ith the sound of insistant pounding on the door growing louder, Sevia unwrapped herself from Luden and crawled to her feet. With a muttered curse, she padded across the floor and grabbed at the door handle. "This had dammed well be important," Sevia growled as she flung open the heavy door.

Standing there was the same big Amazon who had been giving Luden an appraising eye out in the Arena a few minutes earlier. She was still clad in her furry panther-skin exercise briefs, bare to the waist. The woman's big melon-solid tits gleamed in the corridor's torchlight. Her superbly muscled body was glistening with a sheen of sweat from her recent exercise workout, accentuating the sculpted clefs and cuts of her perfectly conditioned physique.

"Well, what do you want?" demanded Sevia, as the Amazon continued to just stand there without speaking. The big woman seemed to strum with a nervous, almost palpable energy. Her spectacular breasts rose and fell with the Amazon's quick breathing.

Despite her anger at the interruption, Sevia could not seem to keep her eyes off the other woman's naked chest. Sevia's all-too-brief interlude with Luden had made her horny as a she-goat, and the sight of those big bare tits only served to increase her already boiling passions. She liked what she saw .... but what, she wondered to herself, was this young athlete's name? She couldn't remember, but as Sevia continued to stare at the Amazon's aggressively jutting breasts she decided that She'd like to find out more about her. A LOT more!

But with her slave-mate there, it didn't seem as if there was much Sevia could do ... other than let her eyes stroll up and down the firm slopes of those great tits.

The broad expanse of the Amazon's chest was plated by a smooth layer of toned muscle just below her collarbone. Her firmly rounded breasts sat high on that powerful platform of tanned flesh like a pair of perfectly ripe melon-halves. Small nipples were set within large brown aureoles, nipples that appeared to stiffen noticeably as she stood there looking at Sevia, sizing her up.

A faint, self-satisfied smile spread on the Amazon's lips, as she realized that Sevia was staring fixedly at her bare tits. The young athlete sucked in her already flat-as-a-board belly and squared her sinewy shoulders, making those twin globes balloon out even further. Then she raised one hand to brush back her short mane of dark hair, which accomplished two things at the same time: her solid breasts were lifted even higher by the tightened pectorals, and there was a sudden bulge of bicep in the uplifted arm. It was without doubt one of the most strongly sculpted female biceps that Sevia had ever seen. Her eyes followed the rounded ball of muscle as it slowly rose and fell with each movement of the Amazon's arm.

Very much aware of Sevia's attention, the young athlete drew herself up to her full height, which was a full inch taller than Sevia's own five-foot-eleven, and with an impudent smile began to tense her nude upper torso. Instantly, that surperbly conditioned female body took on the look of a masterfully carved marble statue; ribbons of sinew rippling and rolling just beneath the bronzed surface of her skin, solid slabs of perfectly contoured muscle working and playing in a lazy symphony of strength. The shock of seeing that surging sinew seemed to break the spell that had held Sevia bound.

"Well, don't just stand there flexing yourself," Sevia lashed out at the Amazon. "What was so dammed urgent that you had to nearly bang my door down?"

For a split-second, the blood drained from the young Amazon's face in shock. She was not used to being spoken to like that, not even by an Elderwarrior. She stepped back, placing her hands on lithe hips as her brooding gaze fixed on Sevia. The Amazon's heavy-lidded eyes glittered with barely concealed anger as her eyes slid up and down Sevia's nude body, arrogantly getting the measure up of the other woman.

Although her face didn't reveal so much as a flicker of emotion, the big Amazon was surprised at the solid muscularity of the older woman. There was little doubt about the tall Elderwarrior possessing an uncommon amount of physical strength and a still well-conditioned body. Suddenly, the Amazon's appraising gaze was distracted by a slight movement beyond Sevia. Her eyes flicked over Sevia's shoulder and saw Luden still sprawled naked upon the furs. A slow, insolent smirk crawled across the woman's lips as she turned her attention back to the older woman.

"Sorry to disturb your . . . .ah-hhhhh, well what ever it was that you were doing," drawled the Amazon as she flashed Luden a cocky smile across Sevia's bare shoulder. "But Elderwarrior Merthia sent me to find you. Wants you up in the Arena. Now!"

Sevia bit back a curt remark, turned her back on the big woman, and walked over to retrieve her discarded tunic. She slipped into the garment and then looked down at Luden and raised her eyebrows in a silent signal. Luden immediately got to his feet, picked up his own robe, shrugging into it and took a step foward as if to accompany Sevia who had already moved out into the corridor.

"No!" snapped the Amazon, as she held up a hand to stop Luden. "The Elderwarrior Merthia said that you were to come alone, and at once."

The woman's hand was gripping Luden's shoulder, keeping him in place at the doorway.

"Remove your hand from my slave, or I'll break it," snarled Sevia in icy anger as she turned and padded toward the woman like a stalking lioness.

The big Amazon seemed to freeze for a second, and then her hand slid up and across Luden's shoulder until her fingers reached his neck. For a second, the fingers caressed his throat. Then her eyes locked with Sevia's as she slid her muscular arm around Luden's back and hugged him to her. He did not resist, but his handsome grizzled features bore an apprehensive frown as he looked over at Sevia. It was as if he knew that he was but a pawn in a dangerous contest of wills between these two Amazon women.

"Oh don't worry about your slave," the athlete murmered in a sweetly sarcastic tone. "I'll take good care of him while you're gone. You can count on that."

Sevia reached out with the swiftness of a striking snake, dragging the woman's arm from around Luden and, while still holding the arm, whipped her completely around and sent the Amazon reeling backward against the wall. The young athlete instantly recovered, pushing herself away from the stone wall, slipping into a crouch. There was a sneer on her lips and her eyes were gleaming with a strange look of almost sexual anticipation as she watched Sevia move toward her on bare feet.

"Alright, Old Woman," she spat out in a near-whisper, "let's see what you've got."

The two Amazons began circling one another in the narrow corridor, their eyes locked. As she moved slowly around the other woman, Sevia shrugged back out of the robe, leaving herself wearing nothing other than her leopard-skin briefs. and ready for combat. The other female was already stripped down to her own black-panther briefs, bare to the waist, her powerful upper torso gleaming in the dark corridor's torchlight. They continued circling warily, like a pair of alley cats, each waiting for the other to make the first move. A second later, the two women leaped toward one another, eager to lock their magnificent bodies together in a true test of Amazon strength.

"Hold it!" crackled stern a voice from down the torch-lit corridor. "What in the name of the gods is going on here?"

Both women froze in place, only inches apart, at the sound of the unexpected voice. They looked down the corridor and saw Merthia's tall figure striding toward them with three other Warrior Amazons in tow.

The big woman facing Sevia stepped back and dropped her tight-fisted hands to her hips in a wary stance. Her heavy breasts were rising and falling with her rapid breathing, the nipples already stiffened with erotic excitement.

"This isn't over yet," the woman murmered so quietly that only Sevia could hear her. "I still want to see if you've got anything left. Or are you just resting on your past reputation?" she sneered. Then, abruptly, the Amazon turned and trotted down the shadowy corridor as Merthia and the other women hurried toward Sevia.

"Was that dammed muscle-head trying to Test you?," demanded Merthia, as she reached Sevia and saw the young Amazon turn the far corner of the corridor and disappear from view.

Sevia simply shook her head with a perplexed frown. She still had no idea what this was all about. She hardly even knew the young Amazon who had challanged her. In fact, it was just at that moment that she remembered that the young woman's name was Mithgad.

Sevia let her taut-flexed body relax slowly, releasing a long shuddering breath. It had been a long time since she had been challanged to a real fight by anyone, and Sevia realized that her body was trembling with a combination of anger and andrenaline. She knew without question that it was not merely a wrestle that Mithgad had wanted. The young Amazon's balled-up fists had shown her real intentions very clearly, although Sevia was at a loss to explain the other woman's obvious desire to do her injury.

"It seems as if she wanted some of my hide," Sevia chuckled in her low gritty voice."Don't rightly know just what it was all about, but that young woman was trying to pick a fight. That's for sure."

Merthia put her hand on Sevia's broad shoulder, giving it an affectionate squeeze. "Well, hope I didn't spoil your fun," she laughed.

"Wouldn't have been fun," Sevia said quietly. "That girl has a reputation for being mean and dangerous. By the way, did you send her down here to fetch me?"

"No, not really. When I saw her start into the corridor, I asked her to tell you I needed to talk with you. But only if she ran into you. Then I heard all that pounding down here, and thought I'd better see what was happening. Looks as if it was a good thing that I did."

One of the other Amazons who had accompanied Merthia, coughed softly and moved forward. "Excuse me, Edlerwarriors, but I was working out with Mithgad in the Arena earlier this afternoon and she had her eyes on Luden. She said that he 'tickled her fancy.' I warned her to leave him alone, since he was Sevia's slave-male. But she started boasting how she thought that she could handle Sevia, and wasn't worried. Maybe that's what this was all about. Maybe she thought that she could win the slave-male as a fight prize."

Sevia nodded in half-hearted agreement. She had caught the way the big young Amazon had looked at Luden as he lay naked on the rugs. What had surprised Sevia at the time was the look of familiarity in the Amazon's eyes as she had smiled down at Luden. There was something here that didn't quite add up, Sevia mused to herself.

A few more words were exchanged, and then Merthia and her group walked back down the corridor the way they had come. Sevia continued to stand there lost in thought, replaying the event in her mind.

Conflicting emotions flickered across her weathered features. On the one hand, she would have loved to have locked in a wrestle with the young, big-titted Amazon. That splendid body would have felt good straining against her, all naked and sweaty. An erotic tingle crept into her loins at the thought of striving in close-locked combat with the big Amazon athlete. Not even Luden could scratch that kind of female itch.

But at the same time she trembled at the thought of perhaps being overcome by the huge muscles of the other woman. Had Sevia lost, would Luden, as Sevia's slave-male, have become forfeit? Was that really what the young Amazon was after? The possibility of losing Luden, more than any injury to herself, was what worried her the most. And Sevia found herself quite surprised at her reaction.

Then Sevia heard a slight cough from behind the door to her rooms and glanced up to find Luden standing there quietly at the door, watching her with a look of ... was it concern, or was it something else?

"So there you are," Sevia grumbled. She stooped down and retrieved her robe where she had dropped it when she'd stripped for action. "Did you talk to that young fool in the Arena this afternoon," she asked him in a sharply jealous tone. But then she caught herself, and held up a hand as if to signal that she didn't really mean what she had said.

He didn't offer a single word in response, nor did Sevia seem to expect one. Then, with a self-conscious laugh, she slipped her arm around Luden's waist and gave him an affectionate hug. "you better get back to your own quarters," she said in contrite tones. "I've got to go meet with Merthia for a while. Besides, I've had enough excitement for one day." With that she gave Luden a playful slap on his butt, and turned to walk down the corridor. P> For several moments, Luden continued to stand there, gazing at the back of the departing Elderwarrior. He was aware that his heart was still pounding like a trip-hammer . . . and not merely from the excitement of thinking about those two magnificently muscled females who had been ready to fight over him!

Although he managed to keep a straight face, he was experiencing a flurry of contradictory emotions; apprehension, anger, and erotic excitement all at the same time. But most of all, Luden felt a deep throbbing fury.

That bumbling idiot Mithgad had almost ruined everything by her impetuous decision to challange Sevia. The young Amazon had come close to bringing major catastrophy down on all their heads! That had been way too close, he thought to himself.