In the Valley of the Amazons Ch. 03

This time the target was a red rectangle, again on a split log, about four feet high by one wide. The initial try was at ten yards. Both Hosi and Reta were successful, but I kept a keen eye on Reta's back. I thought I saw her flinch a bit when she threw at the twenty yard target. Again, both she and Hosi scored. Hosi went first at thirty; her cast struck the target in the center. Reta's throw was a bit low, striking the target in the lower third. This time I was certain I had seen her wince and after the throw she could clearly be seen favoring her back. Her friends tried to massage her, but they'd never be able to fix her in time for the next attempt.

I was also massaging Hosi's arm, shoulder and back, but she wasn't injured in the least. She was called for her forty yard throw. She began about five yards behind the line, took three quick steps and arched her back. She appeared to bend about thirty degrees, her back like a taut bowstring. Her throw flew in a high arc, descending toward the target. At first I thought it might be short, but I should have known better. The spear head embedded itself just below the target's middle and exactly in the center. There was enthusiastic applause from the audience. I was ecstatic at the throw. It had required tremendous athletic ability and coordination. Could Reta equal it?

Reta took her spear, bent at the waist stretching her back muscles as she approached the throw line. She took several mincing steps and let fly. Her spear followed a similar arc to Hosi's and landed just at the bottom of the target. The five Elders went to examine the spear's location. After a minute's review they called both contestants to examine the spear. Hosi pulled me along with her. It was close, but there was a thin line of plain wood separating the target and the edge of the spear. Reta had missed by a millimeter. Hosi was declared the winner.

The Elders stripped Hosi, removing her copper skirt and her grayish thong. Her bracelet and sandals were also removed. The items were then replaced—blazing white thong, gold skirt and bracelet, and new sandals with gold trim. Once done they knelt in front of Hosi; the assembled tribe followed suit. I also knelt. Finally, Reta knelt, her face a mask of anger and disgust. I knew the time had arrived. We had to be extra careful from now on.

CHAPTER 6

Hosi came to me and pulled me up, "Not you, David...you are never to kneel before me. I wouldn't be here were it not for you. In fact, I'd like everyone to please rise. I'm uncomfortable seeing all of you on the ground." Hosi was congratulated by the Elders and we were led to the palace.

Dennis and Leba brought our daughter and I happily lifted Kela onto my shoulder. We walked hand in hand into the palace where we were led for the first time to the private area. There were several rooms, all larger than our house. Hosi excused the crowd and told them she would be ready for tomorrow's ceremony. It was at that time that she would receive the tribe and they would pledge themselves to follow Hosi's leadership in all matters.

I spoke for the first time once everyone had left, "Now's the time we must be at our most vigilant. I am sure they will act either tonight or tomorrow night in the early morning. That means we cannot sleep in the bed chamber and we must send Kela back to Dennis and Leba. I will do that tonight—they are expecting me. Then I will gather our guns. Kevin and I will stand guard and we will need your palace guards as a back-up. Then, don't forget our secret weapon. We should be able to catch them in the act. Once that's done we will be able to sleep easily again."

The rest of the day was spent tensely. We went to the baths to relax. Hosi was greeted by everyone; they knelt as a sign of respect. I could tell that Hosi was extremely embarrassed. I wondered how Reta would have reacted. We bathed and returned to the palace accompanied by several spear-carrying guards. I held Hosi with one hand and Kela with the other. We were served dinner by the palace staff and shown to our rooms once the sun had set. I waited until Kela was soundly asleep before picking her up and carrying her out one of the rear doors. Dennis was waiting for me and Leba took her from my arms. She kissed my cheek while she and her sister Beva swore they would defend her with their lives.

Dennis accompanied me to our old house. We went in through the rear window to avoid being seen. I took the two pistols and one of the rifles. I gave Dennis the other and a box of .30-06 ammunition. I was pretty sure that Kevin and I would be able to rely on the pistols. I snuck back to the palace and was challenged by the guards. I thanked them for their attentiveness as we locked and barred the rear entrances. The only access this night would be through the front doors. We did not want to be surprised or outflanked. I took some straw from a spare mattress and shaped it carefully on our bed in an attempt to mimic Hosi's and my bodies. I pulled the blanket over and tiptoed out.

I shook Kevin's hand and went over the pistols with him. They were top of the line H & K P30L's that sold for more than $1,100 US. We loaded the magazines with nineteen cartridges each. We racked the slides, chambering a bullet and set the safeties. I reminded him to remove the safety when they appeared. He gave me a look that said it all—"DUH!"

I shared with him our "secret weapon." He took one look and laughed, reaching in his pocket for a book of matches. He was definitely ready.

Hosi, Kevin and I hid in a large closet about twenty feet from the bedroom suite. Twenty guards hid in the rafters ready in a second to swing down into action. During the day they would be easily seen, but at night I found them virtually invisible. I waved to the Captain and returned to my love. We sat for hours. My watch, something I rarely had a use for, said 3:37 when I heard the first noise. The hinges on the front door squeaked a bit when the door opened and closed. It gave us our first hint that we were being attacked. It was tempting to open the door a bit so we could see, but we resisted the impulse—we didn't want to risk giving ourselves away.

We could hear whispering and several pairs of sandals sneaking down the hallway. Seconds later they were past us. When we were sure they had entered the private suite we opened the door and rushed to the suite's entrance. Kevin and I lit our matches and applied them to the oil lamps. I had manufactured two shiny reflectors which affixed to the rear of the lamps. They would reflect all the light into the suite while leaving us totally in the dark. The would-be assassins were illuminated just as they stabbed into the straw on our bed.

"DROP YOUR SPEARS NOW," I yelled, "WE HAVE YOU COVERED WITH PISTOLS AND WE HAVE NO REASON NOT TO KILL YOU." Most of them hesitated, but one turned to throw her spear. Unfortunately, it was not Reta, but I shot her anyway, tapping her twice in the chest, the shots echoing in the empty palace halls. I continued even as she fell to the floor, "IF YOU DIDN'T BELIEVE ME BEFORE YOU'D BETTER BELIEVE ME NOW. WE HAVE ENOUGH AMMUNITION TO KILL EVERY ONE OF YOU SEVERAL TIMES OVER. DROP THE SPEARS AND KNIVES AND LIE ON THE FLOOR WITH YOUR HANDS BEHIND YOUR HEADS. THERE IS NO ESCAPE. WE HAVE TWENTY PALACE GUARDS WITH US." This time I saw several spears fall and their owners drop also. Once the first had quit the rest fell in line—all except Reta.

"YOU KNOW, RETA I'D LOVE TO BE THE ONE TO KILL YOU, ESPECIALLY AFTER WHAT YOU PLANNED TO DO TO HOSI AND ME, BUT HOSI IS OBVIOUSLY A WEAKLING. SHE WANTS YOU ALIVE. I USUALLY DO WHAT SHE ASKS, BUT IF YOU ARE STILL HOLDING THAT SPEAR BY THE TIME I COUNT TO TEN I'M GOING TO BE THE FIRST TO DISOBEY THE QUEEN. ONE...TWO..." I had only reached four when the spear dropped. Reta remained standing, but the guards rushed in and immobilized the entire group. Their hands were secured behind their backs and their ankles were shackled. Their arms were collected and they were led off to the cells. The dead body was removed and the pooled blood cleaned. One of the guards showed me the spent brass cartridge shells. "May I keep these, please sir."

"Of course...but only on the condition that you stop calling me 'sir.' I'm David. If your Queen can call me that, so can you. Please tell the others." With that I kissed her cheek; she left to resume her duties as Hosi and I began to relax. We were so pumped up with adrenaline that we'd never get to sleep.

Hosi and I walked with Kevin to the hospital and were greeted by Leba and Beva who hugged us before showing us to our sleeping child. Lucky Kela—she had slept through the entire ordeal. The six adults and Kela returned to the palace where Hosi ordered some fruit and wine. "I guess being Queen does have some advantages." I kissed her quickly as we sat and ate.

I asked about the ceremony scheduled for later in the morning. Beva answered before either Hosi or Leba had the chance, "The entire tribe will gather and pledge their allegiance to the Queen. Each of us will kneel before the Queen, kiss her feet, and recite the pledge. You won't understand anything; it will be in our tribal language. We often speak it to each other, but it would be exceedingly rude to carry on conversations that none of the men could understand. Queen Aleppa made the order even before you arrived, David. I'm sure our new Queen will wish to continue that. You four men have made such a difference for our tribe."

We sat and chatted until it was time for breakfast. The staff prepared some eggs from our coop, but I could see that I would have to give them some lessons. After breakfast we walked to the main entrance. The ceremony was about to begin, but Hosi halted it so a pillow could be brought to the steps. The five Elders made some proclamation which Hosi later explained was the transfer of power. Then each of them knelt on the pillow, kissed her feet and made the short pledge of allegiance.

One by one the tribe's members approached. Hosi stood there alone until she signaled me to come to her. She wrapped her arm around me. If anyone doubted the future of the men under Hosi's rule it was dispelled in an instant. The ceremony lasted for three hours, but not a single woman left. Kevin, Scott, and Dennis were the last to approach. They spoke their pledge in English and Scott jokingly asked if he should state the pledge to me, also.

"Oh no, I'm just the consort—the person who helps the Queen to relax." Hosi gave me a playful jab as the entire tribe enjoyed a laugh. Unfortunately, their high spirits would be short-lived.

Hosi gave a short speech once the pledges were completed, "Thank you my friends for the faith you have placed in me. I promise to be fair and honest in all my dealings. I begin with several proclamations. First, I no longer wish to see anyone kneel before me. If you wish to show respect a simple bow of your head will suffice. Second, I know it has been a tradition for the Queen to take the name' Aleppa.' However, I have never liked that name even though our Queen was my mother. I will retain my given name—Hosi—as your Queen. Queen Aleppa declared that we speak English because of the men and I will continue that, especially because I expect an additional five men to join us soon."

That was greeted with great applause. "Additionally, I agree with her decision that the men should receive no harm or injury, although poor David may suffer most evenings if I become too frustrated by my duties." There was even greater laughter at that remark and it only increased as Hosi grabbed me by the hair and pulled me in for a passionate kiss.

"Now, I regret we must deal with a difficult situation. I ask you all to take three steps back. I need room here for several prisoners." The tribe may have been shocked by those remarks, but they stepped back immediately.

They were even more shocked to see Reta in chains leading five other women forward. Each was flanked by two guards. They were brought to the front of the palace and forced to kneel. Without a word Hosi went to the last in line and stood within two feet of the kneeling woman. She pointed to her feet. The woman waited only a second before she bent forward, kissed Hosi's feet and recited the pledge.

This procedure was repeated for each of Reta's followers, but Hosi stopped before she reached Reta. "NEVER!!" Reta yelled.

"I did not make the offer to you. You have too much to answer for. You led a rebellion in which you swore to kill me and my child and take my mate, David, as well as all the men, into slavery. You are also responsible for the deaths of Queen Aleppa and her unborn child."

"Who would speak against me for such an act?"

"I would," I answered. "I overheard you tell these women that you killed Queen Aleppa by lifting her and throwing her onto the steps, bashing her head when she wasn't sufficiently injured to serve your purposes."

"You expect me to accept the word of a man—a person who should be a slave and would be if our prior Queen had any sense. There is no member of our tribe who will stand against me."

"Oh, yes there is," shouted Leba. She strode forward and turned to face Reta, "I was returning from treating an injured foot when I was stopped by David and your mate, Scott. This was two nights ago." She was interrupted by a shout, "That's right, she was treating me."

"We returned to the rear of your house; we saw and heard you speaking to these women. I heard you say that you had killed Aleppa and that you would kill Hosi and Kela if she won over you. I swear that I have spoken the truth."

Leba's statement had aroused the ire of the tribe. They stepped forward menacingly until Hosi stopped them. "No one is more repulsed by this than I am, but we cannot react to a wanton lawless act with a wanton lawless response. I will pass sentence on these women as your Queen."

Looking to Reta's followers she proclaimed, "Each of you will be forced into the river and over the falls. If you survive you will be cared for and welcomed back to the tribe. You may not have actually killed Aleppa, but you knew about the plans and did nothing. Rather, you aided Reta through your silence. Further, you conspired to kill your new Queen and my daughter and to enslave my mate." Then speaking to the Captain of the guards she continued, "Take them now to the river and force them into the current at spear point one at a time. First send several guards down the rope to retrieve the bodies or to save any who survive."

Turning to Reta she said, "Reta you were as a sister to me. We were raised together and worked together as warriors. Your ambition has gotten the better of you. You cannot be allowed anywhere near the tribe and I obviously cannot let you go because you have shown that you are not to be trusted.

"Therefore, I have no choice but to sentence you to death. You will be bound into a canoe, legs tied to a large stone. Once into the Amazon the canoe will be sunk and you with it. David, will you please assist me with this? We will need one of the boats." I nodded my agreement. I was surprised at how harsh Hosi could be, but she was right—she really had no choice. Personally, I would have killed all of them on the spot.

The five were forced over the falls. One actually survived, but even Dennis couldn't repair her injuries. She died two days later. Nobody mourned their loss. They had cast their lots with Reta and lost.

Reta was lowered down the rope to the bottom of the falls where she was bound into a canoe. Her arms were lashed with leather thongs to the frame. Her legs were also tied to the canoe's bottom and a hundred pound rock was fastened to her ankles. I tied the canoe to cleats on the hard shell of the inflatable. Reta was gagged and we were ready to go. Hosi and Scott accompanied me, but if Reta was hoping for mercy from any of us she was mistaken.

It took us several hours to reach the Amazon. I pulled the boat into the middle of the river, holding it steady in the current. Hosi pulled her dagger from its sheath. It was a queen's weapon, the handle made of silver and gold. She drew the blade down each of Reta's arms, drawing blood from each superficial cut. "I think you'll find these insignificant cuts to be fatal Reta. The incredible pain you will endure will be over in minutes; my pain will last the rest of my life. What a shame...before this I would have made you my general...in charge of all the warriors."

She took a boat hook and drove the aluminum shaft through the thin bark shell of the canoe. Water flowed in immediately. Reta's blood flowed into the current. Hosi allowed it to flow for more than a minute when she ordered the canoe to be cut free.

It sank slowly, but that wasn't Reta's concern. The blood had attracted a sizable school of piranha. They began to jump into the sinking canoe once the sides were less than four inches above the level of the river. Reta was dead in less than three minutes. The canoe sank seconds later and the swirls in the water disappeared.

Our mood was dark—we had all liked Reta; Scott had a daughter with her. I kept the boat stationary, the bow facing up river. I moved behind Hosi, holding her with my arms and kissing her cheek. We stood there for more than five minutes when she spoke, "Let us go, David. I am sure there is more work to do and I am tired...we never did sleep last night." I slammed the gear lever into forward and the inflatable jumped onto plane. We flew up the river hopeful that the bad times were behind us.

CHAPTER 7

The guards told us that two tribeswomen had asked to see Queen Hosi. They approached and bowed their heads, exactly as Hosi had commanded. "My Queen, I am Rini and this is Lona. We are sisters. We know that Reta had a daughter with Scott. We have met Scott several times and we like him very much. We would like to take him into our house and care for him. We pledge to care for his daughter as we would our own."

During the speech I was checking out these women. They were both taller than six feet with slender athletic bodies and smallish, by tribal standards, breasts—probably no larger than C-cups. They had attractive symmetrical faces framed by brown hair and with brown eyes. They were extremely attractive women by anyone's standards. I thought Scott should be thrilled.

"Thank you for the offer," Scott replied slowly, "but right now I am still shocked by the actions of my former mate. If you approve, Queen Hosi, I will stay in my current house for a while so I can think things through. However, I hope you ladies will feel free to visit whenever you like. I know that Sama will enjoy seeing you, especially when she misses her mother." He went to each woman, hugged her and kissed her on the cheek. They bowed again to the Queen and backed out of the room.

Scott hugged me and bowed to Hosi before she stepped forward and hugged him, "You certainly didn't deserve this, Scott. Thank you for your help. I will remember and be in your debt forever." Then she stepped back and bowed to Scott. A second later Scott left. He was obviously and understandably crying.

Scott and Sama woke the following morning to find that Rini and Lona had prepared a large breakfast for them. "After what you went through yesterday we were sure you didn't eat much. We told you we wanted to take care of you and we will. We will be here for you every day to feed you and Sama, to provide you with companionship, and to clean your house." She picked up Sama, hugging and kissing the infant.

They helped Scott through the darkest time of his life as he wondered if it was his fate to know only the worst of women. First his mother and then his...he could barely say it...mate, Reta, had almost destroyed his life. He ate and drank their offerings. He went with them to the communal toilet and to the baths. He observed their love of his daughter and slowly he returned to the human race.