47 Caught

Brightise turned around in surprise and met Neleah's horrified eyes.

The blond girl rushed over to them, pushed Brightise away and knelt down next to the crying Amazon.

"No, no, no..." she muttered anxiously. "No, don't move..."

The other woman closed her eyes in an effort to escape the pain.

"What did you do?" Neleah asked desperately.

Brightise stepped aside in shame. "She attacked me out of the blue, I didn't know-"

"Shut up!" snapped Neleah. "Just shut up!" Then she lowered her voice and murmured to herself, "Focus, Neleah. Please, focus..."

Brightise watched as she ripped the corner of her nightshirt and squeezed the fabric tightly in her hand. When she opened her palm again, the fabric looked wet. Neleah used it to pat the other Amazon's burned skin.

The young woman moaned and tried to move away.

"No, stay still," Neleah told her quietly. "It's just water. Look, it's cool..."

Brightise looked on in wonder as Neleah squeezed the cloth in her hand again. This time, a few drops of water landed on the floor before she could pat the Amazon's cheek.

How did she do that?

Was she using a different kind of elemental magic?

When the other Amazon calmed down and slipped into unconsciousness, Neleah looked up at Brightise angrily.

"Why did you do that?" she asked her. The expression on her face was one of utter betrayal. Another expression that Brightise had seen on Rayvad's face.

"She attacked me!"

"She's your sister! You are not supposed to hurt your sisters!"

"My sister is sleeping in the nursery," Brightise said defiantly.

"All Amazons are sisters!" Neleah yelled. "You are not going to stay here long if you can't comprehend that. You never hurt a sister!"

"This sister just tried to stab me! And your sister at the gate called you a Stinky Fish. Some family you are!"

Neleah glowered at her. "Zelna didn't know who you were!" Then she raised her right hand and shot a jet of water right in Brightise's face. "And this is what I do to tease my sisters! It's just as harmless as the names they call me! Burning their faces is not!"

Brightise coughed out some water and looked down at her new clothes. They were dripping wet.

She scowled. "It's not harmless if I catch a cold."

Neleah snorted, but caught herself before she could laugh. "Don't make me laugh! This is no joking matter." She slowly got to her feet and lifted Zelna's upper arms and head. "Come give me a hand," she hissed. "This is your doing!"

Brightise obeyed without a question.

"The infirmary is that way." Neleah pointed down the hallway before she started walking.

Brightise felt glad that she used to carry sacks of potatoes every day for a living, because Zelna was freaking huge. She was really tall and she had muscles in places Brightise hadn't known was possible. Plus, she was also wearing a breast plate. Brightise had not had the chance to notice this during their brief fight.

Who slept in a breast plate?

When she asked Neleah as politely as she could, she told her, "Someone who stays vigilant at all times."

"Do all Amazons sleep like that then?" Brightise asked in surprise.

Neleah looked pointedly down at her torn nightshirt. "Only the ones on guard duty and Zelna."

Brightise rolled her eyes. "Please don't tell me I pissed off the most war-hungry Amazon around!"

Neleah shrugged. "Zelna will never forget this."

"Yeah, I could tell she is not the forgiving type."

"Even if she were, these wounds will leave scars that will remind her every day." Neleah grinned mischievously for a fleeting second. "Have fun when you train with her, sister!"