The Heartstone Saga, Archibald Bradford [the snowy day read aloud TXT] 📗

saw the choices that I made that led us here, she would be ashamed of me.”

Finally Escrya had heard enough.

“It is not for you to decide that, daughter of Brael.” She said as she strode up to them; “Hate yourself if you must, but your war-sister is right: your ancestors have not cause to turn their back on you as of yet.”

Yana’s eyes were downcast at the teller’s words.

Of all those that she had wronged, Escrya she had wronged the most.

Or so she believed.

“My mother died in battle against a Tenebrae. Not an Amazon. She died a warrior’s death, and she will be remembered as such.” Escrya had to swallow a lump in her throat before she could go on; “I will not suffer her memory to be tarnished by the vain wallowing of a fool. You were great once, Warleader Yana. I do not care if it takes you the rest of your years, for my mother who died for you, you will be great again.”

Her voice was choked with tears by the time she pronounced her sentence, and she turned away to hide the renewed grief from the Brael girls.

But they had the intended effect, Yana’s chin lifting slightly as the debt she owed forced her into action.

“There you have it, Warleader. Now come, your Husband and bond-sister have been too long without your presence!” Tiana urged.

All together they joined the circle of men, women, and monsters at the crest of the hill overlooking the field of battle and the ruined town abreast of it.

Though Yana would have much preferred not to make a spectacle of it, when Juni and Booker saw her alive they immediately mobbed her, the one-eyed man displaying far more emotion than anyone had ever seen from him.

And she wasn’t the only one set upon: Paul Fletcher was there with his cockatrices, and as soon as Helena spotted him she all but tackled him, kissing him fiercely.

The two had a tryst once upon a time, and it was just that good to see each other again.

But despite the poignant and amusing reunions, there was much that needed doing and discussion was soon underway as to the logistics of sheltering the wounded and caring for the dead.

Once those decisions were made, Escrya stepped forwards into the circle to speak her mind.

“There is something that I have thought upon a great deal in the last several weeks. And I wish to express that thought now.”

Dawn Morrow gave a quick nod of assent.

“Given how badly you and these other Amazons saved our asses today, I’d be happy to hear you out.”

Escrya offered her a quick smile of gratitude, but it was weak with the loss of her mother still felt so keenly.

She took a deep breath before explaining.

“As most of you know, at the Dominar’s behest I sought out aid from the Amazon tribes. But as we feared, they were too scattered. Though I don’t doubt that many are on the move even as we speak, only a comparative handful of warriors arrived between the time that Lipton Falls was attacked and now.”

“What are you saying, teller?” The Matriarch asked with a frown, a hint of warning in her tone; “You know that we do not count ourselves amongst your tribes.”

Escrya nodded, knowing that without the Matriarch’s approval what she was going to propose would ultimately fail.

“A grievance that has stood for centuries, and one which I will not ask you to forgive now. But for too long have we all dwelled on the fringes of human society. We drifted away in a bid to cling to our old ways while trusting in the Aegis to protect our sisters, as was once our duty.”

“So what? Would you have us abandon our customs entirely and wear... pants, as the humans do?” Alia spat the word as if it were a curse.

She and many of the other pale-skinned Amazons from the Darkwood were still more or less nude.

“No, that would be absurd. But how many lives could have been spared if we were as closely involved with the Aegis as we were during the founding?”

“I still don’t-”

“A home. A new home. Within the bounds of what they call ‘civilized’ lands. A home for any Amazon or monster that wishes to dwell there, a place where we can be nearby should the Aegis need us, and where we can be nearby should the Dominar need us. I am not suggesting that we abandon our beloved woods entirely, be they dark or not. But rather we establish a... I don’t know the right word for it.”

“A colony? Like the Antlions call them?” Miranda offered, speaking for the first time.

“I suppose.”

“Wayfelt.” Paul Fletcher said suddenly, though it was a bit of a challenge for him to speak, given that Helena and as many of his Cockatrices as were able were clinging to him.

The Amazon aside, the flighty girls were a nervous bunch before the battle.

Dawn Morrow blinked and shook her head in confusion.

“What about it?”

The old farmer gently wrestled himself free of his clingy Cockatrices to better articulate himself.

“Seems the obvious choice. The woods hereabouts are lovely enough for those keen on them to appreciate. And the townsfolk here, those what escaped, they’ll need help puttin’ their lives back in order once they come back from Garland, assuming they even want to. It’ll be an adjustment, but I’ve never met an Amazon who’d shy away from a challenge.”

Miranda ran her hand through her hair, then gave a short laugh.

“And I’m sure the fact that we’re just a few miles away from Nameless- pardon, the Valkyrja-datta’s hometown wouldn’t hurt.”

The hulking Amazon leader didn’t look very keen on the idea though.

“You ask much of us Escrya. As you have since we met. If