Battle For Tristaine Part 20

Dana snapped at him. "Pa.s.s these out. Then we need to get some coffee and decent chow in here. Move!"

"Miss Dana?" Caster called from the stand. "Your immediate responsibility is to bring me the footage of this morning's efforts! I plan to keep my new fi lms warm and safe in my quaint little cabin unit. Then you can escort Her Highness, here, back to her tribal chieftains."

Dana ground her teeth and handed off her armload of blankets to another female soldier. "Pa.s.s these out."

"Hey, Dane?" The uniformed woman grinned at her. "That was the most beautiful d.a.m.n fi ghting I've ever seen. Can we learn that?"

Dana stared at her, incredulous. "Sure, Landolt, I'll set up weekly drills, us against them." She grumbled on toward the next camera, picking her way cautiously between the Amazons sprawled on the fi eld.

Jess had recovered enough to speak, and Brenna brushed her hair back so she could see her eyes.

* 155 *

"Brenna." Jess took her hand and held it tightly. "Caster has all the reason in the world to lie about Samantha."

"She's right," said Camryn, handing Brenna a canteen. "That b.i.t.c.h would lie about anything, Brenna, and she told you right before Theryn's goons-" She glanced quickly at Jess. "Before Theryn's warriors jumped us," she amended, "just to shake you up."

"That's true, she did." Brenna bathed Jess's face with a wet cloth. She was quiet for a moment. "I guess I don't have any choice but to a.s.sume Caster's lying, for now. Because if Sammy's dead, I'll go nuts, and I simply don't have time today."

"Bren-"

"It's all right, Jesstin." Brenna kept her gaze on her hands, washing the dirt from Jess's face. "There's no way I can fi nd out if Samantha's alive, at least not right now. Maybe I'll never know.

That's the way it is. But I can help us fi ght Caster today. I can do that much for Sammy, so that's what I'm going to do."

Brenna wrung out the cloth and poured fresh water from the canteen over it again. She looked at Camryn and frowned. "Come here. Is that a broken nose or a b.u.mp?"

"It's probably a zit." Camryn felt her nose glumly and shrugged. "Not broken."

Quiet settled over the cold arena as the weak sun centered itself overhead. The review stand was empty, and Theryn's warriors had all limped out of the stadium. Brenna looked for Dana, but she wasn't among the soldiers guarding Jess's Amazons.

"You fought well today, Cam." Jess appraised her. "You're faster than I was at your age."

"When boars fl y," Camryn snorted.

"It's only the truth." Jess lifted her arm, wincing, and laid it across Brenna's slumped shoulders. "How's my lady?"

"Tired, scared, worried." Brenna considered a moment.

"Hungry."

"I will go make you a tasty pig sandwich."

Brenna smiled in spite of her fatigue and allowed herself to rest against Jess.

O.

* 156 *

Dana was fascinated by the fi ne carpentry of the footbridge that spanned Tristaine's swift river. She bounced experimentally to test the wood, and the red-haired Amazon turned back and threw her another evil scowl. The girl was gorgeous, but she seemed to carry an endless supply of frowns, for Dana at least.

The woman named Shann walked on, and Dana skipped a step to catch up to her prisoners, cursing herself for the lapse.

Tantalizing smells beckoned from the mess hall. Dana wasn't sure what Amazons called the lodge where they prepared meals.

The women of Tristaine's council were cooking for their captive warriors. Dana's mouth watered. City food offered nothing like these alluring aromas.

She almost walked smack into the queen of the Amazons.

Shann stood regarding her with curious gray eyes, and she seemed unimpressed by the swift rise of Dana's rifl e. She gave a slow, mannered blink, as if too polite to comment.

"She's the one who tasered Jesstin, lady." Kyla waited at the base of the stairs leading up to the mess hall. "Her name is Dung."

"The name is Dana," Dana corrected sharply. She gestured toward the mess with her rifl e. "Move on, Amazon."

"The name is Shann," Shann corrected. "Kyla? Wait for me inside."

To Dana's surprise, the insolent redhead turned and started up the stairs. She wouldn't have thought Kyla capable of simple obedience. Dana fl ushed. Prisoners should not be giving orders. She glared at Shann.

"Let's move on, ma'am."

"No, I need to speak with you a moment. Shoot me, if you feel you must." Shann began rummaging in the soft folds of her patched robes, a task made awkward by her tied hands. She withdrew a small, tattered spiral notebook. "Take this, and give it to the blond healer called Brenna." She held it out to Dana, who looked at it warily.

"I'm not taking that anywhere." Dana swallowed and brought her voice down out of its highest register. "You shouldn't even have it, whatever it is. Weren't you searched?"

* 157 *

"Dana, take this to Brenna. It's important. Tell her she must bring her entries up to date."

Dana was unable to describe the tone of Shann's voice, because she'd never heard anything like it. Her authority felt nothing like Caster's sinister coercion or Theryn's grandiosity. This woman wore a cloak of calm command as natural as a second skin.

"You should give that thing to the redhead to give to Brenna.

You know she'll be returned to the stable tonight." Dana stared at Shann, curious in spite of herself. "What makes you think I wouldn't take that notebook and your message straight to Theryn? Or Caster herself?"

"Well..." Shann studied her with those adroit eyes. "I knew within fi ve minutes of meeting Theryn that she was highly intelligent and highly ambitious. Within three minutes, I knew your Caster had no soul. I've watched you for six hours today. And it's important that you take this to Brenna, Dana. I'm asking you to trust me."

So Dana took the notebook.

"Thank you." Shann turned and went into the mess hall, and Dana watched her go. Then she looked around and slid the notebook deep into the pocket of her jacket.

O.

"It's a lovely day for a battle!" Caster stepped to the railing and beamed down at Theryn's warriors. "We're ready for round two, Amazons!"

Jess's gaze locked on Myrine as she helped Patana pa.s.s out a variety of hand weapons to their line of fi ghters. Brenna heard an angry rumbling in their ranks, and Jess turned and signaled. Her warriors moved in closer.

"We see what's happening." Jess's alto was calm. We'll be fi ghting open-handed against armed opponents. We may not get a choice of targets, but you all know your strengths. If you can, match yourself against the weapon you know best."

"Wait a minute." Brenna touched Jess's arm. "They have weapons, we don't?"

* 158 *

"Right." Jess nodded.

"There's nothing in Tristaine's laws about not bullying other Amazons by killing them?" Brenna folded her arms against both cold and fear. "Shouldn't we protest this?"

"No, Bren. You're right, this is unfair, and it's dangerous as h.e.l.l. But it would weaken our stance to complain, and it would be futile." Jess searched Brenna's face. "This is how Caster wants it.

Theryn's willing to go along with it. Clear?"

"Unfortunately." Brenna swallowed.

"Patana's fi ghters aren't as skilled as we are." Jess raised her voice and addressed them all. "That might make them d.a.m.ned deadly, even if they don't mean to hurt us. Understood?"

"We hear, Jess," Hakan said from the rear of the pack.

Jess nodded. "Camryn, instructions?"

"Uh, watch me and Jess. Remember our purpose. Don't take foolish chances. Take any weapon you can and use it to restrain and confi ne your opponent. And fi ght without harm. Brenna, that means defend yourself and try to disarm your target, but don't injure-"

"She knows," Jess said. It was how Jess had fought in the Clinic. "They're not using anything lethal. No crossbows or daggers.

Mostly clubs. If we're careful, we can fi ght without harm."

"Artemis, shield your daughters," Camryn fi nished, and Brenna heard the phrase repeated softly in at least three different languages.

Jess signaled again, that subtle twirling of fi ngers that Brenna kept forgetting to ask about. Shann's warriors turned to face Theryn's line.

"Miss Dana, check our cameras, please." Caster primped before opening the afternoon session. She cleared her throat and carefully patted her styled coif in place.

Shann and Kyla, seated again at the other end of the review stand, knew well enough the increased dangers of this second battle.

Kyla looked pale, and Shann's remote features couldn't conceal her tension.

"Amazons!" Theryn rose, and Brenna realized for the fi rst time that Grythe was seated beside her in the stand, clothed in fi nery.

* 159 *

Theryn patted Grythe's shoulder, then joined Caster at the railing.

"The terms of our truce with the City are almost fulfi lled. We have two more battles to fi lm. One begins now, and the last will be staged tomorrow. Then our guests will return to the City, and our adanin can return from the southern meadows!"

A cheer rose from Theryn's followers, but a ragged one.

Brenna noted that most of the women facing them still looked weary from the morning's strenuous bout. But the weak afternoon sun glinted off their weapons, and Brenna found her sympathy for them was limited.

Theryn extended her hand over those a.s.sembled on the fi ghting fi eld. "Amazons! Fight with no harm!"

"Roll 'em!" Caster snapped her fi ngers at Dana.

"s.p.a.ce yourselves," Jess called.

A hissing breath escaped Brenna as they moved apart and the battle began, and any sense of time fl ed along with it. The afternoon became a frightening series of slides that fl ickered through her mind in rapid succession.

The Amazon named Perry whirled long strips of a rawhide sling over her head and released a stone from its leather cup that fl ew halfway across the arena where it clipped Vicar's thigh. She staggered, and Brenna ran for her.

Vicar kept her footing, but her handsome face contorted with pain. She recovered quickly, whirled, and raced toward Perry, so Brenna veered off. And promptly dropped fl at on her b.u.t.t. A staff whizzed through the s.p.a.ce formerly occupied by Brenna's head, fast and hard enough to do real damage.

She dodged the warrior wielding it by crawling between her spread legs, then rolled free. She didn't mind clownish acrobatics if it saved her a concussion. She took out her clumsy opponent with one neat fl ip.

After an hour of constant battle, Brenna began to tire, and from the sound of the grunts of effort that rose around her, she wasn't alone. She scanned the chaotic arena for Jess and found her. Brenna scuttled like a crab across the fi ghting fi eld. It wasn't dignifi ed, but it got her to her lover's side in one piece.

* 160 *

Jess was fi nishing a match against a woman who swung escrima sticks-two trim hardwood clubs. Jess swept her feet out from under her with a spinning kick; then she almost collapsed herself. Brenna darted to her feet and steadied her quickly.

"How are-?" It was all Brenna could get out, before pulling for lungfuls of thin mountain air. She didn't see how Jess stayed erect. The high planes of her face were the color of old linen.

"Pace yourself, Bren." Jess straightened with effort. "Stay close to me."

"Oh, yeah."

J'heika, rise.

Brenna went still and scanned the dusty fi eld of battling Amazons. Their hoa.r.s.e war cries faded for a moment and then returned at full eerie volume.

She saw that the lenses of the three cameras fi lming the war game moved continuously in and out, as close-ups gave way to panned shots. The thirty women who fought in the arena had settled into grim matches that were bound to end more quickly than they had this morning. Weapons and fatigue shortened fi ghts-and increased risk-but kept the action going.

Camryn battled with the small warrior who had attacked Brenna earlier, an uneven match. Cam fought close beside Jess, listening to her instructions and helping watch her back. Jess had just kicked a longknife out of the hand of her new opponent.

At the other end of the arena, Vicar grappled with Perry, both of them snarling, a sound that chilled Brenna. She saw Hakan take a nasty clout to the temple from Myrine's staff, but made herself focus on fi ghting.

The war cries grew more discordant in Brenna's mind, and for the fi rst time since the battle began, she felt real fear. A swirl of white caught the corner of her vision, and she turned to the review stand. Shann stood at the railing.

Shann's tied hands were clasped on the rail, her eyes narrowed and intent on Brenna's face. She lifted one hand and made a twirling motion with her fi ngers.

What's happening, Blades?

* 161 *

The words reached Brenna clearly, and for a moment, she was so stunned at hearing the question she didn't immediately realize she didn't know the answer. She knew that her heart was racing, that she was afraid, and that was it. She lifted her hands to Shann in confusion and appeal.

Then Brenna looked across the arena and saw Patana raise a crossbow to her shoulder. The bald warrior took careful aim and smiled. Brenna saw the crossbow bolt and then tracked its intended path. She started to run.

"Jesstin!" A voice rang out across the arena.

It was Shann who called Jess's name, not Brenna. She, too, had fi nally seen Patana's forbidden crossbow. Out of the corner of her eye, Brenna saw a skirmish in the review stand as the guards there reacted to Shann's unexpected agitation. She ran on.