st as far as they were concerned.
	The average Amazon, Tarrin noted, was a bit blustery, very much unlike Camara Tal.  Camara Tal didn't grandstand or show off.  She was good, and she knew she was good, so she didn't bother with trying to impress others with her ability or skill.  Camara Tal was actually humble as Amazons went, and that trait made the Amazons much like the Ungardt, who were also a very boisterous and boastful people.
	But the women were only half of the society.  Tarrin watched the men as well, and he carefully observed how the women treated them.  Tarrin only knew Koran Tal, and he knew that Koran Tal was a willful, stubborn man who happened to be very learned and very wise.  He had always wondered if Koran Tal was a typical Amazon male, or a rare exception.  It turned out, he saw, that as much as he could see, Koran Tal was an exception.  The males who attended were polite and gabby, as talkative as the females, but the males never strayed too far from the female who claimed ownership of him.  The female would often reach out and put a hand on her male, as if to assure herself that he was still there, or to ensure that he didn't stray too far.  Some males were totally silent, and moved with a quiet wariness concerning his female that hinted that he wasn't entirely happy with his situation.  On the other hand, there were a few females who seemed to not entirely like their males, so Tarrin guessed that went both ways.  He noticed that some men did in fact roam around unrestricted, often gathering into groups of males to talk amongst themselves.  All of them wore a simple golden bracer on the right wrist.  It took Tarrin a few moments to remember his talks with Koran and Camara Tal, and he finally recalled that those bracelets were something akin to wedding rings.  Those were the married men.  A female could own a male and not be married to him; for Amazons, marriage was a symbol of love between male and female for commoners, and political arrangements for nobles to create ties between houses, much as the marriage between Koran Dar--at that time--and Camara Tal had been.  An arranged marriage set up by their parents.
	Tarrin noticed curiously that Koran Tal did not wear a wedding bracer.
	Tarrin wondered idly just how males managed to learn the things they learned if their females didn't like them being out of their sight.  From the way Koran Tal talked, males freely indulged themselves in studies of philosophy, engineering, science, herbology, and many other fields of study that most in the West would call scholastic in nature.  Sciences, the realms of sages, Wizards, and scholars.  But at least the females realized that males would go crazy just sitting around the house all day.
	Some of them did do that, he recalled.  Some wives wanted from a man what Ulger had boasted was all that a woman was good for; to keep the house clean, care for the children, and make babies.  As he remembered, just such a divisive argument had been at the core of the trouble between Koran Dar and Camara Tal.  Camara Tal had wanted a house-husband, a husband to run the household and manage things and care for their interests, when Koran Dar had wanted much more from the world than to have his entire life revolve around his household.  The fact that Koran Dar had not really liked Camara Tal at that time had probably had a little to do with it as well.  Or, more to the point, loved to hate her.  He had admitted that from the first day he'd met her, there had been an intense attraction between them, but that base attraction had been seriously bogged down by two wildly different expectations of life.
	It was interesting to watch the Amazons interact with his friends.  All the females were all but smitten with Azakar, which made the Knight distinctly uncomfortable.  Azakar, who had once been a slave and had an intense hatred of the institution, had come to Amazar against his will.  He had not wanted to come to a place where men were considered property.  But Tarrin felt that the Mahuut's concepts of the Amazons had changed a little bit.  He had found out that though men were property, they weren't actual slaves.  There was a difference between the two, a difference that may not seem like much of one to one who didn't understand Amazon culture.  Granted, males had to obey females, and did some things that they didn't want to do, but there were laws and customs that prevented females from beating males, or putting them in dangerous situations, and from what he could see of them, he saw that most females took an active interest in the well-being of the males they owned, and more than simply an interest in their physical health.  To call males slaves was a poor choice of words.  Tarrin found that he rather liked the idea of calling them partners.  A female that wanted a companion bought a male.
	He was sure that there were exceptions to that idea.  He was fairly certain that there were some males out there who really hated their females, or were owned by females who didn't care for them or maybe even abused them.  But such things went on in every society, even Sulasia's, so to villify the entire Amazon culture for what existed in virtually every human culture would be sophistry.
	Azakar wasn't the only popular person in his group.  Many Amazons were rather drawn to Dar, because he was a handsome young man, but Tiella's wrathful look kept them from getting too adventurous.  Kargon, Darvon's nephew, seemed to be just as popular as Dar, and he was unattached.  But Kargon deflected their admiration with skillful delicacy and even aplomb, declining obvious invitations gently and carefully, and even managing not to insult the Amazons in the process.  Alexis, Jenna, Phandebrass, and Dolanna had attracted a sizable group of mostly males, but with a few females, probably discussing politics or magic or science or some other heady topic that probably wouldn't interest Tarrin at all.  Tarrin liked to learn, but only subjects that appealed to him, like the Dwarves.  He didn't learn for learning's sake, like Phandebrass did.  Keritanima, Rallix, and Miranda had the High Queen's attention, as well as a few older-looking females who had to be powerful nobles, and they were almost definitely talking about politics.  Sarraya, Chopstick, and Turnkey all attracted a great deal of attention, for they were very rare and exotic creatures, but not half as much as Ianelle and Auli did.  The two Sha'Kar seemed to consume all Amazon attention until they managed to greet the two women and talk with them, a fact that, Tarrin saw, didn't sit well with the flighty, impulsive, and somewhat self-centered Sarraya.   Auli had managed to defeat and upstage her at every turn, and now she was upstaged again.  It didn't sit very well with his Faerie companion.
	Others weren't very popular at all.  All the Were-cats didn't find themselves surrounded by the same group of people for very long, for the Amazons only wished to meet them, not engage in conversation with them.  That happened to suit the Were-cats just fine.  Besides, Tarrin had the feeling that the Amazons were just a little intimidated by Triana, Jesmind, Kimmie, and Jula.  Jasana wandered around the group more or less freely, with Tara and Rina tagging along behind her, and all four females kept a cautious eye on the roaming cubs.  The late arrivals kept asking about Tarrin himself, and were rather disappointed with the explanation that he didn't like crowds, and he happened to be the black cat curled up by Camara Tal's feet.  Allia and Allyn had remained for the first part of the celebration, certainly long enough to have a long conversation with Camara Tal and hold her infant daughter many times, but when the Amazons started getting loud and a little rowdy, they quietly withdrew to their room.  Tarrin was surprised they didn't leave sooner.  He was sure that the raucous nature of the Amazons would be grating to his sister, whose sense of honor wouldn't allow her to act so silly in public.  Selani didn't act silly in public.  They were more than happy to act silly in private, but never in public.  He was sure that to the Amazons, the Selani culture would seem tight-laced, inflexible, and very stringent.  But they didn't really know the Selani like Tarrin did.  Few outside of the desert did, for that matter.
	The noticable absence, of course, was Ulger.  Darvon had asked about the Knight not long after Camara gave birth, then he just chuckled when he heard what had happened.  Ulger, at that very moment, was probably up to his ankles in animal dung, laboring to clean out a stable with his bare hands and not wearing a stitch of clothing.  Tarrin had the idea that that Amazon woman would really make him pay for being such a braggart.  Amazons took affronts to their pride very seriously, and there was probably little that could irritate them more than a chauvanist male.  That Amazon would put Ulger into the place she believed he belonged, and it would not be very pleasant for the scarred Knight.  Not pleasant at all.
	Darvon didn't disapprove of what Tarrin had done.  In his words, "maybe that smart-mouthed overgrown child will learn when to keep his mouth shut for a change."  And as Dar has noticed, Tarrin hadn't killed him.  Just a year before, and Tarrin would have killed him.  It was a noted change in the Were-cat's personality over time, and a testament as to how relaxed he had become since the business with the Firestaff had been completed.  Relaxed enough not to instantly slaughter someone who had offended him.
	It was well into the night before any of the Amazons had even noticed that time had passed.  Tarrin was surprised at the endurance of these Amazons, both for drink and for revelling; Tarrin himself found the concept of a "party" to be boring and redundant.  One came, talked a while, and when there was nothing more to talk about, to him it was time to end it.  The Ungardt, legendary for their partying, got drunk at parties and often ended up fighting one another.  Shacans also had something of a reputation for indulging in celebration, but they mostly just danced, sang, and listened to music during their parties, something with which Tarrin could identify just a little more.  But the Amazons were content to drink and talk, and drink and talk some more.  It was only well after midnight that a group of Amazons had finally struck on the idea that the party needed something over than voices to entertain it, so they had fetched instruments and started playing music.
	That shocked Tarrin, as well as most of his friends.  These Amazons were fantastic in their music.  It was lively and almost catchy, upbeat songs with a heavy beat of the four drums surrounding one musician, but possessing stunningly complicated harmonies and counter-melodies that made the songs both catchingly simple to the ear, yet remarkably complicated to play.  They made playing such complicated music seem easy.  Nobody in the rest of the world had ever equated the Amazons to being such a musical people.  The Shacans were the ones who had that reputation.
	"My, that's quite lovely," Miranda mused as she sat at the edge of Camara Tal's divan, holding the newborn infant in her arms.  Tarrin had shamelessly abandoned Camara Tal's feet to lay on his close friend's lap.  Jesmind and Jula were letting Kimmie and Triana keep an eye on the cubs, who were by now so listless that they were about to fall asleep where they sat, as they took their turns marvelling at the baby over Miranda's shoulders.
	"I think they're just showing off for the guests," Camara Tal grunted wearily.  She was tired, but since she was the guest of honor, she was honor-bound to stay at least until the first guest retired.  It was some kind of Amazon custom, but Tarrin had the idea that maybe Camara Tal was proving her womanliness to the other Amazons by giving birth then managing to stay awake so long afterward without sleep.
	"It's quite a complex song," Jesmind said critically, almost professionally.  "That lutist could give any Shacan bard a run for his money."
	"Don't you play, Jesmind?" Miranda asked.  "Tarrin once told me you had an interest in playing the lute."
	"Well, that was a long time ago," she said with surprising modesty...almost demureness.  "I got  so good at taking the human shape because I wanted to learn how to play the lute.  These paws of ours just aren't designed for such delicate movements," she said, holding up her huge paws with a rueful look on her face.
	"I'd say not," Miranda chuckled.  "The neck of that lute he's playing doesn't look much longer that Tarrin's fingers are wide.  "Well, did you learn to play?"
	"Of course I did," she said bluntly.  "I learned the Nyrian citar, the flute, and the harpsichord too."
	"Ah, so," Miranda said with a cheeky grin.  "The one with the Shacan word for jewel for a name displays some Shacan traits.  Maybe Triana knew what she was doing when she named you."
	"I doubt it," Jesmind actually laughed. "Sometimes I don't know what got up my mother's craw when she named me.  None of my brothers or sisters are named as oddly as I am."
	"Let's see, if I remember right, they're Shayle, Nikki, and Laren," she said.
	"Tarrin must talk too much," Jesmind said with a disapproving look at him.
	"Too much?  Do you know how long it took me to drag that out of him?" Miranda asked with a laugh.
	"Probably a long time," Jula surmised, giving her bond-father a warm smile.
	"Care to grace us with your talent?" Miranda prodded.
	"Me?  Play?  Phaugh," she snorted.  "I haven't even picked up a lute in fifty years.  I'm probably so rusty that I'd sound like a dying vulture."
	"Why did you stop, then?"
	"I had more important things to do," she said shortly.
	Miranda had touched on something that Tarrin had wondered from time to time himself.  Jesmind had braved the pain of the human form to learn how to play the lute, something she had wanted very much to do, and then she simply stops?  What had happened to make her give it up, especially after going to the trouble of learning how to play those other musical instruments?  It was something that Jesmind never talked about, and one of the few things which she wouldn't share with him.  Despite her love for him and his for her, they both kept secrets from one another, and that was one of her secrets.
	Jasana came over, leading Tara and Rina, and she had a strange look on her face.  "What is it, cub?" Jesmind asked her.
	"Umm, Mama?" she asked hesitantly.  "Did you know there's a big colorful bird over there that's watching us?"
	"There are many birds here on the islands, cub," Camara Tal told her.  "Many are very big and colorful, and a lot of them aren't afraid of humans.  Since we don't bother them, they have no reason to be afraid of us."
	"Well, Aunt Camara, do many of them have glowing red eyes?"
	Glowing red eyes?  Tarrin picked his head up off of Miranda's lap and looked around, and when he started looking for it, he realized that he could sense it.  The Phoenix was back, and Tarrin could feel it now, feel its presence in a way he hadn't noticed before.  Were he in his humanoid form, he could have pointed right to it, but he had no idea how he knew where it was.  He looked in the direction his senses told him to look, and he could just barely make it out.  It was sitting on the top of one of stone building that served as Sulina Tal's throne room, staring down at them with eyes that glowed brighter than the firelight that reflected off of its colorful reddish plumage.  From that distance, the bird was little more than a silhouette, an outline of avian form of which details were lost to him.  The bird was far away and not moving, so his eyes had trouble making it out.  But even from that distance, those glowing red eyes were quite visible to him.
	Ive never seen one of those out at night, Camara Tal said in surprise, staring up at the bird.
	What is it? Jasana asked.
	Its a Phoenix, she said with respect in her voice.  They live on the volcano.
	We saw a Phoenix when were out earlier today, Tarrin said in the manner of the Cat.
	Well, its not bothering us, and we dont usually annoy them, so lets just leave it be and not worry about it, Camara Tal said calmly, leaning back a little more on the divan.  Can I have my daughter back now, Miranda? she asked with a smile.
	Oh, certainly, she said with a cheeky smile.  Its better to admire someone elses than to have your own anyway.
	Someday youre going to change your mind, the Amazon woman told her.
	Not in this lifetime, she said adamantly, putting Tarrin back down on the divan and then standing up.
	Thats what they all say, Camara Tal chuckled as the mink Wikuni sauntered off.
	The party continued well into the night, as the Amazons got steadily more and more inebriated, the musicians got progressively less and less formal, even going to the extent of playing some rather bawdy little tunes and engaging in impromptu make it up as we go along sessions that were probably even better than the organized music was.  Those of Tarrins friends who managed to stay awake during the majority of the night had a wonderful time, though Azakar, Dar, Tiella, Phandebrass, and Dolanna decided a little after midnight that theyd had just about enough fun for one evening.  Camara Tal remained on her divan, handing her daughter off to those who came up to see her so they could hold her, and taking a few quick naps while her husband or her mother or some trusted family friends or relatives watched over the newborn for her.  And through it all, sitting on the top of Sulina Tals throne hall, sat the Phoenix, doing nothing but watching.  Tarrin doubted that many of the Amazons even noticed the animal, for it didnt really move around, except to occasionally lift its tail fan and display those odd eye-shaped markings on the long feathers in its tail fan.  Every time it did that, Tarrin got a strange feeling just behind his ears and he invariably looked up at the bird.  Those eye spots were the same shape as the animals own eyes, matching up in orderly pairs just like real eyes, and they too seemed to nearly glow just like the Phoenixs eyes did, probably catching the light from the many torches just so to produce that effect.  It wasnt outlandish, for the bird had many feathers that were iridescent, a few of them almost reflective, catching the light like a cats eyes and shining it back at the onlooker.  But it was decidedly eerie.
	Aside from those times when the bird had its tail feathers fanned out, Tarrin largely ignored it.  It wasnt bothering him, so he wasnt going to go and borrow trouble.  Hed done that more than enough during his lifetime, and hed managed to survive it by sheer luck and phenomenal intestinal fortitude.
	He had no idea how Camara Tal managed to stay awake as long as she did.  When dawn began to stain the eastern horizon in subtle pinks and pale rose, she was still awake, and almost spry in her manner.  She hadnt really gotten up from her divan during the night except to relieve herself or to stretch her legs, and as the night wore on, she seemed to get even more awake and alert, gathering up more and more energy.  But now, at dawn, she had abandoned her divan to dress, returning to her customary haltar and tripa skirt, and looking a great deal more comfortable for having put them on.  Tarrin had laid quietly by Koran Tal while she went to dress, as the proud father made silly noises at his awake and alert daughter, who was cradled protectively in his arms.  Most of the townsfolk were still there, but about half of them were laying around the garden, having finally succumbed to the effects of drink and carousing.  It looked like some kind of twisted battlefield to him, where the fallen had been defeated by those with more tolerance for wine, sleep deprivation, and the effort involved in dancing playing, or mingling all night.  Those that were still awake certainly werent as lively as they had been just an hour before, sitting quietly here and there in small groups, lingering over tankards of ale or goblets of wine or stronger drink, content to talk in a quiet, subdued manner that always seemed to grip people just before the rising of the sun.
	Tarrin and Jula the only Were-cats left.  Kimmie and Jesmind had long since taken their cubs to bed, and remained to make sure they stayed there.  Jula had more or less stayed near to Dolanna after Kimmie retired, but after Dolanna went to bed, she had decided that shifting into cat form--something she rarely did--and dozing next to her bond-father was preferable to either going to bed or trying to mingle with the Amazons.  Jula shifted into cat form a great deal more than she used to, since Jenna had made her one of the amulets that allowed her to keep her clothes when she shapeshifted.  Jenna had become something of an amazing producer of magical objects in the days since the end of the quest for the Firestaff, having created the Cats Claws and several smaller objects, like Julas amulet.  Tarrin himself had made a few magical objects, like the belts he and Jesmind had used to easily cross the mountains between Ungardt and the tundra on which Gora Umadar had been situated.  But his skill as a magical object creator paled in comparison to his sisters.  Despite the fact that he was stronger than her, and had a much deeper understanding of Sorcery than her, Tarrin lacked the fundamental patience required to be a good magical object creator.  It made one stay in one place for days on end, meticulously building the objects flow by flow, requiring monumental patience, attention to detail, and expenditure of energy.  It was not something for which Tarrin was well suited, because unless he had a very good reason, he just couldnt devote himself to something like that for such a long period of time.  He had made the belts out of desperation to reach Gora Umadar at the proper time, knowing that everything depended on it.  That was the kind of motivation Tarrin needed in order to make a magical object.
	Tarrin sat up and stretched his back languidly, then leaned down and pushed at Julas head with his snout to get her attention.  The smaller black cat opened her deep green eyes and looked up at him curiously, then closed them again and began to purr when Tarrin began to groom her.  Grooming was a mark of comfort and acceptance between cats, and it was a way in which Tarrin showed his fatherly concern for Jula, making sure she was well fed, well groomed, safe, and content.  Fatherly instincts didnt really exist among cats, but Tarrins human instincts had blended with his cat ones in certain areas, such as the way he treated his children.
	That puts a bad taste in my mouth just to watch it, Koran Tal said with a sly smile as he bounced his infant daughter slightly in his arms.
	Both Tarrin and Jula gave Koran Tal a look of scathing disregard, one that made Koran Tal laugh, then went back to the rather important things that they were doing.
	When Camara Tal returned in her old clothes, she sighed and patted her belly, which was already returning to its taut flatness after months of distension.  Not that I didnt love having Shaul under my heart, but its wonderful to be able to see my feet again, she remarked.
	Since when could she ever see her feet? Jula asked in the manner of the Cat.  There seem to be two other things blocking her view.
	Tarrin chuckled silently.  Jealousy doesnt suit you, daughter, he chided as he washed her face.
	Im not too jealous, she remarked.  She probably didnt want to say that, but it was impossible to lie when speaking in the manner of the Cat.  Untruth was an alien concept to animals.
	Look at it this way, cub.  When youre like this, you have more of them than she does.  Your quantity overmatches her amplitude.
	Thats a disturbing observation, she noted clinically.
	Reality often is.
	Tarrin finished washing his daughters face, then jumped down and shapeshifted back into his humanoid form.  He sat down on the divan and picked up Jula and then put her in his lap.  She purred as he used a single finger to stroke her fur.  I usually dont pry, but why are you still awake? Tarrin asked Camara Tal curiously.
	Thats why, she answered, pointing towards the stain of color on the eastern horizon.  Its custom to show an Amazon the first sunrise of her life.  Its said to bring the favor of Neme on the child.
	This childs going to have favor enough, Jula remarked from Tarrins lap, leaning into his stroking finger.
	I cant disagree with that, he agreed, patting her on the head.
	Disagree--oh, Jula must have said something, Koran Tal noted.
	Tarrin nodded.  She mentioned that this babys going to have more than enough favor in her life as it is.  She may not need any more.
	Why would you say that? Sulina Tal asked as she approached.
	Because of all her aunts and uncles, he answered.  Ill guarantee you that Kerris going to send something outrageously expensive as soon as she gets back home.  She might even deliver it herself.
	That would be a long trip for her, the High Queen disagreed.
	Itll be as fast as a thought, Tarrin answered with a shrug.  Ive been here long enough to ground.  So has Kerri and Jenna and Jula.
	Ground? she asked curiously, looking at Koral Tal.
	Its a term for when a Sorcerer can Teleport to a certain place, he answered her.  Some Sorcerers have the ability to Teleport from place to place, but they have to have a strong familiarity with where theyre going, or they have to be physically very close to it.  Its called grounding, as in they ground themselves in the feel of the place.
	You can do that? Sulina Tal asked in surprise.
	Easily, he answered plainly.  I can Teleport back here any time I please.
	That would be wonderful if we could do that, Sulina Tal sighed.  If we were able to jump from island to island without needing ships, it would save me a whole chest of money every year.  She looked at Koran Tal.  Can you do that?
	Ah, not as yet, my Queen, he answered with a slashing motion of his hand.  Its Weavespinner magic, and I havent yet reached that level of ability.
	Then what good are you? Camara Tal said with a teasing push against his shoulder.
	Thats a stupid question he smiled in reply.  Did you manage to ground in Abrodar? he asked Tarrin.
	He nodded.  It doesnt take me very long.  At least not as long as some of the others.
	Probably an aspect of your unique abilities, Koran Tal surmised with a thoughtful nod.
	Who knows? he asked with a shrug.
	Alright, I just have to indulge myself, Sulina Tal said with a chuckle as she stepped up to the divan.  Would you mind terribly, Tarrin?  Im dying of curiosity.
	Over what?
	May I? she asked, reaching out with her hands.
	Tarrin nodded, feeling no real fear or trepidation at the idea of Sulina Tal touching him.  She was the mother of Camara Tal, and that gave her a little leeway in his eyes.
	Usually, they went right after his tail.  That was their first reaction, and that was what he thought she wanted to touch.  So he was a bit surprised when she instead stepped up to him and reached over and touched his ears.  They flicked a little bit when her fingers ghosted over them, then she pinched the pink skin and the black fur back gently between fingers and thumbs and rolled them between her fingers.  I just cant get over how these look, she told Camara Tal with a smile.  Theyre absolutely adorable.
	Adorable wasnt usually a word associated with Tarrin in virtually any manner, and he found her use of it both amusing and just a tad offensive.  But then again, she didnt know him, and she didnt look like the type who would be overly intimidated by his customary dark expression.
	Jula jumped down from his lap and shifted back into her humanoid form, slashing her tail behind her a few times.  I wouldnt use that word around my father too much, your Majesty, she said with a sly smile.
	What word?
	Adorable, she answered.  Were-cats arent the cute and fuzzy type.
	Amazons are attracted to cute animals with bad tempers, she answered her.  Thats why jungle cats are our favorite pets.
	No wonder Camara Tal likes Tarrin so much, Jula chuckled.
	If you dont mind my asking, how old are you, Jula? Sulina Tal asked.
	Me?  Im thirty-five, she answered.
	But, isnt Tarrin only twenty? she asked in confusion.  I remember Camara telling me that.
	Hes my bond-father, she said with a smile.  Something like my foster father.  The fact that Im older than him doesnt make any difference.  Hell always be a father to me.
	Well, I can understand that, but Jasana looks like shes eight.  If--
	Were-cat children age differently than we do, mother, Camara Tal told her.  Jasana is about to turn three, but she has the same physical maturity as a human child whos seven or eight.  Kimmies twins are only about eight or nine months old, but theyre the same as a two year old human.
	Strange.
	Only to you, Tarrin told her, looking towards the eastern horizon.  If you want to go somewhere special, Camara, youd better get moving.
	Nowhere special, Tarrin, she said, shifting Shaul Tal a little in her arms.  I just want her to see the sun rise.  We dont have to be on the mountaintop or anything.
	It would be a better view up there, he said, looking towards the volcano.
	By the time we got up there, the sun would be halfway towards noon, she chided.
	Hmph, he snorted, standing up.  Do you want to go?
	Youre gonna-- she started, then she laughed. Sure, why not?
	Oh, are we going to see magic? Sulina Tal asked.  As in not those third-rate tricks Koran uses?
	Koran Tal looked decidedly insulted.
	Jula, he called, and she moved in and herded them around the divan. What are you going to do? Camara Tal asked curiously as she sat down on the divan.
	Something Ive done several times, he answered, calling on the power that surrounded him at all times, power that collected in the strands near him, yearning to join with him, part of the distinct aura that surrounded a suikun.  He wove a simple spell of Air, forming a solid platform beneath their feet, and then lifting it up off the ground slightly.  The Amazons who were still awake looked in surprise and started talking excitedly when the invisible platform rose over their heads, 