When Women Were Warriors Book I: The Warrior's Path

Homecoming

“Maara has brought me some disturbing news,” the Lady said. “If it’s true, many may owe their lives to her. If it’s not, we may waste our warriors on a diversion while our enemies take what we must leave unguarded.”

I didn’t know if she expected a reply or if she was just thinking out loud, so I held my tongue, although I was bursting with questions.

“Maara won’t tell me why she failed to join Vintel,” the Lady said. “I believe I know the reason, but I would like to hear her confirm it. I would find it easier to trust the news she brings me if I knew the truth about that.” She turned in her chair and looked at me. “Eramet just told me that Maara was wounded last spring because none of our warriors would stand with her or leave their friends to help her.”

I could hardly believe my ears. When I understood her meaning, my anger loosened my tongue. “How could they be so cowardly!”

“Hush,” the Lady said. “We don’t yet know the truth of it. Eramet wasn’t with them, and I didn’t ask her how she knew, though I could guess.”

Vintel was one of the warriors who carried Maara home. Perhaps she told Eramet what had happened that day.

“If they wanted her dead, why didn’t they leave her to bleed to death?”

“It’s not that they wanted her to die,” the Lady said, “but it seems they saw no reason to risk themselves or their friends to help her. I won’t judge anyone until I know the whole truth, although I doubt that any of them will speak to me. Such matters are settled between warriors.”

I listened as calmly as I could. Later I would have to think over what she’d told me and try to find my own feelings about it. At that moment I had enough to do just to take everything in.

“If it’s true,” she said, “it’s no wonder that Maara didn’t join Vintel at the frontier. I don’t blame her for trying not to make the same mistake a second time.”

I realized then that, if Maara never intended to join Vintel’s band, she had lied to me, and I found the knowledge painful.

“Why didn’t she tell anyone what happened?” I said. “Why didn’t she tell me?”

“If it’s true, she understood their reasons and accepted them. Otherwise she would have spoken to me or dealt with them herself.”

For the first time I understood how lonely Maara must have been in Merin’s house.

“Has she no friends here?” I spoke more to myself than to the Lady.

The Lady smiled at me. “Only you,” she said. “And possibly me.”

“Possibly?”

“I know you trust her, and I might trust her for my own life, but I dare not trust her for all the lives that depend on me. After I’ve had some time to think, I’ll speak with her again. I must be as sure as it’s possible to be that she is telling us the truth.”

“If I’m her only friend here,” I said, “then I should be the one to speak with her.”

“This is beyond your skill.”

“I know her better than anyone. I know how to talk to her. I know how to get her to talk to me. If she tells me the truth, I’ll know it, just as I would know a lie.”

“She has already lied to you at least once,” the Lady reminded me.

“I know.”

The Lady weighed my words, then shook her head. “You’re too young for this. I will talk to her. You can sit with us if you like, and if you notice something in her face or in her words—”