Amazonia (9 page)

“Are you all right?”

“Yes. I was just thinking.”

“You were completely out of
it.” Blake felt her forehead, as if checking for a fever. “That’s the
second time that’s happened. First, with your knee, and now this. I’m
taking you back to the healer.”

“No, there’s no need,” Shale
said. She knew the reason she was distracted was standing right next to
her, but she could hardly tell Blake that.

“I really think you should be
checked over.”

“I just was. Except for my
knee, I’m perfectly fine.” Shale started to walk on, but Blake’s hand on
her chest stopped her. That really isn’t helping matters, she thought. To
her annoyance, Shale felt herself blush.

“If you’re ill, you need to
let Appollonia treat you.” Blake’s voice was firm. “I insist.”

Shale tried another tack. “I have
a lot on my mind at the moment. I got distracted by it, that’s all.” She
hadn’t lied, it was all true. She’d just failed to mention that the
distraction was Blake herself.

Blake’s face softened. “Of
course you do, what with your tribe...” She closed her eyes briefly. “All
right. Not much farther now.”

They set off again. It was
then that Shale noticed the direction in which they were heading. “Where
are we going? My camp’s that way.”

“My cabin,” Blake replied.

“There’s really no need, I
can make it back to camp.”

“Maybe so, but you’re coming
with me.”

From her tone, Shale knew not
to argue, not that she wanted to anyway.

It was slow going, but Shale
was finally settled on Blake’s double bed, long legs stretched out in
front of her.

She glanced around curiously.
On one side of the bed was a wooden chest, and above that, halfway up the
wall, were several shelves. They were long, reaching from the bed and
extending to the end of the wall, then continuing on the other, filling
the corner completely. Blake, it seemed, liked to keep most of her things
there, as the shelves were stocked with everything: from various trinkets
and knickknacks, to more practical things like her hairbrush. Though the
shelves were full, it was far from messy, and Shale smiled at that, she
had expected Blake to be well-organised. In the corner opposite was a
table and chair, and Shale suspected Blake would do most of her work
there. Directly above the table was a lovely picture of a field filled
with flowers, and she wondered if Blake had drawn it herself. The only
other thing on the walls was a grey and white wolfskin, which was hung
near the doorway. At the end of the bed lay a large brown rug, and she
recognised the fur to have come from a bear. Shale liked the cabin immensely,
it felt like a home.

Her eyes landed on Blake, and
her mind drifted. Shale felt awful. Not because of her knee, but because
Blake’s innocent comment had unsettled her. It should be the loss of her
sisters that was distracting her, not Blake. Or Blake’s eyes. Or her lips.
Or her... Shale shook her head again. It was terrible what happened, she
still had nightmares over it, but there was nothing she could do to change
things. She and Kale were fortunate to have not been killed themselves,
and though they would have happily died with their tribe, as the warriors
that they were, Shale wasn’t about to waste the life that the gods had
graciously given her. If being around Blake made her happy, then she would
spend time with Blake. Even if she knew nothing more than friendship could
ever come of it. And whether Kale approved or not.

Blake placed a cloth in a
bowl of water, soaking it through. After wringing it out, she laid the
cool compress carefully on top of Shale’s knee. “I’m here if you want to talk,
Shale,” Blake offered. She indicated the cloth. “How’s that?”

“It’s good. Thanks.” Shale
always talked to Kale about her problems, but she certainly couldn’t tell
her she was in love with Blake. That said, she couldn’t exactly talk to
Blake about her feelings either, since it regarded her directly. She would
just have to work through this herself. The problem was, she had never
been in love before, and was completely overwhelmed by the feelings she
had for Blake.

When she didn’t take Blake up
on her offer to talk, Shale saw a flash of hurt in those beautiful green
eyes, and instantly wanted to take it away. “I’m worried about Kale,” she
said. It was true, though that wasn’t what was distracting her. “We had a
fight.”

Blake sat on the bed,
alongside Shale, but facing her. “Is that why she came rushing out of the
healer’s lodge?”

“Yes. You probably won’t
believe me, but we hardly ever fight, or at least, we never did in our old
tribe. It’s upsetting me.”

Blake rested her hand on
Shale’s thigh. “Was your argument about me?” At Shale’s nod, she added,
“I’m sorry.”

“And I’m sorry she’s being
such a bitch to you. She’s not normally like this.”

“She’s been through a lot
recently, perhaps she’s having trouble accepting what happened to your
tribe?”

Shale was surprised to hear
Blake defending Kale. “Maybe, but that’s no excuse to be rude to you.”

“And you’re both trying to
fit in with a new tribe, some of whom, I’m sorry to say, aren’t exactly
making it easy for you. Those are serious changes. I’m sure they would
take their toll on most people.”

“I admit we’re both on edge,”
Shale allowed. “But she’s being more difficult with you than anyone else.”

“Is it because I’m the
princess?”

“No. She’s very respectful of
hierarchy.” Shale glanced at her meekly. “Usually anyway.”

Blake shook her head. “I
mean, if she feels like you did—that she’s to blame for your tribe, maybe
she thinks she deserves to be punished?”

Shale’s eyes widened. “So
she’s mistreating the person who can punish her, hoping that you’ll do so
and it will lessen her guilt.”

“It’s the only thing I can
think of that makes sense,” Blake said.

“It’s certainly how Kale
would think.”

“Shale,” Blake locked eyes
with her. “Do you still feel that way?”

“You helped me see that it
wasn’t my fault, but I still carry the guilt.”

Blake nodded, then she
reached up and ran her fingers through dark hair. She repeated the motion,
smiling when Shale’s eyes began to close in response. Blake kept on
stroking Shale’s hair, and it wasn’t long before Shale felt herself dozing
off.
 
She submitted to it, and let
sleep claim her.

When Shale awoke, it was to
the smell of rabbit stew, it had wafted inside the cabin. She was
surprised by how much time had passed. It was early evening.

She noticed Blake heading for
the door, and spoke up, “You put me to sleep.”

Blake jumped at her voice,
and turned to smile at her.
 
“You
needed the rest,” she said. “I’m going to get us something to eat. I’ll be
right back.” She again moved toward the door, but turned as Shale began to
scoot off the bed. “What are you doing?” Blake swiftly returned to Shale’s
side. “I’ll bring it to you.”

“I need to get back to camp
anyway, might as well do two things at once.”

Blake kept Shale in place
with a hand on her shoulder. “You’re not sleeping outside tonight, you’re
staying right here.”

Dark eyebrows shot up, but
Shale remained silent.

“The cold won’t help your
knee any, nor will the hard ground. You can stay and rest it here.”

“It’s still warm out.”

“Yes, but it’s warmer in
here.”

“Kale will get worried.”

“I’ll ask Kale, too. You and
she can have the bed and I’ll sleep on the rug,” Blake said. “If Kale
accepts, perhaps I can try to relate to her. I don’t like this tension
between us, especially since it distresses you.”

“That’s really kind of you,
Blake, but really, there’s no need.”

“Your swollen knee suggests
otherwise.” Blake smiled. “I wouldn’t offer if I didn’t want you to stay,
Shale.”

Shale swallowed, her pulse
racing at the thought of sleeping next to Blake. She knew Kale would
refuse the offer point blank, and also knew that she should, too. So she
was surprised that when the words emerged, she said, “I’d like that.”
There was no point in lying, Blake would be able to see straight through
her anyway. Shale was a terrible liar, always had been, probably because
she’d had no practice. She never lied to Kale, there were no secrets
between them.

“Good. I’ll find Kale, then
I’ll bring us some food back.” Blake scowled playfully at Shale. “And I don’t
want you to move from this bed.”

Shale smiled, besotted. Was
Blake the perfect woman?

“I TAKE IT Kale said no?”
Shale asked, when she saw the annoyed look on Blake’s face.

Blake kicked her cabin door
shut, since both her hands were full, then returned to the bed, sat down,
and gave one steaming bowl to Shale.

Shale nodded to her
gratefully, and took a mouthful using the wooden spoon Blake had provided.

“That, and she accused me of
keeping you here so I could seduce you,” Blake said.

Shale nearly choked on her
stew. “I’m so s—”

“Don’t, Shale, you didn’t say
it,” Blake snapped.

It went quiet for a long
moment.

“Maybe I’d better go,” Shale
said, though she had hardly moved when Blake’s fingers encircled her wrist
softly.

“I’m sorry. Please stay,
Shale, I don’t want you to go.”

Shale tipped her head. “All
right.”

Blake let out a relieved
breath.

“Where did you find Kale?
Back at camp?”

“No. She was getting stew,
too. She was with Amber.”

Shale was pleased. It made
her feel better to know Kale wasn’t alone. “She gets on well with her,
they’ve become friends.”

“I’ve noticed. Amber’s a good
friend to have.”

“Exactly Kale’s type, too,”
Shale said.

Blake’s mouth quirked. “And
Kale is Amber’s type.” She smiled mischievously. “So, do you two share
similar tastes?”

“Not in that area, thank
Artemis.” Shale chuckled. “Imagine how awkward that would get. I hear
you’re Melaina’s type, lucky you,” she said sarcastically.

Blake laughed. “Actually, I’d
forgotten all about it until she brought it up earlier. It seems that it’s
my fault she’s been giving you and Kale such a hard time.”

“Because she’s attracted to
you? What’s that got to do with us?” Shale suddenly recalled something
that Melaina said to Blake. “Ah, I get it. She thinks you’re sweet on one
of us.”

“That’s right.”

“First, Amber, now you, Kale
sure is popular around here,” Shale teased.

“Who said it was Kale?” Blake
smiled suggestively.

Shale unconsciously returned
it. “And all this has been about that?” She whistled. “That’s quite a
jealous streak. I wonder how she’d have reacted if you had actually been
involved with her?”

Blake grimaced. “I’d rather
not think about being involved with her.”

“Oh, come on, Melaina’s not
all bad.”

Blake looked alarmed and put
down her bowl, then reached over and felt Shale’s forehead. “Are you
feeling all right?”

Shale playfully slapped her
hand away. “She’s got one thing going for her,” she said furtively.

“Which is?”

Shale couldn’t help herself.
“She’s got great taste in women.”

THE BODIES OF her sisters
were all around her, and the stench of death smothered her. Shale went
from corpse to corpse, seeing in vivid detail how each had been brutally
slain. Bile rose in her throat, and she heard Kale’s cry of anguish—a
horrific sound that was scorched into her memory forever.

Shale turned as her name was
called, searching intently for the owner of that voice. She found no one.
Thinking she had imagined it, she continued checking the bodies.

The next time she heard her
name, it was louder, though incredibly gentle, and she recognised Blake’s
tone instantly. What was Blake doing here? Shale became frantic, her eyes
darting around for Blake’s form. Was she injured? Was she dying? A whimper
escaped her at the thought alone. She had to find her.

The voice grew more
insistent, and Shale found herself being pulled toward it.

“Shale, wake up!” Blake said
anxiously.

Shale bolted upright, gasping
for breath.

“Easy, Shale, you’re all
right. You were dreaming,” Blake said, tenderly brushing Shale’s
sweat-soaked hair behind her ears.

“Blake?” Shale was beyond
confused.

“Yes, Shale, it’s me. I’m
here.” Blake was pulled into a fierce hug, Shale clinging to her
desperately. “You’re all right, Shale, it was just a dream.” Blake rubbed
her back as she held Shale close. “Shh,” she whispered, calming her.

“Thank the gods you’re all
right,” Shale said quietly, withdrawing to look at her.

“I’m fine, Shale.”

Shale cupped Blake’s face in
shaking hands, needing to confirm Blake’s words with touch. “Thank the
gods,” she repeated.

Blake gazed at her in
concern. “Shale, was it about your tribe?”

Shale nodded, then suddenly
realising where her hands were, she let them drop. “I’m sorry I woke you.”

“I’m glad I was here.” Blake
took hold of Shale’s hands in her own. “Does this happen every night?”

“More often than not,” Shale
replied. “I just keep seeing it. How we found our sisters, the way they
looked, the smell.” She cringed. “Every little detail.”

“Do you want to talk about
it?”

After a slight hesitation,
Shale nodded, and proceeded to tell Blake all that had happened that day.
By the time Shale had finished, both were in tears, so Blake simply
pressed Shale down onto the bed, laid next to her, and enfolded Shale in
her arms.

SHALE SNUGGLED CLOSER into
Blake’s warm embrace. After their talk, Shale had slept soundly, giving
her body some much needed rest. She felt Blake’s lips brush over her
forehead in a soft kiss, and smiled in response.

“You’re awake,” Blake
whispered, as though it were a secret. She caressed dark locks
repetitively.

“Not if you keep doing that,”
Shale said.

Blake stopped, giggling when
Shale groaned in protest.

Shale opened her eyes,
letting out a happy sigh at the sight of Blake in bed beside her.

“Any more dreams?”

“No.”

“Good.”

Shale was finding it really
hard to keep herself from kissing Blake. Blake was tantalisingly close,
but Shale couldn’t bring herself to move away. Her body was thrumming with
desire, and when Blake yawned, her breasts pushed against Shale’s, causing
her to inhale sharply.

Blake noticed instantly.
“Shale?”

Shale silently cursed, Blake
was getting far too good at reading her. She thought she saw a glimmer of
amusement in those green eyes, but surely she was mistaken. “My knee
hurts. I’ll have to get some more herbs from Appollonia.” Shale wasn’t at
all pleased at the concept of drinking more of that awful sludge.

“I’ll get it for you.” Blake
sat up and pulled back the blankets, giving Shale a sympathetic look when
she saw her discolored and very swollen knee. “No wonder it hurts. I’ll go
now.”

“There’s no rush.” Shale
didn’t want her to leave.

Blake got out of bed,
considerately recovering Shale to keep her warm. “I’ll be right back.”

Blake was true to her word,
returning quickly with mug in hand. “Does this taste as bad as it smells?”

“Worse,” Shale grumbled. It
had helped with the pain though, so she downed the drink without further
complaint.

“I have to see my mother this
morning.” Blake took the empty mug from Shale and placed it on the table.
“But I’ll come and keep you company later. Please stay here and rest your
leg.”

Shale nodded. “Are you sure?”
She paused. “People are already going to be talking about me staying
overnight in your cabin. I don’t want to cause trouble for you.”

“Don’t worry about that,
Shale, Amazons always gossip.” Blake let out a short chuckle. “It’s one of
the downsides of having so many women together.”

Shale laughed. “That’s true.
All right, I’ll stay put.”

“MORNING, MOTHER,” BLAKE
greeted upon entering the queen’s personal cabin.

“Blakaea.”

Blake kissed the top of her
mother’s head, then sat across the table from her.

“You’re in a good mood,”
Zayla said, her mouth quirking upward.

“It’s a beautiful day.”

“Mm-hmm.” Zayla didn’t sound
convinced. “I want you to read through this.” She pushed a scroll over to
Blake.

“What is it?” Blake asked as
she uncurled it.

“Our new trade agreement with
the village of Keltack.” Zayla waited for Blake to finish reading it
before speaking again. “Do you have anything to add?”

Blake scanned the parchment
once more. “We’re giving too many furs for that amount of grain.” She held
her hand out for the quill, which Zayla didn’t hesitate to give her, and
altered the document.

“Anything else?”

Blake looked up, knowing from
her mother’s tone that she was being tested. “Knowing you, there’ll be
some more accidental mistakes.”

Zayla smiled innocently. “You
have to be patient with me, Blakaea, I’m an old woman.”

Blake rolled her eyes. “Not
this again.” She corrected another error, then another.

“My, I have been clumsy with
that. It’s a good thing you’re checking it.”

Blake chuckled, her mother
was anything but clumsy. Once certain there were no more mistakes, she
passed the scroll back.

Zayla noted the changes, and
gave Blake a nod of approval. She clasped her hands together on the table.
“Now that is taken care of, tell me, how is my daughter?”

“I’m fine, Mother.”

“I notice that you’re smiling
a lot more recently. Does it have anything to do with the woman in your
cabin?”

“Mother!” Blake admonished.
“It’s not like you to listen to idle gossip.”

“I didn’t listen to
anything,” Zayla said. “I saw it with my own eyes. You took Shale into
your cabin yesterday, and I believe she’s still there, is she not?”

Blake shook her head. “And
you wonder why I had those trees put in,” she muttered.

Zayla grinned. “I’m merely
commenting on how nice it is to see you happy.”

“I wasn’t happy before Shale
got here?”

“I think you were content,
but you weren’t really happy, not like you are now.” Zayla reached over
and patted Blake’s hand. “I should spend some more time with Shale, get to
know her better if she’s going to be such a big part of your life.”

“Mother, Shale and I aren’t
lovers,” Blake said, though she wished the statement wasn’t true.

“Not yet,” Zayla said
knowingly. “It’s wise to take things slow, Blakaea. Your heart will tell
you if she’s the one. Though from the twinkle in your eye, I think it has
already spoken.”

Blake couldn’t deny the truth
behind her mother’s words. “You’re right. I am in love with Shale.”

Zayla smiled and nodded. “I
am glad for you, Blakaea. Truly.”

“I wanted to ask your advice
on something.” Blake had run out of ideas on how to solve the problem with
Kale, and wondered if her mother could offer any solution.

“I would be happy to give
it.”

“Kale doesn’t like me, it’s
making things awkward. Shale spends a lot of time with her, which is
exactly what I would expect, but it’s difficult when Kale doesn’t want me
near.”

“Have you done something to
upset Kale?”

“No, there’s nothing I can
think of.”

“She’s jealous of you. You’re
taking Shale away from her.”

“But I’m not. I first assumed
it was that myself. I thought that Kale was feeling left out, but when I
try to include her, the hostility is still there. It’s gotten so bad we
can’t even be in the same place, which is ridiculous. The three of us
should be able to spend time together. It shouldn’t be either Kale or me.
That’s not fair.”

“They’re very close. Any
relationship except their own is bound to cause animosity.”

“But that’s just it, Kale has
become very friendly with Amber, and Shale doesn’t treat her like Kale is
treating me.”

“We both know Shale is the
more logical of the two.”

“Shale is upset about it
herself. She says Kale’s not normally like this, so it has to be me that
Kale is averse to.”

Zayla’s brow crinkled. “There
has to be a reason, Blakaea. However, if her own twin doesn’t know what it
is, it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to find it out.”

“Precisely, which is why I
don’t know what to do.”

Zayla thought for a long
moment. “You’ll have to be patient. In time, Kale will get used to your
presence.”

Blake frowned. “There must be
something I can do?”

“Patience,” Zayla repeated.
“Either the answer will reveal itself, or Kale will adapt. Even she cannot
be angry forever.”

Though Blake agreed with her
mother’s words, the problem was still present.

Zayla smiled fondly, and took
Blake’s hand. “I should have known you would end up involved with a twin,
Blakaea. You never have done anything the easy way.”

Blake couldn’t help but
laugh. “Why start now?”

BLAKE SHUT HER cabin door
quietly. Shale was under the blankets with her eyes closed, and Blake
couldn’t tell if she was asleep. She tiptoed forward, not wanting to
chance waking her.

“No need for that, Blake, I’m
awake.”

“My mother wishes you well,”
Blake said amusedly.

Shale smirked. “Then I take
it half of the village knows I’m here?”

Blake chuckled. “Probably.
Does that bother you?”

“Sharing the princess’s bed?
Hardly. My reputation’s increased considerably,” Shale joked. “And in a
good way this time.”

The chuckle changed into
laughter. “Glad I could be of assistance.”

Shale sat upright, groaning
as she did so, though it was clear to Blake that she’d tried to muffle the
sound. She suspected that Shale’s injured knee had stiffened overnight,
and that was the cause. Pain was evident on Shale’s face, and Blake went
to her, gripping her hand firmly in an offer of support.

“What can I do to help,
Shale?”

She swallowed. “Could you...”
Shale cleared her throat, but when she spoke again the tension was still
in her voice. “Could you put another cold compress on it?”

“Of course.” Blake
immediately got up. The water in the bowl had warmed from the heat inside
the cabin, so she went outside and fetched some fresh from the nearby
stream.