End Chapter 15 It was just a few hours before dawn, that cold autumn night, when Thera's loyal, faithful women went back to their homes to prepare themselves for war as the helots throughout the city cleared away the corpses of the dead. Many of those murdered, as they slept in their warm beds, were members of the Senate and their wives, along with their servants who were not prepared and ill-equipped to fight off the Themiscryan assassins. Funeral pyres were amassed, as ordered by the king, to burn the bodies of the dead quickly to prevent the stench of rotting flesh and disease to spread. This included the fallen members of the King's body guards who failed to keep him and his family safe; which served only to bring Vyakles to furious anger and bitter disappointment. Katarina and her warriors saw the flames and black smoke rise high as they waited anxiously for the arrival of the Spartan Army, who gathered together with King Vyakles planning their counter-attack.
Now when Lucia Vega, Lacuna, and the rest of Thera's brave ladies, assembled with the soldiers and sailors the Spartan men stood in awe for many had never seen the women arrayed in their battle armaments. They stood tall and fierce, eyes painted black, hair pulled back into braids, their armor gleaming by the torch lights, swords at their sides, shields and spears in hand, looking like warriors sent from hell, leading their massive war horses behind them, with a look as severe and devastating as an earthquake. Their appearance was as ominous and terrifying as any demon, the spirit of evil personified. However when La Quint and Vasha saw their wives, who were newly with child, ready for war they protested loudly "My King! Do not allow our brides to join in this battle, for this action could gravely jeopardize the tiny lives growing inside of them."
Vyakles turned and heard the concern in his friends voices and he said "Lacuna and Lucia Vega have been given their orders. They have not come to fight. You, Admiral Vasha, are to sail them up to the Gulf of Argolis, along with 3 of my warships and 600 men. We have come to know that Captain Katarina and her rear guard will take refuge in the Sacred Grove of Argos believing they will be safe until Odessa returns with more of her troops. You and your men are to lay in wait and surround those woods.., where Lacuna and Lucia Vega have volunteered to burn the forest down to the ground." Here many of the Greeks grew fearful of such sacrilege against the gods and goddesses, but none spoke one word of protest. "If any of our enemy try to escape the flames and choking smoke you are hereby ordered to cut those women up into little pieces, upon which the vultures shall surely feed." Vyakles said almost with a smile as he could picture this in his mind's eye. "Whereupon General La Quint will lead my soldiers on the march to Megara where Odessa is to re-group with her troops. Your mission, General, is to find Odessa, kill her, and return Princess Sparta home safely to myself and our people." he paused thinking of the terror his little girl must be suffering and this caused a great pain in his heart. "Admiral Vasha, you are then to escort Lacuna and Lucia Vega aboard your ship and join the rest of my fleet in the Black Sea, sailing swiftly to Themiscyra where we will lay siege." Vyakles paused glancing at Lacuna and Lucia Vega who would disclose the secrets to breaching the walled nation. "As for now I will send out 10 of my Generals with 1000 of my infantry to face Katarina, who will accompany Jessa, Katara, Iona, Scotia, Ia, Johanna, La Scoffa, Kayla and Amarra so they may fight in battle alongside my warriors. You are to smash apart Katarina's division and force them into retreat, follow them to Argolis where you will join ranks with my Army. When these women have been butchered and burned alive you will return to Sparta to defend the city, while I and my Navy are fighting in Themiscyra." King Vyakles paused turning his mind back to his own tragedy "Before we leave, we must all go, before sunrise, and pay our last respects to our fallen Queen. For my beloved Thera now lies in my own tomb, she has been prepared for her royal burial with her sword and shield, where my priests give up prayers and burn incenses as we speak."
A solemn look came over the face of Thera's warriors and Iona spoke saying "We will go and bid our brave and noble Queen farewell and pray that.., one day, we will again meet, face to face, on the other side of the gulf that separates the living from the dead. Then we shall go and send those who follow Odessa to the land of the damned!" a cheer rose up from Thera's women whom were brokenhearted just as much as the King.
"YES! We shall go out and fulfill our sacred mission to show the whole of the world and the pantheon of the gods and goddesses the depth of our Love, Unity, Loyalty, Respect and Honor for our murdered Queen, who gave up her life only to save me! WE WILL DESTROY the entire Nation of Themiscyra! We, together, will wipe away the memory of their culture and heritage from the face of the Earth! We shall remove any, and all traces, of their existence from the records of history! So that even two thousand years from this day forward no one will ever know, or believe, these Amazon warriors ever existed! We shall cast the Themiscyrans into the World of Myth and Legend!" the king roared with all his might, his voice filled with furious anger lifting the hearts and minds of his warriors preparing their spirits for the long and arduous fight.
Now when Lucia Vega, Lacuna, and the rest of Thera's brave ladies, assembled with the soldiers and sailors the Spartan men stood in awe for many had never seen the women arrayed in their battle armaments. They stood tall and fierce, eyes painted black, hair pulled back into braids, their armor gleaming by the torch lights, swords at their sides, shields and spears in hand, looking like warriors sent from hell, leading their massive war horses behind them, with a look as severe and devastating as an earthquake. Their appearance was as ominous and terrifying as any demon, the spirit of evil personified. However when La Quint and Vasha saw their wives, who were newly with child, ready for war they protested loudly "My King! Do not allow our brides to join in this battle, for this action could gravely jeopardize the tiny lives growing inside of them."
Vyakles turned and heard the concern in his friends voices and he said "Lacuna and Lucia Vega have been given their orders. They have not come to fight. You, Admiral Vasha, are to sail them up to the Gulf of Argolis, along with 3 of my warships and 600 men. We have come to know that Captain Katarina and her rear guard will take refuge in the Sacred Grove of Argos believing they will be safe until Odessa returns with more of her troops. You and your men are to lay in wait and surround those woods.., where Lacuna and Lucia Vega have volunteered to burn the forest down to the ground." Here many of the Greeks grew fearful of such sacrilege against the gods and goddesses, but none spoke one word of protest. "If any of our enemy try to escape the flames and choking smoke you are hereby ordered to cut those women up into little pieces, upon which the vultures shall surely feed." Vyakles said almost with a smile as he could picture this in his mind's eye. "Whereupon General La Quint will lead my soldiers on the march to Megara where Odessa is to re-group with her troops. Your mission, General, is to find Odessa, kill her, and return Princess Sparta home safely to myself and our people." he paused thinking of the terror his little girl must be suffering and this caused a great pain in his heart. "Admiral Vasha, you are then to escort Lacuna and Lucia Vega aboard your ship and join the rest of my fleet in the Black Sea, sailing swiftly to Themiscyra where we will lay siege." Vyakles paused glancing at Lacuna and Lucia Vega who would disclose the secrets to breaching the walled nation. "As for now I will send out 10 of my Generals with 1000 of my infantry to face Katarina, who will accompany Jessa, Katara, Iona, Scotia, Ia, Johanna, La Scoffa, Kayla and Amarra so they may fight in battle alongside my warriors. You are to smash apart Katarina's division and force them into retreat, follow them to Argolis where you will join ranks with my Army. When these women have been butchered and burned alive you will return to Sparta to defend the city, while I and my Navy are fighting in Themiscyra." King Vyakles paused turning his mind back to his own tragedy "Before we leave, we must all go, before sunrise, and pay our last respects to our fallen Queen. For my beloved Thera now lies in my own tomb, she has been prepared for her royal burial with her sword and shield, where my priests give up prayers and burn incenses as we speak."
A solemn look came over the face of Thera's warriors and Iona spoke saying "We will go and bid our brave and noble Queen farewell and pray that.., one day, we will again meet, face to face, on the other side of the gulf that separates the living from the dead. Then we shall go and send those who follow Odessa to the land of the damned!" a cheer rose up from Thera's women whom were brokenhearted just as much as the King.
"YES! We shall go out and fulfill our sacred mission to show the whole of the world and the pantheon of the gods and goddesses the depth of our Love, Unity, Loyalty, Respect and Honor for our murdered Queen, who gave up her life only to save me! WE WILL DESTROY the entire Nation of Themiscyra! We, together, will wipe away the memory of their culture and heritage from the face of the Earth! We shall remove any, and all traces, of their existence from the records of history! So that even two thousand years from this day forward no one will ever know, or believe, these Amazon warriors ever existed! We shall cast the Themiscyrans into the World of Myth and Legend!" the king roared with all his might, his voice filled with furious anger lifting the hearts and minds of his warriors preparing their spirits for the long and arduous fight.
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