Free Attack of the Amazons by Gilbert L. Morris Page B

as—” Then she broke off and shook her head. “No, I asked that—and I saw the two smaller ones. Our men are not as tall or as strong as you.”
    â€œWhat’s actually going to happen here, Princess? I mean, what am I going to do?”
    â€œOh, you’ll do as you’re told. There’s plenty of work to be done in a place like this. You may wind up a slave. On the other hand, one of the women may choose you for a mate.”
    â€œWhere I come from, the men do the choosing.”
    â€œYou’re not where you came from. The quicker you learn that the better.” Merle’s eyes narrowed. “Let me give you some advice. Keep your mouth shut, do as you’re told, and you won’t come to any harm, but we have ways of dealing with slaves who don’t know their place.”
    â€œI’m not a slave!”
    â€œYou’re not anything until I say so. Remember that. Now, go to sleep. You’ll have a long day tomorrow.”
    Dave waited until she left the room, then went to the door and called after her, “What about something to eat?”
    â€œTomorrow. There’s water in that pot on the table.”
    Dave was hungry, but there was no arguing. His pack had been taken from him, so what little food he had was lost.
    He went to the window and saw that it was not barred. For a moment he thought about escape, butescape to where? They were a hundred miles from the coast. And besides, he knew he couldn’t leave his friends.
    Discouraged, he walked back to the bed. It was built into the wall, so had only two legs, but it seemed sturdy. A thin pad was on it—cloth stuffed with leaves, he thought. He lay down on it, banged his head on the hard surface underneath, and wished he had a blanket.
    There did not seem to be many insects in the air, and he was glad for that. For a long time he lay listening to the sounds outside—and some inside—the house. Finally he went to sleep, thinking,
I can’t put up with this forever!
    Dave woke abruptly the next morning, feeling a touch on his shoulder. He started and jumped up, putting a hand out defensively.
    â€œIt’s only me.” Chava smiled at him in a friendly fashion. “Time to fix breakfast. Come, I will show you.”
    Dave rolled off the bunk and followed the short man into the room that served as kitchen. “Do you cook at all?” Chava asked.
    â€œA little bit,” Dave said. “I mean, I don’t know what you eat around here.”
    â€œIt’s very simple, really.” Chava began to show him how to prepare the meal. Expertly he made cakes out of some sort of ground grain, adding ingredients quickly, and put them in a stone oven, where a fire crackled cheerfully. “Can you milk cattle?”
    â€œYes, I can do that.” Dave nodded. “I’m not very good at it, though.”
    â€œWe will get the milk.” As Chava led the boy out of the hut, Dave looked around but saw no sign of the women.
    â€œWhere is everyone?” he asked curiously.
    â€œThe women do not arise until we have the breakfast ready.”
    This did not sit well with Dave, but he realized it was no time to debate the issue. “Do you have other children besides Princess Merle?”
    â€œYes, a son, Rolf. He is about your own age. You will see him later in the day.”
    Cautiously Dave began to question Chava and received straightforward answers. It seemed the men took care of the house, milked the cows, did the cooking and the washing and the cleaning.
    â€œWhat do the women do?” he asked at last.
    â€œWhy, they fight, and they hunt.”
    Dave realized suddenly that not only did the women of Fedor look like Amazons, but the whole culture was based on that concept. Everything was reversed from what he was accustomed to.
    This will take some getting used to, and I hope it doesn’t last long
, he thought. But deep inside he knew this was too far out for