Lori Devoti - Amazon Ink

“You’ll call on Artemis?”

It was what she wanted more than anything-me to admit my connection to the goddess, to work on my priestess skills in the open. She’d seen what I could do when I attacked Alcippe, guessed that I’d unwound her serpent ward, but I’d yet to openly admit any of it, to say I would at least try to follow her path.

“I’ve done it before. I told you about the girls.”

“But you didn’t put all your trust in the goddess. She would never have guided you to make the choices that got you here.”

I licked my lips. “My power has grown.”

She smiled, but not with the joy or pride I expected, more like you smile at a child who tells you her favorite color is red or that the sun felt warm on her face-like she wanted to pat me on the head. “But you don’t believe, haven’t trusted. If I bring you the tools, will you try?”

I had no idea what she was asking of me. I’d always believed. I’d grown up believing. As for trust…I didn’t trust anyone, hadn’t for a long time. Still, I agreed.

She frowned, but nodded. “They will bring you food soon. You’ll find what you need on the tray.”

I spent the nexthour or so jumping at every sound outside the closed door. I’d considered trying to blast my way out, but couldn’t think of how that would help. Right now at least, the other Amazons didn’t see me as a threat and thought I was locked down.

I’d wait for Bubbe to get me the totems and see where the ritual took me, see what Pisto’s givnomai told me. My stomach had just started to growl and my patience to wane when I heard voices outside-my guards chatting with someone. Based on the smells making their way past the locked door and stench of Mother’s workout gear, I cleverly deduced it was someone bearing a tasty meal.

I stood up to greet her.

Holding a tray covered with a blue cloth and flanked by two scowling warriors, stood Dana. The smile on my face vanished.

Dana. It made sense a hearth-keeper would be sent to deliver my meal, but Dana…I hadn’t expected her. The Amazons claimed I’d killed her sister. Did she believe them?

She entered with her eyes downcast. Behind her the guards moved shoulder to shoulder, forming an Amazon door. I understood why they wouldn’t want to leave me alone with her-not believing what they did. It hurt, though. I’d come to care about Dana. I identified with her desire to keep her son, but also saw her as the young girl she was…not all that much older than Harmony.

The thought that she might hate me sent my appetite fleeing.

She scuttled in, her gaze never rising from the tray.

“Dana-”

One of the warriors made some grunting noise, cutting me off. I shot a glare at the pushy giant.

When I looked back, Dana hadn’t moved. She was staring around the small space, apparently looking for some flat surface on which to leave the tray. I stepped forward, shoving a pile of dishrags off the washer and onto the floor.

Still not looking at me, she slid the tray onto the dented metal top and turned to leave.

“I’m sorry about Pisto,” I murmured.

She stopped, and ran her palms down the sides of her jeans.

I wasn’t going to say anything else. She deserved her sorrow, didn’t need me proclaiming my innocence and getting in the way of what she was going through.

Her shoulders began to shake. A sob escaped her lips.

I looked at the warriors, stupidly expecting one of them to step in and help her out of the room. The terra-cotta warriors of Shi Huangdi showed more empathy.

Risking a kick to the head-if they managed to show life-I moved closer to the distraught hearth-keeper, but kept myself from touching her. Just yesterday I would, without question, have pulled her into my arms for a hug, had in fact, but today…I just stood there, let her know she wasn’t alone.

She pulled in another breath, and whispered, “What happened? They’re saying…”

She asked. I had to answer-was burning to answer. “I didn’t hurt her. I didn’t hurt any of them. I wouldn’t do that. You know that?”

She licked her lips, raised her eyes enough to glance at the warriors who showed some signs of life by shifting from one foot to another.

A loud sniff, then she turned and fell against my chest. I staggered to keep from falling.

“I didn’t believe them. I told Alcippe you didn’t do it-couldn’t. Just because you and Pisto fought. She and I fought, but I’d never…I’d do anything…” Her hand found its way to her stomach.

I placed mine over hers. “It isn’t your fault-don’t even think like that. You can’t afford it. He”-I patted her hand against her abdomen-“can’t afford it.”

She nodded, the up and down motion of her head tight against my shoulder, pulling at my shirt. “I know.” She let out another snuffling breath, then pulled back. Her eyes were red and swollen and her nose was running.

I searched around for a cloth to wipe her face, but came up with nothing I thought would meet her more particular needs. Finally I jerked out the tail of my shirt and stretched it toward her.

She laughed, just a light twitter of sound, but I relaxed a little. She was going to be okay. It had to be tough, losing her sister, but she’d get through it.

“Can I stay here?” she asked, after retrieving a roll of paper from the toilet positioned between the wall and laundry sink.

“Here?” I motioned to the dingy space filled with smelly laundry.

“No, I mean here…your house. Alcippe is trying to get me to go back to the camp and I’d like to go…for a while, for Pisto’s-” She blew her nose on a length of tissue, placed a new piece against her eyes. “But I don’t want to stay. I know Pisto wanted me to, but…”

I pulled off another length of toilet paper and handed it to her. “Of course you can stay. I told you that already.”

“But with you here.” She glanced at the warriors. “I didn’t know how your family would feel about me. Pisto was my sister and you were the one who invited me.”

I waved the strip of paper in the air, cutting her short. “Nothing has changed-not as far as my offer. And besides, with me”-I searched for a term-“out of commission, they’re going to need someone to take care of them. You can do that, right?”

She nodded, the first spark of life I’d seen lighting her face since she’d walked through the door. “And I can stay here too, for a while.” She picked up the snarl of clothes I’d tossed onto the floor and nodded to the washing machine. “Harmony was looking for some of her things this morning. Your grandmother…she was…”

“Incredibly sympathetic?” I chimed in.

Her confusion obvious, Dana frowned. Sarcasm doesn’t work with her. I waved my hand in a never mind gesture and slid the tray off the washer. With Harmony at school and Mother and Bubbe busy-trying to get the Amazons to see sense, I hoped-Dana had to be feeling alone.

I glanced at the warriors. Obviously they weren’t going to do much to make her feel better. Besides, once she got the wash going and left, I’d be free to work my spell with the added camouflage of my third-hand washer clanking away, covering my chant.

With no objections from the warrior twins, I settled down to eat my lunch while Dana sorted and pretreated the wash, in general giving our clothing more care than it had seen since being shoved in a bag and brought home from the store.

While she loaded the first pile into the washer, I palmed the leather bag Bubbe had hidden under the cloth and slipped it behind a stack of socks so ripe I didn’t think even Dana would brave moving them.

Twenty minutes or so later, Dana had everything laid out in neat color-coordinated piles and had thoroughly instructed me on their proper bleach/no bleach/detergent mix. She looked a little sad when she took my tray and left. I liked thinking it was caused by leaving me, but I suspected it was more about not getting the joy of folding and fluffing all to herself.