TGTGP CH19

Chapter Nineteen

When the great doors gave way from the enemy attack, something Ami never dreamed she’d witness in her lifetime, they came crashing down in a great cloud of splinters, fire, and smoke. The warriors had moved back enough to avoid being hit by the debris but it was difficult to see what was coming at them through the black smoke that billowed through the air.

A great beast of a machine rolled in, flaming and smoking. The sharpened trunk of an oak tree with pounded steel at the battering point plowed toward a line of warriors who hurriedly parted to avoid injury. Ami and Simeon were separated from Amara as each instinctively dove out of the way of the mighty battering ram that had brought down the doors.

The charred bodies of the first casualties crunched like discarded dolls beneath the massive wheels of the battering ram, innards and blood spilled gruesomely out into the soil. Simeon helped Ami to her knees and knelt beside her, searching through the smoke that burned at their eyes for any sign of their mother after the battering ram finally came to rest after crashing into a storage hut.

“I can’t see!” Simeon said. His eyes were as red and watery as Ami’s felt. She coughed, wishing the air would clear as she put her tunic up to cover her nose and mouth.

Suddenly arrows began to rain down from the sky like lethal raindrops that ripped, rather than wet, the flesh. Simeon grabbed the shield he’d taken earlier and held it over himself and Ami until the first assault stopped. They listened as many women cried out in pain. Their bodies hit the ground like sacks of flour, arrows piercing heads and hearts, legs and guts, leaving some alive but mortally wounded and groaning in agony. A few of Enet’s women came out to try to help drag the women from the battlefield for treatment.

Under the partial covering of the shield Ami could see the feet of approaching warriors. They were clad in black and crimson, and their silver shin guards bore the likeness of Arekon’s lion. Simeon and Ami rose up together. Simeon drove his sword into the first warrior they encountered. In the moments before he died he looked shocked, and then angered, to have been killed by a man in their fight against the Qiari. He fell to the ground, his face twisted with rage where it remained frozen so.

“This way!”

Simeon and Ami fought their way past invading warriors who, Ami thought, were not very good fighters. She wondered if they were the younger, less experienced warriors since she was easily able to overcome them with the techniques she’d learned in her classes. Not all of these warriors, she noted, were so young. For a brief moment she hoped it would be possible to defeat Calem’s army and drive them out.

That hope was quickly dashed when the smoke cleared and she saw through the gate. The sheer number of men, screaming and eager to attack, was hopeless.

Something cut at Ami’s leg. She spun and received a kick to her stomach. She rolled with it, as she’d been trained, and found herself looking up at a giant of a bearded man. His mouth opened to reveal rotted teeth that spewed blood a moment later. The tip of a blade had been shoved through from the back of his neck. He fell to the side and Ami realized her mother had saved her.

You’re in her way, Ami heard a voice say in her head. She’s going to have to worry about you as she fights. You’re making her vulnerable.

I don’t want to leave her, Ami answered the voice that had spoken to her.

It didn’t matter that Ami wanted to stay. She knew the voice, whoever it belonged to, was right. She was doing her mother more harm than good by remaining at her side.

“Mama, would you think me a coward if I retreated?”

Amara sagged with relief. “Oh, Ami, I could never think you guilty of cowardice. Never!”

Her mother drew her into a tight hug. Ami had the distinct feeling it would be the last embrace they shared. She treasured every second of it before reluctantly letting go.

“About what happened when I ran away last summer…I’m sorry and I--”

“It is forgotten,” her mother said.

“I love you, Mama.”

“I love you too; and you, Simeon. I’m so proud of both of you. See her safely home to Findar,” Amara said.

“Yes, Mother,” he said, receiving his final hug from Amara as well. He winked at Ami and motioned for her to follow him.

Together, Simeon and Ami ran, heading deeper toward the center of the village, passing Qiari warriors who were either clearly afraid, or clearly eager, to fight, waiting for the battle to reach them. Ami risked a glance back to see her mother was in full fighting spirit. Without Ami there as a distraction she was an impressive warrior to watch. Man after man fell beneath Amara’s blade without ever coming close to laying steel to her flesh.

Suddenly Ami was pulled down by her brother and a cacophony of arrows rained down on the shield he used to protect them from another assault of deadly arrows that came from the sky. Other warriors were ready, also taking shelter beneath shields as they waited for the assault to end.

Qiari archers were returning the favor, firing over the wall, when Simeon pulled Ami into a hut where she found a smaller round shield. It wouldn’t do much to protect against falling arrows but it would come in handy since it was easier for her to heft.

“Surely you don’t intend to leave this battle,” Simeon said, hunkering down in the doorway.

Ami shook her head. “Of course not. I just didn’t want to distract mother. She needs every chance to fight and I was in her way. We both were.”

He nodded. “Agreed.”

“What now?”

Simeon looked so young in that moment. He was afraid, true, but he was also brave. He was no longer new to her. He was no longer blood more by word of mouth than familiarity. He felt like family. He was her brother and she loved him.

“We kill as many of them as we can. We will fight until we take our last breath.”

“What about the Brotherhood?” Ami asked.

“They have father, and in a few years, Kiran. They don’t need me.”

“You’re wrong. You are needed.”

“I am needed here, for mother, for you.”

“Maybe you should leave,” Ami suggested.

Simeon’s brow furrowed. “How could you even think such a thing, Amazonia?”

“Neither of us can save mother. We know her fate. We know for certain that I won’t die in this battle. I have a future guaranteed by Jadeh herself. I can’t guarantee the same for you. It would mean everything to me, to mother, father, and especially to Petra, to know you’re safe. You could die here, Simeon. Who would be king of the Brotherhood if something happened to father? Who would rule with wisdom and mercy? My people need you as much as your own. Perhaps more, now that we’ve fallen.”

His jaw worked. His leg bounced as he listened to the battle outside, considering Ami’s words. In his heart Simeon wanted to stay and fight, but his head ran through what was best for his people, Qiari and Brotherhood alike. He was now as certainly at war with himself as the Qiari were at war with King Calem of Narsengaard outside the walls of their hut.

“I am no coward,” he said fiercely.

“No. You’re a wise man who does what is right for his people.”

They both jumped to their feet, startled, having believed themselves alone. Now they realized they were not. Zulikah emerged from the deep shadows, heaving a massive bronze shield. Her face paint was streaked with now-dried tears.

“Ami is right, Simeon. You should return to the Brotherhood to ensure that, should something happen to King Findar, your people will have a wise king with a kind heart to rule until Ami’s prophesied return.”

“I must protect Amazonia.”

“I will take that duty,” Zulikah vowed. “I will protect her with my life.”

Ami hugged her brother. He squeezed her so tightly she could scarcely breathe, and lifted her to her feet. When he set her down, he studied her face, committing every angle to memory.

Tears wet his eyes. “I love you. Remember that when things are at their worst. I love you and I’m waiting for you, counting on you to return to rule. I will keep your queendom safe. I will keep your people together, and I will never allow them to forget what it truly means to be Qiari.”

“Your words will carry me through the worst of times. Your words will be the light that leads the way home no matter how dark the path. I love you, brother. Give Petra my love. Tell her I will think of her often.”

“I will.”

Ami nodded. “Marry her. Have many children.”

He nodded, gave Zulikah a deep bow of respect, and then marched into the streets. The last Ami saw of Simeon, for many years to come, was him walking away, disappearing through the hundreds of Qiari warriors waiting to fight, a shield with Jadeh’s eagle etched into the bronze mounted upon his back.

She turned to Zulikah and readied her sword. They crossed arms and gazed into one another’s eyes.

“It is time to fight,” Ami said. “It is time to kill.”

*****

Ami’s first kill happened quickly and almost entirely by accident.

Zulikah and Ami were in the midst of full-on war. Every Qiari warrior was now engaged with the enemy. There was a long section of the North wall missing, having been reduced to rubble, and Ami struggled to keep up with Zulikah, who hacked and stabbed at every man she encountered. Heads rolled, or were slashed gruesomely, at her blade.

That was when he appeared. A man, young but not callow, lightly gray but far from being old, emerged from a group of men. He was covered in the blood of her people. It spattered his face, his chest, and his arms. He swung his blade at Ami, hardly seeing her. She was just another woman. She was just another enemy for him to kill before moving on to the next.

There would be no more warriors for this nameless man to kill. Amie had ducked his blow and thrust her short sword up and into the soft flesh under his chin. Blood, a single drop, splattered on her forehead. It felt alarmingly hot to her. It seemed to burn into her flesh. She knew she would never forget the feel of that first drop of blood for as long as she lived. His eyes met hers for a moment before he fell.

Suddenly it seemed that she faced a flood of men were coming at her, one after another in an endless wave. They attacked, Ami defended. She lived, they died. The battle raged and she fought with a numb heart. As time wore on, however, her body began to tire. Her arms burned and legs ached. Cuts and scrapes she couldn’t recall getting began to burn and hurt all over her body. The only comfort was the rain, which had faded to a drizzle, that washed over her skin and cooled her.

“Rest, sister,” a woman said from beside her. The unexpected voice startled Ami, who almost attempted to run one of her own through. The woman was soaked in blood and Ami couldn’t remember her name or her face. “I will keep you safe.”

“Zulikah, over here,” Ami said.

Zulikah followed them behind a few barrels of water that were stacked beside a storage hut. There, they drank from a broken ladle. With her thirst satisfied, Ami wanted only to lie down and sleep, but that wouldn’t happen any time soon. It was still early in the evening and the battle had just begun. It would rage all night and into the next day.

How long can I hold out? She wondered. How long can any of us hold out?

“How long before we all collapse from exhaustion?” Ami asked, still trying to catch her breath.

Zulikah winked at her. “The enemy tires as well.”

“Your name, sister?” Ami asked the woman she’d almost killed.

“Hawin, daughter of Mernum.”

“Mernum was an exceptionally talented--” Zulikah began to explain.

“Artist, I know,” Ami said, remembering her studies. “She taught Thorsyn everything she knows. Thorsyn is your cousin, isn’t she, Hawin?”

Hawin nodded.

“She was on East Road,” Zulikah said.

A look passed between Zulikah and Hawin. They knew something Ami didn’t.

“What happened?”

“East Road has already fallen. Thorsyn died in battle,” Hawin informed her.

Hearing of this was like a solid punch to Ami’s chest. She tried not to tear up but failed. This was not the time to cry. She needed clear vision to fight, to stay alive so that she could fulfill her destiny. Her eyes took in Zulikah’s smeared battle paint. Now she knew why Zulikah had been in the armory alone. She’d stopped fighting to deal with her grief.

Zulikah’s eyes were red and moist when she laid a hand on Ami’s arm. “We will be with her on the other side, never to depart from her again.”

Their moment of rest came to an end on the back of a long scream. They fought their way to the street where they watched a massive steel wagon trundle through the ruins of North Gate. A black transport wagon with a high banner bearing Arekon’s lion rolled in. Men, at least five, stood boldly and proudly atop the transport. Ami caught sight of her mother in battle with a rotund bearded man. He poured of sweat, his complexion was deeply purple. Something about his armor seemed off. It glowed with unnatural energy. He was so out of shape it was obvious that he should have already fallen under Amara’s blade but she was unable to overcome him.

Ami left Zulikah and Hawin to rush forward when a young man, who bore a striking resemblance to the old fat man with the enchanted armor, joined the fight against the queen. He tried to run Amara through the back but Ami reached him just in time and blocked the attack. She dragged her blade hard across his sword hand, forcing him to cry out in pain and drop his blade.

“You attack from behind like the coward all your people are, I see!” Ami shouted angrily.

The young man fell back, his hand pouring blood, his eyes glaring hatefully at her.

“Sir Orledd, kill this little bitch!” the young man shouted.

A tall, middle aged man with flowing black hair and a grizzled chin stepped forward to strike out at Ami. She dodged every swing of his great broadsword and waited for an opportunity to strike. She managed to inflict a few superficial wounds to his hands and neck but they were not nearly severe enough to bring him down. They circled one another. He looked impressed by her skill.

“You’re very young to be so skilled with a blade,” Sir Orledd said. His eyes flicked to her right arm, where the golden band encircled her bicep.

“You must be royalty. Successor to the queen, no doubt. I must say, you have earned that honor,” he said.

Ami didn’t respond. Her only concern was to stay alive long enough to fight beside her mother. She had to save the queen. She just had to…

There was a loud clanging sound that sent a shiver through Ami. She and Sir Orledd both looked over to the fight raging between Amara and the invading king, Calem.  Somehow the sweating, panting, disgrace of a warrior had managed to break her sword. He wasted no time in pressing his advantage. Calem stepped forward, huffing and puffing, and making a sickly wheezing sound, and plunged his blade deep into Amara’s belly.

“No! Mama!”

It was Ami’s nightmare come true. Her mother had been mortally wounded. Her life had come to an end. Ami rushed past Sir Orledd, who could have easily taken the opportunity to run her through but didn’t, to face her mother. She allowed her own sword to slip from her hand.

Amara turned to her daughter before collapsing to her knees. Ami stood there, numb, looking down at her mother, who somehow managed to remain upright on her knees. She was unable to think of what to say or do to comfort her mother.

With trembling fingers Amara pulled the golden band from Ami’s right arm. Her hands went from trembling to outright shaking as they clamped the band to Ami’s left arm. Ami could barely stand the sight of the blood that poured from her mother’s stomach wound. To look upon it was a grievous wound to her heart. She was aware, vaguely, that the battle around them had come to a halt. Only the warriors deeper in the city continued to fight.

“Oh, Mama…no…”

She offered Ami a weak smile, and then took in a ragged breath to speak her last words. “I hereby name you Qiari-Amazonia…queen of the Qiari people. Long…live…the queen.”

 “Long live the queen!” Zulikah shouted, holding her blade to the air as tears streamed from her eyes. “Long live the queen!”

What was left of her people in the vicinity shouted the refrain. Amara began to fall but Ami grabbed her, careful to lower her gently to the blood-soaked stones of North Road. She closed her mother’s eyes and wept into her hair as she listened to her people declare her the queen.

“Long live the queen indeed,” King Calem mocked.

Anger began to replace grief. Rage replaced anger. A desire to kill every man she laid eyes on became an overwhelming need.

“I believe your first -- and last -- command as queen of the Qiari should be to peacefully surrender. You cannot win this war,” Calem advised.

“My queen?” Zulikah asked. “Your orders?”

Ami dipped her fingers in her mother’s blood and wiped the red lines along her face, as a proper queen should do when in battle, before she stood to face the people gathered around.  The sound of battle that raged deeper in the city echoed loudly in her ears. Ami saw that the warriors immediately around her on both sides now watched her intensely to see what she would do.

A boy caught her eye. He stood atop the king’s transport, armed but not in the fight. He was a couple of years older than her, very handsome, and he watched her with a look so intense it was like a physical touch.

Ami scooped her sword bloodstained short sword. It felt oddly heavy as she gazed upon her people. They were bloody, sweaty, tired, and grieved to the heart. They’d not only lost their queen, they’d lost their home, their way of life, and soon they would lose their lives in a hopeless battle if they were fortunate enough to die rather than be taken and raped by the invading army. Ami saw within those people something that inspired her: They were grieved but they were not defeated. Anger simmered under the grief. She watched it boil to the surface.

They’d lose this battle but their spirit was not defeated.

Ami thrust her sword to the sky and the backs of every Qiari warrior straightened with the rise of her sword. She issued her first -- and probably her only -- command as their queen.

“Qiari!”

Her eyes caught sight of Chaya. The demigod bowed her head once, ready to fight or surrender upon her order. Every woman waited. Indeed every man waited, their breath caught in their throats as they waited for this new, battle born queen to speak.

“Fight! Fight to your last breath!”

Every Qiari warrior still standing screamed their bloodlust, their grief, and rushed back into battle with savagery that the invading men didn’t expect.

She turned to face Calem and pointed her sword at him.

“You cannot defeat me,” he said. “I have Arekon’s favor.”

“I have Jadeh’s favor. I will not win this battle, it is true, but I will win the war. There will come a day when Arekon himself will kneel before me and tremble. He will beg me for mercy and I will feed him my sword in answer!”

Ami attacked, throwing everything she had into it. She fought not only with her training but her instincts. Calem’s blade seemed to know each move she was going to make and she knew that it was Arekon’s magic that she fought now, not the wheezing, winded king of Narsengaard. Still Ami pressed on. She fought with rage she channeled through her sword and she did what her mother had not been able to do: she laid her blade to Calem’s flesh. He cried out in fear and pain when she cut across his face, opening his cheek and tearing across the bridge of his nose. She pressed her advantage and kicked him hard in his chest, sending him sprawling into the ground. The sky above flashed with lightning. A crack of thunder shook the earth as Ami moved in for the kill. The smell of the air changed. It was not the scent of oncoming rain, but the stench of fear.

That glorious moment didn’t come. Sir Orledd’s blade thrust out to block hers. He shoved her back and Ami lost her balance while the coward who had snuck up on her mother earlier snuck up on her now and punched her hard across the jaw with his uninjured hand. He delivered another harsh blow and Ami fell to the ground, facing her mother’s face, which looked serene in death.

One final thought followed Ami into the darkness.

I’ll make you proud…

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