Episode 1 The Slavers of El Arish
Azure laughed.
Valkar was staring at her in open-mouthed disbelief.
“What do you mean?” he asked. “How can that be? You are my sister? How
could such a thing be possible?”
“It is possible because you did not follow the
mating procedures. Instead of arranging
for a proper union you purchased me on the slave market. If you had made proper application to the
Sisterhood, the Prioress would have made sure that such a mistake did not
occur. In any case, I am glad that it
happened. Sisters of the order do not
normally ever get to meet their brothers.”
“But I spent 6000 crowns to purchase you!”
“And I am thankful you did. Who knows what would have become of me if I
had been purchased by a less honorable man?”
Valkar turned to her. He smiled. “I embrace you
sister, although not in the way I intended.”
Azure and Valkar gave one another a
sisterly-brotherly hug. Valkar got up
and went to the door. “How am I ever
going to explain this to my men? They
already think I am a fool for purchasing you in the first place.” He frowned.
“And there is something more important.
If you are my sister then that means my other sister has been enslaved
by Prince Bandar, a man not noted for his gentle treatment of women.”
Azure’s face now clouded with alarm. In the excitement of her discovery of her
brother, she had put the plight of her sister into the back of her mind. “I must save her,” Azure said. “I must go before it is too late. Can you give me a sword? I must go at once.”
“I can do better than give you a sword. I have your weapons and armor. Zendar purchased them in the market
place. It was never my intention to
make you my slave, so I intended to return them to you after we had completed
our union. I will also go with
you. The enslavement of my sister is my
concern. I am afraid that I cannot ask
any member of Clan Wolverine for help, there is an understanding between our
clan and the prince’s family. But I may
seek redress from the prince since your sister is my sister.”
Azure and Valkar hurried from the room. Outside there was a small crowd of his
men. A few jeers were hurled their way
when they emerged, but the look on Valkar’s face quickly silenced any who
thought to make light of the situation.
As they ran through the barracks Valkar explained
his surprise discovery to Zendar. At
first, the man smiled broadly at the strange twist of fate. Then he turned serious as he learned of
Valkar’s intentions. “I am coming
too,” volunteered Zendar, “and do not
try to talk me out of it. I stand by my
friends.”
They stopped by the armory to pick up weapons and
gear. There, Azure found her sword,
armor, shield and other equipment.
Valkar armed and armored himself as did Zendar, both warriors acquiring
shields and a knee length suit of chain mail.
It was not of the quality of mail that Azure wore, but it was much
thicker, affording equal protection.
As Valkar donned his great helm, he ordered one of
his men to bring them horses. Azure
immediately thought of Sky and Fire. The two gryphons would have make a huge
difference to the success of the expedition, allowing them to bypass Prince
Bandar’s defenses, but she would have the make do the best she could without
her traditional steed.
The trio mounted up and headed into the streets of
El Arish. Moving at a gallop they
headed swiftly for Prince Bandar’s fortress-palace. Their ride took them right through the heart of the town and out
into the suburbs. Here the area was
more heavily treed and the ground sloped upward. Prince Bandar’s fortress was located on high ground, the better
to defend it.
Approaching the walls of Prince Bandar’s palace,
they reined in their mounts to better appraise the situation. Getting into the palace would not be
easy. From its hilltop location, it
dominated the ground around it. High
walls with posted guards made it difficult to simply charge the palace and
force their way in. Any attackers would
be subject to a rain of arrows and other objects from the defenders. The main gate was flanked by guard towers,
which actually turned that weakness into strength. Past the gate was the palace itself, but it was massively
constructed and well suited to repel any attack. As in the case of the wall, towers provided strongpoints for the
garrison and enabled the defenders to use flanking fire to take out any
invaders.
“If we could just find an easy way in, we might have
a chance,” said Valkar, “but I do not see any weaknesses.” He looked at Azure to see if she had any
ideas, but saw that her attention was focused on something else.
Azure eyes were trained on two tiny dots high in the
sky over the center of El Arish. Her
heart jumped. Could it be possible? She put her fingers into her mouth and let
loose an ear-splitting whistle.
Valkar looked at her in astonishment. He had not realized that any girl could
whistle like that. What was Azure up
to?
He followed her gaze and then he too spotted the two
tiny objects riding high over the city.
In a few seconds they began to increase in size. They were some sort of birds. Very large birds. Gigantic birds. “My God”
he exclaimed, “Gryphons!”
He had never before seen any of the legendary
creatures, although, of course he had heard of them. Now as the huge beasts swept down on them he was overcome by a
feeling of awe.
Azure was ecstatic.
Sky and Fire had not given up searching for
them as she had feared. The two
enormous sky creatures must have somehow tracked them across the desert and
found the Azure’s place of captivity.
They had responded instantly to the signal they had been trained to obey
from the time that they were fledglings.
Now there was an easy way to bypass Prince Bandar’s defenses.
* * *
Deep within the bowels of the palace, Sapphire and
Shanna had once again been led into the room that Sapphire now thought of as
the torture chamber. Sapphire had done
what she could to help her friend, but many of Shanna injuries were beyond her
efforts to repair. Shanna would be
scarred for life unless Sapphire could somehow find a way to get her to the
cloister of the Sisterhood of the Blood Ruby.
There were people there who could heal almost any injury, provided the
victim reached them in time.
After her terrible ordeal of the previous day,
Shanna could barely walk. The mere fact
that she managed to make her way down to the torture chamber on her own
attested to her great strength of body and will. Sapphire had tried to help her, but she had refused all
offers. Her warrior code would not
allow her to show any weakness, no matter how badly injured she was.
As on the previous day, Prince Bandar awaited
them. They had been escorted into his
presence under heavy guard, and Sapphire’s wrists and ankles had been manacled
as a precaution. The prince went to
work on Shanna immediately.
Two burly guards lay hold of each of the Amazon’s
arms. Even in her severely weakened
condition, Shanna fought so strongly that two more guards had to come up to
help the original two. They eventually
resorted to placing a leather collar about her neck, and shackling her wrists
behind her back as on the previous day.
Her tormentors had thought her beaten, but she still had the fighting
spirit of an Amazon of Clan Wolf.
Still struggling, Shanna was led to the same table
where she had been brutalized the day before.
Her blood and sweat still stained the tabletop. There, she was chained in the same position
she had been in before. Bent over the
top, with her ankles chained to each table leg, she was ready to be taken by
anyone who chose.
The fiendish prince strode over to her side. Caressing her lacerated back, he ran his
fingers down over her beautifully curved backside and then pushed his index
finger into her anus.
Shanna arched her back slightly.
“Ah,’ said the Prince, “I see you remember this from
yesterday. Unfortunately, you fainted
before you were able to fully enjoy the experience. I intend to remedy that immediately.”
The Prince had dropped his trousers, exposing his
enormous phallus once again. As on the
previous day, he anointed his throbbing rod with sweet smelling oil, and then
he placed its tip against the tiny button of Shanna’s anus.
Shanna’s breath quickened. Memories of her horrible ordeal at Prince Bandar’s hands came
flooding back. She offered up a silent
prayer to her clan gods to give her the needed strength to survive the next
round of torture.
“Mmmm,” Prince Bandar moaned as Shanna’s anus began to
close around his phallus. Her ass was
so incredibly tight and muscular! He
felt his victim tense as his penetration increased. She was an amazingly strong woman, but he knew that given enough
time he would break her will. Today,
another round with his men should finish her.
If not, well there was always the whip.
Shanna’s mouth opened in a silent cry of pain. What she was experiencing was
indescribable. Slowly, despite her best
efforts to hold still, her back arched. Prince Bandar’s huge phallus penetrated
deeper and deeper within her bowels, stretching her to the limit. It felt as if a hot iron was being slowly
thrust within her. Despite the coolness
of the subterranean room, her body was already bathed in sweat, and drops of
moisture splashed onto the tabletop as the Prince plunged brutally into
her. But she gave no sound other than
her labored breathing. It would have
been a welcome release to have shrieked out her agony, but she would not allow
any such sign of weakness.
The prince had almost penetrated her full by
now. Incredibly, he had managed to sink
his enormous shaft twelve inches into the inner recesses of her body. For several minutes, he pumped in and out of
her, enjoying the unbelievable sensation of the rape and reveling in the pain
he was causing his victim. Finally,
bursting with pleasure, he ejaculated fully into her and withdrew from her
ravaged anus.
One of the prince’s slave girls wiped him off. He pulled up his trousers and motioned for
Shanna to be removed from the table.
With a mixture of relief and fear, Shanna was dragged across the chamber
towards a large brazier. There was
relief at the fact that she was not to be immediately gang raped as on the
previous day, but there was also fear at what Prince Bandar would do to her
next.
As she was half-walked, half-dragged toward the
brazier, her worst fears were realized.
The brazier was filled with hot coals, and protruding form the center of
the red-hot fire was the handle of a branding iron.
For a few seconds, Shanna put up a bit of a
struggle. Then realizing that her
efforts were in vain, and that she was presenting an undignified example, she
stopped fighting and walked with as much dignity as she could muster toward the
blazing receptacle.
Prince Bandar removed the iron from the fire. It glowed almost white hot in the dim lit of
the torture chamber. He smirked evilly
as he held the iron in front of Shanna’s face.
She did not flinch, but stared past the glowing iron.
“And now, my lovely,” the prince crowed, “you will
wear my mark, and wear it in a place that all will see.”
Shanna held perfectly still. The Prince plunged the tip of the hot iron
onto her left breast, just above the nipple.
He held it there for several seconds, watching the steam and smoke rise
from the burned flesh and listening to the sizzle as he placed his mark upon
her.
He removed the iron, and Shanna, who had stood stock
still during this most painful part of her ordeal, stumbled a little. Suddenly she found that she could no longer
stand unaided. The prince’s men held
her erect, turning her body so that all could see the mark of the crescent moon
upon her breast.
“Take her,” the prince ordered. Still conscious, but hanging limply in the
arms of her guards, Shanna was dragged across the chamber. She was about to undergo another round of
multiple rape.
Throughout Shanna’s ordeal, Sapphire had watched as
on the previous day. Her horror mounted
as she saw one painful indignity after the other forced onto her friend. She hoped that when her turn came, she would
bear up as well as Shanna under the torture and humiliation that had been
intended to intimidate her into giving herself freely to the prince.
She tried to remain stoic through it all, but it was
terribly hard. Shanna’s bravery stood
as a shining example, but Sapphire’s eyes filled with tears each time her
friend underwent another brutal ordeal.
The prince strode over to her. “Tomorrow Sky Maiden it is your turn. Make your decision now. Are we to meet in my chambers for a day of
lovemaking or are you to be brought here for a lesson in humility?”
Looking directly into the prince’s handsome, but
cruel eyes Sapphire gave her answer.
Deliberately, she chose Shanna’s words: “I would rather mate with a dog
than have you as my lover.”
Prince Bandar’s face clouded over in rage. His guards lay hold of Sapphire’s arms and
her raised his fist to strike her, but never completed the action.
“EEEEYYYAAAHH!”
Azure’s
war cry echoed throughout the room.
Through the open door charged the Sky Maiden, followed by a huge man
wielding a gigantic two-handed sword.
Prince Bandar eyes bugged out of his head, as he
beheld the spectacle of the two warriors charging toward him. How had they managed to get into his
palace? Why had he not been
alerted? And then he was far too busy
trying to keep from being cut to pieces to wonder about the situation any more.
The Prince’s guards recovered before he did and they
moved to repel the invaders, but they had never been up against opponents like
Azure and Valkar. The powerful Clan
Wolverine captain wielded his sword like a toothpick. Nothing could stand before it.
Like a giant cleaver it cut through shields, knocked swords out of the
hands of Prince Bandar’s guards, split skulls, and sliced off limbs.
Azure, although smaller in stature was far more
agile. She swept through the prince’s
men with deadly efficiency, parrying and deflecting blows with her sword and
her shield and counterattacking with murderous effect. Although lacking Valkar’s immense strength,
her blows were still formidable, capable of beheading an enemy with a single
stroke. The floor of the torture
chamber was soon littered with dead and dying men. All that saved Prince Bandar from becoming a victim was the
arrival of numerous reinforcements from other parts of the palace. They swarmed into the room from several
entrances and managed to slow the progress of the two warriors as they cut
their way toward the prince.
After the first onslaught Prince Bandar retreated to
a safer part of the room. His sword
drawn, he watched the battle, separated from the bloodshed by a score or more
of his guards.
Sapphire too watched the seemingly one-sided
duel. Even with their superior skills,
it seemed impossible that Valkar and Azure would not be overwhelmed by sheer
force of numbers. Indeed, there was a
danger that they would be surrounded and at the mercy of their enemies. As a result, they were forced to retreat to
the doorway through which they had entered the room in order to keep from being
surrounded. There they more than held
their own. However, there was a real
danger that other detachments of the prince’s soldiers might come up on them
from behind. If that happened it was
unlikely that they would survive the experience.
By now, there were over a hundred members of Prince
Bandar’s elite bodyguard in the room, all pressing forward toward the two
beleaguered warriors. Sapphire saw a
contingent of soldiers leave the room by another door. She suspected strongly that these men
intended to circle around and come at Azure and Valkar from behind.
In all the confusion of the assault, Sapphire
noticed that she was no longer being closely watched. It was difficult for her to help her sister and the giant warrior
who accompanied her due to the fact that her wrists were shackled to a belt
around her waist and her ankles were linked by a three-foot length of chain.
“There must be something I can do,” she
muttered. Her eyes swept the room. Was there a key or something that might help
her to escape?
“Yes!” In a
niche nest to the brazier she spotted a number of tools. These were no doubt to be used as
instruments of torture, but if she could make her was to them unobserved she
might be able to escape her chains.
Slowly Sapphire backed toward the wall. In the dimly lit room if she could get into
the shadows she might not be observed.
The incredible distraction provided by the battle near the door helped
her. She was able to make her way from
shadow to shadow until she reached the niche.
There she found a tool that might do the job. It was a long thin needle, probably intended for piercing various
parts of the female anatomy. It would
serve as an excellent lock pick.
Sapphire just had enough movement in her arms that
she could reach the lock on her left wrist with the needle held in her right
hand. She manipulated in the lock. Although not trained as a thief, she was
adept enough that the crude lock soon sprang open. After that it took her only moments to release her other wrist
and then her ankles.
Her freedom gained, she wasted no time. There were dozens of weapons that had once
been held by living men littering the floor of the torture chamber. She picked up the first sword she came to
and charged into the fray.
The impact of her attack was phenomenal. Coming from behind, it caught the prince’s
men completely off guard. She had cut
though a half dozen men before they even realized she was there. Panic ensued. Soldiers who thought they had the upper hand and were in the process
of springing their own trap now found themselves under attack from behind. Many of them scattered, fleeing for their
lives. Others, more dedicated that the
rest, stood and fought, only to be cut down by the two sisters and their half
brother. The battle went on for a few
minutes more, but eventually the last of Prince Bandar’s men went down, leaving
the room to the triumphant trio.
Shanna lay slumped by the table for the first part
of the battle, too exhausted and brutalized to move. But her warrior spirit was not dead. The sounds of the battle revived her. She attempted to get to her feet, and then realized that with her
wrists chained behind her she would be able to offer little resistance to any
of Prince Bandar’s men. She returned to
a sitting position, and then straining her muscles so hard that several of her
wounds reopened, she managed to slide her manacled wrists over her shapely
buttocks and beneath her thighs. After
that it was only a matter of a few seconds to get her hands in front of
her. Now she could fight!
As Sapphire had done, Shanna picked up a sword from
a fallen guard. The manacles on her
wrists would handicap her somewhat, but by holding the weapon with both hands,
she could brandish it with deadly effect.
She obtained the sword just as Sapphire launched her attack. She was about to join the Sky Maiden, when
her path was blocked by a menacing figure.
It was Prince Bandar!
“So Amazon,” said the prince, “you have managed to
find a weapon. You seek to help your
friends. But you have stood up to me
for the last time. While my guards deal
with your companions, I will deal with you.”
The prince came at Shanna with a ferocious attack,
intended to overwhelm the weakened Amazon, but she was not as defenseless as he
supposed. A lifetime of training had
given her magnificent reflexes and she was able to parry most of the blows
aimed at her. Had she not been so
weakened by the brutality inflicted upon her in the last two days she would
have made short work of her overconfident adversary. But she was weakened, and as a result, the prince’s confidence
was justified. Striking at her again
and again, he drove the Amazon back across the room.
The prince was not a small man, standing almost
six-feet-four inches tall. He had the
advantage of reach over Shanna and used it to inflict several new cuts on her
upper body. A particular vicious slash
cut through the soft tissue of her left breast, just to the left of the brand
he had burned over her nipple. Caught
up in the frenzy of battle, Shanna hardly noticed these new hurts, but realized
that she was fighting a losing battle.
She simply did not have the energy needed to defeat so skilled an
opponent. Had she not been subject to
torture for two days it would have been a different story, but her weakness
left her fighting for her life.
She retreated steadily, but was fast running out of
room. Soon the prince would have her
backed into a corner and she would be forced to stand and fight. As she fell back Shanna looked for an
opening. At the same time she checked
out the battle across the room. The two
Sky Maidens and the giant warrior were still engaged with a dozen or so of the
prince’s guards. She could expect no
help from there.
If only her wrists had not been chained. It was very difficult to deal with an
opponent as able as Prince Bandar with her hands forced so close together. Suddenly Shanna felt a burning pain against
her backside. Her retreat had brought
her up against the blazing brazier. The
heat of the coals had made the metal burning hot, and she almost screamed as
her skin was blistered by the intense heat.
The prince actually laughed. He had seen Shanna moving toward the brazier
and enjoyed seeing her lose another two inches of skin. Pressing forward, he moved in for the kill.
Shanna stepped to one side, squeezing between the
brazier and the wall. The prince went
the other way, circling to the right to avoid having to step through the narrow
opening. Shanna saw her chance. Using the respite from the prince’s attack,
she swung her sword with all the force she could muster. But she did not swing at the prince, but at
the brazier. With a shower of sparks
the blazing cauldron of fire spilled its contents across the room, showering
the prince with a thousand burning coals.
With a scream of pain Prince Bandar lurched away
from the fiery avalanche, but he was not quick enough. Almost immediately, his clothing ignited,
turning him into a human torch.
Dropping his sword he dashed wildly about the room, beating at his
burning clothing with his hands. The
sound of his frightened screams was so piercing that the eyes of all remaining
combatants turned toward him. Seeing
their leader ablaze from toe to head the remaining guards fled the room.
The prince dropped to the floor and began to roll
across it. By this time most of his
clothing had been burned away and he was able to smother what was left. Still smoldering he rose to his feet. He was badly burned but far from dead. Shanna took two steps toward him and sliced
off his head with a single blow. Then,
exhausted both physically and mentally she collapsed. She tried one time to push herself to her feet and then fainted.
* * *
The first thing Shanna became aware of was a strange
floating sensation. She felt cool air
on her face as if she was exposed to a strong breeze. She opened her eyes. What
she saw completely disoriented her. She
seemed to be drifting among the clouds as in some strange dream of flying. For a few seconds she thought that she was
dead and had joined the gods. Then she
saw that the dream was a reality. She
was being carried by a gigantic winged creature. She was encircled by a pair of arms that she soon discovered
belonged to Sapphire. When she looked
to her right she saw a second giant flying creature that was being ridden by
Sapphire’s twin and the giant warrior who had come to her aid.
Shanna had no idea where she was or where she was
going. She only knew that she was high
over Lemuria.
Sapphire sensed her wakefulness. She gave the Amazon a gentle squeeze. “We are going to the cloister of the
Sisterhood of the Blood Ruby. The
Sisterhood is very skilled in the healing arts. We are almost there.”
Shanna saw that they were approaching a range of
mountains. The huge winged creatures
they were riding swooped toward a high valley between two jagged peaks. There, hanging from the side of an almost
vertical cliff was an imposing fortress-like building. Shanna saw that it was far larger than
Prince Bandar’s palace, which was the largest building she had ever been
in. It was big enough to house
thousands of people.
The gryphons swooped to a landing on one of the
battlements. Immediately the riders
found themselves surrounded by several dozen armed women, most of them quite
young. Nowhere was there any sign of a
single man.
Azure and Sapphire gave a hurried explanation to the
assembled women. One of them hurried
away and returned a few minutes later with an older woman. Shanna guessed that she was about forty
years old, but still very beautiful.
She spoke briefly with Sapphire and her sister in a voice so low that
Shanna could not hear the conversation, and then she turned to Shanna and
Valkar, who had been herded together at the center of a dozen or so of the
female warriors.
“Welcome to the cloister of the Sisterhood of the
Blood Ruby. I am Beryl, mother of
Sapphire and Azure.” She looked
directly at Shanna. “You are in need of
healing and you will receive it. And
you,” she continued, looking at Valkar, “are my son. You have helped my daughters and thus may stay until your friend
is healed.”
Valkar nodded.
He did not regard Shanna as his friend, he barely knew her, but thought
that little would be gained by contradicting an Elder of the Sisterhood.
Beryl took Shanna’s arm and led her away from the
battlements. Sapphire and Azure went
with them, one on each side of the Amazon, helping her walk. Shanna suddenly felt very weak. The results of her ordeal were catching up
with her.
The procession went up several long flights of
stairs. Shanna realized that she was
being taken to the highest part of the fortress. As they reached the top of a particularly long stair the area
opened up into a wide stone platform cut into the side of the mountain. Beryl walked directly toward the cliff face
and they entered a dark tunnel. The
floor of the tunnel curved upward for several hundred feet. By this time Shanna was quite exhausted. Beryl had said something about healing, but
there seemed to be no end to this endless trek. Shanna knew that if they did
not reach their destination soon, she would have to be carried.
Suddenly the dark tunnel ended and they entered into
a magnificent cavern. Through an
opening high in the side of the cliff sunlight streamed through to the cavern
floor. Beryl turned to Shanna. She took the Amazon’s hand. “We are just in time,” she said.
Sapphire and Azure let go of her. Unsteadily, Shanna was guided by Beryl into
the very center of the cavern. The sun
streamed in, moving slowly up the cavern wall.
Shanna felt that she was supposed to watch something, and fixed her gaze
on the point where the sunlight illuminated the cavern. She saw that the sun’s rays were moving
higher as the sun set, lighting up an altar that was set against the far
wall. Suddenly, the sunlight seemed to
explode. A brilliant red light filled
the entire cavern, reflected from the hundreds of facets of an immense red
stone set high in the altar. It was the
Blood Ruby!
Shanna was bathed in its light. She fell to her knees, overwhelmed by a
feeling of weakness. She felt as if all
of her energy was being drained from her.
Then, she experienced a feeling of power like nothing she had ever
encountered. It surged through her body
reaching an intensity that was almost beyond endurance. And then it was gone. The sun set, and darkness filled the
cavern.
Shaken, Shanna remained kneeling, too debilitated to
move. Beryl took her arm and helped her
to her feet. The Elder Sister guided
her back to he tunnel followed by her daughters. Surprisingly, Shanna felt stronger as she walked. She supposed that was due to the fact that
she was heading downhill now. The
tunnel ended. They were back on the
platform. In the fading light of dusk,
Shanna saw that her injuries had disappeared.
She was healed! She was overcome
by an incredible sense of awe, and for the third time in her life, she fainted.
* * *
High over Lemuria Shanna looked down on her
homeland. Sapphire was returning her to
the lair of Clan Wolf. Although the
outcome of her first adventure was not exactly as she had hoped it would be
when she set out a few says ago it did have some positive aspects. She had proven that she had the strength of
will and physical stamina to be a true Amazon.
She had been able to resist the ravages of brutal torture and her
courage and determination had not flagged even in the face of the most
degrading and barbaric treatment. And
thanks to the miraculous power of the Blood Ruby she had suffered no permanent
injuries. Amazingly, the healing power
of the wondrous stone had even healed her torn hymen, restoring her lost
virginity.
She had also found new companions. Although Sapphire and Azure lived in a
different world from hers, their goals were the same. She was sure that even after she returned home, that she and the
two sky warriors were fated to meet again.
And then there was Valkar. The
powerful Clan Wolverine warrior was someone she would not mind knowing
better. He had shown some interest in
her in their short stay at the cloister of the Sisterhood of the Blood
Ruby. Now that they knew about one
another perhaps there would be a chance of future contact.
As these thoughts swirled through Shanna’s mind,
Sapphire was having musings of her own.
Her first mission had turned out well.
She had made a new friend in Shanna.
Azure had located their half-brother Valkar, and they had destroyed the
power of an evil prince. She reached up
to touch the left side of her neck. And
she and Azure had earned their mark.
Just below her jaw was the mark of the gryphon, tattooed in blue. She and Azure were now full-fledged
warriors. As such they gained the right
to operate with greater independence.
They would be free to come and go from the cloister as they chose.
The gryphon dropped from the sky, swooping into the
lair of Clan Wolf. Shanna vaulted from
the back of the huge avian, and ran to join the members of her pack. They other Amazons crowded about her,
bursting with female curiosity about her unexpected return upon the back of a
mythical flying creature. Sapphire did
not stay long. She had a rendezvous
with her sister, who was returning Valkar to El Arish. After a formal exchange of pleasantries with
the clan leader, she remounted Fire and spiraled toward the
heavens. On the horizon she could see a
distant speck. Fire screamed a
greeting. It was Azure, returning from
El Arish. The two Daughters of the Sky
winged toward one another. Many more
adventures still awaited them.