Chapter ten (Part one)
"And you will know when you've conceived because you will want to eat, but be disgusted with everything given to you."
Ari had to stop herself from reaching for her favorite knife as her annoyance tolerance level reached it's maximum point. The only thing that stopped her from jumping at the woman was Nyala's restraining hand that draped over the arm of her chair, in front of Ari, who stood behind her chair. Nyala intervened the annoying sister-in-law that she had acquired before the woman could go on speaking.
"Ah yes, the famous appetite of a pregnant woman. However, I do think that you're pregnancies are much different from ours. Amazons eat all the time, even those ailing from the conception. Actually, the way that many of us recognize a pregnancy is weather or not we want to bed our chosen partners. If we're wild with lust, we're not pregnant. If we don't even want them to touch us, then there is definitely something there."
She informed them with a cool smile. Ari wondered why Nyala could say such outlandish things but she couldn't, as the sister-in-law, who's name was a mystery to Ari, blushed slightly as if she hadn't expected Nyala to have a comment on the subject. Nyala looked up to Ari curiously at the end and spoke just loud enough, as if she were trying to be discreet.
"Ari, just how many children did my aunt have?"
She asked, a hint of confusion in her voice. Ari responded without batting an eye lash, her eyes on the windows behind the visiting family members, which thankfully only consisted of the very-pregnant sister-in-law, her husband, a few male cousins.
"Let's see. One child every two to three years? I would have to say she had at least twenty, and that's not counting the four sets of twins. I never liked your aunt though, she was one of those radicals."
Nyala let out a chirping laugh, and Zolan shifted curiously.
"Radicals?"
He asked. The sister-in-law was bug-eyed and speechless as she stared at Ari, and the husband looked nervously at Nyala, as if he expected the same to happen with his brother-in-law and her. Not likely.
"Radicals, as Ari calls them, are the few women in our community that believe not in training yourself for war, but in the continuation of the society. They spend a majority of their lives after they leave the schooling camps doing nothing but having and raising children in a family environment. Several of my cousins are following the same path, but a majority of them would rather be soldiers."
She announced, sighing sadly and shaking her head. Zolan seemed amused with the idea, and he motioned to Ari pointedly.
"Her other didn't like these radicals?"
He asked. Nyala laughed happily, and nodded in affirmation. Ari rolled her eyes at the windows, then let her attention wander as she watched the forest.
"Well. . . that is. . . intense."
The sister-in-law replied, the cousins looked nervous, as if they were uncertain. Ari was hoping that something, anything would happen to get her out of the current situation. Just then, the door behind the burst open and Ellie stood in the door way, looking excited.
"Intruders on the property!"
She announced. The two other amazon guards in the room stood at attention, instantly rushing to the windows and peaking out. Ari felt all too happy.
"How do we know that they're intruders?"
Ari asked, already ushering Nyala and Zolan away from the windows and more towards the center of the room.
"Both Sha'at and Balvedarian forces have observed them and recognize them as neither faction."
Ellie replied, dancing into the center of the room as well and planting herself protectively on the other side of Zolan. Ari nodded, and Keita motioned two of his men out of the room. Nyala laughed lightly, her eyes on Zolan.
"This is all so exciting."
She announced. Zolan smiled in return and gently grasped her hand in between their new seats, rubbing his thumb over her knuckles. A shout rang from the hall way and Ari frowned, then looked to Keita.
"They wish to speak with one of us."
She looked nervously at the windows, wondering if they had someone observing them from a far through there, and Keita seemed to be considering the same before he looked to her.
"Can you handle it?"
He asked. Ari let herself look insulted.
"Can you manage to keep our Queen and King alive in my stead?"
She replied, then nodded firmly to Ellie before she left the room. Suddenly, the day seemed much more interesting than she had originally perceived.
