Our new high priestess had deserted me, left me wounded and alone at the cabin.
My temper soared. All thoughts of avoiding a confrontation with her fled.
I tromped toward the house, not sure what I was going to say or do once I reached it, once I reached Thea.
But the building was empty. The grounds were empty.
I walked back through the house, this time armed with my staff. I checked each room carefully, looking for some sign there had been a battle, but everything looked to be in place.
Back in the yard, I considered my options. The Amazons had to be near. All the vehicles were present, and all the horses were too.
A houseful of Amazons didn't just disappear, not without a struggle, one that would be impossible to hide. Which meant they were nearby, just not within sight.
I entered the woods.
It was early evening now. The sun wasn't as strong as it had been during my last trip to the clearing, but the air felt thicker, humid and cloying.
Ignoring the sweat that instantly beaded on my upper lip, I positioned my staff as I had the last time, perpendicular, so I could walk the path more easily. The late afternoon rain had softened the ground; it gave under my feet, cushioned each step, and made the pain in my back less obvious. I murmured a thanks to Artemis for blessing me with the small gift.
As I approached the obelisk, I heard voices. Hidden behind a tree, I paused and listened. I recognized Thea's voice first, then humming or chanting. With a frown, I peered out. The occupants of the camp were seated in a full circle, not the traditional partial circle or crescent we normally used when worshipping.
Thea stood near the obelisk; in her hands was another bowl. She crushed some kind of leaf over it, letting the crushed pieces fall in, then passed it around. As each Amazon took the vessel, she mimed with her hand for them to dip their fingers into the mixture and dot the oil onto their foreheads. First in line were Tess and another hearth-keeper, both young and used to being told what to do.
Lao sat five Amazons to the right of the two hearth-keepers. As the second girl smeared oil on her forehead, Lao stood and folded her arms under her well-endowed chest.
Her back stiff, she addressed Thea, "I've worshipped under a number of priestesses and I've never seen a one waste good olive oil by daubing it between their eyes." She lowered her chin.
Thea straightened. "Have you ever lost a queen?"
Areto stood then. "If Zery is lost, we should be looking for her. Artemis blesses those who take action." At Areto's words the other warriors rose too. The hearth-keeper who held the bowl set it onto the ground. Her eyes shifted back and forth between Thea and the Amazons who had stood.
Thea sighed. "Once we have. . the goddess's blessing, we will search for Zery."
"How exactly did you lose her?" Lao again. I was beginning to think the older Amazon had a lot more warrior in her than I had suspected.
Instead of answering, Thea stared at her. Lao blinked, then frowned, and Thea turned back to the hearth-keeper who had set down the bowl. She motioned for her to continue, but I'd seen enough.
I was in charge of this tribe.
"I was wondering the same thing." I stepped into the clearing.
The group turned as one. Lao crossed the circle to where Tess sat with the bowl. She jerked it from the girl's hands and moved toward the path with strong steady extensions of her denim-clad legs. When she reached the path and the younger women weren't behind her, she yelled, "Those pies won't make themselves."
The hearth-keepers scrambled to follow. Within seconds the three had disappeared down the path. I jerked my head in the direction they had gone. Without a word, the remaining Amazons, all except Thea, crossed the clearing and hiked out of view.
She held out her hands, palms up. "You're alive."
I stalked toward her. "And you left."
She blinked. "Of course. What else was I to do? The cabin exploded; I was knocked backward, stunned cold for. . I'm not sure how long." She turned and lifted up her short hair. There was an ugly red gash in her scalp, and I realized now her shirt was stained with blood. "When I came to I realized how bad things were. . the house was ablaze. I didn't see you. . thought you'd been lost." She closed her eyes briefly as if reliving the moment. When she opened them, she murmured under her breath, a prayer, I assumed. "I knew you wouldn't want the car discovered. If it was, the tribe could be tied to the son. So I drove it back here and gathered the camp to decide our next move. I was afraid we would be calling the council, asking for a new queen."
"Not yet," I replied.
"No, not yet. . " She tilted her head and studied me. "You are strong."
The words felt odd, less compliment and more assessment. I ignored them, because, despite the fact that she was right, I wouldn't want the Amazons tied to the explosion or the son, she shouldn't have left me behind-shouldn't leave any of us behind, ever.
"We protect our own," I said.
"Of course. . " Her lips thinned. "You aren't saying I should have forgotten protecting the tribe, are you?"
"Of. . no." My fingers twitched on my staff.
"Good, because I was sure I was doing what you would want, what the council would want. I'm just glad I don't have to call them. . not about getting a new queen anyway." She cupped her hand over her neck, as if massaging away a pain. She seemed to have forgotten I was standing in front of her.
Suddenly my back spasmed. Determined not to show I was injured, I flipped the staff around in my hands, made it appear I was twirling the weapon rather than twitching in pain.
She glanced at me. The spasm continued, but I ground the end of the staff into the earth and squared my shoulders. My face calm, I replied, "No, no need to call the council. I'm fine."
Her expression darkened. For a second I thought she might argue the point, but she didn't. "How did you survive?" she asked. "The cabin. . it was there one minute and a raging hell the next, eh?"
"The explosion threw me clear. I hit a tree, but I'm fine." It was more than I wanted to say. I was still struggling to get a grasp on what my reaction should be. Pain, anger, and something strangely close to reason warred for control of my attention-some little voice telling me Thea had done the right thing, returned to camp, gathered the tribe. . What more could I have asked of her?
My jaw tensed. To find me? To let me know she had survived?
Another spasm grabbed my back. I gritted my teeth and held my breath until it passed.
"Did you see the son?" she asked. Her gray eyes were level now, her focus solid.
The spasm over, I was able to shake my head. "Humans showed up. That's all."
"Are you sure?"
I hesitated. Was I? But finally I nodded. Neither of the farmers had struck me as anything more than one-hundred percent human. Not that that guaranteed they were. The sons had apparently been fooling the Amazons for the past century. We had learned, unbeknown to my friend Mel's mother, Cleo, that Mel's father had been a son. I respected Cleo. . I didn't think she would have been easily fooled. But that had been before Amazons knew the sons had powers similar to their own.
We were more aware now. And I was positive neither of the men fighting that blaze had been sons. Now, the rabbit? Much as I didn't like to admit it, I still wasn't sure about him.
Thea twisted her lips. "I wonder how he knew we were coming?"
"Knew?" Caught up in my anger at Thea, I hadn't thought about why the son's cabin had exploded. "You think he booby-trapped the place with us in mind?"
"You think it was coincidence?"
No. She was right. Houses didn't just explode, at least not very often. "He knew we were coming," I repeated.
"How?" she asked.