with Kyla.” Jess slipped her arm around Brenna’s waist and led her toward the lodges that surrounded the village square.

  “Dyan smiles proud on you tonight, Jesstin.” Siirah, one of Jess’s warriors, clapped Jess on the back as they passed. “You and your adanin rode true for Tristaine.”

  “Aye, Jess,” another voice called, “our thanks to you all!”

  A small but warming chorus followed them as they walked down the tree-lined trail that led to Shann’s personal dwelling. Kyla waited at its steps, holding a sleeping Elise, and her eyes glowed when she saw Brenna.

  “I heard every word, honey, and you were wonderful. You spoke as our lady, Bren.”

  “And now I need to speak to our lady.” Brenna smiled at Kyla, and held out her arms for Elise. The child didn’t wake as she was eased into Brenna’s embrace. Jess put a steadying hand to her back as they went up the steps and entered the lodge that housed Tristaine’s queen.

  For a royal palace, its two rooms were remarkably simple and tidy. The log walls were all but covered with childish drawings from the clan’s young. The only lavish appointments were the small, beautiful sculptures and paintings given to Shann by her sisters, not in tribute, but out of affection. The larger outer room held a fieldstone fireplace, a thick bear pelt rug, and several cushioned benches and chairs for the comfort of guests.

  Brenna could already hear Shann, frighteningly hoarse, from the smaller room that served as her sleeping chamber.

  “Hakan, Dana, stand down. Please remember I outrank you both.”

  Brenna stood in the doorway, and for a moment she was unable to move, shocked by her mother’s appearance. Shann looked as though she had lost ten pounds she couldn’t afford, and her skin was dry and sallow. She stood shakily upright by her bed, clothed in a simple robe, pulling a shawl around her shoulders.

  “I’m going to the square to tell them all to go the bloody hell to bed,” Shann insisted, “and then I’ll return here to my own. It will take all of five minutes.”

  Shann turned and saw them, then, Brenna and Jess and Elise. Her shaking stopped, and she stood very still.

  “This is your granddaughter, lady.” Brenna stroked the girl’s soft hair. “Her name is Elise.”

  Shann’s red-rimmed eyes flew to Brenna and then fastened on the sleeping child.

  “You need to sit down, Shann.” Hakan’s large hand was both deferential and firm on Shann’s elbow, and this time the queen didn’t protest. She sat very carefully on her bed, then leaned back against the thick sheaf of furs that bolstered its head.

  In the few steps it took Brenna to reach her side, a myriad of expressions fled across Shann’s pale features. Brenna lowered Elise into her waiting arms.

  Shann stared down at the child’s face in open wonder. Brenna felt Kyla squeeze her hand as she joined her and Jess. With Hakan and Dana hovering near the bed, the small chamber should have felt crowded, but there seemed a vast and warm expanse surrounding the reclining queen and the child she cradled on her lap.

  Elise stirred and rubbed her eyes with her fist. She blinked up at Shann.

  “Hello, little one.” Shann’s whisper was tender and calm. “I’m your grandmother. My name is Shann.”

  “Oh...” Brenna could barely hear Elise. She seemed to study Shann for a moment, and then patted her face with her small hand. “Oh, good.” Elise laid her head on Shann’s breast with a tired sigh and burst into tears.

  The child’s sisters stood around her, sharing her grief. Shann rocked Elise as she sobbed, letting her tears flow as long as they would. Brenna’s own eyes welled, but she saw the love and gratitude in Shann’s expression clearly enough to imprint on her heart.

  Three blood-bonded queens wept together that night, for the loss of a woman they would always hold dear. But Elise’s spirit had shed her fill of tears, and another day was coming—a dawn all their clan could greet with renewed hope.

  “My dear Elise.” Shann rested her face in the child’s hair and closed her eyes. “Welcome to Tristaine.”

  *

  Hours later, Brenna lay beside Jess and stared at the low fire that flickered in the hearth of their small cabin.

  Sammy had always needed some kind of nightlight when she was little. The dormitories of the Youth Home were notoriously dark and ominous after lights-out, and Brenna had to be creative about arranging a little forbidden illumination. A small flashlight beneath their blankets worked for years once Brenna learned where she could filch batteries. Now the flames in the hearth bathed the bed she shared with Jess in a soft glow and offered the same comfort.

  Jess was dozing, finally. Brenna lifted her head and stared down at her still profile, outlined by the moonlight that fell through the window. Jess’s rugged features were relaxed in sleep, her brow was smooth, and her firm breasts lifted in deep, even cadence.

  The mild weather allowed them to sleep without wraps, but this night they would have curled naked together had Tristaine been buried beneath blizzard snows. Brenna brushed the tips of her fingers down the side of Jess’s face. She lay close against her, one leg slung across her thighs.

  She lifted herself on one elbow and tried to see the bruises on Jess’s ribs, but the red shadows cast by the flames were too deep. She drew her finger across the colorful glyph that capped the smooth swell of Jess’s shoulder, and then over the faint scar on her collarbone, a rem
nant of the clash with Botesh. Her lover’s powerful body was a living history of Tristaine’s battles. So many scars, faded now against Jess’s bronzed skin, so many times she had spilled blood for her clan.

  Jess stirred beneath her touch, not in response, but in the first grip of dark dreams. Her forehead creased, and Brenna felt the long muscles in her legs begin to tighten. She nearly shook her awake, but then hesitated and continued her ministrations. Her lips moved across the darkness on Jess’s side, and then coasted down to a thunderhead bruise emerging on her hip. Her breath warmed Jess’s skin as she traveled, and the shivering in her long form began to ease.

  “Gaia grant me a thousand awakenings like this.” She could hear Jess’s smile in her drowsy alto.

  Brenna kissed her way up Jess’s side, ending with a light brushing of her lips across her cool brow.

  “Why are you awake?” Jess mumbled.

  “Just hanging out with our Mothers.” Brenna rested her head on Jess’s chest. “Thanking them for answering my prayer, again.”

  “Ah, please give them my best.” Jess stretched beneath her, cautiously. “We all owe our Mothers thanks for preserving Tristaine.”

  “I pray they’ll preserve you, Jesstin. Every time.” Brenna stroked Jess’s muscled arm. “I watched you fight City soldiers and street punks and Clinic guards, and you’re still here. You caught a killing flu, and you’re still here. Being able to sleep beside you, whole and healing, at the end of the day is all I really ask of the Universe.”

  “And my Brenna is back.”

  Brenna could see Jess’s smile this time. “What do you mean? Where have I been?”

  “Claiming your rightful throne as a ruler of Amazons. It was amazing, Bren. You changed before my eyes tonight.”

  “Did I get any taller?” Brenna asked hopefully.

  “I’m serious, querida.” Jess kissed the top of her head. “Shann is right, you have it—the blessing of royalty our Mothers grant the queens who guide Tristaine. You’ve shown flashes of it before. I saw it in full flower tonight. We all did.”

  “The blessing of royalty?” Brenna wondered if she could ever see it that way.

  “And the strength to bear its burdens.” Jess wound her arms around Brenna, and a pleasant, creeping warmth filled her. “And we’ll always have nights like this, adonai, to lay those burdens down.”

  Brenna melted against Jess and let out a sigh, a small wind that blew the lingering mists of battle and fear and loss from her mind. She watched the scarlet firelight flicker over the sculpted planes of Jess’s body. She looked weary beyond measure, but a gleaming heat was rising in her eyes. She lifted her head and brushed her lips against Brenna’s.

  Their kiss deepened, and grew long and rich. The tips of Jess’s fingers tickled over Brenna’s bare breasts, finding her nipples and stroking them to taut peaks, so suddenly sensitive a hard shiver coursed through her.

  Brenna closed her hand over Jess’s. “Lie still.” Jess growled some reply, but Brenna insisted, pressing her back against the furs. “No, Jesstin. You lie still now. You were right, I am back, and we’re going to get acquainted again.”

  Their lips met, slow and sweet, and Brenna’s fingers tangled in the wildness of Jess’s dark hair.

  “You’ve taken care of all of us since this plague started,” Brenna whispered. “It’s time you let someone look after you.”

  Jess rested her head against the folded fur and closed her eyes in acceptance, and Brenna began to strum her strong body like a breathing harp. Her fingers played over Jess’s firm breasts, coaxing her dark nipples erect as she sucked lightly on the smooth skin of her throat.

  She heard Jess’s guttural moan of pleasure and moved lower, stroking the flat planes of her lover’s belly. She lipped each nipple wetly, taking her time, drawing on her intimate knowledge of the best ways to pleasure this body she loved so much.

  I guess I can’t really claim I despise power, can I, Brenna thought, because I’m powerful now, and I relish every moment of it.

  Jess’s arms, strong enough to chop kindling from dawn to dusk when she was healthy, lay still at her sides, thrumming with a fine tension inspired by Brenna’s skillful caresses. Her fingers drifted down to Jess’s powerful legs, and delved into the soft folds between them. Jess hissed with pleasure, and Brenna had to lay her hand at the base of her throat again to keep her lying flat.

  Her fingers moved with exquisite care, circling Jess’s wetness, exploring deeper. This was the simplest of the many ways one woman made love to another, and Brenna’s favorite way of loving Jess. She was able to track her rising passion by watching that sweet tension tighten her austere features.

  “If I never command another Amazon in my life,” Brenna whispered, “I’ll still rule here, Jesstin.” Jess’s breathing hitched as Brenna stroked her relentlessly higher. “You’ve given me lasting reign over one warrior’s heart...and you will submit to your queen.”

  Jess arched hard, and rode Brenna’s churning fingers to a long and shuddering climax. Brenna caught her breath, awed as always by the wild, feral quality of Jess’s rugged beauty when pleasure took her. She held her as her trembling began to ease, and she relaxed in stages, finally sagging back against the furs in sated exhaustion.

  Brenna smoothed Jess’s hair off her forehead. “Sleep, adonai,” she whispered.

  “My love.” The corner of Jess’s mouth lifted as she began to sink into sleep. “My j’heika.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Several days passed before Shann was strong enough to see her younger daughter laid to rest.

  Her Council stepped in as the proficient backup to the throne they were intended to be. As the queen’s second, Jess held traditional authority over all aspects of clan life until Shann could rule again. Given the nature of their enemy, Jess chose to defer many decisions to Brenna. Had Tristaine been under physical attack, Jess would have commanded their response, but she knew a healer’s wisdom was needed to raise arms against this invisible foe.

  The kestadine was administered quickly and efficiently, and few of their sisters suffered adverse reactions. Brenna organized shifts of healers to visit each lodge and monitor the recovery of the ill. The plague began to turn its last corner. There were no more reports of new cases, and fevers that had burned frighteningly high finally broke, allowing sufferers cool and restorative sleep.

  Jess permitted no one but herself to handle the painful arrangements of funeral rites. Tristaine lost nearly eighty souls to the flu, twelve of them infants and young children. There were heartbreaking losses of the strong and vital as well—nineteen of Jess’s warriors died, slain in their prime by an unseen and implacable enemy. Every guild in the clan lost women they loved.

  The morning they were to say goodbye to Samantha had not yet dawned when Shann’s Council gathered in the lush green park at the center of the village. The stars were still visible overhead, but they had begun to fade. Amazon funerals tended to be held at sunrise or sunset, those two periods of celestial transition when the curtains between worlds were most translucent.

  Aria passed mugs brimming with a fragrant, potent tea that chased the last of the mist from Jess’s mind. She had recovered rapidly from her illness, at least physically. Her stamina wasn’t back to par yet, but Jess’s body made sense to her again. The urge to move was returning to her, the itch to race through the pastures below their mesa for the simple pleasure of it.

  Jess sat cross-legged in the grass, close to Brenna, who was leaning back on her hands, scanning the pale stars overhead. Shann had not yet called her Council to order, and the seven women sat in a close circle around the small, crackling fire, talking quietly. They had shared each other’s company like this only weeks ago, but Jess took as much comfort in this reunion as if a full season had passed.

  Shann and Kyla were deep in hushed conversation, their hands joined on Shann’s lap. Their lady looked a decade older, and while her vitality was returning slowly, the new strands of gray in Shann�
�s hair would remain, testament to her grief for her lost sisters.

  Dana kept her voice low, as befit the predawn stillness, but her gestures were sweeping and elaborate. She sat between Aria and Sarah, who listened avidly to her report of their escape from the City. Sarah rocked back and snorted appreciative laughter, and tousled Dana’s shaggy hair.

  “I think Shann’s strong enough now, Jess.” Brenna leaned gently against Jess. “She can take Elise tonight.”

  “Good.” Jess smiled. “That’ll speed our lady’s healing like no remedy on earth.”

  “Yes, and her granddaughter’s, too.”

  Like all the clan’s young, Elise would be nurtured by a whole tribe of mothers. One lodge, usually the biological parent’s, served as an infant’s primary home, providing the secure foundation all young ones needed. But many Amazons clamored to share child-raising duties, and Elise would grow and thrive under the loving watch of several of her elder sisters.

  As Brenna and Jess had had to focus all their waking hours since their return on serving Tristaine’s needs, Elise had stayed a few nights with Dana and Kyla, and the rest in the affectionate care of Eva and Jenny. Their two new sisters were sheltered in a comfortable cabin kept ready for the clan’s guests until they could help in the construction of their private lodge.

  “Shann was robbed of the chance to mother us, Sammy and me.” Brenna folded her arms around her knees. “She was intended to raise this child, Jess, this special young girl. Shann will teach Elise to cherish her clan, and to serve it in every way she can. She’ll raise her to be a wise queen, and Tristaine will flourish under Elise’s guidance.”

  Jess stared at her. “Is this prophecy, Bren?”

  “Nope.” Brenna had not smiled often in recent days, but she did then. “This is common sense, honey. I know my mom.”

  “And so we’re met.” Shann’s warm voice drew them, still slightly hoarse, but rich again with both affection and assurance. Shann smiled at her women, letting the silence linger, and a collective sigh moved through them. “Our clan has traveled a dark and perilous path since I last looked on your dear faces, adanin. My thanks to our Mothers that you’re all safely home again.”