Serving the Amazons Ch. 09

Anteros woke before Loja and explored her body with his eyes. The light was brighter now than last night and he could see several faint scars in her skin. She'd obviously been wounded several times before. Only the Amazon's knowledge of herbal remedies had prevented the scars from being much worse.

She woke a few minutes later and saw him looking at her. He smiled but she did not return it. She sprang from the bed and started dressing. When the sun rose she instantly transformed from his lover to his commanding officer.

Loja offered Anteros some bread for breakfast but he refused. He felt nervous about his first day with his new unit and had no appetite.

"Eat it, Anteros. That's an order. You aren't a student any more. You are expected to work for a living and you won't be at your best if your stomach is empty."

"You are drawing a soldier's pay so you will do a soldier's work," she said sternly. "You'll only draw enough pay to meet your basic needs for now, but when you gain experience; your rank will increase along with your pay. You'll be assigned to various duties. You'll always be with experienced warriors and you aren't expected to go into battle soon, but as a soldier that could come at any time. Sometimes the most benign of assignments can turn violent. Such is the life of a warrior."

"I'm anxious to prove myself in battle, Mistress."

"Most young warriors are, Anteros, but don't be too eager. People are killed and maimed in battle. It isn't glamorous or exciting. It is brutal, dirty, work. Never forget that you may be the one killed. Worse yet, you could be blinded, lose an arm or a leg. We take care of our wounded, but some take their own lives rather than live as an invalid. If I couldn't take care of myself, I would take my own life."

Anteros knew well the customs of Amazon warriors. He knew some people with disabling wounds that kept them from being warriors, but none were so badly crippled that they couldn't take care of themselves or function in some job. Not everyone was a professional soldier.

It was unpleasant business, but the severely crippled warriors would take their own life. If they were physically incapable of committing suicide, it was customary to ask for the assistance of a close friend. All one had to do to end their life was tell their friend and a physician they wished to die. Once the request was made and witnessed, the physician would provide the poison and the friend would assist in administering it if necessary.

On the battlefield an Amazon warrior would kill a wounded comrade rather than let them be captured. It was a brutal world and unspeakable things were done to prisoners. The best they could hope for was to be sold into slavery and any Amazon would rather die than be a slave. A badly wounded warrior had no value as a slave so their suffering was used as entertainment for the savages that captured them. Sometimes it would take days to die.

It was unconscionable to allow a comrade to be captured. There was no time for witnesses, poison or long goodbyes. The fallen warrior would be dispatched as quickly and painlessly as possible with the weapon that was most convenient.

Anteros had spent hours contemplating this possibility. He feared death but not to the point of worrying about it. What he did worry about was the possibility of being captured. As unspeakable as the atrocities that some enemies inflicted on their captives were, every potential warrior was told of them, usually in low whispers. It was difficult to say such things out loud. They needed to know so that they wouldn't hesitate to kill their comrades if the need arose.

He worried even more about the possibility of having to kill an Amazon. Could he kill Lorissa? He'd thought about it and knew that it would haunt him the rest of his life if he had to, but he would kill her to save her from being captured. How could he allow someone he loved to be brutally raped and tortured? He couldn't. He knew that killing an Amazon was something he'd never forget, even if it were one he didn't know, but he also knew that he'd expect them to do the same for him.

As Loja lectured him, Anteros forced the bread down as she ordered. She then took him to the edge of the forest to join her unit.

There was nothing sexy or alluring about the way they were dressed. Their attire was all business. The light leather armor was dark brown with a dull finish. It was expertly processed to be extremely hard yet lightweight.

The Amazons depended on their quickness and finesse in battle. Metal armor would provide better protection but not without a price. Metal armor was considerably heavier and would slow the wearer. The leather armor would deflect a weak or glancing blow, but could not stop a powerful cut or thrust if it struck squarely. It would slow the blade keeping it from penetrating as deeply as it would unprotected flesh, but it wouldn't guarantee that the wearer would survive the wound.

A warrior wearing bronze or iron armor was better protected but they couldn't move as far or as fast as one clad in the lighter leather. In tight quarters the metal armor provided an advantage. Out in the open it could be a handicap.

Anteros wore a leather helmet and gauntlets. Over his tunic he wore breast and back plates with room between them down his sides to allow freedom of movement. From the breast and back plates hung several wide strips of leather that provided some protection below the waist but still allowed him to walk comfortably. Some wore shin guards but Anteros found them too restrictive for fast footwork. His trousers and boots were also dull brown, which was a color that provided better concealment in the forest than most.

Some of the women wore outfits nearly identical to Anteros'. Others wore skirts of thick leather strips instead of trousers. This provided them protection from any side down to the knee. The choice of armor was strictly up to the individual warrior, who chose based on their individual skills and fighting style.

Anteros was introduced to the other members of his unit. He wasn't good with names and knew it would take him time to learn all of them, but he made a point to remember the name of Gabrale. She was introduced as Loja's second in command and Anteros was wise enough to know that he'd better not forget her name.

The others politely nodded their heads as they were introduced but didn't seem very friendly. None of them showed the slightest hint of a smile or any other indication that he was welcome.

All of the Amazons carried bows and a large quiver of arrows. All wore swords. Some wore them on belts around their waists and others had them strapped on their backs. Gabrale and one other woman carried long spears of wood with pointed tips that were razor sharp along the edges. Spears were not usually thrown, but used as a thrusting and cutting weapon. It allowed the user to keep an enemy too far away to use a sword. The stout wooden shaft could also be used as a bludgeon, the knees being the most common target.

"Today we will patrol the forest to the south," Loja announced. "Since we have young Anteros to take care of, it is fortunate that enemies rarely approach from that direction. Anteros, you are to concentrate on keeping up with us and keeping the noise to a minimum. Stay to the rear."

Anteros was embarrassed that she singled him out as someone that they needed to take care of. Some of his new comrades had killed ten men. He was inexperienced compared to the rest of his unit, but he didn't wish to be thought of as a burden. He thought perhaps that is why he received a less than warm reception.

"Follow me," ordered Loja.

With that she broke into a jog and headed south into the forest. The others followed, with Anteros bringing up the rear. Gabrale stayed close to Anteros. He was painfully aware that she was watching his every move. He didn't know if she were there to protect him or to chastise him if he did something wrong. Probably both, he thought.

They weaved through the trees with ease. The forest had a heavy canopy in this area and there was little undergrowth to contend with. Loja's pace was an easy one for warriors that were as fit as the Amazons. They could travel twenty miles a day with their armor and weapons, if they chose to press hard. They jogged nearly an hour before Loja slowed her pace to a walk.

Anteros wondered if they were near their destination, but they were only half way there. Loja slowed them to a walk to allow them to catch their breath and to drink. Drinking from a skin was very difficult when running.

It was another hour before they reached their post and relieved the unit that had spent the night there. Now the waiting started. Anteros passed the time by talking to Xanthe.

Xanthe was dressed differently. She was armed with a sword and bow, but she wore no armor. A cloth shirt and trousers, in the same dull brown, were her only garments. She wasn't here to fight although she was capable. She was here to deliver messages back to the city. Armor would only slow her down. She'd jogged to the clearing with them leading a horse. She didn't ride the stallion to save his strength. She'd only ride him to deliver a message when time was of the essence.

Anteros could see that Xanthe had an alluring figure. The rest of the women's shapes were hidden under their armor. Being the only man with a group of women in the city was far more pleasant than being with a group of armor-clad warriors.

Xanthe was relatively small for an Amazon woman but her form was undoubtedly female. One of the primary reasons she became a messenger was her size, a lighter rider being able to cover ground more quickly.

They waited all day and saw no one but birds. As dusk approached they were relieved and jogged back to the city. Their day was a long and boring one but they run kept them fit.

Day after day they patrolled the forest. Some days they would stay in one position for hours. Other days they kept moving. It was tedious but necessary work. Loja's unit was doing low risk jobs until Anteros was better known to her unit and more accustomed to the mundane tasks of a soldier.

The city was bordered on the western edge by clear, spring fed, river. It provided ample water and some food but it was not suitable for navigation. Rapids to the north and south of the city were far too turbulent for any boat to pass. The southern and eastern edges were bordered by farmland. At the northern edge of the city and beyond the farmland, was a thick forest.

The forest was the Amazon's provider and protector. The herbs they used and traded were found in the forest. Wild herbs were not only gathered, but cultivated to produce sufficient quantities for trade. The flora varied, but most of the forest was dark, thick and difficult to pass through. Where travel was easy, the Amazons concealed themselves and kept careful watch. These paths would prove to be choke points for an invading force of any size. Arrows would inflict heavy casualties on the enemy before they ever saw an Amazon guard.

The rulers of nearby cities knew this and elected to trade with the Amazons rather than conquer them. Perhaps they could do so but the price was simply too high. If the natural defenses combined with soldiers that would not surrender were not enough of a deterrent, there was the civilian population to consider. An invading army would certainly suffer heavy casualties just getting to the city. Once there, they would face the well armed and well trained civilians.

Any ruler with common sense knew that if their forces were significantly depleted by a war with the Amazons, some other greedy ruler would surely take advantage of it. Some wars were fought simply to satisfy a ruler's thirst for power, others were fought in the name of some god, but most were fought for profit. The Amazons had succeeded in convincing the known world that attacking them would be too expensive to consider.

This was true since only the Amazons knew which herbs to gather and how to prepare them. If they died, their secrets died with them. A few hundred strong captives would be of great value as slaves, but Amazons fought to the death and killed themselves rather than be captured. There was no profit to be made from trying to enslave them either.

The Amazons had no desire to conquer their neighbors, but the jealously defended their own territory. There was only one real road into the city and it was guarded day and night. This road met up with another road that ran north and south. This was the eastern border of their territory and free for anyone to travel. Amazon merchants set up shop at this intersection and would trade with anyone that had goods of value to them. Since there was always a contingent of crack Amazon troops there, they served the double duty of protecting the entrance to the city and protecting the merchants from bandits. It had been many years since bandits had attempted a raid on the Amazon shopkeepers.

Since the Amazons had been at peace with their neighbors for generations, their only battles were occasional skirmishes with bandits. Bandits traveled in bands, usually of ten or more, looking for easy prey. Because of the bandits, people seldom traveled between cities unless they were armed and with a large group.

The size of the bandit groups varied. They seldom numbered less than ten because then they themselves may become prey for a larger group. Groups of thirty or forty were not uncommon and occasionally a band of more than a hundred would pass through.

The large bands seldom stayed in one place very long. They would take whatever they could and leave. Nothing of value was left behind. Tools, weapons, armor, clothing, pottery and even people were taken. Most that resisted them were killed. Those that did not were captured and sold as slaves. The sick, old, and crippled had no value as slaves. Some bandits would leave them alive, and others would kill them.

The Amazons considered slavery a despicable practice. No person should own another. The Amazons didn't even believe in prisons. To them, being in prison was worse than death.

Crime was rare in the city of the Amazons, but it wasn't unknown. If an Amazon were found guilty of a serious crime there were only two punishments considered. One was death and the other banishment. No one could remember an Amazon being executed by her own tribe and it had been several years since one was banished.

Weeks of waiting for his first battle and today was just another day. Anteros sat on the ground and made small talk with Xanthe. Guarding the large meadow was a boring task but Xanthe's sparkling green eyes and bright smile made the time pass more easily. They had to speak very softly to avoid revealing their position to potential enemies. This forced them to sit very close to each other and Anteros didn't mind this one bit.

They came to the same spot day after day. It was boring duty but Anteros was at least acknowledged by the other warriors after a time. He and Xanthe had become friends. Gabrale actually asked him if he was well after not speaking to him for the first three weeks of his tour with her platoon. Then she went two more weeks without acknowledging his presence except to scold him if he made a mistake.

Once Anteros had let his voice become a bit too loud and a branch 'fell' on his head. He looked up and saw three pairs of eyes glaring at him. He didn't know who dropped the branch and it really didn't matter. He just felt lucky that it wasn't three branches. The knot on his head reminded him to keep his voice down to a whisper.

He was rubbing the bump on his head and listening to Xanthe tell him about the new garment she hoped to purchase when she suddenly stopped speaking and looked up. He started to say something and she touched his mouth with her fingertips. She then pointed up to tree stand.

Anteros looked up and saw Loja signaling with her hands. Enemy sighted... prepare.

After waiting in this spot a dozen times or more, and years of training as a soldier, Anteros wondered if this was going to be the day of his first battle. He saw Xanthe move back carefully toward her horse. She would run for reinforcements or stay and fight as ordered. If there were any doubt that the Amazons would prevail, Loja would send her back to the city. The worst thing she could do is allow invaders to approach without warning. It was always better to err on the side of caution.

Loja and the others scanned the tree line trying to identify who the intruders were and their strength. Xanthe was with her horse now. She'd untied him and could mount and be off in the blink of an eye. She and Anteros couldn't see the intruders from their positions. They could only watch Loja and wait for more information.

Anteros saw her hands move again as she looked at Xanthe. Bandits... thirty... more... get help.

Xanthe swung her leg over the stallion's back and was off. She kept him at a canter until she was out of Anteros' sight. He could then hear her allow the spirited animal to go into a full gallop.

Anteros felt himself sweating as he put on his helmet. His hands trembled. He was feeling a great deal of anxiety about the prospect of his first real engagement. He looked up and saw Loja signal to him. Silence...stay.

Anteros felt relieved that she'd told him exactly what to do. He was to do nothing. He thought that seemed like a reasonable thing to do since they were badly outnumbered and the enemy didn't seem to know of their presence yet. He wiped his moist hands on his trousers. He'd been cool enough but now his light armor felt hot and confining. If there weren't intruders nearby he'd take it off. He felt a hollow, sick feeling in his stomach.

Anteros realized that now he was frightened and he was ashamed of it. What did Diana say? She said, "Courage isn't the absence of fear, it is the ability to face your fear."

"Okay. I'm not a coward", he thought to himself. He would fight if that was what the gods wanted him to do. But the gods weren't speaking to him and they wouldn't give the order, Loja would. He was confident in his ability to fight, but they were nine and the enemy was thirty or more. He knew the chance of the Amazons winning the battle against such odds was remote.

Among the thoughts that were racing through his head was 'Why am I thinking about the gods?' He wasn't a religious man. He really didn't believe the gods controlled their lives. Or did he? Then it occurred to him that he had more important things to do right now than have a theological debate with himself. He looked back at Loja for guidance.

Loja was climbing down from the tree. The other women were still scanning the trees.

She approached Anteros and when she was close enough she whispered to him, "They've spread out along the tree line. They are being very cautious. That makes me think they know that they are in our territory. I expect them to send some scouts into the meadow eventually. When they do, you and I will go out to meet them. If they suspect how few we are, they won't hesitate to attack. I'm taking you because I want them to know it is not just women they will face."

"But why would they come here, Mistress? What do they want?"

Loja's brow furrowed with concern as she answered, "They must be slave traders. If they were to ambush an Amazon and take her alive, she'd be quite a prize. Wealthy men would pay dearly for the pleasure of boasting that they had an Amazon warrior in their harem. These bandits must be very well prepared or very stupid to come here. I'm hoping for stupid."

A soft whistle came from above. Loja looked up and saw the signal.

Loja grabbed Anteros by his upper arms and pierced his eyes with her gaze as she said, "They are coming, Anteros. Stay beside me but not so close that you can't use your sword. Show no fear! These barbarians can smell it!"