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Authors: Robin Roseau
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not entirely true. Who is missing?"
"No one important!" he yelled. "No one!"
"Ah, Mr. Mayor, did I say 'bring only the important people' ? Who is missing?"
He stood up straight, and I was sure he was about to lie, then he slumped. "There are a few old people who don't leave their beds any more. There are a few others who are sick."
"They may remain home," I said. "But we both know I will not be happy if I send my Amazon sisters on a door-to-door search. What will they find that will displease me?"
"There are a few mothers of very young children-"
I sighed dramatically.
"Who else?" Nori growled.
"And my sister."
No one said anything for a moment. "Small children need to be cared for, and I do not want young children here for this. If I go door to door, will I find any girls ages twelve to twenty-two, other than your sister's children."
He looked around, calculating. "Yes," he said. "There are a few helping their mothers with the younger children."
"I give you five more minutes, Mr. Mayor. If I start without you, and your sister, and these missing girls, then when we leave, regardless of what else happens here today, Lia and Tamma will be going with us. We'll take gentle care of them, of course."
"Please. Ten minutes. Please!"
"You better hurry, Mr. Mayor," I said. "We've kept everyone waiting for too long. It's rude."
He fled, yelling for people to fetch this person or that one.
I shook my head. "Why do they never take us seriously?"
"Why didn't the people of Gallen's Cove?"
I sighed. "Ignorance."
"We're here to fix that."
"One village at a time. Why did I volunteer to do this?"
She chuckled.
It took the mayor the ten minutes he asked for. I saw a few girls appear in the square, ushered in by this villager or that. Then the mayor appeared with a woman I imagined was his sister and two teenage daughters.
"Nori."
"I see them."
"This shit pisses me off. Give me six solid women and some rope."
"It's not the girls' fault, Maya."
"They look like spoiled brats." They did, too. I could see it in their bearing. I had been a schoolteacher. I recognized spoiled when I saw it.
"We're not here to take anyone down a peg," Nori said. "Let it go. Frankly, girls like that make lousy Amazons."
"Worse than me?"
"Varda was like that."
"Other girls will sacrifice so those two can continued to be spoiled bitches," I said. "It's not fair."
"No, it's not, but better to let White Pine continue to suffer their presence than to wish them upon us."
I laughed. She was right.
"We make a good team," I said.
She clapped an arm over my shoulder and gave me a quick hug. "We sure do."
"Well, cover my back. I can't let this slide entirely." I strode forth, intercepting the mayor and his sister. We stopped five feet apart.
"Everyone is here," the mayor said. "This is my sister and her daughters."
"By what right do you-"
"Oh can it, you spoiled bitch," I told the woman. "Everyone here waited because you thought you were too good to join us." I made sure I said it loudly enough for everyone else to hear. "But that's all right." I looked around. Some of the warriors were talking to some of the townsfolk. "We were just getting to know everyone. But now we can begin."
I stepped away.
We'd done this before, and the wagon I needed was waiting for me. Some towns have better meeting places, small stages of one form or another, but most did not, and we had learned a wagon made a sturdy platform to speak from. I climbed aboard and then said firmly, "All right, gather around!"
It took a little time and a little nudging from some of the Amazons, but we got everyone gathered around me. They clustered in a half circle, and I looked out at them.
I'd given this speech many times now. I thanked them for giving us the opportunity to talk to them.
"Like we had a choice," one man said.
"No, we were rather insistent," I agreed. "By the time I am done, you will understand why."
I explained about the history of the Amazons, about tithing, and
"No one important!" he yelled. "No one!"
"Ah, Mr. Mayor, did I say 'bring only the important people' ? Who is missing?"
He stood up straight, and I was sure he was about to lie, then he slumped. "There are a few old people who don't leave their beds any more. There are a few others who are sick."
"They may remain home," I said. "But we both know I will not be happy if I send my Amazon sisters on a door-to-door search. What will they find that will displease me?"
"There are a few mothers of very young children-"
I sighed dramatically.
"Who else?" Nori growled.
"And my sister."
No one said anything for a moment. "Small children need to be cared for, and I do not want young children here for this. If I go door to door, will I find any girls ages twelve to twenty-two, other than your sister's children."
He looked around, calculating. "Yes," he said. "There are a few helping their mothers with the younger children."
"I give you five more minutes, Mr. Mayor. If I start without you, and your sister, and these missing girls, then when we leave, regardless of what else happens here today, Lia and Tamma will be going with us. We'll take gentle care of them, of course."
"Please. Ten minutes. Please!"
"You better hurry, Mr. Mayor," I said. "We've kept everyone waiting for too long. It's rude."
He fled, yelling for people to fetch this person or that one.
I shook my head. "Why do they never take us seriously?"
"Why didn't the people of Gallen's Cove?"
I sighed. "Ignorance."
"We're here to fix that."
"One village at a time. Why did I volunteer to do this?"
She chuckled.
It took the mayor the ten minutes he asked for. I saw a few girls appear in the square, ushered in by this villager or that. Then the mayor appeared with a woman I imagined was his sister and two teenage daughters.
"Nori."
"I see them."
"This shit pisses me off. Give me six solid women and some rope."
"It's not the girls' fault, Maya."
"They look like spoiled brats." They did, too. I could see it in their bearing. I had been a schoolteacher. I recognized spoiled when I saw it.
"We're not here to take anyone down a peg," Nori said. "Let it go. Frankly, girls like that make lousy Amazons."
"Worse than me?"
"Varda was like that."
"Other girls will sacrifice so those two can continued to be spoiled bitches," I said. "It's not fair."
"No, it's not, but better to let White Pine continue to suffer their presence than to wish them upon us."
I laughed. She was right.
"We make a good team," I said.
She clapped an arm over my shoulder and gave me a quick hug. "We sure do."
"Well, cover my back. I can't let this slide entirely." I strode forth, intercepting the mayor and his sister. We stopped five feet apart.
"Everyone is here," the mayor said. "This is my sister and her daughters."
"By what right do you-"
"Oh can it, you spoiled bitch," I told the woman. "Everyone here waited because you thought you were too good to join us." I made sure I said it loudly enough for everyone else to hear. "But that's all right." I looked around. Some of the warriors were talking to some of the townsfolk. "We were just getting to know everyone. But now we can begin."
I stepped away.
We'd done this before, and the wagon I needed was waiting for me. Some towns have better meeting places, small stages of one form or another, but most did not, and we had learned a wagon made a sturdy platform to speak from. I climbed aboard and then said firmly, "All right, gather around!"
It took a little time and a little nudging from some of the Amazons, but we got everyone gathered around me. They clustered in a half circle, and I looked out at them.
I'd given this speech many times now. I thanked them for giving us the opportunity to talk to them.
"Like we had a choice," one man said.
"No, we were rather insistent," I agreed. "By the time I am done, you will understand why."
I explained about the history of the Amazons, about tithing, and
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