Ephiny and the Roman Army
by AJ Marks
Part 3
A candlemark later Eph sighed watching Gabrielle tug on the top once more complaining about it being too tight. Zona looked up at her then over at Eph as did Gabrielle.
“Do I have to wear this?’ Gabrielle asked.
“Its tradition,” Eph said with a slight smile on her face.
“Traditions suck sometimes, can’t we change it, make a new tradition?” Gabrielle asked back.
Ephiny had a feeling the ancients never planned on having someone like Gabrielle when they planned such a feast. She tried playing the peacemaker between Gabrielle and Zona early on with no luck and decided it was safer to stay out of the way. Gabrielle had a quick wit and Zona was armed with pins.
The hut of the door opened allowing the Conqueror and Melosa inside. Eph watched as Gabrielle and the Conqueror shared a look and for a second it appeared they were able to read each others’ minds.
“Having trouble?” the Conqueror asked with a smile on her face as if she found the entire scene amusing.
“I’m being tortured here,” Gabrielle whined giving the Conqueror a doe-eyed look.
“You are not, if I wanted to torture you I’d have pricked you a few times,” Zona replied quickly not looking up from her work, or she might have not said anything.
Eph watched as both the Conqueror and Melosa looked at Gabrielle. Eph had a feeling the Conqueror was thinking about something.
“I think I have an idea which might work,” the Conqueror finally said.
“I’m all ears,” Zona replied back looking up at the group, but seemed unfazed at who was in the tent.
“What if you used a wrap-around skirt, leave the top off and maybe a few necklaces and such?” the Conqueror asked.
“What about her position? She needs to have the symbols of rank on her,” Zona replied.
“Arm bands,” Melosa replied. “We can decorate one band to indicate her status in the tribe,” Melos asiad.
“Might work, be a bit strange,” Zona said.
“She’s not a typical princess,” Ephiny said watching as Zone rummaged through some fabrics and leathers before coming up with a few items, a short skirt, some necklaces and armbands of different sizes and lengths.
“Let’s start with these princess,” Zona said handing Gabrielle a few different armbands.
Eph watched as finally Gabrielle ended up with a skirt, arm band, a small wrist band and a glove which covered two fingers.
“Um-hmmm, yes, yes,” Zona said checking the fit.
Eph looked on seeing that Gabrielle had a resigned looked, but not the uncomfortable, or stubborn look she had before and hoped it meant good things.
“So?” Eph finally asked unable to take the silence any longer but was surprised at who spoke.
“It’ll work, she hasn’t tugged on it yet so she can live with it,” the Conqueror stated.
“For now,” Gabrielle added.
“All right, it’ll take me a bit of time to make the proper markings but should be ready by the ceremony,” Zona said taking everything back and heading over to her work area.
“Now would be a good time to show you your hut,” Melosa said.
“Hut?” Gabrielle replied sounding confused.
“Right, you don’t know the customs. When a person received the Rite-of-Caste they also inherit that person’s belongings,” Melosa replied back to them.
Ephiny had to admit, she forgot that part as well and with everything else which had gone on it was easy to forget that part. The look on Gabrielle’s face meant she had not expected such news.
“I guess we should take a look then,” the Conqueror said calmly, but Eph thought she heard a bit of amusement in her voice. Indeed, looking over at the Conqueror she had a smile directed towards Gabrielle.
“Okay,” Eph heard Gabrielle finally say.
Eph watched as everyone walked out and she turned to say bye to Zona, who was already busy. Prior experience had taught Eph that the tailor heard little when she was deep in work and walked out stepping right into Solari. Judging from her friend’s face she had something on her mind.
“Have you heard everything the Conqueror ‘thinks’ is going on?” Solari hissed, leaving no doubt in Eph’s mind what Solari had heard.
“Um, yes,” Eph replied scratching her ear. “I seem to recall being there as it happened, as was Eponin.”
“Amazons working to overthrow Melosa, I don’t believe it,” Solari muttered.
“Believe it, there’s a Greed army a day away,” Eph replied back to her.
“We don’t’ need help, especially from her,” Solari replied hotly.
Eph stopped walking and looked Solari in the eyes and saw that same intense look Eponon had when they discussed this exact same thing.
“Sol, I know that, but Rome, they can throw wave after wave of soldiers at us. Its about resources, they have more than we do. They have more soldiers than we have in the Nation,” Eph replied back to her softening her voice. “I don’t like it either, but we need an ally against Rome.”
“Don’t like it, don’t trust her,” Solari said crossing her arms. “The whole thing could be a trap.”
Ephiny sighed as Soalri jumped to the general conclusion too quickly. In a way she and Jana saw plots to destroy the Amazons almost every season. The last rumor before the treaty had the Conqueror arriving with her armies to wipe out the amazons. It turned out the Conqueror had mobilized for some threat to Greece from the north, nothing to do with the Amazons.
“I thought the same thing at first as well. But now, looking at it, how would the Conqueror know that Terreis would give Gabrielle the Rite-of-Caste? Especially when Eponin and I were right there? And even if she somehow did, what Artemis said wasn’t faked and nether was what Aphrodite said, saw them both,” Eph said to her.
“Whoa, what do you mean Artemis and Aphrodite, you actually met there?” Solari asked with confusion in her voice.
Eph stopped and realized she hadn’t mentioned that part much yet. Taking a deep breath and releasing it she hoped this might help.
“We visited Artemis’ temple in Corinth, and learned quite a bit, including the fact Artemis herself has blessed Gabrielle,” Eph said watching Solari’s reaction to the news.
“What! Artemis has blessed her?”
“Yes, and it appeared one of many who have blessed her. Add in the fact she is Aphrodite’s Chosen, makes it all complex,” Eph said wondering how Solari would take that bit of news.
“A slave, the Conqueror’s slave, is the Chosen of a goddess?’ Solari asked disbelief in her voice. Part of Eph still wasn’t sure she could believe it and yet that was exactly what had happened.
“I know, it sounds unbelievable but it’s the truth,” Eph finally replied back to her friend. “I saw it all, and next time watch her as she walks by. Her every move is like a seductress. Recall the last time she and the Conqueror were here, seemed like every Amazon had a partner. I know you did.”
She watched a blush work its way up Solari’s cheeks at that thought and the rumor was she and zona had a fling.
“Well, still, we can’t let our guard down even if she is the new princess,” Solari finally said.
Eph went to say more but noticed that Eponin making her way towards them, and looked as if she was bringing them bad news.
“Eph, where’s our guests?” Eponin said quickly as she approached them.
“Over at Terreis’ hut, or should I say it’s now Gabrielle’s hut,” Eph replied back to her watching her lover’s face change as she realized that truth as well. “So, what’s up?” Eph asked after Eponin remained standing there for a few seconds.
“Right, well, you might say something’s up,” Eponin said glancing around. “Let’s go inside.”
“My hut’s right here,” Solari said motioning behind them.
The three quickly entered Solari’s hut which was decorated in her typical way. A few clean weapons were laying on the table, a bed, desk and a few chairs. Eph knew her friend loved to collect weapons even if she didn’t know how to use them and realized Solari would probably jump at the chance to collect a chakram.
“All right, so what’s up?” Solari asked breaking Eph’s thoughts.
“The scout reported back already, and its not good,” Eponin said to them. “She reported there are at least two thousand Roman soldiers in the area.”
“What? That’s impossible,” Eph said joined in by Solari who also expressed her disbelief at the news.
“I sent Hagne,” Eponin replied back to them.
Eph knew they could trust Hagne, she never lied when it came to scouting.
“I don’t like this,” Eph finally said breaking the silence of the group.
“Now what?” Solari replied asking the question they all were thinking. “All we have are a few hundred warriors.”
“We need to tell the queen, and quietly,” Eponin finally said. “Solari, there is a problem within the Nation, a group called ‘Valaska’s Chosen’ and we don’t know who are in the group aside from Koni and Ligeia.”
“Great, now we can’t even trust our own sisters,” Solari stated in frustration.
Ephiny understood the frustration her friend felt. To suddenly be told that people you grew up with couldn’t be trusted at a time the Nation was threatened was scary.
“Let’s first tell the queen,” Eponin said. “Sol, would you mind finding out where Koni and Ligeia are. I have a feeling we’ll need that information.”
“I’ll do it, but I still don’t trust the Conqueror, or our new princess,” Solari replied.
Eph watched as Solari walked out of the hut as they went to find the Queen, and turned to head in the direction of Terreis’ hut.
*****
Eph sank into a chair off to the side waiting to see how the Queen would take this news, and looked over to the Conqueror who seemed to be listening in as well. Gabrielle was off to the side going through several things that Terreis had.
“So, the Romans are already on our soil,” Melosa finally said after several seconds of silence. “Not the news I wanted to hear.”
Eph had to admit that with the new information of Romans on Amazon land it seemed more likely that they would be invading the Nation. She knew how many warriors the Nation had, and how many the Romans had, but she did not know how many soldiers the Conqueror had with her.
“Caesar is many things, but he is predictable to a fault,” the Conqueror finally said as she seemed to think about the latest news as well.
“Well, in a normal situation I’d send some Amazons to see why they are there,” Melosa said giving it some thought. “Don’t want to disappoint them.”
“Yes, staying true to what you would normally do would keep them in the dark that we know their plans,” the Conqueror said.
“Ephiny, Eponin, can I trust you with this mission?” Melosa said looking over at the two.
Eph felt her heartrate increase at that. A mission into an armed camp of soldiers who were probably there to invade the Nation seemed a bit like suicide. She also understood the need for the mission to suggest a normal outward appearance to the Romans.
“Its probably not as bad as you’re thinking,” the Conqueror said speaking up to Eph. “The Roman commander probably already has an explanation to give you in such a case. I would suggest not mentioning my presence here, it would probably complicate things.”
“How so?” Eph asked. “I would think it might make things better.”
“The Romans have a plan, and as long as we don’t disrupt that plan we have the advantage, telling them I’m here might cause them to attack before we’re ready,” the Conqueror replied. “We might also bring in the Centaurs as well.”
“That’s asking for trouble,” Eph mumbled seeing Eponin nodding her head in agreement.
“No, the Centaurs fighting on one flank, the Amazons on the other, my army in the middle, we have numbers to defeat them with minimal losses in return,” the Conqueror replied.
Eph looked over at the Queen to see what she might have to say about that.
“We’ll send someone over there,” Melosa said. “I think Jana will do.”
“Are you sure?” Eph said protesting a bit and recalling everything that had happened in the past couple of days. Add in the fact that Jana wasn’t the most diplomatic Amazon she wondered what Melosa was thinking.
“Jana will do,” Melosa said firmly. “Eponin, would get her for me please, I’ll be headed back to the Royal hut.”
Eph watched as Eponin and the queen walked out of the hut leaving her thinking about what was to come in the morning.
End part 3