Amazon Ink

Chapter Nine

Back at the shop, things had returned to chaos. Obviously, my talk with Zery had had the expected results-none. I crushed the now-empty chip bag in my hand.

Luckily, Harmony had had to spend most of the morning in her room finishing homework-a requirement on my part before she could move on to what she really wanted to do, visit a local corn maze with a group of friends. Generous mother that I was, I’d agreed to her going early to one of the girl’s houses and spending the night there later. She was gone by the time I got back with the dog. And eager as I knew she would have been to get away before I could question her on the completeness of her homework, I was pretty confident she hadn’t wasted time poking around the gym-today, anyway.

That said, I knew I couldn’t keep her away forever. I hoped things would be settled down at least somewhat before she arrived home tomorrow-preferably with all Amazons locked out of sight inside the gym.

With her safely away, I debated whether my time alone had calmed me enough to battle with Zery again. Doubtful, but I made my way toward the open gym doors anyway. My new companion trotted at my side. His ears were up and his eyes alert. At least the chips had done him some good.

Two Amazon dogs flanked the doorway, like statues guarding the entrance to some ancient Buddhist temple. I expected them to stand as we walked closer to check out the new canine interloper, but neither did.

I looked down at the hound at my side. “You putting off some major alpha dog vibes or are they just lazy?”

His attention locked on the Amazons milling inside the gym, the dog didn’t even glance my way.

The twang of metal on metal jerked my attention upward-into the gym where four Amazons faced off-all with swords. Real swords, thirty-six inches of steel flashing across the gym floor. To my right another group was sorting through a pile of ash wood and iron spears.

I jerked the gym doors closed.

Before I could twist back around, Mother was by my side. “Calm down,” she said.

“What self-defense group do you know that practices sword fighting?” I spat out. “And spears? Seriously?”

“They’re hurt, lost. Zery has told them they can only go out into Madison in pairs. The rest…they want to do something.”

“And this is it?” I gestured to a warrior unpacking a box filled with maces and axes. “Do they think they can walk around Madison with broadaxes attached to their belts? We aren’t going to war here.”

Mother tilted her head. “We?”

I flicked my attention to the dog. His body was rigid, the hair on his back raised. Smart dog.

“They. They aren’t going to war. They can’t seriously be planning on using any of this.”

Mother stared at the dog, with a question in her eyes, then looked back at me. “Probably not, but these weapons represent our past and roles…who gets to help with the investigation, who gets to punish the killer…those things have to be decided on some way. This is what Zery chose.”

“So, whoever doesn’t get her head chopped off gets first pick of the jobs?”

To my surprise, Mother grinned. “It would work.”

Staring at her, I realized she was enjoying herself, coming back to herself. She loved the tribe, loved battling with other warriors. And the weapons shouldn’t have been such a huge shock for me. I’d seen them before. Once a year, during the festival of Charisteria, Amazons staged battles with prizes awarded for the best performance in all traditional skills. I’d even competed myself.

“Charisteria is coming up,” I murmured.

Mother nodded. “Zery is using that. All of these warriors were planning on competing. Zery decided to use that training to keep them busy and to decide who can handle the most responsibility.”

I pressed the pads of my fingers against my eyes. The fact that what Mother said actually made some sense scared me more than the swords clanging around me. Still, I took her candidness as an opportunity. “What kind of ‘investigating’ does Zery have them doing?” My earlier visions of warriors going door to door in Madison returned.

Mother angled a brow. “You know I won’t answer that.”

Bubbe entered the gym from the cafeteria, pulling my attention away from Zery’s plan and Mother’s refusal to tell me about it. My grandmother was dressed in a traditional Russian sarafan complete with intricate embroidery. The long red jumper was worn over a white long-sleeved rubakha. A matching red-and-gold crescent-shaped kokoshnik was perched on her head.

Just like Mother, she was fully back in her element.

Behind me, the dog scratched at the door.

I drew myself up to my full height and squared my shoulders. “Only in the gym-with the doors closed.”

“The spears-” Mother started.

“Are not being tossed around in full view of Monroe Street. Zery will have to figure something else out. She can use javelins or something. Same goes for anything they do outside this building-it has to be modern and one-hundred-percent explainable.”

Mother placed her hands on her hips. I steeled myself for a fight, but she nodded. “That’s reasonable.”

Relief flowing over me, I jerked open the door. The dog bolted out into the growing dusk.

Mother’s voice stopped me from dashing after him. “You know there will need to be trials-outside. You might want to think of something to tell the neighbors.”

I didn’t slam the door when I left the building. My life was a mess, but I knew who to blame: me. For whatever reason, the dead girls had been brought to me. I’d tried to deny my responsibility, but I couldn’t any longer.

The girls, the police, and now the Amazons. All swirling around me. I couldn’t stand back and wait for someone else to fix this. I especially couldn’t wait for Zery’s plan to become apparent. I was going to have to do it myself. Somehow.

I took a deep breath and watched cars speed down Monroe. A calm settled over me. I was going to do this. I was going to stop the killer. But where to start?

I didn’t have to go search for a starting place. It came to me at one in the morning.

I woke to shouts and dogs barking. I jerked open the window closest to my bed and looked out. This gave an unobstructed view of the side of the cafeteria and not much more, but the voices were clear and angry. Leaning out further, I could see flames shooting up from in front of the shop. Dressed in the cotton shorts and T-shirt I’d slept in and not bothering with shoes, I shoved open my back window-the one attached to the old fire escape-and scurried down the cold metal stairs.

All the Amazons were out of the gym and moving toward the fire. I followed.

At the bottom of the hill, about twenty yards from Monroe Street, a huge bonfire crackled and spat. A ring of Amazons stood around it. In the center of their circle, next to the fire, stood Zery, Bubbe, and Mother.

Soaring anger carried me down the hill and into their midst.

“What do you think you are doing? We can’t set a fire in the middle of the city like this.” I glanced around, frantic for something to douse the flames, but in my rush outside I hadn’t thought to grab a fire extinguisher. I yelled at a nearby warrior to go back to the shop and get the one mounted on the brick wall next to the front door.

“And shovels, get shovels.” I babbled out instructions for finding those, only to have the warriors stare at Zery as if I’d said nothing at all.

I bit back a curse, ready to turn on the queen, but she gave a nod and five warriors took up the hill in a run.

Before I could vent my full thoughts on their late-night fire, Zery held up a hand. “We didn’t do this.”

My mouth snapped shut as I glanced at Mother and Bubbe for confirmation.

Bubbe gestured toward the fire. “Devochka moya, the killer has found us.”

Then I focused, really focused, on the scene surrounding the fire. Ten spears protruded from the ground forming a semicircle around the flames.

I frowned. Ten. The number had no significance I could think of. Bubbe stepped toward the first spear and nodded to where the iron head stuck out of the soil.

Traced in the dirt with some kind of powder was an esoteric drawing of a deer. The design was classic Amazon, simple, but elegant, showing just enough of the animal’s definitive characteristics to leave no doubt of what it was-the kind of design preferred for givnomai tattoos because of their smaller size.

I swallowed hard and kept my eyes cast down, away from Bubbe’s prying eyes. I moved to the next spear and the next. In front of each was a drawing: lion, bull, hawk. I listed off the totems one by one-all present and accounted for except for two, the bear and the leopard.

“Two are missing.” Bubbe stared into the fire.

It was an obvious statement, not one I thought needed a reply.

“Do you wonder why?” she asked. The flames crackled, laughing at us.

“I-”

“The dead girls’ totems are missing, but they are not far, I don’t think.” She stepped toward the fire, stuck her hand into the roaring flames and pulled out a glowing metal spearhead. She dropped it on the ground at my feet and reached into the fire again-a second spearhead landed next to my bare toes. “He’s mocking us.”

The warriors arrived then and under Zery’s command began dousing the flames. Within seconds nothing but a smoldering pile of wood remained. Not having the same level of control my grandmother had over fire, I was forced to wait, to contain my nervous energy. As soon as the heat had died down enough that I could stand next to it without gaining a permanent sunburn, I grabbed the closest spear and began shoving ash to the side.

The white outlines of two beasts slowly emerged-a leopard and a bear. I plunged the spear back into the ground. Cursed and walked away.

Another message. Saying what? That the killer was targeting all of the clans?

“Did you do this?” Zery’s voice was low, controlled, barely hiding an anger that rivaled my own.

I turned on her. I was tired of her accusations and angry enough to challenge her to a fight right there. I held her gaze. What I saw in hers calmed me. She was as filled with rage as I was, but it wasn’t directed at me. She didn’t really believe I was the killer, probably never had.

“This is personal,” I said. The dead girls were tied to me now and their deaths, this fire, all of it was meant as some kind of message…for me.

“Has been since the beginning,” she replied. “There’s nothing more personal than killing someone.”

Unless it was violating them by stealing a patch of their skin, a piece of who they had been in life. I bit the inside of my cheek, reminded myself Zery didn’t know this piece of information.

“I want to help,” I said.

Zery raised a brow, then turned and walked back to the fire.

Hating every step, I followed her like a puppy. If I was going to find the killer, I needed to know more about the girls who had been killed. To do that I needed access to the Amazons who knew them. I needed access to the safe camp.

I was on her heels when she turned. “Why? You don’t even want us here. Why say you want to help now?” She waved at the smoldering mess. “Because of this? Why would this change your mind? Make you want to come back to the tribe?”

“I didn’t say I wanted back in.”

She grunted and shook her head, then ignored me again to start shouting orders to her warriors.

I grabbed her by the arm-a bold, probably stupid move. She froze and stared down at my hand.

I didn’t let go. “You made it clear the Amazons want me to be the killer. Wanted you to bring me back for trial. I have twenty Amazons living in my gymnasium practicing with broadswords. And now, I wake to a bonfire in my front yard-a bonfire it looks like the killer set. Why wouldn’t I want to help? It’s the only way I’ll get rid of all of you, and get my life back. Besides…” I dropped my hold on her arm, but she stayed put, twisted her mouth to the side.

I breathed in, then continued. “I’m not a monster. I don’t want any more girls killed either. And I can help. You know I can. I’m the only Amazon who really understands the human world and Madison, who has lived here.”

“That’s not important. We won’t let humans get in our way,” she replied.

“Do you want to endanger the whole tribe? There are laws, Zery. The police are already involved. A detective came here. He showed me pictures of the girls’ telios tattoos, wanted to know if I could identify them. You don’t know how to talk with the police, but I can. I can get information for you.” It was a big promise and not one I was sure I could deliver on, but I was desperate.

I’d interested her; I could see it on her face. “You think he’d talk to you?”

I nodded. “But I need something from you first. I need safe passage to the tribe’s camp, need to know more about the girls.”

Without warning, she grabbed my hand and squeezed. “Why ask for passage now? You didn’t the other night.”

My breath caught in my throat. The totems; they’d found them and sensed me.

She leaned closer, whispered in my ear. “I didn’t want to believe Alcippe when she said you delivered those totems, but it was you, wasn’t it?”

I licked my lips. Across the dampened fire, Mother and Bubbe watched us. I didn’t trust that Bubbe couldn’t hear every word.

Zery let go of my hand. I squeezed my fingers in and out of a fist, forced the blood back into the digits.

She stepped to the side, blocking my view of my family-and their view of our conversation. “How’d you get them?”

It was my chance to share, to lighten my load, but as I looked at her, the smoke from the now-dead fire still hanging in the air behind her, I realized I couldn’t. At some point I was going to have to open up to someone, tell them what had happened, but I wasn’t ready yet-not until I understood why the killer had brought the girls to me.

I realized some part of me wondered if something I had done had cost the girls their lives. The killer hadn’t picked me at random. I needed to know more, do more, then I’d share.

I blew out a breath and stared my old friend in the eyes, prayed some of our lifelong bond still existed. “I didn’t kill those girls and I don’t know who did, but I want to find out-just as much as you do, more than you do.”

There was doubt in Zery’s eyes, indecision. I clasped her hand in mine. “Let me help.”

The expression on her face was serious, deadly serious. I thought she was going to say no.

Instead, I got, “I’m sorry for the loss of your son. I never said that before, and I’m sorry for that too.”

Damn her. My eyes began to leak. Tears hung on my lower lashes, threatening to fall.

She squeezed my hand, then dropped it and took a step back. “I’ll let Alcippe know you’re coming. You’ll have to deal with her. She doesn’t trust you, and she won’t like you being there.”

Alcippe, the high priestess who killed my son. The feeling was mutual.