Amazonia (3 page)

Shale turned, surprised to
find the princess moving toward her. “Yes, Princess?”

“Blake, please.”

In her tribe, royalty had
always been addressed as such. Since it was Blake’s preference, though,
Shale knew she should respect it. “Sorry. Blake.”

Blake came to a halt in
front of her. “You’re apologising a lot today.”

Tell me about it. “I know.”
Shale’s mouth twitched. “Sorry.”

Blake smiled. “Will you
stop? You haven’t done anything wrong.”

“I’m glad someone’s
noticed,” Shale muttered, recalling the glare Melaina had given her, as
if she herself had insulted the queen, even though it was Kale who had
done so. Shale had come to expect that. Around strangers they were
treated as one person.

“Excuse me?”

“Nothing, it doesn’t
matter.” Shale rubbed her temple, her headache now much worse. All of her
tension had settled there, and she seriously considered asking the
princess to knock her out. And if Blake wouldn’t, surely one of the women
inside the lodge would? Shale suspected they would do it gladly, too.

Blake gave her a concerned
look. “Are you all right?”

Shale immediately lowered
her hand, her warrior pride rearing its head. She’d never liked to show
weakness. “It’s been a long trek,” she said.

“Our healer, Appollonia, is
just there.” Blake indicated the very next lodge on her left. “I’m sure
she could give you something if you’re in pain.”

“I’m just tired. A good
night’s sleep will suffice. Thank you.”

“Where are you making
camp?” Blake asked. “I’m afraid we don’t have any spare cabins.”

Shale pointed toward a
cluster of trees on the edge of the village. “We’ll be fine there,” she
said.

“Kale’s not going to do
anything stupid, is she?” Blake asked bluntly.

Shale liked her directness,
finding it refreshing. She returned it. “Like go off and take revenge
herself?”

“Something like that, yes.”

“Kale won’t go anywhere
without me, and I’m not planning on doing any such thing. The queen is
right, and her plan is sound. We’re staying put.”

“Good. I’m glad you agree.”
She hesitated. “I know it can’t be easy for you to just sit and wait,
Shale, but we don’t have much choice.” Her voice softened. “We’ll have a
funeral pyre tomorrow for those who were lost. I hope that will help you
both.”

Shale nodded sadly. “It
will allow Kale and me to say goodbye.”

Blake reached out and
squeezed Shale’s arm in comfort. “Get some rest,” she said, then walked
back toward the lodge.

“YOU HAVE TO apologise to the
queen, Kale,” Shale said, around a mouthful of apple.

They had made camp amongst
the trees, wanting the privacy it afforded them. They’d found a small area
of clear, flat ground with a large boulder at its edge, and had built a
campfire in the center, laying their bedrolls on either side.

Shale stretched her legs. She
felt a lot better this morning, the solid sleep had refreshed her
completely. Except for some stiffness in her joints, her body had all but
recovered.

“I know,” Kale mumbled,
eating her own apple. “I will, as soon as I see her.”

They were making do with only
fruit for breakfast. Neither wanted to go on another trek just yet. They
knew the village had plenty of food to share, but after yesterday weren’t
sure they’d be made very welcome. Amazons had a tendency to hold grudges.

“No, Kale, you’re going to
find her. You need to smooth things over.”

“All right, I will!” Kale
tossed the rest of her apple onto their small campfire. “I still can’t
believe we’re not going to do anything. Our dead sisters would be ashamed
of us.”

“Endangering other Amazons
isn’t the way to go. That won’t help anyone,” Shale repeated again. They’d
had this conversation numerous times now.

Kale picked up a stone and
threw it hard. It bounced loudly off a tree stump. She took a calming
breath. “Do you know when they’re lighting the pyre?”

Shale shook her head. “No, I
just know it’s today. I’ll go and speak to the princess this morning.”

“No need,” Kale said quickly.
“I’ll ask the queen.”

“Fair enough. We’d best get
going.” Shale stood and started to put out the fire, smothering the flames
with the dirt around her feet. She herself didn’t need to go, but she
wouldn’t let Kale face that kind of hostility alone. And she knew Kale
would do the same for her.

Sure enough, when they
entered the village, the Amazons barely veiled their anger toward them,
and some didn’t even try, glaring disapprovingly at them both.

“Well, this is quite a
welcome,” Kale muttered under her breath.

“No doubt the hunting party
told their little tale about us, too,” Shale said. “I could kill you
sometimes.”

Kale grinned. “You could try.
We both know you’d never succeed.”

She knew Kale was right, they
were too equally matched in skill and mind. “I’d make a damn good go of
it,” Shale shot back.

“You’d better get in line,
looks like half of the village wants to take me out.”

“Only half?” Shale joked.
“And in case you didn’t notice, they’re glaring at me, too.”

“Oh, I noticed. But it’s only
because they don’t know which of us insulted the queen,” Kale said dryly.

“It wouldn’t make a
difference even if they did.”

“Mm,” Kale agreed. “Where do
you think the queen is? Should I try that lodge we were in?”

“She could be in another
meeting. The last thing you want is to interrupt and annoy her further.”
Shale’s gaze fixed on a small robust woman who was heading toward them.
“Where is the queen?”

If the woman was considering
not answering, Kale didn’t give her much of a choice, stepping directly
into her path and staying there. Kale towered over her, and Shale sighed
internally. Intimidating people wouldn’t help either.

“Please, tell us where the
queen is?” Shale asked.

“She’s at the main lodge,”
the woman responded gruffly, indicating the same building that they’d been
in yesterday.

“Thank you. Do you know if
she’s busy?”

“The queen is always busy,”
she replied awkwardly.

Shale set her jaw, trying to
keep her temper. “I mean, is she in a meeting? Can she be disturbed?”

“That would be up to the
queen.”

“Now, look—” Kale began
moving forward threateningly.

Shale placed a firm hand on
her shoulder, pulling her back. “Let’s go.”

Kale didn’t resist, and they
walked toward the lodge. “Now what?”

“We look for the princess.
She’ll give us an answer.” Shale’s eyes scanned the village, but didn’t
see her.

“If there is a meeting, it’s
likely she’ll be with the queen,” Kale said. She sat down on the steps
that led up to the main lodge, and Shale joined her. “I’ll just sit and
wait. It’s so friendly here.” Her tone dripped with sarcasm.

Despite the situation, Shale
laughed. “You can’t blame them, Kale. You know perfectly well you’d react
the same if you were in their shoes.”

Kale grunted in
acknowledgement.

“And you know what rumours
are like,” Shale continued. “What they’ve heard is likely to be much worse
than the actual event. You’re likely to be dragging the queen around by
her hair at this point.”

A voice suddenly came from
behind them. “I hope that’s not a plan of action, warrior?”

Startled, they both stood and
turned around, finding Blake on the lodge steps.

“No, Princess,” Shale said,
her embarrassment making her miss the gentle teasing in Blake’s eyes. “Not
at all. I was, uh...” She couldn’t think of how to explain.

Mercifully, Kale spoke up. “I
was waiting for the queen.” She met Blake’s eyes squarely. “To apologise
for last night.”

Blake nodded. “My mother is
inside. You can see her now, Kale.”

“Thank you, Princess.” Kale
ascended the steps and knocked on the door. When called in, she entered,
leaving Shale and Blake alone.

“I hope you’re feeling better
today?” Blake asked kindly, as she reached Shale’s side.

“Yes, Prin...Blake. Thank
you.” She still wasn’t used to calling Blake by her birth name. Shale
wondered if she ever would be.

Blake smiled at her. “Will
you walk with me, Shale? I’ll show you around our village.”

Shale was surprised that not
only had Blake remembered their names, but she had used them correctly,
not confused as to who they were. “I would be honored.”

Blake turned left, leading
Shale past the healer’s lodge and toward the warriors’ training ground. “I
heard about what happened between you two and the hunters.”

“I’m sorry for that also.”
That was all she seemed to say lately.

“Forgive me if I’m mistaken,
but I assumed it was Kale who said those things, not you.”

“I take it the hunters didn’t
know who said what?” Shale asked.

“No, they didn’t,” Blake replied.
“Am I mistaken?”

“No,” Shale said quietly.

“Then please don’t feel as
though you should apologise,” Blake said. “Kale’s rudeness aside, she had
a point. If you heard them coming, an enemy would have, or the animal they
were hunting. I told them they need to be more careful.”

Great. Not only had the
hunters been insulted, they had been reprimanded by their princess over
it. Shale knew that she and Kale would be blamed for all of it. She tried
to ignore the looks of contempt she was getting from the women they
passed.

As if noticing herself, Blake
said, “I now understand what you meant the last time we talked. You’re
being treated as though you disrespected their queen.”

“To them I did.” At Blake’s
confused glance, Shale explained, “As twins, Kale and I are treated as one
person. Until people get to know us better, anyway.” She tried to keep the
bitterness out of her voice, but wasn’t sure she succeeded. “Hence why I
feel the need to apologise. Force of habit.”

Blake’s brow creased. “That’s
one of the most unfair things I’ve ever heard, two people being treated as
one. No wonder Kale has a temper. Though I must say under the
circumstances, Shale, you have the most right to be angry. You haven’t
done anything wrong, yet you’re sharing the blame.”

“That’s just how it is.”

“Not with me it isn’t,” Blake
told her with certainty.

Shale was pleasantly
surprised. “Our mother could tell us apart, but when Kale got herself into
trouble, I was always told off for not keeping her out of it.” Shale shrugged.
“I’m used to it.” She didn’t know why she was telling Blake all of this,
and was surprised that she found the princess so easy to talk to.

Blake touched Shale’s forearm
lightly. “Well you can just get unused to it with me. I won’t treat you
like that.”

Shale smiled at her words,
and Blake returned it, moments passing as they regarded each other.
 
Blake was the first to break the gaze.
“That’s where the warriors train and spar.” She pointed to a large
arena-like space. “That’s where you’ll train.”

Shale nodded. It was quite a
bit bigger than her old training ground, but this tribe was larger also.
It was nice and flat, and the area had been cleared of trees and other
obstacles. A tall stake was positioned at the far end, which was where
unruly Amazons were disciplined.

Shale studied several pairs
of women sparring with each other, noting amusedly that the ferocity and
speed picked up when the fighters realised the princess was watching.

One of the nearest warriors
was taken down with a direct blow to her face.

“Ouch,” Blake mumbled
sympathetically.

Shale immediately saw the
problem. The woman had dropped her guard a fraction too much, allowing the
punch to get past her defences. She didn’t intend to say anything though,
it wasn’t her place. She wasn’t in charge here.

The warrior was helped to her
feet by her opponent, and they began sparring again. When she was felled a
second time, Shale couldn’t remain quiet. Her eyes searched for Aris, but
she was at the other end with Melaina, showing an adolescent warrior how
to do a spinning kick.

Shale walked forward,
wondering why she was bothering when she received nothing but cold stares
from them.

“You’re dropping your arm too
much,” Shale said to the young woman, who was wiping blood from her nose.
She expected to hear that her help wasn’t needed, but the princess’s
presence kept them both in line. “What’s your name?”

“Anikett.”

“All right, Anikett, get into
your stance for me.”

She did as requested, and
didn’t resist when Shale adjusted her position.

“Make sure you keep that arm
up, it tends to lower and that’s why...” Shale looked to the other warrior
expectantly.

“Hesius,” the woman said.

“And that’s why Hesius here
keeps knocking you flat.” She gave Hesius an approving look. “Nice punch
by the way.”

Hesius smiled, apparently
forgetting to be angry with her. “Thanks.”

“Let’s try that,” Shale said,
barely stepping out of their way. She wasn’t the slightest bit worried
about getting hit herself.

The warriors went through the
maneuver again, but this time Anikett blocked the strike.

Shale clapped Anikett on the
back. “Well done.” She started to walk back to Blake.

“Hey, thanks,” Anikett called
after her. “Me and my nose appreciate it.”

Chuckling, Shale glanced over
her shoulder. “No worries.”

Blake looked impressed.
“You’ve done that before,” she said knowingly.

Shale was still smiling.
“Yeah, Kale and I led the warriors in our old tribe.”

“Really? The both of you?”

“We know each other inside
out, it works well in battle.”

“I can see the advantages of
that,” Blake said. “Having two leaders who think so alike, their
strategies and techniques working together.” She paused a moment. “You
must be an excellent fighter. Though I already knew that, you had to have
been to survive the attack.”

“Kale and I didn’t fight, we
weren’t at the village when it happened,” Shale said quietly. She kept her
tone flat, trying to keep the emotion out of her voice. “We were out
searching for an herb that our healer wanted. That reminds me, Kale’s
still got it, maybe your healer could use it?”

“I’m sure Appollonia would be
grateful,” Blake replied, watching Shale closely.

“We didn’t even get a chance
to fight. By the time we got back...” Shale faltered and took a breath.
“There was nothing left. We should have been there to protect them.” She
lowered her head.

“Shale,” Blake said softly.
“You can’t blame yourself.”

“No?” Her gaze snapped up.
“Who else is there?”

“The people who did this.”
Blake answered firmly. “You couldn’t have known, Shale, no one could
have.” At Shale’s disbelieving look, she said, “I’m sure you didn’t leave
your tribe undefended? Your warriors were there and your second in
command?”

Shale nodded. “Everyone but
us.”

“Then your tribe was simply
outnumbered. Do you really think two more would have changed the outcome?
You would have died alongside them.”

“Maybe that would have been
for the best,” Shale whispered.

Blake gripped both of Shale’s
biceps. “Don’t ever think that, Shale. If it hadn’t been for you, we would
be completely unaware of this threat. You’ve given us time to prepare.
That in itself will save many lives.” Blake stared beseechingly at Shale,
clearly trying to convince her.

Shale studied Blake, whose
compassionate green eyes were pulling at her heart. She finally nodded.

“I can’t even imagine what
you’re going through, Shale, but please know that you did nothing wrong.
Nothing.” Blake spotted Kale coming toward them, and released Shale’s
arms. “And if you ever need to talk, I’m a good listener.”

Shale idly wondered why her
skin tingled where Blake had touched her. “Thank you, Blake. That means a
lot to me.” And it did, she was truly grateful for Blake’s kind words.

“Anytime, Shale. I mean
that.”

“WHAT WAS THAT about?” Kale
asked, as soon as the princess left. She hadn’t failed to notice Blake’s
grip on Shale. Or the more worrying fact that Shale hadn’t stepped away,
as she usually did when others touched her. That in itself spoke volumes
to Kale, and she decided to keep a close eye on the situation, not wanting
it to get out of hand. She’d seen the way Shale looked at Blake, it was
best that Shale stayed away from her.