Amazonia (14 page)

“Blake, there’s a pail under
the bed. Can you get it?” Appollonia asked, while mixing the drink with a
wooden spoon.

Shale steadied her stomach as
Blake searched for the bucket. She wouldn’t let herself throw up. Not only
would it be humiliating, Blake might not kiss her for the rest of the
evening. That single thought gave her the motivation she needed.

Shale took the mug, drawing
in a deep breath before the stench of it hit her. She swallowed a few
mouthfuls, but had to stop. “Gods.” Shale breathed unevenly for a few
moments, making Blake ready the pail. “You weren’t kidding when you said
you had worse.”

“I’ve had some Amazons accuse
me of trying to kill them,” Appollonia said.

A ghost of a smile appeared.
“That was going to be my next statement,” Shale said. She scanned the
contents of the mug, dismayed to find it only half empty. She made herself
finish the rest, and sheer willpower kept it down.

“Now I feel worse.” Shale
wasn’t exaggerating, her nausea had increased substantially.

“I know,” Appollonia said.
“But it will help if you can keep it down.”

“Oh, it’s staying down,”
Shale said, as much to convince herself as anyone. “I’m not drinking that
again.”

“Can I borrow this?” Blake
asked Appollonia, gesturing to the pail. “Just in case,” she told Shale.

Shale nodded. Precaution was
never a bad thing, especially when her stomach felt as though it was doing
back flips.

“Please, keep it. I have
plenty.”

“Thanks.” Blake rubbed her
thumb over Shale’s arm. “Do you want to stay here for a bit to let your
stomach settle?”

“No, we can go.” Shale wanted
some privacy, and the comfort of Blake’s cabin. She’d had enough of being
at the healer’s. Twice in one day was enough for anyone. “Thanks for
patching me up.”

Appollonia smiled. “You’re
welcome.”

“I’ll go and fetch Kale. She
can carry you over.” Blake moved to stand.

“There’s no need,” Shale
said.

Seeing that Blake was about
to argue with her, presumably to say that there certainly was a need, and
there was no way Shale was going to hop across the village with only Blake
supporting her, Shale pointed at the door.

A few moments passed, then
the lodge door opened and Kale came in.

Blake smiled and shook her
head in amazement.
 
“I’ll never get
used to that.”

“How in the...” Appollonia
uttered.

“It’s a twin thing,” Blake
answered for Shale, causing her to snicker.

Kale frowned at the surprised
expressions that were being directed at her. “What?”

Shale held out her newly
stitched forearm. “What do you think?”

Kale observed it approvingly.
“Nice.”

Blake shook her head in
disbelief. “Clearly this is something only warriors understand.”

Shale smirked up at Kale.
“You’re just in time.”

“This is getting to be a
habit,” Kale noted, bending down and lifting Shale without another word
passing between them.

Appollonia’s jaw dropped, and
Blake stifled a grin. Shale could have been referring to anything, but
Kale instinctively knew what she wanted. It really was quite
extraordinary, the connection that they shared.

Blake followed Kale out of
the lodge, and Kale headed for Blake’s cabin.

“You know the offer is always
open, Kale. You’re welcome to stay, too,” Blake said.

“On the floor,” Shale put in
swiftly.

Kale chuckled. “I kind of
figured you two would have the bed,” she replied, letting them know that
she knew about their relationship. “Thanks, Blake, but you both deserve
your privacy.” Her tone became mischievous. “Besides, if the rumors about
you two are true, I won’t get any sleep.”

“Kale!” Shale smacked her
hard on the head.

“I’ll drop you if you do that
again,” Kale threatened.

Blake laughed, surprising
Shale. “Well, I’ve certainly heard worse rumours.”

Shale’s eyebrows rose, and
her eyes twinkled at Blake.

“I’ll come by often though,
if that’s all right?” Kale asked.

“Sure. Anytime you like,”
Blake said.

Shale smiled at Kale,
relieved beyond words that Kale was making an effort with Blake. She
kissed Kale’s cheek in thanks.

“Shale! We’re in public.
Don’t make me drop you.”

KALE’S STOMACH RUMBLED
loudly, reminding her and everyone else in the cabin that they still
hadn’t eaten. “I’ll go and scavenge some food, assuming there’s any left.”

Shale’s head was in Blake’s
lap, and Blake was lightly tickling the nape hairs on the back of her
neck.

“You’re spoiled rotten,
Shale,” Kale said.

Shale smiled up at Blake. “I
know.”

Their eyes locked, and they
gazed lovingly at each other.

Kale rolled her eyes. “You
know, I think that sickness of yours might be catching. I’m starting to
feel nauseous myself.”

Shale stuck her tongue out at
Kale. “Go fetch Blake some food.”

“You don’t want any?” Kale
asked, heading for the door.

“No. I’m not hungry.”

“You should try to eat
something, Shale,” Blake said. “You need to keep your strength up.”

Shale firmly shook her head.

“Do you still feel sick?”
Blake’s brow creased when Shale nodded. “It’s been a while since you’ve
had it. Is it helping at least?”

“Yes. My knee’s not as bad.”

“Good.”

“I’ll eat something tomorrow,
but I’m really not up to anything now.” She looked beseechingly at Blake.

“All right,” Blake said
softly.

“I’ll just get two plates
then,” Kale said. “Do you want something in particular, Blake?”

“No, a mixture’s fine.
Thanks, Kale.” When they were alone, Blake added, “I think Kale’s been
drugged or something.”

Shale chuckled. “I bet you didn’t
think she had a nice side?”

“I was starting to wonder,”
Blake said. “I owe Amber big time. Whatever she said clearly worked.”

“Amber? What makes you say
that?”

“She gave me this
self-satisfied look. I know she played a part in it. And considering
Kale’s behavior toward me before, I’d say it was a pretty big part.”

“Hmm.” Shale mulled that
over. Despite wanting to believe that Kale was being nice to Blake for her
benefit, Shale knew that Kale didn’t just change her mind, she needed to
be convinced. “I wonder what she said.”

When Kale came back, Amber,
Aris, and the queen were with her.

Shale instantly bolted
upright, which did nothing to help her queasiness.

“As you were.”

Despite the queen’s kind
offer, Shale remained sitting. She wouldn’t allow herself to be vulnerable
in front of them.

Kale placed the plates of
food on a table in the corner of the cabin.

Zayla moved to Blake’s side.
“Did you get hurt?”

“No, Mother, I’m fine.” Blake
patted the hand Zayla rested on her shoulder. “Did Kale tell you what
happened with Melaina?”

“Yes. Though I must say I’m
shocked. I didn’t realise she was that unstable.”

“Neither did I,” Aris said.
“Something must have pushed her over the edge.” She looked at the twins
expectantly.

“Melaina was in love with
me,” Blake said. “Neither Shale or Kale did anything to her. She was
simply jealous of my and Shale’s relationship.”

Aris apparently didn’t know
what to say to that, and Amber wore a smug look that said she knew all
along.

“Actually,” Shale cleared her
throat. “Though that was the main cause, I think it was today’s events
that did it. Losing her

command was the final blow,
so to speak.”

Everyone except Aris glanced
at the queen in surprise.

“I stand by my decision,”
Zayla said. “And given her reaction to the news, it was the right choice
to make. Authority is a dangerous weapon to a woman like that.”

“Clearly my judgement isn’t
as good as I’d thought,” Aris said. “Would you like me to step down, my
Queen?”

“Certainly not.”

“She had us all fooled,
Aris,” Blake said. “You weren’t the only one. None of us could have known
what was going on inside Melaina’s head.”

Aris stared at Blake for a
moment, then nodded. Her gaze shifted to Shale. “How long had this been
going on?”

“Remember the falling tree?”

Aris went quiet for an
instant. “And that’s why you disobeyed her order?”

Shale tipped her head
slightly.

Aris seemed annoyed by the
deception. “You should have told me, I—”

“Would you have believed us?”
Kale said abruptly. She didn’t give her time to answer. “We both know you
wouldn’t have.”

“Melaina was smart about it,
Aris,” Shale said. “I myself wouldn’t have believed two newcomers over my
second. We were in a difficult situation. I’m sorry if you feel you were
deceived, but that was not our intention. We simply did what we thought
was best.”

“Did you know about this,
Amber?” Aris asked.

“I did not.”

Aris gave her a pleased nod,
then she turned back to the twins. “I need to be able to trust my
warriors. I don’t expect to be lied to again.”

Technically, Shale thought,
they hadn’t lied, but Aris hadn’t been given all of the information.

“Technically,” Kale started.

Shale glared at her, shook
her head, and overrode what she was about to say. “It will not happen again.”

Aris nodded to Shale, letting
it go. She then regarded Kale.

“What she said,” Kale stated
off-handedly. Aris raised her brow, and seeing she wanted more, Kale
added, “No more lies.”

“Good.”

“Well, now that’s settled.”
Zayla sat and studied Shale’s injuries, causing Shale to straighten
further under her scrutiny. Zayla smiled at her.

Shale wasn’t tense because
Zayla was the queen, she was tense because Zayla was Blake’s mother, and
she wanted to make a good impression. She hadn’t met a prospective in-law
before, and wasn’t quite sure how to act.

Shale had talked to the queen
on several occasions, but things were different then, she and Blake had
only been friends. Though they hadn’t yet been intimate, they were
certainly a lot more than just friends. She wanted Zayla to like her, to
feel she was good enough for her daughter. For the princess.

She felt Blake’s hand on her
back, and it calmed her, melting her worries away.

“I do hope you’re not in too
much pain, Shale,” Zayla said, a kind expression on her face.

“It’s not too bad,” Shale
said, giving her standard warrior response. She knew Blake would roll her
eyes at that, and her suspicions were confirmed when Zayla chuckled. Shale
glanced over her shoulder. “It’s rude to pull faces,” she told Blake
knowingly, gratified when Zayla laughed harder.

Blake’s eyes widened in
startlement. “How did you know?”

Shale grinned. “Just did.”

Zayla watched the interaction
with a smile on her face. “We’ll leave you to your meal. Make sure you get
some rest, Shale.”

“Yes, my Queen.”

Zayla stood, and Aris
escorted her out.

Kale handed Blake a plate of
food, and offered the other to Amber. “Stay and have dinner with us?”

“That’s yours,” Amber said.

“I can easily get another.”
Kale lifted Amber’s hand and placed the plate into it. “Yes?”

Amber’s mouth twitched. “All
right. Thanks.”

“ALL RIGHT, I’M coming,”
Amber muttered sleepily. She untangled herself from the blankets, got out
of bed, and padded to the door. At the last moment, she realised she was
naked, and quickly slipped on some clothes.

She yawned widely, and the
knocking came again.

“All right!” Amber yelled.

She never had been much of a
morning person. It didn’t help that she hadn’t got much sleep. She’d spent
most of the night talking with Kale.

Amber opened the door,
squinting against the light that poured into the cabin. Kale stood there,
looking perfectly rested.

“This had better be good,”
Amber said.

Kale smirked. “Good morning
to you, too.”

Amber noticed Kale was
standing strangely, her hands hiding something behind her back. “What’ve
you got there?”

Kale smiled mischievously.
“May I come in?”

Amber stepped back, sweeping
her arm in a gesture for Kale to enter.

Kale moved inside, careful to
keep the bundle behind her hidden from Amber’s view. She waited until
Amber closed the door before speaking. “I just wanted to thank you again
for that talk. You really made me think about things.”

“I’m glad it helped.”

“It did. A lot.” Kale brought
out a deerskin from behind her back. “This is for you. I shot a large stag
a couple of weeks ago.” She unrolled the finished hide, and held it up so
Amber could see it.

“You didn’t have to do that.”
Amber smiled brightly, running her hand down the soft fur. “It’s
beautiful.” Amber brushed her lips over Kale’s cheek. “Thank you.” She got
lost in Kale’s gaze for a long moment. But when she moved to kiss her,
Kale leaned back.

“You’re a good friend,
Amber,” Kale said quietly.

Amber took the rejection
hard, but managed to put a brave face on. “Fair enough.” Taking the
deerskin from Kale, she crossed the wooden floor and held it against the
wall. “I believe this is the best place for it. What do you think?”

“Looks good. I’ll help you
put it up.”

SHALE WAS STUDYING her knee
unhappily. “This will take forever to heal,” she grumbled. “I should have
just stayed in bed yesterday, none of this would’ve happened. I’d be able
to walk, Melaina would still be alive, and...”

Blake placed a finger on
Shale’s lips, quieting her. “And Kale would still hate me, and you’d still
be an outsider here. Shale, you can’t blame yourself.” Blake shook her
head. “I swear, you and Kale are so different, sometimes I’m surprised
you’re even related. Kale takes no responsibility whatsoever, whereas you
take far too much. I won’t have you blaming yourself over this. It wasn’t
your fault.”