“It must have been liberating in the cave.”
“I found peace there,” he said. “When I’dget lonely for company, I’d trek across the mountain to the village, spend afew hours or days and then come back. There is another man who visits me but hecomes very rarely. I was as content as I knew how to be but…”
“But something was missing,” she said.
“And now I know what it was.”
She said nothing for a long while and whenshe finally spoke, she felt the tension gathering in his body.
“I will have to go back to Riezell, ehemann,”she said. “General Strom gave me a month’s leave that started from the day Iarrived here. He will expect me to return. I won’t be free of my duty foranother two years.”
“Can’t you resign your commission?” heasked. “Ruan Cosaint’s lady as well as Cair Ghrian’s left the Guardians. Whycan’t you?”
Shanee tucked her lower lip between herteeth. She didn’t know how to explain to him that it was her destiny to be aRiezell Guardian, that she had given up much just to be allowed the opportunityto try out for the elite assignment. She was a warrioress and that was whatgave her life meaning.
He pushed up from the ground and moved sohe was sitting beside her. “You like the danger,” he accused. “The adrenalinerush of being a Guardian.”
“It’s more than that,” she said, alsositting up. The ground was getting cold and a light breeze had sprung up tochill her. She wrapped her arms around her bare breasts.
Without a blink of his eyes, he waved hishand and a black shirt and britches appeared to cover her flesh. Another waveand he was clad once more in a breechclout.
“Thank you,” she said softly. She raisedher knees and laid her head down on them. “Can I tell you why I don’t want togive up being a Guardian?”
“You can tell me anything,” he said, butshe could hear the hurt in his voice.
“How much do you know about Amazeen?” sheasked.
“Very little,” he said then cast her aglance. “I was surprised you had both breasts. I’d heard your people took offone.”
Shanee nodded. “Most do,” she said. “If youare right-handed, it would be the right breast and the other way around ifyou’re left-handed. It is considered expedient in the use of a bow.”
“Ah,” he said, nodding. “Makes sense.”
“It is left up to each woman if she wantsto have it done. I didn’t. I knew I wanted to be a warrioress but I knew myfighting would be with dagger, laser or crossbow and with a crossbow, you don’thave to worry about getting your tit caught in the string.”
“Are you good with those weapons?” he askedquietly.
“I am an expert with those weapons,” shereplied. “My mother saw to it. She is the defense queen.”
He nodded again as though that informationhad been expected.
“Amazeen do not like to truck in theaffairs of other worlds,” she said, digging her bare toes into the sand. “Wekeep mainly to ourselves although there are other female groups with whom weinteract.”
“Like the Hell Hags and the Multitude,” hesaid. “My mother belongs to the Multitude.”
“I thought as much. She has that air abouther,” his lady commented.
“So how did you get permission to join theRiezell Guardians?” he asked.
Shanee looked out across the stream. “Ididn’t get permission,” she said. “I left and cannot return. As far as my tribeis concerned, I am dead. I became an outcast when I stole my mother’s Fiachrunabout and journeyed to Riezell.”
“Did being a Guardian mean that much to youthat you would throw away your heritage?” he queried.
“It was more than that,” she said. “I hadvery strong feelings about the Border Wars. For the most part Amazeen stayedout of the conflict though we sided with the Alliance. Had my mother evergotten the chance, she would have taken Ryden Bakari captive. She is veryenamored of the Burgon.”
Ailyn smiled. “He has his problem withwomen, doesn’t he?” He nudged his chin toward the mountain. “There are over ahundred women here from his seraglio. He never laid a hand to a single one ofthem but they speak of him as though he were a veritable god.”
“My mother and her sister think he is,” shetold him. “You were Coalition captured by the Alliance yet you went with RoryQuinn and the others to fight for the Burgon.”
“I admire Ryden Bakari. Had it not been forhim, we might all still be locked in con cells on R-9. He not only put an endto the making of new Reapers, he gave us our freedom. Like all the others, Iowed him. When his family was massacred by the New Coalition, I felt I shouldhelp out of respect for Bakari.”
“He deserves that respect and allegiance,”she said.
“So you wanted to make a difference in theoutcome of the war,” he said. “How did you wind up in Riezell then if youwere…?” He stopped, blinked and gave her an astonished look. “You were sentthere by the Alliance.”
She cocked one shoulder. “I was killing twobirds with one stone as I saw it. I was aiding the Alliance and I was joiningthe Guardians. Life was beginning to turn as I wanted it to.”
“And now?” he asked.
She met his gaze. “You can come back toRiezell with
