Chapter 13 begins

     Now Thera had only just bade her ladies arise when Drea presented a large leather saddle bag of which Thera opened. Here she found a thick stack of papers for her, sent by the Queen's Council, her envoys and ambassadors, emissaries, as well as letters from the departments of Treasury, Agriculture, Defense, Armories and the Themiscyran Council of War. Thera had not even had time to mourn the loss of her dear mother before she found herself sitting at one of the large tables, there under the cherry trees as the sun set and the moon arose. Thera found herself pouring over all the letters from her Captains in the field, who returned at once from Dardina, Macedon, and Illyria. Captain Lucia Vega had returned to Themiscyra with the women under armed guard from the King of Scythia, as would all the ladies as a threat was posed by the King of Thrace, who could at anytime try to lay siege to the vacant throne. Thera ordered her ladies to begin to pack up all the tents and their belongings as they would depart that evening under the light of the full moon, Artemis guiding their way to the border of Illyria by sunrise. However, the King of Sparta offered the use of his ships to see the women safely home, so instead of seven days on the long hard road, they would be safe in their homeland in two days. Now Vy, along with Vasha thought this was the perfect solution.
     Now, when King Vyakles spoke of this aloud in front of Queen Thera, and her newly estsablished council as they sat at the table going over the documents, each of the twenty or so women gathered there all gave the look of a terrified nature, the color draining away from their sun kissed faces, as if someone had just walked over their graves. Vy, as well as Admiral Vasha, were shocked by the ladies reaction at the offer to travel upon the sea. "Have we offended you, dear ladies, with our efforts to see you home in a timely and safe manner?" Vyakles asked giving  Thera a confused look.
     "Dearest King, we are most delighted by your generous offer. You show us great honor by your willingness to assist us in our great distress. However, my dearest King Vyakles, you must forgive us of our deep superstitious nature of the open waters. Our people have found much pain and loss brought by the sea. We are not an ocean going nation. Although we have made a great many sacrifices to Poseidon to achieve his blessings, we dare not tempt the Fates." Queen Thera replied leaving the king with the overwhelming urge to know what cruel fate had befallen her people. Thera could see the king, her lover, was intrigued so she sighed with a little smile and said. "Who here will tell our story? The story of Haifa? The story of the Island of Samos?"
     "I will tell the tale." Captain Amara said as she went and sat next to the King of Sparta and his Admiral Vasha.