Disclaimer-I don't own anyone except for Ashara and her Amazon sisters. Everyone else belongs to Homer.
Violet Blues and Eradwyn thanks for the support.
Lilac-I never said it wasn't a Mary Sue, but constructive criticism is always appreciated. I hope you like what I've done with this chapter. You were right, she was just a bit too perfect.
Note-Italics in quotation marks are direct thoughts from the speaking character.
The Amazons were brought back to the palace and were shown the rooms where they would spend the night. After they were brought into a large common room for food and any necessary treatment. Hector followed them into the common room and made sure that each woman was given anything that she needed. They were all given food, water, and wine. Hector went around the room and talked to some of them, he didn't notice when Ashara slipped from the room.
She walked quickly away from the room and stopped a passing servant. "I need to be taken to a private area where I can build a fire."
The servant eyed her with suspicion but bowed her head. "Follow me." The servant turned and led Ashara through several different corridors. They came to and outdoor courtyard of sorts. In the center was a small fire pit surrounded by several stone benches. Ashara circled the pit, making sure it would serve her purposes. She turned to the servant and commanded the young man to bring her a bucket filled with water.
As she waited for the servant to return, Ashara began to build up a fire. She stacked the base and sparked some dried grasses. Carefully fanning the flames, she began to feed the flames tiny sticks, then larger ones. Soon, the fire blazed, tongues of flame licking upward. As she watched the flames, the servant came back with the water. "Leave." The servant fled the courtyard and Ashara was left to her task.
Ashara knelt in front of the fire. She untied a small black pouch from her waist and thrust her hand into it, pulling out a handful of its contents. The flame burned an angry blood red as she threw a handful of shimmering black powder into it. She could feel the warm air pressing against her skin as she raised her arms above her head. In an angry voice she called for Ares, the God of War.
When she could feel his presence around her she spoke. Her voice lowered to barely a whisper as she prayed to the god. "Ares, God of War. Here my prayer. Give me the strength to do this deed. Fill me with your rage, clear my mind of all thoughts but war." Ashara pulled her dagger free from its sheath on her right boot. Dragging the blade across her left palm, she felt no pain as it sliced open her skin. Bright red blood welled up from the cut, oozing along her hand. Closing her fist, she dug her fingers into the wound to prevent it from closing. Holding the fist over the fire, she watched as her blood dripped down into the fire and over her arm.
The sight of the fire eagerly licking up the blood filled her with resolve. Her mind was cleared of all things, her desire for Hector, her delight at finding her sisters, and even her fear of leaving them. The only emotion left in her heart and her mind was that of rage.
She withdrew her hand from over the fire. Placing her dagger in the hot coals, she said a few more prayers while the blade turned a painful looking red. There was a reason that this ceremony wasn't held often, it left scars, both emotional and physical.
She took the red hot dagger in her right hand and held her left hand out in front of her. The rage that now controlled her thoughts also left her without fear of pain. Quickly, she pressed the flat part of the blade against her bleeding hand. No cry escaped her lips as the flesh smoked and blackened. When the wound was closed over she withdrew the knife. With a quick burst of strength, she buried the knife in the ground, all the way to the hilt.
Taking a deep breath, she ignored the pain in her left hand. She stood for a time just watching the flames burn, allowing her dagger to cool down. She allowed the blade to gain energy from the Earth, after sufficient time had passed she pulled the dagger from the ground. Bringing the bucket of water to her, she stirred the blade of the knife in the water. Her blood and flesh still clinging to the knife, along with the dirt, mingled with the water. She withdrew her knife and sheathed it. Taking the bucket of water, she doused the flames, the hiss sending a delicious shiver down her spine.
Kneeling again, Ashara closed the ceremony by using the ashes of the fire to draw symbols over her left arm. The symbols snaked down her arm in a seemingly endless series of jagged lines. The ash mixed with the blood that still clung to her skin. Murmuring the name Ares over and over she placed her left hand over her heart. In that moment her heart felt as if it was as black as her palm. She had completed the ceremony, she was ready. She smiled to herself at the thought of what was about to take place.
Turning away from the fire pit, she moved back towards the room where her sisters were being treated. As she entered, she was aware of all eyes turning on her. The smell of burnt flesh and blood would draw anyone's attention. Her eyes remained icy as she surveyed the women before her. Cruel thoughts raced through her mind.
"Weak, they are all weak" Her face took on a look of disgust as she looked each woman in the eyes. "Pathetic, none of them are worthy of the task" Her eyes met those of Hector, she maintained her disgusted look. "He is just a man, how could I ever have considered him desirable?"
Hector felt his insides clench at the look on her face. Her features held an unadulterated loathing for him and everyone in the room. Turning away from her stare, he looked at the reactions of the other women. Each face held a look of horror, including the young Xania, who he could tell looked at Ashara like a mother. He noticed that their eyes were riveted to her grotesque arm.
When she had first walked in, the stinging odor of burnt flesh had filled his nose, followed by the sharp scent of blood. Finding the source of the smell was easy, a mere turn of his head had revealed the stomach turning sight. Her arm was covered in menacing looking marks, the black ash and red blood making a sharp contrast against her skin. It was her hand that was the most gruesome. Blackened flesh covered her palm, blood covering her fingers and running down her wrist. He starred in disbelief as she held up the wounded arm, palm facing out. With the rest of the Amazons, he listened to her, with revulsion.
"Amazons! I have completed the Blood Rage of Ares. Tomorrow, at dawn, each of you will have the opportunity to challenge me for the right to be leader." She closed her fist and brought her arm down to her side before continuing. "I will not hold back, this is not a decision you should make lightly. I refuse to let a weak Amazon rule. If you step into the circle, I will not hold back." Her voice held contempt for everyone in the room. A wicked grin spread across her face as she finished. "Be prepared." Turning on her heal she strode from the room.
The room was absolutely silent in her wake. The Amazons exchanged glances with each other, Malena looked towards Hector. A tall, dark skinned woman stood and addressed her tribe. "Sisters, Ashara has entered her purest state of mind. To face her in any condition but our best would be suicide. However, I intend to challenge her. This is the only way to ensure that a strong leader will rule in her absence." She spoke with reverence, she seemed to admire what her leader had done.
"Jacintha! How can you say this? She has entered the Blood Rage! The only way to come out of it is by spilling the life blood of another! She has made a foolish decision. She obviously delights in the idea of fighting us. We should not let her do this." This came from a muscular, red haired woman standing next to Xania. Jacintha glared in her direction and spoke directly to her.
"I know that her sword must taste life blood, Cari. That does not mean that she has made a foolish decision. If we do not have a chosen leader by the time we leave here then there will be discord among the tribe. If you are so afraid, then do not challenge her." Jacintha leaned against the wall and crossed her arms as Cari sat down. Xania opened her mouth as if to speak but was cut off by a petite woman that Hector knew to be called Tiscala.
"I will challenge her." Slowly, other women came forward to declare their intent to challenge Ashara. When they were done, it had been declared that six of the Amazons would face Ashara come dawn. The Amazons slowly filtered out of the room to the quarters that they had been given to spend the night. Hector watched as each one left the room. The last one to leave was Xania. She walked right up to Hector and spoke in quiet tones.
"Ashara is a good leader. She only wants the best for us but..." Xania looked down at her feet, but after a moment looked back up at him. "She has always had problems controlling her temper. The Blood Rage refines all of her loathing, fury, and abhorrence. All she feels is that rage, it will only end when someone's life blood covers the wound on her left hand. They fear that she will kill one of us."
Hector looked at Xania, he could see the fear in her eyes. Before he had time to reply to what Xania had told him, she turned and fled the room. He watched her go and sat down heavily in a nearby chair.
"Blood Rage?" It had been explained to him but he still couldn't understand how a person could empty their mind of everything else. His few encounters with Ashara had led him to believe that she would die for any member of her tribe. Now, she had entered into a trance that would only end with one of their deaths. Every time he thought he had gotten to understand her, she did something completely different. He found himself growing revolted by her.
Some men may be intrigued by her ever changing personality, he was not one of those men. His wife, Andromache, had always shown him her true side. She had never hidden herself away from him, and she had never let her anger get the better of her. His fists clenched at the thought of the Amazon Queen shedding the blood of one of her sisters. They admired her, especially the young Xania, how could she willingly hurt them?
He understood her need to elect a new leader, but this was an extreme that left Hector with a bitter taste at the back of his throat. He found it hard to believe that this woman had come into his life only hours ago. He had felt many things for this woman, suspicion, admiration, hatred, lust... Now all he felt for her was an overwhelming sense of disgust. Hector needed to clear his mind of her. He decided to retire to his room. As he turned the corner to leave the room, he found himself looking into the hate filled eyes of Ashara.