Decision in the depths

Part 1: Tahyna


How does a conflict start? Unbridled patriotism? Greed? Need for conquest?
Misunderstanding? All of these, or something more?

How does a conflict end?

It had been a hot day thought Tahyna, an Amazon warrior of the realm of
Lemuria. "Why were duties such as this always conducted in high summer" she
mused. Some consolation was that her knowledge that the latter part of the
mission would not have been as unpleasant as it would have been in another,
colder, season. She was thankful that, on the bluffs above Victory Bay, there
was some cover to give relief from the heat. Down below, rolling at anchor,
rode a Celestran Bireme, the Argo. Spies had reported that it was the flag
ship of Admiral Morgiana, a Celestran warrior leader of great skill and
daring, a warrior Tahyna had been given orders to assassinate this coming
evening.

As Tahyna lay watching the Argo with her lieutenant, Alanna, she thought of
the words Queen Sedona, ruler of Lemuria, had spoken to her: "Tahyna, you are
my most trusted member of the imperial guard, my most skilled assassin. I have
an odious task for you to perform, one which successfully completed will see
the departure of one of our most skilled enemies, but also one that pains my
heart because it also will see the death of a great warrior whom I admire and
venerate, even as an enemy".

Sedona continued: "This war has gone on for too long. The people are war
weary; the economy is on the verge of collapse. Our neighbour countries are
poised to launch armies to invade and strip the tired carcass this country has
become. If this happens men will again be our masters and we their slaves,
unlike the men of this country who are our slaves and breeding stock. It was
Morgiana's leadership that defeated our fleet in the battle of Aquarius. Her
fleet has continued to wage commerce war against our trade vessels and fishing
fleets. I have received information that could change the course of this war
... .".

The briefing that Tahyna then received was the cause of her discomfort this
day. Earlier in the day the Celestran fleet had been anchored in the bay, but
had departed on the tide as foretold. The sun was setting as the crew of the
Argo went by boat to the village ashore, some 800 yards from the Argo, for
some night entertainment. Now that it was dark the noise from the village inn
was quite loud, indicating that the crew were having a good time and would not
be returning to the Argo this evening. The Argo would depart the bay on the
rising tide, about 1100hrs tomorrow, for return to Kutabba, capitol of
Celestra.

A look at the stars told Tahyna and Alanna that it was time to leave their
hide, and venture down a secret path to a bay below the bluffs. The noise from
the village would hopefully conceal any noise they may make in their passage.
The moon was past half and lit the way beautifully. Tahyna and Alanna arose
and dusted off their peasant dress, worn to avoid detection if challenged on
their trek through enemy lines.

The walk to the bay took longer than expected. Once on the shore Tahyna halted
and grabbed the hem of her clothing, drawing it over her head revealing her
naked form; her high firm breasts, her flat, firm belly, her shaved pubic
mound and her long, firm legs.

Even in the warm night air Alanna noted that Tahyna's nipples were erect.
Alanna mused that there was a hint of excitement in Tahyna's mind over the
coming task. Alanna went to the cache of equipment they had bought and removed
a flask containing body oil mixed with tannin. Alanna realised that, even
though Tahyna's body was tanned, it was still too light a colour when seen
against a dark background. Alanna massaged the mixture into Tahyna's skin.

Whilst Tahyna applied the mixture to her face, Alanna started at Tahyna's neck
and arms, the arms being muscular yet smooth to her touch. Moving to her chest
she gently massaged the oil into her breasts and felt the nipples harden more
under her firm, soothing caress. Alanna continued downwards giving attention
to Tahyna's ribs and then concentrating on her stomach. Whilst the outer skin
was smooth and unscarred, unlike other warriors, underneath Alanna could feel
ridges of firm muscle. Moving down Alanna place a small drop of oil on her
index finger and entered the slit of Tahyna's navel, a perfect oval shape, now
made dark and more sensuous. Tahyna sighed and smiled, her belly being drawn
in and her navel adopting a small hood of skin at its apex, shadowing the
entrance.

Alanna then moved to the legs and back and the task was completed. Alanna took
a moment to observe Tahyna's features. She was a beautiful woman, short dark
hear, high cheek bones, almond shaped green eyes and full lips. However she
realised beneath the attractive exterior was a cool, intelligent and skilful
warrior. She pitied any opponents that Tahyna may meet this evening.

Alanna then handed over a thin leather belt containing a leather pouch. Tahyna
tied the belt around her waist and, reaching into the pouch, removed a small
earthen vial. "Several drops should do the job" , Tahyna nodded in agreement.

Moving to view the Argo they could see that there were 3-4 guards on the bow
and stern and that the lights of the Admirals cabin remained burning. "Get
some rest, I will remain to watch". Tahyna agreed and lay on the sand and was
soon dreaming unpleasant dreams of the night ahead.

It seemed like 5 minutes, but was many hours, before Tahyna was woken by
Alanna.

"The cabin light is out, it's time to go". The sleep had done her good but the
time ... the constellations indicate it was about 03:00hrs, the moon had set.
Alanna handed Tahyna her last implement, a double edged dagger. Tahyna placed
it into her belt with purpose.

"Good luck and may the Gods speed you in your task" Alanna added. Tahyna
hugged Alanna in thanks, then gently entered the water of the bay. She grasped
a large piece of driftwood left for the purpose and slowly walked into the
ocean. She felt the water spread over her legs, a tingle in her groin, over
her belly and into her navel and reach her breasts, hardening her nipples even
more. At this point she pushed off the bottom and slowly paddled out in the
direction of the Argo. The water was not too cold but, even so, her stomach
tightened in anticipation of her task, not in fear but in excitement.

It took some 30 minutes to reach the Argo. Tahyna looked up seeing the guards
either not at their posts or dozing. Tahyna slowly paddled to the stern of the
Argo and the Admirals cabin, keeping close to the hull to avoid detection.

At the stern an anchor rope enabled her to scale to the wooden rails on the
side. Quickly and silently she leaped the rail and, keeping in the shadows,
went to the passageway leading to the ships officer quarters.

The Admirals cabin lay ahead. She tried the door and entered. Creeping to the
bed she looked down and "NO", she gasped silently, the bed was empty. A creak
of the door saw Tahyna run quickly behind drapes concealing a wardrobe.
Thankfully they reached to the floor and, in a small crack, saw the Admiral
enter the room carrying a lighted torch, which she placed in a holder beside
the door. Tahyna slowly removed the dagger from her belt and clenched her
right hand tightly around the handle.

"See you in the morning, Captain".

"Yes, Admiral, we sail at 1100hrsl" said an unseen female voice in the
doorway. The door closed and the Admiral undressed. Even though in her
forties, being a career officer she had kept her youthful looks and figure due
to her missing the stretches and strains of childbirth. Tahyna could see, just
by her bearing and demeanour, why she was a leader of women.

She retained a loin cloth on her body and lay on her hammock. Tahyna waited in
anticipation of her task ... ..

***************************************

Boot! ... "What ... er..where ... um"

"Get up you slacker, you scum of the earth, you ... ." the Officer of the
watch snarled at Zenpha.

Zenpha quickly jumped to her feet.

"You are a guard, not a sleeping beauty. Pick up your spear and never let it
from your hands again. Blasted conscripts, I told the high command that 18
year olds do not have the experience to become warriors. They will be the ruin
of this navy!", the deck officer hissed back at Zenpha as she returned to the
duty room.

Zenpha looked at the ocean. "All I see is fish, and the odd shark. This is
boring and this breastplate is heavy and hot. Why I ever agreed to join the
navy I will never know. And, at any rate, I am 19!" she whispered under her
breath.

********************************************

Admiral Morgiana's breathing started to get shallow then deepen. "At last she
sleeps" whispered Tahyna. Looking out the windows of the cabin she saw the
eastern sky starting to lighten. "Alarm" she thought, "It's getting light, I
will need a diversion if I am to live to tell of the success of this mission".

Tahyna slowly crept over to the side of the hammock. Morgiana's chest rose and
fell with her deep breathing.

"It would just be as easy plunging my dagger into her heart" thought the
assassin. Resisting the urge Tahyna placed her dagger silently on the floor
and removed the earthenware vial from its pouch. She slowly unplugged the
spout and placed the spout onto Morgiana's lips.

The poison trickled slowly over Morgiana's lips. All at once Morgiana's eye's
opened wide in terror and her reclining body started to thrash about. Tahyna
clamped her free hand over Morgiana's mouth which stifled a cry, then silence.

The poison had worked, a hero was dead.

Tahyna quickly removed Morgiana's ring of office from her finger and placed it
into her leather pouch. Queen Sedona was specific in the briefing to bring
back the ring.

Tahyna looked about the room. "Think, Think, Think" she whispered. Going to a
large earthenware jug she smelt it. It was lamp oil. She quickly doused the
room, and Morgiana's inert corpse, with the oil. She then removed the flaming
torch and ran to the rear window, opening it and climbing into the space. The
smell in the room was overpowering as she dived into the sea in unison with
throwing the torch back into the cabin.

***********************************

"WHOOOSH" The noise jolted Zenpha into wakefulness. Turning she saw flames
issuing forth from the passageway to the officers cabins. "Alarm, Alarm",
shouted the deck officer as she ran from an undamaged area. The whole of the
stern of the Argo was ablaze.

"You, You, You, grab buckets to help control the fire. Zenpha, remain at your
post and keep a look out for any movements away from our ship. Has anyone seen
the Admiral?"

**************************************

Tahyna used breast stroke to ease herself along the hull towards the bow. "I'm
going to have to attempt the trip back mostly underwater" she thought now that
the sky was lightening. When she reached the bow she took a deep breath and
dived and continued underwater. Tahyna knew she had good breath holding
ability and had swum underwater on many a mission. She was also very skilled
at the underwater art of killing. She reached the bow and breathed deeply and,
using her feet against the hull, propelled herself into the depths and away
from the Argo.

Zenpha was mesmerised looking at the flaming stern of the Argo. Something
caught the corner of her eye. A shape in the water, deep, dark, crossing a
patch of white sand. The crystal clarity of the water told her it was not a
fish, or a shark. It had arms and legs. "A saboteur!"

Quickly she put down her spear, removed her helmet and breast plate, revealing
her pert breasts and slim figure. Her loincloth covered her womanhood and the
belt holding the cloth held a fighting knife at the front, flat against her
taut belly, the pommel on the handle just below the protruding flesh of her
curved outer navel. She quickly picked up the spear, "never let it from your
hands again" ringing in her mind. She leapt into the ocean and commenced
swimming towards the figure, she now saw on the surface swimming away from the
Argo.

Tahyna stole a look back at the Argo and saw the flames starting to take
control of the whole of the upper hull. Pride swelled in her chest. The masts
and sails were gone, as was the rigging. She could see figures leaping into
the ocean, not for her but away from the heat. Her gaze travelled down to the
surface and saw a figure swimming towards her.

"Gods preserve me" she cursed, "an opponent stupid enough to challenge me".
Her hand reached down to her belt and ... "Where is it!!!" she shouted. Her
dagger was missing!

"Oh, NOOO!" she cried. She remembered it had been left on the floor of the
cabin where she put it.

"Think, Think, Think!!!" she whispered. The lone figure was getting closer.
Tahyna looked underwater at the bottom. "Maybe, Maybe ... ." She whispered
then took a deep breath and dived just as the lone pursuing figure stopped for
a rest, treading water.

Zenpha was tiring. She tread water and held the spear at her side. "Useless
piece of kit" she cursed. "I should throw it away". But she also remembered
the importance the deck officer placed on the item and there would be hell to
pay if it was lost. She looked ahead and saw expanding ripples about 20 feet
in front.

"She's dived! I have her now and I will be the hero of the hour, no longer
scorned by the officers. I might even be made an officer" she said in a
confident tone. Zenpha then drew I her stomach, breathed deeply and dived, the
spear at her side.

Tahyna saw Zenpha leave the surface from her hiding place under a rock ledge.
The water was clear, and it looked to Tahyna like Zenpha was floating in air.
She quickly assessed her foe - younger than her, pretty with short blond hair,
tanned, naked apart from a loin cloth the front and rear of which floated in
the ocean currents, approximately 5 foot 6 inches; shorter than Tahyna by 4
inches. Small pert breasts, long body with a flat stomach, strong short legs,
her diving style confident and skilful. Her biggest liability was the stupid
spear she carried, a great weapon on land and for catching fish, useless
underwater. As she floated near the bottom looking about Tahyna noted a
fighting knife protruding from the front belt of the loin cloth, the position
it being carried in giving her an idea.

Zenpha swam towards some rock outcrops, passing over Tahyna waiting below, the
spear held tightly by two hands. Zephna paused and started to float and look
about. "What luck", suddenly Tahyna sprang from the bottom in a flurry of
sand, her right arm going around Zenpha's throat, her left going for the spear
shaft. Zenpha was taken aback. A quick reaction saw the spear shaft wing back
and connect with the side of Tahyna's head, stunning her momentarily but
retaining her grip on Zenpha's neck.

Taking the initiative Zenpha discarded the spear; her right hand went for the
handle of the knife. Tahyna quickly regained her wits and saw what was
happening. She tightened the hold on Zenpha's neck and, at the same time,
bought her legs around to clamp Zenpha's legs in a vice like grip. Zenpha's
belly and breasts were now arched, her nipples hard from the excitement of the
struggle. Tahyna's right hand reached quickly across the arch of Zenpha's
belly and grabbed the hand seen removing the knife from its scabbard.
Summoning the strength in her arms Tahyna held the hand in place for the
present.

Both women realised this was a fight to the end for one of them, the warrior
assassin or the sailor, one of the land and one of the sea. Tahyna's lungs
were tightening, it had been almost 3 minutes since she dove. Her best time
had been 4 minutes, but she could feel it was not to be this time.

Tahyna was the first to move and she used all of her strength to clamp
Zenpha's hand which still held the knife, and slowly remove it from the
scabbard. Zenpha could feel the strength of Tahyna, but was powerless to stop
the slow withdrawal of the knife. She thought that, when it is removed, she
could use her strength to swing it about and wrest it from Tahyna, then plunge
it into the legs holding her. This would give her the opportunity to make a
more mortal incision on her captor.

The knife was now removed with the blade perpendicular to Zenpha's belly, the
blade point an inch from Zenpha's skin. Zenpha's left hand pulled in a futile
effort at Tahyna arm pressing into her neck. Her opponent's strength was
unbelievable, she thought.

Tahyna's air was running out. She issued a small amount from her lips to ease
the pain she was feeling in her lungs. "It has to happen now or else", Tahyna
whispered in her mind.. Putting all her strength into her right arm she slowly
pushed the knife towards Zenpha's smooth belly. Zenpha, looking down, saw
light glinting on the blade and drew in her stomach in an attempt to forestall
what she realised was inevitable. It was a valiant contest and there is only
one winner. Zenpha's eyes widened in terror, the knife found its mark.

The tip connected with the surface of Zenpha's navel. Zenpha felt a stinging
sensation in her protruding birth spot as the blade point entered her, then
pain as it plunged to reach the muscle underneath. Tahyna felt the body of
Zenpha arch in pain, hearing a muffled cry. A large bubble of air issued forth
from Zenpha's mouth. Tahyna released her hold on the knife as Zenpha's left
hand went to the handle to join her right hand in a futile attempt to withdraw
the blade protruding from the gentle swell of her stomach, but it was all too
late. Tahyna pushed Zenpha's writhing body away through a cloud of crimson
coloured water on her race to the surface and air.

*********************************************

Zenpha realised that the forward motion of the knife could not be halted. She
had sighed when it met its mark, a gasp releasing vital air. The pain was less
than she thought it would be but know it was her end. "If only I can remove
it, I can attack my nemesis" she thought. Her left hand quickly went to the
knife handle but the loss of blood escaping from the wound had weakened her.
Strangely she felt a strong sensation in her breasts and in her loins, a final
outburst of sexual energy before the end. She felt her opponents grip loosen,
but there was nothing she could do to remove her knife, or stop her sinking to
the bottom of the lagoon. "The end had come and she had done her duty to that
end" she thought as her life ebbed away.

************************************************

By the time Tahyna reached the surface the Argo was fully ablaze. Her mission
was accomplished. Tahyna surveyed the scene and noticed two fins circling
close. "Sharks!, the blood has drawn sharks", Tahyna was not afraid of these
hunters of the sea but, she would like an even chance if it came to a battle
with them.

Drawing a deep breath she dove again towards a patch of sand, toward the inert
body of Zenpha. Getting closer she saw her stillness in death, the only
movement being the fabric folds of her loin cloth. Zenpha's eyes stared into
oblivion as Tahyna pried the fingers from the knife handle. She pulled the
blade from Zenpha's stomach. A trickle of blood darkened the water near the
penetrating wound in her belly, further above it dispersed in a crimson haze.
The sharks would soon track to the source. Tahyna closed the diver's eyelids:
"Brave sailor may you find peace in the after world" whispered Tahyna, her
parting words as she left Zenpha's fluid Valhalla. She tucked the knife into
her thin belt for safe keeping.

On reaching the surface Tahyna saw the sharks through the surface heading for
the bottom of the lagoon. She then struck out for hidden bay. It was a long
swim without her driftwood support and by the time her feet felt sand she was
exhausted. She then stumbled to the shore and collapsed on the sand. The mid
morning sun warmed her body as she heard running feet approach.

"Captain, quickly, we are exposed here, let me help you to the forest line.
I've made a hide we can stay in till nightfall". Alanna helped Tahyna off the
sand, and they went to the forest where Alanna had prepared a bed from soft
hay. Tahyna drank deeply from a goatskin water carrier she was offered. She
reached to her belt and removed Zenpha's knife.

"I bought you a present", she whispered. "Thank you" replied Alanna as she
accepted the gift. Alanna noted it was a Celestran fighting knife, issued to
all members of that country's Amazon forces. She also noted the letter "Z"
carved into the wooden handle. Alanna knew that any questions as to its
unfortunate owner would have to wait for this evening; Tahyna had fallen into
a deep, restful sleep.

They departed the bay by foot that evening after sunset. After a week they
reached the palace of Queen Sedona in Helidon, the capitol of Lemuria.
Morgiana's signature ring was handed over without celebration. The Queens had
other plans for it, and her favoured assassin.

About the same time the Lemurian Amazon's had departed the bay, a Celestrian
war chariot arrived at the palace of Queen Lydia in Kutabba. When Lydia heard
the news of Morgiana's death her heart slumped and she was wracked by
uncontrollable sobs. Her handmaidens sought to console her. "We are ruined,
all is lost ... " she wept. When told of the freak accident of the fire she
could not understand how such a cruel accident could have taken such a loyal
and brave daughter of Celestra. Lydia declared a week of mourning. Little was
she aware that the end of the mourning would be marked by the truth of this
cruel fate that had befallen Celestra.

To be continued ... ... ... ...