“Yep. I’d been begging for one ever since last summer. And watch this!” Sakina pulled out her bronze sword and flicked her wrist. Out of the hilt of the sword popped a quill. “It’s basically perfect, don’t you think? You can write and fight with it.”
“Well, the pen is mightier than the sword.” Diana laughed.
“Think you could teach me a thing or two about how to use it?” Sakina asked. “I got it right before we left.”
“I’d love to,” Diana said. She looked at Sakina’s weapon and then at her friend. “I can’t believe it’s been a whole year since we last saw each other.”
“Tell me about it. And look at you. You haven’t changed a bit!”
But you have, Diana realized with a start. They’d always been about the same height, but standing next to her now, Diana saw that Sakina had shot up since their last meeting. She was a half foot taller than Diana. Her dark curls, which fell below her chin last summer, were braided down to her waist. Her tanned arms looked unmistakably muscled. Diana glanced down at her own skinny arms—between the two of them, people could mistake which one descended from warriors.
Something soft brushed against Diana’s leg.
“Whoa!” She jumped back.
“Sorry! It’s just silly Arya,” Sakina said. “She’s really into the element of surprise lately.”
“This is your kitty?” Diana looked at the spotted snow leopard and petted her gently. The cat came up to Diana’s hip. “I could scoop her up with one hand last summer.”
“They grow superfast, but she’s as much a cuddle bug as she ever was.” Sakina looked around. “Is Binti nearby? Arya’s been asking about her since we left. They had so much fun together last summer.”
“She had babies,” Diana said, warming at the thought of her wolf companion and her pups. “She’s resting up.”
“Babies!” Sakina’s eyes lit up.
“They’re the cutest wolf pups ever,” Diana said. A thought occurred to her. Sakina was a Scholar, but she also had a special ability to speak with animals. “Actually, Binti’s been acting strange the past few days. Maybe you can chat with her and see what’s going on?”
“Sakina the animal whisperer at your service.” She winked and curtseyed.
Suddenly the snow leopard froze. Her ears pressed flat against her head. Narrowing her eyes, she raised her tail in the air and growled.
“Binti’s not the only one acting strange.” Sakina rolled her eyes. “Easy, Arya. You seriously need to relax.”
The cat turned to Sakina and rumbled a deep-throated growl.
“What’s the matter?” Diana asked. Goose bumps suddenly trailed her arms. She watched the animal’s tense expression.
“Don’t get me started.” Sakina shook her head. “She was fine when we left, but mid-voyage she got all riled up. Snarling and growling at thin air. All cats are little divas, but Arya is the queen of them all.”
“What’s she been saying?” Diana asked.
“She’s mad about the ships en route with us to your land,” Sakina said. “Kept saying they’re following us. Of course they’re following us! I know it’s strange to see a line of ships heading in one direction out on the open seas, but we’re all using the same special coordinates to find Themyscira.”
“Sorry, Arya,” Diana apologized to the animal. “Nobody likes to feel like they’re being followed.”
Arya circled the girls. Diana studied the animal’s raised hackles and the hard look in her eyes. Following the animal’s gaze to the docked ships, a chill passed through Diana. Ever since she was young, Diana felt connected to animals. And though she couldn’t put it into words, Arya’s distress seemed deeper than the ships that followed them here. What exactly did the snow leopard think she saw?
“Princess Diana, dear!” Sakina’s mother, Queen Khadijah, approached them. “So lovely to see you.” She kissed Diana’s cheek. The queen wore a cream-colored gown with flowers embroidered along the hem. Mira fluttered alongside her and landed on Sakina’s shoulder.
“Wonderful to see you as well, Your Majesty,” Diana said.
“Excited for your week together?” she asked the girls.
“We are.” Sakina nodded. “And are you ready for all your boring meetings?”
“In due time.” Her mother smiled. “Tonight we rest and enjoy; tomorrow we work. Has Arya calmed down at all?”
“Not really.” Sakina shook her head. “She’s still acting like there’s a monster about to swoop down any minute.”
“She’ll adjust,” her mother said. “There are quite a lot of new people here.”
Indeed, more and more people filled the island, walking down long gangplanks from the newly docked ships. They hoisted banners and carried trunks and carts filled with goods from their homelands.
“You know how protective she’s always been,” Diana added as they began walking toward the main festival site. “Even as a kitten she loved to guard you.”
“You have no idea. She’s totally out of control now,” Sakina groaned. “Ever since I started apprenticing at the library, she refuses to let me go alone. So now I have a huge cat prowling past the periodicals to protect me from dust mites.”
“She just loves you,” the queen said.
“She’s not even as fierce as she thinks,” Sakina said. “Half the time she’s snoring by the sunny window near the reference desk.”
“You’re working at the library?” Diana stared at Sakina.
“Yes, I was going to tell you all about it! Can you believe it?” Sakina grinned.
“That’s…that’s wonderful,” Diana managed to say. She was happy for her friend, truly. Sakina had wanted to apprentice at the library for as long as Diana could remember. Over the years they’d spent countless nights sharing their frustrations about not being able to do the things they loved most.
“She was after me about it for quite some time,” her mother said. “I finally decided to let her try it so she could see how boring the work truly is. But I must hand it to her; she’s taken to it well. She’s a natural.”
A natural.
Diana’s throat constricted. Was this a part of her mother’s hesitation with letting her train? Maybe her mother was trying to find a way to tell Diana there was no need for her to learn because she wasn’t a natural fighter at all.