SCARLETS DOMAIN

It seemed that everyone held this man in awe, for
there seemed to be a pause in the fighting.

"Korvus was sick! He enjoyed destroying the flesh that
gives life, but we have always known it to be an
abomination! It is not our way!"

Most of our prisoners paused in their battle too, hope
springing that maybe - just maybe - there was no need
to fight on. For some it was a fatal mistake where
their adversaries didn't quite see eye to eye with my
saviour. Anguished screams erupted as surprised women
felt cold steel invade their bodies, twisting and
tearing at their defenceless flesh.

"Cease your fighting!" the man bellowed, and this time
all the men obeyed.

The grip on my arms was released, and my immediate
thought was for Karelia, who was likely to ignore the
call to stop fighting, and thus renew hostilities. I
was aware that these men would be more useful to us as
allies.

I needn't have worried, though she was taking no
chances.

"Release him, it is over," I said, laying my hand on
her shoulder as she held her sword to the throat of an
unfortunate soldier.

"The deaths... the atrocities," she murmured.

"Be still. It was a sickness, like the one you
suffered."

"These men were not bewitched, as I was," she growled.
"They were doing what comes naturally to them."

"Karelia, brutality is not a male prerogative. We all
feel the same way when bloodlust is up. You should
know that as much as anyone."

"So, these women are not to be avenged," she said
bitterly, resignation creeping into her voice.

"They are dead. You cannot bring them back to life.
All you can do is kill him, and that simply adds to
the sum."

Karelia was silent.

"Release him," I said, "let him live."

She finally lowered her sword, and the man took a deep
breath and struggled to his feet.

"Truly," he said to he inclining his head to her, "you
are a great warrior!"

Karelia inclined her head too, and the ghost of a
smile played on her lips. "You fought well too,
soldier!"

I looked for Molly, but she was nowhere to be seen. I
began to search, eventually finding her between two
huts, still fighting her original adversary.

I was about to call to them to cease fighting, but
there was something about their battle which seemed to
be not a battle.

As I watched, Molly fell with a shriek, though I could
see no way that the soldiers sword might have touched
her body. She fell onto her back, open for a killing
thrust.

Before I could react, however, the soldier uttered a
cry of alarm which was somehow not alarm. Throwing
his weapon to the ground, he ran to kneel at her side,
searching her body for a wound that wasn't there.

Suddenly Molly opened her eyes wide, grinning, and
pulled the man down on top of her, her lips locked on
his.

I smiled as she wrapped her legs around him.

The weapon which penetrated her body was not made of
steel, but of flesh. Thus Molly got her wish.

I turned from Molly, smiling. I was pleased for her.
After all too many women die in these times without
knowing the pleasure of a man, and too many men die
without knowing the pleasure of a woman.

The man who had saved my life had slipped easily into
the role of leader, and already his henchmen were
rounding up those men who had been loyal to Korvus,
and were even now spoiling the bodies of their female
victims.

I quickly found Karelia and Gudrun, and told them of
Molly's encounter. It did them good. They had been
oppressed by misery and evil for too long, and laughed
with delight.

Many of the women around us, however, were weeping at
the loss of their sisters. Some railed angrily at the
men who they saw as nothing more than murderers. For
others, their grief was too great even for blame, and
they took comfort from wherever they could, even if it
was in the arms of a man who they knew had taken a
loved one from them.

And we three had been too long without a man, and we
each saw it in the eyes of the others.

I saw that the new leader had spied us and was making
his way towards us, an easy smile on his face. Two of
his captains escorted him.

"He bowed handsomely. "Ladies!" he said.

We have travelled far, faced death and enormous odds.
We have killed both women and men who should have
killed us, and we have faced demons who froze our very
blood.

Why then did we giggle like little girls in front of
this man?

"I saw you fighting," he said respectfully. "You
acquitted yourselves well!"

We each looked away shyly.

"In time," he said airily, "you will achieve a
reasonable rank in my army, despite your sex."

There was a brief silence. We had barely heard the
insult he had given us, but before it could register,
he burst out laughing!

"I greet you as equals, of course," he said, "but I
would have you, and your women as allies."

"They are their own women," I said.

"You are not their leader?"

"No, we are travellers. They needed our help and we
offered it. Flame-haired Xanthe, who Korvus butchered,
was their leader.

"But tell me," I continued, "with whom am I talking?"

"Oh, I apologise, ladies!" he said, grinning. "It is
clear you do not recognise me, though I remember you!"

I looked closely. His face was familiar, and I
searched my memory. Finally, I had it. He was the
soldier who had beckoned me to follow after I had
'killed' Karelia in the Arena. It was he who had
shown me respect.

"I am the centurion Gregory," he said.

"Well, Gregory, it's nice to see you again, but my
friends and I have a long journey ahead."

"Antiope," he said, "it's not that simple."

"But it is!"

"Only if you want to see these women die!"

I drew my sword. "At whose hand?" I asked
suspiciously.

"No, no," he said. "You misunderstand! We would
protect them, but I fear protection is beyond our
power!"

"Why?"

"Come now, you must know!"

I shrugged.

"You have one of their renegades amongst you, and you
tell me that you don't know the Amazons are abroad?"

I waved my hand dismissively. "They are after us, and
that is our problem, and besides they will give up and
go home soon!"

"They are laying waste to the countryside, so they are
everyone's problem. I doubt that they will give up
and go home, or that you and your renegade are that
important to them."

"Well I'm sure you can see off a few Amazons," I said
frostily. "Your men are used to fighting women,
aren't they?"

"Not these Amazons," he said, "not without help. There
are too many of them, and besides, they have recruited
a war-leader from the east."

"Who?"

"Ritta the Tagar!"

Ritta!

Will continue in chapter 3...