First Chapter, [Flames of Revenge]

CHAPTER ONE

Villagers were loading carts with goods ready to take to the Hippolyta’s port the following morning.  Queen Hippolyta would pay them for their trade before sending it either east or west, depending on what the trade was.

It was mid afternoon when a young runner rushed out of the thin strip of forest to the east of the village.  He was twenty paces from where the carts were being loaded when an arrow struck him in the back.  His momentum carried him forward, bowling him over as he crashed to the ground.

From that same forest two hundred mounted warriors appeared, the like of which had not been seen before in that part of the Queen’s Realm.  The horseman headed straight for the runner’s body, making sure that he was dead.

The villagers turned and ran, leaving their half-loaded carts and their goods and making for their little hovels where they closed and bolted their doors.

The mounted warriors stopped near the carts in the centre of the village, and the leader shouted orders to his warriors.

“We will take what these peasants have loaded and return east.  There is a long way to travel before we meet the rest of our army, and these supplies will help feed us until the General arrives.”

He turned to the two horsemen to his left.  “Organise the warriors to tether the carts to our horses.”  At that moment, an arrow hit each of the two horsemen in the chest and they fell from their horses.  It looked to the leader as if the arrows had each struck at the same moment, which made him think that there were at least two archers in the forest and quite possibly many more.  For a moment, he was frozen, and indecisive, but before he had made up his mind what to do his horse dropped from beneath him, and he went crashing to the ground.  As he stood up to look around he saw many of his men falling off their horses with arrows in their chests, and now he was convinced they were dealing with a substantial force hidden in the forest.

Hiding behind the carcass of his dead horse, he looked towards the forest that surrounded three sides of the village.  He pointed to one end, shouting, “There is a group of archers in the forest north of the village.  Attack them and leave no one alive.”

A few of his warriors who were still mounted and uninjured rode over to the northern edge of the village, drawing their swords, but another twenty fell with arrows in their backs and many of those by the carts also fell.  The leader was unable to pinpoint where the arrows came from, and he shouted, “Leave them.  There are too many for us, and leave the carts.  We must get away from this village of death before we all perish.”

The leader grabbed hold of a loose horse and mounted, and then he galloped out of the village with his army following.  There was a silence.  Even the birds had stopped singing.  As the sun went down, a shadow came out of the forest.  He walked over to the loose horses, and within a few minutes he had tethered most to the carts.  He then went to two of the dead archers and relieved them of their full quivers of arrows, and then he silently returned to the darkness of the forest.

* * * * *

It was morning before the villagers plucked up the nerve to step out of their houses.  They saw dead bodies around the centre of the village.  Their carts were still where they had left them, and most had horses tied to them.  The villagers checked all round the village, looking into the forest with caution, but whatever army had killed all these men was long gone.

On returning to the carts, the peasants were looking towards one person, and one of them asked, “What shall we do with the dead, Milo?”

The person they asked the question of was the village elder who was standing with a staff in his hand.  The top of the pole that had once been a gnarled lump of wood had been crudely carved into head of a growling wolf.

“Take all the weapons from the dead and put them in the carts.  We will use them as trade at the port, along with the other goods.  Take the bodies to the hole in the top of the sea cave and throw them down, making sure there is no one left.  We will inform the Queen of this new threat to her realm when we arrive at the port.”

* * * * *

Hippolyta walked over to the council room with Hippolyte.  Inside, the commanders and Echephyle were already seated, with Alexius and Andromache in their seats near the Queen.  Hippolyta had just sat down when the lookout shouted, “There are villagers coming from the north western trail.  They have at least a hundred horses with the three carts.  It’s Milo from the northwest.”

“Toxis, you had better tell Milo to come here and tell us how he got hold of that number of horses,” Hippolyta said.  “This should be interesting.  He is a village elder from the northwest, south of the lake with the island.  They have never had that number of horses before, and I wouldn’t think there are as many wild horses as that in the whole of the west of the realm.”

The door to the council room was pushed open and a giant of a man walked through behind Toxis.  He saw the four queens and bowed.  “I am humbled, my Lady.”

“Welcome, Milo.  It has been over a year since you came this way and it is a pleasure to see you again.  It is unusual for you to arrive here with the trade goods, so I am sure that this is more than just a trade visit.  We are just about to eat.  Sit down while Toxis cuts you off some meat before we talk business.”

After everyone had finished eating, Milo told the story of the killing of the thieves.  “There are one hundred and ten horses that we have brought with us.  We counted the same number of dead warriors spread about the village.  During the attack their leader shouted to his warriors that they were being attacked by an army.  There was no one there when we went outside, although we did not leave our homes until it was daylight.  There was no one about and no sign that anyone had been there except the thieves.

“When we removed the dead, we found that all the bodies still had their swords, bows and axes.  Two of the archers had no quivers, but two empty ones had been left in their place.  We know that the quivers did not originally belong to the thieves because they were a different design, and so were the arrows in the bodies.”  Milo lifted his hand and showed Hippolyta the arrow he had brought with him.

“There is one other thing, my Lady.  Just before they rode off, I think their leader shouted, “We are outnumbered.  We must escape and go back to the main army.”  The following morning, their horses had been tethered to the carts to stop them wondering off.  I walked the outside edge of the forest but I could see no tracks where any army rode out, whether large or small.”  Milo then stood up and said, “I must go and see to the trading stores, my Lady.”

“Of course, Milo, and your news, although bad, has been useful.  I will be sending an army to that area to keep an eye on that part of my realm.  I would think that they will be there before you get back to your village.  It will give you safety from this strange army of thieves.”

Milo bowed once more.  “Thank you, my Lady.  When I go near the other villages I will pass the word of safety to them.”

Hippolyta watched Milo leave, and then she asked, “Has anyone any views on this invading army?”

“Which one are you talking about, Hippolyta, the one attacking the village or the one that savaged them?”

“I think we had better talk about both, seeing as they are both in my realm, but we can start with the ones that were attacking, Echephyle.”

“By what Milo told us, although only about one hundred escaped they were escaping to a bigger army.  We have no idea how big that army is or where they are.  Like so many times before, until we have information on those two points, there is no safe way our army can go about its business, Mother.”

Hippolyta faced Hippolyte and smiled.  She knew that over the past few years Hippolyte had matured, and she had Vlad, Hippolyte’s barbarian warrior, to thank for that.  He had taught her much the same as Danilo had taught Echephyle.  In doing so, the two barbarians had made both the queens the most dangerous royal warriors for tens of thousands of paces in any direction.

“I thank you for those words of intelligence, Hippolyte, and you are correct in all that you have said.  As this is taking part in my realm, the realm that is yours to oversee, then it will be up to you and Scyleia with your armies to put this army to death or send them back to where they come from.  I think that while this is taking place Scyleia had better take Omeed with her army.  It might be best if Vlad went to Milo’s village first to see if he can find tracks that might give us a clearer picture of what happened.”

Hippolyta turned to Vlad.  “Will you need a horse, Vlad?”

“Thank you but no, my Lady.  I think it might be best if I am not seen by either army.  It might be best, also, if I leave now.  The sooner you know every detail about these armies the faster you will be able to destroy them, my Lady.”

“Thank you, Vlad, and you may go, but always remember that speed is not important but your information is.”

The queens and commanders waited for him to leave before carrying on with the meeting.  “These armies must be camped en mass, Danilo.  Do you think you might see them from the top of the mountain?”

“I need to set snares, my Lady.  If I set them in the eastern forest, I could go over the mountain while I am waiting.”

“That will be fine, Danilo.  Omeed, I would like you to go west as far as the old burnt out port.  I doubt very much that you will find any armies, but you might find fresh tracks of moving armies.  At the moment we know there is an army in my realm, but we have no idea where they are or where they arrived from.”

Speaking to the commanders, Hippolyta said, “Until my wolves return here with information, our army can do nothing.

“Alexius, have you any news from the Emperor or any of your spies?”

“I am expecting a galleon to arrive sometime today or perhaps tonight with news from Constantinople.  The Hun has been crushed and there is peace in the east with Sangiban.  I don’t think the Goth army has entered war with you.  I have another army in mind, but until I get word I will not place them on the battlefield.  I have not heard from any of the traders that they are worried or have been attacked.”

“I believe it might be best to be patient until we have whatever information you find out.  I think that in the next few days we will know all there is to know about this invading army, once my wolves return.”

* * * * *

Omeed had been running west for half a day and was now not far from the burned out docks.  She turned south, stepping into the thin forest that was hiding the sea.  It took her hardy any time at all to walk through and step out onto the shore.  She journeyed west once more, and she soon arrived at the pile of rocks where Danilo had camped for the night.  The sun was going down and the shadows were getting longer.

Omeed could see the place in the rocks where the large stones formed a small cave, and decided she would hunt for food then go there to sleep for the night, but as she was in the forest setting snares she heard the sound of horses’ hooves.  They were not galloping but they were moving quickly, and the sound was of many and they were heading towards her.

She walked closer to the northern edge of the forest, and was just in time to see more than fifty horsemen riding west.  Omeed watched as the leader headed for another forest five hundred paces northwest of where she was standing.  The small command dismounted and walked their horses into the edge of the forest.  Omeed sat for a while to see what they were doing, and as the sun eventually went down she could see the flicker of sparks from a few fires.

Omeed realised that by the noise they was making they were sure that they were not going to be bothered by anyone.  The smoke from the fires was drifting her way on the gentle coastal breeze, and she could also hear the odd word being spoken.  She knew from her experience of some of the traders who spoke the same language that this army was from the distant west.

It was midnight before she broke cover of the forest she had been waiting in.  The time was late summer and the grass was high, with the soil underneath dry.  Some of the tufts of grass were almost as tall as she was, and although there was a small plain between her and invading army there was also a few low shrubs scattered about.  She took her time walking over to where the army was camped, stopping frequently to listen to the sounds of the night.

She was lucky that the tall grass grew right up to the small evergreen shrubs that surrounded the forests.  At those shrubs Omeed went to ground, and crawled forward until she was close enough to hear what was being said.  For a short time she could only hear a lot of nonsense talk, and then she heard someone ask, “When is General Leopold’s army going to be here, Timo?”

“He should have already been here, and in fact he could already be here but we have no way of knowing.  We ourselves are still too far west of where we should be.”

“Why are we here?  And what are we going to do now we are here?”

“You ask too many questions, Oswin.  Our army in the west needs paying, because all our battles in the last few years have been costly.  There are rich pickings here in the east, which are just waiting for us to steal.  East of this sea there are mountains, with a trade route running for tens of thousands of paces.  We are going to attack the rich traders along that route before we go back to the south of the sea.”

“I heard there is a village here somewhere this way with an army of fierce women.”

“You worry too much, Oswin.  We have had battles with the Romans and defeated them.  Do you think that a few women with sticks are going to bother the great Vandal army?  We will push them aside as we pass through their village, but not before we have had our fun with them.”

“Do you know how big the Generals army is, Timo?”

“I have been told by our own commander that he is bringing thirty thousand warriors with him.  With the ten thousand in our army I don’t think we have a need to worry about those whores in the village.  It has been a long time since we have had women, and I cannot wait to see this village.  We had better rest, because we have to leave early in the morning.”

The camp went silent and Omeed moved back out of her cover.  As soon as she was a good distance from the evergreen shrubs she stood up and walked back towards her own forest.  She knew that because this army was close she would risk sleeping little through the night.  She killed the only rabbit that was snared and picked up the other snares before making her way through the thin forest to the shore and the piled rocks.  There, she made a small fire and cooked her catch before she sat looking out to sea while she stayed warm.  She thought, ‘I will leave in the morning once I have heard the army ride away.’

* * * * *

Vlad arrived at the small village and he was walking between the houses.  On seeing him, three of the village hunters came out of one of the houses.  All three had bows and their arrows were pointing at Vlad’s chest.

“Who are you and what do you want here?” one of the men asked.

“I am Vlad, one of Queen Hippolyta’s barbarian warriors and hunter.  I have been sent here to look for signs of the army that was here attacking you, and also the one that saved the village.”

“How do we know that you are not one of them, and returned to carry on where they left off?”

“I was in the council room with the Queen when Milo told her about the army yesterday.”

The three hunters spoke between themselves before lowering their bows.  “You are much too late, barbarian.  Those armies disappeared during the night.”

“Yes, I understand that, but there will be tracks which will lead me to the armies.  Queen Hippolyta is sending a big army to look after all the villages in this part of her realm.  She believes the realm is under threat once more, and on the edge of another war with invaders.”

“We will leave you to go about your business, barbarian.”

The three hunters went back into the house they come from.”

* * * * *

In the forest, a figure walked silently through the darkness, making no sound and leaving no trace that he had ever been there.  There was a sentry no more than fifteen paces away, an even darker shadow in the darkness.  The bracken was at its tallest here, and still green, and that aided the almost invisible person as he glided through soft, supple plants while bent forward at the waist.  No sound of his movement could be heard over the slight rustling of the leaves on a few deciduous trees in the light breeze.

At the last moment the dark form stood up straight and rapidly stepped closer to the sentry.  Before the sentry had time to make a noise, the almost invisible warrior had his hand over the sentry’s mouth and had slit his throat.  The warrior held the sentry and lowered him to the ground without making any noise, and then, as silent as a ghost, he stepped forward towards a sleeping body next to a burnt out fire.  He squatted down and silently pressed his hand over the man’s mouth before he plunged a knife through his chest.

The warrior repeated this many times, and no one saw anything until shortly before the dawn.  By then there was a bow in his hand, and he fired twenty arrows into the dusk light with speed, striking a target every time.  He looked around him, but his work was complete.  To make sure there were no others that he had missed, he remained where he was until the light filtered into the forest, comfortably hidden behind a wide laurel bush to check there was no more movement.

* * * * *

Vlad walked round the perimeter of the village just inside the forest.  He examined the ground carefully, also checking the lower branches of the trees – particularly those that were dead and brittle.  He moved silently as if hunting, pushing branches out of the way with his hands before releasing them slowly so as not to make a noise.  All the time he looked around him, searching for anything out of place, but all was as it should be.  He was near a huge, thick fir tree when he suddenly stopped and went down on one knee.  He looked at the pine needles that were thick on the ground, and there were definite signs of footsteps, leading to the west.  He followed them, and soon found the heavy imprint of where someone had been standing for a while.  There was something lying on the ground in the low bracken, and he bent down and picked it up.

* * * * *

Omeed waited for daylight, and then she doused the fire and walked back into the forest.  She moved cautiously.  She had been waiting for the sound of the horses and warriors leaving, but she had heard no movement.  She was now asking herself if she had heard correctly the talk the two men had had the previous night.

As she reached the edge of the forest, she had her first shock.  Out on the small grass plain were all the horses belonging to the Vandal army, but instead of being tethered up they were just walking free.  No army would allow their horses to graze like this, and there would be sentries even if the horses were tethered.

She still could not hear anything, and with her sword across her back and bow over her shoulder she walked out of the forest with her spear at the ready.  She realised that this was a dangerous thing to do, but she had little choice if she intended to find out what was going on.  She had no intention of staying where she was all day and waiting for darkness.

Omeed kept as concealed as she could, moving from one lump of tall grass to another and using the small shrubs in between.  The grazing horses took little or no notice of her because they were used to warriors walking near them.

Finally, she crawled though the small evergreens, and then she was able to see the army of Vandals.  They were silent, many of them lying on their backs, and many of those with an arrow sticking out of their chest.  She remained where she was for a long time, looking for any sign of movement.  There was none, nor any sound, and eventually she broke cover and walked into the camp.  There, she saw the warriors with throats cut and with their own knives in their chest.

As she walked incredulously around the camp, finding nothing but dead Vandal warriors, she had no idea she was being watched by someone, or that someone had a bow with an arrow ready, although not yet with the arrow on the string or the string pulled back.

A voice startled her: “So, girl, you have made a mistake.  I think it is time that you are tested with your other weapons.  Do you know how to use them as well as you use that bow?”

Omeed turned about to see a warrior standing with a shield and an axe.  The warrior lifted his bow and was about to put the arrow on the string when Omeed spoke and he lowered the bow.  “Whoever killed all your friends must have known I was in need of practice, and left you for me.  I will just get the weapons.  I need to send you to hell in a short time.”

There was an axe near a dead warrior, with a shield, and without taking her eyes off the Vandal warrior, Omeed dropped the spear and picked up the axe.  She removed her bow from her shoulder before picking up the shield.

“It is going to be my pleasure to kill you, whore.  I might just wound you first, so that I can have my fun with you before I go with my friends and tell them you are dead.”

Omeed stepped closer to the warrior, speaking as she advanced on him.  “We have only just met and you are calling me names without getting to know me.  You are a pig, and I hate pigs.  Now, are you going to do something with that axe, big boy, or is it only there to frighten young girls?”

The warrior lurched at Omeed with his axe high, and swinging wildly at her, but her shield was up and stopped his strike.  He then swung his axe sideways, but she stopped him again.  Omeed smiled at the look of frustration on the face of the warrior, and that made him even angrier than he already was.

The warrior tried a backhand but the move was telegraphed and Omeed stepped back, allowing the axe to pass her harmlessly.  Once the warrior’s shield was to his front, covering his chest as his momentum pushed him round, Omeed struck his shield three times with such speed and such force that he fell to the ground.  She walked forward to finish the fight, but he was fast and rolled to his left, and her killer strike missed.

Omeed stepped back as the warrior rose to a standing position once more and faced her.  He gave a laugh, and said, “So you think that you have this fight won, you whore.  I will now show you what I can do with a sword.”

“I hope it is more than you can do with an axe, because I am getting bored.”

“That’s right, whore, you keep making jokes, but only I will be laughing at them when you are dead.”  He then threw the axe on the ground and withdrew his sword.”

Omeed laughed.  “You will not be alive to see my death, you ignorant pig.  You seem to keep getting my name wrong every time you open your filthy mouth.”  Omeed then threw her axe on the floor and withdrew her sword.  The warrior swung his sword, striking her shield, and he lifted his arm to take another swing.  Omeed quickly jabbed him in the shoulder of his sword arm.

She saw his look of shock and smiled, which was like showing red to a bull.  The warrior rushed at her swinging wildly, so she stepped aside to let him past.  As he went past she stuck her legs between his and watched him trip over, falling head first.  While he was face down, Omeed jabbed him in the buttocks with her sword.  The warrior shouted abuse at her as he rolled over and stood up again.

“This is no time to sleep, you pig.  Night time is the time to sleep.  Get up and stop playing the fool.  You are supposed to be trying to kill me.”  Omeed gave him another jab in the ankle before she stepped back to let him stand up.  He stood, and she saw the way his leg trailed as he swung his sword, showing her that he was in pain from the wound in the leg.  She stepped back and let the sword glide past her.

Once his sword was the other side of her with his body not covered by the shield, she thrust her sword forward, pushing it deep into him.  She stopped in that position as he stared back with the realisation of death in his face.  As she withdrew the sword, the lifeless body of the warrior dropped to the ground.

Omeed sheathed her sword before walking back to her spear to pick it up.  She took one more look about her before she went deeper into the forest beyond the camp.  She looked on the ground for signs of another army, but she could see none.  She stopped for a moment listening for any sounds but there was only silence.  She turned and walked back to the edge of the forest, and then out onto the grass plain once more.

The person who had been lurking in the bracken stood up and put the arrow back in the quiver he was carrying.  He then turned and walked in a north-eastern direction, but at no time did he look as if he was in any hurry.  A pheasant flew up from its hiding place, heading east over the camp of the dead Vandal army.

Omeed mounted one of the stray horses and was heading east when she heard the cry of a bird.  She stopped the horse and looked back at the forest she had just left, and she saw the pheasant fly out.  She waited a while longer but nothing more happened.  She kicked the horse forward as she headed towards the east, returning to the village.

The value of a Pozega dog.

The value of a Pozega dog. 

As some of you know I have Jenny in my care and even now I am still unsure which one of us is in charge. I had only been out of hospital three days when I collected her from Kent. I was unfit, over weight and unsure whether I was doing the right thing by her. Could I give her the exercise she needed? With a greater question could she be trained to stay with me, because at 68 years old. I was too old to start chasing about the countryside looking for a missing dog if she decided to run off when let off the leash for the first time.

Due to the fact I was not used to the ICD implant, and because my heart was still hitting 95 beats per minute I was finding breathing difficult. I started to walk a quarter of a mile per day with Jenny, and I knew this was not really good enough for her or me because I had to stop a few times and rest even in that short distance. I did this same walk every day in the hope things would change for the better, but apart from getting tired very fast nothing changed.

Well that is not strictly true because without thinking I walked out the door for our morning walk, and it was not until I was well into the walk when I realised she was not on the leash and well in front of me. I don’t do panic or stress and said in a calm voice “Stop Jenny, come here,” the shock was she did just that.

It was a strange moment because I had drafted a letter to Wendy earlier that morning about finding Jenny a home where she could get more exercise. It was then I decided to hold the letter back until I had reassessed the situation, but it was no different a week later. After a bad night of breathing problems during that time I made a phone call to my cardiac nurse. A tablet was changed to a higher strength, and a week later my life improved and I found it easier to walk. My heart beat had returned to normal and it improved my quality of life.

That was three weeks ago and yesterday I did the unthinkable by walking up this track I threatened walk up the first day after hospital. I put Jenny in the passenger seat in the van and drove to my destination at the bottom of the hill 6 miles away. On getting through the small gate to the track I stopped and looked at what I was about to test my fitness on.

It was at this point Jenny and I stopped to look at my goal.

I looked at the trail ahead and said in a confident voice, "It looks harder than it actually is, Jenny."

Dog with no faith in human determination.

She looked up the track and then at me before looking the other way. she was probably thinking, 'You have not got heart or breathing problems, you are brain dead.' Now take into consideration that up to this moment in time I had only walked a quarter of a mile on flat ground in the past three years, Jenny had a very good point.

I looked up at the daunting task I had set myself and took a step forward into the unknown. This was the first time in many months where I kept the leash on Jenny throughout the entire walk. The reason was there were still a lot of people walking the trail with small children and other dogs. The secondary reason was that if I was flagging she could give me a tow. The third and most important reason was i did not want her getting ahead and showing me up [ yes I know, very selfish]. However, The towing never took place because I have found out that she is very loyal, and if I collapse in a shaking lump of tired jelly she sits down with me. 

Ten minutes of walking and the first bend was in sight

I said out loud, "The first bend is in sight, Jenny. Another two minutes and we will rest on the bend." 

Again she looked at me as if to ask, "Really, two minutes?" 

I looked down the hill at where i had walked and questioned my own statements it looked as if I had not gone very far. To make myself feel better I told Jenny, "It is the angle of the hill that made it look only a short distance walked."

Jenny refused to look at me, and I don't think she was convinced my statement was true. I also believe that Jenny was tormented between Loyalty to me and the real truth.

We reached the bend in record time [think about that]and I had my first real rest just after the bend. I noticed as I turned about there was a old couple the other side of the bend walking up behind me and had better stop longer in case they needed help.

  

Well it was when they walked past me I could see it was the couple that had passed me on their way down. This couple that were in their late seventies were lapping me, and to add insult to injury the man said, "Are you all right, old man?" I am not sure what I looked like but it must have been bad because a few seconds after they shot off up the hill like greyhounds my mobile rang. 
"Hello"
"Is that Ian Johnstone?"
"The very man speaking."
"Your daughters said you had gone for a walk. I am one of your cardiac nurses. Is this a bad time to talk?" It was at that moment I looked up to see if the hospital had sent out a spotter plane from Shoreham Airport, but the sky was clear.
"I am phoning to tell you that your is appointment has been re-booked for the new year and a letter is in the post. How is your walk?"
I had to think about the answer. The arthritis in my ankles, knees and hips was giving me pain to the point of almost bringing tears to my eyes. However, my chest was not hurting and I was not out of breath, so I told her what I believed to be true before I said goodbye. "I am a picture of health." Now depending on what medical records of me she had in front of her would give this nurses imagination a trying time.

 I had only walked another twenty-five meters when I knew I  had been cheated by an optical illusion, the hill turned into forty-five degrees with a false ridge.

It was at this point I looked down the hill to the start to see the idiot that had said,"It looks harder than it actually is, Jenny," but he had vanished.

It was a good thing too, because he obviously never had any idea what he was talking about. Here in front of me was another false ridge that after successfully using an ice-ax cleared the ridge to work my way over I looked back at what I had achieved.

It was not until I had turned about did I see the end of this nightmare. I fell to my knees and thanked the lord, it was the gates of heaven.

All that I had to do now was get back down. I did get some nice pictures of the south downs though.

You might be asking yourself what has this got to do with Pozega dogs? The fact is I knew that I would need a companion to help me walk once more and keep me company. It was pure luck that it was not until I had already set things in motion when I was sent into hospital with cardiac problems. it was even greater luck that I was released from hospital three days before I picked Jenny up from Kent. Without Jenny's help I would never attempted what I achieved the day I walked the trail to the top of the hill. this is just the start of many trails i need to walk.

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Be well Ian

Help Pozega Dogs

Help Pozega Dogs. [The Fear of Jenny]

Last evening I dined with Barry and Julie, who are very good friends of mine. I find these occasions to be a little oasis in the desert of life’s turmoil. Last night was the first time I took a companion with me and to be precise it was Jenny. If I had given the latter a little forethought I might have withheld on that twenty mile journey. To give her comfort with my friendship and loyalty I sat her in the passenger side of my van. Before I go any further I will take you back in time to the harsh realities of life.

Through no fault of her own eight years ago my wife Lorna died at the young age of forty-seven. I was devastated to learn that for fourteen years I thought I had been watching her get better to live a full life, when in fact I was watching her life ebb away from a childhood heart problem. With the help from Barry, Julie and three other trusted friends I pulled myself from the mire of despair and uncertainty. Four years later my mother that had been my rock throughout the whole of my life died, it placed more pressure on me.

I had a white long haired Alsatian called snowflake that Lorna and I bought for my four daughters one Christmas. It was my wife’s idea and her ideas were my commands. [You can see where this is leading] Well would you believe after a year that puppy had the damn nerve to grow up before their eyes, and for the next thirteen years I paid her vet fees, food and saw to her exercise? Snowflake died ten months ago of old age and I swore there would be no more dogs in my life. Barry, Julie’s husband with one of his uncanny beliefs told me “You will get another Dog.”

It was not long after Julie acquired Huxley she passed on the link to Help Pozega Dogs. There was one picture in particular that showed the despair that I knew so well in the eyes of a dog, it was Jenny. It was strange sensation seeing those eyes looking back at me. I am a great believer in fate, and destiny and the inevitable conclusion took place. Those eyes of despair are disappearing and hopefully her trust in mankind to look after her will return. She has already showed me her loyalty when at Julies, and it surprised me that she had already bonded with me in such a short time.

It was during the journey over to see Julie and Barry I could see what damage thoughtless mental cruelty had done to Jenny. For the whole of that journey I could see and sense the fear Jenny was generating. I can only believe from her reaction to the van journey that the last time she was in that position was probably the same day as she was abandoned. I will not condemn the person that did this act of cruelty, but neither will I condone them. They had their reasons for taking such a desperate measure, and I can only thank them for allowing Jenny to meet her real destiny here in the UK as my companion.

There are many Dogs that still need help of one kind or another, and we as the caretakers of the earth and its future should look after those that are unable to look after themselves. Donations are just as welcome as a real and genuine person needing to adopt.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/HelpPozegaDogs/

Barry and I are from different ends of the country, but we were born on the same side of the street. We both have the same values and hates and both of us were educated in the University of Life and there is no harder form of education. While sitting mulling over a glass of wine we debated quite fierce at times religion, politics and life in general. Our conclusion was there is a god belonging to at least one religion, the only time politicians are not lying is when they have a mouth full of food, and the world is still turning on its axis relatively smooth. Now you can all go to your beds knowing that the status quo is intact.

Be well Ian.

HIPPOLYTA [A Kind of Peace] First chapter.

HIPPOLYTA [A Kind of Peace]

CHAPTER ONE

The caravan of six traders with their wives and servants crossed the Big River at the bend.  They stopped for the night, and as they were having a meal they were unaware that a scout from a band of marauding thieves was watching them.  Their lives were in danger, but it was not imminent because the scout had to return to his leader to report.

* * * * *

The commander of the Hun patrol stopped his men when he saw a rider approaching.  It was one of his own scouts, who delivered his report and then departed in the same direction he had arrived.

The commander addressed his soldiers: “There is a party of traders three thousand paces to the south east, and they may be in danger.  As we know, that area is not safe.  We have no reason to expect trouble, but we will do as we have done many times before.  We must move to where we can observe them and give protection if necessary, and there is a small hill not far from them that will provide the perfect vantage point.  We will have to march all night, but I promise you a day of rest as soon as the traders have moved on into the next command’s area.”

There was mumbling in the ranks at having to march all night, but the day of rest would be welcome and they would be close to a village where they could trade or buy comforts from the local people.

* * * * *

Some way to the north of the Hun patrol, two scouts returned to report to their leader.

“There is a party of traders a thousand paces from the bend in the Big River, Badral.  They have stopped for the night, and the closest army of foot soldiers is over three thousand paces away.”

Badral ran his finger and thumb down either side of his beard, his big, round eyes staring at the men.

  “How large is this caravan of traders, Mend-amar?” he asked.

“There are many horses and I counted six large tents, with many slaves.”

Badral gave a wicked smile.  “Get some sleep.  We will leave after the first meal of the day.”

* * * * *

The sun had been up for a short while when one of the traders saw horsemen charging towards them.  Panic ensued in the camp, but as the attackers came within a hundred paces of the traders, arrows fell from the sky and killed scores of them.  Badral looked for the archers that had shot the arrows, and was startled to see a detachment of fully armed Hun foot soldiers rapidly approaching the traders’ camp from the hill on the other side.

“Blow the horn to retreat,” Badral ordered quickly, as he turned his horse away from the traders’ camp.

The horn sounded twice and the attacking horsemen turned, but not before another cloud of arrows had hit them.  By the time the Hun foot warriors reached the tents, the attackers had disappeared over the hill.  All that was left were the dead and dying, and a few riderless horses.

The Hun foot warriors took no prisoners.  The wounded were put to death, leaving more than two hundred bodies on the ground, but at least twice that number had escaped.

One of the Hun warriors reported back to the commander.  “There is something strange about that band of thieves, Commander.  One of the dead is Mend-amar, and he is a scout for the army that Ruga leads on the other side of the Big River.”

“Are you sure?”

“He is from my own town, commander.”

“Retrieve one of those horses.  We will have to send word to King Ernakh that there is a renegade Hun army our side of the Big River attacking the traders.”

* * * * *

The army entered the forest.  Badral shouted, “Fetch that fool Mend-amar to me now.”

Someone called back, “He is dead.  I saw him fall.”

“Good.  That saves me the trouble of killing him for sending us into a trap.  Borwin, you are in charge until I get back.  I am going north to see Ruga and to get more mounted warriors.”

* * * * *

There had been peace in Hippolyta’s realm for many years.  Danilo had remained in the village as Royal Hunter and trainer of the Queen’s army.  Every day until mid morning, Danilo and Queen Echephyle went into the arena and trained with the army of Amazons.  The army commander, Scyleia, was Queen Echephyle’s second in command, but these were no ordinary warriors.  They were the elite, handpicked by Scyleia, Echephyle and by Hippolyta herself, chosen for their skill with all the weapons the Amazons used.

For two years these warriors had been trained to improve their skills, and each one was now able to use their weapons and to hunt almost as well as Danilo, even though no one, not even he or Echephyle could teach them to think like a true barbarian.  It was something that came naturally to Danilo, but it was not a skill that could be taught.

Now, after two years of training, this army could fight almost as a single warrior.  Their skills had been honed to a point where instinct and reaction were one, and they spent all their time training and practising.

It had been Echephyle’s idea to train this force because they knew that the Alani had small but powerful armies on the other side of the big river.  Danilo and Echephyle would take the army out onto the plains and practise tactics, warring with an invisible enemy.  There were many ways to fight mounted warriors, and Echephyle and Danilo along with Scyleia would work out what to do in different situations and then practice the moves until they were embedded in the Amazons’ minds.

The other two queens and Alexius had followed them out a few months previously and were in awe of this fierce army.  They had been told by Scyleia how during the mock battles either Echephyle or Danilo would often stop the action to discuss what was going wrong.  Echephyle was learning how to fight to the extreme, and she listened to everything Danilo told her.  She always gave her input, and between them they covered all possible mistakes.  Danilo always treated her as the queen in charge of the army, which was her rightful place, but she treated him as an equal.  Echephyle still slept with him on many nights, showing the other Amazons that he was more than a hunter and barbarian.

Hippolyta had given her blessing, as she knew it would help to keep both Echephyle and Danilo at their peak of readiness.  They fought a battle with each other every day, and every day their skills improved.  As Echephyle reached the point where she might beat Danilo, he upped his game to show her he was still teaching her.  Danilo had trained three hunters to hunt better than they thought possible.  It had been done so that Queen Hippolyta would always have fresh food when he was away with the patrols.

As Andromache and Alexius were watching Echephyle and Danilo fighting, Andromache said, “They are so fierce, Alexius.  I sometimes worry about what would happen if one of them made a mistake.”

Alexius gave his knowing smile.  “It will never happen, my Lady.  They know each other too well for that to happen.  I have been watching them both over the past few years, and Queen Echephyle is extremely good now, but Danilo is still so much better and faster.  The commanders’ army are now at the standard Queen Echephyle was four years ago.”

Andromache was watching the fight as she replied, “Echephyle has learned a lot from Danilo, and she has picked up a great deal from him that he did not consciously teach her.  She has matured, and settled in her place as one of the queens.  I have a great deal of respect for Danilo.  It took great skill and confidence for him to teach my daughter to become the fierce Amazon queen she is now.”

The village had changed over the years, and now if was more like a Greek town.  There were better buildings and many new ones, built to accommodate the expanding army of Amazons.  All the warriors still practiced their weapons skills, but since the day of the alliance with both the Hun and the Alani there had been peace.  The warring tribes knew that Hippolyta’s large, fierce army could tip the scales in any conflict between them.  Whichever side she joined in war would be the victors, and neither side would take the risks of losing.  There was also a greater Roman presence in the area, as the Roman Emperor realised that Hippolyta was a potential threat to him.  Even though he had had assurances from the three queens in writing, he knew that if they turned on him they would be almost impossible to control, and the Amazon village was in a good defensive position that made any attack on them unlikely to succeed.  In the end, he accepted their word that the Amazons would never turn against the Romans who had helped them for so long.

As the centre of the trade route from the north and the east, the village’s port was very successful.  Trading was steady, with the Hun, the Alani, and the Romans trading with each other.

* * * * *

Echephyle and Danilo stopped trying to kill each other with axes and went over to the council fire.  This was now very different from a few years ago.  A new building had been constructed, with four corner pillars of stone and stone seats all around.  The three queens and Alexius sat on seats on the three sides, with a seat next to Hippolyta for Danilo.  He was still her favoured royal hunter and protector, and many times she sat beside him to hear the stories of his hunting excursions.  The building had wooden sides that could be removed in the summer to let the air flow through.  The commanders took the remaining seats, with the central fire in the centre of the building, so they sat around it in the same way that had always been done.

There was now a slave doing all the cooking for the queens and the commanders, not only meat that had been killed by hunting but also food from other parts of the world brought in by the traders.  He was often seen at the council fire, turning the spit..  With food from the traders also came cloths and new inventions.  The world around the Black Sea was changing, and Hippolyta had laws written down so that they could be read out to all the people of her realm, few of whom were literate, and they would know the penalties for breaking them.  There were only a few penalties, mainly harsh and applicable to harsh crimes, and Hippolyta sat as judge when the people brought the offender to her village.

* * * * *

The council was seated, and the last to arrive were Andromache and Hippolyta.  Gone were the furs that Echephyle and her army of warriors used to wear.  Hippolyta was now dressed in a long blue silk dress with a cape over her shoulders, and on her head was the crown handed down by the previous queens.  It was a gold band no thicker than a middle finger, but at the front was a small cluster of green, red and blue jewels that stood up in the shape of a flower.

There was no formality to the way the meeting progressed, except that a meal was eaten from whatever was over the fire cooking before the meeting started.

Alexius was the first to speak after they had eaten.  “We have had a report of a group of traders from the north west being attacked by a small army.”

Hippolyta asked, “Did they say whose army the attackers were?”

“They were not Alani, my Lady.  If it had not been for a Hun ground army arriving at the same time, they would have been killed.”

“So, there is another army in my realm attacking my people.  I will get the warriors together, and when I find them I will destroy them.”

“You cannot do that, Hippolyta.  You have the responsibility of looking after the village and upholding the laws.  Your days of riding about the realm fighting battles are almost at an end.  Also, the Emperor will be arriving in the next few weeks, and you will be needed to oversee his stay.”

Hippolyta listened to what Andromache had to say, and knew all she spoke was true.  She was now a respected queen, and there were many people with trade that needed her guidance.  “You are right, Andromache.  I will have to send a battle queen and her army.  Echephyle, you will go with your warriors to destroy this filth.  I want prisoners so that I can show all attacking armies that even though I may never leave the royal palace I am still the queen they have to kill before they can take my realm.  Take Danilo with you, because you will need his help.  You may leave first thing tomorrow morning.”

“Have you any idea how many there were in this army, Alexius?” Echephyle asked.

“I was informed that there was no more than three hundred, my Lady.”

“I will take a thousand warriors in addition to my own army of three hundred.  Scyleia, would you get them ready for tomorrow.  We will not need slaves as it is still warm at nights.”

“Is that going to be enough, Echephyle?” her mother asked.

“We will spend a few days patrolling in the hope we can get near to them without them seeing us.  We have to find out their real strength before we engage them in battle.  The last thing we want to do is take on too many, but on the other hand we want to take enough for safety.  If the Hun foot soldiers have only seen them this one time, then they will hopefully be in small numbers.”

Hippolyta thought about what Echephyle had said, and realised it was the same as she would take and do.  “You are right in your assessment, Echephyle, but don’t take on more than you can handle.  I am also in agreement with what you said about finding out their strength first.  A few prisoners would help so that we can find out who they are and what they are about.”

When the council had finished with all the commanders going to their duties, Hippolyta spoke again.  There were only the three queens and Danilo left seated.

“Echephyle, I have been watching the army that you and Danilo have trained, and I feel that they are second to none.  You now have the responsibility of protecting the whole realm from these invaders, although they might just turn out to be nothing more than a band of thieves.  You cannot afford to make mistakes, and I doubt very much that you ever will.  I have watched you training on the plain.  Take the time to discuss the situation with Scyleia and Danilo.  They will be with you to help make your plans work.  I know that Danilo will never tell you what to do, but in his own way he will tell you if there are any pitfalls in doing it the way you have planned.  Listen to him, because he has never been known to be wrong in his briefing.  If you need a bigger army, then send a messenger and one will be sent to you at speed.”

Hippolyta stood up.  “I know you will serve me and the Amazons well, and what I have said is only a reminder to do the things you do well together now.”

“Thank you, Hippolyta, for allowing me to lead the army.”

“You are a Queen, Echephyle, and a Queen of Amazons.  You have the right to lead your army.”

Hippolyta walked away back to the palace, and Andromache went down to her own palace that Alexius had taken time to build for her.

Just before Hippolyta stepped inside the palace, she looked round and saw Echephyle walking after her mother, but Danilo had not moved.  He was still sitting near the council fire sharpening his axe.

“He will not let Queen Echephyle look weak in front of her enemies, just as he never let them laugh at you, my Lady.”

She turned about fast to face Alexius.  “I know, Alexius.  Look at him sitting there with that contented smile on his face once more.  It is the face he always showed me when out on the plains.  I learned over time that it was the face of knowledge, telling me that things were being done the right way.  Like me, Echephyle listens to Danilo when he tells her his thoughts.  There is something special about Danilo, as if he already knows the outcome of the battles even before the fighting begins.

“He is sitting there thinking about the battles ahead of them, even though there is little information about the enemy and no hint of where they might be fought.  There are many variations of any battle to consider, and no two would have the same outcome.  You are also correct, my Lady, when you say that Queen Echephyle always listens to his thoughts, and without compromising her battle plans she still incorporates his.”

“On many nights when I cannot not sleep I leave the palace and go to the council fire.  Danilo always wakes up, as in his sleep he suddenly knows that I need company, and he comes to the fire and talks to me.  He tells me of the times he has gone out to catch either deer or hog.  He tells me in such detail that I feel I am actually walking beside him while he is going in for the kill.  He has told me how he crept up on the Hun so many times, and while relating the story I feared for us both being found and captured.”

“I have watched him mature into the barbarian warrior that he is now, and he never fails to please me.  I realise he does not run as fast as he did, but his stealth and fitness is just the same.  I remember the boy that was pulled from the forest of fire and see what he is now, and I realise that he is as much part of the Amazons as the queens are.  He has taught Echephyle so much, and in doing so made her the most ruthless queen that we have had in the village.  Her maturity was forced upon her the day she was attacked by the wolves and by the very same man she had tried to make a fool of.  There is an invisible bond that ties her to Danilo that I don’t think will ever be broken.  I think my army is in safe hands, Alexius.”

“Yes, my Lady.  I know you are right.”

* * * * *

The following morning, the army were near the gates ready to ride out.  Hippolyta and Andromache were standing together.  Before either could speak Echephyle said, “I know what you’re going to say, and I can assure you I will act responsibly with the army.”

“Well that’s not a very good start, Echephyle,” Hippolyta replied.  “I was going to remind Danilo to keep thinking and pass his thoughts on to his queen.  Only, it is obvious by her first words this morning that she cannot read minds.”

Echephyle burst out laughing.

“Danilo,” Hippolyta continued, “I have no need to tell you what to do or how to do it, as you do it so well.  Look after your queen as you would look after me.

“I had every intentions of doing so, my Lady.”

“Then I wish the army luck in their hunting.”

They were just about to ride out when a young warrior ran forward, and stopped by Danilo’s horse.  Danilo recognised her immediately as she stood with an axe over her shoulder and a spear in her
hand.

“Danilo, will you teach me to be a battle warrior like Queen Echephyle when you return?”

Thraso, on the walkway of the wall, called down, “Omeed, Danilo will be resting when he returns.  He will have no time to teach you.”

Danilo looked up at Thraso and realised that his answer would mean a lot to her.  He pulled the axe from Omeed’s back and looked at the two edges.  Then he put his thumb on the point of her spear and looked at his thumb.  “The blade of your axe should be so sharp that when I look at it I will be unable to see the edge.  If I gently touch the point of your spear with my thumb, it should draw blood.  Neither of them have been properly prepared, so this means you have a lot of work to do before I return.”

“I will go right now and get started, because I have a sword and knives to do as well.”

Danilo watched her walk away up the hill, and then he looked up at Thraso again.

“Thank you, Danilo.”

“It will be my pleasure, commander.”

A few minutes later, the army was almost to the top of the northeastern hill outside the village.  The two queens and Alexius were watching, and as Echephyle disappeared from sight Alexius turned and saw concern on Hippolyta’s face.

“I understand your concern, my Lady.  Do you remember the conversations that you and I had during the Hun wars?  I told you that if Danilo had an army of just a thousand, he would be the most dangerous warrior in these realms.  While Danilo has been teaching the queen to fight, he has also taught her to think like him.

“Riding over that hill leading the most elite army of three hundred along with seven hundred veteran warriors is the most powerful battle queen I have ever seen.  She has with her the most skilful, battle hardened barbarian warrior.  She trusts him with her life and she will always confide in him.”

“With no disrespect to your commander, Thraso, but she also has a battle hardened battle warrior as her senior commander.  I have been watching Scyleia and she is far more advanced in fighting like a barbarian than the others in her army.  Danilo even told me that Scyleia was a natural hand to hand warrior.”

“Thank you, Alexius.  You have put my mind at rest.  It just feels strange that I am not going out there with them.”

“My Lady, if it is any consolation, when I was made legion commander I too felt uncomfortable when I was sending out a patrol to do something that I thought I could do better.”

Hippolyta laughed.  “You know me too well, Alexius.”

* * * * *

“What cover is there for the army about a day ahead, Danilo?”

Danilo thought about it quickly, and replied, “There are several forests ahead that are small, but big enough to hide our army, my Lady.”

“We will keep going until we reach the first one, and then we can work out how we are going to find this marauding band of thieves.”

It was half a day before they saw the forests far in the distance.  At this point, Echephyle brought the army to a sudden halt.  “I have a thought, Danilo.”

Both Danilo and Scyleia moved forward to listen.

“We have no idea whether the army of thieves are in that same forest.  I think, just to be cautious, we will stop and rest the horses until we know for sure.  At the moment we are on high ground and we can see clearly in every direction.  We can stay here until it is dark and then move forward until we are close to the forest, but not close enough to risk being seen by the sentries, if there are any.  Would you go forward, Danilo, and take a closer look?”  Then in a rush of concerned words, she added, “But do not place yourself in danger.”

“I know what you mean, my Lady.”

* * * * *

In the village, at midday the lookout called, “Lone rider galloping towards the village from the northeast.  He has three horses in tow.”

Hippolyta came out and looked down towards the gates that were being opened to let the rider pass.  Alexius stopped him, and he dismounted as a soldier held his horse..  “I have a message for the queen from King Ernakh.”

Alexius led him up to the palace where Hippolyta was standing outside with Andromache.  The messenger bowed, and on lifting his head he said, “I have been riding for three days, my Lady.  I was told to give you a message from King Ernakh about impending danger to the trade route in the northeast down to the southeast here near the Black Sea.

“There is a marauding army belonging to an old general that fought with Attila.  After the empire was split into three, this general went with Ellac but a few months ago they had an argument about the pay for this general’s armies.  In the end, Ruga walked away from the palace, leaving Ellac to look after himself with what army was left.

“Ruga wants his money and he has vowed to rob the traders at every chance.  King Ernakh knows from our foot warriors that patrol the trade route that most of Ruga’s army are still the other side of the Big River.”

“How many are there in Ruga’s army?”

“That is a big problem.  When Attila went west to fight, this army was left to hold the empire together.  At that time there was over twenty thousand warriors and he has had a lot of time to find more.  There was also a smaller army of ten thousand warriors led by a man called Badral.  He was not a Hun, but he would fight with them for share of the spoils, and King Ernakh thinks he will join Ruga.

“King Ernakh has sent word to all the foot warriors that they are to help you fight this army.  He has also said that he will send a general and twenty thousand warriors to help your army, should you need them.

“That is all I can tell you, my Lady, except that King Ernakh will keep you informed of any more information.”

“You have been very informative.  Phoebe, get a warrior to find him food and a place to rest.  When he is ready to leave the village, find him four fresh horses.”

The messenger bowed once more.  “Thank you, my Lady.”

As a warrior led him away, Hippolyta turned towards Alexius, about to speak.  He cut her short.  “It is too late in the day to send word to Queen Echephyle, my Lady.  If you send one at first light, they will only be a few thousand paces away at most.”

“Yes you are right, Alexius, but this is very annoying.  I will make this Ruga pay with his life for invading my realm and upsetting my peace.”

* * * * *

It was dark. and Echephyle had stopped the army a thousand paces from the forest in a dip.  Danilo dismounted and ran forward until he was three hundred paces from the edge of the forest.  Then, more cautiously, he crept forward in the long grass, all the time keeping a low profile.  The smell of smoke reached his nose a long time before he saw the fire, and then he crawled on his belly to get close without being seen.

There were two men sitting near a fire, eating rabbit.  Danilo slid as close as he dared through the long grass, hoping to hear their conversation.

“I think Badral has gone to get reinforcements before we attack those traders again.”

“I don’t like what we are doing.  Attacking unarmed people just isn’t right.”

“Badral said it was orders from Ruga, and he takes his orders from the king.”

“I don’t care.  I felt a lot better when we were fighting the Romans going west.  It was also a lot warmer over in the west, not like this cold country.”

“You should be happy that there is another great army ready to cross the Big River.”

“We lost a lot of good men in that last battle, and I heard that we are down to four hundred.”

“I heard it was less than that.  Eat your food, or it will be cold.”

Danilo slipped back through the long grass until he was some distance from them, and then he stood and crept away from the forest.  On his way back to Echephyle he noticed that five hundred paces to the west the land fell away.  It was a gentle slope, but it might be useful to provide cover for their small army.

* * * * *

Once Echephyle heard Danilo’s report, she called a council with all her commanders.

“Toxis, you will take seven hundred warriors to the valley that Danilo told us about.  When you hear the horn, ride out ready to fight.  I am not sure if there will be a battle, but we have to be prepared.

“Scyleia, we all know the drill with the archers at the front.  If we have to gallop into battle, then at one hundred paces they fire one arrow each before they draw their weapon of choice and drop back.  The warriors at the rear will come through to the front with a lance in one hand and a sword in the other.  We will then hit the remainder of the army at the same time as the warriors in the dip.  We do need to take some prisoners for Hippolyta.”

Echephyle waited half the night before sending Scyleia to get down and alongside the hill.  Just as daylight was appearing, Echephyle advanced her elite army of mounted warriors.  Inside the forest, someone shouted, “We are under attack!  Mount up and fight for your lives.”

Echephyle’s warriors were within five hundred paces of the forest when the opposing army galloped out.  Echephyle gave the command to charge, and told the signaller to sound the horn.

The arrows left the bows of the archers to find their target, sending many mounted warriors to their gods.  Just as their chosen close-quarter weapons were in their hands, the Amazons struck the enemy hard.  Each of the spears found its mark, and the noise from the crash of weapons striking shields with the cries of pain was deafening.  The battle was quickly over, and the few left alive surrendered to the might of the Amazons, although Toxis and her Amazons only arrived just as the battle ended.  It turned out that there was a second dip in the hillside before the ridge and flat ground, and this delayed her arrival

A count of warriors was taken, but such was the effectiveness of the Amazons’ attack that none had been killed, although several were injured.  Five prisoners had been taken, and they were soon sitting on their horses with their hands tied.

“Well done, everyone.  We will take the prisoners back with us and get our new orders from Hippolyta.”