Arerto's camp.

As the sun rose on the sixth day since Arerto had dispatched Helena and her troops Julieanna approached Arerto to report. She told Arerto that the pass had fallen and was now in the hands of the enemy. She also noted that the holding **** was only one hundred strong and from the scout's report also said there was no sign of any amazons dead or alive. Arerto left her tent and ordered that the cavalry be mounted and she told Julieanna to get the whole of her army on the road and head for the pass. Arerto too received orders and her Queen Alcippe had ordered her to hold her ground but the Queen was also her mother and Arerto disagreed with her stance. Now Arerto was going to disobey her mother's orders and take the fight to the enemy she was fed sitting around doing nothing while her lover had possibly been killed. She told Julieanna of her intentions and offered her chief to leave so she was not implicated in disobeying orders.

Julieanna pledge her loyalty to Arerto in this matter and quipped that if they survived they would suffer the consequences together. Arerto mounted and headed for the pass with the cavalry which was five hundred strong and Julieanna would follow on with the rest of the army. After a morning ride, they came in sight of the pass and Arerto ordered her cavalry to charge. Taken by surprise the enemy troops were routed and those who fled were cut down leaving no one to escape. They took some prisoners and after interrogation, Arerto was informed that Helena and around fifteen survivors were taken to their capital. Arerto ordered the prisoners put to work building up defences while she planned her next move to rescue her lover and put an end to the enemy invasion. Through further interrogation, an outline of the enemy city was drawn marking the prison and the palace and the city armoury which they could destroy.

Julieanna arrived with the rest of the army and the prisoners and Arerto's own engineers built trenches and they would be filled with sharpened sticks to impale the enemy when they came. Her three hundred archers were deployed on either side of the pass so that she held the high ground. after the trenches, further pits would be dug and these would be deeper so they could take care of cavalry and elephants. Even further back would be a shield wall that would protect the camp beyond and the last area was used to position the reserve troops. Arerto ordered scouts to the enemy city with instructions to find a way in that would be undetected by the enemy then she walked around the camp inspecting the work. She was satisfied with the progress and hoped that she could draw the enemy into a final decisive battle. She was also feeling guilty for sending Helena into harms way and also guilty for disobeying her queen and mother.