Welcome all to my little tale. This is the 'official' sequel to my story 'Victory and Defeat' and will be following the storyline as established in that previous tale. This time we will be dealing with Amazons, Necromancers, and Druids. In this chapter we meet our Amazon Freya, and learn about the tragedy that sets her on the path to defeating Baal. Thanks for reading and reviewing!

Life and Death

Chapter One – Fire in the Jungle

Freya steadied her breath, her bowstring pulled tight against her face, a long wooden arrow shaft leading her sight to focus on a wild boar that stood in the jungle clearing some distance away. She took her aim carefully, calling on the Amazonian training that flowed in her blood. Her focus tightened, assuring her aim would be true, and she exhaled slightly as she let the arrow fly from her bow.

The projectile did not betray her, hitting the exact mark she had aimed for, the tip of the arrow finding the boar's heart, and ending its life nearly instantly. Freya stood for just a moment after the beast dropped silently, the wind pushing her platinum blonde hair out behind her as if she was some great warrior of old, having fell a terrible evil. The Amazon broke from her pose, and moved quickly to the clearing to assess her latest kill.

"Nice shot!" Lana said, stepping into the clearing from the brush on the far side. This Amazon was slightly taller than Freya, but they shared many of the same features, a testament to their common heritage.

"My girl checking up on me?" Freya playfully asked.

Lana ignored the comment, opting instead to examine the fallen boar. "No sign of corruption. It's getting more and more rare to find game that isn't being affected by the ill winds that blow these days" Lana slightly frowned to herself, thinking of the darkness that seems to be creeping through the jungle lately.

Rumors about a Dark Wanderer had reached the ears of the Amazons, but it was not the Amazon way to abandon their jungle homes. They would stay and protect their lands against all comers, as had their ancestors before them. Let the outside world deal with their own problems.

"Let's get this boar back to the village" Lana smiled, warming Freya's heart. "We still have a patrol to complete before nightfall."

Soon after Freya, Lana, and another sister were creeping through the jungle, with every sense on highest alert as sounds of people tromping through the undergrowth reached their ears. Within moments the Amazons were on the trio of brigands that had stumbled their way into their beloved lands, and they made sure the men did not live to repeat their violation.

The women did not relax when the final man fell, instead remaining vigilant in case there were more foes to find in the dense vines. Freya flexed her bow, taking comfort in the power in the string. Suddenly a loud clanking noise startled the lithe Amazon.

A young woman appeared out of nowhere before the trio of women warriors. She held a frozen orb in her hand which she then threw between Freya and the third Amazon. The orb threw out splinters of ice in every direction, many of them impacting against Freya. The sky suddenly darkened and lightning bolts began to rain down. Freya knew that this woman was powerful, and that it would likely take more sisters to drop this apparently hostile sorceress.

The frozen orb had decimated Freya, and she knew that staying in the fight would mean nothing more than her death, so she decided the better course of action was to fall back and rouse reinforcements. Freya was sure that Lana would be able to hold her own, she was the best archer Freya had ever known. As Freya bolted away, she felt heat nipping at her heels, and a quick backwards glance revealed a wall of fire where she was just standing. Freya shot through the jungle with all the speed she could muster.

"Quick! A powerful sorceress has invaded the jungle!" Freya shouted breathlessly as she stumbled into the middle of the village. Instantly several sisters bounded out, taking the trail Freya had emerged from, as unconsciousness took the young woman.

After a few hours Freya came to, sitting bolt upright with a gasp. "Now now, easy does it" Doctor Dukka attempted to comfort her. It did little good, and Freya leapt from the cot she was lying in and began frantically searching for her bow. A sense of doom had swept over her, and the only thing that would satisfy her was to stand at Lana's side in battle.

"Freya, Freya" the doctor tried to get her attention, to no avail. "Calm down! The danger has passed."

Relief washed over Freya as the implications of the statement became clear. Lana, Freya's girlfriend, had surely defeated the sorceress handily. Freya cursed herself for doubting for a second the mighty woman's skills. Freya looked around the hut, and found no sign of Lana there. "Not even injured!" Freya breathed in admiration. "Please call for Lana, I would see her at once!"

Neither the doctor nor the other attendants in the hut moved a muscle. An apprehensive look was passed among them however, a look that confused and scared Freya. "Lana I said!" Freya huffed, fear lapping at her. "Fine I will find her myself." Freya moved to exit the hut.

"Stop Freya!" The doctor moved to block her path. "There's something I must tell you. Sit."

Freya turned her head suspiciously. "Careful the words you speak" Freya warned, with a hint of malice in her voice.

"I speak only the truth, and a truth you must hear, no matter how hard it is." The doctor took in a deep breath. "Freya, Lana fell to the sorceress. She is dead. I'm sorry, I know how close you were."

Freya's world collapsed around her as the words washed over her. She stumbled back a few paces and crumpled onto her cot, tears welling up in her sparkling blue eyes. All she could do was cry and pine for the soothing presence of the woman she loved. It may not be befitting of a warrior to cry, but it was befitting a woman with a broken heart so Freya didn't mind the tears. The few days between the battle and the ceremonial funeral for Lana went by in a daze though a single thought kept turning in her head: vengeance.

With Lana's body laid to rest, and her spirit safely sent to the Goddess of the Hunt, Freya began her preparations to pursue the sorceress. After the fire had been put out (a danger in itself that nearly destroyed the village) a charred and burnt path was discovered that led towards the coast. Closer inspection of the beach showed a craft had been moored there. Clearly the sorceress had sailed away, likely towards the Western Lands.

This was all that Freya needed to know, and she prepared the only ship the Amazon Nation had, a small ship used for trading for the few supplies they couldn't obtain by other means. This ferry would see her to the Western Lands where her hunt could begin in earnest. "The bitch will pay" Freya swore aloud.

"Let 'the bitch' go, Freya" a stern voice rang out from behind her. Freya turned to face the voice, though she already knew it to be Artemis, clan mother and leader of the Amazon Nation. "It is not the way of the Amazon to leave these sacred lands. You know this."

"I know Lana was murdered. I know her killer must be brought to justice. I know I'm the only one that will do this. That is what I know!" Freya snapped as she continued to prepare the ship for departure.

"If you do this, if you abandon your sacred duties and turn your back on your home, you may never return" Artemis said gravely. "Is one moment of vengeance worth losing your home over?"

"Lana is dead, my home is already lost!" With that, Freya pushed off, setting the boat to water, and herself on an adventure she could never have imagined.