Sapphic Voices Fantasy

Daughters Of Artemis

Part Eight

*************

Arynë saw the creature behind the altar and drew her sword.

“Y-you’re Athtar? Q-Queen of the Gorgons?” she stammered. The creature glared at her and hissed, brandishing the Sword. “That’s the Sword of Artemis!”

“Yesss,” said Athtar, slithering closer. “Mine!”

Arynë backed away, holding her sword before her. “No, it isn’t,” said the girl, swallowing hard. “I’ve come to take it back to the Amazons where it belongs.”

“You’ll die in the attempt,” Athtar spat, coming ever closer. “You will die in any case.” Arynë backed away until she hit the cave wall behind her. Her eyes narrowed and she held her sword before her in a warding gesture.

“Then I have nothing to lose,” said the girl, lunging at Athtar. Athtar laughed and evaded the girl at the last moment. The girl, unable to stop herself, fell. Carried by the momentum, Arynë hit her head on the stone shelf which resembled an altar and fell unconscious to the cave floor. Athtar loomed over the prone girl, grinning. She raised the Sword of Artemis over her to make the killing blow until Aradia burst into the chamber, the other Amazons following close behind.

“Come on Athtar - pick on someone your own size!” cried the angry Amazon queen.

Athtar hissed angrily and slithered over to Aradia. “With pleasure!” she said, swinging.

The blades clashed once. The Sword of Artemis sliced Aradia’s sword in half, but before Athtar could recover and parry, Aradia sliced off her sword-hand with the bottom half of her broken blade. The hand, still clutching the Sword of Artemis fell to the ground.

“Noooo!” Athtar howled, falling to the ground. Her lower body began to undulate and move of its own volition and Athtar screamed in pain as it split into two legs. Scales merged into skin and then Athtar grabbed the hilt of the Sword with her other hand, rising up with a triumphant yell.

The blood stopped spurting from her wrist as the hand grew back. Her legs once again merged into a scaley snake’s tail. Aradia and the Amazons looked on in awe and revulsion. Athtar swung the Sword of Artemis at Aradia, but missed, though Aradia stood only inches before her. Athtar frowned and swung again; again, she missed.

“What ... what - that’s not possible!” she howled, swinging yet again. Aradia felt the silver key growing warmer between her breasts. She dropped her broken sword and pulled the key out of her tunic. Suddenly, the silken cord from which it hung around her neck snapped and the key grew into a sword - the Sword of Artemis. The Amazons looked at it in wonder - it was identical to the one clutched in Athtar’s hand. Athtar stared in amazement, looking from one Sword to the other.

“It’s a fake!” she cried, lunging with the one in her hand at Aradia.

“No, it isn’t,” said Aradia, suddenly understanding. “Athtar, the Sword in your hand - it is the Sword of Artemis - and so is this one.”

“There is only one Sword of Artemis - and it is mine!” cried Athtar.

“No, Athtar, the Sword of Artemis - the true Sword of Artemis isn’t a sword at all - don’t you see?” said Aradia.

Arynë sat up, rubbing her head and looked wide-eyed all around her. As quickly as she could, she grabbed her mother’s sword and ran to the other Amazons behind Aradia.

“Don’t be a fool, Aradia - it’s right here in my hand - and it is a sword,” said Athtar advancing again upon the Amazon Queen. “It holds the power of the Amazons and their goddess and it is all mine, now.”

“Athtar, the Amazons are more than just our weapons and our goddess doesn’t need steel to be powerful. You can’t hurt me with that blade, Athtar,” said Aradia, calmly sheathing her sword. “You can only harm yourself by holding on to it.”

“It’s a trick,” Athtar spat. “Get me to drop it so you can take it from me - it’s mine!”

“Athtar, that sword is what keeps you ... the way you are,” said Aradia. “Just now, when you didn’t have it, you had legs - you have to let go of it, Athtar.”

“Never!” Athtar cried, clutching the Sword to her breast. “I have sacrificed too much - it is mine. I will never let it go, do you hear me?”

“I do hear you. You are a fool, Athtar,” said Aradia, sadly. “Keep the Sword. The Amazons have no need of it. We have the true Sword of Artemis.”

She turned to leave and motioned for the others to follow her. Arynë glanced back to see if Athtar would try to follow them, but the Guardian was cradling the Sword like a baby, crooning some lullaby to it. The girl caught up to Aradia.

“Um, I - “ she began.

“Don’t talk to me right now Arynë,” said Aradia. “Right now, I’m done with being scared for you and on my way to very, very angry.”

“Um, okay,” said the girl, dropping her head and falling back to walk beside Mhari. “Are you mad at me, too?

“No, not mad,” said Mhari. “Just puzzled. Why did you do it, Arynë?”

“Julisa told me that to fulfill my destiny and save the Amazons, I had to retrieve the Sword of Artemis,” said Arynë, quietly. “Only that wasn’t Julisa.”

“No, it was Ares,” said Mhari.

“Ares? Why would he want me to retrieve the Sword?” asked Arynë.

“He wouldn’t,” said Mhari looking at the girl sharply.

“Oh,” said Arynë, looking away.

“Ah, Child, who knows why the gods do anything,” said Mhari, patting the girl’s shoulder. “And don’t worry about Aradia; she’ll be done with being angry with you soon. Then I suspect that she’ll be terribly proud of you.”

Arynë looked between the straight shoulders of her foster-mother walking ahead of her and somehow doubted that statement. She remained silent the rest of the way out of the cave.

They emerged from the cave to be greeted by an anxious Amazon platoon, all clamouring to hear what had transpired in the cave. Aradia raised her arms for silence and received it before she spoke.

“Arynë killed the creature guarding the cave - the Graii - and led us to find this - “ She unsheathed the Sword of Artemis and held it aloft. The Sword shimmered in the moonlight. It seemed to draw the light of the moon into itself until it shone with a light all its own. The Amazons were silently reverent as Aradia handed the Sword to Arynë. The girl gazed at the glowing blade, feeling power thrumming down to the hilt. Her fingers tingled with it and she handed the Sword back to Aradia. The Queen sheathed it, smiling at her.

“Now let’s take it back where it belongs,” she said, one arm around Arynë’s shoulders.

Dawn arrived at the steep incline leading to the lower town of the Amazon city just as the Amazons did. As weary they were, all were excited to get home and spread the word that the Sword had been retrieved.

“Aradia,” Arynë whispered. “Shouldn’t we tell them that’s not the real Sword?”

“Arynë, weren’t you listening to what I told Athtar?” said Aradia, smiling enigmatically. “This is the real Sword of Artemis. Didn’t you feel it when you touched it?”

“Yes, I did,” said Arynë, frowning. “But I just don’t understand how there can be two.”

“Look around, Little One,” said Aradia, as they ascended into the lower town. The warriors who had preceded them had already spread the word to all the warriors who were camped around the ruins of the fortress which would be their barracks as it had been in the “old days”. They went up the steep staircase to the upper town where the warriors were pounding on doors and shouting to all the Amazons that the Sword was back. Women came out of the houses and began to gravitate to the Temple. Soon, the entire Amazon Nation was gathered there, spilling out of the doors, yet hovering close as they could. They parted to allow Aradia, Mhari, and Arynë to enter. The three walked to the front of the Temple and turned to gaze upon the Amazons.

“I’m looking - gosh, there are a lot of us, aren’t there?” said Arynë.

“Yes, though not nearly as many ...” began Aradia. She shook her head. “Yes, there are. But look, Arynë - try to understand because this is important. We, the Amazons, are the Sword of Artemis.”

“That’s hard to understand, Aradia,” said Arynë, frowning. “You also told Athtar that the Amazons were much more than our swords.”

“Together, we are,” said Aradia, smiling at the throng of women.

“I still don’t get it,” said Arynë with a sigh.

Aradia unsheathed the Sword and held it aloft for all to see. The sun, streaming through the open window hit the blade, casting a dazzling brilliance throughout the Temple. As Aradia gazed at it, tears welled up in her eyes.

“Oh, Thalia, how right you are,” she whispered. “The symbol is nothing but a dream compared to the reality of life.” She turned to Arynë and handed her the Sword. “Put it back where it belongs, Little One.”

Arynë turned to the statue of the goddess and carefully fit the hilt into the marble hand. She stepped back and waited with the rest of the Amazons, holding her breath to see what would happen. She released it after a moment, and turned to whisper to Aradia, then saw the cat Hekau from the corner of her eye, jump up onto the altar. Her eyes widened and she turned.

“Hekau, no! You can’t ...” she began, then stopped as she saw a beautiful woman standing where the cat had been.

“You,” said Aradia, staring at the woman. “You’re the one who released me from the gladiator’s cell. Who are you?”

“I am the one you Amazons call ‘Great Mother’, though I have as many names as there are souls who call upon me,” said the Lady.

“You are the One to whom even Blessed Artemis must answer,” said Arynë in a reverent whisper.

“Yes, Little One,” said the Goddess, smiling and laying a gentle hand affectionately on the girl’s head. Then her smile faded and her expression grew grave. “Aradia, you remember when I told you I needed you elsewhere?”

The Queen bowed her head and nodded once.

“This is the elsewhere,” said the Goddess. Aradia looked up quickly.

“What do you mean, Lady?” she asked.

“I mean, Daughter of Artemis, I needed you here in this place,” said the Goddess. “The Romans are marching upon you as we speak. You must lead the Amazons against them.”

*************

Myrina made her way back to the Gorgon settlement. She would have the women pack up and they would leave for Hesperia this very day, whether Ares helped them or not.

“You failed.” Myrina turned at the sound of the voice.

“No, I didn’t,” she said.

“I sent you in there to be my champion - you lost - and to the Second in Command! You didn’t even challenge Aradia.” Ares growled in rage, his eyes were flames. “You were fighting in my name - and I do not back losers!”

“That’s not what I heard, Ares,” said Myrina, calmly. “You backed Yarg.”

“Where did you hear that?” asked Ares. “You were eavesdropping!” Ares grinned.

“When I hear the voice of a strange man in my queen’s private chambers, it is my duty to make sure that she’s in no danger - and to do it discreetly,” said Myrina with a shrug.

“And I thought you had no vices,” said Ares with a chuckle.

“As I said, it was my duty,” said Myrina. “So what about Yarg? You backed him and he lost.”

“I backed him until he outlived his usefulness to me,” said Ares, growling with annoyance.

“Oh, I see,” said Myrina, softly. “And Athtar? Did she outlive her usefulness, too?”

“Just about,” Ares muttered.

“Well, I suppose you will kill me now,” said Myrina with a resolved sigh. “May I ask that you at least make it quick? Or shall I merely fall upon my own sword - ?” She unsheathed it.

“Wait,” said Ares, his eyes gleaming. “There may be a way you can redeem yourself and gain back my favour.”

“Why does this not surprise me?” said Myrina, re-sheathing her sword. “My mother warned me to never bargain with the gods. I should have listened. What do you want of me, Ares?”

“Actually, I think you may find this task mutually beneficial,” said Ares, stroking his beard thoughtfully. “How would you like to retrieve the Sword of Artemis?”

*************

Aradia stationed four platoons of foot soldiers around the perimeter below the lower town. Another two platoons of foot and two of archers were positioned in the lower town. She placed the remaining warriors in the upper town at both ends of the steep stone staircase and an elite squad of swords-women were assigned to protect the Temple where those both too old and too young to fight would be sequestered until after the battle.

Arynë stayed by Aradia’s side, watching her foster-mother go about the business of planning a war. Although the old forge had been located in the ruined fortress in the lower town, the smiths were hard at work in the upper town, arming all of the Amazons in the city. Craftswomen, planters, animal breeders - all were preparing to stand with their warrior sisters and defend themselves and their home.

“I’m more convinced than ever that I don’t want to be a warrior,” said Arynë. “I’m scared, Aradia.”

Aradia looked at the girl and sighed. “Truth? So am I, Kiddo.” Arynë’s eyes widened. “But we all are, Arynë. We don’t fight because we like it.”

“I know,” said Arynë, quietly. “So do I fight this time?”

“Only if you have to, Arynë,” said Aradia. “I want you to stay in the upper town, though.”

“Do you think the Romans will get that far?” asked Arynë. Aradia was silent and thoughtful for a long moment.

“I just don’t know,” she said, looking off into the valley towards the approaching Legion of Rome.

*************

Ares led Myrina to the clearing in the centre of his sister’s sacred forest. He pointed to the cave. “It’s in there.”

Myrina looked around the clearing before cautiously stepping out of the trees.

“Are you sure the Sword is still there? Someone has been here - many someone’s by the look of things,” she said. “There was a fire and at least four torches.” She pushed some charred bits of wood with the toe of her boot.

“What?” said Ares, swiftly stepping into the clearing, his nostrils flaring. “Amazons! Damned Amazons!”

“Judging by the way the fire was built and put out, yeah, I’d say it was Amazons, alright,” said Myrina, squatting to examine the remains of the fire more closely. “There was at least one platoon out here - looks like they stood watch around the fire for at least an hour - maybe longer. The ground under the dirt they used to smother it is still warm, too.”

“So it’s been what, a couple of hours?” asked Ares, anxiously.

“I’d guess they left a few hours before dawn,” said Myrina, standing and brushing off her hands.

“Get in that cave and make sure the Sword is till there,” said Ares. “Now!”

Myrina looked at him, her face expressionless. “And if it isn’t?”

“You’d better hope that it is,” said Ares, his voice quiet, but dangerous.

Myrina walked across the clearing to the cave, her head high and shoulders straight. There was a faint odour of something rancid and a dark stain on the floor of the cave just past the opening. She skirted the stain and went on. As she proceeded deeper into the passage, she thought longingly of the remnants of the discarded torches outside. Daylight permeated the passage only a few feet, then Myrina was in complete darkness. Keeping one hand on the hilt of her sword, the warrior felt along the rough rock wall with the other, shuffling her feet across the uneven cave floor.

The passageway opened into a larger chamber, dimly lit by a small flickering flame on the floor. The room was sweetly scented and Myrina had an eerie feeling that she was not alone in the chamber. She frowned and shook off the feeling, continuing swiftly through the room and into the next dark passageway on the other side.

Once again, she felt her way along the wall. She continued that way for some time until it felt as though she had been walking in the dark for days; the concept of time no longer had any meaning for the warrior. Again she tried to shake off the feeling. She began to count her heart beats and re-gained her focus as she walked. Finally, she saw the end of the passage opening into a lighted chamber. A flash at her feet caught her attention and she bent down to pick up a piece of polished silver.

Amazons were here, alright, she thought. And not just any Amazon - this is a scrying mirror. A shamenki’s tool, or perhaps even a priestess’s. She slipped the mirror into her belt and stepped into the chamber, shocked by what she saw there.

“Athtar?” she whispered, then swiftly drew her sword as the Guardian turned and hissed at her, baring sharp fangs. She was cradling the Sword of Artemis in her arms as though it were an infant.

“Begone, Traitor!” said the creature. “The Sword is mine!”

“Athtar, I thought you were dead,” said Myrina. She looked at the thing her queen had become and felt sick. “I think ... I think maybe you had better come with me, Athtar. You need a healer.”

“All I need I have right here,” said the Guardian, raising the Sword. It dazzled Myrina’s eyes.

“Yes, that is beautiful, indeed, Athtar,” said the warrior. “So beautiful it seems a shame to have it hidden away in this terrible place, don’t you think?”

“You just want to take it from me - like Aradia and that girl,” said Athtar, hissing again.

“No, I really don’t,” said Myrina. “I just want you to come back to the Gorgons with me - they need their queen. Was Aradia here, Athtar?”

“Yesss....” said the Guardian, her eyes narrowing suspiciously at Myrina. “Don’t you know that already, Myrina?”

“No,” said Myrina, shaking her head as she moved her eyes about the chamber, looking for a way out past the Guardian.

“I know you are with Ares,” said Athtar, slithering slowly closer. “What did he offer you, Myrina?”

“Safe passage back to Hesperia,” said Myrina.

“You fool!” spat Athtar. “You didn’t need him for that.”

“The Romans - “ began Myrina.

“The Romans are marching on the Amazon city as we speak,” said Athtar. “Ares set it up - he played you for a fool, Myrina, just as he did me.”

“Ares did this to you?” asked Myrina.

“No, not Ares - Medusa,” said Athtar. “Ares tricked me into this cave - she was waiting here for me.”

“Who is Medusa?” asked Myrina.

“The new goddess of the Gorgons,” said Athtar, again baring her fangs.

“I don’t understand,” said Myrina.

“It doesn’t matter - we will both die in this place,” said Athtar, lunging at Myrina with the Sword.

Myrina stepped swiftly aside, evading the blade, but narrowly. Quickly, the Guardian recovered and swung. Myrina jumped back, feeling the wind brush across her middle. With a growl, Athtar again sliced forward and Myrina sidestepped the blow. She reluctantly swung her sword at Athtar, cutting the creature’s scaly hide where her thigh would be if she still had legs. A thin red line appeared as blood welled up out of the wound. The creature screamed in pain and anger. Again she lunged. Myrina tried to block, but missed. Again she felt only the wind following the blade as it barely missed her throat.

“What is this? Why can I not score a single hit with this Sword? Is it not the best blade ever forged by the gods’ hands?” Athtar cried out in frustration. Taking advantage of Athtar’s distraction, Myrina swung her sword upward in a short, chopping move, catching the hilt with the edge of her blade and flipping the Sword up out of the Guardian’s hand. Myrina whirled around and stepped into the Sword’s descent, catching it neatly with her empty hand, before finishing the revolution and facing Athtar with both swords raised.

“Give me back my sword!” said Athtar. She fell to the floor of the cave, writhing in agony. Myrina watched in horror as her scaly snake’s body split into legs, one bleeding profusely from the nasty gash delivered by Myrina’s sword.

As Myrina looked upon Athtar, writhing and undulating in a tantrum worthy of a spoiled two-year old on the dirty cave floor, she realised that the Gorgon Queen truly was no more; Athtar had finally completed her descent into absolute madness.

Sadly, Myrina turned and walked out of the chamber, unnoticed by Athtar. The light in the chamber dimmed as she carried the Sword out. Holding it aloft in front of her, Myrina found it illuminated her way better than any torch. She almost screamed when she came to the sweetly scented chamber and saw its inhabitants; thousands of serpents, drugged into a stuporous, somnolent sleep. Instead, she pressed her hand against her mouth to forcibly hold in the scream and swiftly made her way across to the final passageway.

It was a much quicker journey through the cave with illumination and Myrina emerged from the cave with the Sword of Artemis still held aloft, her own sword sheathed at her belt. Ares appeared before, grinning.

“I knew you could do it,” he said, though Myrina detected a false note behind the forced cheerfulness.

“Yeah,” said Myrina, looking at him through narrowed eyes. “Here. Now we’re done, Ares.” She thrust the Sword of Artemis at him. Ares jumped back, fear in his eyes.

“Ah, um, no - you hang on to it, Myrina,” said the god, placing both hands in front of him in a warding gesture and backing away.

A slow, sinister smile spread across the Gorgon warrior’s face. “Don’t tell me the god of war is afraid of a sword,” she said, playfully thrusting the blade at him.

“Stop it!” cried Ares. “I’m not afraid.”

“Is that so?” said Myrina, twirling the blade ever closer to Ares’s face. Then quickly, she reached around and slapped his backside with the flat of the blade. Ares became pale and dropped to the ground.

Myrina frowned and poked at him with the blade. Ares groaned and then lay still, but he was still breathing. Myrina laughed.

“Of course,” she said to herself. “Artemis’ sword is Ares’s bane - that’s why he couldn’t get it for himself - for him, one touch of the blade is like being hit by lightning for a mortal.” Briefly, she considered simply killing him, then decided it wasn’t worth the repercussions. As long as she held the Sword, she believed Ares would avoid her and the Gorgons.

She turned and walked away from the clearing back into the trees, glancing back only once at Ares, who still lay unconscious on the ground.

“I must be getting soft,” she said, shaking her head, then continued on back to the Gorgon settlement. They would have to move swiftly if they wanted to get home to Hesperia before the Romans finished with the Amazons.


To be continued...

If you have enjoyed L. M. Townsend's "Daughters Of Artemis - Part Eight", then please be certain to e-mail her at  QueenLaese1[at]aol.com  and thank her for posting this Story.

Click here to continue on to "Daughters Of Artemis - Part Nine"

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