"...and from the dust we shall return."

[Sarah Tintagyl]

Since the collapse of the Amazon experiment in Eastern Europe, the military order and the Temple in Ehestadt fell into disrepair. Most of the Amazon leadership disappeared. While Thersia von Habsburg remained on the throne of Tianxia and her sister, Angelika, remained in the imperial court, the rest of the leadership suffered from death and desertion. The popular warrior, Nika Radinkova had died during the collapse of the Amazon nation, stabbed through the stomach by a revolutionary soldier and her body was never recovered. Her dual-queen, Karolina Zigo suffered a similar fate on the retreat of the Amazon soldiers out of Europe where she was sniped in the neck by revolutionary elements on the border of Russia. Her body was recovered and buried in Ehestadt. Her funeral was the last time the temple torches burned.

 

Now the city of Ehestadt looked like a shell of its former glory. Where marble streets once carried traffic to filled market places, gangs of men and women waged war in the alleys and on the boulevards. The Empress, given to problems of depression, turned her eyes away from the ruin that she once built as a monument to her reign. 

 

Government officials disbanded the Amazon combatants. Women who wanted to continue serving adopted Tianxian or Russian uniforms and the horse banner of the Amazons flew last over some of the isolated forts on the frontier of Asia and Europe.

 

The Age of Hippolyta came to an end, several years ago.

 

Still, the stories of the Tianxian Empress and her female followers continued in the literary and oral traditions of women throughout the world. Feminist and Women's Rights groups in the Americas, Africa, and Eurasia adopted the pageantry of the military order and authors looking to make quick fortunes featured names like Radinkova and Zigo in their short stories ranging from the erotic to the horrific to the adventurous. But these women never thought of taking up arms in defense of their state or for some higher purpose. The idea of true matriarchy vanished in the last kingdoms like Faraway and others where Amazonian culture held on.

 

The true story of this military order needed uncovered for one woman. Gina Kastioros worked as a literary analyst in New York. Having been born into a Greek family, the mythology soon became a strong part of her writing, but where her family had no real connection with the tales, Gina spent hours in the library learning about the tales. Her favorite became those of Hippolyta and her sister warriors. Eventually this research lead to one of her editors barging into her office with a newspaper.

 

"Hey, Gina," he said throwing the paper onto her desk. "You're big into Amazons, look at that when you get the chance. Maybe you can do an article or story with that."

 

It was the crime tales of Ehestadt and the Temple that stood in ruin at the city center. She knew about the Tianxian military order, but never like this. She never saw it so up close, and in so much sorrow. This was the kind of research that she needed to do, investigating and seeing how the ancient Amazons became those of the modern age and then how these modern age warriors collapsed into obscurity.

 

Applying for a paid research trip, Gina packed her bags, said farewell to her family and flew across the world to Beijing. Once there she booked a train to Ehestadt with the conductor's warning that, "Nothing is there anymore. It isn't safe for tourists."

 

She went anyways and after leaving the train station, the American reporter walked down the main avenue in the waning daylight. As the streets became darker, the brunette walked faster. She could feel the eyes of other people staring out at her from behind walls and doors. Finally the sound of a gunshot in the distance caused her to run towards the temple steps and up to the great doors at the top of the city acropolis. For an abandoned building, however, the doors pushed open without effort into a dusty central room of the temple.

 

Lacking care the gardens died and the marble lost its shimmer, but the building must have looked beautiful after its construction. She walked in further, then heard the doors close behind her. An old woman stood in the doorway and advanced on the American reporter The woman muttered something threatening and pointed her finger at Gina.

 

"I'm sorry, I'm not trying to trespass, I'm interested in your Order."

 

The woman narrowed her eyes, "You?" she said in surprising, but coarse English. "What reasons do you have to join the Amazons? We are a dead Order."

 

"I," she stuttered thinking of a word better than reporter, "I'm a story teller, I want to know the tales of the woman who once lived in this temple."

 

"A story teller," the old woman approached her and laid a crippled hand on Gina's shoulder. "If you are interested, then you will make your own tales. To have traveled this far, you already show you have the determination of the Amazon, but we will see if you have her strength, her heart, and her mind. What is your name?"

 

"G-Gina Kastioros. What do you mean? Who are you?"

 

"My name is Ona, the last true Amazon left, descended from the shamans of the steppe. Why are you interested in the Order? To write stories about them. If that is all, make them up, the stories will be better."

 

"No, it's not that, I don't want to just write a story, I want the story."

 

Ona laughed, her dark wrinkled skin shuddering on her face, "Then you should follow me. But know this, Gina Kastioros. Every step you take from this point on, you will grow further and further from your old life."

 

Not realizing the actual consequences and with her heart on fire with the mystery and magic of this place...she stepped forward...