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The Amazon's Tomb

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Long, long ago, before this country was one country, a warrior from Amazoa came from the south who could fell even the mightiest of men with a single stroke of her giant axe. They called her the Amazon, and for her ferocity on the battlefield she earned the title of the Last Dragon of Enwall; for none had seen such destruction since the time of the dragons, centuries before.

After she died her friends and foes alike erected a giant monument in the form of a granite pinnacle, on whose face was drawn in shadow-scrip tales of her deeds. Beneath this they carved her tomb, where she was laid to rest with her battle axe, Claw, laid across her breast. It is said that in olden days brave young knights would venture into the depths of her tomb for council and advice in times of trouble. More than once the axe has been known to have gone missing for a time, but it always returned.

The last time Claw went missing the weather turned very bad, with thunder and rain rolling over the countryside day and night for weeks on end. At last, when the storm broke, visitors to the tomb found the smooth grass before it shattered by a huge crater, still smoking, and a pile of rocks blocking the entrance to the tomb.

The rocks were cleared away, but ever since then all who ventured into the tomb came out white-haired and mad. From their disjointed babbling scholars deduced that the Amazon no longer gave council, and did not wish to be disturbed. So a plaque was made, and set into a stump of rock before the entrance, bearing the words:

Beyond lies the Amazon and the Axe of Storms;
do not approach, traveller, and let sleeping dragons lie.
Wait until the day when the earth gives up her dead,
and the Last Dragon wakes in her due time.


Some people have construed this to mean that the Amazon is not dead, or that if she is she will one day return, as if often the case with heroes of old. However this is only conjecture.

Today the tomb is a favorite tourist destination, but they do not let you even approach the entrance, and if you hop the little guard fence alarm spells will go off and a dozen Ward Wizards will descend to give you a stern talking-to, not to mention a ticket. Still, you can see the crater and the rock on which the warning plaque is set. And, if you are lucky enough to see the monument from the shady side, the shadow-script can still be seen, glowing greenish against the stone.


I have long been partial to ghost tales from Europe and England of August Dead Personages with Scary Tombs; tales of Ogier the Dane and the King Under the Mountain and all that, and wanted to do my own version, set in Antellonia, naturally. The Amazon in question has made an appearance in one of my short-stories, and I imagine she will turn up again in future.

In the mean time, enjoy the picture, and let the dead rest.

Colored pencils on 9"x12" illustration paper. Art and related prose © myself, some rights reserved. This picture appears on page 99 of my Black Book.
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