A light rain was falling. Gabrielle and the Amazons rode towards the abandoned city. Its outer walls were shattered. Debris lay scattered about-
As well as the countless remains of Roman and Hun soldiers.
It was apparent that the Romans had given their all against the Huns. But they had been overwhelmed, just like in every other city Gabrielle and the Amazons had been to. And, as in other areas, the smell of death hung in the air. Many of the corpses were partially submerged in mud. Gabrielle kicked her horse in the sides, and quickened her pace. The other women followed closely.
They entered the city. The shattered, crumpled, charred remains of buildings were strewn all about. Hundreds of dead lay all over; Roman soldiers and civilians.
As they continued on, Gabrielle spotted something. She stopped instantly, grimacing in revulsion.
"By the gods..." she hissed.
Valacia rode up to her side, noticing Gabrielle's reaction. She followed her gaze-
And spotted them. Skulls
Several large piles of skulls. Valacia's jaw dropped.
"No..."
She rode on ahead.
"Valacia, stay close!" said Meldinas with a touch of alarm.
She ignored her. Valacia rode up to the piles of skulls. The Amazon stared at them in disbelief.
There were hundreds of them, skulls of all different sizes, stacked in piles. There were eight piles of skulls, almost reaching up to Valacia's shoulders. She shook her head erratically.
This wasn't possible...
This couldn't be possible!!
She slowly rode past each pile-
And then her eyes fell upon one particular pile of skulls.
This one was different from the others. Valacia took a closer look at it.
All the skulls were smaller. Much smaller...
And then it dawned on her. She quickly put a hand up to her mouth.
"N-N-No..."
Gabrielle rode up to her side. Her face was full of concern.
"V-Valacia??"
The Amazon bit her lip, letting out a low sob. Her ice-blue eyes were filled with tears. She shook her head rapidly. Gabrielle quickly looked down at what the Amazon saw, and her features immediately twisted in agony.
"By the gods..." she whispered.
Valacia quickly turned her horse around and rode off. Gabrielle abruptly turned in her direction.
"Valacia!!"
Gabrielle followed in hot pursuit. Meldinas and the other Amazons stared on in alarm.
"What the...?!" began Stella.
"C'mon!!" exclaimed Meldinas.
They took off after Gabrielle and Valacia. They raced throughout the city, past countless ruins, past still more massive piles of skulls. Valacia was the first to exit the city, followed closely by Gabrielle and the others.
"Valacia!!" shouted Gabrielle. "Stop!!"
The Amazon ignored her. Tears streamed down Valacia's face in torrents. She let out a loud, mournful cry, and dug her heels into the horse's sides. It went even faster. Gabrielle urged her horse on, closer and closer to the Amazon.
"Valacia!! STOP!!" screamed Gabrielle.
Valacia tore off to her right. Gabrielle followed in hot pursuit. Within moments, the pair found themselves racing along the edge of a large lake. Gabrielle shook her head. She knew that she had to stop Valacia herself.
Gabrielle got closer to the Amazon. She quickly maneuvered herself so that she was standing on her saddle, crouched. When Gabrielle got close enough, she leapt off her horse onto Valacia's. Gabrielle quickly jabbed her right hand into the side of Valacia's neck. The Amazon let out a shriek. Gabrielle grabbed the reins of her horse and tried to slow it down. But she lost control. The horse bolted into the water. Then it reared up and whinnied. The two women were thrown off into the water. Nearby, Meldinas, Stella and Althea approached them. They saw Valacia's horse trot off towards Gabrielle's, who was standing near a tree, eating grass.
"I'll take care of the horses." said Althea.
She rode off after them. Meldinas and Stella rode over to the water's edge. They saw Gabrielle help Valacia up from the water. She was gasping. Gabrielle immediately pinched the back of the Amazon's neck. She let out a strangled grunt, coughed for a few moments, and then began to cry. Gabrielle spun the Amazon to face her.
"Valacia!!"
The Amazon looked up at Gabrielle, seeing the anger and fear in her face. Her lips trembled.
"Those were children!!" she bawled. "Children!! BABIES!!"
Gabrielle's face filled with sadness and overwhelming pity. She bit her lower lip, nodding slowly.
"I know, honey. I know."
Valacia trembled violently. She let out a loud wail and collapsed into Gabrielle's arms. The blonde held her tight, rocking her gently in the water. Meldinas climbed off her horse and strode into the water towards them. She placed a hand on Valacia's head and tenderly stroked it. Meldinas looked up at Stella. The Amazon looked away from her and began to cry quietly. Meldinas turned to Gabrielle. The agony in the blonde's face mirrored what she felt inside.
The two women then took Valacia by either arm and walked with her back to shore. The three walked across the sand, over to a large, flat rock. They sat her down on it, and both women sat on either side of her. Valacia cried hysterically. Meldinas held the Amazon close, kissing her on the side of the head and rocking her gently. Gabrielle held her left hand.
Stella rode up to them. She stopped her horse and climbed off, walked over to the trio. Stella wiped the tears from her face.
Valacia had her mouth covered with both hands. She stared into the sand, her eyes wide with agony and horror.
"Babies!! B-B-B-Babies!!" she whimpered. "They killed babies?? They cut their heads off?? They stacked them into PILES?!"
Gabrielle moved closer.
"Valaci-"
"I will KILL them."
She spun towards Gabrielle, her eyes wide with fury and bloodlust. She bared her teeth, grounding them.
"I'm going to hack these sons-of-bitches to PIECES!! Just like they did all those innocent people!! Just like they did to those poor babies!!"
Valacia spun towards Meldinas.
"What kind of a world IS THIS?!"
Meldinas clutched Valacia's shoulders and drew closer, her dark brown eyes penetrating Valacia's ice-blue ones.
"You've got to get a hold of yourself." the Amazon queen said softly, but firmly. "Don't you crack up on me now. We've got a mission to finish here."
Valacia bared her teeth again.
"How am I supposed to put out of my mind what I've seen?! HOW?!"
Meldinas drew closer. Her eyes narrowed.
"Want to know how? By realizing that if you don't focus on this mission, there's going to be a lot more of those skulls. Those people are dead. Those children are dead. There's nothing more that you can do for them. Their suffering is over. But there is something you can do for the ones who are still alive. You take a deep breath, put those images out of your mind, and focus. Every time they come into your mind, you say to yourself, no!! I gotta focus. There's no other way."
Meldinas paused, then spoke again.
"Don't think for one second that I wasn't messed up by what we saw. I'm messed up by all of it. But we have to help Gabrielle. We have to stop Ares' plans. We have to stop Attila's plans. Remember??"
Valacia wiped her face, gazing at the ground. She nodded convulsively.
"Y-Yeah..."
Meldinas reached out and turned Valacia's face towards hers.
"In stopping Ares and Attila, we save countless more people." the queen continued. "Countless more children. And the only way we can do that is if we stay focused on the mission."
Valacia drew a deep, shaky sigh. Meldinas looked up. She saw Althea slowly riding back towards them, bringing along the horses of Gabrielle and Valacia. Meldinas looked back at the trembling Amazon in her arms.
"Now, listen. You're going to get on that horse, and you're going to calm down. It's been a long day. We'll go and get some rest. Okay?"
Valacia stared down at the ground. She didn't respond. Meldinas lifted the Amazon's chin and turned it to face her.
"Did you hear what I said Valacia?"
The dark-haired Amazon nodded.
"Y-Yeah...yeah..."
"Remember-focus."
"Uh-huh."
"No 'uh-huh.' Do it."
Valacia swallowed hard. She stood up. Gabrielle and Meldinas rose as well. The Amazon queen pointed towards Althea.
"Go get your horse Valacia."
The Amazon didn't respond. She silently walked towards Althea and the three horses. Stella eased her horse into a slow walk and moved up alongside Valacia. Meldinas took a deep breath.
"You know something Gabrielle?"
"Hmmm?"
"The worst we've ever dealt with was bandits, and some small-time warlords. None of us have seen anything like this. Not even me, with all my traveling."
She turned to Gabrielle.
"I don't know how you do it." Meldinas said flatly.
Gabrielle shrugged.
"Something I've learned from Xena, I guess. You push through the pain. And it isn't easy-especially in the beginning. But from all my years with Xena, it eventually became like a secondary thing. You sort of disconnect yourself..."
The blonde looked towards Valacia.
"I'm not so sure that's a good thing either. I don't know..."
"You did mention the need to focus."
Gabrielle nodded.
"I know."
She turned to Meldinas.
"But sometimes, you forget to get out of that mode, and feel. Focusing is important for times like these-but you need a release."
Gabrielle looked up into the sky.
"And sometimes...sometimes I just plain forgot to get out of that mode. It just became old hat."
She shook her head.
"That's something I used to criticize Xena about. Huh. And then when I started acting that way, she'd call me on it."
"How did Xena react to your change, if you don't mind my asking?"
"She was very sad. But at the same time, Xena knew it was inevitable, given our lifestyle. There were times that Xena commented that she missed parts of the old me."
Gabrielle chuckled emotionlessly.
"The part of me that was bubbly, full of wonder, kind of idealistic. The kid part of me, I suppose."
Gabrielle glanced towards Meldinas.
"You know what? Sometimes I miss that part of me too."
Gabrielle then walked off towards Valacia and the others. Meldinas stood there, frowning. She shook her head, and soon joined the other women.
Gabrielle eased herself into the warm waters, clutching a cloth that had soap in it. She peered around the cave. It had changed little in four hundred years. A small hole in the ceiling let in sunlight.
Xena and Gabrielle had used this small hot spring quite a few times in the past, and the water was just tolerable. It brought back many fond memories. Sadly, Xena wasn't here to share it with her. Gabrielle frowned at the thought.
She moved over to one corner of the small pool and leaned up against its edge, gazing up at the ceiling. Then she heard bare feet smacking against the cave floor. Gabrielle turned to her right. Meldinas walked over to the edge of the pool, naked. She held a bar of soap in her hand. Gabrielle briefly studied her lean, powerful form. The Amazon queen then sat at the edge of the pool and slid into it. The blonde looked away, and thought back to Xena, thinking about all the times she would gaze upon her muscular form at times like these. Gabrielle's frown grew even deeper. How she missed those times...how she missed Xena...
"Gabrielle?"
The blonde turned towards Meldinas. The Amazon looked at her with concern.
"You all right?"
Gabrielle sighed.
"I'm just thinking about Xena."
Meldinas paused a moment.
"You must have loved her very much."
Gabrielle looked down at the water, her eyes wandering over it.
"Yes." she said quietly.
"I'm sorry Gabrielle."
There were a few moments of silence. Meldinas spoke again.
"So. What are your impressions of what you've seen?"
Gabrielle grimaced.
"Nothing's changed in four hundred years. Man's still the same. But what gets me continually is that this was my home country. My home. And look what the Huns have done to it..."
Gabrielle gazed at the ceiling.
"It's been a long time since I've seen this much death. The Huns are monsters. And they are so damned thorough..."
Meldinas shook her head.
"I've never seen death like this. Certainly not on this scale. Like I said, our tribe has had to deal with warlords and bandits. We've had some pretty vicious battles...but nothing like this. I...uh..."
Meldinas lowered her head. Gabrielle looked at her, eyebrow raised.
"Hmmm?"
The Amazon queen looked back up at her uneasily.
"I've had some pretty nasty nightmares, Gabrielle. I've never had any nightmares like these..."
The blonde gazed at Meldinas with sympathy.
"I'm sorry Meldinas. I'm sorry for you and your Amazons."
The queen shrugged.
"Well, we weren't going to let you come alone, now were we?"
A pause. Gabrielle spoke again.
"How's Valacia?"
Meldinas frowned.
"Taking it hard. Seeing the stacked-up skulls of those children yesterday really got to her."
She gazed at the ceiling, her face filling with darkness.
"It got to me too."
Gabrielle nodded.
"Count me in as well."
The blonde shook her head.
"You want to know what's really weird, Meldinas?"
"What?"
"I don't know...it seems part of me had gotten used to seeing things like this, and part of me hasn't. It's kind of disturbing, huh? It's disturbing that any part of me would get used to seeing stuff like this."
"Jaded, perhaps?"
Gabrielle sighed.
"Hmmmmm. Maybe."
She gazed off into space for a moment.
"Sometimes I get so tired of it all."
Gabrielle turned back towards Meldinas.
"Ironically, I was coming back home from overseas to spend some time with my sister. I was just so burnt out. And well..."
She trailed off and looked down at the water again. Meldinas frowned. She said nothing. A few moments passed. Gabrielle then brought out the cloth with soap and began to scrub herself with it. Meldinas began to do the same.
No words were exchanged for a while as the two women scrubbed and washed themselves. After she had finished lathering herself up one final time, Meldinas dunked herself completely into the water. She then came up and shook her head. Meldinas wiped the water from her face. At that moment, the two women smelled meat cooking. Meldinas nodded.
"Seems like our venison is about ready."
The blonde nodded.
"Hmmm. A little change from the rabbit we've been eating the past few nights."
Meldinas took a deep breath.
"Well! I'm done."
"Me too."
"Let's eat."
The two women then climbed out of the pool. They stood up, and walked around a large rock. The other women sat around the fire, eating. Over the fire hung a couple large slabs of meat. Gabrielle and Meldinas walked by the women, over to their deerskin bags. They each took out towels and dried themselves off. Afterwards, they put on their clothes, and walked over to the fire with the others. Meldinas went over to Althea's side, picking up two wooden plates. She handed one to Gabrielle. Meldinas then lifted the stick holding the meat off the two other sticks supporting it over the flame. She pushed one piece of meat onto Gabrielle's plate, and the other one onto her plate. She tossed the stick aside. The two women then sat down with the others and began to eat. No words were exchanged for a while as the women quietly had their dinner. Meldinas looked at Valacia. The short-haired brunette took a bite out of her meat, chewing it slowly. She gazed at the ground, a dark, distant, far-away look in her eyes.
"Valacia."
No answer.
"Valacia?"
The short-haired brunette looked up at Meldinas.
"Are you okay?" asked the queen.
Valacia frowned, and shrugged.
"I don't know...I guess so."
She went back to eating. Meldinas regarded her for a moment. She didn't say anything. The queen then looked at Stella and Althea.
"How about you two? How are you doing?"
"I'm holding up." answered Althea.
Stella washed her food down with water from her water skin. She wiped her mouth and nodded slowly.
"I'm okay."
Gabrielle regarded the three for a few moments.
"I'm sorry that you've had to see such carnage." she began. "I know it's tough on you. It's been hard on me too."
"I understand now why you hate gods so much." said Althea with coldness in her voice. "I understand now why you don't trust them."
"How can a god get off on such things?!" asked Stella angrily.
Gabrielle chuckled harshly.
"A damn good question. Like I said, that's the problem with gods. They don't suffer the way humans do. It's easy for them to just pull the strings, and laugh at our suffering. I think we're nothing more than some...some odd sideshow to them. We're just toys to them. I don't think we really matter to the gods."
"How do you feel about the fact that most of the Greek gods are dead? Did you or Xena regret being forced to finish off the gods?"
Gabrielle paused a moment. She looked into the fire, thinking. Then the blonde looked at Stella.
"I don't regret it at all. And neither did Xena. In the beginning, we actually helped the gods sometimes. And what did we get for it?! Nothing but heartaches and trouble."
Gabrielle leaned towards Stella, fury in her eyes.
"If you want to know the truth, I wish we could have finished all of them off."
"But wasn't Aphrodite friendly with you?"
"Oh please." Gabrielle answered, her voice and face full of irritation. "Aphrodite was as changeable as the weather. She couldn't be trusted at all. She nearly had us killed a couple of times. Aphrodite only backed off of us after Xena killed most of the Greek gods. She learned just how ruthless Xena could be. There are many times that I wish Ares and Aphrodite were among the dead. Especially Ares."
Gabrielle wagged her finger at Stella.
"Never, ever trust a god. Ever."
Stella swallowed hard, recoiling slightly at the venom and conviction in Gabrielle's voice. The blonde went back to eating her food.
"Finish up, you three." said Meldinas. "All of you are on first watch."
Althea and Stella nodded. They went back to eating. No further words were exchanged.
"How's your back, Stella?" asked Althea.
Stella grimaced, stretching backwards.
"Grrraaaaah-kinda stiff."
"Later on, I'll give you a bit of a massage when it's our turn to go on break."
"Thanks. I appreciate that."
Stella turned to her left. A few yards away sat Valacia. She was sitting on a rock, sharpening her sword with aggressive vigor. Her eyes were cold, fixed on her weapon.
"Hey Althea."
"Huh?"
"Check out Valacia."
Althea leaned forward, studying Valacia. Stella turned towards her.
"Thoughts?"
Althea frowned.
"I don't like it. Something's wrong with her."
"We're on the same parchment, then."
Stella walked over to Althea, sitting down by her. She began to speak.
"She was really freaked out by that pile of children's skulls. Last night, I saw her tossing and turning in her sack. She was mumbling something...something about babies...babies and blood. She was doing this in her sleep. Then all of a sudden, she woke up. Valacia was absolutely petrified. I tried to ask her what was wrong, but she gave me this sour face, said it was nothing, then went back to sleep."
"Valacia was always a bit moody and grumpy, but nothing like this. I see what all this is doing to her. "
The Amazon took a deep sigh.
"It's not doing me much good either."
She looked at Stella.
"And you?"
The red-headed Amazon shook her head in disgust.
"Messed up. I feel messed up inside."
She smirked slightly, gazing at the ground.
"I'm trying to keep focused, trying to keep focused, but it's so damned hard. Just...just trying to get those images out of my head."
She looked up at Althea.
"I still keep thinking about those corpses we saw last week outside one town, nailed to trees. Dozens of people, young and old."
Althea lowered her head, placing her face in her right hand.
"God, yes."
"Speaking of gods...what do you think about what Gabrielle said?"
Althea sat up. She nodded slightly.
"Makes sense to me."
"Can they really be all that bad?"
"Gabrielle's been around. She should know."
Stella leaned closer.
"And what do you think about Gabrielle?"
Althea smiled slightly.
"The stories I heard about her bravery and toughness weren't exaggerations. She's definitely a warrior in the true sense of the word."
She turned towards Stella.
"A true Amazon."
"If we're lucky enough to make it through this, I wonder if she'll stay with our tribe."
Althea nodded.
"Good question."
"I feel so bad for her."
"Yup. I can see the sadness in her eyes. Even when she smiles, which isn't often, you still see the pain."
"To lose her sister and niece to the goddess Velasca, and then afterwards end up here, four hundred years later, instead of being reunited with her soul mate..."
"That's rough."
Althea looked towards Valacia. Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"Know what?"
"What?"
"I think I'm gonna have a talk with Valacia. Just to get a feel on how she is."
"Sounds like a plan. Want me to tag along?"
"No, stay here for now. I'll let you know what we've discussed."
"All right."
Althea rose to her feet. She walked towards Valacia, descending the gently sloping hill. In a few moments, she arrived at Valacia's side. The muscular, short-haired brunette didn't look up from her work. She kept running her sharpening stone continuously down against the blade of her sword.
"Valacia?"
The Amazon didn't respond. She kept sharpening her weapon.
"Hey. Valacia"
The Amazon scowled slightly.
"What." Her response was flat and cold.
Althea stepped in front of her.
"I just want to talk to you."
Valacia kept focused on her work.
"I'm not in the mood to talk."
Althea rolled her eyes. She sat down on a rock before Valacia.
"Tell me what you're feeling."
Valacia ignored her. She kept sharpening her sword. Althea had enough. She got up, walked over to Valacia and grabbed the hilt of her weapon. Valacia instantly looked up. Althea was taken aback for a moment at the hard, malevolent look in the Amazon's eyes. She then met her gaze.
"Something's eating away at you." Althea said evenly.
Valacia gritted her teeth.
"I said I don't feel like talking." she responded in a low, menacing tone. "Go away. Leave me alone."
Althea's eyes narrowed.
"No."
Fire flashed for a moment in Valacia's eyes. Her lips twisted into a snarl. She quickly rose to her feet, her feral, dangerous glare burrowing into Althea. Althea could see something savage raging within the Amazon's ice-blue eyes. She felt a bolt of fear shoot up her spine. But she stood her ground.
"Do you have a problem with me?" Althea said in a challenging tone.
Valacia let out a low growl. She spun around and tried to walk off, but Althea grabbed her arm. Valacia spun towards her, her eyes wide with rage.
"You're playing with fire." she growled in an icy voice.
Althea leaned towards her, teeth bared.
"So are you. Either we talk, or I'm going to go to Meldinas and Gabrielle. You want that??"
The fire in Valacia's eyes lessened somewhat. She glared at Althea with revulsion, yanking her arm out of the Amazon's grasp. Valacia rolled her eyes and sat down on the rock again. She stared out into the forest.
"Tell me about what you're feeling." asked Althea in a calmer tone.
Valacia chuckled harshly.
"Feeling?"
She looked up Althea, glaring at her.
"Take a wild guess."
She returned her gaze to the forest. Althea sighed.
"I'm trying to help you."
"Who says I want your help?"
Althea had enough. She stepped in front of the large Amazon, fury filling her features.
"Stop being such a pig-headed bitch!"
Valacia slowly looked up at Althea, raising an eyebrow. Althea leaned in towards her, baring her teeth.
"Do you think you're the only one suffering from what we've seen?! You think you're the only one having nightmares?!"
Valacia frowned. She looked back into the forest. Althea crouched right in front of her.
"You're scaring me, Valacia."
The Amazon gazed back at Althea, her face showing no emotion. There was a long moment of silence. Then she spoke.
"I'm scaring myself." she responded in a small voice.
"Why?"
"Because I've never felt the kind of rage I do now."
Althea lowered her head for a moment. Then she looked up.
"The Huns have done some awful things, Valacia. I don't blame you for feeling rage. But don't let it consume you."
Valacia gazed at Althea steadily.
"I want to make the Huns suffer." she said matter-of-factly. "I want to rip out their innards with my bare hands. I want them to die long, painful deaths."
Valacia tilted her head, studying Althea for a moment.
"Don't you?"
Althea sighed.
"I'm not gonna lie. I'd love to see them suffer."
Valacia nodded slowly.
"Good."
She took out her sharpening stone and began to work on her sword again.
"I plan to make sure they do."
"What do you mean?"
Valacia looked up at Althea. Her face was calm, serene. But there was a darkness in her ice-blue eyes that unnerved Althea.
"You'll see." she said quietly. "You'll see."
She went back to work. Althea swallowed hard. There was a deadly promise in those words...no, a deadly guarantee.
Althea rose to her feet. She broke out in a cold sweat and walked off, leaving Valacia to her sword sharpening. She walked up the gentle hill, over to where Stella sat. She sat down beside her on the rock. Stella turned towards Althea.
"Well?"
Althea turned towards her, anxiety in her eyes.
"We have to keep a close eye on Valacia." she responded quietly.
Althea looked beyond her towards Valacia.
"A very close eye on her."
Stella's face filled with alarm.
"What do you mean?"
Althea licked her lips, not taking her eyes off Valacia.
"Something's building up in her. And she could blow any second."
Althea's eyes turned towards Stella's.
"Watch her. I mean it."
Stella quickly looked towards Valacia, watching her sharpen the stone. Her face was even darker than before, and she ran the sharpening stone along the blade of the sword with a feral intensity. She could feel the blackness emanating from her.
Stella bit her lower lip. She never thought she would fear one of her own sisters. But for the first time in her life, Stella felt danger from a fellow Amazon...
...and it unnerved her.
"Wegar! Get a move on!!" shouted the Hun commander.
He, along with nine other men, sat on horses, waiting under a large group of trees. At that moment, a tall, scruffy man walked out of some bushes. The Hun commander glowered at him.
"I told you not to drink so much wine!!"
The other men laughed heartily. A few of them shook their heads. The scruffy man walked over to the commander.
"And how many times have you gone into the bushes, Kajin?"
The commander smiled mockingly.
"Not as many as you!"
The other men laughed again. Wegar climbed onto his horse. The commander turned to his men.
"Let's get moving! We have to meet Hujar and his group!"
The Huns then launched their horses into a run. They raced on through the forest for a while. The horses' hooves thundered across the earth. Eventually, they all began to climb a hill, and soon reached its summit. Kajin brought his horse to a stop. The other men stopped as well. He looked down over the other side of the hill. It led to a small river. Beyond the edge of this river lay a massive forest. Kajin surveyed the river's edge, studying it closely...
And then he spotted five women on horseback, riding along the river banks, turning to head into the forest. He immediately pointed in their direction.
"There!!" Kajin exclaimed. "You see them??"
"Where are those women heading?" asked one of the men.
"Does it matter?" said the commander with a feral smile. "We're going on a little side detour before we meet Hujar! Who knows-these women might make excellent slaves!! Let's go!!"
Kajin rode off into the forest. His men followed him. They continued down the hill through the thick foliage. Eventually, they made it to the bottom of the hill, riding across the shallow river. They headed into the forest again, in the direction of the women. They pressed on hard. As they continued through the forest, Kajin suddenly heard the sound of an arrow flying through the air. A loud shriek came from his left. The Hun commander hastily turned in that direction. One of his men had been shot in the chest with a large arrow. He fell off his horse onto the ground, dead.
Suddenly, there was the sound of several more arrows flying through the air. More cries of pain. Kajin looked to his right. Three more men fell of the horses, onto the ground, dead. The Hun commander's eyes filled with alarm.
"Fall back!!" he shouted.
No sooner had he said this did he hear the angry cries of women, and the sound of thundering hooves As Kajin stared out into the forest, five women appeared. Three were armed with bows and arrows, two were armed with swords. Two of the Hun soldiers lifted their bows and fired their arrows. Their intended targets managed to barely dodge them and fire back. One arrow tore into an archer's throat, another into his comrade's eye. They flew off their horses, crashing into the ground. The commander turned towards Wegar.
"Wegar!! Head back to Urtan's camp!! Get reinforcements!!"
Wegard nodded. He spun his horse around and rode off. Kajin turned back towards the approaching women. One of them headed straight towards him. She had short dark hair and ice blue eyes. Her face was full of rage. Kajin drew his sword. He charged at her.
The two warriors approached each other, swinging their swords. Metal collided against metal. The two warriors rode past each other. Kajin quickly turned his horse around. The dark-haired brunette had already turned her horse around and was charging at Kajin. She stood crouched in her saddle. In less than a second, she leapt off her horse and flew at Kajin, slamming her feet hard into his chest. He flew off his horse and crashed into the ground. The brunette somersaulted back through the air and landed on her feet. Kajin slowly rose to his feet. The woman rushed at him. Before Kajin could react, the woman let out a harsh cry and took a savage swing at him, chopping his head off. Blood erupted from the stump where his head once was. The corpse dropped to the ground, the head bouncing off into the bushes. The brunette quickly glanced to her right. Her comrades were now engaged in a sword battle with the Huns. She then looked back where the Huns had come from, and spotted Wegar riding off into the distance. Her lips twisted into a snarl. She ran over to her horse, climbed onto it, and rode off after the Hun soldier.
After a while, the woman lost track of the soldier. She continued to ride her horse in the general direction they were going in. After a short time, she cleared the forest, reaching the riverbank. Suddenly, she spotted a horse lying on the other side of the river, whinnying in pain. Her eyes quickly scanned the opposing riverbank, and she spotted a man limping as fast as he could into the bushes. The man took one look back in her direction, then disappeared into the foliage. The brunette let out a growl, and proceeded to cross the river with her horse.
Wegar limped along as fast as he could
He put every ounce of energy into moving. He had to.
His life depended on it. If his horse had not slipped and fallen, he would have been long gone. But the animal had placed a hoof on a slippery rock, causing it to slip and fall, throwing Wegar off of it. He fell into the river, badly injuring his right leg. It was a miracle he had been able to rise to his feet, let alone move. But he knew he was being chased. He couldn't rest.
Wegar raced past bushes, past trees, rocks...he paid little attention to what they were.
All he knew was-he had to run.
He could hear her running behind him. Getting closer...
Wegar didn't dare slow down or turn around. To do so would mean his death...
Although, he wasn't sure that he was going to live, anyway.
Past a large tree, darting to the left, around a boulder, around a hole in the ground, pressing on and on and on...
FIRE!!!!!!!!!
Fire, ripping through his right shoulder, fiery pain roaring through it, shooting down the length of his arm, shooting along his shoulder blade, up the right side of his neck into his head-
Wegar cried out in agony-
And for a split second, lost his focus. That was all it took. He tripped on a root, ramming head-first into a tree trunk.
His head exploded...at least, that's what it felt like. He heard the loud crack of skull smashing against bark. Wegar fell off to the side, onto his right shoulder.
The hideous pain ripped through it the moment it made impact with the earth. Wegar screamed. It felt like something was stuck deep in there...something like a knife-
He saw her. She stood above him.
Tall. Powerfully built. Short black hair. Ice-blue eyes. Eyes that were filled with a fury and bloodlust Wegar had never seen before-not even from his fellow Huns.
Her teeth ware bared like those of a rabid dog-
-and she struck out hard with her left foot. She buried her heel deep into his groin.
A blinding, savage pain drowned out the pain in his shoulder and leg. Wegar instantly sat up, eyes bulging, screaming at the top of his lungs-
And his face blew up in a cloud of red.
Wegar felt his jaw shatter into several pieces. The red spray clouded his vision. His head whipped so violently to the left that the muscles in his neck were nearly ripped out of their places. He felt his head hit the earth-
Then two hands grabbed the front of his coat. Wegar was yanked to his feet-
And something burrowed deep into his abdomen.
The wind was knocked out of Wegar's lungs. The Hun soldier doubled over. He felt something being yanked from his right shoulder. He felt a blast of sharp pain, but it was quickly drowned out by the agony surging through his groin and face.
He was pulled erect-
And Wegar saw a forehead fill his vision...
CRACK!!!
An explosion of pain, accompanied by a flash of white. His nose collapsed. His head snapped back. Wegar stumbled backwards and fell to the ground. He felt hands grab the front of his coat again. Wegar was lifted and then flung back-
And he fell onto hard ground again, his back slamming into what felt like a log. Wegar shook his head to clear it. He saw the woman rapidly approach him. She knelt down in front of him and drew her right fist back.
Wegar tried to speak, but he couldn't get his jaw to work. It wouldn't have mattered, because the woman wasn't going to listen, anyway.
He felt her fist smash into his face, again and again. White flashes and violent pain erupted through his head. Then it stopped. Wegar felt his face begin to puff up. He looked through his right eye and saw the woman clutch his right arm. She braced his hand against the log. Then the woman reached behind her and took out a large, bloody knife. His eyes widened in horror-
Then the woman drove the blade through his right hand, pinning it to the log.
Wegar let out a scream-but it didn't last. He quickly felt the woman beginning to pummel his face again, even worse than before. His nose and jaw were pulverized. The pummeling soon stopped. Wegar felt himself drift in and out of consciousness.
He felt his left hand braced against the log. He opened his eyes, and through a bloody haze, Wegar saw another knife rip through the palm of his left hand
He screamed-but it was quickly cut off as a vise-like grip surrounded his throat. He struggled in its grasp, gasping. Wegar stared through the reddish haze-
-and suddenly made out two ice-blue eyes, filled with rage and insanity
"You Hun bastard." hissed the female voice, dripping with venom. "You like to rape women?! You like to chop up little children and stack their skulls in piles?!"
The blue eyes narrowed.
"All men are useless pigs. You Hun shits proved my point."
A frigid smile crossed the woman's face.
"Wegar, is it?? I heard one of your friends call out to you. Right before I lopped off his head. I'm glad you sons of bitches were chasing us, because I've been wanting to get my hands on one of you and put you through the same shit you put your victims through."
The smile turned into a feral snarl.
"And guess who's lucky day it is."
The woman pulled back, away from Wegar. The Hun soldier watched as she rose to her feet. The woman reached behind her, and pulled out her sword from the sheath on her back. She turned towards Wegar, her face filled with ravenous, enraged glee.
"Chop, chop!!" she hissed.
The woman then rammed her foot hard into the side of Wegar's head. It bounced off the log. Pain roiled though his head-
-but soon, it was replaced with one that drowned out all others.
Wegar screamed like he never had in his life. He had never experienced pain such as this. He quickly looked down at his right leg, the source of the pain-
-and saw that it had been chopped in half, just below the knee. Blood erupted forth like a fountain. He saw the woman raise her sword high in the air-
-then she brought it down with all her might on his left leg, severing it just below the knee.
A volcanic eruption of blinding, ferocious pain ripped up through it into every part of his body. He writhed with abandon, kicking his bloody stumps into the air, blood spraying everywhere. He couldn't stop screaming. He saw the woman get closer, sword raised-
-and another woman, shorter and blonde, slammed into her, knocking her away from him. The two flew into the bushes. He screamed and screamed-
-then two arms wrapped themselves around his head. He felt his head violently yanked to the right. There was the loud crack of bone and a sharp stab of pain from his neck-
-and everything was plunged into darkness.
Gabrielle struggled with Valacia. The Amazon fought her, trying to throw the blonde off to the side.
"Get off me!!" she screamed.
Gabrielle saw an opening, and delivered a vicious right into the Amazon's jaw. Blood burst from her mouth. She collapsed onto the ground, unconscious. Gabrielle sat up on top of her. Meldinas ran over to them.
"You alright Gabrielle?!"
The blonde nodded erratically.
"Yeah. I knocked her out."
"I finished off the Hun soldier."
"By the gods...Valacia's flipped her lid."
At that moment, Althea and Stella rushed into the bushes. They stared down at Valacia. Althea looked at Meldinas.
"What are we going to do with her??"
"We'll discuss that later." said Meldinas tersely. "Right now, we've got to get to shelter. We'll deal with her then."
"We'll get the horses." said Stella.
The two women ran off. Gabrielle and Meldinas gazed at each other with dread. The blonde looked down at the unconscious Amazon.
"If she doesn't get herself together, she's going to be a liability to this mission." said Gabrielle quietly.
The blonde turned to Meldinas.
"We can't afford that." she added in a deadly serious tone.
Meldinas bit her lower lip. Gabrielle was right. It was clear that what Valacia had seen had taken its toll on her. What she had done to the Hun soldier was horrific. Meldinas knew they could leave no prisoners alive, given what that would mean to the mission. But like the others, she wanted to inflict quick deaths.
Apparently, Valacia no longer believed in that. Meldinas shook her head. What would happen to them now?
"Wake up Valacia."
The short-haired brunette groaned, stirring at the sound of the other woman's voice. She opened up her eyes, looking left towards its source. Gabrielle sat there. The Amazon sensed motion on her right, and saw Meldinas settling down on that side. Stella and Althea sat near her feet.
"Just what the hell did you think you were doing??" growled Gabrielle in an icy tone.
Valacia turned towards her. The Amazon's ice-blue eyes narrowed.
"Giving those sons of bitches a taste of their own medicine!!"
Gabrielle's features grew darker.
"Oh really??"
Gabrielle grabbed Valacia's shirt and tugged her forward. The blonde's eyes bored into hers.
"That is not what you were supposed to do!!" shouted Gabrielle angrily. "You're not supposed to be torturing them for revenge!! You were wasting valuable time and placing the rest of us in jeopardy looking for you!!"
Her emerald eyes narrowed.
"We might be killers, but we kill to protect ourselves and to accomplish the mission." she hissed. "Nothing more. We are not the Huns. Whatever issues you have, you'd better get a hold of them right now."
Tears began to flow down Valacia's cheeks.
"They butchered WHOLE TOWNS!!" she screamed. "THEY BEHEADED CHILDREN!!"
"AND LOSING YOUR MIND OVER IT IS ACCOMPLISHING WHAT?!" Gabrielle screamed back.
The blonde threw her back onto the ground. Gabrielle drew closer. She spoke again.
"My sister and niece were fried to a crisp!! Reduced to skeletons!! Everyone in my town was BUTCHERED!! And all because of the goddess Velasca!! And ya know what?! If I didn't get my act together and focus, I would never have been able to hunt her down and kill her. More innocent people would have died if I didn't focus on what I had to do."
Gabrielle's eyes narrowed into slits.
"I've seen more death and despair than you could possibly imagine You've only seen this kind of carnage once. I've seen it for a good part of my life."
Gabrielle grabbed Valacia's collar and yanked it forward.
"You're becoming a liability. Don't you dare crack up on me. You volunteered to join me on this mission. If you can't handle this, turn tail and head back to Crete. I'm trying to save the lives of millions. And I'm not going to let your issues do us in."
Gabrielle drew closer, her emerald eyes afire.
"I am dead serious. Either you get with the program, or get out."
Gabrielle turned to Meldinas.
"I'm not going to tolerate another stunt like this from her. If she pulls any more stunts like that, I'm leaving all of you behind and heading out on my own. And I know damn well that I'm out of my element. I know it's been over four hundred years. But ya know what?? I've faced worse. And I dealt with it."
Gabrielle turned back towards Valacia.
"If you want to survive in this life, that's a lesson you'd better learn now." the blonde said harshly. "Learn to deal with adversity, and learn to dominate the pain. Otherwise, it's going to destroy you, as well as those who depend on you."
Gabrielle rose to her feet. She walked out of the cave. Meldinas looked after her as she left. Then she quickly turned towards Valacia and grabbed her collar, tugging her forward.
"What the hell's the matter with you?!"
Valacia stared at her. She couldn't respond. Her lips trembled. The Amazon queen's brown eyes were full of fire.
"Are you cracking up on me?! Are you?!"
"I-I-"
"I what?!"
Stella and Althea stood up. They drew closer. Valacia's lips trembled.
"T-They have to pay." she whispered in a trembling voice. "I-I...I-I can't let these bastards get away with what they did-"
"Did you forget what I told you before?!"
Valacia bit her lower lip. Meldinas shook her roughly.
"ANSWER ME, DAMMIT!!!"
Valacia trembled erratically in her grasp. Then she burst out into loud sobs. Meldinas released her. Valacia lay back, folded up into a fetal position and began crying hysterically. Meldinas stared at her. Stella and Althea looked at each other uneasily. And at that moment, Gabrielle entered the cave. She looked at Valacia, a grim expression on her face. Valacia suddenly turned towards Meldinas.
"Men are PIGS!! THEY'RE ALL PIGS!!"
"Valacia, STOP IT!!"
"NO!! I WON'T!! I'VE SEEN HOW THEY ARE!! I KNOW WHAT IS LIKE TO TAKE ABUSE FROM THEM!!"
Meldinas stopped instantly. Tension filled the air. The queen's eyes narrowed. She drew closer to Valacia.
"What...?!"
Valacia trembled. She swallowed hard. The Amazon stared at Meldinas for a long moment. Then she began to speak.
"M-My father...my father was a rich merchant. W-We traveled. We saw how Roman soldiers treated slaves they brought from lands they had conquered. They were treated like animals. I-I remember the ones from Africa...they were beaten and humiliated in the worst ways. I remember once seeing a small group of black women and children made to kneel in hot sand, manacled and in chains, while the Roman soldiers pissed all over them. And they laughed and laughed...the women and children just had to kneel there and take it..."
She paused and looked at the ground. Valacia shuddered for a moment.
"And my father...my own father..."
Valacia stared at the queen, her face wracked with agony.
"My father...my father raped me. Repeatedly. And the last time he did that, I killed him."
Stella and Althea stared at each other in disbelief. Gabrielle quickly walked over to Meldinas's side. Meldinas leaned towards Valacia, her face filled with horror.
"You told me your father had been killed by thieves, a-and that they raped you!!"
Valacia swallowed hard. She stared at Meldinas, tears streaming down her eyes.
"I-I lied...I lied because I couldn't stand the shame."
Meldinas's jaw dropped slightly. She didn't answer. Gabrielle walked over to Valacia's left side and knelt down by her. The blonde's face was full of pity. She turned to Meldinas.
"When did she join your Amazons?"
"About ten years ago." Meldinas began, not taking her eyes off Valacia. "She was seventeen when she joined us. A group of Amazons found her wandering through the forest, dazed. She had been beaten up pretty badly, and had some bite marks on her. She had also been raped. She told us that some men had attacked her and her father. She said that her father had been killed, and that she had been beaten, raped, and left for dead. Valacia had been wandering the forest for three days."
Valaica sat up, her legs folded under her. She rocked back and forth slightly, gazing at the earth with a dull, emotionless stare. Her eyes were bloodshot and puffy.
"There were no men." she said flatly. " Just my father. He did all that to me. He had been doing this to me for a number of years. And finally, I couldn't take it anymore. I just grabbed a rock, and hit him in the side of the head with it. He fell off to the side."
Valacia tilted her head to the side, raising her eyebrows.
"And then I climbed on top of him, and just kept bashing his face in, again and again with the rock. I don't know how long I did that. But when I was done, there wasn't much left of his face. Or his head."
Her eyes met the queen's. They narrowed, and her lips twisted into a snarl.
"All men are pigs." she hissed with a coldness that made Meldinas draw back slightly. "They're all pigs. Every...single...stinking one of them!! Look at what these Huns did!! Look at what these bastards did!! Men did all this!! MEN!!"
Valacia drew closer to Meldinas, black emotions roiling through her features.
"All men...All men...every last one of them...are pigs."
"No, they're not." said Gabrielle softly.
Valacia spun towards her, ice blue eyes filled with fire.
"Bullshit!!"
"Valacia, I speak from experience. Yes, there are a lot of bad men. But I've met a lot of good men too. I was briefly married to one, before he was killed."
Gabrielle placed a hand on the Amazon's left shoulder. She took a deep breath and spoke.
"Valacia, I am terribly sorry for what happened to you. But that doesn't excuse what you did. You let your rage get the better of you. You put us all in a dangerous position."
Gabrielle moved in closer.
"Remember what I said about adversity before? It counts here, too. I know this is a pain you live with every day. But now, more than ever, you've got to channel that rage properly. You have to control it. Not the other way around. If you let your rage take over, if you throw rational thinking to the side now, we're all doomed. We are a team. We work as a team."
Gabrielle titled her head to the side, studying Valacia's face.
"Do you understand?"
The Amazon took a deep, shaky breath, pausing briefly.
"Y-Yes." she whispered.
Gabrielle gazed at her for a moment. She spoke again.
"I hope you do. I really hope you do, and are not just saying yes for my benefit. As bad as I feel for you, I stand by what I said before. If you pull anything like this again, I'm leaving you all behind and am going off to face Attila alone. Do you want me to do that?"
Valacia shook her head.
"No...no I don't."
"Then you have to get your act together. We're playing a high-stakes game here. The stakes have never been higher. The fate of the world rests on our shoulders."
A pause. Gabrielle spoke once more.
"I'm not going to remind you again. Understand?"
"Y-Yes, Gabrielle."
The blonde nodded. She rose to her feet and left the cave.
Part 6
The Bard's Corner