CHAPTER ONE
Almost two years had passed since Hippolyta’s battles with
one of Attila’s rogue generals, and dealing with the treachery of the Alani.
Now, there was a port on the Black Sea by Hippolyta’s
village. Ships regularly arrived and
dropped off a caravan of traders, or picked them up and took them
northwest. Most were only small traders
and dealer, but some were rich and it was those that Hippolyta traded with,
although she had little interest in spices or semi-precious jewels. In previous years, traders had often passed
her village, but few stopped because they feared Hippolyta and her army. However, now that it became known there was a
safe port near the village that would cut journey times by several weeks, they
overcame their fear.
The port was below the village, protected by the village’s
north wall manned by Romans and Amazons.
An additional gate had been built into the western end of the wall,
enabling traders to use the port without having to enter the village, and an
additional wall had been built to completely separate the village from the
port, thus ensuring the village’s security.
Roman soldiers patrolled the port on foot to ensure that law and order
was maintained.
From time to time a small fishing boat would dock and bring
the village fish that they had found hard to catch from the shore. Hippolyta allowed a few dwellings to be built
on the shores for the people that helped load and unload the boats.
All travellers that passed through the docks paid Hippolyta
a tax as they moved either way. It was
only a very small charge, agreed between her and the captains of the
boats. It was a good business, and now
Hippolyta was sending her patrols of warriors halfway to the Big River she sent
a quarter of the revenue to Attila who offered her assistance against the Alani
if she needed it. Attila’s forces were
still stretched out over his empire, and there were few places where an army of
any size could be assembled at short notice.
The biggest army was the one commanded by Bleda in the east, but the
Amazons had never been that far. They had
run into smaller forces of Hun on many occasions, but because of the alliance
there was no friction.
* * *
* *
Early one morning, Hippolyta was sitting near the fire
talking, after the council meeting, and the lookout shouted down. “There is an army of about four thousand Hun
riding in from the northeast.”
The two queens and commanders were on their feet in no time,
and heading down to the north gate. The
army stopped at the top of the hill and dismounted, before a general rode alone
down the hill towards the bridge. At the
gate, he stopped and looked up at the Amazons who had bows drawn and arrows
pointing at him.
“I am here to speak with Queen Hippolyta of matters of great
importance.”
“Let him in, Alexius, and bring him up to the council fire.”
They were all sitting back in their seats when the Hun
general arrived at the fire. He stopped
at the fire, and Hippolyta asked, “What is so important that one of Attila’s
generals comes into my village without fighting the bonds that hold him?”
The general laughed.
“Yes, it is also a strange experience for a Hun general, my Lady. I am Bleda, and I have been sent here by
Attila’s command, but I also have to inform you that both you and he have a
huge problem. The Alani have started to
raid villages to the west of the Big River in the disputed realm of Attila’s
empire. It has always been a problem,
but until now it has been no more than a minor inconvenience. Now, however, the raids are by between two
and three thousand Alani.”
“Why would that bother me, General?”
“Not long after your warriors left a town west of the Big
River, two thousand Alani raided it. The
only reason I know this is because we caught them, fought them, and destroyed
them.”
“What were you doing there, General?”
“We just happened by, on our way here. We have also been told to look after the
villages and towns in the disputed realm.
Attila has never asked for taxes from the south because there is nothing
down here to tax, except the port from which he already receives a fair tax."
“We had a spy in Goar’s army who has recently returned to
us. Goar is rebuilding an army of the
size and power he once had. It already has
more than twenty thousand strong. Goar
is not in the disputed lands here in the east, although his smaller armies are
here and causing trouble. Attila
believes him to be in Gaul, and his armies west of the Big River are coming
from further east. Whether he can bring
them all together quickly is another question, but the threat is very real.
“The Hun forces are widely spread, as you know, although I
have now an army of ten thousand mounted warriors. I have six thousand of them in smaller
contingents just to the west of the Big River.
I also have available between eight and ten thousand foot warriors, if I
need them, but we would be hard pressed to deal with Goar if he really can put
together an army of over twenty thousand warriors that our spy informs us he
may be able to do, and it’s quite possible that he can command upward of thirty
thousand. He is a very deceitful leader,
and Attila has not forgiven him for turning against the Hun and leaving us high
and dry on the Catalonian Plains. Attila
would like to see him and his generals dead."
“We also know from our spy that Goar hates the sound of your
name and intends to make you pay for throwing Akbar to the wolves. Attila thanks you for that, and it made him a
very happy king when he heard that news.
Attila also sent warriors down to clean up that mess in the town Octar
destroyed in his senseless act of madness.
They also rebuilt some of the dwellings to erase the deed from his
mind. I think it was Octar’s biggest
mistake, and it upset Attila more than him siding with Akbar of the Alani.
“I do not have the warriors to hold or defeat Goar’s army if
it numbers thirty thousand. I believe
you have maybe thirty or forty thousand warriors, and you too would find it a
hard battle to win. The only way to
defeat an Alani army of that size would be to cut it down bit by bit, and I do
not wish to take the risk of travelling around the south of the empire trailing
my ten thousand warriors – which will hardly go unnoticed.
“On your word, my Lady, I will gather the foot warriors
together, to be ready for battle should it be necessary, but I must tell you
that all this is preliminary to specific orders and strategic planning from
Attila. I am sure his personal messenger
will bring you further information, and I am equally certain that it will all
be as I have related."
“I am now going to set camp at the end of the long valley to
rest for the night. My warriors and I
have ridden for three days without stopping. We can talk again in the morning before I
return to the east. I trust this meets
with your approval, my Lady?”
“Yes, that will be fine, general. I have much to discuss with my commanders.”
Bleda walked away down to the north gate, leading his
horse. Hippolyta asked her commanders
what they thought of Bleda’s information and conclusions.
Thraso was the first to speak: “Do you think we can trust
the Hun, Hippolyta? We have been warring
with them for more than ten years, and despite the recent truce and the
proportion of the port fees paid to Attila, do you think they would change
now?”
Hippolyta did not answer.
She looked up at Alexius, who was standing in his usual place. He realised that she expected his opinion as
a Roman commander, and perhaps an overview of the political and military
situation in that part of the world, that the Romans with their extensive
empire might know better than any others. Alexius, however, was only able to provide part of the
information she hoped for.
“I think it is much as Bleda has told you, my Lady. The Hun army is thin on the ground this end
of the empire. The Alani have been
pushing Attila for more than three years, and his patience has worn thin. We know that, despite his ambitions of
empire, Attila has more than often kept his word than the Alani. Even when he had an alliance with them, it
was the Alani that broke the treaty.
More importantly, as long as a treaty is in Attila’s favour, he is
unlikely to break it for a small gain."
“You aren’t having any trouble from Bleda because you are
paying Attila a tax that helps him pay his army. Attila, like, you also knows that all the
time Goar has no big army he is not a threat to the north and northwest of his
empire. Neither is he a threat to you at
the moment. However, with a big army he
could overrun the Hun and possibly you and the port. The Alani have to be contained in the
southeast and not allowed to create bigger armies. Remember that Attila is getting more revenue
from your port than he could raise in taxes from anywhere in this poor part of
his empire. He’s realistic enough to
know that, and he also knows that you and he have to put your differences aside
and fight together against the Alani.
“I must say that I cannot be sure of most of this. I’m speculating, but it’s based on the
limited knowledge I do have. I am in no
doubt that Attila and Bleda know more about Goar than I do. I expect it will all become clearer when the
messenger from Attila arrives. My
opinion is just that: an opinion, but I hope it will help you make whatever
decision is necessary to continue the prosperity of your village and avoid any
risk of it being conquered by the Alani.
I will leave you with those thoughts while I see to the running of the Legions,
my Lady.”
“Thank you Alexius. As
you say, the decision is mine alone. I
think you for your input, and I will certainly not blame you for any decision
that I make today.”
Scyleia started to speak: “I have seen a few of those Alani
armies Bleda was talking about. They
were so far away in the distance to the east that I did not realise they were
Alani. I assumed they were contingents
of Hun, but I should have realised that Bleda would have a far bigger army to
ride with.”
“I too have seen them,” Phoebe said, “and like Scyleia I
mistook them for Hun. If they are
showing themselves without fear of being seen, I would assume they are
confident they can take control of the trade route.”
Andromache said, “You need to remember also, Hippolyta, that
Attila has been sending trade this way down the Danube. The cargo of pottery on that last boat was
his. We have been sending animal furs
and weapons back his way that Attila is willing to pay for, to replace his
aging weaponry, although – as you well know – we have been careful enough not
to risk sending him enough weaponry to equip new forces that might become a
threat to us.”
The lookout shouted down once more, “There is a runner
coming in from the northeast. He looks
like a young runner from the north-eastern villages.”
Some time later, the boy stopped at the gate. “I have a message for the queen,” he called
up to the guard on the gate.
The gate was opened to let him in so that Alexius could take
him up to the council fire . The boy seemed nervous as everyone looked at him
expectantly.
“Don’t be afraid of us, boy.
We are not going to hurt you.”
“My Lady, last night an army of raiders came to our village,
and stole all the cattle, horses and the corn for the bread. They killed two of the young men that tried
to stop them. When our village leader
Fedeyka tried to plead with them to leave the corn, their leader, called
Chuluun, killed him with his sword. He
then shouted, “These are taxes for the great Goar, and I will be back for
more.”
“Toxis, give the boy some food and something to drink.”
“There is more, my Lady.
On the way here, I came past the valley to the north of that
forest.” He turned and pointed to the
north. “The army is in there, because I
saw the sentries on horses. They were
dressed the same as the raiders were last night, and they are camped just
inside the entrance. I saw the smoke
from many fires.”
“Toxis, look after the boy.
He has served his queen well."
“Scyleia, I want three thousand of your archers on the rim
of that valley. You must travel fast,
and blow the horn when you start shooting.
As soon as we hear the horn, I will have two thousand warriors ready to
deal with any of the Alani that escape your arrows. After today, Goar will know that I am at war
with him.”
It took very little time to prepare the army, and Scyleia
left the village first with her archers.
Hippolyta left soon afterwards, with Danilo riding just behind the queen
and Thraso. Before long they were at the
corner of the forest before the valley, and waiting for the sound of the horn.
* * *
* *
A rider jumped from his horse and walked over to the fire
where Bleda was sitting with his commanders.
“General, that queen has just ridden out from her village at a fast
pace, heading north along the side of the long forest.”
“What were you doing when you saw her?”
“I was hunting for a meal tonight.”
“Well, you had better get moving because the light will be
starting to fade soon. You had better
remember this while you are hunting: the queen and her warriors are fighting
the Alani at our side and have an alliance with Attila. So, if you see any of them while you’re
hunting, you had better leave them alone.
This is not the time to start a war with our only friends down in the
south.”
“You seem very sure that she will help our army, general.”
“The queen is a very clever woman, and it would be advisable
not to treat her alliance lightly. She
has no time for fools, and her army has in the last ten years destroyed almost
twenty thousand Hun warriors, and destroyed and defeated at least the same
number of Alani. Both Attila and I give
her a lot of respect, because those that do not end up like the fools that
thinks she is a fool: Bataar, Churnobog, Edico, and the worst fool of all,
Octar.”
* * *
* *
Scyleia made the detachment of Amazon archers run all the
way, and they was soon in position with enough time to regain their
breath. Then, with the wave of her hand,
she had all the warriors on the ridge looking down. As she blew the horn, they fired their arrows
into the army of Alani. There were
shouts and screams of pain as the arrows struck the soft clothes of the
warriors. Some tried to escape and
mounted their horses, only to be pushed back as Hippolyta blocked their
way. There were only a few left standing
when Scyleia gave the signal for the horn to be blown again.
The arrows stopped falling, and the few Alani that was still
alive were in a group. Hippolyta rode
her horse close to them and looked at their clothes. “Who is Chuluun?”
The group split up so that a man in the middle of them was
on his own.
“So, you are the thief that steals my people’s corn, cattle
and horses. You dare come into my realm,
you pig, and kill my people, even the village elder? If you don’t already know, I am Queen
Hippolyta and this is my realm.”
“This is not your realm any more, Witch Queen. It belongs to Goar. When he finds out what you have done to his
army he will send a much larger army down here and destroy you.”
Hippolyta looked at this commander, noting he could not be
more than twenty years old. “You are a
little young to be a commander in the big pig Goar’s army. Ha!
You’re no more than a piglet!”
“You wouldn’t call my uncle that if he was standing in front
of you.”
“So, piglet, you are the big pig’s nephew, and I thought
things could not get better. Thraso,
heat up a sword and we’ll send Goar a present.”
Hippolyta then pointed at the Alani warriors standing near
their young commander. “Move over near
the forest of young trees and sit down, if you want to live. Scyleia, get some warriors and tie his left
hand behind his back, then tie his arms to his side at the chest.”
While this was happening, Bleda rode into the valley with
ten of his men. Hippolyta looked at him
with caution, but realising he had no army with him she turned back to face
Chuluun. “The blade is ready,
Hippolyta.”
“Hold his arm on the side of that cart so that I can get a
good strike on his wrist.”
“What are you going to do?”
“You’re a thief, boy, and we cut the hands off thieves so
that they don’t do it in the future. It
is the same law your pig of an uncle lives by.”
“No, please, I beg you.
My uncle will pay you not to do it,” he screamed as he thrashed
about. The warriors pushed him to the
cart as he screamed, and then held his arm tightly against the cart side. He was still screaming as Hippolyta’s axe
fell on his wrist. He passed out before
Thraso pressed the red hot sword against the stub of his arm to stop the
bleeding. Water was thrown over his face
to revive him, and he screamed again at the pain.
“Be thankful you are not dead, Chuluun, nephew of Goar. You can go back now, and tell that fat pig
Goar that Queen Hippolyta and her army are on their way to find him and push
him out of his palace. He will not be
able to find enough warriors to stop me doing it. My people are not for taxing, especially not
by Goar the pig. Tell him not to send
any more thieves west of the Big River collecting taxes, or he will have
nothing but one-handed men in his army.”
“Scyleia, leave them some horses for the survivors and the
wounded, and then take the cattle and carts of grain back to the village. The remainder of the horses we will keep as a
tax on Goar.”
Hippolyta mounted her horse and then brought it to a halt
near Bleda. “I will push this filth all
the way back to the Caspian Sea, and further.
I think now Goar will have to show you and me what he is made of,
Bleda.”
“So we are joining forces, my Lady. I will send word out for the foot
warriors. They will be needed, because
Goar has at least twenty-five thousand of the same. It will take several weeks for the army of
foot soldiers to be formed up, but while that is taking place I will be just
west of the Big River. One thing to
remember: the Alani armies are no bigger than twenty-five hundred in each group. I am in no doubt though, my Lady, that at
some point in the future we will have to join as one army and make a battle
plan.”
Hippolyta watched him ride away, and Thraso said, “Can we
trust them to uphold the alliance, Hippolyta?”
“Thraso, he had forty-five hundred warriors that could have
attacked us while we waited for Scyleia to blow the horn. We have to trust each other, because neither
he nor I with our armies can beat the Alani on our own.”
It was not long before Hippolyta’s army had returned to the
village and she was sitting at the council fire. Alexius had heard what had happened earlier,
and he was also in his usual positions for meetings.
“I have sent another message to Goar, and this time he had
better remember it. We have no idea of
how many armies he has in the south-western Caucasus, but however many there
are we have to send them back the other side of the Big River. I believe Bleda was correct when he told me
that at some time he and I would have to join armies to fight as one great
army. Goar will only take so much punishment
before he realises that I will not roll over and let him walk over me.
“Today, Thraso asked if after the defeat of the Alani we can
trust the Hun. I believe the only reason
Bleda rode to that battlefield with ten warriors was to show me that they could
be trusted. He had forty-five hundred
warriors fresh from resting that could have overpowered us in no time. Both he and I know that if Goar has the nerve
to send tax collectors to one of my villages then he has no intention of taking
a peaceful trade route. I am in no doubt
that Goar is collecting taxes in the east of Attila’s empire, which means that
he believes he has a big enough army to back up his demands."
“For the first time, my army and the Hun’s will be going out
with the same purpose, although we will patrol separately. My army will be split. I will be leading forty-five hundred
warriors, and so too will Echephyle. I
am going as far east as the Big River while Echephyle will patrol the
surrounding area with the local villages.
There will always be ten thousand warriors in this village ready for
battle, so if we need help it will be only a few days away."
“We’ll have slaves riding with us, leading horses that will
carry our reserve weapons, equipment and supplies. I have decided that the slaves will be
mounted and travelling at the same speed as the armies, but they will remain
one hundred paces to our rear. That way,
we will have whatever we need when we need it, but at all times they will be
protected by two hundred warriors and a commander. As it is the beginning of summer, there will
be no need for us to have shelters, except for those over the fires."
“Echephyle, I am giving you Scyleia as your second in
command. Listen to her and your
commanders. This is not a time to think
you are going to get everything right just because you are the queen. Don’t take chances with your warriors. They will follow you to the gates of hell,
fighting for the realm every step of the way.”
Hippolyta looked up at Alexius. He had not moved from his spot where he
always standing. “Have you anything to
say, Alexius?”
“I am expecting a boat in from the Emperor, and then I will
know more of the situation. We do have
spies in the east keeping an eye on things because there are a few Alani at the
southern banks of the Black Sea, but they are giving us no problems. I think that Goar has realised that the trade
route will bring him wealth. He is not
satisfied with collecting the taxes on the Caspian Sea, so now he wishes to
control the whole of its route.
“On the other hand, you give Attila a share of your taxes at
this end by the Black Sea, while he collects a lion’s share his end. He knows that if that trade route is owned
fully by the Alani he will lose a lot of his wealth. He also knows that if any of his sons were in
your position he would be getting no more than he is now, and probably
less. He will help you protect this end
of the Black Sea and its port, and because it is in the disputed realm it is as
much his as yours, my Lady.”
“The armies will both leave tomorrow, Echephyle, and you
will go first in the morning. We will
leave at different times so that there are not so many warriors in the area
around the village at the same time. As
you are covering the first half of the realm, I will leave you to take the boy
home and the belongings of the village people.”
