Amazon Challenge (36 page)

I sighed. "
Several, one far more loudly than the others."

"Not everyone?" she asked. "Just several."

"Shut up."

"And how many thanked you."

"Shut up."

She grinned. "I love it when you concede an argument. You're always so gracious about it."

"Shut up," I said, but I couldn't help smiling a little.

She handed me my wine and told me to drink it. I sighed and drank.

"Well," said Bea, "can we go wrestle now? I've never wrestled drunk before."

I groaned.

"It'll be fun," she said, nudging me. "Pinning only. I don't think any of us have the control to be trusted with submission holds, and I think most of us have our pain tolerance too high to tap out when we should."

I sighed. "You guys go on. I'll wait
right here."

"Nice one," Beria said, climbing to her feet. She was a little unsteady. I'd never seen her drink more than a glass or so before.

I needed help getting to my feet, and I realized I was at least as drunk as any of them. To say I was unaccustomed to alcohol would be an understatement.

"Bring the wine," Bea said with a grin. "Loser of each match has to drink a glass."

"Half a glass," Serra said. "Some of us have had enough already."

Aura grabbed my arm and Bea grabbed the other, and together, we made our unsteady way to the training grounds. Bea tried to get everyone to sing on the way, but everyone shushed her.

"Are you trying to get us caught?" Neela asked.

"Caught doing what?" she asked.

"Um. Isn't there a. Um. What's the word?" She was slurring her words badly. "You know, where we're not supposed to do something?"

"A rule?" Beria asked.

"Yeah. A rule about getting drunk?"

"Yes, there is,"
Serra said. "No getting drunk without the village chief's permission. Good thing we have permission." And she began singing. Soon they all joined her. I couldn't even make out the words.

We got to the training grounds.

"Okay," said Bea. "Um. The rules. There are no rules!"

"Of course there are rules," Beria said. "No biting."

"No tickling!" Bea said. "Um. Wait. Actually, yeah, loser has to drink AND gets tickled."

"One or the other," Beria said.

"Fine," Bea agreed. "Winner decides whether the loser has to trink or get dickled."

"That's not right," Aura said. "You mean whether the loser has to drinkle or get ticked."

Serra shook her head. "You're all drunk."

I plopped down in the grass. "I'll watch."

"Uh uh uh," said Beria. "You have to wrestle anyone who asks. That's the rule."

"I agree," said Aura. "That's the rule." She turned to Beria. "Will you mrestle we?"

Serra shook her head again.

"Wait!" Bea said. "I want to go first."

"You were slow," Aura said. "Beria and I are going first."

"I am," she said. "I want to wrestle Maya. She's going to get tickled. Or drunk."

"She's already drunk" Gweneth said, "and I'm youngest so I'm going first. Maya you have to wrestle me."

"Ooh!" said Bea. "Okay, Gwya and Meneth!"

I looked up at her. "You're doing that on purpose! I don't think you're at all drunk."

"Doing what on purpose?" she said, swaying while standing over me. "Wait. No changing the subject. You have to wrestle her." She pointed to Gweneth.

I sighed.

"We're starting down," Serra said. "You're all drunk, and we don't want anyone getting hurt."

I let Gweneth pull me where she wanted to wrestle then knelt down.

It was actually a good match, if sloppy. Gweneth began giggling the minute she took position over me. She finally got serious and pinned me, but we were both breathing hard by the time Serra declared Gweneth the winner.

Gweneth continued to hold me there. "So, what shall it be? Shall we tickle you, or make you drink."

No one else waited. They launched themselves at me, and I soon found myself trying to escape their fingers. They rolled me onto my stomach and sat
on me. Someone sat on my legs and yanked one of my boots off, tickling my foot terribly.

I couldn't do anything but beg them to stop. Then I begged them to stop before I soiled myself.

"Stop!" Serra said. "She's full of wine and cider!"

They climbed off me slowly, everyone laughing. Neela handed me my boot, grinning at me.

Gweneth was particularly pleased. "I won!"

I pulled her into a hug. "You did. I'm a terrible warrior."

"Yes," she said, "But you're a great senior companion." She plopped down in my lap and hugged me. "Thank you."

I wasn't expecting that. I wrapped my arms around her, and she held me for a long time. "You're always so kind to me," she whispered.

"All right," Bea said. "You had your fun. Someone else go, then it's my turn."

Gweneth climbed off me and I looked at Bea. "I thought you were anxious to wrestle."

She grinned. "I am, but we can't make you wrestle every match."

Aura challenged Beria, barely beating her. She made my sister drink. Then Bea asked me to wrestle. She giggled more than Gweneth did, and it was infectious.  She actually had a difficult time pinning me, we were both giggling too hard
, but then Beria said, "If this match isn't over in one minute, you're both getting tickled and drinking besides."

That sobered us both up, and Bea had me pinned in plenty of time.

"Make her drink," Beria said. "You've both had enough giggling."

Bea climbed off me and someone handed me a half glass of wine. "All at once," Bea said. "Or you have to drink another one with us holding you down."

"Changing the rules?" I asked. She giggled, and I drank the wine.

After that, well, they got me really drunk, but they were all drunk, too. But the time we were done, none of us was able to walk straight, but we were all hot and sweaty.

"Time to go swimming," Bea said. She pulled me to my feet.

"Um." I wavered back and forth. "Drunking swim is a bad idea."

"What?" Beria said.

"Um. Lifeguard?"

"Oh. Okay." She hooked my arm, and then Jasmine had my other arm, and I didn't see where everyone else was, but in one long, wavering line, we went to find our warriors.

"They're in Nori's hut," Serra said. "Shhh. We'll surprise them."

Every time any of us made noise, the rest of us said, "shhh" loudly. Yes, we were quiet, quiet as mice.

We didn't exactly surprise them as we piled into Nori's hut, several of us banging against the doorframe on the way.

"We're going swimming!" Bea announced loudly. "But Maya's being a party pooper."

"Am not!" I said.

"She said we need a guard," Aura said. "I think she's afraid of bears."

Malora stood up and walked over to us, studying us carefully. "Are you all drunk?"

"Not me," I said, wavering. "I'm really, really drunk." I poked her in the chest. "Bea made me drink."

"We all made her drink," Beria giggled.

"You're all going to be so hung over," Malora said. "But I think it's time to put this one to bed." She reached for me, but I backed away and waved a finger at her.

"You don't get to touch me. Still mad at you!
We're going swimming. Need a. um."

"Lifeguard," Beria furnished.

"Not you!" I said, poking Malora again.

She sighed. "Ralla?"

Ralla stood up. "Nori, I think we need you, too."

"Woo hoo," said Bea. "We're going swimming!"

Bea grabbed me and started pulling me away, but Malora stopped her. "You will do whatever Ralla or Nori tell you to do."

"Or what?" I asked. "Going to dye me green instead?"

"We've got it, Malora," Nori said. "She'll behave."

Ralla and Nori herded all the companions outside. I found myself surrounded
by companions, tugged along to the river. Ten seconds later, half the companions were in the pool, having taken off little more than her boots. I plopped down on the rocks and struggled to get my boots off. A moment later, Ralla was kneeling in front of me, helping me.

"I've never seen you drunk, Maya."

"She's never been drunk," Beria said. She slapped me on the back. "It took your little sister to get you drunk. Ha!"

"Nori," said Ralla, "this is a really bad idea."

"Do you want to try to stop them?" Nori asked. Nori knelt down next to Ralla, looking into my eyes. "You're going to suffer tomorrow, Maya."

"Don't care," I said. I struggled with my boots. Ralla was taking too long.

"Stop it," she said. She finally tugged one off and began on the other.

Next to me, Beria was stripping out of the last of her clothes. Moments later she began plucking at mine.

"Hey!" I said, slapping her away. "I can do it."

"Betcha can't," she said.

"Whatcha want to bet?" I asked.

"Loser has to kiss Nori," she said.

"I'm not kissing either of you," Nori said. "You're both drunk, and I have no intention of explaining it to your warriors."

"Party pooper," Beria said.

Ralla got my other boot off. She was smirking but keeping her comments to herself.

"So, are we betting or not?" I asked my sister.

"Fine. If you get your clothes off without help, then I'll let Malora dye me purple so we match. But if you can't, then you have to do whatever I say for a month."

"No way," I replied.

"The dye will last that long, so you should have to do what I say for a month," she repeated.

"No," I said. I fumbled with my clothing. For some reason I couldn't undo the buttons of my tunic. I stared down at them.

"We really shouldn't let her swim," Ralla told Nori.

"I'll swim like this," I said, trying to struggle to my feet.

"Told ya you couldn't get them off," Beria said. "You should have bet."

I fell over twice until finally Nori and Ralla stepped forward. They helped me to my feet,
then Nori began plucking at my buttons. I tried to slap her away. "You didn't want to kiss me, so you don't get to undress me."

"Let her undress you," Beria said. "She's been dying to for three years."

"Shut up, Beria," Nori said. Then she was tugging my tunic over my head. She slid my leggings down over my hips after that, then she and Ralla helped me towards the water. Beria ran ahead of us and jumped in.

"You will stay in the shallow portion until Ralla and I join you," Nori ordered. "If you disobey me, we will haul you out and hogtie you for a week. Do you hear me, Maya?"

I looked over at her. "You're not the water trainer, Nori," I said. "You don't get to tell me that."

"I am tonight," she said. "Stay in the shallow area, Maya."

"Fine," I said. "But I'm dunking you later."

"Good luck with that," she said.

They helped me into the water, and the companions were waiting for me. I stepped in and walked out a little bit, but Nori said, "That's far enough, Maya. I mean it."

"Everyone thinks she can tell me what to do," I muttered. But I didn't think she was
bluffing. I slumped down in the water.

Two minutes later, Ralla and Nori were in the water with us.

"Finally," I said. I ducked under the water for a moment then began to slowly swim out into the deeper water. I rolled onto my back, floating, and it felt like the entire world was spinning. I slipped under the water and came up sputtering.

Then Nori was there, holding me up. I caught my breath then turned to her. She looked at me with concern. So I wrapped myself around her, holding her tightly, my arms around her neck and my legs wrapped around her waist. She struggled to keep us both
upright in the water.

"Um."

"You love me, don't you Nori?" I asked her.

"Yes, Maya," she said. She began paddling backwards, bringing us closer to shore.

"Why don't you want to kiss me?"

"Because you belong to Malora," she said back. "Behave."

"Everyone is always trying to make me behave!" I said petulantly. I shifted my weight, climbing higher on her and dunking her under the water, then I pushed off from her and swam away. A moment later I heard Nori trying to follow me, so I ducked under the water and swam at a right angle, swimming until I reached the edge of the pool, then came up silently. I knew against the rocks she wouldn't be able to see me in the dark as long as I didn't let my pink hair give me away. I kept my head tipped backwards, hiding my hair in the water.

I watched while she tried to find me.