~ Road Show III~

by J.A. Bard

General Copyright Disclaimer: Warrior Princess, Gabrielle, Argo and all other characters who have appeared in the syndicated series Xena: Warrior Princess, together with the names, titles and backstory are the sole copyright property of MCA/Universal and Renaissance Pictures. No copyright infringement was intended in the writing of this fan fiction. All other characters, the story idea and the story itself are the sole property of the author. This story cannot be sold or used for profit in any way. Copies of this story may be made for private use only and must include all disclaimers and copyright notices.

Hurt/Comfort Warning/Disclaimer: This story may be best classified as a Hurt/Comfort Story involving the charactes Xena: Warrior Princess and Gabrielle. Readers who are disturbed by or sensitive to this type of issue may wish to read something other than this story.

Love/Sex Warning/Disclaimer: This story depicts a love/sexual relationship between two consenting adult women. If you are under 18 years of age or if this type of story is illegal in the state or country in which you live, please do not read it.

If depictions of this nature disturb you, you may wish to read something other than this story.

NOTE: All works remain the © copyright of the original author. These may not be republished without the author's consent.

Any polite comments you would like the author to read send to  \n weave01@earthlink.net This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Short and to the point would be nice. Venting at the author is not advisable since the Muses protect their own. 8-)

 

 

Chapter 16

Hostages

Long strong fingers connected to equally strong hands attached to broad wrists dangled comfortably over the ends of the carved chair's arms. For a moment the fingers traced the carvings that adorned the ends of the arms as if to refamiliarize the owner with the feel. Eyelids slowly closed over the startlingly bright blue eyes that glittered from the torch light in the cavern and the dark head leaned back against the tall ornately carved back of the chair. Inhaling slowly, Aleka held her breath for a moment before expelling it.

She felt comfortable as her thoughts returned to the cavern with the sacred pools. She imagined the two tall pillars that were covered with runes and encryptions' representing places both near and far. What Gaia called a vortex was a portal or doorway to places that were known and unknown to Aleka. Each site had a word and tone that identified it and she remembered them as if they were freshly imprinted in her mind. When a tone was chanted for the desired destination a portal opened with a passageway between the two places that allowed objects as large as a horse drawn cart to move through.

The tingling sensation on her exposed skin and the sounds from the water feeding into the pool reminded her of another time and lessons that took place in this very cavern. She took another slow deep breath then expelling it through her mouth aware that her shoulders relaxed further with the rest of her limbs following. Sounds and sensations around her faded to nothing. She felt a lighter part of her unattach from her heavier body and was amused that it was so easy. Briefly, memories of previous experiences in both Aleka and Xena's life for this type of travel overlapped.

From her new vantage point high above everyone's heads, she looked around. The women were scattered about, some in groups or sitting alone. She spotted the bright red hair of Gabrielle sitting on a flat rock with her knees pulled up, her chin resting on her knees and her arms wrapped around them. Her brow was wrinkled as if in deep thought. Her eyes were fixed on the still form that was seated in the wooden chair. Erica was approaching her with Eleanor. Do they think she's going to remember or say something? Aleka chuckled to herself. The voice suggestions may be wearing off.

By the structure of their leadership in the group, Lily and Agnes would normally have said something to Gabrielle but until they returned Erica and Eleanor were to lead their respective groups.

Gabrielle must have said something that made the two concerned enough to step in before the other two women returned. Xena sighed to herself remembering the drug Gabrielle had inhaled. Nothing is calm around the Bard for too long. She didn't think Gabrielle remembered who she is in this life, for she didn't see the familiar look Gabrielle would have in her eyes when they exchanged looks. There was recognition, but there was also guilt and fear.

Iaia's memories.

Xena thought of the Bard taking on the burden of another life and how much more complicated it would make her life today.

Of course it's not her fault! I should have not been so…obvious! Goddess, if I had known my interest in her would cause everyone's death I would have turned my back on her or something!Aleka said.

Will you stop! Xena admonished her. You showed interest in her. So what? You didn't touch her, say anything to her, or even insult her. Let it go. I have enough guilt in this life without you adding to it.

Aleka's spirit abruptly moved out of the mountain. Concentrate on the business at hand, Ka. Xena's will pulled Aleka back to her intention to investigate the two women's disappearance.

Thinking of the site where Agnes and Lily had gone was where her spirit form moved to. She hovered outside of a temple that had seen better times. The cobblestone courtyard was partially covered with earth and brush that no longer had someone to keep them within neat borders. The courtyard was surrounded with silver birch trees. Some had been recently hacked down to stubs with bits of the tree strewn about while others had escaped damage. Aleka turned toward the temple with a heavy heart at the destruction. Here also was the evidence of vandalism as the pillars that were once detailed with the face of the goddess were now misshapen images of something unrecognizable.

Aleka watched with trepidation as the last of a group of men dressed in the familiar dark clothing and shield sewed to their cloaks noisily moved out of the abandoned temple's courtyard. She saw no evidence of Agnes or Lily in their company. Into the temple she went, looking for any sign of the women. Statuary, artwork and tapestry that had once graced the main altar area were now laying about in bits and tatters on the debris covered floor. Most of the damage appeared to have happened seasons ago, for dirt and leaves covered much of the damage. She moved through different rooms looking for any kind of evidence that the two had been there.

The moment Aleka moved into a small room off of the private altar area she knew it was where the portal was. The colors in the room were different than the others and a familiar pulse, the influence of the chant to open it, was fading. But there was a definite attraction from the area that she knew if she gave in to that she would be sucked up within it. She remembered she needed to stay away from it while in her present form. Carefully staying outside of its influence she looked closely on the ground for any trace of a struggle. There were a lot of recent footprints with evidence of a struggle but no sign of blood. She found what she was looking for, the feather. It was broken and under debris, as if it had been purposely tucked there.

Aleka moved back to the outside of the temple looking for the dark cloaks. They were not difficult to find for there was a gray to black cloud hovering above the ten horsemen and twenty men walking behind, and she knew it wasn't from the dust of the road. She could not see any prisoners. Her experienced eye picked out signs that indicated many of the members were new recruits unaccustomed to walking in formations or sitting for long periods on a horse. She watched in what direction they were headed and then returned to the area around the temple looking for any more signs that the women had been there. What she was looking for was nearly covered with the prints from the departing horses and boot prints. Cart tracks.

Aleka rose higher to see if she could see anything of the cart. Between tree branches she could see a group of village men hauling a small caged cart. Two unconscious women, and by their dress, Lily and Agnes were the occupants. Both were bound with bags over their heads. The group was loud and boisterous making sure the two prisoners knew what they were planning for them. Though, by the looks of the forms, they were unconscious, for their bodies were bouncing too much as the cart moved over ground that a cart would normally not be pulled over.

The men sounded as if they were drunk which was not the best way to travel on the open road even in daylight. Aleka floated close to the cart and whispered encouragement to the two women, not knowing if either could hear her.

Movement along the edge of the woods had her moving off to investigate closer. There were dark figures shadowing the men. Are they together? It would be a good reason why the villagers have no fear of traveling on the road in winter -- drunk!

From their conversation, she knew where they were headed. Satisfied she could do no more, she thought herself to an old cavern that was once used by Gaia's followers that was nearest to the cart's destination. It was about a candle mark outside of what used to be a village called Naticus but the men that had Lily and Agnes were calling it Danai. Aleka couldn't help wondering if the men were crazy. They intended to ransom the two women to the goddess Athena, thinking that since they appeared in her temple they were her priestesses.

As her thoughts formed the memory of the cavern she quickly found herself in a space that was without light. For a moment she was frightened she had done something wrong. In the shadowy world she started to perceive with another sight outlines of a wall then the inside of an abandoned cavern that had once been a busy portal. She spotted what appeared to be a large dark ink spot on one of the walls and moved toward it. An exit. She thought of the outside and was hovering outside of the cavern's entrance. The outside also looked deserted.

Aleka thought of the cavern and the carved wooden chair and was back where the others were waiting. Everyone seemed to suddenly become busy with preparations as she looked about with awakened eyes.

 

Chapter 17

Stepping into the Unknown

Sitting in a relaxed position in the chair Aleka idly watched the others gather in the order they would be walking through the portal. Camila had brought up the nervous bay horse, Itali that Aleka usually rode and he was waiting near her elbow playing with his bit and shifting from one foot to the other.

Aleka was also aware of Argo's calm presence next to Gabrielle who was standing next to Erica. Argo extended her head and snorted a greeting bearing her teeth in a playful grin, as if she knew Xena was watching her. Xena kept a tight control on her thoughts this time as she moved her gaze back to Gabrielle.

Gabrielle was absentmindedly stroking Argo's neck as Erica spoke to her. By the expression on her face Aleka knew she was listening intently. She wondered what Erica had to say that would be that interesting. Aleka returned her attention to Gabrielle. She studied her wondering when she would remember herself as Gabrielle and then for how long they could restrain from their usual habits of familiarity. A laugh here, a grin there…She closed her eyes for a moment trying to forget the feeling of emptiness at not being able to connect with Gabrielle, and focused on the character of Aleka, letting her memory of Iaia come back to her. Unfortunately, they were the wrong memories Aleka had of Iaia. It did not give her the resolve to stay detached.

Try practical thoughts, Ka! she admonished herself. A tight smile appeared on her face as she realized it was the second time she used the nickname her mentor had called her -- Little Ka. The small black birds that nested nearby the Temple would make such sounds and as a child Aleka would imitate their cries to amuse herself and the birds.

I was talking to them! Aleka told her. Xena shrugged off Aleka's indignation. Aleka's ability to communicate with plants, other creatures and the elements was distracting to Xena. It could complicate the journey if she became too familiar with all of Aleka's abilities. The possibility that it may submerge too much of Xena's instincts which she felt were necessary for the survival of the troupe, was what Xena was not willing to chance.

Aleka returned her mind back to the more practical business at hand, the questions she wanted answers to. Were the men in the room when the women appeared? They had to have, why else would the women have gone down without a fight? Given her desire for all the women to live through this journey, she would have counseled the women not to resist if it meant death to do so. She balled her hands into fists out of frustration then released them as she went over her plan to get the women back. The thought that if she had only remembered that she could have visited the place first in spirit interrupted her thoughts. Xena knew Aleka was remembering the failure of the first journey and firmly refocused on the present job to be done. There were too many distractions from this merger of personalities, she was thinking impatiently.

By the diminishing sounds of movement around her she knew it was time. The others were ready. She rose from the seat. Walking to where she could feel a trembling in the air, at what Gaia called a vortex, she took the torch Erica handed her absentmindedly.

The bay followed Aleka with his nose close to her elbow. Standing with her eyes partially closed she began softly chanting the word that would open the portal for their travel. She could feel the tone vibrate against an unseen door. The others behind her picked up the sound and chanted with her. It was like a low hum. As the women could feel the air around them change their volume grew. The sound magnified in the underground cavern sending off small sparks of energy around their forms. The bay nervously stamped his feet and tossed his head as tiny lights swirled in front of him.

A breeze that brought a scent from somewhere else passed across her face. Gripping the unlit torch she stepped through quickly tugging the bay's reins gently for him to follow.

The space she entered was dark and dank. It hadn't been used for a long time as her first visit indicated. She quickly stepped aside and lit the torch. Grace waited long enough for Aleka to light the torch before timing her own arrival. After stepping across the threshold she lit her torch from Aleka's. They looked around quickly. It was once a storage area. Decaying remains of containers were stacked on wooden shelves that were still standing, though not too securely. The area was large enough to contain their group. What she hadn't seen clearly on her first visit she was able to pick out in the torchlight. There had once been a large pool of water in one half of the underground sanctuary, but it looked like it had been dry for seasons.

"Send the feather back," Aleka directed Grace. Aleka handed her reins to Grace after spotting the exit and quickly ran up the dark tunnel with her torch extended. She had forgotten to check the condition of the tunnel on her first visit.

The tunnel was wide enough for the cart, she noted as she waved the torch slowly side to side for a better view of the condition of the tunnel's walls and ceiling. They would have to walk their horses for it wasn't high enough for riders on horses, but enough for the cart.

Aleka reached the opening to the cavern and looked out. She felt no danger on the outside. Birds were chirping and after sniffing the air she caught the smell of some creatures that wouldn't be around if any human hunters were. Aleka tentatively reached out and felt the energy from the surrounding trees. No one had been around since the last new moon. She turned her head to see what gray shape moved just outside of her vision. In moments the familiar gray muzzle poked through the low ferns. Aleka grinned and retreated back into the tunnel.

Aleka planted the torch in a wall mount taking in the condition of the others that had arrived. Two other torches had been lit and spaced with enough distance to give adequate light so the others wouldn't stumble on debris as they quickly made room for each other's arrival. Everyone had arrived by the time Aleka returned. They all felt the need to hurry to rescue their two missing members.

Gabrielle and Erica moved around the others checking up on them. Erica nodded toward Aleka when the check was completed. Normally Erica would be paired with a priestess but in this case Camila, whom she was paired with that day was riding the cart so Erica took it upon herself to insure her Queen was well looked after. If Red was conscious that she was being protected she gave no indication and Aleka knew if it were Gabrielle, she would have said something.

"Let's get moving," Aleka said in a low voice, feeling tired. Grace was her partner for the day.

The tunnel opened out into a cleared area that was in turn ringed by a thin line of trees. The sun was nearly resting on the tall treetops of the surrounding sacred grove, giving them about two candle marks of daylight left. On the outside were small figurines with the remains of faded flowers and dried up fruit showing that someone was still visiting the small altars on the outside. The gray wolf had her nose buried in one of the dried bouquets.

Now what can possibly be that interesting with an old bunch of flowers, she asked the wolf. The wolf turned her yellow eyes toward Aleka.

I want to know who left them, the she wolf answered.

From practice of a time long ago, Aleka placed her hands on the side of the cavern's entrance and whispered a prayer of protection and thanksgiving.

When everyone was ready Aleka gracefully and effortlessly leaped aboard the bay. She prodded him forward into the trees just behind the easy lope of the gray wolf.

Chapter 18

Clearing the Way

Erica and Eleanor sat on either side of Red on the flat rock.

"Red." Erica tried not to let the smile on her face become too broad from the memory of how she got the name red and how now, it was very appropriate. Perhaps their Named was also a seer. Her heart quickened as the green eyes looked deeply into hers.

Red regarded her for a moment. For a brief moment she saw a blur of colors around her head until she refocused her eyes on the face.

"Hi, Erica, Eleanor."

"We need to explain to you some of what you may be going through," Eleanor started. Erica was relieved that Eleanor had volunteered to do the talking.

"You had asked me some questions earlier that Agnes was going to talk to you about …but - well, I think you need to know now rather than later." She had seen how Red was looking at Aleka and sooner or later she was going to say something that may be the wrong thing. "Tell me about your dreams," Eleanor said.

Red's skill in story telling gave the two a detailed story of her meeting up with the Circle of Friends and not learning of their massacre until she met the old lady of the mountain.

"It wasn't your fault and focusing on that instead of the purpose of our getting together is wasting precious time."

Red's green eyes darkened in the shadows. "I knew he was jealous and I didn't care about what he would do about it."

"Stop, Red," Erica said, shaking her arm to get her to become less intense. "Like Eleanor said, we are not here to point fingers."

There was silence for a while as Red pulled herself together, and not without a few tears running down her face.

"The other thing we found difficult was getting used to seeing two life times overlap," Eleanor continued.

"It was scary," Erica laughed. "If you have any problems with that, ask any of us."

"Two life times? I can only remember one." Red took a deep breath. "And that one isn't comforting."

"Maybe for you that's what is best." Eleanor returned gently.

"Great," Red muttered. "I have a horse I feel better walking beside rather than ride and I'm having dreams of a face I can't put a name to…and I feel so lonely…" She looked at Eleanor. "I don't know if it's from this life or Iaia's."

"What does she look like? Maybe we know her," Eleanor offered.

There was silence for a few moments. "How do you know it's a she?" Red asked quietly.

"It's a guess, Red." Erica tried to save her.

"You know who I am in this life?"

"Yes," Eleanor told her truthfully. "And the face…is it of a tall and beautiful dark haired woman dressed in armor?" She decided to face the problem head on.

"Yes. She's a warrior."

"Don't talk about her, Red. Don't even whisper her name in your dreams. Please. When we are through with this journey, she'll be waiting for you," Erica spoke with firmness.

"What if at the end of this journey I still don't remember who I am? What if I don't want to know who she is?" Red's voice faltered. Is that what I really feel? Fear of not feeling the same for this woman that keeps appearing in my dreams or in my mind's eye when I'm awake?

Sudden movement from the dark figure in the chair brought the conversation to a halt as the others quickly rose to their feet.

Erica took a firm hold of Gabrielle's elbow. "Come on, Red. Stick with me."

With the golden horse beside her, Red took her place beside Erica. Looking in the warm brown eyes of Argo she realized she was her only touch with her present life. What consolation is that?

The chant began and she added her voice, feeling the vibration in her sternum. Argo shifted from one hoof to another as if she felt it too. The moment Grace disappeared Red moved forward and after counting to ten, she also moved through the shimmering outline of something that looked like a thin thread that led to nothing.

The hairs on Red's arms stood up from the cold but it was over so quickly as she found herself walking into an old storage area surrounded by stone walls. Erica followed ten counts later. The last two were to clear any trace of their prints.

Red's concern for others had her along with Erica checking that the others were feeling fine. Red took a quick look toward Aleka. Her breath caught as she felt how tired their leader was. Instinctively she started to go to her side.

"Red." Erica's placed a hand on her shoulder, which was emphasized with her moving her body to block her view of Aleka. "She'll be okay, Red, or would you rather we call you Iaia?"

"It doesn't really matter right now." For some reason Erica was distracting her from her concern with Aleka.

"Let us know when you remember your other name, okay?" she added lamely.

Red nodded and gave Argo a few pats on the neck. "You don't happen to know who the dark haired warrior is, do you?" she whispered in one of the twitching ears. Argo merely pricked her ears forward.

Red and Erica stayed with the cart, as the other moved out. It was their turn to cover the groups tracks. It gave Red more time to mull over her place in the group. Eleanor's conversation did help her understand some of the strange dreams she was having. If she couldn't remember who she was or her name, she did remember that she had been dreaming about Iaia for the last few weeks. She was already regretting not talking about it to…Hades! The name was right there! Right on the tip of my tongue! The image of the tall dark haired warrior came back to her but not the name. The glittering blue eyes that could be so cold it made her blood freeze yet she remembered the warmth of them too, that sent shivers up and down her spine. Why do I keep thinking of her? Erica had said she would be waiting at the end of this journey. How long is this journey supposed to be? Her curiosity was piqued at the identity of the woman. The feelings of warmth and of feeling protected when she thought of her made her yearn for her presence.

As Red and Erica followed behind the cart her thoughts returned to what she remembered about Iaia. She had made a promise to Gaia. That was why she was here.A smile appeared on her face. Iaia thought she had not been granted entrance to the sacred site, yet it was the Phythia disguised as the old blind woman that talked to her.She felt smug at knowing this.

So my quest is to fulfill Iaia's pledge to Gaia on this journey. Just what am I supposed to do? All right, so Iaia was not responsible for the deaths her jealous husband had ordered yet…the knowledge that it was from what she thought was a harmless flirtation didn't alleviate her guilt. She was aware that Iaia had refused to speak to her husband on their return trip out of shame. The murders of Gaia's followers caused Iaia to lose her last interest in living.

Before her marriage she had gained a reputation for her portraits which had unusual colorings around the subjects head. Her paintings had supported her ailing father and her after her mother had died. Her mother was also an artist and had taught Iaia her trade. Her father was a potter whose ill health had prevented him from spending much time at his trade. When her father realized he hadn't much time left to live he had arranged her marriage to a merchant that had been asking her father for her hand. He had shown interest in Iaia's work and had enough money to take care of her. Her father felt in such a short time he couldn't have done better. He knew Cadius would settle her in a house of her own, as he did with his other wives, and see her when he was in town. He felt that Iaia could suffer him for those visits as long as she was able to continue her artwork. However, the best-laid plans don't always work out that way. Cadius wanted to set her up in her own house but to paint what he could sell. He felt that he knew better what would sell and therefore gave Iaia directions on what he wanted painted. Suddenly faced with painting on demand and on subjects that held little interest for her she lost her love of painting. As a trade off for painting what he wanted, she cajoled him into taking her along with him on his caravan journeys.

For a moment Red wondered if Iaia had become despondent over the death of the slim young leader, Aleka, for she remembered Iaia had many times sketched in the dirt outlines of Aleka on her return home. She had been careful to destroy evidence of them when her husband or anyone approached. Red couldn't decide what her feelings were. Iaia was a very focused person. First on her paintings, then on searching for a cure for her aliment, that is, until her visit with the old woman.

Red leaned over Argo's neck ducking a low hanging branch as Argo followed the others through the trees and onto the road. Once on the road they picked up the pace into a fast trot. Gabrielle hated the trot, but it was the fastest Aleka wanted to go for the cart drawn horse. Looking at the cart as it bumped over the deeper ruts she knew where she was, was by far the better ride, but she would have preferred to walk. She could sense Argo's discomfort of her bouncing around on her back when she missed a beat.

How could Argo belong to her if she hated to ride so much?

Chapter 19

A Foolish Village

They reached the village a little before dusk. They all could see a tall plume of dark smoke curling up in the late afternoon sky. The smell of burning incense engulfed them in a cloud as they drew closer.

"I hope that's not a welcoming committee. Grace mentioned. "I'm too tired to put on a play or recite a poem." She weakly joked.

"What do you think it was?" Erica asked to no one in particular. Red who was next to her shook her head.

"It was the previous village protector," Eleanor explained. She recognized the smell of the wood for it was from the Terebinths of Mamre, the sacred groves. The trees had a distinct aroma of their own when burned. The followers of Gaia and Ianna had used only those trees for cutting their images.

Aleka signed to Erica. She kneed her horse forward followed closely by Red to Aleka's side.

"Go take a look at the other side of the village and see what's going on."

Erica nodded and prodded her horse away from the group with Red following. Aleka chuckled at the sight of Red riding off on Argo. By the way she was sitting on her, Aleka could image how sore she probably was and Argo was certainly not enjoying it by the way she was tossing her head and snorting. Looks like they're bonding real well, she thought wryly.

Aleka turned her attention back to the village. Brona had dismounted in the nearby field and was running the dirt through her hands. Aleka moved her own horse over to see what she was frowning at.

"What's up?" Aleka asked. The gray wolf sauntered over to where Brona was squatting and used her paw to dig a shallow hole.

Nothing can grow here, it's been salted, the gray wolf informed her.

Brona's light gray eyes looked up at her puzzled. "I was just wondering what they grew here. The texture of the dirt doesn't feel good."

Aleka looked back toward the village. Salted? Why would someone salt a field? No warlord would do that, but an invading army would, Xena thought.She remembered the City of Troy's punishment from her enemies was the fields around her salted and the walls of the city torn down and scattered. It was an unforgivable desecration of land and the one who gave the order had paid the punishment from Demeter's own hand. Aleka shook her head to forget. Persephone made his life miserable when she spent time with Hades.

Returning her attention to the present she shut out the familiar movement of the horses and the small talk that she could hear from the others and listened to the other noises around the outskirts of the village. There was nothing. There weren't any winter birds, wild animals in the brush or children playing.

Aleka signed to the others to enter the small village. The street was silent as they proceeded toward the village center. Whatever the heap of ashes had been it was massive. It was in the center of the village; therefore had at one time been an important part of village life. Aleka didn't feel any evil that dark powers usually brought when a village was possessed. She moved past the smoking remains hearing the crack of hot embers that occasionally would break out into flames.

It appeared to have been the village's protector, as Eleanor had said. As Xena, she knew it had been Demeter. In her warlord days she sent a small detachment of her army to investigate the village for potentials. She left nothing to chance in those days. The village had nothing to profit on so it was passed.

The women came to a halt in the village square. There were men in various stages of unconsciousness or drunken states, scattered around the hot embers, not even rousing as strangers entered their village. Aleka's thoughts returned to the men that she remembered had captured Lily and Agnes. They were quite drunk too. With Aleka's eyes she could see a dark cloud over the village that wasn't from the smoke.

This village certainly has a problem. Meleager should go on a quest here! she thought grimly. Hmmm, was Aleka's shared comment.

Aleka spotted a semiconscious man watching them through bleary eyes. He was outside an unmarked building wrapped around a post that had the remains of a sign hanging from it. Aleka moved her horse closer watching the eyes struggle to follow her. His disheveled appearance gave the impression he hadn't been into personal grooming for a while.

"You know where there's an inn?" Aleka asked. The color around him was a dirty gray.

He tried to focus on the dark haired stranger before him. "Ya hereforthe cellllbration?" He slurred. Squinting at the horse, he launched himself away from the post and fell face first into the neck of Aleka's bay. Itali stepped back a pace but Aleka stopped him for it would have dropped the drunk onto the dirt, being he had a precarious hold on his balance. He made a grab for Aleka's boot to steady himself. Her leg twitched and her face wore a grim look.

"Celebration for what?" she asked quietly trying to control her reflexes.

"T'a protect'r." He tried to pull himself away from the horse in a dignified pose. "Wegodanew god ta protects us." He failed to stand upright and started to lean too far to his left when Aleka's booted foot extended to halt his tilt.

"What god is that?" Her voice lowered. The she wolf was sitting on the stairs of the building the sorry looking man had been clinging to. At the question she cocked her head as if to listen.

The red eyes blinked and tried to put the several faces in front of him into one. His face took on a frightened look for a moment. "Mekor," he whispered then tried to look furtively around on unsteady legs.

Aleka looked up and around, again testing the atmosphere, still not feeling the malevolence that usually permeates the area when evil was around. The gray wolf moved from the porch and nosed around the semi conscious forms scattered about the embers.

"T'ain't here now," he mumbled, noticing her glance around. "Night. There's gonnabe sacrifice. When ta moonsup." The man shuddered and lifted an unsteady hand to his dirty face.

"What sacrifice is that?" Aleka asked drawing her hand in front of the man's face and toward her. His squinting eyes followed her hand.

"Some priestess," he mumbled.

Aleka could feel the hairs in the back of her neck rise. More than one person would be needed to bring evil into the upper world. Dahak needed more than two village's worth of human sacrifice to bring his energy high enough to enter the upper world's portal. Have they already made previous sacrifices? And who was this Mekor? Is that the same as the Dark One that Alala was going to destroy the talisman of? She knew it wasn't Dahak. Aleka gave a mental sigh. Too many gods from the darkness. Ares is bad enough on his peak days.

"Is there a place for travelers to stay the night?" she asked again.

The man once more struggled to stand on his own. "Ahhhummp. Otherside fire." He leaned into the horse putting an unsteady hand on Aleka's leg. "Hey, ya gotanicebitoflesh…'ere," he said after a bold squeeze.

Aleka leaned down swiftly and grabbed the unshaven face firmly in her hand pulling his chin up so that his eyes looked in hers. She looked into the bloodshot faded green eyes that could barely stay open. The man swayed as he squinted into icy blue eyes that made him fear more than his soon to be village protector. He quickly removed his offending hand from the leg he found surprisingly strong.

"How safe is it?" she purred.

The man gulped and tried to pull away. "Bettern' th old woman's," he whispered hoarsely." Suddenly pulling away, he asked. "Whoereyaanyway?" He was unable to break the grip that held his face in an uncomfortable position.

"Someone you don't know and will forget about." Her voice commanded. When she released him he found himself off balance and heading for the hard packed ground, face first. Aleka studied his unmoving form then looked around the village that should have people moving around at that time of day. It also disturbed her that the unconscious man who acted drunk did not smell of ale or any other drink.

Bad breath, yes, but not from ale or wine. Something is not right, even if there isn't any overt feeling of evil.

He has a dark cloud around him, Aleka offered.

Sounds like drugs, Xena said. She squinted at a spot above the man's prone figure. It did look like a dark cloud.

"Let's try the old woman's place," Aleka told Grace in a low voice. Grace gave the Amazon sign she had been taught and it was passed down soundlessly. They were on alert. Grace interpreted the look on Aleka's face correctly. Something was amiss.

The inn was called the Eye of the Storm and was easy to find because Argo and Erica's horse were waiting outside. Trust Gabrielle to find an inn, Aleka thought chuckling to herself. It looked like it could use some work on the outside. As they were dismounting the door opened and an old woman stood in the doorframe.

The gray she wolf stood beside Aleka. She can see me, wolf said.

"Do you have six rooms for the night?" Aleka asked. Is that something to worry about?

No.

"Plenty this time of the season." The old face regarded her and the rest of the women as they too dismounted. "There's a barn behind here where ya can stable your animals or leave them in the corral, depending how much ya wanta spend. Y'all with them other two inside?" she asked without skipping a beat.

She wants me to sleep with the horses, the gray wolf snorted in disgust.

Grace nodded and smiled at the old woman.

"Camila, Gari and Brona, go and check it out." Aleka nodded to the three. She didn't want to find empty stalls in the morning.

Then maybe you should disappear like you're going to do just that, Aleka suggested. No need to scare the locals. Is she a shaman?

No. But…she can see. Aleka could feel the wolf's puzzlement.

Gari took Aleka's reins and led the bay away. Kynthia was riding in the cart and followed them with the extra horses tied behind.

"Berik, you and Catherine watch for those men. Leave your horses," Aleka said.

Aleka turned to Eleanor. "Notice anything unusual about the locals?"

Eleanor raised her eyebrows and exchanged puzzled looks with Grace, and then followed Aleka into the inn.

The inside of the inn was unlike the exterior. It was a large comfortable common room with benches that had backs on them. The fireplace opened up into the kitchen so the smell of cooking food and the warmth from the fireplace filled the room. There were a few patrons in conversation sitting at the front table next to the bar. Aleka immediately spotted two red heads sitting at opposite ends of the table. Both had turned to see who had entered. Alala and Gabrielle or Red.

Erica, Red and Alala were speaking to two women who looked angry.

Red was good at making people talk without twisting their arm or breaking a body part, Aleka thought with amusement. Alala nodded at Aleka and went back to speaking with the women.

In the dim light she could see Alala's bruised face. Oh, oh. More trouble, she thought.

A middle-aged woman came towards them whisking out a towel to wipe off flour and bread dough from her hands.

"My names Martha. What can I get ch'ya?" she asked.

"Two pitchers, one ale and one cider, and four servings of whatever you have over your fire, Martha. It smells real good," Erica responded. She gave Aleka a hand signal that she had something important to talk about, but it could wait. Red and her took a seat across the table from Aleka.

Grace had pulled out a purse and was taking care of the expenses with the innkeeper and arranging rooms. She nodded to Aleka that they had rooms.

Gari and Kynthia came in when another server brought two pots of lamb stew setting them on the two tables they filled. The innkeeper returned with a trencher of stacked plates and loaves of bread piled precariously high.

Gari sat in the empty space next to Aleka and was handed a bowl of food and bread. "Thanks. This smells good. Camile is with the horses," she told Aleka. "There's a horse in there that we recognized, Yori. Ah, there she is." Gari paused with the spoon in mid arc to her mouth. "Ouch! Looks like she has a story to tell." Gari took a mouthful of stew and chewed it for a while. "This is as great as it smells."

"The barn looks like someone's gone to some extra steps to protect it from raiders or thieves," she continued when her mouth was emptied.

"Good, but we won't depend on that," Aleka said. She watched as one of the Amazons collected enough food for two and left to take it to Brona and Camile.

Aleka turned to Eleanor who was also playing with her food. She looked up and smiled sheepishly. "I should have caught it right away."

Gari looked at Eleanor, Aleka then Grace who shrugged her shoulders as she chewed on her bread.

"What's that?" Erica asked suddenly attentive.

"What was your impression of the town's men?" Eleanor asked those sitting within hearing distance as she took a bite of mutton. The two tables became quiet as they thought about it.

Aleka eyed the women with a grin. "Come on. One of you had to feel that something was off."

"They weren't drunk though they acted it," Eleanor finally told them.

The conversation immediately turned to what type of drugs they could be on. As the others discussed this point Aleka looked back at Alala's bruised face. They got the idol back, she guessed. We're running into her too much for her to not be part of the original journey. My guess is that she's Lia, the storyteller.

Aleka's thoughts returned to the villagers. If anyone or thing was serious about taking over a village there would be a considerable amount of pressure on the inhabitants to conform to the rules of the new oppressor. Therefore the energy in the village would be heavy with the feel of this energy, yet there was nothing she could call oppressive here. People on drugs had their own energy and that she didn't feel, but that didn't mean it wasn't here. Aleka pursed her lips as she struggled in both her memories for any previous experiences that she could use for a comparison to this village. Would drugging the village be another alternative to taking it over? Are those men going to be able to get themselves together enough to have a sacrifice late tonight?

"So, what's going on?" she asked Erica after giving her a chance to eat more than a few bites.

"Not good news. The talisman was taken from Alala. She'll tell us more after she confers with the women who are priestesses from a temple near by. They're sizing us up on just how much to tell us." She laughed. "Red softened them up a bit, but they don't trust so easily. Without us telling them that half of us are priestess's they feel we don't belong to their small and rapidly declining membership." Erica put another mouthful of the stew in her mouth and chewed a bit.

Aleka nodded. Priestesses could be a tight lot if they were on someone's elimination list.

"Another thing." Erica nodded toward Red. "Alala called Red, Gabrielle but she didn't recognize the name. Red has no recollection of Alala."

"Does that bother you?" Eleanor asked Red.

Red shrugged her shoulders. "Not really. I don't know anything about a Gabrielle. One name seems to be just as good as another."

"What would you like us to call you?" Aleka asked her.

"I…. Since I'm part of this journey and I'm here to undo…"

Eleanor stopped her in mid sentence. "Before you finish that sentence, remember that you aren't the one that gave the order for the Circle of Friends to die. So choose your name wisely."

The others nodded in agreement for each had personal memories of their own parts that allowed the assassins into their camp.

Aleka remained silent as she watched the women. After the slaughter Aleka's spirit had surveyed the scene and had been privy to everyone's guilty feelings about the part that they played in the group's demise. The anguish of each woman's spirit had left her surprised. With compassion she hoped they get their wish to have another chance. Aleka's spirit however, was ready to move-on. Yet here she was, taking the role of the vessel that held their intentions and as an icon, hopefully giving them inspiration to again face the trials and tribulations that would lead them to some sort of release from their self imposed punishment.

Aleka didn't need to see Red's face to know about her struggle with her feelings of wanting to believe that she wasn't responsible. She could see the heaviness of colors that were around her as well as feel them. It was good that Red forgot herself as Gabrielle for Gabrielle would have made it a mission to carry everyone's burden on this journey. Aleka had a grim smile on her face as she thought of the green sparking eyes that could grow dark when serious.

Aleka kept her gaze on her hands that were wrapped around her mug. She knew what it was like to face guilt and remorse. As Xena she had reached a livable compromise with her self-retribution. Without the compromise she would not have been able to experience happiness and the love of others. Yet Xena still suffered through dark nights filled with dread as she relived brutal attacks that were carried out in her name if not done by her own hand.

After traveling with the Bard for over three years she realized that if Gabrielle hadn't suggested they travel to foreign lands to see what was out there, she would have eventually become over burdened with always fighting someone else's battles with hopeful forgiveness for herself. It wouldn't have happened she realized. It was Aleka's knowledge of thought energy that she understood Gabrielle's wisdom in moving to foreign lands where Xena had not hurt others.

Alala left the group of women she had been talking with and made her way to them. She moved stiffly.

"Come meet my friends," she softly offered Aleka and the troupe.

Aleka rose and followed her to the table motioning for the other five to follow.

"This is what's left of Athena's temple in Malis." She motioned to the two older women sitting at the table. "This is the high priestess Loris and her assistant Corita. Acheta is the owner of this inn; you've met her at the door. Martha and Domica work and sleep here."

Malis, the Temple where Lily and Agnes had been captured, Aleka remembered.

Two of the women nodded toward Aleka then the others.

Aleka introduced the women that surrounded her.

"They need help, Aleka. I think the men are trying to sell the village's soul to the dark one of the talisman," Alala said.

"We heard they have a priestess they're going to sacrifice tonight," Aleka said.

Loris waved her hand. "They have no priestess. We know all the ones around this area, and we're both here."

"We all know who the dark power is," Corita said. "It's from Gaia's times. It calls itself Mekor, but it has no name we care to speak of. Gaia had defeated it once before and some idiot warlord found its prison and released it."

"Largo," Aleka said.

"Ah, you know of him. But he wasn't the first. He like the others was foolish enough to think he could use it for his own. There have been many after him trying to complete the process he started of releasing it. This power isn't like any we've met before." She shook her head mystified. "The village is acting different and we can't figure out just what it is that's happening. The men don't work in the fields or at their trades and the women don't even come out to do their cleaning anymore. The children don't stir either."

"Are they alive?" Aleka asked.

"That they are. They look like they're sleeping."

"Why haven't any of you been affected?" Eleanor asked curious.

"I could say that it's because we're priestesses but the truth is as long as you sleep in this inn, you're fine. Corita and I have wandered around at night and day to see what could be going on and we've seen nothing."

"What is it that they've been doing different besides sleeping all the time?" Aleka asked, wanting specifics.

"Only some of the men move around during the daytime, if they move around at all. When there's a group of them together they don't do anything or even talk. It's like they don't have the strength. The few people we do see take a long time to even notice us and even longer to answer a question." She sighed. "It's as if they were elsewhere. They re lucky they had taken their harvest in before this curse had fallen on them, and the sheep are cared for by the herd dogs and us, otherwise this village would be in real bad shape"

"Then this morning we heard a group of men making all sorts of grunting and weird noises as they set up a big fire around Demeter's wooden statue. You no doubt passed the fire on your way here," Loris continued.

"Well, not actually Demeter," Acheta, the innkeeper corrected. "It was originally Gaia but when she lost her influence they eventually renamed her Demeter."

"Wasn't this village once called Naticus?" Aleka asked curious.

"Oh, it is, or was. When the village leaders wanted to change the fate of the village they renamed it Danai. The lazy fools. If they would work in the fields as hard as they think up these grand schemes that would change things for the better. There's only a few of us original settlers, and we're the ones who do most of the work," Acheta said. "The original settlers were farmers and herders. The new arrivals that have taken over the counsel are basically do-nothings. They appoint each other to positions on the counsel and try to tax the rest of us to pay for their lives of ease."

Red had moved instinctively to Aleka's side. She felt Red's hand on her arm in a familiar gesture to let her know that she was there. Aleka had felt her approach but kept herself still. She was wrestling with the desire to smile down at her or to return the touch to acknowledge her presence. She remembered a time when they first started to travel together when she would not have even let the thought cross her mind. The three years together had changed their relationship considerably.

"So how did they get hooked up with the dark one?" Red asked, letting her hand drop when Aleka moved over to give her room.

"The Village Reeve took a ride out to the nearest village, Malis, and somehow got the idea that this particular god or whatever they were worshiping could turn this village's fate for the better like he said they were." She snorted in disgust. "Good hard honest work could get them the same thing." The other two village women nodded in agreement. "If Corita and Loris hadn't been here to help us out, we would be in a worse mess."

Aleka looked at the two priestesses and wondered how many of Athena's priestesses in Athens would do that for a tiny village, then her eyes wandered to Alala. What is the payoff, she wondered cynically? She looked at her hands for a moment and knew the cynicism was not from Aleka. But if she had been just a little bit suspicious of people's motives, wouldn't the original group have survived? You don't know that, she corrected herself. It was a long journey and that was only the second day. If Cad's bodyguards didn't attack them, they would have sooner or later been overcome by bandits or armed soldiers too bored to let innocent travelers, notably women, alone. She frowned to herself. Why didn't Gaia protect them if they were on a mission for her? They could have used the vortexes. Xena didn't hear any comment from her counter part. Did Aleka know the answer? What is there on this journey that they had to learn before reaching the Mountain? Xena asked more to the point.

"Taking over two towns is not all there is to this," Alala told them frowning. "There's something more going on, at a deeper level. I've also looked around this village and can find nothing beyond the obvious. The town's people are in a stupor of some sort and it's not from a drug. I can't say why, but the idol has some importance to all of this and they have it."

"What do you think they are going to do with it?" Eleanor asked.

"Once an object is a focus of power, even if it were drained, it can be brought back to life. They have taken up residence in caves in the mountain nearby," Loris explained.

"Great." Aleka was thinking about how things were getting more complicated and she had a feeling it would get worse before it got better. That may explain why the dark cloaks were not in the village just yet. They were attempting to build up the energy back into the idol. Xena shuddered when she recalled the fire that burned her insides when she had touched the idol.

Catherine chose that moment to come rushing in. "There's a small group of men approaching but they don't have the cart with them!"

"Who's approaching?" Alala asked alarmed.

They made good time, Aleka thought. Where would they have left the cart and its occupants? "You're sure that's the group?" Aleka asked.

Catherine nodded. "They're dressed just like you described them and that one with his belly hanging over the pink and gray belt. Can't miss him."

"It seems a couple of the locals caught Lily and Agnes in your temple at Milas. From what I overheard, they intend to hold them for ransom to Athena," Aleka explained.

The old innkeeper choked on her laughter. "They are idiots! Can you image any one in their right senses thinking they can do something like that to a goddess?"

Aleka didn't bother to explain that it had been done, was done and will be done by people who thought they had something of importance to the god they were trying to provoke.

"Did you spot Agnes or Lily?" Red asked.

"No, Red. But, the men look real tired." She looked back at Aleka. "I'm surprised they made it this far."

"Erica," Aleka had to place both palms on the table to not jump up and back track the group herself to look for the cart tracks. Erica was a very good tracker. "Find out where they took the cart. Take two others with you." She didn't want Erica's back unprotected while she studied the ground. "Catherine, did you and Berick see where the men went?"

"They headed toward an inn at the other side of the village. Berick is keeping an eye on the inn from outside."

"That's their meetin' place," Martha informed them. "I've taken a peek in there en' they're just nodden off at the tables. It's not like they're talkin or getting somethin' done."

"Where would they take the women?" Aleka asked.

"The only place they can secure anyone is in the temple cellar," Acheta told them with certainty.

"I didn't see a temple in town." Aleka mentioned.

"It's not in town. Just to the east of here. It's not like the other temples that can have an oracle." Corita meant it wasn't built on a place of power.

"It was built for Gaia when times were better but people didn't want to walk too far to give her tribute during the winter months. The village gets snowed under for about a full moon cycle. This temple was rededicated to Demeter and her daughter when the town was renamed," Acheta explained.

"But, we got the back door key from the last priestess as she didn't feel it was safe leaving it in the village. Corita smiled mischievously.

"It's too easy." Aleka shook her head. She didn't feel comfortable with men lying about who seemed drugged, womenfolk whose disappearance was suspicious and dark cloaks that were content to wait. It didn't matter that the ones she saw looked like raw recruits. She needed to be sure what they were dealing with.

"The dark one won't let anyone that said they were interested in its power to just collect people without some intervention or guidance from it's agents, the dark cloaks," Alala murmured as she shook her head. "I've been following some of its agents for two moons and this doesn't seem right."

"Maybe they're waiting for someone," Red suggested.

"Take your search out that way first and see if you can find anything," Aleka directed. The Amazon nodded and quickly left.

"Was the deep well ever anything other than a deep fire well?" Eleanor suddenly asked.

"Grandmother told us children tales of the times before Gaia. The people here worshiped a fire god that demanded human sacrifices to be tossed into the well. Every first born when she or he reached four seasons was wrapped in black cloth and dumped down the well," Acheta explained.

Red shuddered. For some reason she thought of the fire that the one-eyed man from her dreams was from.

"The practice came to a stop after a group of priestesses passing through to the holy site in the mountain talked about Gaia and her distaste for sacrifice of the living. You can bet that caught on rather quickly. One of the priestesses remained and after ten seasons the fire god was forgotten."

"That had to be a long time ago," Eleanor said.

Acheta nodded. "It's a story that is passed on from mother to daughter. During Gaia's time her temple was held sacred, and children and women were honored and cherished. A time long gone. That's why many of us welcomed Demeter and her daughter, Persephone, as new protectors." "

"I don't understand what happened," Eleanor said.

"Outsiders, is what happened!" Acheta snorted. The three villagers nodded to each other.

"Yaaa. My dam husband and his family and others came and settled bringin their lazy ways with em. Didn't want to put out anythin extra for anybody. It seems once they settled here, they started to attract the same type of fools," Martha reported darkly.

"Must have put out an announcement or something," Acheta grumbled. "Next thing we know, women aren't allowed to walk around in public, make any decisions nor own anything whether they have a husband, son or any man to take care of them or no." She spat out the last.

"How did you get the inn?" Red asked Acheta, absorbed with the story.

"They didn't change all the laws soon enough! I just can't pass this place on to another woman." She snorted. "It'll be my death pyre and a dam glorious one at that!"

"Well, we have to figure out what we're going to do about getting Lily and Agnes back and…" Aleka looked around at her group, "what we're going to do about this dark one." Aleka brought the subject back to the immediate.

"What do you suggest?" Alala asked.

"Visit the temple. You said there is a back way?"

Corita smiled. She loved the surprises the goddess cooked up when things seemed to really look their darkest. Though she was Athena's priestess she knew her way around Demeter's temple. All temples had the same sacred layout based on Zeus's equations.

Aleka turned to the others. "We'll keep to the usual watch shifts. Let the others know, Erica. As usual, we'll be covering the stables as well. We're short of people so," she took a deep breath. "Iaia," she nodded toward Red, "can take third shift with Erica." Aleka looked at Erica and Erica nodded hiding her smile. She effectively killed two birds with one stone. Aleka always took the third shift so she would be able to keep an eye on Red while she was patrolling. Some things wouldn't change.

Chapter 20

Rescued

Alala went out with the first group of guards to assist with whatever information she had already learned on the village's defenses and weaknesses. Loris, Corita and Eleanor joined Aleka as they made their way in the darkness to the backside of the temple where there was another entrance. Every temple was built with the same sacred dimensions squared. Some were smaller but the basic layouts were the same. The escape tunnels however, were the only thing they differed in. The sacred numbers were as important for the energy of the building as the placement so its front entrance faced the east and the underground entrance was south.

The key moved easily after Loris coated it with something. As they moved cautiously down the darkened stairwell Corita's hand found the first torch. She lit it and they moved on at a faster pace. The tunnel twisted around and went further down into the core of the temple where, if they had a Pythia, she would have had her seat. However, this temple never had one, as it was not built on a power site, but the rules of building an acceptable temple were quite clear, power or no.

"It's around this corner," Loris whispered. They were all trying to make as little noise as possible as the passageway magnified any sound. Aleka halted the group and peered around the corner. A gray shadow was sitting in front of a door.

"It's about time, the she wolf remarked to Aleka.

Above the wolf was a torch that was at its end, sputtering as it gave out pathetic attempts of illumination. Aleka moved over to the door that was securely bolted on the outside and listened for any sounds. She could hear very slow breathing of two people in deep sleep or drugged stupor. She motioned for the others and took a step up the hall to listen to what she could hear on the other side of the next corner. It led up to a steep set of stairs. She was wondering how they could put a storage room near such steep stairs when she noted another room adjoining the storage room.

Corita had joined her. "It's the seers room. That door hasn't been opened since it was built."

Aleka could see the dust and rust on the door and floor around it. Recent footprints went by it.

Both went back into the room that Loris had opened. Eleanor and Loris had already moved from Lily to Agnes. Corita knelt next to Lily as her eyelids fluttered opened.

"Hey,." Lily's voice cracked as she attempted to get her eyes to focus on Aleka's face. "Glad you could make it," she whispered in relief.

"How soon can we move them?" Aleka asked concerned resting a hand on Lily's shoulder. She could feel the women wince under her touch. By the looks of both women they had suffered the usual fate of people taken prisoners. She was hoping their injuries were not serious.

"Give us about a quarter candle mark. The herb has to take effect. They have nothing more serious then bruises. They're lucky," Eleanor whispered.

"Then I'll just take a quick look around. Care to be a tour guide?" Aleka whispered to Corita.

She smiled and gestured toward the door.

They crept up the stairs listening, while the gray wolf ran up the stairs as if having nothing to worry about. They heard men's voices and one woman's coming from one of the rooms above ground. Corita led her to a secret room that buttressed up against the wall the voices were coming from.

"It ain't goin' ta go over well with the village if ya kill off all the people!" One of the men angrily pointed out.

"I didn't say they had to be from your village. You asked for protection from Mekor. I'm telling you what you have to do. There aren't any compromises," the young woman's voice reported briskly.

"We don't have any villages close by except Navito and they already follow your ways. Hades! I didn't hear them raiding any nearby villages for sacrifice," the man continued to argue.

"They don't advertise it," the terse voice returned.

Aleka thought it odd for a follower of any dark power to give a choice, especially when they've already spent a moon's full cycle of their time with them. She wanted to see who this young woman was.

"It's the virgin thing that's …"

"We didn't say virgins. You think there really are many of those!" The young woman's voice was sarcastic. "You just need bodies. Live ones."

"Ya have virgins on the mind, ya know?" A male voice pointed out sardonically.

"And one or two people aren't gonna do the trick. How many times we gotta tell ya that? Look, ya got those two women from the temple. You said the old woman that owns the inn ya wanta get rid of and there are a few more women staying there in her inn. Round em up!" the young voice said. "Get them out of that inn!" she emphasized.

"If we keep gathering women from this village we aren't going to have nothing but us men. That ain't something I'm looking forward to."

"You don't sacrifice all your women. You get the people that you don't need. That includes men. Didn't you say there's a few that disagreed with you on this?"

'Those women are paying customers. It may not be in my inn but they still are paying customers. If word gets out that visitors disappear here, we won't need protection from your god. We'll be just as dead to business as we are now."

One of the dark cloaks got up from his stool. "You came to us. If you don't want our protection, that's up to you." Suddenly the man turned on the villager grabbing him by the collar and pulling him up.

"But then, you may start finding people from your village or anyone visiting you gone," he warned in a lowered voice.

"Ya don't scare me!" The sound of metal scraping and foot shuffling could be heard. "I know how ya take them in their sleep. Ya can't get ta me! Now, get out!"

"You just made a very bad mistake," the deep male voice remarked casually.

"Hades codpiece!" Aleka thought. If those young recruits are set loose on the village there won't be a standing building left. What does he know to gamble against those odds?

Corita was shaking her head next to Aleka. Corita and Aleka listened as the temple emptied of its insolent visitors. Once the unwelcome guests left the two crept back down the stairs to the store room. Lily and Agnes looked better in the torchlight but Aleka could tell it was the drugs in their system that gave the appearance. They would probably both be hurting when the drugs wore off.

"We have to get going. It seems the deals off with the dark cloaks," Aleka announced softly. "Don't know when the villagers will be back for their hostages but I think their value has changed."

Corita looked at Loris. "The old fool canceled the partnership with the dark cloaks."

Loris grimaced. "Was it the inn keeper, the one with the scar right here?"

Aleka and Corita nodded.

"Barbous. He and Paxter, that's Martha's ex husband, try to run this village like it's their mini-kingdom," Corita explained to Aleka, "One day they have this grand scheme and the next day its something else. For the one moon cycle we've been here this is the scariest scheme they've come up with. The dumbest was to kidnap one of Athena's priestesses and hold her for ransom. How in Athena's name they got the villagers to agree on this dark ones presence is a mystery."

"Well, these people aren't the type to take a change of mind," Lily mumbled between bruised lips. "We met two of them. An older man and a young woman with white hair." Weakly Lily touched her lips, wincing at the feel of the swollen skin, imagining the pain she would be feeling when the drugs wore off. This is not the fun part of this journey, Lily thought to herself ruefully.

"They have plans." Agnes sighed as she looked at Aleka. "They showed us the statue, their talisman." Agnes paused as she took a slow deep breath. She could feel her bruised ribs move at the expansion of her lungs. "I don't know what happened to Alala. They didn't know that we had attacked their friends but the idol had enough power radiating from it for me to know it can be brought back to importance as their talisman. They also have plans for Gabrielle." Agnes again paused for a breath as she tried to concentrate on what she had to say and walking. "They referred to her by name. They've been keeping track of her in her dreams. That's what they use the village people for. They feed off the psyche when they sleep."

"Alala is back with us. Bruised but doing fine," Eleanor informed the two.

Aleka cursed Morpheus under her breath remembering a previous run in with him concerning Gabrielle.

Is he the dark one? Aleka asked.

No. This dark one was during Gaia's time. Morpheus is one of her offspring after he was banished.

Corita touched Aleka's arm for attention. "That's not good. We need to talk more with Acheta," she said in a low voice.

Aleka nodded as felt Lily stumble. She put a firmer arm around her waist. "They won't make any serious moves until it has more power. They have to be waiting for someone who can bring that power to a more focused point."

"That someone is Gabrielle," Agnes whispered hoarsely behind her as she walked on shaky legs with Eleanor's help.

"What do you mean?" That familiar dread was working its way up Aleka's spine and resettling in her stomach. She could feel Lily shudder against her.

"From what I gather, this dark one has been using the dream-state to capture souls for their energy," Agnes whispered. "Think as a shaman, Aleka. How many realms of the underworld are there?" She paused as she let the conversation she had overheard replay. "Gabrielle would be like a beacon of light in the dark realms."

"It would be like moths to a flame. That's how the white haired girl described her," Lily mumbled.

Aleka didn't bother to tell her of Morpheus' attempt at taking Gabrielle for a bride, which when all was said and done, didn't seem to have left bad feelings between the three of them, or so she had thought. Is this Morpheus' way of getting back at Gabrielle? It can't be. Artemis' and Athena would not allow it, to say nothing of Aphrodite, who would not admit it, but took a liking to Gabrielle. But then, did this journey that went back before her allegiance to Artemis nullify Artemis' responsibility to Gabrielle?

You have too many Gods! This can get very complicated! Aleka thought.

Xena felt a pause in Aleka's thoughts as if she was pondering something.

There are many realms in the unconscious, Aleka told her.

What do you mean? Xena asked.

Sleep, death, initiation, and then there are the realms of the chthon, Aleka said.

Chthon. Yes. I remember something about those realms, Xena said.

When the women returned to the inn Aleka woke the priestess at Agnes's request. After both Lily and Agnes strongly ordered Aleka to take a nap Aleka allowed the tiredness that she had been keeping at bay to finally settle over her. Rather than go back upstairs, Aleka found a quiet corner to grab a few candlemarks of sleep. She was still a light sleeper and knew she would wake if any danger were near by. Or would she? A nagging fear that Aleka may interfere with Xena's hypervigilance surfaced as she let her heavy lids have their way.

****

Alala, who had taken a guard position near the stables, caught sight of the returning women and stopped in to hear the news.

Eleanor quickly gave her an update then explained about the poisoned darts. "But, we've got something that can counter the freezing up of the limbs." She rummaged around in her herb bag until she found a container that was glazed in dark green. She handed some soft succulent leaves to Alala. "Keep it in your mouth. When you feel like you've been hit with one of those darts, bite on the petal and it will release a sap that can keep your wits about you and counter the muscles from becoming like jelly."

"I wish I had that when I got hit."

Alala left again to pass the word to those on duty that they needed to keep a look out for the dark ones and that they were using darts. She sent the two priestesses on guard duty with their Amazon counterpart back to the inn. The Amazons would have to patrol alone this night. She made sure the Amazons understood when to bite on the leaf, giving them two incase they swallowed one before needed. Alala laughed to herself as she thought about the difficulty in keeping something in one's mouth when moving around in the dark. Unseen dips in the ground or the sudden appearance of a tree in front of one could easily make one bite ones tongue to say nothing of what else was in ones mouth.

Chapter 21

Making Plans

Aleka's dreams for that short nap were not comforting nor did they make sense. She dreamed of herself looking up a steep mountain whose peak was shrouded in thick white clouds. One side of the mountain was slate gray and had few easy to see handholds for climbing up its sheer side but Xena wanted to go up that way for it was more direct to the top and beckoned to her adventurous and daring nature. However, she had a group of young women who were not experienced with climbing that type of terrain so Xena was resigned to take the switch backs on the greener side. As she guided the weary travelers up the steep incline, she looked up once again to see if she could get a fix on their destination. A break in the white cloud cover revealed a small white building that was just as white as the clouds. It was the shadows between the pillars that caused her to see the difference and recognize it as a building. Then the view was gone as the clouds once more shrouded it from view.

Perhaps it was Xena's struggle to accept Aleka's memories of what the different realms of chthon represented that had her feeling like she was on an endless series of switch backs.

When Aleka woke she was quickly on her feet looking around the common room where she had chosen to nap trying to pull her scattered wits together. A small torch was burning; giving off shadows that swayed with the flickering as the last of the torches fuel was burning. Her nose picked up food nearby. She spotted a small covered plate near her table with a scrap of parchment tucked under it. Her heart picked up its steady beat. Was Gabrielle finally remembering who she is? She was surprised her hands were shaking as she reached for the scroll.

Aleka closed her eyes and let her heart go back to a normal rhythm. She was relieved when the handwriting was not Gabrielle's but Agnes'. Taking the plate and note over to the flickering light she sat down to read and chew her snack.

Agnes had forgotten something one of the dark cloaks had said off-hand to another and she wanted Aleka to know. Aleka's eyes caught movement from the stairs. She watched a shadow move quietly down the staircase. She recognized the movements as belonging to Alala. She was walking more loosely.

Aleka nodded breaking off half the bread and indicating the cheese on the plate. "Help yourself."

Alala gratefully took a big bite out of the offered bread. "I couldn't sleep."

Aleka reflected on Agnes's note and what they were going to do. She handed Alala Agnes' note.

"Hades balls!" Alala let out in a quiet exasperated puff of air. "She's been having dreams?" She asked Aleka.

"Yea." Aleka was thinking how to explain to Alala that Gabrielle had all sorts of dreams. Bad and good, which she knew about because Gabrielle could be as talkative in her sleep as she was in her waking state. She should have suspected with all the tossing and turning with no sounds coming from her sleeping lips that something was not right.

"So, she thinks Gabrielle is the sacrifice for tonight. If they are planning on reaching her soul though dreams, isn't there a way to protect her?" Alala paused, watching the interesting face that the flickering torch revealed. The blue eyes were bright in the reflected light. She wondered if that was how her eyes appeared to others. These were captivating as they flickered over her face in a quick study. "In Athena's temple we're taught that there are always solutions to every problem whether god contrived or not." She continued.

"Yea. There is." Aleka sighed, as she stretched her long legs out in front of her. "We're just getting cramped for time." Her face became still as she thought.

"If it's during dreamtime that the dark one will make its move, then most people fall into their deepest sleep time either two or three candlemarks after the moon reaches it's zenith." Alala thought out loud.

"Hmmm." The tall figure rose from her seat. "And I'm sure there's going to be a lot of them around her when she does go into dream-time, ready to snatch her body. We need to get her away from the inn. Everyone else in here hasn't been having any problems with their dreams, so this place is protected. We can't let the dark cloaks come in here in the off chance that their presence may change that."

"Yea. Sure bet. They have the talisman and soon the sacrifice needed to reawaken it." Alala grimaced at the thought that she had been making a lot of mistakes lately. She lost Gabrielle, who now can't even remember who she is, and she lost the talisman, which is going to make life real difficult for a lot of people. "Are you going to tell her?"

Aleka sighed as she studied the stairway to the rooms. "Iaia, Red, or Gabrielle," She emphasized with a smile, "will have to know. Besides, she mustn't think she's alone in those dreams." Aleka's face turned serious. "That's how evil usually works, through the loneliness of its victim." Aleka closed her eyes for a moment. Was it Aleka or Xena that was struggling with this inability to go to Gabrielle and explain what was happening? Gabrielle hated being left in the dark with matters that concerned her and now more than ever, Xena didn't want her to be.

Aleka took a deep breath. She needed to concentrate on her role as the Named. Her usual response to protect most anyone in trouble had kicked in by agreeing to become the leader to this group, or so the excuse she gave herself explained. However the overlapping feelings from Aleka and Xena were tiring. She had been using Agnes and Lily's observations to keep a steady perspective for she didn't want to pull the others into her own issues as Xena. However, combating this dark one of the dreamtime she had no confused thoughts on. The group was in agreement on this and would help the two villages free themselves from this dream enslaver. Aleka had an idea where in the lower realms that the dark one might be keeping the enslaved souls.

"I think while some of them are trying to trap Gabrielle, I mean Red, they may send the townspeople and some of their dark cloaks to keep us busy here."

Alala nodded. "Corita and Loris know about the rituals to protect against unwanted energy. Did you know that the innkeeper comes from a long line of shaman's?" she asked.

Aleka wasn't surprised. She had seen the she wolf. "That probably explains why whoever sleeps here is not touched. All the shaman's I've known have been a little crazy." That brought a grim smile to her face.

"So, what about Gabrielle or Red? Most drugs would have worn off by now. People who are sensitive to one of the herbs have experienced memory loss but it lasts for a short time, days maybe," Alala asked.

"She may be remembering little bits and pieces. Every now and then it seems she remembers something. Agnes and Eleanor will keep track of her. They've had experiences in such poisonings." Aleka didn't want to explain to Alala the whole long story of the journey. She would rather Agnes, who fell into being their spiritual advisor to do so.

Chapter 22

Dreamtime

Red's bedroll was near Erica's, so when the woman was awakened Erica had only to lean over and tap Red to get her up. Erica was careful not to startle her, for her staff was within easy reach and she knew her Queen was very good at using it, whether she remembered herself as the Amazon Queen or not.

Brona was quietly waiting for them in the common room. Her partner was noticeably absent. Aleka and Alala materialized out of the shadows as Erica and Red moved toward Brona who was chewing on some bread.

"We've found Agnes and Lily. Lily is sleeping and Agnes, hopefully, resting." Aleka informed the women.

"Athena's shield, but that really is great to hear!"

"Iaia?" Aleka called softly to the Bard who looked like she was partially awake.

"Ya?" She greeted brightly. She tried to appear wide-awake and rested but her body was protesting this early wake-up call and the good news about Agnes and Lily didn't give her any more energy.

"Have you mentioned to anyone that you've been having nightmares?"

She could feel her face flush. She had meant to mention it to Eleanor, but didn't want to add to everyone's worry so she had not mentioned it to her yet. Besides, the nightmares didn't disturb her this night. She shook her head. She didn't want to remember this evening's dream either. And how did Aleka know about the nightmares? Did Erica tell her?

"No," she replied hesitantly. "How did you know?"

"I wish you had," Aleka said quietly.

Erica looked from one to the other. "I sleep next to her and I haven't heard her have any nightmares." Actually, Aleka had warned her that Red usually talked in her sleep. As an Amazon warrior, Erica prided herself with being a light sleeper. Her fears that her other personality may be influencing her Amazon warrior abilities resurfaced.

"You wouldn't hear anyone cry out from these types of dreams. This dark one works its evil where one can't cry out for help. It's what is happening to everyone in the village except here in the inn," Aleka explained to the three Amazons. Aleka gave them the story of what the village was under and what Red's part was in it and what Aleka wanted her to do to free the village of it's influence.

"I…I don't think I can do what you want me to," she whispered frightened. It was one thing to go into danger in the physical sense with a strong warrior type at your elbow, but to have one's dreams taken over… Thinking of the nightmares she had since meeting up with the dark cloaks with the exception of the night she spent in the inn, was terrifying. The thought of facing the one-eyed man was even scarier. Yet, she wanted to take back her dreamtime. A sudden realization that she may have put the others in danger by not mentioning her dreams had her looking horrified.

Aleka touched her arm. "If it were possible to prevent putting you in any danger, I…"

"I endangered everyone again," Red whispered in a stricken voice.

"No!" Aleka told her forcibly. Her hands wrapped around Red's arms and squeezed. "Guilt and feeling as if you're alone is how this dark one robs you of the will to fight. If you take this feeling with you in dream-time you will become its tool. You can create your own reality in dream-time. Remember how to do it."

Red held her breath as Aleka's touch started a pleasant humming in her body.

"Red, if you can't do it we'll find another way. There's nothing to feel ashamed about," Erica said.

"No. I'll go. What happens now?" she asked, getting a better grip on her fear and the pounding of her heart.

"In two or three candlemarks past the moon's zenith you will fall into a dream state. They will try to pursue you in your dreamscape. We will take your body and find a safe place where we can began to weave our own patterns and attack them there where they think it is safe," Aleka explained.

"We've moved our priestesses to the temple since Agnes told us what they were planning. The Amazons will keep watch to make sure that they don't suspect some of us are missing."

"They'll know just by the body count," Red said softly, staring into Aleka's eyes and finding it difficult to not get lost in the dark centers that were surrounded by strangely familiar blue rings. Sighing, she refocused firmly on what she needed to do.

So, she was the sacrifice the dark cloaks were talking about. She was a far cry from a virgin.Red shuddered at the memory of another sacrifice she had been part of, closing her eyes and breaking the spell from the blues she had lost herself in. Whowas she in this life that something that frightening had happened to? She could see an image in her mind's eye of her leaning over the railing of a ship tossing the contents of her stomach into the pitching seas with the arms of the dark haired warrior supporting her. Britannia.

Aleka rested a hand on her shoulder, willing strength and love through the touch, watching concerned as the colors around Red's head changed. "They won't get a body count. We're going to have them chasing themselves most of the time. Erica, you know the plan we had at that small town outside of Itchatia, it's the same plan."

"So, what now?" Red nervously asked.

"Go out on patrol with Erica. When we see you start to fall we'll grab you and take you to the temple to hide you until you wake."

"What will happen to me?"

"When you dream now, what do you see?" Aleka held Red's trembling hands.

Red took a deep breath feeling comfort from Aleka's gesture. The cold feeling that gripped her insides began to warm and her hands stopped shaking. She recounted the dreams and the environment she felt surrounded by while in her dream.

"You said there was fire on the other side of the cave you were hiding in?"

"Yes. I hear crying and screams coming from there. I think that's where the one-eyed man lives. It's a volcano. I didn't see a road to it."

Aleka's thoughts were on the description of the one-eyed man. The priest Xena had killed and left for Ares had only one eye. She had left him and the idol that was wrapped in the priest's robe under the tree, just as she had been instructed. Ares said he would take care of the rest. Her distrust of Ares to do something right flared up. He not only forgot to remove the idol but the one-eyed priest whom was now Gabrielle's tormentor.

Eleanor joined them.

"I thought you were going over to the temple."

"I came back to tell you we're ready." She turned to Gabrielle and touched her cheek reassuringly. "We will be with you, just call us."

"Let me escort you back," Alala offered Eleanor. "I'll join you on the trail," she told Aleka.

Aleka nodded. She tried to keep her mind on the overall mission rather than of whom they were using for bait.

Chapter 23

Bait

Red moved a step forward at a time listening and feeling the nightlife around her. The need to relieve her bladder increased. Silently she carried on a chastising conversation with the determined organ. Looking around she headed for the dark outline of a bush. Nervously she giggled to herself that even in the darkest part of the night she still wanted the modesty of a bush to cover her personal attentions. Finished she looked around. Only the bare outlines of the trees against the canopy of stars were clear. Looking back closer to the ground Red let her eyes readjust to the different shades of black around her.

The air was different. She lifted her chin up and felt the breeze lift her bright red hair off her shoulders. There weren't any animals about. She closed her eyes for a moment and was about to whisper a prayer to Artemis but instead remembered she had a covenant with Gaia. She felt the pin prick of the dart and instinctively bit down on the leaf Eleanor had given her. They may have her dreams but they weren't going to knock her out like they had done when the dark cloaks first took her, she thought defiantly.

Aleka and Alala watched as Red sank to her knees then fall to the leaf covered ground. Dark figures quickly surrounded her. A torch was lit and it revealed a slim figure with short white hair. She gestured and the dark cloaks formed a circle around Gabrielle lying down with their feet out and their heads in the circle.

How convenient for them that she collapsed in an area they could set up their ritual, snickered Aleka.

The white haired leader stepped into the circle and jammed the torch shaft into the ground next to Red's unconscious body. Without checking to see what condition Red was in, white hair pulled out a small sparkling form and put it above Red's head. She took a position at Red's feet and sat down with her legs crossed at her ankles. Shutting her eyes she began a chant.

Aleka moved to Alala's side. "I can see the energy she's weaving. She's going to close the circle. You grab the body and I'll cover you."

"Yes. I see it to."

The two were dressed in dark clothing to lessen the chances of being spotted. Alala made a protective sign before jumping into the circle. She picked up the unconscious Red and was out of the circle and into the surrounding trees without being noticed. The spell in the circle was completed and those within would stay until dawn. That was what Acheta had assured them and a part of Aleka knew this was so.

The dark cloaks that were to protect their comrades came running toward the circle then scattered looking for the body that seemed to have disappeared. Aleka smirked as she led them to the first trap the Amazons had set for them. Erica was waiting with the anticipation of settling a score and the other Amazons hoped they would get their chance too.

Aleka tried to keep her mind on overseeing the Amazons in their defense of the village and preventing some of the villagers that showed up to set the inn on fire too busy to complete their task, without hurting them. It wasn't until she could see the white disk of Selene on her way out of the night sky that she left Lily's side to check up on what was going on in the Temple. The beginning of the morning light was evidence that Eos was preparing for the dawn.

The gray she wolf had been restless and paced impatiently next to Aleka as she waited in the shadows, watching the villagers and dark cloaks try unsuccessfully to torch the inn. When Aleka started off at a run to the temple the gray shadow was running beside her, occasionally lifting her nose to the air. As she neared the temple her gut was doing its familiar twisting when Red was in danger. A part of her was relieved that there was still an intimate connection with Gabrielle and another was worried at what the feeling hinted at.

Don't you get tired of always being on the edge? Aleka asked Xena.

I'm used to the challenge. We have quiet times, otherwise Gabrielle wouldn't have time to write and tell her stories.

Gabrielle. It's frightening to have someone mean that much and to live from day to day with your lives always in danger.

It would be that way even if we lived in a village. There are bandits, raiders and a crazy neighbor to worry about.

Yes, but it is so frightening to be so open to … Xena felt a pause.

Hurt, Xena supplied.

Loss.

Xena thought about the death of Iaia that Aleka had watched from another place. She realized that after her death she had wandered after Iaia out of remorse and out of fear for her safety. Aleka had seen Iaia's future when she sat close to her on the log.

Xena almost halted in her tracks. Aleka had seen Iaia's future. Why didn't she see the groups?She knew Aleka didn't see the Circle of Friends future. Aleka remained silent to Xena's curiosity.

Chapter 24

Evil Under the Mountain

Even as Red felt the drug from the dart rush through her veins she also felt the counter effect as the burning pain became a dull throb throughout her body. It was so quick. Before her was the familiar cave she had come to know during her captivity by Malucu.

The heat from the volcano on her back reminded her what she had to face. She turned to face the volcano. The cries and sometimes screams sent shivers of fear down her back. Looking down at her hands she found herself looking at long thin fingers covered in rings. Iaia's hands. Looking back up at the smoking and fiery mountain peak she remembered her promise to Gaia.

There were souls that belonged to Gaia imprisoned in a fortress beneath the volcano. It had once been hers and a usurper had seized it. This power that had encircled her flames beneath the mountain had tried through the ages to take possession of the flame with human sacrifices but had not succeeded. Now it was back and again trying to possess this eternal flame using the light of one of Gaia's own followers, her. Iaia could feel the fury build up in her at the thought that she was being used against Gaia whom she had sworn fealty to, to atone for her naïveté in the deaths of innocent lives that were dedicated to her. She felt a hand on her shoulder and she started. Turning she looked into the yellow eyes of a stranger.

"You must not let your anger be used against you. Remember the end does not justify the means!"

The figure was gone and Iaia was alone again. She was use to being alone.

Standing closer to the edge of the cliff she could see a path that was at the bottom of the cliff that wound its way toward the volcano. She could see no way to get down to the bottom without doing damage to herself. Too bad she couldn't fly. That thought almost had her giggling. Hmm. Now what would the raven-haired blue eyed warrior do? she thought amusedly.

The force from the impact knocked her off her feet and sent her tumbling down the steep embankment that she had been standing on. She didn't know for how long she fell and rolled but between the bruising from the outcroppings and the tumbling end over end, she was a dizzy and battered mess that came to a rumpled heap at the bottom of the dry riverbed. She lay still trying to let her scattered wits and breath get back to some semblance of normal. As her breathing calmed she took an internal inventory. Surprisingly nothing broken.

Moving her awareness to outside of her she looked carefully around realizing there was deadness all about her. Experimentally she picked up a stone and tossed it against the side of the wall. A small dirt slide started down the side but there was no sound from the movement. Iaia put her hands to her ears and thumbed them. Nothing. It was very strange to have been experiencing the waking world with senses that were acute to her surroundings and now she heard and felt nothing outside of herself.

Well, the push was an obvious hint to get a move on.

The sides of the dried riverbed rose too high around her for her to be able to climb out. In fact there was no where to get a foot or hand hold to climb out. Looking up and down the riverbed under a pale light she could see no evidence of whom or what had knocked her into her present situation. Resigned she headed toward the volcano.

Debris from a long ago flood started to make her passage tedious, as she had to climb over old farm equipment or the bones of animals she didn't care to recognize. At one point she came to a set of ribs that were larger than her forming an arch over debris that looked better going over than through. She gingerly placed her feet over what appeared to be large spinal column of some long ago creature that even her warrior friend would hesitate to confront.

You don't have time to sight see, she reminded herself. As she increased her speed she made a mental note to look for something to use as a staff. Not long after the thought she spotted an owl sitting on the branch of a dead tree that had been caught up in a flood. Below the owl were broken branches of varying lengths scattered about the tree that lay on its side, partially buried under the hard packed dirt. Without connecting thoughts to action she quickly found a branch that would make an ideal staff for her size. As she continued she idly twirled it receiving comfort from the familiar habit. Her rings however were cutting into her fingers. Stopping her twirls she leaned the staff against her shoulder and started to pull off the rings. She put them in a small purse that was in her waistband and resumed her walk.

The heat increased and the darkened sky caused everything to be in shadows. Rounding another winding curve of the river embankment she faced the opening of what was once an underground outlet for the river's water. Iaia paused as her heart started to beat frantically. In the gray light from the overcast she could see the black opening in the side of the volcano and knew this was the entrance into the mountain.

After taking a moment to steady her heart she stepped into the opening and found her own body acted as a soft light in the dark tunnel. She chuckled to herself and thought of the usefulness of this ability. Well, I can't get lost in the dark and that dark haired friend would always know where I was. She frowned. So would everyone else. She wouldn't be able to do anything unseen in the dark. This definitely has its disadvantage.

The soft radiance from her being bounced off the smooth walls revealing scenes taken from peoples lives. Iaia paused to study some of the now faded scenes.

Iaia raised her head suddenly. He knows I'm here! For a moment she let the panic creep up her limbs numbing them with her fear.

Iaia!

Iaia closed her eyes knowing whose thought that was. Eleanor was watching over her.

All right, get a grip. I can do this, she encouraged herself.

She felt his pull and this time she didn't fight the attraction. She passed innumerable darkened passageways that fed into the tunnel she was in. It was a dark labyrinth. She was getting close for the nefarious energy that she associated with the presence of the one eyed man was getting more intense.

Because the soft glow her body provided did not let her see too far ahead of her the end of the tunnel seemed to come upon her suddenly. A great glowing cavern opened before her emitting a heavy blanket of heat. For a moment she stood just inside the entrance and let her body adjust to it.

The lip of the fire pit was only ten strides from the entrance, which she tentatively stepped up to look around her. With mixed feelings of awe and fear she studied the fire from the restless volcano that was bubbling and spiting up globs of the molten liquid in the pit below her. Her memory flashed on another experience she had of dangling over another molten river with her friend's firm grip pulling her back up from a sure death. She closed her eyes when another memory quickly over lapped of her falling down into a fire pit. The heat from that flame burned her deeply. Quickly she opened her eyes and stepped back from the edge. Those weren't Iaia's memories, she thought to herself with conviction. This Gabrielle doesn't lead a quiet life.

Looking around her for some sort of clue as to what she could do she noticed along the walls that circled the vast underground cavern were what appeared to be sculptured statues of people. One side had only children.

The figure of an old man dressed in priestly garb materialized abruptly beside her. She felt no fear. Here at last she could face her one eyed tormentor. Seeing him wasn't as bad as she thought it would be. Iaia stood still while the man circled her puzzled at her lack of fear and his inability to seize her. He used his impressive looking staff with a large sparkling jewel at its top to tap the air that surrounded Iaia like a protective invisible bubble.

As if she knew what she was doing, Iaia raised her own staff and pointed first to each direction of the compass then below her then above. In her mind she sang a song to Gaia. She held her staff out turning in a slow circle mentally hearing the musical chants that she was unfamiliar with. When she had completed the circle she rammed the bottom of the staff into the ground. The ground below her quivered but she felt no danger from the priest whose increased frenzy was not missed by her. Turning to face him she heard a great rumbling as the figures that dressed the walls around them started to crumble with a roaring effect. The protection that was around her disappeared leaving her off balance as she felt the energy around her change as a cloud of dust from the collapsing wall figures descended upon them.

The fury of the priest knocked her to one knee and as the dust cleared enough for her to see, Iaia instinctively pulled her staff into a defensive position. The priest raised his staff in triumph to bring it across her unprotected skull but Gabrielle's skills at staff work kicked in and she let the blow's force slide off her own staff. The priest pulled back surprised but did not stop his attack. Iaia was back on her feet. Both warily stalked each other in a circle with the priest trying to find a weak spot in her defense. She needed to get out of the cavern for the trembling ground below her warned her that it was not a safe place to be.

Iaia did a sweep with her staff and then gave an extra whack that Gabrielle would not have done, sending the falling body on an extra roll. She whipped the staff back and knocked the old man's staff out of his hands, hooking it around hers then tossing it into the molten fire below. Her feet were knocked from under her and she felt her own staff loosen from her hands as her attention became focused on preventing herself from falling too close to the edge. A tight grip on her ankle prevented her from going anywhere until she kicked the hand loose.

Iaia rolled free and nearly stopped in her struggle to escape as she beheld the skeleton of a man in a tattered robe whose bony fingers reached out to grab her. His robe hung like a giant sack. The old man had become a child's nightmare of death.

Iaia grabbed a handful of the robe and pulled, intending to pull him and her into a roll so she could toss him over her shoulder, however the skeleton had strength and she could not budge him coming away with torn fabric in her hands. Iaia was pulled toward the skeleton so that her eyes were level with the sockets in a skull. They weren't empty but reflections of the dark void.

Don't look in the eyes! A voice in her ear quickly warned her. Iaia felt herself being picked up and lifted over the head of the skeleton, taking away the attraction of the empty sockets. Iaia kicked the bony head with her heel and was rewarded with seeing the skull bump and roll over the rim and into the pit below them. With one hand she reached for a wrist that was holding her off the ground as the two made unsteady progress toward the edge. She had a feeling the skeleton was going to jump in with both of them. She wrenched the wrist, which broke and her body slumped and slid to that side when the support was gone. Rolling free and pulling on the wrist that still held her tight she twisted and pushed the bag of bones aside. On her feet quickly she ran back toward where she had thought she had entered the cavern but lost her sense of direction all too quickly once in the labyrinth.

Frantic as the ground was trembling more she paused a moment mumbling a silent prayer to Gaia. Sound came from her mouth. That meant most of the spell was gone. Loudly she started a chant, the one she had heard Aleka say when opening the portals. A small glimmer in the darkness ahead of her gave her guidance in which direction to take, or so her faith assured her.

Sounds started to become more noticeable as what was a soft rushing noise increased to a loud pounding, which vibrated in the walls and the ground. The ground rocked beneath her feet sending her to her knees. Both her knees and palms felt scraped as she skidded into the side of a moving wall. Iaia used the side of the unstable wall to regain her feet. She was only able to see a few steps ahead of her and was suddenly looking at a pile of freshly toppled rocks and dirt creating an impassable wall. The dust from the movement in the tunnel was beginning to become too thick for her to breathe without putting her long sleeved cloak over her nose and mouth.

Turning around she looked for another way out but there was no silvery light showing another way. Iaia again tried to vocalize the chant she had been using but the dust was too thick to take a breath. Another strong shake sent more rocks falling into the tunnel before her and Iaia found herself backing up quickly to avoid the falling debris.

Another sharp shake and she was tossed against the side of the wall. As she slid down the wall she wondered how she could be knocked unconscious when this was a dream. Aleka had told her she could control the dream since it was hers. Well, then, she wished her friend who could do just about everything would come and help her.

Chapter 25

Lost

 

Aleka found the entrance to the back of the temple guarded by Grace who gave her the directions to the room the others were in. On Aleka's way to the temple the knot in her stomach was twisting painfully. As she ran down the tunnel toward the seer's room, she was feeling her connection with Gabrielle strengthen as if her life was in danger, or was it because Xena's personality was asserting itself because of her worry?

The room where the priestesses where sitting in was emanating a power so strong it was tangible. She pushed open the door and rushed in looking around frantically for any signs of trouble. Agnes, who was still a little weak from her own ordeal, was sitting outside of the circle. She rose stiffly and made her way to Aleka.

"We can't get her back" she told Aleka softly, least she disturb the concentration of the others.

"Why?"

"We don't know. She defeated the one-eyed priest. We witnessed that. But something is preventing her from returning. We had her until suddenly it was like a key turned and we no longer could feel her."

"Can't one of you go after her?"

"No. We have no ties that we can trace her with."

Aleka looked at Agnes. "What do I have to do?"

She placed her hand on Aleka's arm. "It's very dangerous for you to go."

"I'm going."

Agnes nodded. "Named, step into the circle. I will open a door for you. Think of her and a sound that you feel best describes her."

Aleka nodded. The reminder to stay focused as the Named was appreciated. She was familiar with opening circles of power, both as Aleka and Xena. She took a slow deep breath and thought about Iaia and Gabrielle and the person that she had been seeing for the last few days. A wonderful warm sound came to her and Aleka hoped it was not from wistful thinking from both her personalities but rather what Red vibrated to. Aleka hummed it low to see if it felt right. As soon as the energy that surrounded the women abated for a brief moment she stepped into the circle and keeping her eyes opened felt as if she were walking inside the funnel of a whirlwind. She lay next to Gabrielle's inert body in the center of the circle placing her hand over the smaller one feeling the love fill her heart as she continued humming the sound for her friend.

A silver wolf, Aleka's dream body, had only taken two steps through the tunnel when she felt the sudden shift of the earth beneath her paws. She nearly tripped over something that was glowing in the dust filled space. With her nose she prodded the unconscious form. The entire tunnel moved as if it were to collapse soon. The dust was so thick Aleka didn't dare take any deep breaths. She grabbed a part of the dusty fabric on the unconscious form ignoring the dirt in her mouth. Mentally she pictured Agnes and thought of a sound that would represent her. The growl in her furry throat startled her as she closed her yellow eyes to protect them from the dirt that was thick in the air. Again the tunnel appeared and the gray wolf dragged Iaia's still form back through. They both fell to the ground on the other side.

Aleka woke to find a cool cloth over her forehead. She sat up quickly looking around her. Red was sitting up holding a cloth across her eyes. Occasionally she would cough as if her lungs were still filled with dust.

"She's weak but she's doing okay," Agnes told her as she took the cloth from Aleka's fingers. "We need to get back. Lily sent a message that the townsfolk have all waken up as the sun came up."

"Good. How's everyone else?" Aleka asked softly, letting her eyes rest on the tired priestess.

"Erica said the dark cloaks that were in the circle had roused themselves as if they had bad hang-overs. Two of the Amazons followed them as far as the main road. The white haired woman was leading them back toward the fire pit letting her displeasure be heard.

"Is there any danger?" Aleka asked. She coughed to clear her throat.

"We don't know yet. We'll probably know tonight. For now, most of us need to get some sleep."

Aleka nodded. Eleanor gave her a hand as she rose. The rest of the women also rose and started to move out the door. Eleanor returned to Red and helped her to her feet. She looked pale but her eyes were bright and they flashed Aleka a look that made her feel better.

Alala was guarding the back passage.

"See anyone?" Alaka asked.

"A group of dark cloaks looking pretty sickly." She smiled.

"They passed by?"

"The pit can be reached by a shorter route by cutting across the silver groves over there," Grace pointed out. "Corita had warned us to be careful for that reason."

"We've been lucky so far," Alala told them.

"We should be. I think Acheta has been protecting us with some minor spells. We'll have to thank her," Eleanor told her as she moved to the door to also peer out.

"How are you doing, Red?" Eleanor asked placing a hand on the young woman she was assisting.

"I can use a bath and lots of undisturbed sleep. That is, sleep without dreams," Red mumbled tiredly.

"How many baths do you think they can get going at one time?" A wistful Eleanor asked.

"They have a large communal tub in the building behind the inn," Alala volunteered. The others brightened at the prospect of not having to wait.

Acheta must have known that the tub was going to be in great demand for she had it warmed and lots of buckets available for the women to do a quick wash before jumping into the larger tub with the Amazons that were already lounging around. As more bodies proceeded to climb in the women who were in the longest reluctantly gave their places up, but willingly helped scoop out the cooler water to make room for the hot buckets of water that were delivered.

Aleka was too tired to wait and did a quick body wash from a bucket feeling as if her skin was coated with dust, then fell onto a pallet that Lily had pushed her toward. This time she dreamed more peaceful dreams, though she didn't remember them when she woke four candle marks later.

Chapter 26

The City of Dreams

Red felt as if she was coated with the dust she had been breathing in her dream body and wanted to soak for a long time. Eleanor had to finally drag her out of the tub as the water was cooling and she was falling asleep.

Erica was already asleep on her pallet and the women who were not on duty were all in various stages of sleep.

After four candlemarks Aleka rose and relieved two of the Amazons. Alala and Lily had also awakened and they also took over posts for the exhausted guards that were struggling with their double duties.

Aleka visited the barn and checked on the horses stopping to spend some time brushing Argo. Argo made happy sounds as she tickled her nose or scratched behind her ear. Aleka had picked up an apple at the inn and though it was a bit dried looking. Finally she took her leave and headed out toward the path behind the Temple to watch for unwanted visitors.

For the next two candle marks she moved around in the trees looking for any sign of movement around her area. The only visitor was Lily who moved from limb to limb, tree to tree at a good pace and with practiced ease. Aleka smiled for the Amazon Ambassador was picking up the skills she left behind when she became an Ambassador.

Lily stopped on a limb that was near Aleka's, smiling in the dim light as the winter sun was dipping behind the surrounding mountains. "Coming in for something to eat?"

Aleka nodded and took one last look around. She could already hear the sound of feet running across branches as another Amazon was taking her place.

"We'll bring everyone in tonight. We should stay closer to the village," Aleka informed Lily. Lily nodded and made a quick sign to Brona who was relieving Aleka.

Aleka nodded at Kynthia, Brona's partner who was not as comfortable in trees as her Amazon partner and was gripping the trunk as she looked around.

Completing another cautious look about them, Aleka dropped to the ground with Lily close behind her. In winter, daylight didn't last long so the energy level of the women would be high this evening. That was good because they would busy, she suspected.

"You think we should expect trouble?"

"Yes." She was quiet for a moment as the warrior side of her appraised their situation. "We have a few options. We can wait out tonight or make a visit of our own." She glanced at the Amazon next to her. "I'm sure somebody is upset by last night's turn about."

Lily nodded letting a big grin cover her face at the idea of doing something besides sitting around. The longer she was out on the road the more she relished the change of life. The idea of going back to her previous privileged life with a lot of responsibilities that covered mind games and few physical, made her tired just thinking of it.

The pair walked into an inn that was full of excited women and children. The noise was deafening. Erica motioned to them when she spotted them.

"What's going on?" Aleka hollered above the din while looking around to gauge the atmosphere. The women were excited about something. The children were merely picking up on their mother's excitement.

"It seems they woke up this morning feeling like they've been in a bad dream for a long time and now they're free. Acheta said she had weaved a spell around all the women and children to protect them from the dark one when she learned about the agreement the Reeve had made with the dark cloaks. At the time, she didn't know about dreamtime being a trap but her spell protected them from being taken completely as the men folk were," Loris explained as they settled at a back table.

"That's why they wanted your friend." Corita gestured at Red who was slowly making her way out of the crowd. "She was going to be the light to guide these women and children toward the dark one's side."

"But why her?" Lily asked exasperated.

Aleka remembered the soft glow of light she had nearly tripped over in Iaia's dreamscape. It was Iaia's form she had pulled back into their circle not Gabrielle's. Aleka was conscious of the increase of her heartbeat as she watched Iaia stop to listen to a small child. Xena was aware that Aleka was fighting with her feelings for Iaia. She didn't have a husband to worry about now and coupled with Xena's closeness to the Bard in this life, it was going to be difficult for both of them to stay focused on their responsibility to the group.

Corita looked at her hands for a moment as she gathered her thoughts. "I have been a priestess for a long time and have been to many lands."

Her voice brought Aleka's attention back to a greater problem.

"What I have learned is that there are people whose kindness of heart is so evident that they would be beacons of light even in the dark landscapes in the dream realms. What land these people are from or what goddess or god they follow doesn't make any difference." She looked at Lily then Aleka.

"There are different regions in the dreamtime," she began to explain in detail, "Eros guides seers in this dark underground of dreams and will guide those that know how to call for his help into a place where visions and dreams can give meaning to a problem the petitioner is facing in the waking life. As a priestess I have taken the role of the guide in many instances and have heard of a realm that few return from. It is believed that Thanatos has taken many dreamers into a realm this Dark One has taken residence and ownership of. Normally it is Hypnos that oversees the dreamer in Morphuse's realm. I am sure it is in an area that the Greek gods are not familiar with for Athena has not heard of any problems concerned with our mortal sleep." She paused to gauge her listeners processing of the knowledge she was imparting.

"There is another region, an older realm of Gaia's where priestesses and shamans would go that were not strong enough to pass various trials of their crafts. It was called the Realm of Desolation. This may be where the Dark One is. Acheta knows about it. There is a city of stone that had at one time been a learning center where the Seeker would go into a sleep to learn. I think this place is very near the Realm of Desolation, which was how many got lost and did not return. Not even today's gods are permitted to enter the library without invitation and not without a fair amount of courage. The spell that was cast would only allow those that were ready to bear the information they stood to receive on a visit to that dreamscape. I only know of a few who have entered the sacred library and not go mad with what they had waken from, if they had awakened."

"What happens if they don't wake up?" Red asked.

"Their body withers away." Corita turned to her. She smiled at the tired face that was regarding her wondering how much more the woman was going to have to give of herself.

"Why haven't the gods done something about it?" Erica asked.

"The power that protects it is older then they. Athena and Artemis will every now and then meet near the city and lay wreaths of flowers in memory of the one time they were permitted into the city. Neither wants to revisit."

"How do you know this?" Red asked in awe.

"All of Athena's priestesses have a special connection with their mentor. Mine has been in the historical fashion. I was at one time hoping to be granted the blessing of being able to visit. But, that is another story."

Lily cleared her throat and didn't dare look at Aleka. This was something to think about. It certainly was a lot more complicated than what she had known only one season ago.

Agnes and Eleanor approached the women with a pot of food. The innkeeper followed with a pitcher of ale.

Aleka watched Red covertly as she busied herself with a loaf of bread and passing the pot of stew to the next person. Red's face was a study in concentration as she mechanically ate and offered no conversation. Aleka was thinking of finding out more about the stone city. Something clicked when Corita talked about it and she wasn't sure why it was important. Red also showed more than idle curiosity. But then, Gabrielle had a passion for visiting libraries; however, it didn't feel like that's why Red was interested in the stone city.

Others started to trickle over to their table. The women and children left as it was getting darker. Aleka glanced at Lily to see if she knew it was time to bring in their guards. Lily nodded and gave one of the Amazons the sign.

"Trouble?" Agnes asked.

"Why do you ask?" Aleka raised an eyebrow curious how much the young woman was aware of.

"I can feel something in the air. The others are also feeling something when they were out on patrol and just walking around the village."

"Clorita gave you an idea about the realms in the dreamscape that aren't visited by the gods of today for one reason or another. These realms are grouped under the name chthonie. Chthonie came into being when Zeus and Chronos forced their way into power and Gaia was moved out of her sole rulership. Ga-chtonia became the sacred underworld of the shamans for their initiation journeys. Hypnos knows of only the entrance to chthonie but not the way through the labyrinth of passages that lead to the various realms of this underworld. It is the world of the mystics and shamans that go beyond Hades, Zeus and Hypnos' experiences. Chthonie is still under Gaia's influence and protection. It is in one of these realms that this dark one is residing in and has been doing its business. The idol is its attempt at getting a better opening to the upper world, our waking world. Sort of a key to the door."

"Why can't we just visit the fire pit and be done with them all including the idol?" Erica asked exasperated.

The innkeeper was standing nearby with another pitcher of ale. "That place is not the best place to be visiting. It's too close to the gray city."

"Is that because they've taken it over?" Erica asked.

"Ah, no, lass. They would not be in the City. They would have taken residence in the caverns and tunnels near the pit. The city is made up of grand buildings carved in the gray soft stone. No one knows really who had done all that work, but there is a spell on the place. Those that challenge the spell and spend the night don't always come back in their right mind."

"There's a gray city there?" Red asked excited that someone knew more about the city.

Everyone gathered around Corita interested in hearing of the city.

"Aye. But you don't wanna go there," Acheta told Red firmly, as if reading her mind. She nodded toward Corita and Loris. "They know 'bout the place. Ask them. They call it the City of Stone. Some of the older folks call it the City of Dreams."

Red was silent as the pot of lamb stew was passed her way a second time which she mechanically took and refilled her plate. She remembered a dream she had before the haunting dreams of the one-eyed man. It was of a city made of gray stones that were in various sizes and shapes resembling cones. Carvings graced the outside and insides of the homes and various establishments the stone shelters served as. Even the stables for horses were elaborately carved from the stone. She had thought it was bazaar until now. She hadn't had any dreams of the one-eyed priest since she slept in the inn but dreams of the gray city had replaced the scarier ones. A strong urge to get up and leave the inn to visit the stone city was becoming more difficult to suppress. She had awakened several times from her dreams twitching to move but she had so far resisted it. Now that she knew this city actually existed and it was near by, she was worried if she would be able to resist the impulse to visit it. She wanted to tell Eleanor earlier but everyone was too busy and she had forgotten about it as the day wore on. Red had developed a close friendship with Eleanor and Erica and found their conversations about the journey enlightening, to say nothing of the relief she felt that she wasn't alone with her strange feelings.

Aleka was studying the dark circles that appeared under Red's eyes. They appeared darker when she held her head at certain angles. She should have gotten rest with the defeat of the old priest, yet she looked even more tired. Agnes and Lily were also studying her. Corita followed their eyes and frowned. The young woman was looking like the men in the beginning of their infatuation with the dark one.

"Red?"

She tiredly lifted her eyes to focus on the familiar blue eyes letting the image of the gray city fade.

"What have you been dreaming about since you've been here?"

She shook her head and tried to tell her about the urge to leave the inn but could not. Instead her eyes wandered to the door then guiltily back to her plate. Her thoughts weren't clear and she guessed it was from fatigue.

Lily motioned for the others to leave. This fell under the healer's job so Agnes by wordless agreement remained seated with Eleanor as the others rose to find something else to do.

"We need to make plans for the watch tonight," Aleka said.

"Well, I say we make a visit to the caverns." Lily smiled grimly.

Aleka smiled at her eagerness for action. "I think that is a good idea, but not all of us. I don't want to leave the village undefended."

"Three of us could do the job just fine," Lily suggested.

"Right." Erica rubbed her hands. "Now you're talking. I hate this waiting around."

"You may not think so when you get hit with a dart that has something on we don't have an antidote for," Aleka chuckled.

"Who are the three?" Grace asked leaning forward on her elbows.

Aleka would have said herself but she remembered the warning that she was not to risk herself unless there was no other alternative. The Named was the focal point of their quest.

"Lily, pick another Amazon and one of the healers. You'll need someone with knowledge of poisons, just in case."

 

"Aleka," Lily placed a hand on her arm. "You're miles away. I said Brona and Eleanor will come along. I want to leave Erica with you and - maybe Alala will want to come along."

Aleka nodded. "I'm sure she will offer. She needs to remove the talisman and destroy it."

Alala who had been in deep conference with the innkeeper nodded at Lily's signal.

"I understand you're going looking for their camp," Alala mentioned as she slid into the seat next to Lily.

The others nodded.

Alala smiled. "According to Acheta there are tunnels that the miners made that run beneath the mountain about a quarter of a candle mark from the firepit. Corita also mentioned them in an earlier conversation."

"Mining?"

Corita nodded. "It helps to be a historian. During the fire god's time the majority of the town mined to make ends meet. Not a rich vein of anything but if the family was persistent and saved what little they dug at for a full season, they could take it to one of the main cities and get a good return to tide them over a hard winter for supplies. It's not something a small village will advertise for then they would have to expend a lot of gold to protect their town, to say nothing of it being battled over by different factions. In the Athen's Temple there is a scroll that has the names of all her temples and information on the surrounding area. This town had three different names but the mining town was called The Gray Valley because of the gray cones and rock formations that surrounded the area from volcanic activity long ago."

"Who carved the village that you and Acheta keep talking about?" Red sat next to Alala.

"The scrolls called them the Golden Ones. If the place wasn't surrounded with a protective spell to drive interlopers away you could probably look around and find the art work breathtaking." She looked wistful as she talked about it.

"What kind of a spell?" Red asked interested.

"It's older than the Greek gods," Acheta remarked as she joined them with a pitcher of cider for Red.

"Have you been there?" Grace asked.

"Yes. When I was a child and didn't take to the advice of my elders." She said this as one who wanted them to take her warning seriously.

"Well, what kind of spell?" Red persisted.

"It's a warding off spell. Anyone who has not been invited and stays goes crazy. If you can get that person out of there within a certain amount of time they might return back to normal, but some people disappear," Acheta told them solemnly.

"Do you know anyone who did? Disappear, I mean?" Red asked.

Acheta looked down at Red with a quiet intensity. Sighing, she finally sat on the edge of the bench next to Red.

"You want to know about the City," she told her mater of factly. "So, I will tell you. For many generations it was part of the initiation of a shaman to spend a night there. If you survived, you become a shaman, if not you become a crazy old woman. Both my grandmother and mother had survived it."

"They sat in the library?" Red asked softly?

"Yes. There is a mosaic design in one of the rooms where the initiate lays to enter the Realm of the Shadows."

Everyone waited to hear that she had also. "I could not bring myself to go there when it was time for my initiation." She sighed. "I made the mistake of visiting it when I was only a child and feared seeing again what I had seen then. So I became inn keeper instead."

"But you weave spells," Grace objected.

"They are spells a child could do."

Gari came into the inn interrupting the conversation. "A couple of the dark cloaks were skulking around the barn. What do you want to do with them?"

"We'll have a chat with them." Aleka nodded. She turned to Lily.

"Whatever you ask them, the dark one will know," Corita warned.

"What do you mean?" Lily asked.

"In dreamtime they return to the dark ones."

"All right. Bind them and make sure they don't go anywhere. Corita, didn't you say that in here the dark one can't reach the sleeper?"

"That be true."

"Then bring them in here and we'll ask them questions and keep them the night. We may as well see if there is truth to this."

"What if bringing them in here will give the dark one a foot in the door, so-to-speak," Red blurted out as she shuddered at the memory of the one-eyed priest.

"We'll take care of that," Acheta nodded.

"Okay. Go get them," she told Gari. Aleka turned to Lily. "Lily, you'll need to get going now."

"I can show you a tunnel from the mining days, if you like," Acheta offered. "I'm the only one that uses it these days but it will let you out near the lake in the forest."

"Can they come in that way?" Aleka asked concerned.

"Not unless they know the password. It's the only spell I was able to learn to counter by the ancient ones."

"Where's the entrance?"

"Below this inn."

It occurred to Aleka that maybe it wasn't just Acheta's simple spell that she put over the inn that was protecting the sleepers but others' spell over the entrance to one of their tunnels.

"Was this one of their cities?" Red asked.

"Yes. They had three, my grandmother said. The stone city has no soil to grow anything nor for livestock to feed. It was more of a leaning center and merchant's city. This small town was where the farmers lived and the craftsman that needed the woods and clay pit near by for their work. The tunnel was a quick passage during the winter months to the falls and there are other passages that have caved in. Every seven winters are so harsh that the snow piles too high for much movement outside."

"The tunnel sounds like a good option. Are you all ready?" Aleka asked Lily and the others. The three women nodded.

They followed Acheta down into her cellar. The cellar looked like any other cellar used for storage until she revealed a stone cover that was covered with straw and empty bags. Aleka blinked her eyes to keep the image of the opening from wavering, as something seemed to pass across her sight. She followed the figure of the older women as she disappeared into darkness under the stone cover. Before her a sudden light flared giving off wavering glimpses of the smooth walls that had notches at regular spaces. Aleka looked at the ground, which was smooth and showed no dust. At regular intervals pillars were placed that had scenes of village life by tall and dark haired people carved into them. The pillars were made of gray stone. Aleka wondered how they had moved the large chunks of stone for the pillars down here. The sounds of footsteps behind her were muted, as sound did not carry well.

Acheta finally held her hand up and put a finger to her lips. Aleka and Lily stood behind her looking out from a crevice onto a waterfall that dropped into a stream that when it rained and during spring thaw would have been gorged with debris and water. It was dark outside and the moon's reflection sparkled off the weak stream that was flowing gently over the cliff and falling to the streambed below without much noise.

Acheta had handed the torch back for one of them to hang in a bracket further away from the exit.

"This is not seen from outside so you must remember the landmarks when you step out. The village is off that way. The entrance to the mine tunnels are up that way. You will reach the stone arch first. You can't miss it. It's a dark shadow that looks like an arch that in the summer would curve over the rising moon. Go left for the mines. The village is beyond the arch and you don't want to get too close. On full moon nights the influence is stronger."

"Let's go," Lily said. She stepped out, turned and after carefully studying the area in what little light they had moved off into the direction of the gray city. After taking two steps out of the tunnel Alala turned to take a long look. Those in the cave realized she could no longer see them even as she stared straight at them.

Impulsively Red put her hand out and watched with amusement when Alala jumped. "Very funny!" she hissed back then hurried to follow the others.

Those that remained in the cave giggled.

Acheta laughed and motioned to Aleka and the others. "This is how to seal the entrance should you need to." She showed them a lever that was a work of art. It was difficult to identify the design but it reminded Aleka of what she had seen in Britannia.

Aleka turned to Candra. "I want you to stay here and watch this entrance. If you should think there is any danger," she tapped the arrows on Candra's back. "light one and shoot one in the air. That will indicate danger. If you need help coat it with witche's bane. It gives off a distinctive color. Do you have some in your pack?"

Candra nodded. It was the most used herb for a variety of aliments.

"We'll have someone posted on the inn's roof who will be watching for your signal and for any unwanted visitors," Aleka said. "Grace, you're her partner."

"Don't you usually have one Amazon and one priestess?" Red asked innocently. Aleka knew where this was going to lead. She was not feeling comfortable with the thought of leaving her here..

"You're right, so?"

"Alala and Lily said I'm an Amazon." The challenge was there. Aleka was not happy that Gari was out patrolling with Kynthia when if she had thought clearer…

"You're right. But this is …"

"She'll be okay." Grace patted Aleka's arm. "We're all in this together, right?"

They didn't understand that when things happened it was usually wherever Gabrielle was and she would rather… She stopped herself. Would Aleka act this way toward her members? Probably not. But Aleka never met Gabrielle, another part of her argued.

I know her through your memories. It's her path.

"Alright." Aleka put a smile on her face. "I'll send some food down later so neither of you get too weak. Remember to keep your voices down. It carries in the night."

Aleka turned and hurried back up the tunnel afraid she would change her mind for the wrong reasons.

The night watches checked in regularly. Gari and Kynthia spotted a group of dark cloaks getting ready for an attack in the woods and had managed to rally enough Amazons to frighten them off with their silent but deadly attacks. White hair was not with them to prod them forward or prop up their resolve. Fighting an unseen enemy in the dark over unfamiliar territory was not to the dark soldiers liking. Aleka suspected they would not have run of if she was leading them.

What is she up to? Aleka paced worrying about the white haired woman. The innkeeper went back down to deliver a sweet loaf of bread from the previous day for the two women to munch on with hot tea to keep them alert.

It was close to daylight and Aleka felt exhausted. She had finally settled to sleep leaning against the wall in the common room.

Her eyes opened immediately when she heard noise from the cellar. Every fiber in her was telling her something was wrong. She was on her feet and down the stairway ready for anything. Lily was holding the torch and laughing about something to Eleanor. They looked up at Aleka's face as she watched the four women enter. Alala looked exhausted. "Where's Red and Candra?" she asked careful not to show her worry. They probably were left to guard the entrance but now that everyone was back they could go ahead and close the entrance.

"Where should they be?" Lily asked puzzled.

"They were guarding the entrance you just came from."

"There was no one there," Alala told her worriedly. The others looked at each other. They were already physically spent.

"Did you find anything that needs to be talked about now?" Aleka asked quickly.

"We found where they're living. We caused a bit of a problem in some of the caverns so they can't use them, like smoke and fumes of a revolting type. Not many of them were there so we didn't have much of a resistance. White hair was no where around and there was no talisman."

"Alala would you be able to sense the talisman if you got close enough?"

"Yes. It wasn't anywhere in those tunnels and never was taken in there."

"I've got to go find out what happened to those two." Aleka grabbed the torch from Lily's hand.

"We're going with you." Lily and Alala told her together.

"You're tired. Go rest."

"And you're not? Oh, no you don't. Eleanor do you have something to give us a boost of energy for a while longer?"

"Yes."

She ran up the stairs and was gone for a few moments returning with a hot kettle of water, a few cups and Erica.

"Red and Candra are missing?"

"We're going to look for them. Do you think you can hold down things here?" Aleka asked as she swished the cup of leaves around before downing them.

"It's been real quiet since Gari and Kynthia scared the wits out of a few stragglers."

"Good. Let's go." Aleka didn't wait for the others. The innkeeper had gone down two candle marks ago with a loaf of bread and some tea. She didn't say anything was amiss.Aleka didn't pay attention to the muted footsteps that were hurriedly following her.

Aleka shinned the torch around the exit looking for anything that would give her a clue as to what happened. There were two cups tucked neatly in one of the empty sockets for a torch keeping the area clear. Aleka stepped out after looking closely at the surrounding area that was being bathed in the morning light. She turned to look around for landmarks then continued to look around for tracks. Alala and Lily looked around keeping guard as they let Aleka look for what she needed to find.

"Over here," she called softly to the other two. The gray wolf was lying next to an unconscious form of Candra.

Candra was draped over a stone with a note attached to her back. Lily picked up her quiver and arrows that were tossed a distance from her unconscious form.

"I bet it's that white haired one. Blast she worked Candra over a bit." Lily was furious. They had walked right by her and didn't see her.

"Looks like she was just left here."

"How do you know?"

"Everything has the morning dew coating it and she's dry." Aleka could see the footprints that someone had not even tried to hide.

"You think she knows where the entrance is to the tunnel we were in?"

"No. She would have done something about it. Lily, take Candra back. Alala and I will go to the Gray Valley. She says that's where she has Gabrielle."

"Hades! I'll get some of…"

"No! This may be a trick to pull most of us from the village and then their main force will ride in and burn down the village. Alala and I will be enough. Do what you need to keep the village safe. If you have to close off this entrance for safety, leave a sign on this tree. We'll see it easily from over there and be able to keep to the trees until we know it's safe."

Lily nodded. She lifted the young woman onto her shoulder and carried her back in the direction of the hidden entrance. They watched Lily and Candra's forms disappear as if they had walked through an unseen doorway.

Aleka turned quickly and started the pace at a ground-eating lope in the direction that Acheta said the city was located. The gray wolf ran along side of her looking as if she enjoyed the chance to stretch her legs. Aleka angled off to the right following the gray wolf's silver form that pulled ahead of her. They were going to enter the city from the back instead of the place white hair would be expecting them. Alala gamely kept up.

Chapter 27

A Disappearing Act

Red and Candra kept each other entertained with games that were silent. They played the parchment-knife-rock game until the repressed giggles had each needing to relieve their bladders. Acheta had brought some bread and a pot of tea down. She looked tired so both young women shooed her back to bed.

Red put her emptied cup in one of the wall mounts for a torch. It was out of the way. She looked at Candra whose eyes were closed as her head leaned against the wall she was sitting up against.

"I'll be right back. Gotta call to nature," she told her companion in a soft voice. Candra nodded her head but didn't open her eyes.

Red peeked out of the entrance and studied the surroundings. It was still a candle mark away from sunrise and now even the moon wasn't showing any light. As she looked out she felt an intense need to go to the Gray City. Agnes had told her they would go after they had secured the talisman and knew the dark cloaks were no longer a threat. It appeased the need to visit for a while. But she could almost feel the place from where she was. Silently she made her way out of the tunnel to look for a convenient place to relieve her full bladder. The area was rocky and she had slipped against a rock and felt herself falling against the roots of a dead tree that leaned over the low river.

Red took care of her business then again looked carefully around. She closed her eyes for a moment and they popped back open quickly. Closing her eyes she could see, as if it were right before her, the gray village. In her dreams she had been picturing one structure whose interior was a vast domed carved and painted ceiling. In the carved building were four domed ceilings with a carved stone beam separating each elaborately painted ceiling. The scenes were vaguely familiar and so was the building. Had she dreamed them before? One room had a mosaic floor with a design that made Red dizzy each time she tried to focus on it. She didn't think it was possible to feel dizzy in a dream. The walls were painted with stories of the dreamtime. It was the room the shamans went to pass their initiation. She had known that before Acheta had told them. But how did she know that? She was sure it wasn't something Iaia would know and certainly not something she had read. The trouble is, she didn't know just what type of parchments Gabrielle read,she reminded herself.

It seemed only moments later when Red opened her eyes again and she was walking under the arch to the gray city. She was nowhere near the tunnel and Candra and she wasn't bothered about it at all.

The need to find the library became her priority. She knew exactly where it was located. The sun was high giving the gray city a silvery look. As she followed a mental map to the library she noted that there was no vegetation anywhere in the city. Not even a weed grew along the walkway. However, the carvings in the stone walkway that ran up the sides of the buildings were images of vegetation and wild life. The details in the carvings were realistic and life size. Red ran a hand up the carvings on the library building closing her eyes for a moment and bringing to life the image her hand traced.

Opening her eyes again she looked for another way into the library. The entrance was blocked. Unconcerned she walked across the way into another building and looked around to let her eyes get used to the diffused lighting that shined into the room. There was an underground passageway below the city, used during the winter months when the weather made outdoor walking between the buildings difficult.

Chapter 28

Mekor's Agents

Candra wasn't asleep. She was thinking about the song that Red had taught her. When Red didn't come back within a reasonable time Candra became worried. Her quiver and arrows were lying beside her but she didn't want to start anything just yet. She leaned out of the entrance and looked back memorizing what she needed to, to get back in. She moved from rock to rock listening for anything. Red was no where that she could see. She would have to get Aleka to look for signs and was headed back when an arm was around her neck and pulling her head back painfully. She was spun around and a few blows to her face stunned her. Candra was pitched headfirst into a rock bumping her head. She lost consciousness, murmuring Gabrielle's name.

"Well, what have I got here? Is this not a young maiden? A virgin possibly. Ready for sacrifice to Mekor," a woman's voice growled.

A tall dark figure joined the young woman. "There's tracks headed toward that village. Wonder what they're doing out here?" The dark figure looked around uneasily.

"Mekor's drawing her to the circle in the stone city," the White haired told him with certainty. "Looks like we won't have to drag her out of that village after all. We'll have the men set the village on fire while we take care of our business. Do you have the talisman?"

"Yes," he returned guardedly.

"Good. Let me see that bag of yours. What we need is a proper invitation for them to join us in the City." The white haired woman finished her note and gave the writing implements back to the man at her side.

"We'll leave her near the waterfall. They've had scouts out that way. With this note they'll leave the village vulnerable, then the soldiers can go into the village and lay it to waste."

"What makes you think they will all come to rescue her?"

"They'll come." White haired wondered how he could have become a leader for someone so dense on some matters. Of course they'll come. She's the Amazon's Queen. Those guards were either going to leave the acting troupe behind or bring them with them. Whatever the case, Mekor will know and would have a very big surprise waiting for them.A smirk crossed her face as the thought that maybe Mekor didn't tell him everything.

Evana knew what was necessary to trap the light that Mekor wanted in its underworld. Since the one-eyed priest no longer came to her in dreams with directions she had been getting her directions from a strange looking creature that looked exactly like the talisman. Evana didn't think it was Mekor, just another servant in the dream world.

As they headed to the village she absently touched the pouch on her hip. It contained the herbs needed to put Gabrielle into a trance long enough for Mekor to claim her as its own. After that they would burn her body so the soul could not return.

Chapter 29

The Gray City

 

Aleka and Alala entered the village from the east side, by-passing the gray archway that announced in another language to whoever passed under that unless they came for learning and in peace, they were not welcomed. Aleka merely followed the gray shadow of a bushy tail that always seemed far a head of them. The gray wolf had bounded ahead of them when they were within view of the city.

The moment each woman passed through the invisible barrier the change in the atmosphere was noticeable. Alala would have paused to adjust if Aleka hadn't pushed on.

"Where do you want to start?" Alala whispered.

Aleka paused at the corner of the first gray stone building her eyes traveling up the elaborately carved building's wall. She didn't dare touch the walls at first but the intricate carvings that were detailed scenes from life in a forest were too tempting.

"Well," Aleka pulled herself from the fascination of running her fingertips over the patterns, "she was asking about the library so we will start there."

Alala nodded not as tempted as Aleka to touch the carvings.

There were three cone shaped buildings that commanded their attention and both guessed were part of the leaning center. By the expression on Aleka's face and the hairs that were rising on Alala's arms something was happening.

"I'll take the one over there. You take that one." Aleka motioned.

They split up with Aleka moving toward the building near the observatory. The gray wolf was sitting in front of one of the entrances. Aleka wanted to laugh for her head was leaning into the doorway while the rest of her remained outside.

What is so interesting, my friend? Aleka asked the wolf amused. The yellow eyes turned her way and blinked. Without explaining, the gray wolf stepped into the building.

Aleka looked at the building and identified it as the observatory. She couldn't resist running her fingers along the intricate pattern that was outside the doorway. Cautiously she stepped in trying to see where her guide had gone. Sounds changed once in the structure. She could hear a chanting coming from somewhere.

*******

Alala kept her eye roving above her and around. Here she didn't feel the presence of Athena. She always felt a connection to her. What she did feel was the talisman's energy, though faint.

The gray stone structure she came to a stop in front of had the doorway blocked. However, there were unshuttered windows further up the side of the stone wall. She walked around the structure again knowing that the talisman was inside. She needed to get up to one of the windows.

Chapter 30

Another Visitor to the City

Acheta was dismayed at hearing of Red's disappearance. She wasn't a shaman like her grandmother or mother, but she felt things and knew the right protection spells, and could sometimes see what others' couldn't. She knew as soon as Lily came into the basement with the unconscious young woman that Red was in the City of Dreams.

Acheta leaned against the counter watching Lily and Erica as they moved among the inn's occupants warning them of dark cloaked soldiers that were encircling the village. Archeta looked inward where she tuned to the energy of the village. She could feel the anger in the townspeople and was afraid for them. The soldiers would burn all standing buildings to the ground whether they were occupied or not. It was standard practice for warlords. Her thoughts returned to Red, the storyteller.

Red recounted a short story that may have meant nothing to the others, but had a lot of meaning to her. She felt Red was intuitive and told the story for her benefit and that was enough for her to think she needed to face the gray city's nightmarish influence to help the storyteller.

She felt Corita at her elbow. "Acheta, you mustn't hold yourself responsible for Red's disappearance."

"I don't. I just think I should be able to do something to help." She rested her hand on the the priestess's arm. It was amazing how close she had become to the two priestesses that were strangers a moon ago. They had gone through a lot to combat the influence they were dismayed to see take over the town and its people. Acheta had never trusted priestesses as they were usually more interested in the survival of their temple then those that didn't pay tribute to the temple. But these two women proved to be different.

"The two who are headed there seem to be able to handle themselves. Alala is one of the goddesses own."

"In that village it won't make a difference." Acheta looked at Corita and recalled the sudden feeling of being cut off from her connection with everything that she had become accustomed to. It was as if all color was no longer recognized. Acheta shook her head to clear her memory. She didn't want to go into why the little girl continued her journey further into the city. Stubbornness, foolishness or the biggest question of all was, was that her destiny? If that was true then she had to face the fact that then she was not meant to be a shaman and carry her heritage on. Something she was doing now but not daring to ponder the implication and ask more questions of her own worthiness. She paid homage and respect to whatever goddess the village set up as patron but she was afraid to open herself up into really believing in anything. How could anyone after what she had seen?

Corita shook her elbow gently to regain her attention. "What are you going to do, Acheta? And don't give me that evasive 'nothing look.' I know you too well, old woman," she growled tenderly.

Acheta looked down at her hands that had escaped the pain of old age, so far. "I need to go." She looked up and could see the concern in the faded blue eyes.

Corita nodded. She knew this was Acheta's way of redeeming herself with her guilt at not being strong enough to return to the gray city for her official initiation rite. As much as Acheta insisted she did not have the knowledge or skill that it required to be a shaman, Corita could see otherwise. After a childhood of exposure to shaman living, skills Acheta considered normal were indeed far from normal.

"Do what you have to do. We'll protect your village," Corita whispered.

The Amazons and the young women that traveled with them had left to protect the village. Martha and Domica, Acheta's two helpers decided to take on the angry townspeople with Corita and Loris' support. Martha was fired up enough to do it by herself, Acheta thought amused.

***

Lily's job as an ambassador had her spending many long dinners listening to military braggings of invading others or of successfully withstanding the invasion of others. She had asked detailed questions on how it was done militarily both for her own interest as an Amazon warrior and the other reason was to prevent boredom. From those stories she had good examples on how to help the village defend itself from the unwanted visit from the dark cloaks. What made it easy was that there were very few seasoned soldiers on the dark cloaks side, which had her worried. Where were they? However, it didn't prevent Lily's adrenaline was racing from the challenge. Erica and her exchanged grins before they went to their posts. It reminded both of them of their younger days when the fire to win over a larger army was the challenge in being an Amazon warrior. Amazon warriors usually had to defeat armies larger than their own.

****

Acheta had a small pack on her back as she hurried as fast as her lungs would let her. She counted posts in the tunnel. She really didn't need to for she knew exactly which post it was. At the seventh post she put her torch into the socket and pressed both hands into a design that was made for longer fingers. She stepped back as the wall that was seamless started to swing open silently. Sound did not pass easily in the tunnels. Lifting her torch from the socket, she resumed her journey to the gray village.

Chapter 31

Trip to the Dreamworld

 

Red rested her hand on the stone carving admiring the texture and the design that made no sense to her. She looked above the doorframe to follow the design, as it had no break from one side to the other. Sighing she realized she was avoiding what she felt compelled to do. She needed to get to the library structure, though its doorway was blocked. The observatory had an underground connection to it and to most of the other structures. She got tired of asking herself how she knew that because she wasn't coming up with any answers.

Daylight poured from the ceiling where it looked like it was open to the elements. However, there was no dust or dirt from the long disuse. That added further to her uneasiness. For a moment she paused in the wide-open entrance hall. In the filtered light she could see the art that decorated the walls and posts that were indicative of what the building represented. Stairs against one of the walls wound up to the ceiling, which opened up to the sky. This intrigued Red for if it was open, why was there no dirt or marks of weather in the room? The air that was prickly since she walked into this city lessened as she became accustomed to the atmosphere.

The stairs down to the tunnels underneath the city are somewhere around here, she thought. The inhabitants used them when the weather was bad outside. As she moved closer to the spiral staircase she heard voices outside the building. They were not recognizable. The younger voice sounded angry and impatient which sounded female, and the other sounded older and deeper. Definitely male.

Red hurried up the observatory staircase hopping to find some sort of concealment. The view on the platform she stepped onto was panoramic. She could now see why there was no dust in the room. Whatever covered the top of the building was made of what appeared to be glass. Red paused, captivated with the image of how someone could get glass to cover this opening which was big enough for three people to sit and look up. The sun was still rising and Red watched with fascination as the treetops looked like they were on fire. The distant mountaintops appeared to be so close she felt she could reach out and touch them. Looking up she felt she could touch the cloud that was above the glass cover.

Voices below her broke her preoccupation. They were sure to come up here. There was no where to hide except under the bench and they would see her. She scooted below the bench anyway, for lack of a better place to hide. As she rolled under the bench the floor suddenly disappeared and she felt herself dropping.

****

"Dagio, I don't care what you feel about this place, so just shut up," Evana said. This man was supposed to be Mekor's new leader yet his fear was increasing as they moved further into the village and he didn't have the sense to hide it. She was hoping that after capturing Gabrielle, she could be moved up to the leader position. The power of the position was intoxicating.

"Since you're so frightened of going on, give me that statue," she demanded. "I'll finish the job."

"It's fine where it is," Dagio said. His hooded eyes didn't show his attraction to the young white haired girl. He was old enough to be her father and wise enough to know that she was not to be trusted. He had served the one-eyed priest, Juji, for most of his youth and moved up when a young warlord of Ares killed him. However, it was he who sneaked the body of the slain priest away from Ares' temple as the god of war contemplated with the other gods on what to do with the body.

He had not been at the temple when Juji, the high priest of the Mekor, was killed. Largo wanted one of the priests up at the battlefront with him so Dagio had gone. Dagio had felt the death of his mentor and left the battle quickly to look for him. He had not gone far when Mekor commanded him to take another path that led him into Ares domain to reclaim his priest's corpse.

"All right. Then where are we supposed to set up for her arrival?" she asked icily.

Dagio smiled to himself. Usually he did what she wanted, for it usually was in the direction Mekor wanted him to go. He turned to look at the stone buildings once more.

"The library. That's where Mekor said she would go."

"Did Mekor tell you which building it is?" she asked sarcastically.

"The one with the entrance blocked," he told her in an emotionless voice.

"So, how do…"

Dagio didn't bother to listen to her. He walked toward the observatory. It was closer and if these people probably had tunnels leading from one structure to the other. From the tunnels they had been living in for the last fourteen moons, he gathered these people liked to design tunnels. He had been looking for some that connected to this city and to the village they were trying to take over but had not found any. He was sure they were there he just hadn't figured out how they were being hidden and Mekor wasn't any help. Dagio had his suspicions that Mekor wasn't as powerful as he led his followers to believe.

Once Evana knew where he was headed she quickened her pace and beat him to the doorway. Without waiting she marched in. The white haired woman's body shook and was spun around then dropped unconsciously to the ground. Dagio heart was beating as he stared into the room that was dimly lit. He could see her hand twitch so he knew she was still alive. Pulling out a dagger he slowly extended it though the doorway. He met no resistance. Not trusting this test completely he slowly crossed over the threshold body part at a time. Looking around he kneeled beside Evana's form that was still twitching. He felt her pulse and knew she was still alive though her heart was beating rapidly. Not knowing any other way he slapped her across the face with his gloved hand. After the fourth slap Evana's gray eyes popped open and they were furious. Grimly he dropped her head back onto the hard surface, which brought obscenities to her mouth.

He resisted the impulse to punch her back out. He needed her to put the other girl under. The dark one wanted both in his underground realm. He wondered if Evana would figure it out before her body burned alongside their captive. It had turned out better than he thought it would. Mekor had them wait at the temple for the two women that appeared out of no where. They were to be bait for the capture of Gabrielle, the young red haired woman. Dagio rotated his head around slowly trying to get the tightness out of his neck and shoulders.

Dagio returned his gaze to the room he was in. It was unusually warm. He leaned against one of the pillars to rest for a moment. He sighed as his thoughts returned to the Amazon Queen. She had managed to release some of the older souls the dark one had been using for his source of strength. She also destroyed Juji's spirit, his connection with Mekor. But once they had Gabrielle trapped in dreamtime, Mekor would be strong again. Evana was to keep Gabrielle occupied so she would not see until too late what was happening to her body. Evana would also keep her occupied so that she would not do anything else but be a beacon for other souls Mekor misled to his realm. Mekor had a way to keep Evana in line, or so he was led to believe. Dagio left Evana on the floor and went looking for the underground stairway.

Reaching into the sack on his back for a torch he lit one and studied the characters on the wall. With the torchlight reflecting into the corners he was able to see what he was looking for. A round cover-stone was resting on what the frescos on the wall indicated was where a stairway led down into tunnels.

"Looks like there's a whole city below," Evana observed.

Dagio handed her the torch.

"What are you giving this to me for?" she demanded.

"So I can lift the cover-stone with both hands, unless of course you want to do it yourself."

She grabbed it from him and looked for somewhere to place the torch. Finding a scone she jammed it in the holder than moved to the other side of the stone and lent her own weight to lifting it. Between the two they managed to move it wide enough for Evana to squeeze through, then one more grunt and push and both could fit.

Dagio fetched the torch and started down the stairway with her footsteps close behind his. The talisman on Dagio's back was heating up again. That meant they were going in the right direction. When Evana had placed the talisman near Gabrielle's head and started the chant, the Dark One was able to link her to the talisman. Now each time she went into the dream world, the underworld where the Dark One led her, her tie to the talisman grew stronger.

When they came to the main tunnel it branched off into three different directions. Dagio and Evana disagreed on which one to take. Their voices were muted underground as both screamed at each other with only a soft sound coming out from both. It further infuriated Evana as she was use to hearing her loud voice overwhelm those she argued with. Dagio never argued but found Evana the exception. He finally turned and with the talisman tucked under his arm heading down the tunnel he felt would take them to the library. His throat hurt from yelling with hardly a squeak coming out. His anger showed in his stride as he and the torch headed away from Evana's choice. He could feel the heat from the talisman increase, which confirmed to him he was going in the right direction. He didn't bother turning around to see if Evana was following.

He didn't hear her approach or suspect how far her temper would take her. He fell soundlessly in the tunnel under her club. Evana calmly picked up the torch that almost went out and wrestled with the strap that held the talisman. Grunting from the exertion she finally got the precious sack loose. She retreated back up the tunnel. When she came to the tunnel with the three directions she hesitated. Everything seemed to be turned around. Determined she picked her direction and hurried in the new direction. Looking above her she hesitated. Did all the stairways look the same? This one not only looked the same but the capstone was pushed open. She would have not gone on if she didn't notice the top was pushed further back then what she remembered the observatory cap was. Cautiously she peered out raising the torch to see better. There were shelves all around her filled with something. Triumphantly she pulled herself up and glanced around looking for the room the Dark One had indicated was a power source. She found a smaller round room with marble tables scattered about and marble benches. It looked like a glorified sitting room to a library, she thought. Evana laid the talisman on the center table and pulled out the candles and smaller talismans she was to use to keep anyone who tried to interfere out. Once she had the arrangements she stepped back and nodded contently. She heard Dagio behind her and whirled around.

"I told you this was the one!"

"You stupid fool!" His head was throbbing and now that he was in better light he realized he was seeing double. "This is not the library!"

"What do you call all those things in the shelves? Why do you think they have all these benches for?" she shouted back furiously. Angrily she pushed past him knowing he hadn't full recovered from her blow. She didn't care that he hung onto the bench she had knocked him into. "I'll go see about getting the body."

Dagio cursed himself and almost the Dark One for choosing her as Gabrielle's keeper in the dark underworld. His head hurt and he realized time was running out. The marker at the stairway showed this room had something to do with measurements. This was not the power source the Dark One indicated he wanted this done in. He grabbed a few torches from the bag Evana had tossed to the side. He quickly removed the talisman and the smaller statues hopping he could get them to the correct place on time. He took comfort from the warmth of the talisman but not the heat he had been feeling when he was going in the direction he felt the library was in.

As he made his way back to the library he had to rest often as his head hurt and he felt dizzy. He found the library cap opened which caused him to hesitate. Peering over the top he looked around then raised the torch to see if there was anything. His heart leaped into his throat as the torch picked up statues of people larger than life carved into the walls. This was the library. He could feel the energy pulsating from the room to the side of the main entranceway. He stared into the room almost moved to hysteria. He clamped his free hand over his mouth realizing he may be in shock. Lying in the center of a mosaic floor pattern was Gabrielle, who else could it be? She was also unconscious. Slowly he approached the body nearly tripping on the staff that was left outside of the mosaic's intricate pattern.

The Dark One had delivered her, he thought deliriously. He just needed one more person, Evana. But she should be here real soon. On unsteady legs he started to lay out the talismans, starting with the ones that would keep out anyone that tried to enter once the circle was closed. He held onto the more powerful talisman, for he would need to reopen the circle to dispose of the bodies.

This time he heard Evana arrive. She was furious and seeing his light started for it. He had picked up Gabrielle's staff and was waiting for her around the corner.

Chapter 32

The Circle

Gabrielle could feel herself fall into darkness without any sound coming out of her constricted throat. Her fall was abruptly halted as a net caught her and she was gently tossed back up from the spring then fell back into the net. She bounced for a few moments finally coming to a rest. It was pitch-black. The urge to move on was rising to such a level she found herself moving her limbs in a crawling motion looking for the edge of the net. At the edge she fell off as it tipped her down with her weight. Rolling onto her hands and knees she nearly twisted a wrist as she planted her hand on what felt like her staff.

Great, she thought, where's that dark haired woman now, when I need her? Probably searching the whole blasted city for me, she answered herself as she waited for her body to get back to breathing normally again. She hadn't realized that she had set Aleka up in her mind as her rescuer. With her staff in hand she felt for a wall and started her walk. She could feel a directional pull guiding her to a destination. It wasn't the same as in her dream and she reminded herself, she didn't have the priestesses chanting to protect her. At the thought of a chant she started one not really giving it any particular rhythm. It was more for comfort and not really what could be termed a hum.

Tripping over her staff she fell on stairs. It had to be the library, she thought. Another chant was started to prevent herself to stop thinking.

Her head bumped into the cover to the stairs. As she felt around for anything that may open the cover she did find a comfortable place her fingertips to fit into. The cover slid back without a sound. Red peered over the lip and found tall statues surrounding the large room.

The doorway to the outside was blocked but there was another doorway further in that was too shadowed. As she crossed the threshold a glow from the floor begin first faintly then into a definite discernable pattern. The glow lit up the room with a soft light. Without stepping into the pattern she walked around the room admiring the scenes on the wall which told of different visits to the dreamtime in the circle. When she had finished her round she turned back to the open floor space and took a step back. An old woman, which Iaia's memories named as the old blind woman outside of the path to the mountain shrine of Gaia was standing patiently waiting for her to finish studying the frescos.

"Do you remember me, young one?" she asked quietly.

Iaia nodded.

"You had made a promise to Gaia that you would sacrifice yourself, if need be, to a cause for her sake."

Iaia nodded again.

"Do you still feel that way?"

"Yes, ancient mother. I do." A part of her felt elated that her offer had not been forgotten when it had been offered with all her heart.

"You have willingly risked yourself at the request of those you had felt responsible for in the past. Recompense has been made. Now, the life you had offered in Gaia's behalf, do you still feel bound to that offer?"

Iaia took a deep breath and let it out; trying to slow her heart beat down. "Yes, mother Gaia. I do," she whispered fervently.

The old woman smiled and the shape changed into that of a woman of undetermined age. She was neither beautiful nor ugly in features but the love that poured out of her made her more beautiful then anyone Iaia had ever met, and she had met a few of the goddesses whose facial beauty was breathtaking.

"I have called you here to ask if you are willing to go down into dreamtime and free those that have been trapped. Once freed from what binds them there, Eros and Hermes will guide them to wherever they should go from there."

"Yes, of course," she whispered. "But, what can I do that others that are stronger than me can't? I mean…"

Iaia felt pressure on her lips as if a finger was placed over them to quiet her.

"You have been compared to what a light is to moths in the dark," the voice laughed gently. "I like to think of you as a beacon to my lost children that have been misled by another."

"What do I have to do?" she asked trying to keep her fear under control. "Where was…"

Another pressure on her lips caused her to stop the thought she was about to finish.

"You are never alone for there is life all around you. All things in my world are sacred and alive, both above and below." She smiled. "You just need to know how to converse. Ask any shaman, or my priestesses." She frowned a moment and sighed. "Shamans used to be respectable in that they had honor and a sense of justice for the community. Now…" She waved her hand. "They can be as honorable or deceitful as any other priestess for today's deities." She smiled at Iaia. "But, it's one of those learning experiences and -- I am merely here to help those that have honored me in the past to fulfill something they feel, you all feel, obligated to complete. You have all come together in this life, as is needed and therefore I have presented you all with your tasks. This is yours. To go down into the darkness of dreamtime and free those who have been trapped there by the one you call the dark one."

Gaia pointed toward Iaia and she felt warmth in the space between her breasts. Looking down she found a medallion glowing for a moment then it dimmed and soon looked like any other metal with a stone in the center.

"Close your eyes now," she was commanded.

Iaia did and that was all she remembered until she was aware that she wasn't standing on a flat surface. She was standing in waist high grass that in the gray light had no shades of color. She realized she was leaning on a staff. As she turned it around to look at what was carved on the top of the staff she nearly giggled but she thought better of it not knowing who may hear.

Lowering herself and staff so that she barely could see over the grasses she looked around her trying to figure out where she would need to go to find these lost souls of Gaia's. The keening sound of a hawk had her looking toward the sky. It dipped and flew in circles reminding her of Alala's friend. It rose again and headed in the direction of a cliff before her.

"Well, it must be the cliff then." She rose to her feet and using the staff parted the grasses before her. She kept looking around her to be sure that she wasn't going to have any unpleasant surprises.

****

Aleka stood in the room that was brighter than she would have thought the stone buildings would let in, until she lifted her eyes and saw the open sky above her. The clouds that were passing by seemed to be closer than what she remembered clouds normally were, unless in the mountains.

Where did the wolf go?

Aleka looked about the room for anything that was out of place. Taking a deep breath she realized she could smell Gabrielle's scent and an unwashed body, decidedly male and a lighter smell of another unwashed person. She moved to the corner where it was darker than the others. A stone cap was moved back revealing stairs that went into the darkness below. Aleka could smell the unwashed bodies stronger here; however, she didn't detect Gabrielle's smell. Aleka moved away from the stairway and walked around the room. She found another set of stairs that led up to the next level of the observatory. Here she could smell Gabrielle's scent. Aleka moved up the stairs quickly. At the top she stopped abruptly as the panoramic view that was before her filled her eyesight. She knew Gabrielle had to have admired this. She turned around slowly looking for a place that Gabrielle could have left the room. There was no other exit then by the way she had come. She walked closer to the stone bench and leaned down. It looked like someone had scraped something wooden under the bench. Getting on her hands and knees Aleka rearranged the pack on her back and slid under the bench. Extending her long arms Aleka's hands found a ledge under the chair. Pushing herself further under the bench she leaned precariously over the ledge to hear or see something. Gabrielle had definitely gone this way. Aleka dropped a coin down and listened for it to hit the bottom. It didn't drop very far. Aleka let herself drop and was surprised when she met with a net that bounced her up and down for a while. She was thinking of Gabrielle's fear of heights as she quickly regained her balance. Crawling to the edge of the net she rolled off landing on her feet in the pitch-dark room. From her pack she withdrew a torch and lit it. Tracks from one person, small, with paw prints over them. The gray wolf.

Following the tracks and Gabrielle's faint smell she moved quickly down the tunnel. Several openings she passed by noting the tracks that over lapped others. She tested each one for Gabrielle's scent. She nearly stumbled over a discarded and unused torch. It was added to her bag. At the stairs runes on the wall identified it as the library. Cautiously she extinguished her torch then proceeded up the stairs. The lid was already pulled back. She could smell three different body odord. She much preferred Gabrielle's. Slowly she drew herself into the room, noting the tall statues that surrounded the entire room. She spotted the front entrance that was blocked with a large round rock. The room that caught her attention was off to the left. There was a torch lit in the room and the floor seemed to reflect the light back as if it glowed on its own. Aleka heard someone mumbling from the room. There were two figures on the floor and as Aleka drew near she could see it was the white haired woman and Gabrielle. A shadow came near the doorway then paced back. Aleka stealthily crept to the doorway, noting that there were small idols surrounding the outer circle of the mosaic that the two unconscious figures were laying in.

Aleka suddenly reached around the corner and pulled the body of the dark cloaked figure toward her and into the wall behind her. She then turned him around and let him go into another wall. She quickly was on him but he had moved slightly so that she didn't get as firm a grip as she intended and both struggled as she tried to bring him down. He was a skilled hand to hand fighter and Aleka was getting worried that he was trying to prevent her from reaching the circle.

Alala's figure suddenly dropped behind the tall dark figure and as he made a move to adjust to the added company, Aleka jabbed his neck then solar plexus. The man silently sank to his knees then fell on his face.

"There in the circle." Aleka motioned to the room.

Alala studied the circle and then the positioning of the amulets around the outer circle. "These are to keep out anyone. The amulet is outside of the circle. I can feel it. Perhaps he was going to use it to reopen the circle before it normally would open."

Aleka found the pack. She also found a liquid mixture sitting in the corner near the bag. She sniffed it then dipped a finger in it and touched it to her tongue. "Hades!"

"What is it?"

"Nightshade. It's meant to keep her under!"

Alala looked closely at the two bodies. "He may have already given it to them." She used her booted foot to probe the sack. "The amulet is in here."

"I think Gabrielle's companion was going to be a prisoner along with her. Look at that bruise on her head."

"We need to figure out how to get her out without injury." Aleka looked back at the unconscious figure of the man.

Aleka suddenly jumped on him and delivered another blow to a point to keep him under. "I' can't be doing this all day. He's a magician by the medallion around his neck and tattoos on his arm."

"Give me the bottle. We'll give him some of his own medicine."

Aleka turned back to look at Gabrielle's unconscious form. The familiar twist in her gut was starting up again. "We've got to get her out of there."

"I don't think we can. There's an energy force that I'm not familiar with," Alala told her as she poured the rest of the mixture down the unconscious man's throat and massaged it to make sure it would go down.

"Is it from those little figures around the circle?"

"No. I think it's from the circle, the mosaic pattern itself." Alala indicated with a sweep of her hand.

Both heard the sound of fabric rustling in the outer room.

Chapter 33

 

Iaia reached the foot of the cliff. There were no paths in the granite layers of rock that lead to the cliff wall. Iaia turned around suddenly hearing the sound of small rocks moving. Her eye caught an asp moving slowly across the rocks.

Her fear of snakes had her carefully stepping back keeping her staff between her and the snake. The snake suddenly stopped and rose up staring at her. Iaia froze. She wasn't sure just how far one of those could jump but she didn't want to find out.

"You fear me. Initiate, don't you know a bite from me will take you into the higher realms of knowledge?" the snake spoke to her.

Iaia's eyebrows rose to the top of her head. She gulped and shook her head frightened that it was going to offer her a trip to the higher realms.

"You want entrance into dreamtime." Iaia could almost swear it was laughing at her. "You don't need my assistance in that," it hissed at her.

Iaia nodded in grateful agreement. The snake lowered itself back to the ground and continued on its journey. Her heart was still pounding as she watched it slither away.

"Okay, Iaia, now remember Gaia said everything was sacred and," - she let her breath out, "snakes are part of her temple. Oh, goddess. Thank you, thank you, thank you for not having me meet up with the python." If her heart was beating this rapidly over a small snake, how fast would it beat if she were to meet the Python? It was thought she didn't want to pursue.

Nervously she looked around then headed in the direction the snake had not gone in. The faint trail she was following became steep. Taking a quick glance up Iaia caught sight of a doe on a switchback above her. A small cascade of rocks was loosened from the dainty hooves as they scrambled further up the slope. Iaia watched her for a few moments wondering where she was going. Suddenly she disappeared. Hurriedly Iaia moved in the direction the doe had disappeared.

There was an opening and three steps neatly carved, leading into a dark opening in the cliff. As she entered the opening her body again gave off a soft glow that reflected off the sides of the cave's wall. Iaia lifted a hand to touch the smooth walls.

How did they get these so smooth?

Heat from the medallion resting on the outside of her tunic was getting warmer as she traveled further into the tunnel. She couldn't tell if she was going up or down or what direction. All she noticed was the soft glow she was radiating. Occasionally she would look at her hands not believing she could have light shine though her. She thought about the colors she had seen around Eleanor's head when she had been in the cart recovering from the drugs that the dark cloaks had given her. She laughed remembering another time when she was on henbane and had seen a dark haired woman with piercing blue eyes shine with golden and purple colors around her. She was beautiful.

Sighing, Iaia started to hum to herself to give herself some company. Though sound was muffled in the tunnel she kept her voice down so as not to attract to her something she didn't want to meet up with.

She spun around suddenly putting the staff up in a defensive motion and felt the impact of the blow travel from her elbows into her shoulders. She moved quickly to a counter move and found herself meeting up with a white haired young woman who was really angry about something.

"Hey!" Iaia puffed as she gave a shove at the next overhead blow the woman sent her way. "Where did you learn to fight?" The woman was just showering her with blows from her chobos, without any plan of action.

The woman only clinched her teeth and aimed a fist at Iaia's unprotected jaw. Iaia leaned back and trapped her arm by tangling it up in the staff then slamming her body up against the wall. The woman collapsed sliding to the ground.

The first person I meet up with and she's trying to bash my head in. Is this one of the souls Gaia wants me to rescue? Maybe she knows where the others are. Iaia slid down the wall on the opposite side of the woman deciding to wait until she woke up. As she waited she started to hum again, this time a chant she had heard somewhere. She listened to the sound how it vibrated on her inner ear and rumbled against her breastbone almost to the point of tickling her.

She paused when she noticed the woman started to stir.

"How's your head?" she asked conversationally.

The woman attempted to rise quickly but fell back down and cursed Iaia with profanity and phrases she didn't realize could be mixed. It made for interesting images but impossibilities in the real life.

"Where you from?" Iaia tried again.

It got another round of nonsensical body descriptions.

"I'm headed up this tunnel. You know where it leads?" Iaia asked politely.

"What do I look like some kind of guide, you daughter of centaur poop."

"Hmm. You know that's anatomically incorrect? Just calling me centaur poop makes more sense."

"Whatdaareya some kind of frustrated critic?" She angrily touched her head where Iaia was sure a very large lump was forming.

"I'm headed up that way," Iaia patiently continued. "If you want to come along, fine."

White haired stared up at the brown haired woman that had given her a sound whack to her head. She didn't know who she was or how she ended up here or where here was, but maybe traveling with this woman who glowed in the dark would show her where they were going. Maybe this person could be used instead of Gabrielle.

White haired used the wall to get to her feet. "Well, what are you waiting for?"

Iaia nodded. She continued down the dark tunnel, with the glow from her giving them light to see two strides before them.

"So, you been down here long?" Iaia asked hopping to hear a voice, not just her own.

"What do you want to know for?" The belligerent voice asked.

Iaia turned to face the woman. "Have you ever carried on a normal conversation with anyone?" she asked kindly.

"You don't like my conversation then don't ask for it."

Iaia regarded her for a moment than smiled. "I think you just never had anyone that was interested in talking to you so you never learned to carry on a conversation." She turned around and resumed her walk. "You know, it's not too late to learn. You may find it interesting."

"You do fine for both of us."

"I've heard that before," Iaia laughed softly, remembering there was someone who was waiting for her somewhere in the waking world.

"Have you ever heard the story about the young girl whose mother named her after Persephone?"

"No." There was a long pause. "Why would she want to name her daughter after a goddess?"

"You know, that's what the villagers asked and because the mother wouldn't say, the mother and daughter were banished from the village out of the fear she may bring the wrath of the goddess down on the village for being so bold. So, here is the mother and her infant daughter, tossed out on their own with …" Iaia was smiling as drew the angry woman into a tale of abandonment and self redemption though faith.

Chapter 34

A Journey into the Unknown

 

"Acheta!" Alala and Aleka both exclaimed as the older woman walked through the doorway both were hiding on each side of.

"You did it!" Alala was happy for the old woman whose fear had prevented her from following her matrilineal calling.

Acheta smiled tiredly. It wasn't as bad as she had remembered it but night was still candle marks away. It was the dreams that were frightening. Dreams that even when you felt you were awake you still had them. She nodded to the circle where the two unconscious women laid. "That circle is the old mandela of Gaia. It's the dreamtime circle. Once it is sealed you mustn't disturb the participants or they may not return."

"What about those talismans that are all around them?" Aleka asked concerned.

"Those are from the old days when the fire pit was honored with death only. They allow a person with the correct talisman on to enter into the circle."

"Would the talisman that is in that sack be it?" Aleka asked.

Alala emptied out the sack not touching it, for Acheta to see it.

"No. But that statue has a hold on your friend. That is what keeps her bound to this thing in her dreams."

"We need to take it to the pit and destroy it," Alala told them.

"You destroy it now, before you sever the tie, and you will take part of her with it."

"How do we sever the tie?" Aleka asked concerned.

Acheta thought for a moment. "There are a few ways. One is that she does it herself in her dream. The other is that one of you enter into the dream and do it for her. I would suggest, though, that you let her do it. This is her quest and unless you want to take it from her, you must let her try herself."

"How will we know when we should step in?" Aleka asked concerned.

Acheta looked at the tall woman towering above her. "You of all people should know." Acheta indicated the floor where they should all sit and wait.

"Acheta, why is the white haired one there with her?" Alala asked quietly.

"Probably to trap her below. There is an ancient tale of siblings that fought for control over different realms that were once their parents. Sometimes the tale will say it was boys, sometimes girls. That doesn't matter. What matters is that they were loathed to share and wanted to have it all with no rivals, including their own off-spring."

Aleka smirked, for it sounded like some gods she knew.

"The youngest told his two older brothers about finding additional realms to rule in dreamtime and a jewel that could give them the power over these realms and he was going to go and get it and show them. Well, he prepared his circle and left for a moment to get something he had forgotten. As he suspected the second brother was watching him and when he left he quickly went into the circle that was still open and closed it behind him. He then lay down, entering into dreamtime. Now the older brother was curious what the younger brother was so upset about and heard his story that the second brother had entered the circle and went to claim the treasure of dreamtime as his own. The younger brother, however said he had just the thing to reclaim it and showed his brother. The older brother, greedy and thinking it was nothing to over power his younger brother, knocked him down and grabbed the talisman his brother said would reopen the circle. Now, both brothers were in dreamtime. The younger brother reopened the circle and removed the bodies setting fire to them so they would have nothing to return to. In effect, they were trapped in dreamtime, and that left him with no rivals for his inheritance. Since the two brothers in dreamtime didn't get along, they kept fighting with each not allowing the other to move to any other realm."

"So, you think that this dark cloak was intending to burn both their bodies, keeping them in dreamtime?" Alala asked.

"I'm sure it's intended with Iaia. I think the white haired one is to keep her to her task, which is to lead those the dark one has trapped to his side. There is another story of the souls that never made it back from dreamtime. Morpheus had complained but since Hades or Eros never found any trace of them, it was assumed they belonged to another. They even sent Hermes to try to find them."

"How did they finally figure it out?"

"Gaia checks up every now and then on her followers. She still has plenty of them. She overheard her grandchildren, Hades and Eros complaining that Morpheus wouldn't stop talking about missing souls and it reminded her of the Dark One from a long time ago. Well, long time ago to us."

"How do you know so much of this?"

Acheta laughed. "My family has been the caretakers of this place for longer than the god of the fire pit existed." She sighed. "I had failed by not providing an heir and by not being able to pass the initiation."

She looked around more carefully this time then got up. Aleka and Alala watched her carefully. Aleka got up and followed her. "What's the matter?"

"Some one has been cleaning this place."

"You mean it's…"

Acheta looked at Alala with a raised eyebrow. "You don't think this place has a shade that keeps house, do you?"

"No, of course not." Aleka however glanced around her. She had seen too much to discount any possibility.

Alala had the same idea as she too looked around. "Were those three from this place, by any chance?"

Acheta looked amused. She waved her hand towards the walls in the room where the two were laying. "It's there on the walls for all those who enter to see it. To know is to be forewarned. Here in this library is where the dreamtime was used to visit wise souls in any realm they were in. The person's body was safe as long as it remained within the circle. A trusted friend or mentor watched on the outside." Acheta raised her head. "When I was a little girl, I went into the circle by myself and had no one on the outside. I visited a realm I had no understanding of and came back frightened with no one to explain to me what I had witnessed."

"What about your mother or grandmother?" Alala asked.

"My grandmother had died two winters before that visit. My mother died while trying to find food for me the next winter. I was pretty much on my own. Some of the older villagers needed a young person to care for them so I didn't have to worry about a roof over my head or food in my mouth. But they were not doing so well themselves. I learned a lot about survival from them. What they could not do to prepare for the tough winters, I could and they would tell me what they needed. I tried to pass this on to the new arrivals or the committee but they were too busy to listen to a little girl."

"What of your father?"

"He was a solider and died a solider. He didn't visit much. Foot soldiers don't get much time off for family life unless their family traveled with them."

Aleka nodded. She knew exactly how it was. The women and children followed in the caravan behind the army. They were the last to arrive and the last to leave. But their value to the moral of the army was crucial and it gave soldiers that lost the guts to fight a chance to still stay with the group by watching over the caravan that had their food, camp equipment and families. In the beginning she had been harsh on those in her own army that lost the blood lust but she later realized that they were the best protectors of their supplies. To make up for their dislike of the killing in the villages they raided they fought harder when the supplies were attacked. Aleka shook her head as she brought her attention back to the present.

She looked over at the dark heap sitting in the other room. "I noticed he's a sorcerer. Do you have a way to render him harmless?" She didn't want to be too quick about getting rid of him for she may need him to help bring Gabrielle back. She didn't want to burn any bridges.

"You can open up the circle with that talisman and put him in there." she suggested.

"Where would that put him?" Aleka asked suspiciously.

"In dreamtime."

"With those two?"

"I don't' think I want to add to Iaia's problems." Aleka shook her head determinedly.

"How long is the drug suppose to last?"

"For a full movement of the sun."

Aleka was trying to remember something another shaman had told her about how to immobilize another. The trouble was, she like the shaman, always killed anyone that was a threat to her. The alternative alluded her. This was not a good time to forget things like that. She returned to his body and started to see what he had on him. Objects from his person were placed in a pile next to Acheta who studied them without touching.

"This is his power piece." She pointed to the ring on his hand. Aleka stopped what she was doing and looked at a ring again. It had an unusual design and a stone she didn't recognize.

"I've never seen the design before." Alala pursed her lips. She had visited many libraries, as most of Athena's priestesses were encouraged to do and she had not seen anything even close to it.

"The stone is from his dreamtime. The design is probably his own totem from there."

Aleka suddenly remembered what it was that she could do to keep him under without killing him. Picking up the ring she picked up the talisman to open the circle. Quickly she leaned over Gabrielle's body and placed the ring in her palm the came back out.

She was hoping she was doing right.

Chapter 35

 

"So what do you think of the story," Iaia asked as she stopped for a rest.

"It's a dumb story. Nothing like that happens in the real world."

"Sure it does. People can change, they just have to want to."

"I don't see anyone changing just because they fell in love with a place."

"Well that place was magical in its beauty. Haven't you ever been to a special place that, - she paused as she pictured one place where it never ceased to move her beyond words. Near a streambed was a small waterfall. There was a magnificent view from one flat rock that overlooked one point along that river, with room for two. The view faced a break in the mountains that surrounded the area and where the moon could be seen, with it full face, raising into the night sky. The stars started to fill the entire night sky as the moon finished its ascent. By then there was no more room for any more stars without it becoming as bright as the daytime sky. No, there was nothing as beautiful as that sky from that rock. The best time to visit was fall. Everything seemed to be sharper at that time.

"No," the angry tone interrupted her memories.

Iaia turned to her. "Either you don't travel much, or you don't stop to - smell the roses."

The white haired woman glared at Iaia. She turned and resumed her walk.

"So what's your name?" Iaia asked.

"I don't have one."

"What would you like to be called?"

There was silence for a moment. "Gabrielle."

Iaia turned to look at the woman. That's what Alala called her.

"Alright, Gabrielle. My name's Iaia." Two can play this game, she thought smugly.

For some reason that seemed to make the white haired woman happy for she walked closer to Iaia as Iaia started another story. This was a comedy about two of the gods looking for one of their sandals whom the mischievous cupid had switched the left sandal to each pair. Without their sandals they couldn't return to Mt. Olympus.

Toward the end of the story Iaia realized her voice was coming back as an echo. The end of the tunnel was sudden and it opened into a cavern that was larger than what she had ever seen. The energy that was moving around had the hairs on her arms standing up to say nothing about the hairs at the back of her neck.

This must be the place, Iaia thought. She looked around and carefully peered over the edge. She leaned back trying to get her heart back under control. There was a glow to the cavern walls where Iaia felt were things she didn't want to know lived. The glow seemed to go on with no bottom in sight. She didn't want to look again to see if she was mistaken.

White hair leaned over and looked around. To Iaia, she was hanging precariously over the edge and by the pulse point on her neck, it was for show, unless that's how she got her kicks, scarring herself.

Iaia began to look for something that would give her a clue as to what she was supposed to do. They were on a lip that extended into the cavern. She couldn't figure out where the glow was coming from. She touched the talisman around her neck and could feel its warmth.

"I'm going to sit here for a moment." Maybe if she just sat and waited, something would happen.

"There's nowhere to go." The angry voice echoed off the walls and built up into a reverberating shout of loss of hope.

Iaia couldn't bear it. "Have some faith," she said holding her hands to ears from the echo.

"What?"

"I said, have faith!"

"Do what?" The echo was still reverberating too loud for either to hear the other clearly.

"Have FAITH!" Iaia raised her voice. The word faith rumbled and started to pick up the echo through out the cavern. Iaia smiled as she thought of how fun it would be to shout words to send the unhealthy glow back to where it came from.

Standing up she thought about what she wanted to shout. A chant. She started out slowly then as the echo returned she added move volume then lessened and continued to have fun with the pleasant noise that filled the chamber.

"Hades, woman!" Evana complained holding her ears but making no effort to stop her.

Iaia stopped for a moment to enjoy the echoes and looked over the walls where the glow was brightening. She started another that had a different cadence and tone.

"RaaaaMaaaaOmmmmm!" she begin.

"Enough!" Evana had one hand covering one ear and with the other she struck Gabrielle in the center of her back with a chobo.

Iaia staggered to her knees trying not to fall too close to the edge. This was all too familiar. She rolled over pulling her staff up and attempting to sweep the white haired woman's feet from under her as she had moved toward Iaia with the other chobo in a raised position.

The look in her eyes told Iaia she was in trouble. What set her off, she wondered?

They circled each other with neither making a move. Iaia started to hum to herself as she watched the other.

"Shut up!" White hair made two faints then on the third aimed for Iaia's head. Iaia neatly caught the club with her staff that was aimed for her head and the counter move to her mid section, then made two solid connections to white hair causing her to land on her back knocking the breath out of her.

Iaia turned back toward the edge of the and continued her chants, not really knowing why she was doing it except it was fun and sounded really neat to have the echoes come back at her. She kept an eye on the white haired woman. Suddenly her eyes widened as she saw a dark cloaked figure materialize out of no where.

She stopped her chanting and got a tighter grip on her staff. She moved away from the edge of the lip they were on and circled the new figure that leaned down to look at white hair who slapped his hand away angrily.

Iaia tried to move toward the tunnel but the dark cloak moved quickly and blocked it. White hair got to her feet and started to slowly swing both chobos in menacing sweeps at Iaia.

Oh, Oh, she thought. She decided a chant was in order. She started another that would take less concentration. It didn't echo as well as the other for she wasn't close to the lip, but it did pick up.

"Shut her up!" the dark cloaked figure shouted not daring to move from blocking the exit.

"You shut her up, Dagio!" White hair shouted back as she made a half-hearted swipe at Iaia.

Iaia didn't fall for the move and stepped back then did a turn that gave her a close enough position to take a jab at Dagio. It was thin air, for he moved just enough to be missed. Iaia was quickly covering her back and knowingly blocked White Hairs swipe and then turned around and met her head on.

The air stirred around them and Aleka's figure materialized. She reached out and tossed toward Iaia a ring then disappeared.

Iaia shifted her staff and picked up the ring. It was hot to the touch. The dark cloak screeched and left his place as he rushed her. When he knocked Iaia down she lost her grip on the ring which went flying toward white hair. She picked it up and juggled it in her hand.

"Evana, give it to ME!" Dagio demanded.

"Why, Dagio?" She kept an eye on Iaia but couldn't resist goading the dark cloaked man as he slowly moved toward her.

Iaia watched fascinated.

"It's just a ring." She kept an eye on him while laying the ring on the tip of one of the chobos. She studied the ring for a moment. "Hmm. And what does this mean…Aha!"

Dagio had her around the neck as he tried to seize the ring from her but it had fallen to the ground and Gabrielle used her staff to knock the ring away from him. Why was it so important to keep from him? And - who is he? He's wearing a dark cloak which means he's working for the Dark One, Iaia thought. Didn't Alala say the fire was what would destroy the talisman? So wouldn't it do something to the ring? No. When Hope fell into Dahak's flame she was saved. So, if the fire is the Dark One's it wouldn't destroy something that was its own. So how do you destroy something that is evil or part of the evil one?

Iaia had to dance out of the way quickly as Dagio and Evana dived for the ring that she had knocked to edge of the lip they were on. Should she wait to see who would win? What was her purpose here? Iaia looked at the walls around and noted that the dim lighting that felt bad was gone and a cleaner light was glowing from the walls.

Instead she resumed her chanting keeping her eyes on the two as they wrestled for the ring. She watched in amazement as the glow started to pulse with her chant. The light did become brighter and was lighting up the entire chamber.

Daigo finally got the ring from Evana and was about to slip it on his finger when Iaia sent her staff end slamming down on his hand and the ring rolled over the rim. Dagio screamed and clutched his chest as he looked over the ledge.

Furious he turned to Iaia and rushed at her. She was hoping if the ring went over he would sort of vanish, but then, not everything happens as one hopes. She stopped her chanting and tried to push him aside with a side step and staff but Dagio had a firm grip on her wrist and whirled her around. Iaia did all she could to hold onto her staff. As she was spun around she could see Evana's furious face whirl by her. She didn't know which one she was more afraid of. Dagio let her go to slam into the side of the wall, which she did do and slid down the wall stunned but still gripping her staff.

Evana looked around her as the light continued to become brighter. "Dagio, we have got to get out of here!"

Dagio quickly moved to Iaia's side and pulled on the staff from her stiff fingers. Weakly she resisted but he was able to pull it from her. Once in possession of it he brought it down towards her head. Iaia was able to roll partially out of the way taking the blow on her hip. She moved her feet in a scissors move and caught the staff as it was coming down on her again. Evana drew a short blade from her waist. "Get outta the way Dagio!"

Iaia was thinking they had a strange relationship if one moment she's attacking him and the next moment helping him.

Everything around Iaia started to move in rolls. She felt like she was on a ship. That did not sit well with her stomach. Evana tossed her knife aiming for Iaia's heart. Dagio didn't wait for the results but headed for the exit as the ground beneath them moved too much to keep balance. Evana lost her footing after she threw the knife and scrambled to unsteady feet, stumbling as if drunk, toward the exit.

The knife caught on the tip of the amulet around Iaia's neck piercing her skin. The force of the toss and shock of the knife flying her way knocked the breath out of her and while lying on her back she watched the ceiling above her that was brightened by the light that was shining from the walls, revealing an interesting design. It reminded her of the pattern on the mosaic floor.

Iaia closed her eyes and wished she were back in a world where the ground didn't feel like an uneasy ship cresting then plunging down on one of Poseidon's giant waves. She didn't know how long she laid with her eyes shut tightly trying not to think of her stomach's flip flops, when it dawned on her that the smell and shaking was no longer around her. Cautiously she opened her eyes and found herself staring at the ceiling of what she knew to be the library in the gray city.

She became aware of a voice calling her back.

"Red!"

She attempted to sit up quickly but two pairs of hands gently held her on her back. "Wait a moment." Alala and Acheta were on both sides of her with Aleka standing on the outside of the mosaic keeping an eye on white hair and the man in the dark cloak. Red caught the bright blue eyes flashing in the torchlight, filled with worry.

"I'm alright." Red slowly rose, looking toward Evana's body that was still not moving, then the other figure on the other side of her. She closed her eyes for a moment remembering her encounter with the dark cloaked figure. With the memory came an awareness of the throbbing in her hip where she had absorbed the blow from her staff. Opening her eyes she gazed at Aleka.

The two women stood on each side of her and helped her out of the circle.

"So, what's the grin for?" Aleka asked smiling.

"That ring you gave me livened up the party."

"Where are they?" Alala asked as she picked up the arms of the unconscious dark cloaked figure following Acheta's hand directions.

"Dagio and Evana both took off down a tunnel. I stayed in the cavern."

Aleka helped her move the man into the circle. "What are you going to do?" Aleka asked.

"Redirect them." Acheta told them.

"You're not going to let them stay in dreamtime are you?" Red asked doubtfully. She was worried what they would do if left there.

"No. I will let Eros or Hades find them." She smiled. "I will put bells around their ankles so that they cannot be missed."

Suddenly her smile faded. "It's is dark. They come at this time."

"We aren't going to leave you," Alala told her quickly.

Aleka nodded. "What do you want us to do?"

She took a deep breath and looked at the two bodies. "I will travel to dreamtime and see what more needs to be done."

"We will wait for you," Aleka said.

Acheta took her place in the center of the mosaic pattern with the two unconscious forms on either side of her. She lay between them and crossed her hands over her stomach. Red could see a small figure she held between her thumb. She shuddered when she realized it was a carving of an asp.

Aleka and Alala settled near the doorway keeping Red between them as they kept an eye on the circle and the doorway. The outside had grown dark and what light was filtering in from the outside was no more. Aleka and Alala had collected torches from what Dagio and Evana had brought and kept them nearby, but resisted lighting them. They didn't want to change the atmosphere that Acheta needed to accomplish her own initiation into the dreamtime and the journey to make sure the two next to her either returned or were not up to further mischief.

Regardless of her recent trip to dreamtime and not really caring to return due to her previous experience, Red fell asleep. She had wrestled with her lids that wanted to shut but she had nothing to keep her awake. The mixture Dagio had given her was still influencing her. Alala and Aleka had shared some food with her but it wasn't enough to keep her awake. Her head started to sag towards Aleka's shoulder and finally settled comfortably as she sighed softly and let Morpheus take her. Aleka put a comforting arm around her and relished the arm that slid across her abdomen in the unconscious display of familiarity.

****

Aleka was quietly going over in her mind how far they had traveled and how far they still had to go and the time left. It was a challenge to her to be able to make their destination on time and at the same time take care of the side adventures. Wasn't that what Xena's life was all about? She chuckled at the thought of the side adventures.

Alala leaned forward and looked at her in the dark. Aleka's sharp vision could see her shadowed head trying to see what she was laughing about.

"Just thinking," she whispered to Alala. She could imagine the red eyebrows rising in curiosity.

Red merely shifted her position and tried to get a more comfortable pillow out of her arm, tightening her arm around Aleka's stomach as if to prevent her from going anywhere. Aleka was about to explain when both women suddenly came alert. There was movement from the other room that caught their attention.

Aleka gently moved Red to rest against the hard wall, while getting up with Red's staff in her hands. Alala was already standing facing the doorway.

Aleka didn't want to leave Red unguarded and was thinking about waking her when a soft light appeared as if someone had lit a torch.

Chapter 36

More Visitors to the Gray City

Lily motioned to the women on the outer parameter of the village to come in. They had beaten back the dark cloaks twice with less returning each time. The inexperienced soldiers lost the desire to attack the village once Lily and Erica had eliminated the two leaders before they had reached the village boundaries. It was a pathetic group compared to the first group that they had encountered when they had rescued Gabrielle. But it wasn't done without a few minor injuries to some of the women, both from their encounters with the black cloaks and from inexperience in battles. A few fell from trees or fell over unfamiliar ground.

Minor, but embarrassing injuries, Lily smirked, as she took a mental inventory of the group. She had also sustained an injury but it was a warrior's injury, a knife wound. She was rather proud of it and grateful it only required a few stitches.

The priestesses that had befriended the women in the village through Acheta had teamed together and in effect brought the men out of their dream stupor with an herb drink made from the bark of the yohimbe tree that wouldn't let whoever drank the herb sleep.

"So where is everyone?" Lily looked around the inn as the warriors and their charges gathered. Corita and Martha had large grins on their faces.

Loris snorted and started to laugh at Domica's red face. "Let's just say that this will be a very busy place in nine months for the midwife."

"What?"

"Martha suggested we use an herb that is usually used for couples that have low sexual interest in each other."

"We gave it to the women when they came over and told them to mix it in their husband's and their food. No use one feeling amorous and not the other."

"Hades codpiece," Erica said. "This place is going to have to rededicate to another goddess."

"Well, it's about time the men start paying attention to who is keeping their homes together. When Acheta gets back we're going to take back this town. If the uppity men don't like it, they can leave," Martha announced heatedly. "I've had it with these last ten seasons. I want to live into old age with a smile on my face. Who wants to be a dour old woman?"

The others laughed and agreed.

Lily nodded to Agnes who joined her. "Just what did you give them?" she whispered to Agnes. Agnes smiled and tilted her head.

"Nothing that a priestess in Aphrodite's Temple wouldn't to a woman who comes with a prayer that her husband turn his attentions back to her." Agnes batted her eyelashes holding her hands in front of her in a supplicant's posture.

"Oh. An aphrodisiac."

"Oh, no! Not just any. This one has been blessed and passed through the heat of many an errant husband and wife, I might add."

"So, whatever it is, it's been well tested," Erica said.

"Yes!" Eleanor laughed as she held up her finger to the air. "The bark of the yohimbe tree with a good dose of honey and for those who like the stronger flavor a bit of damiana with thorn apple and honey. Hmmm. Good."

The women laughed.

"So, what are we going to do now? It's getting dark," Grace asked.

Lily nodded. She didn't like the group being separated. The longer they were separated the less strength they had as a group and more importantly, the Named was not amongst them. She could feel it and from what Agnes had told her, the others were also feeling it.

"Corita, do you think the village is any danger?"

"Not tonight," she laughed.

Lily nodded.

"You want to join your friends," Loris said.

Lily nodded.

Corita motioned them over to a table and begin drawing them directions with a wet finger on the light wood surface.

"Down below in the tunnel Acheta told me there is a passage that leads into the village. It's the seventh pillar. I don't think your friends will leave Acheta alone during this night."

Lily nodded. "All right everyone, get your gear ready. We won't take the horses. We're going to need torches and food. I'm sure the Queen shall be very hungry."

The others laughed relived that they would be rejoining their friends and the Named.

"Another thing," Corita told them before they dispersed to get ready. "You cannot enter the village with swords or bows. A staff or a small belt knife, I have heard that some have gotten by with that. But the obvious weapons, no."

Lily looked at Erica then at the others. They all nodded. They were going into the Gray Valley regardless of Acheta's portents of dire consequences; therefore, it was best not to press their welcome by bringing in objects that the guardians of the village found objectionable.

"We will leave our weapons and take only what is made of wood."

Loris and Corita gave them hugs before they started down into the cellar. "We'll watch over your horses and belongings. May the goddess guide you on your path and bless you with sight."

****

Twelve women silently moved down the long tunnel whose smooth sides showed scenes from a village life from long ago. They didn't study the work closely as Lily kept them moving at a fast pace and Erica who was at the end made sure no one lagged.

Lily remembered that Acheta talked of the library being where the shaman's accessed dreamtime. That would be their first stop. She read the symbols at each opening that branched off into another direction, looking for something that would look like a symbol for a library.

"Agnes," Lily called her over as she studied the third branch off the main tunnel.

"What does that look like to you?"

"Hmm. A torch, a branch and …water?"

"I think this is the library. On one of those wall paintings they showed a picture of people sitting around reading or listening to someone where there was a torch, a tree and a small fountain."

"Close enough."

Lily led the way moving faster now, certain she was right. The cap to the stairwell was pushed back, which made her hesitate. She moved up into the room with her torch extinguished. She could hear the movement of the others as they also moved into the room.

The dark shadows were grayer around what Lily felt was a doorway and after getting over her first initial feeling of fright at the life like statues that surrounded the room she was able to feel the change in energy in the room. She felt Agnes tug at her elbow.

"They're in there!" she whispered in Lily's ear.

Cautiously Lily approached the doorway. She didn't know why it was quiet nor why they didn't have any torches lit. As she approached the room she could see the soft glow that was coming from the patterns on the floor. What caused her heart to pound was recognizing Acheta's body between two strangers. Lily quickly stepped into the room.

Lily felt a very strong hand around her throat as she was lifted off her feet. Aleka quickly released her when she realized who she was.

The others came rushing into the dark bumping into each other.

"Don't step on the patterns!" Alala warned them trying not to laugh, from relief.

Aleka and the others met in the main room of the library, lighting torches and finding convenient sockets for them. Agnes and Alala stayed in the smaller room watching over Acheta. Red was still sleeping from the effects of the nightshade.

Lily had been wondering what explanation she was going to give to Aleka at why they all came, leaving the village unprotected.

"I'm glad you're all here," Aleka told them quietly. It was a relief that they were for she was getting anxious that she was letting the others down by leaving them for a more personal mission. It was the second time she had done that.

Lily grinned in relief. "Well, it's nice to hear that you agree."

"Now what are we going to do?" Erica asked.

"We're watching over Acheta. She's gone to see what's going on in dreamtime."

"Didn't she say anyone who comes here and spends the night is in some sort of danger?" Camila spoke everyone's fear.

"I'm thinking about that. From what I can see with these drawings on the walls, it has to do with dreaming. I think the key is in the wall paintings. With all of us here some can be put on watch and the others can go around reading what the paintings are saying."

"Well, then, let's start reading them and see what we can come up with." Lily handed the others torches.

Berik and Kynthia, take the other room," Aleka said. "Brona and Erica you two with Catherine and Camila can take this room. Grace and Gari can take watch over the stairwell, with one of you reading the runes. Everyone, stay alert. Lily and Eleanor can take watch near the doorway. Though it's blocked, I don't trust it."

The two nodded. Aleka went back into the inner room to see how things were going.

It didn't look good. Aleka stood in the doorway trying to get an idea on what was not right. Gabrielle was back in the center.

"What's…"

Agnes grabbed her arm to silence her.

"She felt there was something going wrong and went back in before we could stop her. I guess it was something she saw in her own dream. It seems she doesn't need the talisman to open the portal. She's wearing a necklace to open it when she wishes. We saw it flash when she stepped into the circle."

That twist in her gut again. A hiss from the other room brought her back to Lily's side. Sounds from the stairwell could be heard and the stone at the front of the library doorway was moving aside.

"Amazons, ready yourselves," Lily called softly.

Aleka turned to the two in the smaller room and motioned them back. She stood in the center of the room with Gabrielle's staff waiting. Studying the others, she noticed they only had staffs or chobos. No metal weapons.

When the last of the obstructions in front of the doorway was removed by their attackers, dark cloaked figures came in brandishing swords. The moment they crossed the doorway it was as if encountered an adversary that easily tossed them back into the darkened street. Besides the result of the attackers being physically tossed back, those inside felt a burst of energy that pushed them back two steps.

Aleka motioned for the others not to pursue the dark cloaks out onto the street. "Hold your positions!" It was tempting to take them out while they lay in the street stunned.

"There's too many coming up the stairwell!" one of the women shouted. Aleka went to assist. Bodies were falling back onto those trying to make it up the stairs, but they kept on coming. Aleka wondered where they were all coming from. There had been no evidence of a large army nearby, which would be hard to hide considering how much supplies they would need to sustain them. When there was a pause, Aleka moved the heavy coverstone back over the hole. She left one woman there and went back to the front entrance where the attacking soliders were still being tossed back when they stepped over the door sill.

"What's going on?" Aleka asked Lily who was watching amused.

"Corita told us not to bring metal weapons in here. Looks like no one told them. I was thinking to split the group up so some of them are always at rest."

"Good idea. Also send a priestess and warrior to check out those rooms upstairs. Have them check in a regular intervals."

When the moon reached its zenith the dark cloaks disappeared.

"That's creepy," an Amazon said.

"What do you think?" Eleanor asked.

Lily looked around suspiciously.

"Take care of any wounds and remember not to sleep in here." Aleka turned back into the room to see how the people in the circle were doing.

"Agnes, anything to report?"

"It's too early to know."

"How long is this supposed to last?" Aleka asked.

"A candle mark till dawn."

"What can we do to help?"

"More energy," Agnes said.

Aleka turned back into the other room. "I need four women."

"What do you have planned?" Lily asked.

"Chanting."

"Kynthia, Candra, Berik and Gari you're needed in the dream room. For how long do you need them?"

"Till their voice tires, then we'll need replacements."

"Agnes we need to set up your relief, Eleanor or Grace. Let's get a rotation set up for the chanters now so we don't have a delay."

The four women moved quickly taking their places. Agnes thought for a moment at what to chant then turned to Aleka. "Can you remember specifically any chants for dream protection while you were in training? It's odd but, I can't think of any."

Aleka began a chant without giving it any thought, getting a resonation from energy within the room instantly.

"That's it," Agnes said. "Look, the lines light up along the outer design."

When the four women repeated it the stones vibrated under them and the glow in the circle deepened.

 

****

"Agnes, there's something wrong!" Red woke up suddenly and moved for a better view of Acheta. She could see the pulse in her neck was beating faster. "I'm going to help," she said.

Agnes had dozed off for a moment and jumped up startled with Red's announcement. Red crossed the outer circle before any of the others could prevent her.

"How did she do that!" Agnes asked breathlessly. For her and the others the barrier was a physical presence.

Once inside of the circle Red's image became overshadowed with a taller light brown haired woman. It was Iaia. Each finger was covered in rings and her hair was bound back with a scarf showing a scar on her neck. The figure separated from Red's form as the bright red haired figure lay so that her body was beneath the other three's feet. It gave the impression that she was holding the other sleeping bodies with her own body. As soon as Red shut her eyes the figure of Iaia looked at the women outside of the circle and disappeared."

Iaia found herself in a familiar grass field only this time the grass had a clear path leading toward the cliffs. It looked like more than two people had passed this way. In her hand she had the same staff she had thought she left on her last visit to this place. It still had the wolf's face set in a comical grin this time with blue stones set in its eyes. Without hesitation she hurried toward the cliffs. As she jogged along she remembered to remove the rings from her fingers and tuck them into her small pouch at her waist. Obviously Iaia liked rings.

At the foot of the cliff she met the same asp, or so it seemed.

"You're back," it said.

"I am looking for the shaman. Did she go your way?"

"Yes."

Iaia hesitated. "I think she needs help. I would like to help her."

The asp studied her as it rose. Iaia held onto her staff tightly for support for she could feel her legs go numb with fear.

"Where she went is for shamans."

"I heard those that seek inspiration from dreamtime go to the place for shamans and all are not shamans."

"Yes. There are many who are not shamans that seek this place."

"I also understand that those who failed as shamans remain."

"That is another place."

Iaia for some reason felt that was where she wanted to go. If she were Acheta that is where she would have gone to help those that needed the help the most, and it would be the most likely place the dark one would seize first. Didn't Agnes say the dark one fed on despairs of the soul?

"That is where I wish to go," Iaia told the asp firmly.

The asp lowered itself to the ground and wiggled it's way up the side of the cliff with Iaia following. They stopped in front of a small hole that Iaia would have to squeeze to enter.

"You will need a guide so that you don't get lost. Do you wish for one?"

Iaia looked at the asp for a moment and wondered at the question. Was this some type of trick question? Or was this where the asp would bite her?

"I would like one, but let me ask for your wisdom in this matter. For me to assist the shaman in her quest, what will I need?"

The asp rose up one more time and bit Iaia so quickly on the arm that she didn't have time to react.

"It's your quest also, young one. Let your madness from my bite assist you in your search for the correct path through these tunnels. Here your light will not show you the way."

Iaia looked at her arm for the bite marks but could see none, yet the arm was sore. She bent down and cautiously peered into the dark hole. She could see absolutely nothing.

Iaia didn't fear darkness for she had spent so many nights alone in the darkness dreaming up paintings that reflected the sun and its effect on what it shinned upon as well as the colors that radiated from her human subjects. Gabrielle however, remembered the darkness as bringing her nightmares and was hesitant about entering the tunnel.

Iaia crawled in and was immediately engulfed by the darkness. The opening behind her disappeared. "Oh, Goddess," she thought as she used her free hand to find the side of the tunnel. The dirt crumbled under her fingertips not giving her much comfort. She reached above her to touch the ceiling and was relieved to find that only the entrance was low. She used the wall to stand feeling the numbness of her right arm start to ache. For a moment she gathered her resolve, remembering that in dreamtime she created her own reality.

"My arm is not numb and doesn't hurt," she mumbled to herself. It was hard for her to believe that as the throb got worse. Sighing, she moved forward using her staff to feel the ground before her.

Sound was magnified for the shuffling of her feet over the uneven floor was loud just as her staff tapped before her became a loud noise. The dirt that she could not see that was dislodged from her shoulder's contact with the sides of the wall was noisy as it hit the ground. Gradually what was black was giving way to shades of black and gray. Her arm was weary as the staff became heavy.

When did she become aware of the soft crying? Was it there all this time and she only now became aware of it?

Iaia stood still for a moment, letting her arm rest from the weight of the staff. The arm the asp had bit had become numb up to her shoulders and was moving down her right side. Turning toward the sound she listened carefully. Was it crying?

Iaia started her walk toward the sound using the staff to let her know what was before her. The sudden resistance that her staff met loosened it from her tired grasp. By then her entire right side was becoming numb and her leg was dragging as if partially asleep. Lowering herself awkwardly she felt around for the staff. Flexing her tired hand she grasped it and rose to continue to explore the resistance she had met. Cautiously she walked around it. Suddenly the staff met no resistance on the ground and Iaia had to hold tight to not lose it. Iaia carefully approached the drop and listened.

"Acheta!" she called softly.

"Aiiiieeee. Who is there?" an unfamiliar voice called back to her.

"I am Iaia, from dreamtime. Who are you?" she called back in the same soft voice.

"I -- I don't know who I am." And the sound of crying came to her.

"Can you walk? Are you injured?" Iaia asked concerned.

The crying stopped and finally the voice admitted she could walk fine. "But I am lost and can't find my way back to the path."

"Well I'm going to stick my staff over this drop. See if you can touch it."

After a few moments Iaia could feel something take hold of the staff. Soon she was face to face with a dark shape that had wound itself up her staff. Iaia's terror paralyzed her. The scream in her throat could not come out as her neck muscles tightened.

"You fear me, but you should not. I too was a woman at one time. A magician had turned me into this form as punishment for not doing his bidding. When I tried to escape in this form, I fell into this pit."

Iaia held her breath as the form untangled itself from her staff. Iaia had never seen the python in Gaia's temple but this shadow was certainly big.

"Do you know how to get out of here?" the python asked.

"I came that way but as soon as I stepped in the tunnel the entrance disappeared."

"The medallion you wear will reopen it," the python told her.

Iaia touched it and could feel the heat it radiated. Looking down at it she realized that it had a dim glow to it.

"I can't leave now. I came to help a friend."

"You have a friend down here?" the python asked disbelieving.

"Yes. I think she came down here to free those that have been trapped by another."

"That is quite a task. Not even Morpheus has power down here."

"Why? I mean he has power?"

"Not down here. Do you know where you are?"

"In dreamtime where the shamans go when they have failed their initiation."

"That is a very brief description. It's a state of being or nonbeing. It can be soothing or excruciating. Or, that's the way it used to be in Inana's time. Since this other power had moved in, it is always excruciating. It draws others into what used to be a sacred space and demands that we who have been here to keep the new souls here. Those that do not obey its commands are turned into other shapes that put fear into those that it brings here. There are many souls trapped here that should have not been brought here."

"What other shapes are here?"

"Think of the scariest thing you have created in your dreamtime and that is what you will find. We that have been shaped changed were turned into what we feared the most."

"Shamans are supposed to be able to shape change. Why can't you just change back?"

"That is the question that we all have asked."

"I need to help my friend. Do you know if she passed by here?"

"I have heard many pass by here. They usually fear my cries or tell me they will return with help to pull me out."

"Where would someone go from here-besides out."

"There is no out that I have found, without a key, like on your neck. But to go further, is to move to your left. That way you will not fall into this pit."

"I will return with my friend and others and I will get us out."

"Thank you for not asking me to go along with you."

"You haven't asked me for the medallion. Why?"

"Because it works only for the one who was bestowed it. The power that is here will want you to let it out."

"The dark one is trapped here too?"

"We don't name things that we don't wish to give power to. We need to be at peace with ourselves and accept our failures, but this being has us focused on our despair and pain. We are weak in our own fears."

"You sound like you have it all together," Iaia told her.

"After being in the pit for so long without its nightmares. It may have forgotten me. But I am in this shape and can't move to the next level."

"What has shape to do with anything? If it does, then you change yourself into another shape. In dreamtime, all things are possible." Iaia couldn't remember where she had heard that from or even if she had. "I hope you - find yourself." Iaia picked up her staff and turned herself in the direction the python had indicated and continued on.

"What happened to you?" the python asked when she stumbled on her numb leg.

Iaia turned back. "I got bit by an asp." She grinned.

"Why don't you will it away?" the python asked.

"It's easier to preach then practice it." Iaia laughed.

"It will wear off. It is the venom that will give you sight in this underworld. Blessings of the goddess be with you," python hissed.

The snake was right for as she continued on she began to feel more of her leg and her fingertips. The distraction nearly cost her the loss of her staff. Suddenly there was no ground to tap. On her hands and knees her hands felt the smooth surface of a break in the ground and by further investigation, steps leading down. For a moment she listened, straining to hear anything, but all she heard was her heart beating.

Cautiously she started down the stairs. It was the fourth step when an obnoxious odor engulfed her in a cloud. Her stomach threatened to turn itself inside out as she stumbled down the last three steps and leaned against the wall. Something moved to the left of her and she went toward it. As she moved forward it moved away.

"Hey," Iaia tried not to gag. "I'm not going to hurt you. Are you a shaman?"

The figure paused. "I'm looking for a friend." Iaia breathed shallowly before continuing. "She arrived a short time ago. She's a shaman too. Have you seen her?"

"Time has no meaning here," came the answer.

"Have -you seen anyone before me?"

"I have seen many before you." Iaia could see the shadow coming closer.

"The one you seek. She said she was here to open the way again." The shadow whispered. "Is that true?"

"She is going to try her best and I'm here to help her."

The shadow shifted her position and Iaia realized why when a sudden gust of air blew from where the figure had been standing. Iaia was grateful she had shifted.

"She has gone to the lake." The figure turned and gestured toward shadows that appeared to be bushes.

"To the lake. Is it far from here? Is there a path?"

The tiny voice started to laugh. "This is dreamtime. The path is what you make it to be, or so it was before ---before it came." Her laugh turned bitter.

"It can still be. We usually make out our fears to be more than what they really are. And the more we think about it the bigger the fear seems to be. Sometimes facing it and accepting the fear as part of ourselves, makes it less of a burden."

"You have not been down here long. Go and leave me of your talk. That is of no use here." The dark figure turned back into the shadows and disappeared.

"Okay. This is dreamtime," Iaia said to herself. "My own experiences make up the fears I face. I just put a mask on it so I can't consciously recognize it. So, whatever I run across in here, is just…my own fear. So, get a grip and let's go walking - on the wild side." She shivered as she felt the long shadowed leaves brush against her exposed neck. As she went further in her legs sometimes became entangled with the leaves or they wrapped around the staff that she used to probe the area before her.

Some feeling was returning to her numb arm as she found out when she ran into a tree whose shadow she had missed while looking another way. She found herself picking herself up from the ground and searching in the shadows for her staff.

On her hands and knees she realized she could feel the ground below her as if it were a living thing. At last her hands found her staff. Suddenly a gray muzzle moved out of the dark fern cover. Iaia held her breath as she felt warmth from it directed to her. Was it because it had the same comical expression on its face as that on her staff?

The wolf had moved out from behind the ferns and sat regarding her.

"Okay. Lake. Where -- ah." She heard a splash and the soft sounds of a voice to her right. "Well, that's where I gotta go," she told the wolf. Cautiously she started in that direction.

Iaia found Acheta sitting on a large rock near the water of the lake talking to a beast that would have had her petrified in fear if she hadn't already known that these were shamans who had been changed into frightful creatures from their own dreams.

Acheta turned to see what was behind her. For a moment she paused not recognizing her. Her eyes moved to the silver wolf that was at her side.

"Acheta. Remember me? Amazons, priestesses, village…"

"Actually, I recognized the wolf. Aleka's friend. Are you…?"

"I'm Red in Iaia's spirit."

"I am not surprised to see you here." Her eyes returned to the silver wolf. "And for that matter…nor your guardian."

Iaia was puzzled about referring to the wolf as Aleka's friend. "I thought you might need some help."

"It's kind of you to offer. You can open the portal easier than I. This is Dadoucies. He was a shaman from a neighboring village who had failed to come back." She smiled at the scary figure. "I was but a child then. I had thought to look for him because of a dream I had, and in my own childish naiveté thought I could."

"You sure had some frightening dreams."

The creature lifted it's muzzle and howled, scarring the Tartarus out of Iaia. Iaia dropped her hand instinctively to the ruffled fur of the silver wolf whose low growl gave Iaia comfort.

"Not so loud Dadoucies. It will alert it," Acheta soothed.

"Do you happen to have a plan?" Iaia asked hopefully.

"Yes. I plan on facing the jailer."

Iaia shuddered. She was beginning to think she attracted people with over active warrior glands ."I think there may be another way. I mean I don't doubt your courage, but if this thing has been down here this long, what makes you think facing it is going to -- get rid of it?"

"Can you think of a better way? While I keep it busy, Dadoucies will lead the others through the passage to another realm."

"What other realm?"

"Dadoucies said he heard there was another near by."

"If it's nearby then what makes you think it doesn't have that one too?" A smart warrior would somehow even the odds. So how could they even the odds? Slight of hand? A trick here or there?

"Wait a minute here. This is still part of dreamtime, right?"

Acheta nodded.

"Well, I heard that some people can change their dreams. Why can't we?"

"I ran into a Python back in the tunnel who said they had tried that when it first came into this dream realm. They believe it was a shaman who became trapped and rather than change and move on, it strove to take over," Acheta recounted.

Iaia nodded. "I met her."

"We need to go back and let her out before I do anything. Dadocines said there are others trapped in pits and other things, but it is what their fear created so it has been difficult to help. The new souls that are being trapped cannot help for they are frightened by what they see. There is a spell on those that stay past three candlemarks from the moon's zenith," Acheta explained.

"Don't tell me, let me guess. We all turn into the monster of our dreams."

"Yes."

"Great. Right now a nasty war lord doesn't sound so bad."

The gray wolf looked up at her and growled.

Iaia looked down and blinked not knowing why a small smile curved at the corners of her lips.

"It does not take the dream memory of you as an adult. It takes the monsters from our childhood. Those have more emotional energy to them and they are more difficult to rationalize away, for it taps into a child's irrational fear."

"How long do we have?"

Acheta pointed to a sundial that was near the lake. "Not long, so let's get a plan together."

"Well, you won't have to worry about the Python. I let her out of her pit."

Acheta nodded to her. "Good. You had a lot more courage than I."

"It helped not to be able to see her until she had her face next to mine." Iaia shuddered at the memory of her fear.

Chapter 37

Setting the Scene

Agnes took up the chant from Aleka and when the room was charged, she opened the circle and let the energy they were generating funnel through her and into the circle. The energy was quickly absorbed by Red's and Acheta's bodies but not the other two.

As each of the chanters felt their voices strain they gave Agnes a sign and she was replaced. Alala paced back and forth between the rooms waiting for something she felt would happen.

The energy from the other room pulsed into the larger room where the three guards alertly stood their posts.

******

"All right, is everyone ready?" It was amazing how much they were able to get done within a candlemark. Iaia, with Ded's assistance and Acheta's was able to convince those that they could touch to lend their energy to create an image that the dark shaman would be curious enough to investigate itself.

Iaia had decided it would not be wise to use her or Acheta as bait for the dark one would know who they were. So Iaia had thought of someone she thought she knew intimately and created an image of a dark haired warrior whose powerful image was enhanced with energy from the creatures that were entrapped by the dark shaman.

The five who were chosen to focus the energy of the dark warrior were grouped around the clearing that was set for trapping the dark shaman. Iaia raised her eyes from her sitting position and standing in the clearing was the raven-haired warlord standing with power and sensuousness emanating from her form. She was standing with her arms resting at her sides and her sword sheathed on her back. There was a glow from her that gave her more color in this level then most anything else had.

The dark leaves parted and two people appeared with drawn swords. The white haired woman approached her with a sneer on her face and the tall man beside her moved toward her slower.

"Who are you to invade the land of Mekor!" Evana demanded.

The dark warlord merely looked at her then returned her gaze to the lake.

"I'm talking to you!" Her short temper flared as she stabbed her sword toward the pensive form in front of her.

The warlord merely moved out of the way and shoved Evana into the bushes. Dagio studied her closely without making any move toward her.

"My master would like to know who you are," Dagio said.

The dark warrior let her gaze rest fully on the older man. Iaia could see him flinch and she knew fully well what the piercing blue eyes could do to a person on the wrong end of her appraisal.

Evana rose unsteadily to her feet and once again launched herself at the warrior's back.

The dark haired warrior simply stepped aside and flicked the hurling form into Dagio, knocking them both down. A dark form immediately started to form near the two as they both staggered to their feet.

The form appeared to be hideous, something Iaia would find nightmarish. The energy that emanated from it was strong and Iaia worried for a moment that their own creation would weaken. The others, however, were used to the dark shaman and kept the image of the warrior strong.

Their warrior didn't flinch nor move away from the monster that advanced on her threateningly. Coldly she watched its approach until it was almost upon her. She stepped toward it and then walked around it studying it as if finding the monster amusing.

"Is this the best you can do?" The voice was low and sensuous.

Evana once more moved but this time she was careful to not to draw too much attention to her.

"You should tell your slave to stop with the games. You'll both lose." Their warrior finished her circle around Mekor and stopped in front of him.

Evana suddenly froze in her tracks and her face took on a contorted look as if she was being strangled. The dark shaman finally took on a shape that was of a young man looking almost like Ares himself.

"I have met you once," Mekor said to the warrior as he studied her body with lust showing in his eyes.

"So."

He smiled. This was the first time he had been really challenged. He tested the image before him wondering why she wasn't a regular in this dreamtime for she had the flavor of a shaman.

"So, why have you not been visiting? Have other things on your mind?"

"Why are you wasting my time?" she asked bluntly.

"Wasting your time?" Suddenly it occurred to him that she was one of the souls that had been waylaid into his domain. This was a victory! He had been after the shinning soul and according to his servants she was somewhere around here but this one could hold her down here. Dagio, his faithful servant for many years had his misgivings about Evana and now he too felt this one would be better. He would have to trace back to her body and see that she was made a permanent soul here. What was her darkest fear?

The warrior laughed as if she could read his thoughts then disappeared.

"What the…? Dagio! Where did she go?" Mekor demanded.

A voice near his ear started to laugh. "Do you think you are the only one that knows the secrets of dreamtime?" The voice was seductive and after so long trapped in this level of dreamtime new thoughts rushed into his consciousness.

Iaia watched as Mekor and his two servants disappeared. Iaia started when she felt a presence next to her. Their warrior stood beside her.

"Is this what you wanted?" she whispered to Iaia.

Iaia took a deep breath. Memories of Xena and Aleka over lapped and she had to struggle to keep her image of this warrior she thought she had conjured up separate from her memories.

"You have brought me into dreamtime."

Iaia held her breath. She was frightened for a moment. What happens if she is responsible for them to be all trapped here? She didn't want to be the failure again of a mission that was not hers.

The warrior she had conjured up took her chin between her fingertips and raised her head so that she was eye to eye with the deep blues.

"I chose to come at your call. You are not taking something that has been freely given."

"But, I…"

"The others feel the same way. We are all in this together." Her voice was strong and firm.

"I just don't want to be the cause of another failed pilgrimage,"she told the figure in a wavering voice.

The warrior smiled. "Is that what this is?" She looked around her and at the other shamans that were coming out of the forest cover.

"You all have the power to undo what has been done here. It is the illusion you hold onto that you are failing that keeps you from seeing your power. And it is the anguish of your failure that feeds Mekor."

The warrior's figure began to fade. "I need to be somewhere else. Call me when you need me." She touched Iaia's face tenderly. "I loved you then too."

Iaia lowered her eyes and felt her heart pounding. She knew that then. She was just too caught up in her own problems to have taken another's interest in her seriously. She remembered on the way back from her meeting with the guardian of Gaia's underground temple how she felt overwhelmed with the knowledge that her husband had ordered the killing of all the women that were on a pilgrimage for Gaia. How could he have desecrated the name of Gaia? She had been sitting on a rock by herself, her self-imposed isolation from him and his retainers, idly drawing in the dirt. She heard the noise of her husband approaching. She realized she had been drawing the face of Aleka and quickly erased it with her foot.

He was angry that she was not talking or eating. She ignored him as he once again made blistering attempts to force her back to eating and talking. She had tuned him out and instead picked up on the sounds of bandits surrounding their campsite. She did nothing to warn him or the others. She felt they all deserved to die. Then she remembered that she was too young for the bandits to kill. She would be slave material. She had pulled the dagger from her surprised husband's waist band and looking him in the eye had told him that he was to kill her if anything should happen to them before they reached home.

Startled that his silent wife had finally talked to him he promised as the first scream reached their ears. His startled eyes went back to hers and he realized what was happening. Without hesitation he took her hand with the knife and turning it plunged it into her heart for a sure kill, then turned it upon himself.

Sighing she moved to the group that was forming near the lake. Briefly she looked around for the familiar form of the silver wolf. Where had it gone?

All sorts of forms were taking shape at the lake. All frightening. She also saw the python coiled next to Acheta. She turned to face Iaia when she approached.

"We must return now," Acheta told her.

"We haven't gotten rid of Mekor," she objected.

"It is not our job to do that. We've given them faith in themselves. The rest they must do themselves." Acheta took her hand. "When you're ready."

Without conscious thought, Iaia touched the medallion and thought of the library where she had left the others. She felt the cool air on her face change to the stale air in the library. The hard surface of the tiled floor and the sounds of a battle going on told her they were back in the library.

"We must all leave now," Acheta said. "The third candle mark past the high moon is nearly upon us."

The mosaic pattern that was no longer glowing.

Agnes, Brona and Candra were hovering on the outside of the pattern sending worried looks into the adjoining room where the sounds of a battle were coming from.

Lily was quickly at their side. "Are you ready to get out of here? Do you have a way out that's not facing those soldiers? They've figured out the underground passage is the only way they can get in with their weapons."

"There's a stairway." Acheta led the way into another room and after whispering a spell a cover was revealed. It moved easily in it's tracks. Aleka and Alala stayed behind to fight off the soldiers.

"Get ready for a bit of a boom," Acheta told the two women. Extending one hand she made a sign in the air and a bright light exploded into colors which had the soldiers ducking. Acheta, Aleka and Alala ducked into the tunnel and Acheta set the spell for it's existence to be hidden once again.

Where the women were led was to an opening that was not far from the temple they rescued Lily and Agnes. It opened into the grotto that was used as part of the temple's rituals on full moon nights. The moon reflected off old statues of Demeter, Persephone and Gaia. Interspersed in the earthen wall that surrounded the cave opening Iaia was awed by how many different sizes of goddess figurines that were pressed into the dirt.

"For each season a figurine was implanted into the wall as a renewed invocation was given for blessings, remembrances and new pledges to their protectors."

"Some of these look new." Lily touched one that looked like Gaia.

"Someone has been continuing the practice," Acheta said. "I haven't been able to figure out who." She smiled as she let her gaze roam the wall. "It has given me hope each season that we had not been abandoned and that soon we would be rescued."

Aleka touched the statue that was standing in front of the tunnel they had exited. "Someone was here very recently." The flowers on the statue's head were fresh.

"Where would someone get flowers at this time of the season?" Brona asked as she looked around suspiciously.

"It's been that way every season. No matter if there is snow on the ground or the last of the flowers fading. There is always a fresh wreath of flowers on Gaia's head and at her feet."

Aleka shifted her feet and looked around. She had her suspicions. She remembered Corita had said the goddesses had paid regular visits to the Gray City. Maybe they also stopped to pay homage to their grandmother, Gaia.

"Let's get back to the village. We need to see if everything is alright. Then we have got to move on," Aleka remnded them.

The others nodded.

 

Chapter 38

On the Road Again

The women spent one more day in the village. They put on two performances of Sappho's works and much to Acheta and Martha's approval some of the men were not happy with it. The two women had not wasted time in telling the men what they thought of their management of the village and that in the future, those that had made such disastrous decisions for their village could no longer have a say in its running. They undid the laws that were passed against women and told the population that in one day's time they were to have elections where everyone above the age of twelve could vote. It was unheard of for the men only allowed property owners to vote and those were always men.

"Are you sure, Acheta, that everyone will be okay for this election?" Lily asked as she surveyed the crowds that were collecting outside of the town meeting hall where the troupe had just put on their last performance.

"We have three women running for positions on the town counsel and only one man. There are five spots open."

"What about the fifth spot?" Gabrielle asked.

"That goes to the priestess of the temple." Acheta turned to her friend Corita.

"Corita has agreed to remain while Loris will return to their other temple. They found the jewel they were looking for and from what I understand, they will ask for more priestess, so we shall be more prepared for outsiders that try to desecrate our system of justice."

"Corita is staying?" Eleanor smiled. "I don't suppose the pull of the library has anything to do with it?"

"Why aren't you running for a seat on the counsel, Acheta?" Agnes asked.

"I passed the initiation. I hadn't realized how important it was to me until I passed it. Time is not relevant in shaman's reality so I would like to continue with my studies. Martha is running for a counsel seat. I am giving her the inn. She has a daughter that was taken from her by the laws of the last counsel. She is reclaiming her and they will do this inn good."

"They took her child away?" Agnes asked unbelieving.

"She stood up to them and she was a widow. Those two qualities were considered unworthy of raising a child. But her daughter was placed within a good home. She had been visiting with her on a regular basis behind the counsel's back so no permanent damage was done. The only one that will be upset is the old farmer she was promised to at her first menses in the other village. But we will take care of that. The man is very unsuitable. He has killed his last two wives with overwork and brutality. He deserves to live alone." Acheta snorted in disgust. "The men here shall learn respect for all things and especially their spouses and children. We intend on bringing back the old ways and to make sure the men stay on course we are thinking of linking our village with the kingdom near by. King Hesba has been looking for a vacation spot for his young wife for sometime and once mentioned he liked the meadow on Zurach's farm. It has a beautiful view of the waterfall on the hill. We will see if he's interested in a trade. Land for protection."

"What about Zurach?"

Acheta shrugged her shoulders. "He stole the land from Martha when her husband died saying as a women she could not hold land. Her husband died under questionable circumstances and that is one of the things that will also be reviewed. Things will be changing." She nodded assuredly. "The goddess is coming back." She sighed as she looked toward where the charred remains of the statue was. "We shall also get Milikos to start on work for a new statue. His kids are quite skilled at woodcarving so maybe it won't take so long, especially since now his daughters can also participate."

Aleka and Alala appeared from the building laughing at something. Iaia caught the deep blue eyes that smiled her way.

"Looks like more than one set of business was taken care of," Agnes remarked.

"They settled with Corita on what to do with the statue," Lily said.

"Is Aleka going to continue on with us?" Agnes asked.

"Yes. She has business in Crometh," Lily said.

"Well, lets get some real sleep. We're going to be up early for our next - adventure." Lily smirked.

********

"Okay. It's settled then. We'll make it back to the cavern and use it to take us to the caverns near Haliacman river. No one feels like we're cheating or anything?" Aleka smiled looking around.

"No way. We're already a week behind. I don't relish meeting up with bands of opportunist that will be waiting to waylay us all along that road there." Lily jabbed her finger at the road they had been following.

The others nodded.

"All right. Before dawn we leave."

Corita and Acheta wanted to go with them and see how it was done but there was too much going on in their village to leave.

"Perhaps on our return trip," Agnes said.

The others had looked at each other. They hadn't thought about returning.

************

Morning brought rain clouds. This was winter they reminded themselves as they all struggled to get out of warm beds into the cold morning. The horses had been already attended to by Camila who was up earlier as Aleka, Lily and Alala who seemed to be too excited to sleep for long.

Acheta and Martha had gotten up early also, to make certain the women had provisions and a warm early morning meal to get them going. Hugs were given all around as Corita and Loris also joined the early affair.

"The goddess be with you all," Corita blessed them and then gave a last round of hugs.

The travelers started off into the early morning damp mist that was promising more than light sprinkles by the smell of the air.

Their return trip to the cavern was uneventful as Alala and Lily scouted the parameter. It wasn't until they had reached the cavern's entrance when Alala's feathered companions put in an appearance.

Continued in Part IV