“Any of them have children?” Mave asked softly, crossing her arms. She liked what she saw from the females she knew, but she was beginning to see more of the problem ones—softer like the others used to be. The idea of one of them challenging Allaina was a concern. Mave hated politics, despised them, but if there was an issue, Alchan would expect her and Senri to step in and deal with it.
“One. A ten-year-old boy.”
“Where is he?”
“Being watched over by those who cannot fight or perform heavy labor. There’s a rotation of elders and disabled that handle the education of the children while their parents work.”
“Husbands?” Mave wanted more. She didn’t make it a point to know everything about every male wandering the camp, but she felt the need to protect the females. Allaina and Senri were the same way, memorizing every name and their loved ones’ names. Together, they were the three most powerful females, and if they stayed united, the rest would fall in line.
That was the theory, anyway.
“She told me her husband was sold shortly after the birth of their son. None of the others have lovers among the Andinna or have chosen a lover of their own free will.”
“Damn. We could never find him if that’s the case.” Mave rubbed her jaw in thought. “Is that female more dominant than Allaina?”
“Oh, absolutely not, but she’s young, and she’s gotten the support of her friends from the farms. She’s a big head that needs to learn she’s no longer in slavery where it’s everyone against everyone. We mean the best for her, and she doesn’t understand that. She’s had a taste of freedom and wants to use it to do what she pleases.”
“It makes sense,” Mave said, giving the female the benefit of understanding. “Freedom is a big thing. At least she has the balls to jump into it with both feet. She’ll learn.”
“Are we going to step in now? I think we’re being noticed.” Senri nodded toward Allaina, and Mave waved at the mativa, who glared in return.
“I’ve been fucking waiting on you two!” Allaina yelled at them. When females began to stop and stare, Allaina’s snarl was impressive enough to make Mave chuckle. “Keep practicing! I didn’t tell you to stop!”
Wooden swords were clashing against each other as the beautiful, ruby-eyed bitch stomped Mave’s way.
“You better not be hurt,” Allaina snapped, looking her over. “Senri, you were supposed to get her over here as soon as possible, not take your sweet ass time.”
“Missed you too, Allaina,” Mave said, still chuckling. “How’re things?”
“Terrible! Senri is so skies damned busy with the guards and keeping the village safe, I’m left with the females literally every day alone. You have no idea how happy I am to see you. I need you to beat the sense into a few of these bitches, and I need to get back to the job I’m supposed to do.” Allaina didn’t smile, her hard glare never abating. “And since you aren’t injured, you can start right now. I swear, some of these females just want to get themselves killed!”
Allaina turned and started stomping off, ringing the bell at her waist for the groups to rotate again. Mave didn’t follow her yet, leaning over to Senri.
“Is she really my friend?”
“I think you’re the only person she likes anymore. And she doesn’t like you much,” Senri mumbled. “She’s lost her damn mind, I’m sure of it.”
“Being captured changed her. It changes everyone…except you. You just keep going along, chin up, and ready to fight a little harder.”
“My guards think I’ve changed. The ones from Olost? They call me a hard bitch now.” Senri sighed heavily.
“You two better not be gossiping! Get over here!” Allaina roared from the center of the field. Mave started moving, not wanting Allaina to have to come get her. Senri followed behind, not commenting further on her own changes since what happened in Olost and Ellantia. Mave hadn’t noticed those changes, but she never interfered with Senri’s work with the guards.
Once at centerfield, Mave crossed her arms as females drew closer, forming a semi-circle in front of her, Senri, and Allaina.
“Hello, everyone. As many of you know, I’m Mave Lorren, King’s Champion and member of the Royal Guard, though many of you know it as the Ivory Shadow Mercenary Company.”
“Everyone calls you the Ivory Shadows,” Allaina explained. “No longer mercenaries, but still the warriors directly working for Luykas and Alchan. The best of the best.”
“Don’t care,” Mave replied, leaning over to Allaina to say it quietly. The mativa bared her teeth, but there was no heat in her gaze. Turning her attention back on the females, Mave continued loudly. “Now, I’ve been away on a mission the last several weeks, but for as long as I’m in this village, I’m in charge of your training. Allaina kindly stepped in because I trust her work with a blade—”
“Why don’t any of the male warriors train us?” one asked loudly. Mave searched out the one who spoke and found blazing eyes, yellow-orange, not like a warm campfire, but the blazes that burned down Mave’s last home. There was indignant anger in them, annoyance. Mave didn’t let them get to her. She knew there was going to be at least one who pushed her boundaries. In the end, Mave understood. Freedom was enticing, and the idea of spending it following more orders didn’t appeal to everyone.
“Because I’m the most dominant female of the Andinna, and the only male more dominant than me is the King. You’ll learn from me or someone I choose. On top of that, I want you taught by another female.”
“But—”
“You can question me all you want, but it’s not going to change. If it’s not me or Allaina, it’ll be Senri, and she’ll put you on guard duty for talking back,” Mave said sharply. This was definitely the female Senri and Allaina were worried about—enough mouth and dominance to get into trouble, but probably nothing to back it up. The males dealt with it every day as they bickered and found their pecking orders. Now it was Mave’s turn to handle an upstart. “Your name, female?”
“Fyren. I thought we were free. Shouldn’t we be able to decide if we want to do this all day, every day, and with whom? I don’t know about anyone else, but the idea of being on the battlefield isn’t something that brings me joy. I definitely don’t want to be listening to some high-and-mighty females telling me what to do all the time.”
“It’s not about being on the battlefield. I’ll never make you fight against Elvasi soldiers or make you join a war group and go looking for fights, but I will expect you to be able to defend yourself. We’re a warrior people. We’re built to fight and win. I would know, I’ve done it against other Andinna for over nine hundred years. I won’t tolerate a good male warrior dying because you are too soft-hearted or defiant to pick up a blade and fight to defend what we’re building here. Ask any of the females here before you. Ask them the consequences of relying on others to defend them when we’re supposed to be warriors in our own right.”
The silence after her words was deafening, weighing heavily on the crowd. Some of the females looked victorious, a few looked bored—Mave knew they had heard this speech before. Only a small handful looked downright pissed off. Fyren’s eyes were blazing. She didn’t want to be a warrior, and that was okay, but she had to understand freedom didn’t come without responsibilities. Mave, needing to loosen up after long days on the road, drew her swords.