Amazonia

  “Stay wrath,” Captain Gallus said quickly. “Caravan House more secure than merchant’s strongbox. No insult meant.”

  “Titan,” Fox said as she slid behind Amazonia, “the owner’s an ancient Daemo named Lady Alexina. Around the time of the Eastern Empire’s founding, she rebuilt an abandoned amphitheater from the days when the Greco city-states held these lands, and raised Caravan House around it. She keeps a firm hand on the people who work there and makes sure it’s well guarded at all times.”

  Titan glanced back at her, the dark look leaving his face. “This Alexina… does she have a face more angular than a normal Daemo female would have?”

  Fox nodded. “When she gave me to Lady Jhadra, she mentioned that she knew you from a long time ago.”

  “We have a history,” Titan replied, looking back at a distressed Captain Gallus. “Apologies. Distrust of establishment appeased. Alexina only Daemo worthy of limited trust.”

  “Gratitude,” Captain Gallus said, wiping sweat from his forehead as he pointed forward. “That is the Caravan House straight ahead.”

  Amazonia looked past the guards in front of their group. A building more resembling a fortress than a caravansary stood alone on the left side of the street, nestled up against a steep hill into which stone benches had been carved. “Fox, is that hill part of the amphitheater you were talking about?”

  “Yes, Domina. Lady Alexina regularly stages Greco tragedies, comedies, and even dramas like the one titled, ‘War of the Daemo Princes’, which has become quite popular.”

  Before Az could find out more, the Caravan House’s gate fronting the street opened, and a small squad of common soldiers in leather armor marched out, followed by a dozen or more people, both human and Daemo, in simple tunics and more elegant clothes. A tall Daemo in a blue flowing dress stepped out past the guards and opened her arms. “Hail, noble guests and soldiers. Alexina gives welcome.”

  Captain Gallus gave the order to halt, then moved past his men to where the Daemo stood. “Honor, Lady Alexina,” the young man thumping his fist against his breastplate. “All guests safely delivered. Is further assistance required?”

  “Honor fulfilled… unless,” Lady Alexina’s voice sliding into high Greco as she smiled, “you wish to turn your men over to your second and let them find their own way back while you partake of the pleasures of my house?” Gallus’ eyes went wide as she added, “There would be no charge, of course. I have several young Daemo females who would enjoy the company of a handsome young man such as yourself.”

  If Gallus’s face gets any redder his head will explode. “Honor,” he said as his voice cracked. “Cannot tarry. Must return to barracks.”

  “Then consider returning later when you are off-duty,” she said.

  Gallus’s face reminded Amazonia of a beached fish as the soldier behind him cleared his throat. “Honorable captain,” the soldier said in a gruff voice, “orders clear. Once duty discharged, return to barracks. Captain’s virtuous wife awaits.”

  Lady Alexina opened her arms with her palms out. “Then I will not keep you. Blessings to you and your… virtuous wife.” Visibly relieved, Captain Gallus saluted and let his second reform the soldiers and march them away with the young man at the front. Both Alexina’s guards and Amazonia’s group broke out with grins as she gave a theatrical sigh. “You never win if you will not throw the dice. So—”

  A young boy of nine summers broke free from the crowd and ran towards them. “Az!” Amazonia strode a few paces away from the others and dropped to one knee as Lord Paulus’ son, also named Paulus, threw himself into her arms. “When the man came for me and mother,” the boy said as tears rolled down his cheeks, “he told us father would die in the arena for his crimes and I would be turned into a girl.” Paulus’ face screwed up in distaste before raw pain swept over him again. “He said you were going to abandon him to die.”

  Amazonia grasped the boy by his narrow shoulders and pushed him away without letting go. “I would never abandon your father to die. We fought to save him, all of us,” Amazonia letting go with one hand to motion at the others, “and we almost succeeded.”

  “Eurax cheated,” Troll growled, hunching his shoulders like a real troll for a moment. “If he hadn’t sent Daemo warriors through the Eagle Gate while we were fighting monsters, we would’ve won.” He clenched his hands into fists. “Eurax’s going to pay for that.”

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  “Your father fought like a true champion,” Titan said as he walked up beside them. “I have never been so proud of him as I was this afternoon.” Both of them looked up at the Ogri as he put a massive, scarred hand on the boy’s curly haired head. “Now that your father is dead and your mother legally bound to an evil man, you are the head of the family. This is a heavy burden to lay on such small shoulders, but you come from a noble lineage and your father taught you well.”

  “The emperor also gave you into my care,” Amazonia said, keeping her voice light, “which means if Eurax or anyone else tries any more tricks, like making you into a girl,” Az’s face screwing up in the same expression as Paulus’, “they’ll have to get through me first.”

  “Yuck; I wouldn’t want to be a girl… unless I was like you. Then it wouldn’t be so bad, I guess.”

  Paulus sounded so uncertain that the others chuckled. Dancer said, “Hey, I’ll bet they didn’t tell you that before we went out onto the sands to fight, your father knighted Az.”

  The boy’s eyes went wide. “He did?”

  “Ah… more or less.” Before Paulus could ask for details she really didn’t want to give, Amazonia reached down and tugged on the red belt he wore around his tunic. “There wasn’t time to get a white belt, but he did so, and now I’m a knight without a squire. Since you’re now a squire without a knight, would you like to become mine?”

  Paulus threw his arms around Amazonia’s neck. “Heart love overflows,” he said. “Gratitude beyond measure.”

  Amazonia hugged him back before pushing him away again, letting the boy stand on his own as Titan said from above them, “Traditional oath taken at dawn.”

  “Will set to task,” Lady Alexina said as she joined them. “Titan, it has been a long, long time… and unlike others of our generation, you are not shrinking.”

  As Titan chuckled, Amazonia rose to her feet. Unlike any other Daemo female she’d ever seen, Lady Alexina’s face was all angles, as if she’d been carved from a piece of purplish-white wood and given the breath of life, as the shaman from the home she’d been torn away from were supposedly able to do. She had hair the dark purple color of black lotus flowers and battle scars on her left cheek and upon each arm. “Alexina,” Titan said in a voice touched with amusement, “you make it sound as if all of us studied philosophy under the same Greco tutor.”

  The Daemo raised her purple eyebrows. “Did we not? Our tutor was a hard taskmaster, beating the lesson of war’s futility into skulls too thick—”

  Lady Alexina broke off as Titan raised both hands with their palms out. “Truly, I know better than to engage you in an argument in logic. Let me introduce you to everyone so you know who is who.”

  Amazonia kept one hand on Paulus’ thin shoulder as Titan gave the Daemo their names, Lady Alexina repeating each one as if fixing them in her mind. When he finished, she motioned behind her at the open gate. “I have rooms connected by a small courtyard prepared. Utilize the baths freely; new clothing will be provided, and once you are refreshed, my servants will have a table set in the courtyard so you may dine under the stars.”

  “Will you be joining us?” Lady Alexina shook her head and Titan replied, “I was hoping we could catch up.”

  The Daemo sighed. “You ride the edge of the storm, old friend. Tonight, there will be a play within a play, the first play being our last performance of the Greco-style drama, ‘War of the Daemo Princes’.”

  “You turned that ancient war into a play?”

  Lady Alexina shrugged. “Since Greco plays often draw from mythology, can you think of a better source? Besides, not only did I write it so the gods come out smelling like sandalwood and not… something else, but you already know one of the actors.” Titan gave her an expectant look ,and she added, “Asena.”

  Titan reared back as his eyes widened. “The Wolf Mother is one of your actors?” Lady Alexina nodded, Titan shaking his head in seeming disbelief. “How is that possible?”

  “We worked out a deal. By the way, you will be interested to know that she has a Shadow-walker son named Greywolf, who is a sword-dancer in the play as well.”

  “Which means the father…” The Daemo nodded, and Titan’s face grew thoughtful. “I see. Might I ask why this is the last performance of your play?”

  Lady Alexina gave him back a mysterious smile. “Titan, really. You know how we Daemo are, always planning and plotting when we are not off corrupting morals, or making mischief.”

  Titan folded his arms across his massive chest. “Were you any other Daemo, I would believe that.”

  Lady Alexina’s smile turned sardonic. “And were you any other Ogri, I could convince you otherwise. Titan,” she said as the smile slipped away, “you truly do ride the edge of the storm. Not only an I trying to keep it from destroying you, I am also trying to help Amazonia succeed in her quest as best I can. But to do so, I need to manipulate events from the shadows and not risk exposing them to the light too soon. Old friend,” her voice growing soft, “there was a time long ago when we had each other’s backs, the same way you have Amazonia’s. Give trust,” she said. “See trust returned.”

  Titan’s arms remained folded. “If different Daemo…”

  “Understanding.”

  For a long moment the two stared at each other, Amazonia feeling a pang of jealousy as Titan softly snorted and unfolded his arms. “I must be getting weak in the head from old age. Keep your secrets then, but at least tell me enough to keep me from blundering into doing something I should not.”

  “While the others are bathing, I shall tell you as much as I can. Now, if you will all follow me?”

  As the Daemo began to turn away, Amazonia said, “Bide a moment. Lady Alexina, you told us there was to be a play within a play, yet only mentioned the first one.” The Daemo nodded and Az said, “So, what is the second one about?”

  The mysterious smile returned. “Will it help if I mention that you are the second play’s principal actor? Come.” Amazonia opened her mouth to speak, but couldn’t think of a single thing to say and closed it again as they trailed after Lady Alexina.