by Travis Bughi
“Follow me,” she said.
Emily took off through the forest on her injured leg and was quickly followed by the other amazons. As they disappeared beneath thick foliage, shouting erupted behind them.
“After them!” Lok’har yelled, and then yelled again after a pause. “I don’t care about the werewolves! Get them!”
The amazons packed tightly together, skin touching skin, in the darkness that enveloped them. Each woman held her bow drawn with an arrow ready. They pointed into the darkness at the enemy they would not see until the last moment. Emily was the only one that held two arrows at once. She kept the bow string taut as she led the way.
When they passed the two dead werewolves, Emily ignored the hushed words of surprise from the others. Chara said nothing, and Emily was thankful for that. As they continued on to the next dead werewolf, the one Emily had killed with her knife, the amazons heard the thunder of hooves behind them.
Emily did not turn to look. She knew what was waiting for her just beyond her vision and that looking away would only cause her death. Besides, those at the rear quickly confirmed what she expected.
“Here comes Lok’har,” Hanna called.
The thunder came louder.
“We have to break formation,” Adelpha said.
“No,” Emily countered. “If we do that, the werewolves will attack.”
The hooves beat the ground and then came to a sudden halt, far too close for comfort.
“Where are you running to, humans?” Lok’har called. “You’re already dead! Draw arrows!”
The centaur’s last words were a command to his troops, and Emily knew they were out of time. If only she could just find that cave—and there it was! She saw it through the darkness, just barely, but it was there all the same.
“There! Run!” Emily yelled.
The amazons took off, breaking their tight formation as the sound of centaur bows loosing arrows reached their ears. Fractions of a moment later, a shower of short wooden shafts pelted the ground, the trees, and any other thing unfortunate enough to get in the way.
Some of those things were werewolves.
Just as Emily feared, when the amazons broke into a run, the waiting beasts launched their attack. Huge bodies of fur and fury sprung from anything large enough to hide them. Emily released both of her arrows into the first werewolf that leapt out. She drew another two projectiles and turned around, taking a quick knee to steady her aim.
Emily saw the remaining amazons running past her, loosing arrows in all directions. Half of them had noticed the cave, while the other half simply followed in panic. Two amazons had fallen, stricken by centaur arrows, and were being dragged off into the night by hungry jaws. Hanna had been hit by an arrow, too, the shaft protruding from her arm.
“Run, Mother!” Leda said, placing an arm under the older woman in support.
They stumbled and lagged, and Emily held her bow string drawn and at the ready.
Her momentary patience paid off. A werewolf noticed the straggling mother-daughter pair and dived out of the darkness to strike them down. Both of Emily’s arrows hit home and stopped the creature in its tracks. It didn’t even get close enough to raise a paw.
Emily looked beyond the amazons now. Her eyes found the centaurs, and her cheek peeled back the slightest of smiles at what she saw.
Lok’har’s deadly volley had cost his forces dearly. Every centaur had drawn an arrow and fired, which had left them, if only for the faintest of moments, completely vulnerable. It was just what the werewolves had been waiting for. The remaining centaurs of Lok’har’s once substantial army were now fighting tooth and nail, or fist and hoof, to survive. The werewolves were leaping in from every direction and tearing huge, sweeping gaps into the centaur ranks. Screams and howls filled the night air, and the centaurs were forced to ignore the humans just to keep breathing. They fired arrows, fought with swords, and kicked with all four of their legs to keep their pouncing enemy at bay.
Lok’har alone turned to watch the amazon retreat, but he was too far away to see the dark cave they disappeared into.
Emily saw all of this in a glance because that was the only amount of time she had to look. She turned back and ran with the other amazons toward the cave, limping horribly but able to keep pace. Already, some of the amazons had made it there, and they were turned, bows drawn, out toward the forest lest any unseen enemies try to stop one of their sisters.
Emily ran into the cave’s entrance last, collapsing in pain as she did so.
The entrance was small in the sense that only five of the women could stand abreast. The rest of the tunnel twisted and turned deep into the ground, but they only went back a couple of steps. It was just enough that they had a clear sight on anyone or anything that tried to come inside. They were also fully concealed from the moonlight.
At first, no one said anything. Only the sounds of panting and gasping echoing off the solid rock walls kept them company. Then, as the women started to look at each other in the pitch black darkness, they made a startling discovery.
“We made it!” Iezabel yelled.
The amazons went into an excited cheer, which was cut short by a sssshhhh! from Adelpha.
“Stay quiet,” she whispered. “The werewolves aren’t gone yet.”
They hushed down and let the night’s silence take over. Still, Emily grinned into the dark and felt more than one rough pat on her back in congratulations or perhaps ‘thank you.’ Either way, they felt good. She turned to where she knew Chara was and smiled. Chara, in kind, put an arm over Emily and gave her a gentle hug.
The small gesture brought a wave of happiness; she’d never felt so complete in her life. Emily had found a new treasure, perhaps the only treasure in the world that mattered to her: her grandmother’s praise. It was, possibly, equal in weight to her father’s praise, and that was saying a lot.
Maybe, Emily thought, her life with these amazons wouldn’t be so bad. Maybe she could earn their respect and find her place among them. It would mean a lifetime at Chara’s side, and that was something Emily looked forward to. Yes, she thought. Yes, she would stay.
A centaur’s scream penetrated her thoughts and the thoughts of others. It was sharp and painful, and closer than expected.
“Form up!” Lok’har yelled in anger. “Form up NOW!”
“Where are they, my lord?” a centaur asked.
“They’re over here,” he responded. “I saw them run this way, and I heard them.”
Another centaur’s scream filled the air.
“My lord!” the centaur pleaded. “We must stop for the night. We can’t keep going like this! The others—”
His pleading turned to a shriek and then a heavy thud and rustle as his body was dragged into the night.
“Damn it!” Lok’har snarled. “You! Take his place.”
“Form up!” the new centaur yelled. “The beasts are back! Get ready.”
The sound of shuffling hooves and quickly released arrows was barely picked up by Emily’s ears over the werewolf howls. Those howls were turned into whimpering retreats, however, in rapid succession. Following each thunk of a bow string was a squeal or yelp of pain.
“Amazons!” Lok’har yelled into the night.
Another set of howls, whimpers, and a centaur scream rose into the air.
“I’ll find you!” Lok’har yelled. “I will find you!”
“Shoot!” the new centaur yelled.
Centaurs screamed, arrows thunked, and werewolves howled.
And it stayed that way for what seemed like an eternity. No one slept. No one spoke up. The sounds of battle kept them all wide awake. The only good news was that Emily didn’t have to wake up to a nightmare this time.
She was already in one.
Chapter 17
The morning sunlight brought morbid silence. Sometime in the late night, the howls, screams, and commands to reload had died out as the combatants moved off into the distance. As the first streaks of da
wn broke out, the silence of Angor seemed even graver than usual.
The amazons had lain undisturbed in their cave throughout the entire night. If the werewolves had noticed them, they did not try to attack. If there were kobolds in the cave, they did not make their presence known. The only thing that Emily had heard for the past few hours was the sound of her own breathing, the quiet breaths of others, and the constant thud of her own beating heart.
Other than to bandage her wounded leg, Emily had hardly even shifted position. When the amazons finally stirred and made their first steps out into the welcoming sunlight, Emily noted how stiff her body felt. Every joint had been held in tight suspense, and as she let each one loose, the tension did not go quietly. The good news was that her injury was not as severe as she’d first thought. She could put weight on it without feeling a shock of pain. The sounds of morning were joined by the cracking of bones from women who could finally feel just slightly at peace.
Having carefully emerged from the cave like wayward children, the amazons looked around and saw trees, bushes, rocks and nothing else. They did not see werewolves. They did not see centaurs. None that were alive, anyway.
The enemies were gone, and the amazons would reach Themiscyra.
“Woo-hoo!” Iezabel thrust her bow up into the air and yelled out her excitement.
Her calls were immediately matched, and arms were thrown up in praise and disbelief. Women clung to each other in thankful hugs, and others began to weep for those that had been lost. Emily and Chara jumped into each other’s arms and held each other tightly, laughing and cheering.
Emily had nearly lost her grandmother, not to mention her own life, one time too many on this trip. If she could help it, she would not let it happen again.
“I think we might finally have done it this time,” Chara said.
“I think so, too!” Emily smiled back.
“Alright!” Adelpha yelled.
Her voice was short and commanding. The amazons stopped their celebrations quickly and turned to their young princess. Emily took a moment to admire Adelpha’s poise. She could see why others were quick to envy and follow the woman.
“We’re not home yet,” Adelpha said. “We have one day of light before the werewolves go hunting again. Let’s get out of this place.”
“To Themiscyra!” Hanna yelled.
“To Themiscyra!” the amazons repeated.
They cheered aloud once more.
Emily stopped to look around for those that had been lost. To Emily, Kirke was the most evident and the most missed. As she counted silently to herself, she noticed that Gaia had fallen as well. Either that or she had escaped, which was unlikely because Belen had been in the cave with them. Emily remembered watching her face in the dark, seeing a twinge of fear behind her cold exterior. Perhaps last night’s fight had broken her will. Maybe now, Belen would go quietly.
Wait, Emily thought, where is Belen?
Emily quickly scanned the crowd of cheering women again, looking frantically high and low.
“Where’s Belen?” she asked.
No one heard her over the celebrating.
“Where’s Belen!” Emily yelled.
The amazons slowed their celebrations to look at Emily with puzzlement, and then they quickly swept the crowd for Belen’s rope-bound figure.
None saw her.
Panic swept through the faces of everyone left standing. Their eyes turned from searching in, to looking out. Emily was already two steps ahead of them and, moments before the others, saw the faint traces of footsteps. As her eyes followed the impressions, she saw the slightest twitch of clothing to the north between the trees.
“There!” Emily pointed.
“After her!” Adelpha yelled.
The remaining amazons—twelve now, minus Belen—took off at a rapid pace after the traitor. Emily found the rope used to bind her lying on the ground, cut and frayed.
How’d she manage that? Emily thought. Damn it! I should have listened to that elf!
They bolted through the forest, catching glimpses of Belen through the gaps between trees. She hadn’t made it far, and with any luck, they would catch up to her quickly. Belen had never been fast, having always relied on others to do that sort of work.
And then, suddenly, Belen’s mad dash ended in an abrupt halt, both her feet hitting the ground and her hands thrust forward. Emily saw a hunting knife in Belen’s right hand. As the amazons ran, they watched as Belen took a few steps back before turning completely around and running back towards the amazons.
“After her!” Lok’har yelled.
The amazons stopped dead in their tracks as Belen turned towards them and ran at full speed. Behind her, the centaurs dashed out from the tree line. The first one took aim at Belen and, from that range, could not miss.
However as he aimed, he looked beyond the fleeing woman to see twelve other women in the bushes and quickly stepped behind a tree.
“More amazons!” he yelled back.
Lok’har and several other centaurs burst onto the scene. The amazons took cover, but it was too late. They had been spotted, and as Belen rejoined their ranks, the rest of Lok’har’s centaurs came into view.
Emily quickly counted those that she could see or knew were hiding. It came as quite a shock when she ended at only twenty centaurs. Truly, this fight in werewolf territory had cost Lok’har dearly. Yet, still he was here, alive and as determined as ever. Such steadfast will could be nothing short of madness, Emily thought.
“I have you now!” Lok’har yelled.
“You have nothing!” Adelpha yelled back. “But stick your head out, and I’ll give you something to take home!”
“This fool just doesn’t quit,” Iezabel snarled. “He can’t possibly hope to win now.”
“You’re still outnumbered!” Lok’har yelled. “Give up now, and I’ll make your death swift!”
As Emily listened to Lok’har, she noticed something different in his tone. Until now, Lok’har had been a bastion of ignorant confidence, yet now his voice rang with a doubt that was too great to hide. Almost instantly, Emily deduced why. Lok’har knew he was beaten. He knew he could not win, yet he had not yet lost. He was grasping at straws.
“I’d cut your head off myself, Lok’har,” Adelpha started her taunt, “but I don’t think it’d be worth—”
“Psst!” Emily interrupted. “Adelpha!”
Adelpha stopped in the middle of her insult to stare in bewilderment at Emily. What? her face read.
“Ha!” Lok’har yelled. “Your stumbling betrays your fear!”
“I’m not—” Adelpha started to yell back.
“Adelpha!” Emily interrupted her again.
“What!?”
Adelpha’s face was full of rage. How dare Emily interrupt her in the middle of insulting the enemy? Emily, though, was full of purpose and spoke in a firm voice.
“Lok’har’s scared!” Emily said. “You can hear it in his voice. Let me point it out to him. Maybe we can get out of here sooner. We need to get home.”
That did the trick. The mention of home swept aside Adelpha’s need to taunt, and she gave Emily her nod of approval.
“Make it quick,” Adelpha said.
Emily nodded and yelled, “Lok’har!”
There was no response, so she continued.
“You can’t win, Lok’har!” Emily yelled. “Even at a slow pace, we will reach the jungle before nightfall comes again. You won’t be able to surround us! You won’t be able to flank us! You won’t be able to kill us! And, when we reach the jungle, you’ll have nothing but werewolves at your back.”
Still there was no reply.
“You’re going to die here, Lok’har! Yet we will live!” Emily let her voice take on a tone of pity. “You have no choice but to turn and leave if you value your life!”
Emily waited for a reply, and it came after a long pause.
“You may be right, human,” Lok’har called. “But I valued my sons’ lives o
ver my own. I’ll make you a promise that you should not take lightly. After I leave here today, I will hunt your kind with every soldier at my command. Every time any of you step foot into my forest, I’ll create a massacre from your bodies. I’ll turn your party into a graveyard. I’ll make a mound from your corpses. Angor will no longer be a place of travel for you. It will be a place of death!”
The amazons swore. The forest was already dangerous enough just trying to avoid enemies that weren’t looking for a fight. With Lok’har’s promise, the trip through Angor would become impossible. Sure, they could travel only through werewolf territory and pop out into the Great Plains early, but that would mean a long trip to Lucifan without a reliable source of water. Death by thirst was just as bad as death by arrow.
There could be no going around Angor, only through, and that meant either Lok’har had to die here today or another solution needed to be found.
“We can’t kill him, can we?” Emily confirmed out loud more than asked.
“We could try,” Chara tried to sound hopeful, “but his centaurs have heard the command and will carry it on without him.”
“And if we killed them all?” Emily asked.
“Trying to kill all of them and stay alive?” Adelpha asked, sounding surprisingly calm about it. “We may have range, but we lack the arrows and speed to catch them all. We’d have better luck trusting a gremlin.”
“I take it that’s not a good thing, is it?” Emily replied.
“No,” Adelpha confirmed. “No, it’s not.”
Emily considered the options for a moment and then had a striking thought.
“Hey!” she said. “What if we delay them until nightfall again and then hide in another cave? Let the werewolves finish them off.”
Emily smiled brightly until she saw those closest to her shake their heads.
“Not a chance,” Iezabel said. “Too many bodies around. More werewolves will come tonight. Last night was likely just one pack. Tonight, we’ll see hundreds. There is no cave that could quench that amount of thirst.”
“Well,” Emily said, “then I’ve only got one other idea.”
“What’s that?” they asked.