Armies of Nine, Book Three of The Adventures of Sarah Coppernick

by SJB Gilmour

  As they marched through, Sarah stepped into the portal, making sure to keep one foot still in Hades’ realm. Facing through to Lentekhi, she watched as each soul marched through the portal, back to the world of the living. Then they simply drifted to hover over their respective bodies.

  ‘Numbicularus Existum!’ Sarah commanded, using all her remaining power to command the Amazons to live and get well painlessly. Once re-inhabited by their souls, those bodies began to breathe.

  When she’d finished, Sarah was shaking and unsteady from her efforts. She stepped back into Hades’ Underworld and took maybe two more steps towards Hades and Angelina before the light coming from her golden eyes faded out completely. She blinked once and opened her mouth to speak, but didn’t even have the strength for that. She then toppled over face first, to land on the cold ground of The Underworld, dead.

  In that moment, Sarah felt herself strangely cold and unemotional. It was as if she had no senses at all other than hearing and sight. She could not feel the temperature or even which way was up. She couldn’t taste anything, for her mouth had no real form at all. Nor could she smell anything. She simply floated beside her lifeless body which was lying on the ground, still clutching the golden sword and shield Hades had given her.

  ‘It must be done!’ Hades boomed, spreading His hands out wide. ‘The Gilded Warrioresses must have a leader!’ He waved at Angelina, who hurried to pick up Sarah’s body, weapons and all, and carried her through the portal.

  Persephone stepped over to where Sarah drifted, unable to breathe or even speak. ‘Follow me, spirit of the Golden Mane,’ She commanded.

  Sarah didn’t feel it, but she could register that she was moving. All around her blurred for a moment, then everything about her was incredibly bright. She was looking down at her prone body, which Angelina had laid down on the floor near those of all the other now-breathing Amazon soldiers.

  She looked about and in a strange moment of clarity, realised nobody could see her. She looked back at her lifeless body. It seemed so much smaller than she remembered it.

  ‘Go on,’ she heard Persephone’s voice whisper in her ear.

  At that command, Sarah sank back into her body. It was as though she’d just been dunked into icy cold water after being in a very hot desert. It hurt. It hurt more than any pain she had ever felt before in her life.

  She drew in one ragged long gasp and sat up, screaming in pain.

  ‘Holy mother of—’ Penethelia began to swear.

  General Sally gaped from Angelina to Sarah and back. ‘I thought she was dead!’

  Angelina nodded. ‘She was,’ she said shortly and rushed to kneel beside Sarah, who was screaming mindlessly in pain.

  Sally also knelt beside Sarah. ‘Numbicularus!’ she commanded.

  Instantly the healing and pain-relieving spell took effect and Sarah gasped again as the pain went away. After a few more moments, she was able to push Angelina and Sally away and stand up, still stark naked. She looked over at the still-comatose forms of the newly-revived soldiers, and marched to the nearest one and kicked her ankle with her bare foot.

  ‘Get up,’ she commanded the soldier. The soldier didn’t move. Sarah shut her eyes for a moment. ‘Can you help me now?’ she asked Wolfenvald. In response, she felt a surge of warm power pulse through her body. Sarah grinned and looked across at the rows of sleeping soldiers.

  ‘Attendos!’ she bellowed at them. As one, three hundred and fifty Amazon warriors groaned and murmured then began to rise to their feet. Their eyes had gone from their normal greens, blues, hazels and browns to golden. Their complexions were now tinged with gold. Their weapons too changed from steel to a super-hardened gold that would hold its edge against the toughest of steel, just like the blade Hades had just given Sarah.

  ‘My gift to them for you, Golden Mane,’ Hades’ voice whispered within her mind. ‘You and your allies must win the coming battle!’

  ‘So these are The Gilded Warrioresses,’ Sarah murmured to herself, dressing herself again. Absently she wondered what Sergeant Dallas would say about the rate she was burning through her clothes.

  Captain Jenny Ashe had been among the first to rise. She looked about her for a few moments then began issuing orders to her lieutenants to assemble the rest of the troops. Within moments, the entire division was standing at attention with their faces fixed forwards and not a smile on a single one of them.

  Penethelia looked at the troops with a suspicious squint. ‘What did you do to them, Kopernik?’ she demanded.

  Suspicion and worry was also on Angelina’s face. ‘Hades called them The Gilded Warrioresses, same as The Babylonian Heresies mentioned,’ she told her queen. She strode up to the nearest resurrected warrior who, like the others, was now standing at full attention. ‘Hold out your arms, Private,’ she ordered.

  The soldier turned to Angelina and in a calm but resolute tone replied, ‘No.’ She turned her head back to facing the front.

  ‘What the—’ Angelina muttered. ‘I gave you an order, Private!’

  Without turning away from her stiff stance, the soldier replied, ‘The Golden Mane commands us, Captain. Not you.’

  Angelina flushed furiously.

  Despite the miracle she had just witnessed, Penethelia was also furious. ‘Kopernik!’ she yelled in outrage. ‘You’ve brought them back but they’re no use if they’re insubordinate! Do something!’

  Sarah was feeling very tired now and her temper was beginning to fray. She shook her head and gratefully accepted a plastic drink bottle held out by a waiting healer. She took a long drink and splashed water over her face and neck to freshen herself enough to keep from passing out. She shook her head again and wiped her face with a towel also held out by the worried-looking medic. Then she marched up to the gleaming, newly-revived Amazons. When she reached them, the entire formation clicked their boots together and saluted with a loud clang.

  ‘Present arms!’ Captain Jenny commanded them.

  The Amazons obeyed. Angelina took the opportunity and grabbed the soldier’s arm. The soldier glanced at her as if she were of no importance and returned her gaze forward. Angelina whipped out a knife from the scabbard strapped to her thigh and drew it across the arm of the soldier. The soldier didn’t flinch.

  Angelina did, however. She gasped in pain as a large gash equal in size to the one she had just inflicted on the soldier appeared on her own arm. The wound on the steadfast Amazon private healed over and disappeared. Startled oaths came from Sally, Penethelia and Angelina as well as several other officers.

  Penethelia strode up to Captain Jenny and waved at Sarah. ‘You outrank her!’ she yelled, furious. What the hell are you doing?’

  Stone-faced, Jenny wrenched her insignia from her shoulders and dropped them to the floor. This was too much for Penethelia. She punched Jenny square on the jaw. Jenny barely moved but Penethelia herself was hurled backwards with blood running freely from her mouth. Several soldiers ran forward to prevent Penethelia from further violence.

  Angelina yelled at Sarah. ‘You better do something!’

  What’s going on? Are they Silver Shrouds? Sarah cast the thought out to Wolfenvald.

  ‘Of a fashion, Golden Mane,’ the forest voices replied within her mind. ‘Considering their hue and their origin, perhaps Golden Shrouds would be a better description. They are a new Order among werewolves. In time, they too will be able to assume their wolf forms. To them, you are their First. You commanded them to follow, and they did so.’

  Sarah groaned. What had she done? Still, she couldn’t afford to dwell on that now. She turned to Angelina.

  ‘It’s the sequollo moi spell I used in The Underworld,’ she replied. ‘It’s still in effect. It’ll wear off soon. I’ll just give it a nudge…’

  Sarah listened carefully as Wolfenvald whispered advice on how to address the assembled troops. When she knew what to do, she picked up Captain Jenny’s insignia and handed them back to her. The Captain put them back on her shoul
ders without changing expression.

  Sarah glared sternly at her troops and shook her head as if she was disappointed. ‘What a litter of cubs,’ she muttered derisively in a voice loud enough to be heard by everyone. Then she straightened up and yelled, ‘Alright listen up! I dunno what’s in your empty heads but you’re back in the real world now. Yes I brought you back, but that’s only ‘cos I could. You know the rules. You follow the Amazon chain of command or so help me I’ll drag you back to The Underworld myself and I’ll leave you there without a single gnang among you! You’ll never cross The Styx! Understood?’

  ‘Allorah Lentekhi!’ the Amazons thundered.

  Sarah nodded and saluted them. ‘Captain,’ she said and went back to Penethelia, who was still being restrained by six hardy Amazons.

  ‘Okay you lot!’ Captain Jenny yelled. ‘You heard the lady!’ She began issuing more orders to get the troops to clean up and help with the wounded.

  Penethelia wrenched herself free of the Amazons who had been holding her back. She gaped at Sarah as she approached. ‘Bugger me, Kopernik! What the hell did you do?’

  Sarah panted and looked up at Penethelia. ‘Sorry about that, Your Majesty. Please don’t take it out on Ashe. To get them out of The Underworld, I had to get them to follow me. It was the last thing they heard before I brought them back.’ Despite the energy from Wolfenvald she’d received, Sarah was exhausted.

  Penethelia managed to get her temper under control. ‘Alright, I can understand that,’ she replied darkly. She squinted at Sarah. ‘You alright, Lieutenant?’

  Sarah was swaying on her feet. ‘I’m fine, Your Maj—’ was all she managed to say before her eyes glazed over. She crumpled to the floor with a loud clatter. Unconscious, she lay there scarcely breathing for a few moments before her body returned to its werewolf form.

  A small portal appeared and out of it loped a striking silver and black werewolf. Unlike Benjamin, this Silver Shroud was female and her markings were similar to those of the Anthropophagi tribal tattoos. She stood and shook herself for a moment then assumed her human shape — that of the Guild beastmaster and also more importantly, Amazon Lieutenant, Kate O’Brien.

  ‘About time you showed up, O’Brien,’ Penethelia grunted. ‘Where have you been?’

  ‘I was at the temple of the Order of Silver Shrouds on Wolfenvald, Your Majesty. They’ve selected a new warrior they want to lead them when Kopernik calls.’

  ‘Who?’ Penethelia was genuinely interested.

  O’Brien didn’t smile. She simply replied deadpan, ‘Me, Your Majesty. I told them I’m already commissioned to Lentekhi—’

  ‘You have leave to lead the pack of cursed ones,’ Penethelia interrupted. The idea of the Order of Silver Shrouds being led by one of her own appealed to her.

  O’Brien nodded gratefully. ‘Thank-you Ma’am. If we survive what’s coming, I’ll step aside and return to ranks if you’ll have me.’

  Penethelia waved that aside. ‘We’ll worry about that later. As for leading the pack, I’m glad it’s you rather than a non-Amazon.’ She nodded towards Sarah who was lying on the ground, barely breathing. ‘You better see what you can do for her.’

  O’Brien nodded and rushed to Sarah’s side.

  ‘She gonna be okay?’ Penethelia demanded.

  The beautiful and heavily-tattooed Amazon knelt down beside Sarah. She put one hand on the back of Sarah’s neck. ‘Looks like exhaustion, Your Majesty. She needs rest.’

  While O’Brien was examining Sarah, Penethelia began pacing back and forth. She looked around at the resurrected Amazons who were busily clearing up the mess. Why? What was the point of all this? She shook her head.

  ‘I don’t get it,’ she muttered. ‘Captain Troy!’ she called to Angelina.

  Angelina looked up and saluted. ‘Ma’am?’

  ‘I’ll need a full report from you soon, but for now, I’ve got another question that needs an answer.’

  ‘Ma’am?’ Angelina said again.

  ‘What was all this for? Why the hell did Mautallius send those demons here in the first place?’

  ‘I’ve been wondering that myself, Your Majesty. He knows they’re no match for Sarah. It didn’t make any sense. If anything, it just made us stronger.’ She waved at the gleaming golden legion. ‘Look at the result.’

  Penethelia continued to pace in frustration. ‘That’s the whole point! All he did was waste the lives and loyalty of a bunch of demons and our time!’ She looked at Angelina seriously as something occurred to her. ‘He needed the time… He needed a diversion!’

  O’Brien looked up at the Amazon Queen. ‘She needs rest,’ she repeated. She looked down and held both of Sarah’s eyelids open. Her golden eyes were dim and unresponsive.

  Penethelia shook her head. ‘If Mautallius needed a diversion, he’s up to something. We may not have much time before we need her again. We need her back on her feet.’

  ‘Only Wolfenvald has that power, Your Majesty. It can probably help her a bit here, but she’ll get better faster there.’

  Penethelia nodded. ‘Very well, Silver Shroud. Take her away but bring her back as soon as you can. When she wakes up, tell her she’s been bumped up to General. That lot,’ and she waved at the newly-revived soldiers, ‘will still follow her lead more willingly than mine, I’ll bet. If she can command them, she can command more and I can’t have a Lieuie in command of a whole goddamn army. In the meantime, I think it’s time to go to Gembrook.’ She turned to Angelina. ‘Captain, you stay here and mobilise everyone!’

  Angelina snapped to attention and saluted.

  Penethelia waved to Sally. ‘C’mon, General, you’re with me.’

  As Penethelia muttered a quick spell and created a small portal barely big enough for she and Sally to use, O’Brien created her own portal to Wolfenvald. The tattooed Amazon picked Sarah up and carried her through to the enchanted forest world. When they arrived, O’Brien laid Sarah down on the ground gently. After a short while, Sarah woke up, blinking.

  ‘Greetings, Golden Mane,’ Wolfenvald whispered to her.

  Sarah shook herself a few times and rolled about. As she nuzzled the turf and stretched, she felt all her weariness dissipate. She stood up and looked around. She wasn’t in a place she recognised at all. Normally when she had come to Wolfenvald, she arrived in the middle of a huge boreal forest that covered the entire northeast continent. This place was much further southwest. Instead of being surrounded by immense pines and oaks, Sarah found herself in a large grassy valley. Mountains rose on all sides and a river flowed into a great lake down to the southern end. The surrounding mountains were made of granite and marble and rose high into the sky where their snow-capped peaks shone majestically. The valley was bathed in strong, warm sunlight.

  Sarah sniffed. She could not detect the scent of any other werewolf except O’Brien who was still in her human form. She looked at her curiously.

  ‘Why’d you bring me here?’

  O’Brien was also looking around with surprise. ‘I don’t know how we got here, First,’ she said with far more respect than she had used even to Queen Penethelia. ‘I tried to take you to the northeast ranges, but Wolfenvald itself directed me here.’ She looked around again. ‘As far as I know, no other werewolf’s ever been here.’

  ‘What’s going on back home?’

  O’Brien shook her head. ‘I’m not sure, First. Queen Penethelia and probably General Troy have gone to Gembrook. As far as I know, Angelina’s still at Lentekhi, but she’s unpredictable. Queen Penethelia wanted me to advise you that you now hold the rank of General. I don’t think she’s too happy that nearly an entire division will follow your orders over hers.’

  Sarah grinned. ‘She doesn’t have to worry. I won’t steal her soldiers.’ She looked around. ‘You’ve never been here before? Are you sure this range is unclaimed? It looks like a nice spot.’

  ‘The Silver Shroud Amazon is correct, Golden Mane,’ whispered Wolfenvald. ‘The mountains around you have
kept this vale pristine in readiness for the one who will call the Werenmesse.’

  Sarah gave a startled yip. ‘What?’ she demanded. ‘Hang on! How come I don’t get a say in this?’ she barked out loud.

  O’Brien looked at her with alarm and immediately changed form. The Silver Shroud sat at attention, wagging her tail a little nervously.

  ‘You are the one, Sarah Kopernik. Your time is now. Claim this range, Golden Mane and call the Werenmesse!’ Now the whispering had become a command.

  Sarah seemed surprised, but she was also beginning to feel incredibly strong again as the sunlight and Wolfenvald itself washed away her weariness. She sniffed about and then lifted one hind leg, crouched and peed on the ground. As soon as she finished, Sarah felt an incredible surge of energy. This was her home. This was her range! She tilted her head back and howled loud and proud that this place was hers and hers alone.

  ‘Werenmesse!’ Wolfenvald responded. Unlike every other time the forest world had spoken, now it spoke aloud.

  Sarah heard a sound like a bell ringing, and was suddenly surrounded by a beam of the brightest sunlight. It was as if every particle in the atmosphere above her had moved aside to allow the full strength of the sunlight to shine down upon her. Sarah tilted her head back and howled in euphoria.

  For a few moments, only the echoes of that ringing sound, and Wolfenvald’s declaration of Werenmesse could be heard. At first, nothing seemed to happen. Then packs of werewolves began appearing throughout the valley. First there were dozens of packs, then hundreds. Soon there were thousands of packs of werewolves, all racing about to settle in their tight-knit groups around her. Sarah had seen a large gathering of werewolves before when she had restored Jasper’s life, but that was tiny compared to this. She could scarcely believe it, there were so many!

  O’Brien stepped aside as Uncle Benjamin, Aunt Roberta and Uncle Robert appeared.

  Sarah looked at Benjamin. ‘What do I do now?’ she asked him in a whisper.

  Her most favourite uncle in the universe shrugged and shook his silver and grey coat. ‘I don’t know, Golden Mane,’ he replied much more formally than he had to her in the past, though his eyes gleamed with glee. Unable to keep a straight face any more, he grinned. ‘But it looks like you’ve got quite an audience!’