SCARLETS DOMAIN

We set about stripping the dead Amazons to find
clothing for Karelia. Once powerful limbs quivered
easily as their armour was pulled from their bodies.
Eyes stared sightlessly and flaccid breasts moved
gently over still hearts. Loincloths, still damp with
fear, with lust, with life, dried slowly in the sun.
Karelia only needed essential clothing.

In silence we made our way back towards our village,
the elation of Karelia's rescue dampened by Streeth'
curse.

'The one she loved. The one she should have loved. The
one she would have loved.'

What did it mean? The words went around in all our
minds, and we stole glances at each other, for none of
us doubted that anyone outside the three of us would
fulfil the conditions.

Suddenly a cry went up, breaking into our thoughts.

Molly, who had received her own curse, had gone on
ahead. We sprinted up to where she stood, looking down
at the body of a woman.

She lay on her back, her mouth open, eyes staring.
Blond hair cascaded around her dead face. Her breasts
were cruelly distorted by arrows which pierced her
leather top, and her legs were splayed, displaying the
red flesh of her sex, the delicate folds dry and
useless.

A few feet beyond her lay another corpse, curled away
from us while her entrails pooled on the grass.

As we walked on, we found other bodies, some cruelly
violated with their bellies ripped open from the
crotch. Others had their breasts sliced open, while
some had spear and arrow shafts protruding from
between their nether orifices. It was clear that the
killers were conducting more than a surgical military
operation..

I walked among the bodies, tears stinging my eyes as I
recognised some of the girls I had trained.

We stood silently amid the carnage, feeling lower than
we ever had. The silence was only broken by the sound
of Molly bringing up the rabbit we had spitted and
eaten the previous night.

Finally Karelia spoke. "They would be alive if it
wasn't for me," she whispered. "We could have saved
them!"

With that, she turned striding purposefully towards
the village.

We heard the raucous yelling and shouting, and smelled
the burning, before we saw anything. I motioned the
others to stay where they were, while I moved forward
to reconnoitre.

Huts were burning, and soldiers were laughing and
drinking. Some of them were being entertained by
village girls, many of whom had never volunteered for
training, though I recognised some of the ex-warriors
who had quickly dispensed with their principals.

In the middle of the square, those who had fought and
survived to be captured stood naked and bound, and
guarded by a contingent of their victors. Some wept in
fear and with good cause. As I watched, one of their
number was dragged away screaming to be brought before
the leader.

The fat slug smirked drunkenly as he roughly squeezed
her breast with a meaty paw. Then he motioned to the
guards who dragged her to the centre of the square
where two stakes stood. There she was bound,
starshaped between them.

Laughing, three male archers notched their weapons.

"Nooo!" wailed the poor girl, shaking her head from
side to side. Urine spattered onto the ground between
her legs.

She grunted as the first arrow buried itself in her
upper thigh.

"Remember," shouted the leader, "the one who kills her
spends this night celibate!"

A roar of laughter went up and the second archer
fired.

"Unnnnh!"

The girls body jerked as the arrow thumped into her
belly just above her dark thatch.

A third arrow hit her in the shoulder, it's impact
causing her body to twist violently against the ropes.

The girl moaned, her consciousness slipping away. It
would not be long now.

The dilemma faced by the next archer was to attempt a
shot at a limb which would be difficult, or to aim at
the body, which was now likely to finish her off. He
aimed low, but not low enough.

Her scream echoed through the forest and her body,
which had started to slump against the ropes, jerked
and writhed as the arrow drove deep into her groin,
blood spraying around the shaft.

The next archer shook his head sadly as he took up his
position. He took aim and his arrow jerked her left
breast as it ripped into her heart, ending her misery.
At least one of those bastards had a spark of
humanity.

The other prisoners had started weeping, and another
of their number was dragged away. There was no way I
could allow this to continue. I went back to find
Karelia, Gudrun and Molly, a plan of attack forming in
my mind.

"Molly, Karelia, we'll go around the back of the
village where our warriors are guarded. Gudrun, you
must divert their attention from this side, but wait
until I give the signal!"

Everyone nodded, and we moved into position. It felt
great to have Karelia beside me again - the old
Karelia - none of the scent of dark magic about her.
She was out for revenge, and I knew she would send
those evil pigs running, squealing for mercy.

From my vantage point I could see that another girl
had been strapped to the stakes in the middle of the
square, and now stood quivering, as her entrails hung
between her thighs. I felt the bile rise in my throat.
They were taking another prisoner for execution. I
recognised Xanthe's red hair.

I signalled Gudrun, who already had four arrows at her
bowstring, ready to go.

There was a moments silence when the first man flew
across the table, scattering flagons of wine, with
Gudruns first arrow in his back. Then, as the second
arrow flew, to pierce the eye of his comrade as he
looked stupidly around for it's source, a cry went up!

Immediately, soldiers were on their feet, the women
they had been 'entertaining', thrown to the ground
like discarded rag dolls. They drew their swords, and
after a moments confusion, started running towards
Gudrun. She loosed two more arrows before disappearing
into the bush, the soldiers chasing her.

That was the distraction I needed.

Molly flew at the nearest guard, who drew his sword in
time to block her attack.

"I will have your testicles rolling across the ground
like marbles!" screamed Molly, who knew nothing about
testicles.

The man said nothing in reply, but I thought I saw the
ghost of a smile as he prepared to defend himself.

Meanwhile Karelia was laying into another guard, and
before I could cut the ropes binding the first
prisoner, he was writhing on the ground, blood
spurting from his throat.

The prisoner stood stupidly, not understanding my
exhortation to seize a weapon from the pile. I pushed
her, screaming at her to arm herself, and she
staggered slightly, before walking uncertainly over
and taking a sword without enthusiasm.

This wasn't going to be easy.

I freed a few more. The soldiers were turning their
attention to us now, but Karelia was in high gear as a
killing machine. Molly still hadn't killed her first
soldier, but at least she was giving him a good run.

Unfortunately the prisoners seemed to have lost their
stomach for fighting. Sure, they picked up their
weapons, but the just stood there in a huddle, waiting
for death.

A couple of the soldiers perceived them as a greater
threat than I did, though, and moved to attack. Only
then did they start to show their mettle, but it took
the death of a small dark-haired girl.

She lifted her sword half-heartedly, staggering back
as her attacker lunged at her roaring angrily.
Immediately, the sword was knocked from her grasp, and
she stood there, naked, defenceless and frightened as
his sword penetrated her stomach, twisting viciously.

She sank to her knees screaming and clutching at her
wound as blood poured down her belly and into her
pubic hair.

It was then that a large blonde woman found her
courage. With a yell, she decapitated the soldier, and
his headless torso crashed to the ground twitching
horribly.

That gave the others the courage they needed, and
their warcries rang out as they began to take their
own revenge on the attacking soldiers.

It didn't all go their way, of course, and the blonde
girl, who had decapitated the first soldier, went on
to kill two others before she fell.

One man got behind her, seizing her sword arm and
forcing it back, leaving her open and exposed. She
only had time to whimper for mercy before his comrade
slit her open - a diagonal slash from left breast to
right groin.

She screamed horribly as she died, scrabbling at her
guts.

Then I saw

The scream of Xanthe, who had been chosen for
execution before we began our attack, tore the air.
The leader had seized her, crushing her body against
his with one huge muscular arm. He laughed in her
face, his yellow teeth bared, as he lifted her clear
from the ground.

His other hand manoeuvred his sword delicately between
their bodies, then thrust cruelly upward.

Poor Xanthe threw her head back and emitted an inhuman
cry of utter agony as his sword tore through the
delicate petals of her sex and into her womb. She
writhed desperately and her buttocks flexed
spasmodically as the sword drove deeper into her body.

Xanthe was a brave woman and did not deserve to die
like this, yet I could not square this with the
arousal I felt at her agony.

"Nooooo!" I heard myself cry, as oblivious to the
danger I charged towards them My sword slashed wildly
at all who would oppose me, and more than once I heard
the deathcry of the man in whose body my sword had
temporarily lodged. More than once I felt blood spray
over me, wetting my tunic against my body.

With sword out-thrust I drove it into poor Xanthe's
back, putting out of her misery, and driving it
through her body straight into the pigs black heart.

As he fell choking blood, Xanthe's twitching body on
top of his like some grotesque lover, I felt strong
arms seize me. My sword and shield wrested from my
grip as I was forcibly pulled in either direction, my
defenceless body open to the sword thrust that would
end my wretched life.

And I saw him, his face suffused with anger as his
sword slashed towards me. I closed my eyes,
anticipating sweet death.

"Hold, soldier!" A mans voice bellowed across the
sounds of battle, and opening my eyes I saw the blow
deflected at the last moment.

"There has been enough needless slaughter this day!"

Will continue in chapter 2...