Trails Chapter 12: Teacher

                “So were back to the silent treatment.” Said Ramsey as they walked through the market.” After the outburst during the match Kiri hadn’t seen fit to utter another word. He would ask a question and she would reply in her Amazonian blather.

                “I know you speak English.” He said. “That was you in the arena. Duck you IDIOT! Remember? Aim for the chest?” Ramsey accented his statement by grasping is chest imitating the stone giant. She looked back with a confused expression.

                “Dinner.” She said earning an equally confused expression from Ramsey.

                “What?”

                “Dinner.” She repeated slightly more annoyed. She beckoned him and they continued along the road.

                As they continued Ramsey finally took in the village. It was truly marvelous. It was a world on a completely different scale. As he walked he was in a sea of legs. It became painfully obvious that size wise Kiri was nothing impressive. Compared to the other amazons she could even be called short. This of course made him feel like a child a fact that was cemented when two young girls came up to greet Kiri. One jumped right into her arms and they chattered eagerly while the other one stared at him. She slowly walked over and inspected him. She raised her hand to her head and then to his.

                “Yes you’re taller.” He said dryly. She giggled at this and said something in Amazonian and all three girls laughed. Ramsey was getting used to this.

                “Lola, Mycale.” Came a male voice. Ramsey saw a tall man weaving through the crowd. He was significantly shorter than Kiri but was taller than the two girls. He was bare chested and he could see a mark burned on his arm it was of a bird clutching a snake in its talons. He gave the girls a scolding look and said something to Kiri. The girls immediately went to his side. He continued lecturing them even bringing one to tears. He brushed her face and reassured her and suddenly she lifted him into the air in a tight hug. It was oddly disorienting seeing a young girl lift a full groan man. The girl put him down and all three disappeared into the crowd.

                “Who was that?” Ramsey asked.

                “Kerla Si.”

                It had been a month since Ellie was sent to the temple. She had been made a slave and ordered to clean the shrines. Every day she would wipe the floors, scrub the walls, polish the bronze and relight the thousands of candles that surrounded their accursed statues. It wasn’t easy living but it beat the alternative.

                The temple was an insult to her. She had to learn their ways and pray to their “goddesses”. She chose Milani since her teachings followed closest to her own religion. Apparently Milani was the youngest of the sisters and the goddess of compassion and joy. She taught peace and caring for all things. She was also the goddess of life and nature. You would pray to her during feasts or before a hunt or even for a healthy child. Being a lynx this made the most sense to her.

Still she hated it. She longed to be running through the forest with her brothers and sisters on a good hunt. She wondered what it was like without her. She was part of the pursuit team easily one of the most important roles. They were in charge of cornering the pray so an alpha could make the killing blow. She remembered how hard she had worked running every day to increase her speed. Working with her brothers on maneuvers until it was dark out. Those days seemed so far away. Now she was stuck her cleaning floors. If it were anyplace else she would have escaped by now: clawed a guard’s throat out and fled into the night, but these amazons were different. They were stronger than orcs, faster than lynx, and smarter than humans. She was trapped.

She was charged with cleaning the entrance today and was adamant to prolong it for as long as possible. Entrance was the easiest place to clean just a long oversized hallway. No statues, no candles and another team cleaned the ceilings. If she made a production of it she could get away with entrance duty all day. It was the closest thing she got to a break. She was making a particular show about how tired she was when in truth she had been laying on the ground when she got a swift kick to the side by a guard. She hissed back baring her fangs and unsheathing her claws which earned her another swift kick and then she was lifted by the scruff of her neck. She immediately knew who it was.

“Shira!” she said with murderous intent. She made futile attempts to scratch at her but the amazon’s reach was too great.

“I normally turn a blind eye to your slacking off because somehow you manage to clean this place better than the other slaves all the same.”

“But?” Ellie hissed.

“But today were expecting guests and if this place isn’t clean by the time they arrive then it’s my ass not yours so no slacking off today.” She commanded. She then placed her back on the ground and gently scratched a spot behind her ears. To Ellie’s embarrassment she started to purr a gesture not missed by Shira causing her to giggle slightly. The whole moment felt like being scolded by her mother. She immediately swatted her hand away and went to continue working with an increased vigor. If she finished early they might let her spend the rest of the day praying that was almost like a break too.

Ramsey was surprised he was surprised. Seeing that man was like noticing food in someone’s teeth; once you know it’s there you can’t not see it. Suddenly the men in the village became obvious. They were everywhere; carrying basket, tending to children, cooking. How had he not noticed this earlier? It was also clear by the way the woman towered over them they were not amazon. In hind sight it was obvious, inevitable really. Amazons had to come from somewhere. What really worried him was that word “Kerla Si.” That Kiri had used. He thought it meant service but as he looked around he saw that all the men had similar marks like his. He touched his chest and his heart burned as fresh as the day he was branded. What did all of this mean for him? The men here were clearly not the ones in charge. Even now he saw an amazon leading on by a chain like a dog. Another man seemed to belong to not one but a pair of amazons both of which looked younger than he was. He looked at Kiri as she strode along stoic and calm. It was clear who the master was in their relationship. Still he was starting to see it as more of a partnership and he hoped she did as well.

Soon they had reached a rather large temple on the edge of the village. The amazons here seemed more important somehow. They were either dressed in heavy armor and armed or wore sleek robes and elaborate body paint that reminded him of his branding night. He also noticed a number of people mostly women dressed in lesser robes and rags. Slaves. He could feel his chest burning for an entirely different reason. As they entered the temple he could feel his blood rising. What would a proud race like the amazons need with slaves?

Kiri noticed him tense up and looked at him concerned. He tried his best to mask his emotions but he could tell she knew something was bothering him.

“I don’t want to talk about it.” Was all he said.

They continued until they reached a large room. The floor was made of marble and shined like it had just been polished and the ceiling was covered in an elaborate mural at the center was a familiar symbol of a crescent moon inside of a burning sun. In the corner was a rather large dining table filled with food. Ramsey could smell the seasoned chicken; it made his mouth water. He suddenly became aware of how long it had been since he’d eaten. He eyed the spread greedily only to be broken from his trance by the sound of large footsteps. He looked behind them to see someone he thought he’d never see again. Her majesty the Queen Lucinda Qwalis walking down the hall beside her was Blue eyes and the large amazon from the arena.

“Your majesty!” he said. He bowed to her reacting on instinct and training. The queen smiled amusedly and took a seat at the table.

Kiri seemed insulted by this and shot him a glare that could frighten death itself. She yanked him off the ground and threw him across the room. He slammed with a thud into a column and he felt some of his bones crack.

“Dammit!” he said bracing himself with his sword. He was just about fed up with Kiri and her mood swings. He reached for his sword but before he could Kiri was on him seizing him by the throat and lifting him into the air. He looked into her eyes and it was clear she was pissed off.

“Kerla Si!” she shouted

“I’m not your SLAVE!” he shouted back.

They both paused for a moment.

“It’s clear I’ve been too easy on you.” She said coldly in clear English.

“The only thing clear here is that you need to stop over reacting so much.” Came a voice that was all too familiar to Ramsey. It was a voice that raised him. It was a voice that was always in his head. Another amazon entered the room with long blonde hair tied in a ponytail decorated in jewels. She wore a light blue robe and had white body paint over her left arm in an intricate winding pattern. “And that my former student is still an idiot.” She said looking Ramsey in the eye.

“What did I tell you about joining the military?”