Chapter 860

• "Thank you for your attention today, my sisters," Elsa concluded. End of lesson. Traska picked up her medical kit and came my way. Oneida and a half dozen other Amazons closed in as well. Elsa didn't move a millimeter. Her fragrance wafted in my face. When Traska tried to shift me around so she could better access my wounds, Elsa stopped me with her hand on my head.
• Traska found it odd for a second then they all clued in. Elsa was making a statement. This wasn't Amazonian mannerisms coming to the fore. This was throwing down a gauntlet -- Elsa's intention to win this competition -- me. Amazons were inherently competitive, being tested and testing themselves against previous achievements and each other.
• Before Buffy opened her big mouth an hour ago, any contest for me had been a joke -- the whole 'hunt me down in X-number of days'. Buffy had beaten Elsa to me. You don't get to be a 3000 year old secret society by letting one setback force you to admit defeat. Noooo...Elsa was stepping up her game.