"You… what are you going to do with me?"
Forcing herself to break free from the tension constricting her chest, Hippolyta spoke, her voice tight but steady.
"Do you even need to ask?" Alaric circled leisurely behind her, his breath brushing against the back of her neck and making her shiver.
"My companions are surrounded by your warriors. Naturally, I'll have to rely on you to get out of this alive."
"You won't succeed," Hippolyta snarled.
"I may be the queen of the Amazons, but I'm not the only one with authority. I can be replaced at any moment.
You killed so many of our sisters, if you think capturing me will guarantee your safe retreat, you're a fool."
"I don't think so." Alaric shook his head slightly.
"I know your importance, Lady Hippolyta, far better than you admit. You and Penthesilea are the two strongest warriors of the Amazons, aren't you?
That white-haired girl, she's the one whose prestige rivals yours, correct? She seems to hold you in great respect."
"So what?" Hippolyta retorted, still defiant. "You don't understand the Amazons. We never bow to threats."
"Perhaps the others don't," Alaric said calmly, "but I believe you are different. You are the daughter of Ares, god of war.
Even if Penthesilea shares the same divine blood, a god's true child is unique.
For the Amazons, who revere their war-god, abandoning his own daughter would be blasphemy, don't you think?"
As he spoke, Alaric raised his wand slightly and murmured a spell.
"Sonorus."
At once, his voice boomed across the battlefield like thunder.
"Everyone, stand down!"
The magically amplified voice exploded through the air, shaking heaven and earth. Both Amazons and Argonauts froze in astonishment.
All eyes turned toward the source of the sound, and what they saw left them stunned.
The proud queen of the Amazons, the mighty demigoddess Hippolyta, stood bound in iron chains. Behind her stood a man in a mage's robe, clearly not one of the Argonauts.
There were no men among the Amazons. Which meant their queen had been captured.
The man's next words confirmed it.
"Amazon warriors! Your queen is in my hands. I order you to lay down your weapons. Otherwise, I cannot guarantee the safety of Queen Hippolyta."
As he spoke, Alaric drew a dagger from somewhere and pressed it against the elegant curve of her neck.
A single touch drew a thin line of blood, proof of the blade's sharpness.
The sight sent a tremor through the Amazons. They immediately ceased their attacks, terrified that a single twitch of the man's hand would harm their queen.
The Argonauts, too, did not take advantage of the lull to strike back. Instead, they seized the opportunity to regroup and break out of the encirclement.
With both sides wary and exhausted, the battle came to a temporary halt.
Among the Amazons, the white-haired Penthesilea stepped forward, glaring at Alaric with eyes blazing like molten gold.
"Despicable man! Release my sister, Queen Hippolyta," she shouted, her melodious voice now filled with fury. "Or the wrath of the Amazons will tear you to pieces!"
Penthesilea's strength was monstrous, each of her meteor hammers weighed nearly a ton. In the earlier battle, four or five Argonaut heroes had been crushed into pulp by her weapons.
Even now, having paused her assault, she radiated killing intent like a storming beast. That ferocity, coupled with her savage beauty, was enough to drive most men mad with terror.
Even the Argonauts shuddered at the sight of her.
Alaric, however, remained utterly unmoved. He only sighed, almost regretfully.
"Still blinded by rage, Penthesilea? You don't seem to understand, the one in control here is me. Your sister's life is in my hands. If you don't care about her fate, then by all means, keep threatening me."
"Damn you! Damn you! Damn you!" Penthesilea roared, her fury shaking the air. Yet she could do nothing.
That helplessness, having the strength to crush mountains but nowhere to use it, drove her into a frenzy.
She slammed her meteor hammers into the ground, gouging deep craters into the earth. Even the surrounding Amazons instinctively backed away.
At last, her rage burned itself out. Breathing heavily, she glared at Alaric and spoke through gritted teeth.
"Despicable man, what do you want?"
"Relax," Alaric said mildly.
"My companions have already suffered defeat at your hands.
What outrageous demands could I possibly make? I only want you to let them go, allow them to retreat to their ship safely."
Penthesilea exhaled in relief.
So that was all. Not an excessive request, at least.
Though she despised the Argonauts for slaying so many of her sisters, if agreeing meant saving the sister she revered above all else, then so be it.
To Penthesilea, nothing mattered more than Hippolyta.
After a long pause, she finally spoke.
"Fine. I agree. We'll let you go, just release my sister."
The moment those words left her lips, Alaric sensed the tension in Hippolyta's body.
"No…" she tried to protest, unwilling to accept the exchange.
She would not let herself become a tool to threaten her sister and her people. She struggled to speak out, but no sound came.
What's happening? she thought. Another one of his tricks?
She tried again, forcing air through her throat, but it was useless.
"Don't bother, it won't work."
Alaric's voice suddenly echoed in her mind, making her flinch before realizing what had happened.
A telepathic spell, she realized.
He explained with calm detachment, "I guessed you'd try to ruin my plan, so I cast a Silencing Charm on you beforehand."
"Y-you… damn it!" Hippolyta's mind seethed with anger. He understood her too well, every thought, every move anticipated.
"Kill me instead! I will never be a tool for your threats."
"Can't argue back, so you choose death instead?" Alaric sighed, almost disappointed. "You really are a difficult woman."
"Please," Hippolyta snapped mentally, her pride unbroken.
"Don't treat me as a woman. I am a warrior. I refuse to be used as your bargaining chip. If you've captured me, then grant me an honorable death."
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