Chapter 7

Daylight seeped through the high window of the small round hut where Jack found himself imprisoned. He could vaguely remember his arrival in the valley, last night, when he was accosted by two female guards claiming to be Amazons. Jetta had never mentioned the name of her tribe, but she had said they were warriors and Amazons certainly were, by all historic accounts, warriors to be reckoned with!

Forcing himself up into a sitting position, Jack looked around him, blinking sleep out of his eyes as he did so. His hands and feet were bound, but there was no gag over his mouth. In the corner of the room, he could see a chair with a jug and bowl on it. They were made of metal, so he could not see what, if anything, they contained. Apart from the chair and what was on it, there was nothing else in the room. It was a small room, with one high window he couldn't have seen out of even if he were standing, and a single door in the wall opposite.

"H-hello?" Jack called out, tentatively.

There was a shuffling noise from behind the door and voices whispering, then there was the sound of a bar being lifted and the door swung open. The two guards walked in. One, a tall, dark skinned girl, wore a black, hooded cloak to keep out the early morning, and presumably also night-time, chill. The girl next to her was also tall, but with tanned skin and blue streaks through her long, brown hair. Most of her hair was held up with two chopsticks, but parts of it fell down around her face, which held an upside-down green triangle on the girl's forehead, with a blue rhinestone in the centre of it that matched the blue streaks and her dark blue lipstick. She wore a long, dark purple leather jacket over deep red leather trousers, a short black skirt, a dark purple, sheer top and a lighter purple corset. Jack could see the sleeves of the top extending beyond the jacket sleeves as they fitted round the girl's thumbs. Both girls held spears.

"W-who are you?" Jack asked, frowning.

"Tell us your name first," the darker girl replied. "You are, after all, the intruder! Then you can tell us why you are here."

"I-I'm Jack," Jack shrugged. "I-I came here looking for my daughter, a-and her mother. H-her mother took her w-without a word to me. I-I need to know where they are a-and that they're safe."

"Well, Jack," the girl stepped forward, letting her hood fall back as she did so to reveal short, dark brown and chestnut braids with curled ends and three stars, one red, one pink and one white, on her right cheek. "If they are with us, you can be assured they are safe, but no man has ever passed beyond this point in the hidden valley, and neither shall you. You have two choices: you may either remain here for the rest of your days, or leave the valley. You can go no further."

"I-I won't leave without seeing them."

"Then you must remain here."

"F-fine! J-just take these ropes off me and I'll wait here while you bring them to me!"

"First we'll have to speak to our leader," the other girl cut in. "And it would help if you told us the names of the two you are looking for."

"H-Hope. M-my daughter's name is Hope. H-her mother is called Jetta," Jack saw the two girls exchange a glance. "N-now will you take these things off me?"

"Not yet, no," the first girl answered. "It is not up to us which prisoners we release, it is up to our leader."

"You must remain here while she is consulted," the second girl added. "Then we will return and tell you her decision"

"F-fine!" Jack cried, exasperated. "Are you at least allowed to tell me who you are?"

The darker girl smiled.

"I am Rialle," she answered. "And my companion is Charlie. Now, if you will excuse us, one of us must return to camp to fetch our leader."

The two girls turned and left the room. Jack could hear the bar being slid back into place and footsteps fading away. He was alone again in the room with his hands and feet tied. He was uncomfortable, hungry, thirsty and starting to feel light-headed, but there had definitely been a spark of recognition when he had mentioned Jetta's name. They knew her. She was here!

****

"Ebony?" Ruby called through the door, "Ebony! Come on Ebony, open the door!"

Ruby had been up and about from the early hours of the morning worrying about Ebony. She hadn't left her room since Ruby had left her there the night before. Up until now, Ruby had been content to let her lie and sleep off her hangover, but she should be awake by now.

"Quit hiding, Ebony! Get out here!" Ruby called, deciding to try a harder tone, but still receiving no reply, "Right, that's it! I'm coming in there, ready or not!"

Ruby fished around in the folds of her skirt and produced her master key. She tried it in the lock, but found the door wasn't locked anyway. Opening the door fully, she peered inside. At first she thought that Ebony had got up and left while her back was turned, then she saw a hand and wrist lying just round the corner of the bed. Ruby walked forward, swiftly, to see Ebony lying prone on the floor. Ruby turned and hurried back to the doorway.

"SLADE! LEX!"

Hurrying back to Ebony, Ruby began tearing her skirt into strips and binding Ebony's wrists tightly. She was desperately checking for Ebony's pulse when first Slade and then Lex appeared in the doorway and hurried over.

"Jeez! What happened?" Lex asked, incredulously.

"Pretty obvious, wouldn't you say, Lex!" Slade retorted, helping Ruby lift Ebony onto the bed before turning to her and asking: "Is she still with us?"

"I'm sure I felt a pulse," Ruby spoke hurriedly, almost on the verge of tears. "But it's so weak! I'm so stupid, I never should have left her!"

"Hey, c'mon Rubes, you weren't to know!" Slade said, gently, placing a hand upon the distraught girl's shoulder. "Ebony's always been so strong!"

"Not always," Lex cut in. "Look, you guys seem to have this under control: what can I do?"

"Um... Uh..." Ruby's eyes flicked around, her mind finding it hard to focus on Lex's question.

"You could bring us up some fresh water and things to clear this mess up with," Slade answered, watching Ruby from the corner of his eye. "And maybe some proper dressings, or the nearest we've got. After that, if you could keep an eye on the bar, it would be a great help."

"No worries, man," Lex nodded. "I'll get right on it."

****

Jack's eyes were heavy when he heard the footsteps returning and the bar being lifted once more. As the room swam back into some semblance of focus, he made out the shapes of three figures entering the room. He couldn't make out their faces, but from the colours of their clothes, he guessed they did not include his guards.

"Jack?"

The voice that called to him was unfamiliar and, though low in pitch, decidedly female.

"Huh?" Jack managed.

"Give him some water," the voice commanded. "And untie him: he's no threat as he is and he needs to eat."

As the words echoed round Jack's head, the commands were obeyed and he soon found himself sitting, propped up in a corner of the hut, with a piece of bread in his hands and a cup of water being held to his lips. With each sip of the cool water, the world around him grew clearer until he found the strength to reach up and take the cup in one hand, then lift the bread in the other and bite off a chunk. His hunger and thirst satisfied, Jack looked up once again. This time he saw, more clearly, the figures of three young women. One, standing furthest to the left, reminded him in some way of Amber, another, the furthest to the right, though taller, stood proudly and arrogantly looking down at him. Immediately, Jack thought of Lex and that there stood a woman who would either beat him to a pulp or fall madly in love with him, or possibly both! Between the two women, a third crouched down to his level, looking him straight in the eye.

"Good morning, Jack," the third woman said, in a voice that proclaimed her to be the person who had spoken earlier. "My name is Alkaia. I am the leader of the Amazons. Behind me are my generals: Jewel, on my left, and Morgaine, on my right. Together we represent the Amazon tribe. I believe you have been searching for us."