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HELPING THE GODDESS By Geneva A young Viking in the Varengian guard of the Byzantine (Eastern Roman) Empire is accidentally changed to a woman by a spell he finds in ancient temple ruins. Haephera, a priestess of an ancient cult in the Genoria province of the empire, finds that they can be of mutual help. START Haephera looked out of her window onto the main street, then over to the market in the square, both bustling with throngs of people. Genoria's prosperity had brought many new people to it and satisfaction to many merchants but Haephera and many of the citizens of the older families had some reservations. The newer people had brought their own customs and ideas from the other parts of the empire and did not have the same respect for the ancient Genorian history and the traditions. She was still upset. She had just come in form the market where she had been roughly jostled by some raucous traders and her purchases spilled. The culprits had simply laughed at her. No one had made any effort to help her. She was looked down on as a supporter of ancient traditions. Then there was the local administration, usually all too keen to obey and enforce edicts from Constantinople and increase taxation to pay for the emperor's lavish life style, yet giving little attention to the needs of the citizens. Finally, there were the dismissive and condescending, even threatening, comments of the local priests, as they poured scorn on Genoria's ancient history. They were even suggesting that the ancient Temple of Ishtar, up in the hills and now in ruins, be utterly demolished and the site cleared. It was only that it was out of the way that it had been spared so far. She was not alone. She knew that other ancient families, whose origins, like her's, were lost the ancient history of Genoria, back to over fifteen hundred years, felt the same discontent. Some of them, thinking of the ancient civilization, had even suggested that they should plan to leave the empire and migrate to parts beyond its reach. There they could set up a new society, maybe even reestablish their ancient Amazonian traditions and respect for the goddess Ishtar. She mused about it. Legends said the ancient original Amazons had come from near the Caucasus. Perhaps that would be a reason to go back there and reestablish it. That night, she took out her small figurine, that of the goddess. It was a small ceramic figure, but covered in bronze dust. The goddess was represented bare breasted and wide hipped, consistent with her being a symbol of female fertility, but she was a warrior goddess too, helmeted and carrying weapons. Haephera circled the figure with six oil lamps and quietly mumbled a little prayer. The Byzantine priests had their own prayers. They certainly would not tolerate those to the ancient goddess and they had already warned her about her figurine. "Idol' they had called it and threatened her with trial as a witch. She had given up one figurine to them, but kept this better one hidden away. Haephera put her thoughts into words, "Ishtar, use your powers to help us found a city where the old rites and customs can be reestablished. Send a young vigorous leader for us, like yourself, a woman, but strong." The following day, when her friends, Calacis and Maris, were visiting her, she complained about the events of the previous day. "Look, said Maris, "you're upset. Why don't you take some time off at your farm? It's out of the city and more peaceful there. We'll come out and visit you when we can." .............. As the boat drew near to the crowded wharves ahead, searching for a berth, Sven Andersson stood up at the prow, looking at the city gradually filling his sight, awestruck by its size, its many domes, spires, pillars and roofs suffused with gold in the setting sun. Constantinople was immense and glorious! Even the largest settlement that he had ever seen back home in Sweden looked mean, dirty and tiny beside such grandeur. After a few curses the captain finally spotted a mooring place, tucked between a galley and a larger sailed merchant vessel and he edged his own small boat into the wharf. He had barely tied up before merchants and traders were jostling on the wharf to see what the boat had to offer for trading goods. Sven was happy. It was with no small relief that his long journey from the Baltic to the Black Sea was coming to an end. Still, he had some apprehension too. Constantinople and the whole Byzantine Empire would be a strange new mixture of different peoples, customs and languages to him. He expected they would look at his height and powerful build with caution and respect so he had something valuable to offer them. His fighting skills would be in demand. He was looking for work as a warrior. It was almost a year previously when he had left his own little village on the cold western shores of the Baltic, crossed over to the eastern side and into the lands there, with their seemingly endless dark dense forests of birch and spruce. There, he had been lucky to get a small trading boat heading east along the river. The boat's captain had been glad of his help. Sven was worked as hard as a slave, of course, but at least he had transportation and he had been fed adequately. He was young and strong and they were glad of his help at guiding and forcing the boat up through the rapids on the river. As well as his build, his collection of arms, his axe, sword and knife gave him the right amount of menace. Towards the head of the river the trading goods needed to be transported overland on a collection of merchants' carts to a small place called Smolensk on the river that they called the Dneiper and Sven's presence there probably helped too. His weapons would make any robber think twice. He had stayed in Smolensk for some months, partly working at any job he could find to earn some money for his trip south, but also to avoid travelling in the worst of the winter. The river was frozen anyway. In the spring he caught another trading boat as soon as the river was open, and that took him as far as Kiev, where he took yet another short sojourn to replenish his funds. This time he was able to use his military skills as a guard for a merchant. He had said that another merchant was sending two boats in the spring to Constantinople and that Sven could probably get transportation in exchange for acting as a guard on one of the ships. So he was able to get passage to the Black Sea and finally, after many days hugging the coast, the boat reached Constantinople. Sven knew he would not be alone. There were many men like him from Sweden, strong men, but poor. There were even a few Norwegians and Danes and others who had taken the journey. They were all skilled and vigorour fighters, with the advantage that they were usually taller than the rest of the population. More importantly to the emperor, they gave their loyalty entirely to him. First of all, Sven needed to look for his uncle Olaf. He had taken the same passage twenty years earlier and had sent word back that there were always demands for skilled fighting men. By the time the ship had fully docked the sun was setting and it was too late to leave it, but the next morning the captain watched as Sven gathered his arms and few possessions. He clapped Sven on his back and shook his hand. "Then good luck to you, Sven! The emperor's palace is over there." He pointed to the right of the harbor. "You can't miss it. They call it 'Anaktoron'." Sven had been told to look for the palace, where he would find Northern men like himself, palace guards, who could guide him. They would be noticeable with their fair or reddish hair, and light complexions, quite distinct from the darker complexioned Mediterranean peoples in Constantinople with their almost uniformly black hair. Away from the harbor, what with the bustling of the crowd and the winding streets, he soon lost his way. It had been cooler on the sea but now he was uncomfortable in the sticky heat, the close feeling, as well as the swarms of people and the bustle of the market places and streets. The markets were quite different from back in Sweden. There, they had been dull and gloomy, with a pervasive smell of fish. In Constantinople he was almost assailed with the exotic smell of spices and the allure of brightly colored fabrics. Fortunately he was tall and he must have looked imposing as the crowds almost magically parted before him as he walked through. Some men gave him a wary look, some women too, although there were others with expressions that showed a different kind of interest. Sven had been told where the palace was, but he soon lost my way in the winding streets and the crowds and finally he had to get directions. He had no luck at first when he found himself in a market and he confronted a trader. "Anaktoron," he stumbled. The man just smirked at him. Sven tried again but the trader still did not understand and Sven gave up. At a stall in the next market it was the same although he tried even harder to pronounce the word properly. He was lucky the third time and an officious looking man in fancy robes sneeringly corrected his pronunciation and pointed the way along another street. He had gone another small distance and this time he asked another citizen who understood and pointed yet again. This time the way was easier and soon he saw some imposing walls before him that he assumed belonged to the emperor's palace. As he had expected, its gates were well guarded. Standing in a group before one of them were three tall men, armed like him and all fair haired. They stopped talking and watched him cautiously, their hands on their swords as he approached. He tried them with some Swedish and they immediately broke into broad smiles. He was lucky. Like him, they were Swedes and had been in Constantinople for some years. Their names were Gunnar, Thor and another Sven. "Yes, Olaf Andersson," laughed Thor, when Sven asked." I know him. In fact he's living just round the corner. He's on sentry duty tonight. Come on, I'll take you to him!" Thor lead him to a small house. It was built of stone, and Sven thought it must have been twice the size of his wooden house back home. His uncle Thor looked at him first in surprise, then he must have recognized him and a delighted look came to his face. "Sven Andersson!" he laughed. "The last time I saw you, nephew, you only came to my waist. It must be fifteen years!" He embraced Sven." So you have come here to Byzantium. Good for you! There's plenty of work for a man like you." "Yes Uncle, I got the word you'd sent back. There was little work for me at home and I decided to come here." "So how aremy brother and his wife?" "They are well, but it is hard work on the land." "No doubt! That was not for me! So, I heard you had joined some Norwegians that were invading England. But now you're here. What happened there?" Sven shrugged. He really did not want to talk about it as he had been lucky to escape with his life. "The English defeated us, badly. I managed to get away and get back on a ship to Norway and from there I went home. His victory didn't help the English king much. I heard later he had to immediately rush to the south of England. Some Normans from France were invading and he was killed in a battle there." "Yes, I had heard that. Some of the defeated English actually have come this way looking for work in the guard. There are about a dozen of them. Some of them quite good fighters, I have to admit." Sven thought back ruefully to the battle. At some place called Stamford Bridge he had been exchanging blows with one of the Englishmen, a red haired fellow about as tall as he was. Sven had nearly got him with his axe, but it had got wedged in the other's targe and it was jerked from him. The Englishman was about to finish him off when a Norwegian, hit with an arrow in his chest, staggered against him, putting off his sword stroke and Sven took the chance to escape. By that time it was obvious that the battle had been lost so he just kept running to the ships and clambered aboard as one cast off. A woman had come to stand just behind his uncle. She was short but nicely curved. She was dark haired and her skin had an olive cast. Olaf pulled her forward. "See Sven, here, this is my wife Thera. Thera, this is my nephew Sven, my brother's boy. Finally he's got tired of the North and come to some warmth." He gave a hearty laugh. The woman smiled at Sven. She looked exotic. He was used to tall blonde women. Thera's head barely came above his elbows. Sven stayed with them that night and met their four children. Then in the morning, Olaf took him to the headquarters of the guard where he was rapidly hired. Olaf insisted that Sven stay with him another two nights then he was told of lodging about two streets away and he began his own separate life. He had joined the Varengian guard, a semi elite force that gave loyalty to the emperor. His duties would be to guard anything that the emperor wished, especially the palace, but also to take part in any military campaigns. There were many fellow Swedes there, but some Norwegians and Danes too. There were even a few who had been to Iceland. As Olaf had said, there were also some English there too, but Sven did not see any. He was told that all of that group were off on a patrol among the Bulgars. He had been with the guard only a few weeks when his immediate commander called them together. "All right, get ready to move in two days. We've a campaign coming up over the straits, in Asia Minor, as they call it." "What's going on?" asked someone. "The emperor's announced a campaign over in the east. It's been reported that some Turkish tribes, Seljuks, are starting to press on the eastern borders and they needed to be checked. "But there's a small job for us first. We're going on a scouting mission across the Hellespont and into Asia Minor while they're running about assembling the main force. God knows, that will be a job, with all the different groups in it. There's a bunch of Franks too and I wouldn't trust that lot. The Empire's territory covers all of that area although a lot of its settlement is along the shores of the Black Sea, almost as far as the Caucasus mountains. There's been reports of some minor dissention in some area there, some people want an old cult reestablished, and the emperor and his advisors think it's a good idea to make a show of force. Once that's completed we'll join the main army as it moves across Anatolia." "Just ourselves?" another man asked. "Yes, and we'll be mainly infantry, so we won't be able to move too fast, but it's important to show our faces, and make our presence felt in these areas. We'll have a few horsemen with us but their main duties will be to range ahead to scout. Yes, and to make sure there are no ambushes either." "Who'll be with us?" "We'll have a mixed bunch. Most of our force will be Greeks, but there'll be some Macedonians and Bulgarians too. There will be about fifty of us Varengians to give them some backbone." None of Sven's short previous service had ever taken him across the Hellespont and into Asia Minor and the guard duties, drilling and weapons practice in Constantinople had taken up too much of his time for him to do any exploring on his own. Two days later they crossed over the narrow strip of water in to Asia Minor. He found this journey interesting, almost amazing. Back in Scandinavia there were mainly woods, and apart from the towns, only scattered settlements. Wherever the force marched he marveled at the signs that the lands had been settled for generations before. There were many new buildings of course, but scattered throughout the country were many ruins of much older settlements. The force had a guide with it, a Greek called Simon, a veteran of the army. He was really past being an effective soldier but he had been in the area many times and knew the lands and the people. He knew a lot about the history and the ancient peoples of the lands and had ready answers to any of Sven's questions. " People have been here for a long time?" Sven asked. "Oh yes, there have been many nations here in the past. They would all have started as small independent states, then usually getting conquered and rising and falling in different empires. Alexander's empire stretched along most of here. When it broke apart the Romans eventually picked up the pieces. Now the western part of the Roman Empire is gone too, torn apart first by Goths and Huns then Franks and God knows how many other tribes. It's strange how some nations come and go!" he mused. "Further south of us there is supposed to be the site of Troy." "Troy? What's that?" Simon looked at him almost pityingly. "What was it, you should have asked! An old Greek poet wrote about a war and a siege that happened centuries before his time and he wrote his poem about fifteen hundred years ago! It was a war between the Greeks and the people of Troy, the Trojans. It all started over a woman, I've been told. The Greeks won and destroyed the city completely. "Then there was the empire of Lydia, and further to the south the Hittites had their empire. You know, a Hittite is mentioned in the bible. King David had him killed by trickery and took his wife." "I never heard of that." Simon laughed, "More trouble over a woman!" Sven shrugged. He had never learned to read and the few times he had any contact with a church he had been bored as the priest only spoke in incomprehensible chants. They were there to show the power of the empire so the force took its time and it was some weeks' travel later when Simon announced that they had reached the territory of the former Ceradol kingdom. "It's like so many other small kingdoms, it was absorbed centuries ago by the Romans and it's now part of our Eastern Empire." Sven and Simon had become friends and when the force spent two days in Ceradol they took some dtime together to explore the countryside. "Now the next part is more difficult," Simon explained as they were preparing to move on. "We're getting to an interesting area. It was the kingdom, or perhaps I should say 'queendom', of Genoria." Sven was puzzled. "Queendom? Why?" "Well, you see, it's the former territory of Genoria. It wasn't a large area, but it lasted a long time before it became absorbed in our empire. There's a legend that says the Genorians were descended from a group of Amazons. You've heard of them, I suppose?" "Yes, a race of warrior women, weren't they? I've heard jokes about them but still, maybe we could admire them. In the north of Europe we had our old traditions such as legends of the Valkyries. They were warrior women who served our gods, or at least the old gods," Sven added hastily. Guiltily, he reminded himself that he was supposed to be a Christian now and that these tales were only mythology. "Strange how these legends arise, " he said. "Yes, it was a society where women played major parts. It kept its independence well into Roman times but I am not sure what happened. It was in a good location to defend itself, mountains on two sides, swamps on another and a rugged coast with the only good harbor at the main city. It was around the time of the emperor Constantine that it was absorbed into our empire." He gave a happy smile and nodded, his teeth gleaming. "The women were supposed to be very beautiful and you'll see that when we get there. They really are, lovely features and nice bodies too. Probably our men will have an enjoyable week." He sighed. "I knew a widow there, once. We liked each other. I might have stayed there too, but she died of a fever." He stared into the distance. Sven gave him a minute with his memories. "If Genoria's so inaccessible, how will we get there?" he asked. "What? Oh, there's a narrow pass though the mountains, so can get there by land. But that means we'll have a climb up into the mountains to get to the pass. Being so narrow it was easily defended. There are legends that the Genorians had battles with the Ceradolans several times at the pass." He shrugged. " But that's long ago. Now they're all part of our empire." The next day the force began its climb up into the mountains. At first the path led through a wide fertile valley, but all the time climbing, the fields giving way to forest while it also gradually narrowed between the steep mountains. Finally it became as Simon had said, a narrow track through the trees, only suitable for only two men or a small cart at one time. Even though this was all part of the empire, Sven was still cautious. "I don't like this," he said to Simon. "Yes, it would have been an ideal place for any ambush, but I can't see anything but a few crows and deer. It's supposed to be safe now." They breathed easier when they were through the pass and the path widened again into a flat area and then descended gently to the north. Soon they were out of the dense dark woods and into a more open area with more and more fields and peasants' cottages. " Nice looking area," Sven remarked. "The land's well tended and fertile. Look at the crops and small orchards." "If my memory serves me right we'll be seeing some nice views soon," said Simon. It was as he had said. After passing a lightly wooded area, the road curved and in the distance they could see white buildings of the main city lying before them, with the blue waters of the Black Sea behind that. A little further on they stopped for a break and were ordered to polish their weapons and leather armor. It was in a small treed area and Sven noticed a pile of ruins to the side. The size of the ruins caught his attention. "Something over there must be really old. It's all in ruins. Any idea what that was?" he asked Simon casually. "Some old temple, I've heard. It's been lying that way as long as I've been visiting these parts." He studied it. "Hmm! Since I was last here, maybe fifteen or so years ago, the ruins are poking more out of that pile of earth round it. Must be the wind or rain wearing some of it away. You know, it's strange, when I was last here, most of the Genorians either didn't want to talk about it, or didn't know. Finally, one old woman admitted to me it was the ruins of the Temple of Ishtar." "Ishtar? Who was that?" "Oh, some old pagan goddess they had, I think she was from further east, Mesopotamia, Babylon, maybe." "The old Genorians didn't use Greek gods and goddesses?" "No, and don't ask me why they used an eastern one, but it was something to do with their supposed Amazon heritage. They had been suspicious of the ancient Greeks too. I suppose that now they don't want to talk about it because it's a reminder of when they were all heathens here. If it had been a pagan temple it would have lost its importance once they all converted to Christianity." He laughed. "The Genorians were probably embarrassed by it. The Christian priests especially would see it as threat and want to suppress it." Sven thought of the ancient Norse gods and their stories, now relegated to myths. Still, there were a few in the north who clung to the old customs or at least kept them quiet. The force was soon on its way again and, as they marched down the path, the ruins were soon left behind them and they were in another wider fertile agricultural area set with small farms every three hundred paces or so. Here too ruins of much older buildings were scattered about. Sven noticed many men and women working the crops in the fields, all stooped over at their tasks. Occasionally the workers, glad for a break, came over to the side of the trodden path to stare at the soldiers as they strode along. The soldiers watched them back too. "So , what's your impression of the Genorians?" Simon asked. "They don't look particularly welcoming, nor hostile either, just curious. Probably they're welcoming a little change from their labors. I see that most of them are dark haired and with olive or tanned skins but there are some lighter complexions too, Some are brown or fair-haired, and with blue or gray eyes. It looks as if Genoria has been like Constantinople is now, a real mixture ofpeoples, You're right about the women. They're all good looking. The men look as if they have have pleasant, regular features. You said it had been a society for women originally? I wonder how the races made their way to Genoria." "Oh, prosperity will do that. Maybe the men came for the good looking women." The force's arrival at the city had been seen and they had not even reached its old walls before a group of men on horses rode out to them. They hailed and greeted the force's commander. "The local civic administration," Simon said. "No doubt they'll be on their toes, just in case we send a bad report about them back to the emperor." Just a little bit on edge, they kept their hands near their weapons. Not all local officials welcomed the emperor's oversight and might object forcibly. They watched as the commander and his two captains spoke with the officials. Sven saw the Genorians look round the troop, and with more than a little passing interest in the fifty Varengians. Sven knew they had a reputation as being well trained and good fighters. Finally one of their captains came over to them. "You can all relax. They're actually welcoming us. It looks as if there is some mild local dissent, by some group or other that wants independence. So our presence will discourage that. They're going to provide accommodation for us in some civic buildings. I've told them we'll be here a week." He stretched. "Yes, we have been on the march for some weeks now and before we head any further east to join the rest of the army we should get some rest here and arrange some supplies. "Now, a warning, " he looked especially at the Varengians."There are taverns. There are other places. You will want to use them, I suppose. But be careful. There are a lot of good -looking women here. The locals may not like you making advances to them. So! Make sure there will be no trouble! Understand? You know the penalties!" The Varengians looked at each other knowingly. They well knew the penalties for trouble making, ranging from flogging to execution, depending on the severity. Soon they were marching through the city gate and into a broad street. Like the others, Sven looked round as they passed along. "Tidier than Constantinople and it doesn't have the overcrowded streets," he commented. The city itself was called Genoria, It had quite an attractive setting, set in the middle of a plain that reached to the sea and with a fairly sheltered harbor. He noted that the older buildings had many styles but all were much larger than the ones back home in Sweden and many were of cut stone. Sven marveled at the carved marble friezes. "So here were are in old Genoria." Simon said. "If it's like the last time, that was some years ago, we'll get some enjoyable relaxation time in the city before we move on east. The going isn't as bad there as it used to be. There used to be swamps but most have dried out so we can get through them if we take our time." Simon was right. As they had been on the move some months, the force was given a week to relax before they moved on. Sven was really taken with the beauty of the Genoria countryside and, with Simon and another Swede, Baldur, who he had also become friendly with, they decided to spend a few days exploring the area. There were taverns, and women, of course, but these could be left for relaxation at nights. To see more of it they even borrowed some horses to get around better. Once they were up in the wooded mountains surrounding Genoria they had spectacular views of the city and the rugged coast. Away out in the sea they could even see the sails of occasional boats trading along the coast. Eventually their investigations took them back to the ruins they had seen earlier. "Something puzzles me about their appearance," said Sven. "What do you mean?" said Baldur. "Look, you can see some masonry walls and, judging by their height in places where the soil has washed or blown away, it looks as if it's been quite a big structure." Simon studied the ruins for a minute. "You know, it stands a bit higher than the rest of the countryside. I imagine the earth was deliberately piled round it to cover it over." "If it wasn't used I'm surprised they didn't demolish it for its stones." Simon shook his head. "Remember, it was built in pagan times. They'd maybe not want to use them, being from a pagan temple. The priests might have warned them off." "I'm going to take a look from up there, " Sven pointed and began to climb the earthen mound, grabbing handholds where he could in the bushes growing in the ruins. Simon was behind him. "You two can explore all you want!" said Baldur." I'm going to rest a bit. I'm not interested in old ruins." They were picking our way over the pile and had almost reached the top when suddenly the earth gave way and with a cry Simon began to fall into a pit that suddenly appeared. Sven tried to grab him but his feet also slipped in the crumbly soil and he lost his balance and fell in after Simon, landing on his back on a pile of the soil. He was winded and lay there feeling himself carefully in case of broken bones. Simon was groaning too, but more in annoyance. Sven decided he was not hurt. "You all right?' he asked Simon. "Yes, I think so! You?" "Yes, I just have to get up. I'm half covered in this dirt and sand." Sven floundered about, sipping in the loose sandy earth until he found his footing. "It's so dim in here. The only light is from that hole in the roof above us. What happened?" he asked. "It's this old building. I think something must have collapsed under our weight. Probably part of an old roof." "How do we get out?" They shouted for Baldur and after some time they saw his face peering down at them. "Two rats in a trap?" he grinned. "I wondered where you had got to." "Just shut up and help us get out of here," Simon snarled. "It's too far to reach. Anything there you could stand on?" Simon and Sven looked round. "There's some broken wood there," Sven suggested. "We can pile it up and maybe climb out." They gathered the wood but Sven looked at the pile skeptically. It was splintered and broken. It looked very old too and he wondered if it would bear his weight, but he piled it up to try. "You first," he suggested to Simon. "You're lighter than me." He helped Simon up and Baldur was almost able to reach Simon to pull him up when the old wood simply crumbled under him and he tumbled back down. "Hold on! " cried Baldur. "I'll get some fresh wood from these trees just along there, Won't be long!" They were left in the gloom. Sven looked round. Away from the pile of dirt that had fallen in, the floor had been set with marble and mosaic designs. " Look at that," he pointed. "This has been an important building." As their eyes became more accustomed to the gloom they found they were in a small room. There were colored markings faintly visible on the walls and when Sven took a closer look he saw they were actually relief carvings and paintings. He shook his head in wonder. "I wonder what this place was." Simon shivered. "I told you. It was a temple to an old goddess. It looks weird with these carvings and stuff. I see a statue over there too." "Look! " Sven whispered, and he felt touch of nausea. "Over here, on the floor, there's two skeletons." He kneeled down to look at them. "There's still traces of clothing and other stuff on them. Must be women. Or at least they have beads round their necks." " Do you think they're valuable?" "Could be. This one has a chain of blue beads, looks like lapis lazuli. The other? Let me see. I think that's malachite. And look at the wrists too! It's been bronze rings or something. It's all green with age. But I'm not taking any stuff off a skeleton!" "Yes, must be women. Look at the feet too! There's sandals there, or the remains of them. They're much too small for men. Hmm! Some red agate there too. Must have been some decoration that fell off the rotting leather." He bent to look at them closer, but Simon protested, "Leave them. Skeletons give me shivers." "Women's skeletons, definitely," Sven said. "And killed too." He pointed to one skull, "Look at that! It's almost split in two. It would need a heavy sword or an axe to do that." He examined the other. "There's no damage to the skull here, but look, there's a large nick in the front of the neck bones. The poor woman has probably had her throat cut, so deeply that the knife went through to her spine." "I wish you'd stop poking in these bones. They give me the shivers. Come on, leave them!" Sven scratched his beard. "I wonder what this was about? Sad in a way." He was well used to seeing death, but these two skeletons lying there, unburied, for however many years, seemed especially forlorn. They heard a cry from Gunnar and he let down a freshly cut tree trunk. He had obviously used his axe to cut it. First Simon, and then Sven, scrambled up out of the pit and back into the sunlight. Gunnar laughed at his companions' disheveled appearance. " You're all covered with dirt. Some red stuff too!" Simon slapped some of the dust off his clothes. "Yes, there's a room with a lot of red stuff on the walls." "Good thing I was here otherwise you might have been stuck down there. Anyway, anything of interest?" Gunnar asked. When they told him about the contents he was only moderately interested. "What do you think you'll do about the skeletons?" he asked. "Maybe, just in case anyone has noticed us poking around, I suppose we'd better report them." "Ah, why bother? They're just as old as the ruins," Simon protested. When they mounted their horses and started back to the city, Sven saw two women looking at them. He got the impression they had more than a passing interest. .......... Maris had been visiting Haephera at her farm when they noticed the three men investigating the ruins. They went closer to check on what they were doing. "What do you think?" Maris asked. " They look like Varengians soldiers by their height and color. I heard a group arrived the other day. Probably the emperor and his priests have heard about our agitation here. I don't like them snooping around our old ruins either! That's an important site for us. It played a big part in Genorian history. It should be sacred to the memory of Ishtar." She sighed. "Still, I'm not sure what we can do about it. The administration here won't be concerned with old ruins, especially to the old goddess Ishtar." She looked over to the ruins "They out now, I see, but they were down there a while. I hope they don't come back." .......... Sven decided that he would tell their captain what they had found. He even told him about the skeletons and the carvings and mosaics but he was not interested at all. "I'm sure if you did enough round these parts you'll get more than enough old stuff to satisfy you. Look, if it bothers you, maybe you should tell some of the city officials about it!" Simon and Sven went the next morning to speak to one of the civic officials. He had a woman with him. It looked like they were discussing something and they waited until he had finished. "Excuse me," the official said apologetically. "I am having a feast tonight for your commander and we were just arranging some details. Now, what can I help you with?" When they told him what had happened at the ruin of the temple and finding the two skeletons he just shrugged. "Interesting, but maybe we'll just leave them there. Or maybe I'll round up some slaves to pile more dirt back on top. These old pagan temples are better kept buried." Sven got the impression that the official was hiding something but he was more curious about the reaction of the woman behind the official. The official may have pretended an offhand manner but the woman had given a little start and was paying more attention. "What do you think the skeletons were?" Sven asked. "Who's to know? said the official. They're likely hundreds of years old. You've heard of the legends of this place?" "Used to be Amazons, I've heard." " Well, ancient Genoria was supposedly an offshoot of the Amazons. Women warriors. Maybe they were not all warriors but yes, it was a society for women. It had a succession of queens for rulers. He gave a slightly embarrassed smile. "Being from the Amazons, in its first years there were no men allowed. So, to have children, the women met with men from neighboring tribes and states at that temple. I'll let you imagine what went on there. Anyway, Genoria is supposed to have survived a long time. In fact it was barely affected by the campaigns of Alexander. Later, they traded with the Romans but kept most of their independence too but they gradually allowed more men in and I don't know what the details were but they eventually became part of this Eastern Roman Empire. " That place you were in was a temple, but it was pagan, to some old goddess or other. I've been told that when the area was converted to Christianity there was some resistance but the old ways were wiped out and it became just like any of the other provinces of the empire. It could be that the skeletons are from when the heathen temple was destroyed and the skeletons may have belonged to priestesses. I heard that the citizens buried it completely. Then as the centuries have passed, the soil has been eroding off the top. I'm surprised there's anything left there." "What about the skeletons? Surely we can't leave them there," Sven protested. "They should be given proper burial." The official waved his hands derisively "Oh, just leave them there! Where would we put them anyway? They were heathens so we certainly can't put them in any holy ground. Some things are best left where they are." Sven noticed the woman purse her lips. It was obvious she had her own opinions but she said nothing. ,............. Maris was the official's wife. Like him, she was a secret devotee of Ishtar and next day she visited Haephera again. " Two men came in to see my husband yesterday. One was a Varengian. They were the two we saw at the temple." Horrified, Haephera drew in her breath. "Yes, we saw them poking around at it. And what did they want? Permission to vandalize?" "No, in fact they came just to report what they had found. They also reported two women's skeletons. They must have been priestesses killed when it was destroyed. These men were concerned. They wanted the women properly buried. "My husband pretended he was not interested. It's safer that way. He feels as strongly as we do that we should get out of Genoria, but he can't let that be shown, especially as his position depends on the officials back in Constantinople." ............ During that next night Sven thought about the temple. He was intrigued by it's decorations and he discussed it with Simon. " Simon, that temple interests me. I'd like to have another look at it." "Yes, intriguing, isn't it?" By contrast, Gunnar was not at all interested so they went without him. This time they made sure to take a rope and an oil lamp. At the temple they tied the rope to a piece of the rubble, tested it to see it would take their weight, then let themselves down into the hole carefully and lit the lamp. With better lighting the decorations on the walls caught their attention right away. One was totally covered with hundreds of tiny mosaic tiles, some sparkling despite their age. Sven rubbed off some dust to see them better. "Well, look at that! " he laughed, rubbing the wall with his sleeve. "This has got naked women. Yes, naked men too. That woman 's pointing to that man. Look's like she fancies him!" Simon laughed. "Lucky him! She's good looking!" The pictures were quite explicit and Sven felt the beginnings of an erection. When he commented on it to Simon he snickered. "Well, maybe that's what the pictures are for, to get them ready. One woman told me that years ago that this was used for men from outside tribes to breed with the Amazon women and give them children." Sven had a burst of coughing. "I hope it was cleaner then. Maybe the paint is wearing off with age. There's a lot of that red dust lying around. It's stuck on my clothes and exposed skin. Try to move around gently. It's everywhere." Further along the walls held some relief carvings and two statues. "Come over and look at this," Sven called. "What do you think that is?" Simon peered at it. "It looks like women, maybe goddesses, judging by their ornate clothing, pointing to a group of naked men. They're obviously making a selection." "The men look well endowed too!" they laughed. "Let's see what's further along." Next was an alcove with another statue, Sven took a second look. The statue was male, obviously so, as he had a very visible erection. "I've heard of this one, "Simon laughed. "It's the god Priapus. He had a permanent erection! " "No wonder the priests wanted to hide this stuff away!" The rest of the walls were also covered with paintings and mosaics but in the corners they found marble statues too. "These could be valuable, " Sven said. "Why did they all get just buried?" "It's just as that city official said, maybe to hide them away. They were images of gods and goddesses. After all, they were heathen. The priests wouldn't have wanted any of that around. The wife of that official seemed more interested in what we said." Another statue caught Sven's eye. "Look at this one. It's a woman, in fancy headdress, She's got a skirt on but otherwise she's' almost naked. Nice breasts on her too! She's got a sword and a bow by her. Maybe an Amazonian warrior!" Simon bent down to look at the marble base. "No, it's got letters. I think I can read them. I think it says... Ishtar! So it's the goddess Ishtar herself. After all, this was a temple to her." When Sven put the torch nearer to study more pictures he gave a laugh. "What is it?" asked Simon. "Look at this! I wonder if this really was a whoreshouse. Back on that first wall there are some mosaics of naked women and men, but in these pictures all the men are well, visibly ready." Simon was exploring further along. "Sven, come and look at this!" "Well, there's the result, he chuckled. " He pointed to the mosaics. Sven's mouth dropped open at the drawings of men and women coupling. He studied them for a bit, more and more intrigued. "Randy lot! Strange though, all the women are on top, straddling the men. Strange habits!" "So that's the way they did it? Hadn't they discovered other ways?" Simon laughed. "Not very inventive, were they!" "And look along here, " Sven said. In the far side of the room he had noticed a strange rectangle in the wall. "Look! This crack here is fairly regular shaped. I wonder if there's a door here, all plastered up" He looked at it more closely. "Yes, it's a thin plaster coat, probably to hide something, but it's cracked over the centuries." He wiped off some red dust, struck it with his hand and, when some plaster fell off, some planks came to view. "Aha, I was right. Looks like a door, all sealed and plastered up. Maybe they wanted to hide something." The planks underneath the plaster coat were weak, the wood dried and cracked with age and it was a simple matter for him to slip his knife in between the door and its frame. It opened easily, the wood crumbling with age. Some dust had drifted inside but when he looked inside he saw a small marble table with a stone box sitting on it. "Look at this! I wonder what this was?" Curious, he opened the box, lifting its lid. "The box is marble too, a whole chunk hollowed out." He looked inside. The only thing there is this old dried crinkled object and a clay tablet." He examined them carefully. "What is it?" asked Simon. "I think it's the remnants of a small book, at least I can see pages of some material. "Looks like old parchment," said Simon. He peered at it, "There's some writing on it too." As he touched a piece of the book the brittle material broke off. "Nah! It's too old. No more strength than wood ash." He examined the clay tablet. "Hold on, look at this. It's got symbols here carved into the marble. Looks like lettering." "What does it say?" Sven asked. Simon bent over, holding the lamp close. "I'm not sure, the letters are Greek, and the words? No, I'm not sure. " Sven heard him make strange sounds. "There are some words that sounds like old Greek but the others make no sense." He began to sound them out while Sven looked around the small room, checking for any more hidden doors. It did not take long. It was bare of anything else. "I've learned some Greek but I don't recognize the words either." Simon straightened up. "I've read it all, but it makes no sense to me. It's not Greek. Maybe some words are vaguely familiar but I don't know. " "Maybe it's the old Genorian language? Well, leave it there. Let's look around more." They moved out into the main room, grinning again at the lewd pictures on the walls, and snickering at the representations of the couples. "No wonder it's been covered over," Simon said. "The priests would have a fit at that lot." Sven bent down for another look at the two skeletons. For some reason he felt sorry for the two women, killed, he supposed, in their prime. He poked at the bones and felt a shudder when some very small bones came to light in the pelvis of one. Simon had noticed his reaction. "What's the matter?" "Oh, there's small bones in one skeleton. It's an unborn child. This woman must have been pregnant when she was killed." "That makes me shiver!" said Simon. "Poor women!" He shivered again. Sven even felt himself give a shiver too. "All right," he said. This place is making me uncomfortable. I've seen enough. Let's get out of here. It's beginning to feel weird." They had put knots on the rope and Simon began to climb up it. Suddenly he stopped, his shoulders hunched and he gave a violent shiver. Next thing he suddenly let go the rope and fell back on Sven. "What are you doing?" he cried, but Simon made no response. When Sven shook Simon he saw he was unconscious although his body was shaking. He shook him again, even more vigorously, but there was no response. Annoyed, and muttering a curse, Sven climbed to his feet and looked down at Simon, wondering how he could lift him get out of the hole. He frowned when he noticed he had begun shivering too. He stared at the rope. He would have to climb it, get out and go and get help but he had just taken hold of the rope when he had a violent spell of shivering and he fell down, now shaking uncontrollably. He felt his eyesight fade and he remembered no more. ............. Concerned, Haephera. Maris and Calacis had watched as the two men climbed back into the ruins. Then, even after two hours they had not reemerged. "What are they doing in there?" Calacis shook her head in exasperation. "Are they plundering it?" "Could be, but let's wait," said the older woman, but after yet another hour even she began to feel concerned. "Yes, I think we'll have to go and have a look, but we'd better be cautious." They made their way to the top of the mound, wondering if they would be confronted by the men, but when they reached the edge of the hole, there was no sound. Calacis peeked over into the hole and gave a gasp. "What is it?" "They're both down there but they're lying there, unconscious, I think." Haephera looked down too. "Yes, you're right." "What do we do now?" asked Maris. Haephera pursed her lips. "I think something intriguing has happened. Look at them closely!" Calacis gasped. "It's like their bodies are shimmering!" She put her hand to her mouth in terror. "Are they dying? Or is it a spell?" Haephera thought back to legends of old Genoria."Yes, of sorts. I'll tell you about it later but first we'd better get them out of there. I also think we will have to hide them, for the sake of the temple ruins, and their own sakes. Maybe even our own." '"How do we get them out? We're not strong enough." "No, we'll need men. Calacis, can you run to the farm and get three or four men out here, ones who are sympathetic to us, ones we can trust?" Calacis was all too glad to leave and Haephera and Maris kept watch while the younger woman ran to the farm. They watched down at the two men, their bodies shimmering and changing visibly. Haephera had heard of these things from the old days. "Ishtar, is this your doing?" she muttered. It took an hour or more before the two men were lifted out. They were put on a cart and taken to the farm. Haephera had her servants lay the men on two beds then she firmly closed the doors on them. "Calacis, Maris. Don't tell anyone about this. I'll need you both here but no one else. Can you send a message to your husbands that you will be here several days?" Calacis was looking at the two men in astonishment. "Haephera,I think they are shrinking!" "More than that. I'd better tell you about it. But first, lets undress these two. And wash them too. They're all covered with reddish stuff from the ruins." They looked in astonishment as before their eyes each man's body shrank and changed shape. The limbs became finer and smoother, the broad male shoulders narrowed, the waists thinned dramatically, while the hips broadened. The two younger women's eyes grew wide in shock as the penis and underlying pouch on each man began to shrink, and withdraw into the bodies until their groins were flat. Haephera had heard old legends about what would happen, but still she just as much in awe as the two younger women. Calacis was almost crying. "What is it, is it witchcraft?" "Some might call it that, I suppose. Somehow these two must have read a spell from something in the ruins. I'd heard about this but it's so preposterous I thought it was just some old legend. But it makes sense. It's a sample of some of the old ways in Genoria. You see, Genoria was founded by Amazons as a society for women. In its early days, men were expelled, or were read a magic spell to make them into women. It was the same with children. Male infants were read the spell and became female. "I have heard they used a special book with magic spells. So somewhere in the ruins of the temple there must be a copy of that spell. We must try to get it before anyone else goes snooping in the ruins." Calacis had another look at the two bodies. "These two, they're unconscious. What happens now?" "We watch. I think we'll soon see something remarkable." She pointed. "Yes, there it's starting." Over the space of a few minutes, the nipples on the two unconscious figures began to swell, then the areoles underneath, then the chest, expanding into two sets of female breasts. Maris' knuckles were in her mouth with awe. "Yes, and look there!" As they watched, the almost flat groins began to split, the grooves widening and rearranging into complex folds. Maris gave a small scream and stared. "They're women now!" I can't believe it! But they are unconscious. "When will they wake up?" Haephera shook her head. "I've no idea. "I wish I knew but we'll have to hide them. The army will probably go looking for them and we can have them finding out about this. And we certainly can't have the priests hear about it. I'll keep watch over them here but you two will have to help me. They'll need to be washed regularly." It was almost two days before there was a change. It began with them twitching, then sporadic movements of their limbs, and their eyes flickering. The two new women were wakening. The one who had been Sven could hardly remember her return to consciousness. All she felt was a deep ache in her head and all over her body, along with nausea and confusion and strange sensations from her chest and belly. At first she alternated between being half awake, with pain all over her body, and unconsciousness. Eventually she slept soundly and when she awoke the pain had lessened. She discovered she was lying on a level surface, relatively soft, but gradually got the sensation that her body felt different somehow. There was a noise from nearby too, like a woman groaning. As she stirred she felt someone push at her back and the upper part of her body to lift her up. She felt a hard object at her lips and some cool water dribbled at them and down her chin before she could force her lips to open and drink it. Her head was still throbbing and when she put her hand to her brow to rub it the sensation did not feel quite right, as if there had been subtle changes in her skin or something but she could not focus her mind enough. When some grape juice came to her lips she drank it greedily. "Wipe her eyes," someone said. It was a woman's voice and almost immediately she felt a cool wet cloth wipe her eyes and she forced them partly open, dazzled by the light. Everything was out of focus at first, but she saw daylight. She was puzzled. The last she remembered was being in a dark hole on dirt. Now there was a bed underneath, in a light colored room. Colored unfocussed shapes moved before her and she heard soft speech in women's tones. She decided that somehow some women were caring for her. "They're both waking," she heard. At that she forced her eyes fully open, and gradually the room and its inhabitants came into focus. Three women were looking down on her. They were all in the Genorian style of dress. They all had that even featured beauty of many Genorian women. She heard a groan and turned her head. Lying before her on a bed beside her was another woman, but totally naked. She had beautiful features too, but her chest was hairy and her hair was short. "Where am I?" she gasped, suddenly aware that her voice sounded higher pitched. She lifted an arm to wipe her eyes and blinked. She studied it. It was different, shorter, slimmer and smoother. She stared at the hands too. They were shrunken. The arm was bare, and she realized she was naked, like the woman beside her on the other bed. "You are safe, but you've had a bad experience," one of the women said. The woman was wearing an off-white robe. Her long brown hair was gathered behind her head with a golden clasp. She was suddenly aware of a different feel on her chest, and when she looked down she cried out. On her chest she saw two woman's breasts, with rosy nipples and areolas on creamy skin, yet nestled in curly blonde hair. She screamed and clutched at the alien breasts, pulling them, hoping it was some trick but she only felt her hands on them. They were part of her. All that happened was that most of the blonde hair stripped off. One of the women took her hands firmly. This woman was brown haired, fair skinned but tanned too. Her robe was a dark indigo blue. She wore a chain of amber beads round her neck and bronze earrings were set in her ears. Her long gray hair hung well down her back. "You must not do that," the woman chided, speaking gently and firmly. "You will hurt yourself. Yes it's a shock, but the breasts are real. They are your own breasts. You can't remove them. You're a woman now. Same with your friend. "I am Haephera, That is Calacis in the white gown and this is Maris in the orange gown. We will help you." They had referred to her as a woman? How could that be? The woman called Haephera pointed to the naked woman, now beginning to stir. Simon must have had the same terrible thing happen as happened to her. "That is Simon?" she gasped. Was Simon also a woman? "So that is the name. Yes, he has been changed as well. All who hear the spells are changed. Although I suppose it's been a long time since that happened." "Spells? What spells? What happened?" Haephera pointed to her naked body. "There's the result! You have become a woman. You must have accidentally read or heard an old spell that changed you." In growing panic the new woman looked down and opened her legs. All she saw was a patch of blonde hair, but no projecting parts. She scrabbled at it, finding, in the hair, only a vertical groove which opened up to sets of folds and worse, further down, crinkled skin round a moist opening. She recognized what they were and screamed and screamed until she was hoarse while Haephera held her, trying to comfort her. Another woman came beside Haephera to help her. This one was about medium height, also with that grace and beauty of Genorian women. Her hair was a dark reddish color, almost black. It was piled above her head in ornate pleats and coils. Her dark orange gown had a golden tie at the waist. Her ears had golden rings set with red stones and on her neck was a matching chain. She seemed familiar and then the she recognized her as the wife of the official that she had reported the skeletons to. Haephera and Maris took her arms firmly, but gently, and held her while she thrashed. She eventually collapsed back onto the bed, miserable and crying. "Yes, I'm sure it's a great shock, but you will have to accept it," said Haephera. "Please?" she croaked. "Is there any way I can change back! I am a soldier." Haephera shook her head. "Unfortunately, that is probably impossible. You see, in the ruins of that ancient temple you were exploring you inadvertently used an old incantation." She sighed. "One from the glory days of Genoria. Actually, I am surprised it worked as the spell needed the special cover on that ancient book you found. The book was ancient, centuries old and in very bad condition. One of you must have read the spell carved into the tile but the book held it too. Then, unfortunately, for you, just opening the box was too much for the book and when we were able to look at it, it had crumbled into dust. "There may be a reverse spell, at least the legends say there was, and we have looked for it in the ruins, but we could not find it. There is just too much debris and soil. Then, even if we did find it, it also would need to be written on a book covered with human skin for it to work. And we certainly do not have that. So, you are now destined to remain as a woman. Same with your companion. "So, your name is?" "It's Sven. I am in the army, the Varengian guard. Who are you? And what happened?" They were interrupted by groans from the nude figure on the table. Simon, or at least the woman who had been Simon, suddenly jerked awake, eyes rolling at her surroundings, then at the woman who had been Sven and the three other women and finally at her own body. Like the other, she cried out in terror. She tried to roll off the table, but slipped and fell awkwardly. They lifted her back onto her bed where she hunched miserably. She too protested, groaned and shrieked when they told her about the spell. "I should warn you. Your bodies are different and they will feel very awkward at first," said Haephera. "But who are you? How do you know of these things?" "We are, let me say, guardians of our old Genorian traditions," Haephera said. She shook her head. "I see you do not understand. Let me tell you a story." She shook her head again. "But I forget, forgive me, you've not eaten for about two days. I think you should eat something first." The woman who had been Sven was not hungry but she forced herself to eat some bread and some fruit. Haephera looked at them. "Now, here, you cannot stand around without any clothes. We will have to get some for you. Your old male clothes are no longer appropriate. As a very temporary measure, here!" She gave them some linen sheets to cover themselves with. "I was going to tell you a story," said Haephera. "And I'll start now. Calacis can you go and get them some proper women's clothes?" She began again. "In this area, Genoria, several hundred years ago, there was a different society, one run by women. We claimed descent from the Amazons." "Then it was true!" the woman who had been Simon whispered. "But why are we here? What has happened?" "Patience!" Haephera sighed. "The old Genorian society totally fell apart about seven hundred years ago and the old order, the old things, were vigorously suppressed or destroyed. Some people of the old religion were killed, like these poor priestesses you saw. One building that was destroyed was that temple, which dates back almost to Genoria's founding. "We heard you were investigating the ruins of the temple and we were concerned because... we have secretly kept memory of the old traditions. We .... well not now. "We had seen you looking there and even watched when you first fell into the ruins and finally got back out. We hoped you would not return. We were worried as some things are best left alone. Maris told us about your discovery. We were annoyed you had desecrated the site, but then you showed pity and respect too. You wanted the two women there properly buried. We thank you for your compassion. We were actually unaware that some of Ishtar's priestesses' bodies were still there. The legend says that a mob destroyed the temple and piled earth round it to hide it. New religions! They suppress the old and destroy them. "I wish you had stayed away but obviously your curiosity got the better of you. I suppose we could have warned you but somehow I doubt you would have paid any attention! "So accidentally, when you returned, you found some old stuff. You read a spell that you found in the temple and were changed. That spell played a very large part in the survival of old Genoria. We had been watching you and when you did not appear we investigated. We found you and removed you from the ruins. "You are now in my house as we knew you would need some care. You had compassion for these two priestesses. In return we will care for you. But there is another reason. Most people think that legends of men changing to women are just that, legends. We have tried to let people, especially the Byzantine authorities and the Church, go on believing that they were only legends. If you were found to have undergone spell that made you into women, it would have stirred up all sorts of trouble. We needed to keep you out of sight." "The army will be looking for us." Haephera laughed. "No doubt, but who would they find? Your previous bodies are gone. And you have been here two days. The army was actually searching for you just yesterday, but gave up and has now left Genoria, heading east to join the rest of the emperor's army. As far as they are concerned you are deserters. You are both alone." "There must be some way..." Haephera shook her head. "We've told you! Unless you can find the reverse spell, you can't change back. Yes, the legends say there is one, but if there is it must be buried somewhere in the temple." She took their hands. "It is very unfortunate what happened to you. No one should be changed against their wishes. All we can do is help you while you learn to live as women." The woman who had been Sven held her head in her hands and cried out. "No, I can't be a woman! Who'd want to be a woman? "she cried, "stuck in a hovel, bleary eyed from smoky cooking fires, almost all the time with a swollen belly from children and struggling with a succession of sniveling children?" "Maybe it was like that back where you came from!" Haephera hissed, " but it need not be like that. Anyway, you have no choice. Accept it, or you can kill yourselves, or you can try to find if there is a reverse spell in that pile of earth over there." She pointed in the direction of the ruins. It would need a lifetime to remove all the earth piled round it, even if she were allowed! She was broken. She burst into tears. The other too had a stricken look and tears running down her face. "Ah yes, I see you finally understand. You will have to accept your change. One of the first things you should do is to take a woman's name. I will call you Sannis, and your friend, Zara." They protested. It was as if their change was an accomplished fact