Interlude: Amazon Battle (15)

Captain Talbot had the centre of the the deck cleared. Barrels were moved to form a wide empty space around the main mast for the battle. Crimson knelt at the edge of the cleared area while sailors of the Spire gawked at them in anticipation from this fight. Marina had foregone the armour she acquired from the Amazons to face her opponent Thea who was back in full Amazon gear. While Marina only held her cutlass as weapon, Thea held the long stout spear, a long sword, and twin daggers plus her metal bound to leather armour.

“Are you mad facing me with a single weapon without armour?” Thea scoffed at her. “Or do you simply want to lose?” she added derisively.

“I enter this battle with nothing borrowed from my big sisters.” Marina replied defiantly. “And I have faced much deadlier foes with only this as me defence.” she added fearlessly. Ashstar moved with Talon at her side to stand at the main mast centre point of the cleared combat field. She signalled both to approach her as the Spire's sailors moved to bracket the barrels marking the outer edge of the combat zone.

“Have both selected their arms and armour?” Ashstar asked loudly.

“Aye!” Marina interjected quickly.

“I stand in full arms and armour to stand for one that has forsaken himself.” Thea answered. “And a truer challenge for one seeking the warrior's rank.” she added. A vicious smile formed on her face as she glared at Marina.

“Still far less fearful than a rift beast!” Marina returned confidently. A hushed gasp ran around the sailors present.

“First combatant to exit the circle, forfeit like a coward, lose the ability to fight on, or die has lost ending the battle.” Ashstar informed them. A round of strangled comments ran around the circle of barrels. She and Talon exited the circle in opposite directions. “Begin!” she screamed from the edge.

The spear shot out from Thea's left aimed at Marina's chest as she easily side step left. Using the back of her blade, Marina hooked the spear head to yank it and Thea forward at her while kicking out at Thea's stomach with her left heel. Thea released her right hand grip on her spear to block the kick before realizing Marina's true goal. With a hop, she used her left foot to propel herself back stealing the spear from Thea's loosened grip. It soared quickly from the circle to embed itself into the deck between two stunned sailors of the Spire.

“Sorry!” Marina giggled. “What will you use now?” she remarked merrily. She darted forward using the tip of her cutlass to spring one of Thea's daggers airborne. Flashing passed Thea, she followed the dagger's arc to pluck it left handed from the air deftly by its handle. The dagger flipped in her grip running the blade protectively along Marina's forearm. She spun on her right heel thrusting out her left leg. Her heel connected solidly with the side of Thea's face as the other woman had pounced open handed at her back. The hit twisted the half helm she wore to partially blind her vision. Marina slashed at her blindside cutting between the hardened reinforced leather plates at the straps holding the armour in place. No blood ran from the attack but the armour shifted to the left as Thea moved to rip her headgear off with her right hand.

“I am hoping you watch this closely.” Rena whispered to Crimson. He sighed as he glanced up for a moment before lowering her head once more in silence. “Your little sailor is besting her so far without drawing blood.” she reported to him. He remained silently staring at the wooden deck unmoving. “You have truly given your freedom to her.” she added sourly.

“It is my whole being I gave her.” he mumbled as reply. “Heart and all.” he added quieter. Rena stared down at him for a moment before turning back to the fight.

Thea attempted shrugging off her armour to be caught with the right shoulder strap tight against her neck. The two half linked flaps of metal embossed leather hung askew exposing her right side to attacks while impeding her left arm's movement. The leather belt holding her sword and second dagger laid at her feet with the sword side cleanly cut.

Marina charged forward at her with crossed blades aimed at her chest and a triumphant smile on her face. Thea raised he bracered right arm to block the attack. As the blades connected with the bracer with the shrieking clang of metal on metal, Thea screamed in pain before toppling back leftward. Marina rode her bracered arm with both blades driving her hard to the deck. The cutlass' sharpened edge sank deep in the metal coated leather as drops of bloods rolled down the blade. Marina kept the pressure on the cutlass while flipping the dagger at Thea's throat denting the skin.

“Submit!” Marina ordered bluntly. Thea stared up defiantly at her. With a thunderous primal scream, Thea forced her back to her feet then away from her. Marina half jumped and was half tossed away from her opponent. Thea stood shakily while blood splattered from her forearm to the wooden deck.

“I will never submit!” she screamed back. With her foot, she tossed up her belt to grasp the hilt of her longsword. The rasping sound of her sword sliding scabbard punctuated her defiant comment. “I will fight to my last breath!” she howled at Marina. She held her longsword left handed as she scrambled to to withdraw the dagger with her bloodied right hand from the dropping belt. “For his freedom!” she added.

Marina's cutlass sang through the air as she charged at Thea while her face was set in a snarl. Her sword rang and sparked as it collided with Thea's dagger. Thea's longsword arced high above them ready to cleave at Marina's right shoulder. Marina drove her dagger point at the unarmoured side of Thea to plunge under the edge of her ribs in an upward thrust. Thea forced herself back wrenching the dagger from Marina's grip her sword tip sliced through Marina's right side collar bone. The cutlass clanged loudly as it bounced on the deck after being released from Marina's nerveless grip. Thea coughed and spat to the deck the blood that filled her mouth. They stared at each other in stunned silence for a moment. Blood flowed down from the dagger in Thea's side and down her forearm and hand to coat the deck in splatters at her feet. Marina's blood soaked through her tunic and breeches dyeing them in shades of crimson before pooling slowly around her bare right foot.

As Thea choked out more blood, Marina dove to retrieve her cutlass with her left hand. She rolled forward at Thea slashing wildly at her injured side. The lucky shot slashed at the back of Thea's knee mostly slashing the side open to the bone. With a scream and blood spraying from her leg, Thea tumbled sideways on top of Marina. Both blades in Thea's grip flipped to stab downward into Marina's left side. More blood bubbled from Thea's mouth as the impact with Marina's body and the deck drove the dagger deeper into her lung. Marina crawled away as Thea rolled off her while choking on her own blood. Thea choked out more bright foaming blood to the deck before dropping to her back. The shiny crimson foam clung to her lips as she hacked violently as she attempted to breath. Marina turned without rising to face her fallen foe laying on her back. Her breathing was a rasping gurgle with gagging eruptions of bright crimson foam that trickled down her cheek. Marina scrambled to Thea's side while ignoring the pain caused from the two shafts of steel driven through her chest and stomach. She forced Thea to her side as a hacking eruption of bloody foam poured from Thea's mouth to the wooden deck. Marina's head lolled for a moment before she started coughing violently. She winced at the pain while rasping nearly as badly as Thea's breathing. The second stronger coughing fit raised little screams between the gagging sound she covered with her hands. She pulled back her hands from her mouth to seethe thick crimson phlegm that coated the palms of her hands.

“I believe this fight ends undecided.” Marina forced out. “Both combatants are unable to continue fighting.” she informed them. The strain of her words and actions made her collapse over Thea's unconscious form. The hush forced Crimson to slowly rise his head to see the bloody bodies of the combatants laying still on the blood soaked deck.

“It is done.” Rena informed him softly. She glanced down at him noting the crimson tinted tears running down his cheek. “Sister Marina owns you without question slave.” she said slowly. “Heart and all.” she added in a half whisper. Under Crimson's watchful tear-filled eyes, Ashstar, Talon, Menes, and Rena walked forward to check on the two Amazon warriors' condition. He stared in silent sadness as they moved Marina to lie her on her side next to Thea. Captain Talbot slowly marched forward with four white clad sailors at his back.

“I offer the services of the Spire's healers.” he told them directly. “But they must heal both.” he continued hesitantly. Talon chuckled at his comments as she nodded her agreement. “I only know very negative tales of your strict society.” he apologized quickly. He signalled his men forward.

“Allowing our sister to die after a valiant combat would be folly.” Ashstar remarked bluntly. “Only saving the victor would also be foolish.” she continued harshly. A half smile came to her face. “I thank you little brother James for allowing us our rights while on your ship.” she added calmer.

“It was a spectacle of skill, grace, and honour we will hold in memory til we die big sister Ashstar.” he replied with a bow and a salute to her. The four healers had moved as two group to administer treatment to the fallen warriors. Captain Talbot slowly left the circle in silence as the Amazons and the healers of the Spire set to work in whispered comments. Crimson watched from his knelt position at the gap in the barrel-barrier as silent blood tinted tears rolled down his cheeks.