Amazon Chief (85 page)

She glared at everyone for a moment.

"A few last things. We have some fairly young companions in attendance. Only companions who have reached their fourteenth birthday may be drawn into any events or wagers without my express permission. Where are Joelle and Annalise?"

"Here, Queen Malora," Joelle said, standing up and dragging her sister with her.

"Did the two of you hear what I just said?"

"Yes, Queen Malora," they each said.

"Do you have questions?"

"No, Queen Malora."

"If you wish to participate in any events, you will seek permission from either of
your mothers, Maya or me. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Queen Malora."

"Good." She looked around. "Do I make myself clear, Amazons?"

"Yes, Queen Malora," we thundered together.

"Girls," Malora said, "If you break this rule, you will not only suffer the punishment your mothers declare, but you will also suffer my punishment on top of theirs. You will not like it. Sit down."

They both sat, and I was pretty sure they would behave as well as a ten- and twelve-year-old are able.

She looked around. "I do not know if there are other very young companions. All of you look so young." There was light laughter at that. "Your permission comes from your warriors."

"Next," she said, "there will be no pranks between villages this week. Queen's Town and Lake Juna have already declared a truce. I am now declaring a truce covering all of you. If there are pranks already in motion, you will report them quietly to Maya, and she will keep your anonymity when reporting it to the intended victim. If Maya is the victim, you may approach Chief Mar, and she will warn Maya. I cannot tell you how incensed I will be if this rule is violated." Then she looked directly at me. "Did you hear me, Chief Beria?"

I smiled. "Yes, Queen Malora."

"So whatever you've already done to your old warrior, you better go undo."

"I'm innocent for once," I said, "and my companion has warned me of the dire consequences I would face if I violate the truce."

"All right," Queen Malora said. "Last rules. Have a good time. Do your best, but in the end, we're all on the same side. Good luck, everyone."

After that, there were stories, and Maya played her fiddle. Lia and I danced. Then Aren and I danced. Then I turned to Omie. She nodded, and we danced, then we both wrapped up in our companions for a while.

It was a wonderful evening, but Malora sent everyone to bed early. "Tomorrow is a big day."

The next day dawned clear and dry. The girls were up late the night before, and so they were not early risers, but I heard movement about the village long before I unwrapped my arms from around my companion. I slipped from our shared bed upon the floor about the same time Aren slipped from her bed with Omie. We smiled at each other and quietly collected our things. I ended up doing most of my dressing outside to avoid waking anyone else. Aren stepped out a moment later and helped me adjust my clothing and braid.

"Thank you."

"Nervous?"

"Oh yeah," I said.

"You know if you need soothing, you can turn to me."

"Thank you, Aren," I said.

"I'm not like your sister," she said. "I don't offer casually, Beria. But I'm offering to you."

"Then I am doubly touched," I said. "Thank you. I suspect I will take you up on it once or twice this week."

"As often as you require," she said. "Make us proud, Beria."

* * * *

Maya posted the first round of matches prior to breakfast. With
seventy combatants, there were a lot of matches. Not every village had sent two or there would have been a hundred competitors. She had organized the training field into five distinct areas along one side of the field. She scheduled the fights for every fifteen minutes, so a warrior could judge when she would be required to compete. We didn't have a town clock like the one in many of the towns of Morehama, but Amazons could estimate the time, and I learned later Maya had organized the companions to announce the time and the beginnings of matches.

I was scheduled to fight third at ring two. My opponent was an older warrior from Three Fish, a village or two south of Northglen.
Ping would be the referee. Nori and Omie stood beside me while I reviewed the pending matches.

"Who are you going to watch?"

I listed them. Nori asked about a few others.

"I know what they fight like," I said.

As the time drew close, Malora strode onto the field. She crossed to the center of the training circle and bellowed, "Fellow Amazons!" It took only another moment or two before we all drew quiet. "The first matches are about to begin. Good luck, everyone." And then she stepped away, moving to the first ring. I saw Ping at ring two, Ralla at three, Vorine at four and Clara at five.

"You're not a referee?" I asked Omie.

"You're stuck with me. Who are we watching first?" I drew Omie towards Vorine's ring.

Maya stepped forth, standing near ring three. "The first matches are about to begin," she yelled. "Warriors, you should be at your ring."

From up and down the field, I heard companions repeating the instructions. There was little excuse for any warrior to miss her match.

The first matches were short, with none of the bouts lasting the entire fifteen minutes. I learned little about the woman I was watching, as her opponent was severely outclassed. At the end, I turned to Omie, "well, that wasn't educational."

"We spent the last two weeks determining the initial matchups," she said quietly. "We made sure that none of the most likely top contenders will face each other too soon. We would hate to see someone really good knocked out in the first day or two. Don't get cocky, but your fight isn't going to last even that long."

"She's a good warrior," I said. "I've trained with her a few times."

"She caves under pressure," Omie said. "You can go in with one sword."

I was almost as deadly with one sword as with two, and I nodded understanding.

The second matches went as quickly as the first, and the two I watched, standing between Malora's and Ping's circles, were both quite uneven.

Omie was carrying a practice sword and she handed it to me as the time for my match drew close.

"You're only carrying one?"

"Why give anything away?" she asked. "When it's time for you to use two, I'll have two."

I grinned. "You're doing the job I used to do for you."

"Like it, do you?"

"Yeah."

"Need a companion?"

"Naw, I'm fine. Maybe after."

"Maya is right there, and I saw both Aren and Lia a few minutes ago. Your daughters are helping Maya, so they're here, too."

I was about to step into the ring when suddenly I was surrounded by my family. Lia pulled me into her arms, and her hair was down. It had been up earlier.

"I'm fine," I whispered.

"I don't care, Beria," she said. "You will not be fine. You will be perfect. Do you hear me? Now let me make those voices go away. I'll be waiting right here for you."

And so I ran my hands through her hair, kissed her, and let her soothe me. Then Maya announced the third matches, and I stepped away from Lia.

Annalise and Joelle both hugged me, too, briefly, and I gave them both quick kisses.

I stepped into the ring and greeted Ping. A moment later, my opponent joined me. I transferred my sword to my off hand and stepped forward, clasping hands with her.

"Old and young," she said. "I may have a trick or two left for you, Chief Beria."

"If you show them to me, I shall strive to learn from you, Jalane. I feel blessed for my first match to be with someone so honored."

She smiled and bowed slightly. I returned the bow, and we stepped back.

Ping stepped between us. "That is what I like to see," she said. She was carrying a staff. "If I call hold, you will both freeze and back away. You may defend yourself from a late strike, but if you lash out, you better be prepared to take a swing from my staff."

I smiled at her and nodded understanding.

"Don't think I'm too old to do it, either," she said.
"I am the judge of all points. If you call one against yourself, I may agree with you, I may not. Questions?"

"No, Ping," with both said. Ping lifted the staff so its end stayed between us, checked that we were both ready, then backed away and said, "Fight."

Omie had been right. It was not a difficult fight. Jalane fought poorly; she had done better when I had trained with her. She did have a trick or two, but they were tricks Nori had taught me years ago. She wasn't a poor fighter. Against another opponent she might have been considered, "Good". But she fought about as well as Glorana or Frida fight alone. In the end, I won the bout five to nothing. Jalane was panting heavily at the end and thanked me for the bout.

Omie took the practice sword from me, and I received hugs from my family. "My big strong warrior," Lia whispered in my ear. "We have to go help some more."

Omie and I watched the other fights. There were fix or six warriors I thought were particular threats. Jalad was one of them. She preferred to fight with a staff and she had no care for the damage she did with it. She was big and powerful, and I thought she was a bully.

"Do you know her?" Omie asked.

"Yes," I said. "Jalad. She's from Knotty Pine. She's not well-liked."

"I'd like to let your sister go swimming with her," Omie said.

I laughed. It could be particularly humiliating for a warrior to go swimming with Maya. Not that she was mean, but anyone who sees her fight comes away with one impression, so to get beat so thoroughly by her was hard to take. Not that she beat everyone when she went swimming, but even when she didn't win, she gave a good showing.

For another fight, Omie said, "She looks confident."

"She should be," I replied. "That's Tenda."

"
That's
Tenda? She's my size."

"I know. From her reputation, you would expect her six feet tall and built like an ox. She's small and fast and doesn't have a single bad habit. She's also very sweet. I like her. She'll do well and should make the later rounds, but it will depend."

"On what?"

"She's fragile. She hates fighting against a staff. If she gets
placed against Jalad, she may accept a forfeit. But if there are any team events, don't bet against her. She has a few big, strong friends who are good enough to act as a shield, and then she's deadly."

Two matches later, we stood between Vorine and Clara's rings. In Vorine's ring on the left was Lilith. "You'll like this," I told Omie. "She's a wrestler."

"Wrestling doesn't usually involve a staff against a sword," Omie said.

"Just watch."

Lilith won her fight five to two. She won all her points in a very similar fashion, using her staff to hold off her opponent until she could step inside the sword range and perform a wrestling move of some sort. She threw her opponent over her hip, applied various submission holds, and otherwise wrestled her opponent into submission.

"She's good," Omie said. She grinned. "Do you think she'd wrestle later?"

"She'd be overjoyed if you asked," I said. "Omie, don't let anyone bet on you."

"Seriously?"

"Yep. Probably the best opponent you've faced in a long time."

She frowned at me. "I live in Queen's Town, Beria."

"Which is why I made that claim very, very quietly."

In Clara's ring was Haldara. "What about her?" Omie asked. Haldara was a big woman, and she stepped into the ring with a sword that was as long as Omie was tall.

"What the hell is that?" Omie asked.

"You should see her in a demon fight. She's a joy to watch. I've never seen her fight all out with that thing though." She had a real sword for demon fights and a practice sword to match it. She was strong enough to fight with it one handed, but she nearly always fought two handed with it.

She didn't fight with much style. Instead, she basically beat her opponent into submission. The poor woman didn't have a clue how to defend against such an overpowering attack.

"She seems to lack finesse," Omie said with a grin.

"Yeah. I wanted to see."

"She sort of fights like it's a staff."

"Yeah. I'll treat it like a staff fight."

Omie pursed her lips. "She's not a threat."

"No. I wasn't sure. But I want to keep an eye on her. She may have more than one style, but I don't think so."

There were a few other warriors I thought were good, and I was sure there were a few fights I should have seen.

Finally the last matches from the first round were finished. Malora thanked everyone for a good morning of matches. "We now have a few hours off. I believe Maya has a fun event for the companions immediately after lunch, but you'll need to check the board for details. The next matches are scheduled for two this afternoon. We'll post the matches as quickly as we can. Thank you everyone!"