No Mercy(89)

Sam nodded. "It belongs to me. It's part of my inheritance."

"And are you Amazon?"

She lifted her chin in pride and indignation that Aello would dare to question her heritage. "I was queen."

Aello lowered her spear. "Then you know nothing in our tribe is ever freely given. You must earn the right to wear your grandmother's girdle."

Ethon scoffed. "Couldn't we just buy a Playtex?"

"Silence!" Aello jerked the spear and would have beheaded him had he not ducked.

Ethon grabbed the lance and jerked it from her hands. "I'm not--"

Before he could finish, the spear turned on him and beat him down without anyone touching it. It swept his feet out from under him and once he was on his back, it kept slapping the ground on each side of him until he stopped moving. Then it hovered threateningly right above his neck.

Aello called the spear back to her. With a feral grimace at Ethon, she returned her attention to Sam. "Do you accept my challenge?"

Like she had any choice? "I do indeed, but I have no corporeal form, which puts me at a disadvantage." Something no self-respecting Amazon would accept. There was no dignity in winning over a lesser opponent. Only in defeating the absolute best.

Aello grabbed her and jerked her forward.

Sam's breath caught as she was transformed back into her body. Not just that, but she no longer wore a T-shirt and jeans. She was now in her warrior's battle armor.

She'd forgotten how heavy it was. Still, it was a good weight. A familiar weight. And it came complete with all of her weapons.

Oh yeah...with this she could do damage.

Bring those mutant lions forward now and she'd show them the business end of her toys.

Aello nodded in approval. "Now you look like what you claim."

The armor invigorated her as it reminded her exactly who and what she was. "I am what I claim."

"We shall see."

The manticores pushed the men back as Aello moved forward to pull Sam away from them. "The test is simple." She gestured toward the water.

The dark boiling waves receded. From the sand a pedestal arose. On top of it, in a glass case that held a nest of cobras, was Hippolyte's shimmering gold girdle.

Aello's smile didn't reach her eyes. "You race me to the girdle. She who dons it, owns it."

"And if I lose?"

Aello didn't hesitate with her answer. "You all die."

The manticores laughed happily.

Sam looked at Dev and she saw the concern in his beautiful blue eyes for her. She had no choice in this. If she refused the challenge, Aello would still kill her.

And them.

She met Aello's gaze without flinching and delivered the code of their people. "I am the steel and the hammer that forged a nation never defeated. My arm is without equal and my judgment pure. My heart is fierce and this challenge is met. I will not be defeated. Not by you. Not by anyone. I am Amazonia."

Aello smirked at her. "Spoken like a true queen. But let's see if your skills match your tongue."

Sam gripped her spear with her right hand and her bow with her left. And as Aello sprang forward into the obstacle course without notice, she remembered something crucial about her people.

Amazons always cheated.