Beyond the Limit (DC)

Chapter 257: 257

| Bana-Mighdall - November 23

Murmurs rippled through the crowd.

"Hope Taya?" one said.

"I thought she died."

"Wasn't she excommunicated along with Mercy Graves for refusing to return after a mission?"

Mercy Graves? The cyborg assistant of his father? Was that why she was so loyal to him? Because he had shown her a world that wasn't filled with the war and violence of Bana-Mighdall?

Joseph lowered himself to the ground and pulled the priestess to her feet.

"How do you know my mother?" Joseph asked.

"Lord Thoth revealed it to me. Your mother was the granddaughter of a dear friend of mine."

Ah, that explained it. That meant he—and possibly other Egyptian gods—were watching the situation.

If Thoth had sent the old woman, then Joseph could take this as a sign. A request for a favor. Thoth had answered his questions and sent his soul beyond the threshold of Du'at. Joseph decided he would use this opportunity to repay whatever he owed the god.

"Please help us. Protect the Bana-Mighdall," the old woman continued.

"Don't you think it is beneath you to grovel before a mere man?" the woman in green asked.

"He is not a mere man, Nehebka," the priestess chastised, as if addressing a fool. "He is a god. And who better to protect us from the wrath of the god who destroyed our barrier than another god?"

More murmurs spread.

Seeing the shift in the situation, the Shim'tar spoke, taking charge—her hatred of men not entirely clouding her judgment.

"Amazone! Estuppa!" she commanded. Joseph's understanding of the language wasn't complete, so he wasn't sure what that meant. "Yosef, son of Hope, I hereby order my soldiers to stand down. You have earned the right of audience."

Joseph was about to correct her on the pronunciation of his name but he realized the mix of Greek and Arabic she spoke had no 'j' sound and it was pointless so he let it go.

Nehebka, Faruka, and a few others looked like they wanted to protest, but the queen silenced them.

"So speaks Anahid, Queen of Bana-Mighdall."

**

Joseph walked with the queen and her companions—Nehebka, Faruka, and Priestess Kadesha—through the city. They were heading toward the central palace.

It was strange, walking through a city composed entirely of one gender. And they moved through their daily lives as if it were completely normal.

Well, mostly one gender.

Joseph noticed the male slaves performing manual labor—pulling carts, tending forges, all in chains. And then there were the breeding stables.

Unacceptable.

They had built a society that, at a glance, seemed functional—almost ideal for themselves. But aside from their weaponry, their technology lagged decades behind more developed nations.

He saw women selling goods in markets, guards with guns lining the streets, and others riding horses through the city.

Many women openly stared at him. It was likely their first time seeing a man walking freely.

"Look, Akila. What's that male doing, walking around openly?"

"Stop pointing so obviously, Artemis. Can't you see he's walking beside the queen? Maybe he's her new slave."

Joseph caught the conversation between two young girls as he passed.

He estimated the city's population at around 5,000, with roughly 1,500 warriors. Comparable to Themyscira, though their immortal counterparts had a much greater proportion of trained fighters after centuries of experience.

They arrived at the most impressive structure in the city—its arches and curves blending Greek and Egyptian architecture into something that could rival the most beautiful mosques.

Passing through a curtain, they entered a chamber where several women were already seated. The ones accompanying him took their places.

Joseph remained standing, arms crossed.

It wasn't that he hadn't been offered a seat.

Sitting would imply equality.

He was not their equal.

"Queen Anahid," one of the seated women spoke, "why have you brought a male into our home at a time like this?"

"He is one of us, Falizia. The son of Hope Taya—and a god. Show some respect," the Shim'tar replied.

"Oh? My name is Anaya. How fares Taya?" another woman asked.

"My mother was killed a few years ago," Joseph said.

Several Amazons adopted expressions that almost resembled pity.

"My apologies, my lord. I did not know."

"No need. I've come to terms with her death." His voice hardened. "And I killed the one responsible."

The shift was immediate. The room stiffened.

"Now," Joseph continued, "let's get to business. Olympus has discovered your existence. The Amazons of Themyscira have been sent to eliminate you. You can also expect the Egyptian and Quraci militaries to move soon."

The air in the room seemed to grow colder.

"I am aware of your culture," he went on. "And it could be argued that the hostility directed at you now is simply righteous retribution. Some might say I should let the city and its people be flattened."

Several Amazons bristled. Queen Anahid looked ready to respond—

—but Joseph released his aura.

Gravity intensified.

Silence crushed the room.

They felt it immediately—the presence of a predator. Something far beyond them.

Breathing became difficult. Pride faltered beneath instinctive fear.

No one spoke.

Finally, Joseph withdrew his aura, allowing the pressure to lift.

Air returned to their lungs.

Of course, he had spared the old priestess from its effects. There was no telling if her heart could withstand it.

"Fortunately for you," he said calmly, "Wonder Woman—the strongest warrior of Themyscira—is opposed to your extermination. She has enlisted my help."

He looked around the room.

"For that reason—and out of a small sense of filial piety—I have decided to protect you. I will overlook the disrespect shown to me."

A pause.

"But my help comes with conditions."

"What are they?" Queen Anahid asked, resigned. The Girdle of Gaea enhanced her enough to pose Wonder Woman some difficulty in a fight, so when she felt his aura, she became acutely aware—more so than the others—that he could crush them all with ease, and worse, she wouldn't even be able to touch him. Cornered by the world, she was wise enough to make compromises to ensure the survival of her people.

"1. You will have to cede the Girdle of Gaea to the Amazons."

"Completely unacceptable," Queen Anahid said. "There were two Girdles of Gaea given to the sister-queens Hippolyta and Antiope, our ancestor. After Herakles stole Hippolyta's girdle in a ruse that destroyed Themyscira and enslaved the Amazons, Athena freed them from captivity only on the condition that they would turn away from the path of violence. The Amazons split into two factions: those who felt allegiance to the Gods of Olympus stayed with Hippolyta, and those who desired revenge followed Antiope on a mission away from their destroyed city. Before she left, Antiope gave her Girdle of Gaea to Hippolyta, renouncing all ties to the Gods of Olympus. The girdle we have now is the stolen one, obtained from Herakles with our own hands."

"I understand that this seems unfair to you all, but it is possibly the only way to dissuade the Amazons. They have been ordered to attack you, partly for your misuse of the girdle. Returning it removes one of their reasons to attack you."

"But—" Queen Anahid began.

"I am not finished," Joseph said sternly. "My second condition is for you to give up your mercenary ways and free the men you've enslaved. Wonder Woman believes you can be reformed. That remains to be seen."

"So you would ask us to change our millennia-long customs? Our traditions?" Falizia asked.

"Yes. The garbage ones. If killing people, enslaving men, and kidnapping babies is vital to your culture, maybe your culture doesn't deserve to continue existing. Why have you all strayed so far from the original Amazonian purpose of making the world a better place?"

At his chastisement, he could see the others had no rebuttal. The old priestess especially never complained once, seeming willing to accept whatever decree he proposed, treating his words as though they were those of one of Bana-Mighdall's patron deities. What did Thoth tell her?

"So how would we go about changing our ways? This way of life is all we have known for thousands of years. We'd risk civil war while facing external threats," Anahid asked.

"That's your job as queen to figure out," Joseph answered, unbothered. "These conditions are the bare minimum and are nonnegotiable."

Silence settled over the room as the queen mulled the decision—until a voice rose.

"Queen Anahid, you mustn't," Nehebka said as she stood.

"Nehebka—" Anahid began.

"My Queen, we are Amazons. We yield to no man. Though he bears our blood, this... male would see us weakened without our girdle and stripped of our pride. It's not even guaranteed that our city will survive."

"This fool, Nehebka—she will lead this city to ruin," Faruka said, causing Nehebka to glare at her. "What part of 'he's a god' did you not hear? Lord Thoth sent him to help us for a reason."

Faruka had no retort.

"Nehebka isn't completely wrong," Joseph said. "I will be protecting it for now, but this city will not survive in the long run. You've made too many enemies in the outside world as mercenaries and slavers."

Anaya spoke. "Then excuse me for questioning you, Lord, but what then is the point in obeying your orders?"

"You're asking that we surrender the symbol of all we are—all we've ever been—for what?" Nehebka added, growing bolder as she walked in front of him. "Atarne hoa eshalla."

Joseph didn't know what that last part meant, but it sounded like an insult. He was getting tired of this woman. "Silence," he said, his eyes briefly glowing blue as he cast a spell to shut her up. She opened her mouth, but no words came out.

Then he turned to Anahid. "Keep your dogs in check. Anyway, if the Amazons of Bana-Mighdall want to live on, they must choose between two options.

Option 1: You convince the Amazons of Themyscira to take you in. To my knowledge, Themyscira is vast enough to easily support both your populations, and they have uninhabited land. I'm sure Wonder Woman would help facilitate that. In doing so, you may even keep the girdle, as you would be rejoining the original Amazons. It also has the added benefit of you learning from their more peaceful ways. And if you earn the favor of the Greek gods once more, your people will regain immortality, ending the need for your barbaric practice of using men as breeding tools."

No one bristled at his remark. Nehebka was still trying unsuccessfully to speak, and they were wary of him now, reminded of his status as a god.

"But if you choose this option, you will have to follow Olympus in some capacity. Whether you must renounce the Egyptian gods is something you'll have to discuss with Wonder Woman."

If that turned out to be the case, he was sure the Egyptian gods would be displeased, considering their followers were already waning. So he'd just ask Teth-Adam to let him build and sponsor a few temples for them within Greater Bialya. It was Bialya and Kahndaq's original religion, after all.

"Option 2: You join Greater Bialya. I am friends with Black Adam, its current ruler, and I am sure he can incorporate capable warriors such as yourselves."

Anahid thought for a while in silence before speaking. "Nehebka is right about one thing, my lord. We are Amazons—and we yield to no man."

**

Some time later...

Joseph floated in the air intangible and invisible as the afternoon turned into dusk.

Below lay the field outside Bana-Mighdall.

On one side stood the Amazons of Bana-Mighdall, with Queen Anahid at the forefront, still wearing her girdle.

On the other side, hundreds of armored Amazons of Themyscira appeared, riding winged horses and what looked like large kangaroos—actually aliens called Kangas, capable of limited flight. How the Themyscirans had acquired them was a mystery.

At the forefront was a woman who looked like an older Wonder Woman, wearing her own Golden Girdle of Gaea—Diana's mother, Queen Hippolyta.

And by her side were Wonder Woman and a girl who looked around his age. Kori had told him about her before. Her name was Troia.

Wonder Woman said a few words to her mother, who promptly dismounted her white winged horse.

Hippolyta walked fearlessly toward Anahid, stopping in front of her. They spoke for a while.

Then they shook hands.

Both sides cheered as the Amazons became one again.

But suddenly a figure appeared next to the two queens.

"What is the meaning of this?"