42 Mother

When the old woman had made sure that the gate was closed, she readjusted the sleeping baby in her arms and turned to Brightise. "So what's the story here, girls?" she asked, leading them across a big stone courtyard.

Brightise could make out the shapes of low benches and tall human-like statues in the night. There were also big patches of grass and some flower beds between the intertwining stone paths. She bet that this courtyard would look amazing during the daytime.

"We need shelter," she told the woman simply.

The old Amazon, who didn't look anything like Neleah or the young guard, squinted at her in the dark. "Shelter from what?" she asked.

Brightise looked at the woman's gray hair and wrinkled hands, which were still holding on to the baby. She didn't know why, but she believed that this woman would understand. Someone her age must surely have been through a lot, maybe even experienced some demon raids first hand.

"Demons," Brightise said almost in a whisper, as if the very mention of the name would summon a Fire Demon behind the walls of the camp.

"I thought you told Mayna you were half-demons," the Amazon said as they reached the bottom of a flight of marble stairs.

Brightise paused for a second. "Yes, and we want our other half to remain human."

The old woman nodded in understanding. Then she started climbing the stairs with slow, delicate movements. When Brightise took a step to follow her, she suddenly felt someone pull at her sleeve.

She turned in alarm and saw Clober clutching the end of her shirt.

"I'm too tired," her sister whined. "Can you carry me?"

Brightise sighed. "You are not a baby, Clober."

"Please?"

Her sister stretched out her small hands and Brightise took them, picking her up in her arms. Soon, both of them would get some rest. Soon, they would lie down on something other than a rock or a tree root.

Clober snuggled against her shoulder and closed her eyes.

"Will the Queen see us now?" Brightise asked in a low voice.

The old Amazon smiled. "She's scolding three girls that were caught out of bed, but she'll see you next."

When they reached the top of the stairs, they entered the fortress through a big wooden door and walked down a long, wide corridor. At the end of the corridor was a big opening in the shape of a shield.

"Is that...?"

"It's the throne room."

The old woman led them there at a steady pace, pausing only once to stroke the sleeping baby's head.

As they were about to stop at the entrance, three girls walked through the opening. They had to be about 12 years old. They all looked nimble and energetic, but they certainly didn't look like someone who had just been yelled at by the Queen.

The girls walked past them slowly, looking at Brightise and Clober's hair with interest as they passed and murmuring between themselves.

The old woman looked at them sternly. "To bed, all of you!"

The girls cowered before her stare. "Yes, Mother!" they said in unison.

Brightise's eyebrows shot up. The woman looked way too old to be the mother of three 12-year-olds. Plus, the girls did not look like triplets. They had completely different hair and eye color and shared no common facial features.

"Why-" Brightise tried to ask before she was interrupted.

"Let's go!" The old Amazon walked into the throne room without looking back.

Brightise had no choice but to follow, holding Clober gently in her arms.

Before she could get a good look at the room, she heard a deep voice speak.

"What have we got here, Mother?"

The voice had come from the throne.