Amazonia

  Amazonia tilted her head and looked up. Amko was standing beside her, dressed in red robes the color of heart’s blood, with silver runes of power embroidered on the sleeves. “Get your wand away from my neck.”

  Amko’s eyes narrowed. “With my wand touching your skin, I don’t need you to have a slave collar to make you suffer.”

  “Oh no?” Amazonia gave the mage her coldest smile. “I can think of four reasons standing right behind you.” Dancer chuckled as a soft snarl came from Troll’s throat, the two Nomads remaining silent as all four surrounded Amko in a semi-circle. Amko glanced their way as her eyes widened. Fast as a black adder, Amazonia grabbed the mage’s wrist and pushed the wand away from her skin, her grip tightening as Amko tried to pull away. “Sit down or I’ll snap your bones like a rotten branch. You know I’m strong enough to do it.” The mage hesitated and Amazonia squeezed.

  Amko yelped and sat down. The male crowd on the benches below them were laughing at the Satyr’s word play, but the women immediately behind them had gone silent, watching intently as Amko hissed, “Cease punishment, giving compliance.”

  Amazonia eased her grip but didn’t let go. “You too,” she said to the four. “You’re frightening the women.”

  “Can’t have that now, can we,” Troll said with a leer. Amazonia glared at him and he said, “Yes, Domina.”

  The four returned to their bench, but sat facing the upper benches as Amazonia turned her attention to Amko. “First, I have no idea where Little Paulus is, other than he’s with Titan in a secret room somewhere in the building… which wasn’t my idea,” she added, “but came from Lady Alexina. So you can hurt anyone you like with your toy, but you won’t get the truth. Because none of us know.” Amazonia saw the fear on the mage’s face and let go of her arm. “Let me guess: during the performance, you were upstairs with that pig Eurax and his men, weren’t you?”

  Amko gaped at her. “How… how could you know?”

  “Logic,” Fox said before Amazonia could open her mouth. “Lady Alexina told us we would be in a drama tonight, and every drama needs a villain. The only question is why you’re on his side?”

  “Where else would I be?” Amko began absently rubbing her wrist with her hands in her lap as her voice became surly. “When Lord Paulus was labeled a traitor by the emperor, it tainted not only him, but anyone not a slave who was in service to him. The Guild of the Magus has already announced my expulsion.”

  “Crave pardon if sympathy not extended,” Amazonia said mockingly, changing languages as she added, “So,

  Eurax was the only one you could find to take you in?”

  “Only if I brought him Lord Paulus’ son.” Amko plucked at the sleeves of the new robes she wore. “He gave me this so I would have enough power to wield my wand effectively, and to show his generosity to those who do his will.”

  Amazonia looked at her clothing with a critical eye. “Those robes were cut to fit you.”

  “Of course not,” Amko said too quickly, with a catch in her voice. “I was fortunate—”

  “You knew Lord Paulus would be killed today,” Amazonia softly snarled.

  “”No, no, I did not. I swear to you I did not.”

  “She’s lying, Domina,” Fox said. “I can smell the fear coming off her.” Amko shrank away as Fox added, “What do you want to do with her?”

  Beads of sweat popped out on the mage’s forehead as Amazonia considered. “I believe that depends on Amko. I’ll never forgive you for Lord Paulus’ death, but I also realize it was politics.”

  “I could not change his fate,” Amko pleaded. “Even if I had told him of the plot, he still would have gone out into the arena just to make sure your collars were broken.”

  “Domina, she believes she’s telling the truth.”

  “And she probably is,” Amazonia admitted.

  “I am,” the mage said, “and more to the point, had Lord Paulus survived, Lord Eurax was going to have the carriage transporting him ambushed. He never realized the emperor was going to snatch the boy right out from under his nose and give the child to you.”

  “That I believe.” Amazonia regarded her for a moment. “So, with his initial plan to have Little Paulus become his bed slave turned into a dog’s dinner, what did he plan to do tonight?” For a long moment, Amko’s face became a stoic mask.

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  Then the mask crumbled as her body sagged. “I was to tell the boy his mother was upstairs in the grand booth, and wished to say goodbye to him. Doubtless, you would have gone with him, and when you discovered the ruse, Lord Eurax’s men were to pull out the wooden clubs they have hidden under their cloaks and use them to beat you until you lost consciousness.”

  Amazonia couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “Has Eurax lost mind? Wardogs stand beside Reaver Knight, valor without measure.”

  “He has twenty ex-gladiators,” Amko said in a tired voice, “and all of you are unarmed. What he plans to do now, I have no idea.”

  “She’s definitely telling the truth. Domina,” Fox said, “I think we should let Mistress Alexina know what’s happening.”

  Amazonia shook her head. “I don’t want to get her involved in this if I can help—”

  “Dear,” a familiar voice said, “I am already involved.” Still dressed in her decorative leather armor, Lady Alexina sat down beside Amko, who went still as a bird under a cat’s paw. “Now, if the mage goes upstairs empty-handed, Lord Eurax will either have her beaten to death for failing him, doubtless throwing her body over the side of the hill afterwards, or ‘escorted’ back to his villa, where he can make her death become, shall we say, more creative.” Amko went pale and Lady Alexina patted her hand. “You confessed your part in the plot and for that should be rewarded.”

  “I don’t understand,” Amazonia said. “How can you possibly know what was said?”

  Lady Alexina gave Az a sardonic smile. “When I reconstructed this amphitheater, I discovered all the hidden passages with their secret rooms, then added a few of my own. I also enchanted a few devices and installed them in strategic places, such as the back of the bench you are sitting on, which allow me to secretly listen in on conversations.”

  Amazonia began leaning back to investigate, but stopped and focused on Lady Alexina as she continued. “Alright, now that we know what Eurax is up to, we need to defang him before he causes us any more problems.”

  “Killing him would solve the problem once and for all,” Amazonia said.

  “It would,” Lady Alexina replied, “yet create another even worse when the emperor’s Imperial agents, sworn to avenge the murders of prominent citizens and lords, began tracking you down. No, Eurax must not be harmed, just defanged.”

  “Lady Alexina,” Amko said, “even if you manage to tear his fangs out, he will make sure they grow back.”

  “Eventually,” the Daemo replied. “What Amazonia needs is time, and a long distance away from Konstanopolis before they do, while you need the illusion that you’re Eurax’s creature and not Jhadra’s.” Amazonia reared back in shock as a terrified expression seized Amko’s face. Lady Alexina held up her hand to keep Amko from speaking. “Cast features back into mask,” Lady Alixina said in Roma. Amko nodded, resuming her normal haughty expression as the Daemo nodded.“ Much better,” she said, switching back to Greco. “Come close and I shall tell you what I propose we do.” Amazonia moved to the Daemo’s other side, Fox sitting at her feet, and the three leaned in as Lady Alexina softly spoke.

  When she finished, fear returned to Amko’s face. “My lady, this plan—”

  “Is dangerous for you, I know. Yet is the danger any less for Amazonia? Or for myself? I make a dangerous enemy tonight, and despite the precautions I am taking, there is a fair chance I will wind up back in the spawning pits of the Underworld.”

  Still at Amazonia’s feet, Fox said, “Mistress, you have Greywolf to protect you.”

  “Not after tonight,” Lady Alexina replied, shaking her head. “Greywolf’s mother leaves in the morning with her son.”

  “To where?”

  “I arranged to have them guard a caravan whose master is in my employ, and who will have them in the Sasnayam Empire’s satrapy, the city-state of Bukhara, around the same time that Amazonia and her Wardogs arrive.”

  Amazonia’s ears perked up. “Do you believe they will help us?”

  Lady Alexina made a helpless gesture with her hands. “I have no idea, though I do feel certain Asena will have no love for the Sasnayams and less for their religion. It was actually Jhadra’s idea, if you wish to know the truth.”

  “Lady Jhadra?” Amazonia frowned. “What else does she know about tonight’s events?”

  “About tonight’s events, nothing… though she will know all by tomorrow.” Lady Alexina’s purple hued eyes met Amazonia’s. “All I know is that Jhadra has contacts in Bukhara, and that it is of the utmost importance for you to let Titan set the pace and arrive when he wants to.” She held up a hand to stop Az from questioning her. “I told him what I am telling you now: if your mission is to succeed, it must happen in Bukhara close to the time of their annual harvest. I have given him a detailed map and enough gold to get you there in good time. Now,” her voice becoming brisk, “are you ready to begin our little drama?”

  Amazonia gave her a dark smile. “More than ready.” Amazonia stood up, clamped her hand over Amko’s mouth and hauled her to her feet, Az motioning with her head for the other Wardogs to join her.

  Dancer was at her side in a flash. “Domina, what’s going on?”

  “We’re paying Eurax and his boys a little visit,” she replied as the other three joined them. “If anyone in the audience looks like they’re going to interfere, glare at them and they should back down.”

  Amazonia began frog marching Amko towards the stairs leading up as Fox joined Lady Alexina, both striding away in the other direction. “Domina,” Troll said, “where’s Fox going?”

  “She’s got her own part to play,” Amazonia said. They reached the stairs and started up. “Follow my lead and be ready to fight.” Troll grinned as the other three traded looks before nodding, then followed in her wake. Looking up, Az saw a cloaked figure at the top of the stairs and muttered, “Now.”

  Amko began to struggle. Amazonia hauled her up and hung onto her, Dancer grabbing her feet when they started to kick. A woman wearing a richly embroidered dress stood up with an expression of outrage, which slid into uncertainty and fear as Troll growled, “Don’t make this your concern unless you’d like to be next.” The woman’s eyes went wide as wine cups as the group passed.

  Glancing up, Amazonia noticed the top step was now empty, but let Amko continue her struggles as they reached it and strode into the pillared structure. Beyond the doorway at the building's rear, torches had been lit and attached to wooden poles, illuminating a wide, weed choked area with twenty or so cloaked men and the thin, pock marked man Az had seen in the Imperial Box. As her group passed through the doorway, he said in a reedy voice, “Outrage! Release prisoner at once.”

  Amazonia stopped a stone’s throw away. “You must be Eurax.”