CHAPTER 23

The rays of the morning sun glistened off the golden silk sheets as Xena stretched luxuriously in the large bed before wrapping a sheet tightly around her as she rolled over in the bed and snuggled against a large plush pillow. The sun had risen a few hours ago but she had the rare opportunity of sleeping in for a change.

It was very late when Xena and Cyrus had finished going through the five chests full of scrolls. Xena was going to turn in for the night when a servant entered the study and informed them that three more chests had been found identical to the earlier five. Cyrus insisted she go to bed. Since he was immortal, and didn’t need as much sleep, he would stay up and rummage through the newly discovered chests. Cyrus insisted Xena get all the rest she needed after her long journey to Persia, even if it meant rising well after daybreak which he remembered was rare for her. So she decided to follow his wishes.

The plush mattress felt like sleeping on a cloud. It sure beat a bedroll on the hard ground. The luxuriousness reminded her of another bed and she wished she could stop thinking about its owner --- Ares. Xena hated the fact that thoughts about the war god were bombarding her mind and the worst yet, she was having dreams about him! And these dreams were so vivid, erotic, and with every detail burned into her brain. Could she be falling for him again?

Xena quickly dismissed that notion as she covered her head with a golden sheet. She reminded herself of all the horrible things Ares had done and the heart-wrenching sacrifice she had to make because of her involvement with him. No, there was nothing between her and Ares except for this alliance to kill Dahak and once that was achieved, they would go their separate ways. She told herself that what she was feeling was nothing more than a sexual attraction. It was something she couldn’t deny that had always been there. Xena didn’t regret giving into that attraction recently but realized the danger that could arise if she continued to act on hidden carnal desires and vowed not to do so again. "But how do you expect to do that when you keep dreaming about him?" The reason of her brain asked. She told herself there was nothing wrong with dreaming about their recent intimate encounters. Ares maybe the God of War but he had always been skilled in the art of lovemaking. Xena couldn’t deny the passion she found with him; it was like no other and truly unforgettable. Part of her yearned to be in his arms again but she knew that would be a step in the wrong direction, back to her warlord life and she was determined to never go that way again. These conflicting thoughts regarding Ares, re-enforced Xena’s earlier resolve to keep their alliance strictly business from here on out. She knew Ares would try to entice her to continue the recent intimacy but she was determined to make sure those actions were not repeated.

"Sleeping in is just not me," Xena murmured as she removed the sheet covering her head. She was about to get up when she heard someone turn the knob of her bedchamber door. Xena assumed it was someone from Cyrus’ ever-efficient staff, coming to bring her fresh fruit and other goodies for breakfast. Her eyes were still closed and she decided to remain in the bed until the servant completed their duties.

"See, I toldja it wouldn’t be locked," a soft young voice whispered.

"We shouldn’t be in here Lycus, let’s just go," another soft young voice whispered.

"We will in a sec Lysia, I just wanna see her for myself," Lycus whispered.

On hearing the names of the two people who had just entered her room, Xena had to smile. She would finally get the chance to meet her son and daughter who she had not seen since they were sent to India, shortly after their birth, six years ago. Xena didn’t know why they had entered her room but she was glad they did. She pretended to be asleep just to see what had brought them there. Both children assumed she was asleep and continued to whisper.

"Why are we here again?" Lysia asked.

"I toldja, I heard Jasper and Selene talkin’ and they said there is a woman in this room who is a warrior princess." Lycus walked around the bed, his gaze fixed on Xena’s sleeping form. "They said her name is Xena."

"She doesn’t look like a warrior to me." Lysia glanced over at Xena’s sleeping form.

"That’s ‘cause she’s sleepin’." Lycus spotted Xena’s leather and weapons setting atop a table in a corner on the other side of the room. "I bet she looks a whole lot different when she has this stuff on." He walked over to the table and held up Xena’s leather bodice. "Yeah, she probably looks real tough in this." His eyes beamed with excitement as they took in the leather. "And check this out." He handed Xena’s breastplate to Lysia who now stood beside him at the table. The girl positioned the breastplate where she thought it should go. It practically covered her small torso.

Since their attention was elsewhere, Xena opened her eyes and from the bed, watched the children as they inspected her clothes. She almost let out a laugh when Lysia put the breastplate up to her torso, which disappeared from sight beneath the decorative metal. The young girl was now checking out her armbands as the young boy inspected her gauntlets. Xena thought they looked so cute as they satisfied their curiosity about her clothes. Being this close to them really brought out how much they look like their parents. Lycus had her eyes, but everything else about him was clearly Ares. He had the same curly black hair, the same nose, the same mouth, the bone structure of his face, even when he wrinkled up his brow. Xena always wondered what Ares looked like as a boy, now she knew. Lysia’s deep brown eyes and long curly black hair were inherited from her father but the rest of her physical appearance; she inherited from her mother. She had Xena’s nose; mouth, chin and even raised an eyebrow when something intrigued her.

Xena was enjoying watching the children unbeknownst to them and decided to do so a while longer before letting them know she was indeed awake.

"What’s this round thing?" Lysia held up Xena’s chakram with a perplexed look on her face. She handed the object to her brother.

"I heard about these in India." Lycus held the metal object up and let his crystal blue eyes wander over it. "It’s a chakram." There was a look of excitement in the young boy’s eyes.

"What’s it do?"

"It’s a weapon. Ya throw it and it bounces off stuff and cuts people." Lycus made a motion as if to throw the round object. "It’s suppose to come back to the person who throws it. I would sure like to see this in action."

Lysia’s attention turned to Xena’s whip, which the young girl now inspected. Lycus put down the chakram when he spotted Xena’s sword in a scabbard lying on the table. The young boy was pulling the sword out of the scabbard when Xena decided to let them know she was indeed awake.

"Be careful with that sword. It’s the real thing and not a toy."

Startled, both children turned towards the bed to stare at Xena who sat propped against the pillows.

"See Lycus, I toldja we shouldn’t be in here. Now we woke her up."

"It’s okay, I was about to get up anyway," Xena said.

Both children approached the large bed.

"I’m Lycus."

"And I’m Lysia."

"Your name is Xena, right?" Lycus asked.

"Yes," she replied.

"Lycus says you’re a warrior princess, is that true?" Lysia asked with a touch of skepticism.

"Many years ago a friend gave me the title and I have been known by it ever since."

Lycus sat on the side of the bed facing Xena. His crystal blue eyes were filled with excitement. "I’ve bet you’ve killed lots of warriors...and you’ve fought in lots of battles...have ya fought any monsters like a dragon or a griffin or a..."

"Whoa, slow down a minute," Xena said with a chuckle.

"That’s all Lycus cares about...warriors and war...yuck." Lysia still held Xena’s whip and wrapped it around one of her small arms. She stood by her brother’s side as he sat on Xena’s bed.

"It’s better than stayin’ in a stuffy lab." Lycus playfully yanked the end of Xena’s whip wrapped around his sister’s arm. "Xena, can ya show me how the chakram works? I wanna see it bounce off stuff and ya catch it."

"I guess I could throw it around for you later," Xena replied with a smile as she stared into the boy’s crystal blue eyes.

"Cool!" Lycus declared with a huge smile of his own.

"Here you two are, I’ve been looking all over for you," a female voice said from the doorway of Xena’s bedchamber.

"Vashti! You’re back!" Both children immediately went to the young woman.

Vashti squatted down and embraced both children in a big hug.

"When didja get back?" Lysia asked.

"I arrived an hour ago. I filled Uncle Cyrus in on my trip then came to see you guys. You two weren’t in your rooms so I went looking for you. I heard your voices and came in here. Did you two wake up Xena?" There was a suspicious look in the young woman’s brown almond shaped eyes.

Both children slightly bowed their heads. "Well, we uh..."

"I was about to get up when these two entered my room," Xena interjected. "The children heard about a guest staying in here and wanted to introduce themselves."

"Vashti, didja know Xena is a warrior princess and uses a chakram?" Lycus asked.

"I know all about Xena," Vashti replied with a smile, looking at Xena then Lycus. "She’s the one who brought me to live with Uncle Cyrus when I was a few years older than you guys." Vashti playfully ran a hand through Lycus’ curly hair. "You’ll both be happy to know I brought you each something back from my trip."

"Ooh presents! What didja get us?" Lysia asked with excitement.

"You will both have to go to your rooms and see for yourselves," Vashti replied.

"Let’s go!" Lycus declared. Both children ran out of Xena’s bedchamber and headed for their own bedrooms.

"I was so excited when Uncle Cyrus told me you were here." Vashti rose to her full height and approached Xena who now stood by the bed. "It really is good to see you again, Xena." The young woman embraced Xena is a tight hug.

"It’s good to see you too." Xena returned the hug. When they broke the hug, she stepped away from Vashti but held the young woman’s hands in hers. "Let’s have a look at you."

The last time Xena had seen Vashti, she was just entering her teens. Now she was a grown woman. Vashti still had smooth golden brown skin, silky black hair that fell to her waist and brown almond shape eyes. But she was now almost as tall as Xena and had the shapely curves of a woman, which were attractively visible in the peach frock she wore.

"I always thought you were a pretty girl and you have grown into an even more beautiful young woman. You must have left many men with broken hearts in India."

"I’ve had a few relationships here and there. But I am happy with my life the way it is now, taking care of Lycus and Lysia."

The two women sat on the side of Xena’s bed facing each other.

"I want to thank you for being there for Lycus and Lysia," Xena said. "You’ve done a wonderful job with them."

"Taking care of the twins has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I couldn’t love them more if they were my own children. They are really a couple of great kids and you should be proud." Vashti took one of Xena’s hands and held it in hers as she stared into her eyes. "It really is a blessing you are here. Now all three of you will get to spend some time together."

"And I plan on making the most of that time," Xena said with a smile.

"I should let you get dressed." Vashti rose from the bedside. "Maybe later, we can get together and I can tell you some stories about Lycus and Lysia."

"I would really like that. Cyrus has told me a few stories but I would never tire of hearing more."

Vashti embraced Xena in a tight hug one last time before she left the bedchamber.

After Vashti’s departure, Xena got dressed and decided to see if Cyrus needed some help with the newly discovered chests. She found him in the study, seated at a large table ciphering through the contents of a chest.

"Did you sleep well?" Cyrus asked when she entered the study.

"I sure did," Xena sighed with a huge smile as she helped herself to some melon slices on a tray setting atop a nearby table. "I even had some visitors stop by my room."

"Oh really?" Cyrus had a look of curiosity in his hazel eyes.

"Lycus and Lysia heard the servants talking about your recent houseguest...a warrior woman and had to satisfy their curiosity." The joy over this chance meeting was evident in Xena’s voice and visible on her face as she took a couple bites out of a melon slice she had on a small plate.

"Did you get a chance to talk to them?"

"We really didn’t get that far past introductions," Xena replied after swallowing the melon. "Lycus did express interest in my life as a warrior and wants me to show him how my chakram works. I sure hope you are right and this interest of his in warriors and warfare is only a phase."

"I would bet this estate that’s all it is. Two months ago, he was interested in architecture. In a couple months, it will be something else."

"Well, you do know him better than me so I will just have to trust your instincts," she said "I also got to talk with Vashti for a while when she came looking for the children."

"I’m glad you got to see her. I, too, had an introduction this morning." There was a sly smile on the face of the former Watcher. "I met your traveling companion...Joxer and he really seems like a very nice young man. It’s good that he travels with you and you’re not out there righting the wrongs of the world by yourself."

"Through the sorrow and grief of the last few months, Joxer has proven beyond measure to be a rock who I am proud to call a friend. Where is he by the way? I would sure like to know how his trip into Persepolis went. But I can check on him later. Helping you with the scrolls comes first." Xena downed the last of the melon slices and was about to join Cyrus at the table.

"What’s on the table is the last of what was found in the cellar. There were no scrolls of value to us among the contents of this chest, so I’m almost done here. You might as well check up on Joxer and find out about his trip into Persepolis. He said he would be in the stables with Braxton."

Xena left the study and headed for the stables.

**********

"Okay, let’s take it from the beginning," Joxer said to the many boys and girls before him. "And a one, and a two, and a three..."

Joxer the Mighty,
He’s very tidy
Everyone admires him
He’s so handsome; it’s a sin

Joxer ran over to an old mirror hanging on a post protruding from a wooden beam and tried to give one of his most debonair poses as the children continued to sing...

If you’re in jeopardy
Don’t call the cavalry
There’s a better remedy
Although he doesn’t work for free

Joxer now held his staff and swung it as if combating an imaginary opponent as the children continued to sing...

He’s every man’s trustee
He’s every woman’s fantasy
Plus he’s good company
Joxer, he’s Joxer the Mighty!

Joxer now stood on several blocks of hay, which tumbled over from his weight depositing him in the straw covering the stable floor.

"I see you are having a productive morning." Xena had entered the stables a few minutes ago and stood by Braxton who also had been watching the short musical number.

"Oh, hi Xena." Joxer had returned to his feet and was brushing straw from his clothes. Many boys and girls now surrounded him.

"So, how did we do Joxer?" One little boy asked.

"After only a couple hours of practice, you guys sounded great." Joxer now gazed at his traveling companion who was approaching him. "Hey kids, I want you to say hello to my friend Xena."

"Hello Xena," the children said in unison.

"Hi kids," Xena said with smile as she now stood by Joxer.

"Are ya Joxer’s sidekick?" Another little boy asked.

Xena raised an eyebrow and looked at Joxer.

"What Xena and I have is an equal partnership," Joxer quickly stated before Xena could respond. "Uh, you kids should be running along to school now."

The many children headed for the door of the stables except for one little girl who still stood before Joxer.

"What about the story of how ya saved the beautiful maiden Gabrielle from the evil warlord Draco. Ya promised to tell us the story," the little girl whined.

Joxer let out a soft chuckle as he glanced at the smirk on Xena’s face before setting his gaze on the small child standing before him. "I’ll tell you guys the story later. Right now you better get to school." He gave the girl a gentle shove in the direction of the stable door.

"I think you may be in some trouble Joxer," Braxton stated with a chuckle as he led a horse by the reins out of the stables.

"So, you’ve been entertaining the children with stories of your adventures?" Xena had an amused look on her face.

"Okay, so I may have told the children a few stories where I was the hero all the time and you sorta tagged along but no harm was really done," Joxer said in a bashful way. "Besides, the children really enjoyed them and I don’t think they believed everything I said anyway."

"If the children found your stories entertaining, that’s all that really matters. So, how did your trip into Persepolis go?"

"It was great! Braxton gave me a quick tour of the city before we went to a tavern that sells honey mead. First time I ever had that but it was good. Then we went to a gambling hall that had the prettiest dancing girls. Oh, and I did play a few games but my winnings were small compared to Braxton’s. If he ever turned pro, he could make a great living."

"Well, I’m glad you had a good time in the city."

"Oh, and I met your friend Cyrus during breakfast and he is a very nice guy," Joxer said. "I also met his two wards, a little boy and girl. They are orphans too but they live with Cyrus in India."

"You mean Lycus and Lysia. I met them this morning too," she said. "When we go back to Greece, they will be coming with us."

"Uh, Xena, what we have to do to defeat Dahak will be dangerous. Should the children really be coming with us?"

"There will be danger involved but the children will be protected from any harm," Xena assured. "The children have certain...gifts which may prove to be useful in our fight against Dahak."

"Oh," was all Joxer could say. He wondered what special gifts two small children could have that could help in their fight against the One Great Evil.

"We will be leaving for Greece at sunrise tomorrow so I need you to get our gear together" she said. "Braxton can help you with replenishing our supplies and getting what Cyrus and the children will need for the trip."

"I’ll get started right now then."

Xena left Joxer to his duties and started walking back towards the palace.

On her return to the palace, Xena traveled a different path, which brought her along several small buildings used to store supplies for the large estate. Her attention was drawn to one of the buildings when she saw three young boys sneak into it. Xena knew all the children should be at the schoolhouse and decided to investigate and see what had brought them to the building. From one of the windows, Xena watched the children undetected.

The three boys approached two other children, a boy and a girl who had arrived at the building ahead of them. It was Lycus and Lysia! Xena wondered what they were doing here and was planted firmly where she stood to find out just that.

One of the boys had a tear stained face and held his left arm protectively, like the limb had been injured.

"C’mon Lysia, ya havta do it," Lycus pleaded.

"But Uncle Cyrus told us not to use our powers in front of other people," Lysia reminded him.

"Uncle Cyrus doesn’t havta know," Lycus said.

"Then why can’t you do it?" she asked.

"I tried but nothin’ happened. I guess I don’t have that power," he replied. "But ya probably do. You’re always hangin’ out at hospices with Uncle Cyrus."

"I never used my powers on those people" she said.

"But ya did when Vashti cut her leg. It disappeared like it was never there." Lycus saw the scared look on his sister’s face. "If ya don’t help Ishmael, he is gonna be in big trouble with Selene. She told him not to climb that large maple tree. If she finds out he climbed the tree on a dare then fell and broke his arm, who knows what she will do to him or me and the other boys for darin’ him to do it."

Lysia didn’t want Lycus, Ishmael and the other boys to be punished. "Okay, I’ll do it," she said begrudgingly.

"You’re the best sister in the world," Lycus said with a big smile.

Lysia approached Ishmael who still held his left arm protectively. She took hold of his left arm and tried to gently stretch it out in front of him but the young boy winced in pain anyway. Lysia gently placed both her small hands on the boys outstretched arm.

"Hey, my arm is warmin’ up," Ishmael said with true surprise after a few minutes of contact.

"That means it must be workin’. Keep it up Lysia," Lycus said anxiously.

Lysia touched Ishmael’s arm a few moments more. "I think it’s done," she said with uncertainty. The little girl had only done this once before and really didn’t know what to expect. "How does your arm feel now?"

Ishmael cautiously moved his arm around and finally bent it. His eyes widened in surprise as his whole face lit up. "It feels great! Like it was never broken at all!"

"I knew ya could do it Lysia!" Lycus gave his sister an affectionate tap on her right shoulder.

"Hey, how’d she do that?" one of the two other boys asked as he eyed Lysia curiously.

"Never mind how she did it," Lycus firmly stated. "Ya three gotta promise not to tell anyone what ya saw Lysia do."

"We promise," all three boys said in unison.

"Aren’t you kids late for school?" Xena decided to make her presence known and stood in the doorway of the small building. Her sudden presence startled all five children.

"Oh, hi Xena," Lycus said nervously. "What are ya doin’ here?"

"What I’m doing here is not important. You guys are late for school and better get going." Xena stepped aside as the five children walked passed her and headed for the schoolhouse. "Lycus and Lysia, stay, I want to talk with you two."

Lycus and Lysia had nervous looks on their faces as they watched their friends head for the schoolhouse.

Xena squatted down so she was closer to eye level with the children when she spoke to them. "I saw what you did in there Lysia."

"Please don’t tell Uncle Cyrus, he’ll be so mad," the girl quickly pleaded.

"Lysia was only tryin’ to protect me and the other boys," Lycus quickly interjected. "Ishmael wouldn’t have been hurt if we hadn’t dared him to climb that tree."

"Your Uncle Cyrus told me about your powers and I must say, they are pretty amazing when you see them in action," Xena said. "I won’t tell your Uncle Cyrus this time. But from now on, you must obey his wish and not display your special gifts in front of others."

"But why do our powers havta be a secret when we can help alotta people?" Lysia asked.

"Uncle Cyrus has his ways of helpin’ people. This could be ours," Lycus said.

"I think it’s great you two want to help people but if you were to openly display your powers, certain people...bad people…would come up with ways to use you both to possibly hurt others. These people would try to take you from your Uncle Cyrus and Vashti."

"We don’t want that," Lysia said with wide brown eyes.

"Of course you don’t, that’s why there will be no more power displays in front of others," Xena firmly stated as she ran a hand through the young girl’s long black curly locks. "And no more dangerous dares," she said in a firm tone as she held Lycus’ chin with a hand and stared into the boy’s crystal blue eyes which mirrored her own. "Now, you two better run along to the schoolhouse." Xena rose to her full height and now towered over the children.

As Lycus looked up at Xena, he let his eyes take in the leather and armor. He certainly had been right when he said she would look tough when she wore her warrior clothes. "Don’t forget, ya promised to show me how your chakram works."

"I haven’t forgotten. Now off to school the both of you."

Xena watched both children head for the schoolhouse a few minutes more before she resumed her walk towards the palace. As she approached the large stone archway leading into the palace, her mind was still absorbing what she had witnessed. Cyrus had told her the children could move objects and form fireballs but he mentioned nothing about the ability to heal. He also had told her he wasn’t sure of the extent of their abilities and they could be as powerful as full gods. Maybe that’s why Dahak was trying to reach Lycus through his dreams. He knew of the potential power the twins possessed and probably wanted to corrupt both starting with Lycus. Xena had taken sacrificial steps to make sure their father couldn’t use them in his quest for world power and she was determined to squelch whatever dark plans their grandfather had for them as well.

CHAPTER 24

Moonlight glistened off the blackness of the Mediterranean Sea casting eerie shadows as six large ships moved silently through the deep, murky waters. On the lead ship, a young man stood on the bow and inspected the sea ahead of them with a telescope.

"General Pelias, the isle of Kos should be in sight within the hour," the young man said when he lowered the telescope and addressed the older man dressed in full battle gear.

"Very well sailor, I will be in my cabin until land is in sight." General Pelias retreated to his cabin below deck.

Once in his cabin, General Pelias removed his helmet and sat on the side of the cot. The general loved a good battle just like the next warrior but he hated ones where he had to get to his destination by sea. He preferred traveling over land and the movement of the ship was not sitting too well with his stomach. General Pelias was about to lay back on the cot when shards of blue light appeared then dispersed, leaving in their place the God of War standing at the foot of the cot.

"Lord Ares, I wasn’t expecting you." General Pelias quickly grabbed his helmet and shoved it on his head.

"At ease General. I just came to remind you that all the inhabitants of Kos and the two smaller neighboring islands must be killed, including the women and the children."

"I normally have a policy of leaving the innocent unharmed but if you want them all dead, I will obey your orders." Apprehension was clear in General Pelias’ voice and on his face.

"Who you will be killing are not innocent, General. All three islands are infested with a great evil." Ares stared hard into the general’s eyes. "These people are controlled by Dahak."

The general’s eyes widened with understanding when he heard his lord’s last statement. "I will personally make sure that by daybreak, not a single inhabitant of those islands is left alive."

"Good," Ares said with a smile. In a dazzle of light, he vanished from sight.

**********

Ever since the Disciples of Natas ceased recruiting new members, life on the isle of Kos returned somewhat to the normalcy it had been before the arrival of the mysterious cult. In the town of Mantis, most was quiet except for those who loved the nightlife. The music of minstrels could be heard along with hearty laughter coming from the town’s only tavern. A man and a woman stumbled through the tavern doors out into the quiet of the town’s main street. Both were still laughing as they stumbled their way down the street, their arms around each other, after consuming too much mead.

"You surprised me Cassander," the woman said when both finally ceased their laughter "I didn’t know you could be so funny."

"There’s alotta ‘bout me ya dunno Leda," he slurred in a drunken stupor as he pulled her closer to him.

"Well, I would like it if you would show me. We can go to my room over at the Olive Grove Inn," Leda whispered seductively in an ear.

"We don’t need no room, I could show ya right here." Cassender pulled Leda into a dark alleyway. He pushed her up against a stone wall, and claimed her mouth in a sloppy kiss, as his meaty hands groped her body. Cassander reeked of mead but Leda didn’t care because she was just as drunk as he was.

"Ooh, you really are getting me hot, Cassander," Leda breathed in between sloppy kisses as his meaty hands had yanked up the skirt of her dress and explored her thighs. "The earth is even starting to move," she said with a silly giggle.

"Hey, thas not us." Cassander really felt the earth move and pulled away from her to look around the alleyway. A soft rumble could be heard as the ground continued to shake. "It must be the volcano," he stated as sudden sobriety started to take form. He pulled Leda along with him towards the entrance of the alleyway at the street.

The street had already started to fill with people from the tavern who had heard and felt the rumblings too. All were now gazing up at the volcanic peak visible to view due to the rays of the full moon but it sat in deafening silence. "If it’s not the mountain, then what is it?" some asked as the rumbling intensified.

"LOOK!" Leda yelled as she stood facing the opposite direction of the others, pointing a quivering finger.

The light of the full moon made visible the dust churned up by the hooves of many horses galloping over the hills headed towards Mantis. On their backs were armor-clad warriors, some with their swords already drawn.

"RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!!!" Leda screamed as she sought shelter in a nearby building.

Some of the others standing about followed suit just as the warriors on horseback began galloping down the main street of Mantis.

The ground was now violently trembling as horses galloped down all the streets of Mantis, their warrior riders hurling lit torches onto the roofs of buildings, quickly setting them ablaze.

Those that had been asleep in their beds were awakened by the screams of their neighbors and quickly evacuated their homes as they were engulfed in bright orange flames.

The swords of warriors on foot met those that sought safety in the streets. The large, armor-clad men chased after people fleeing for their lives and when they caught them, followed the orders they were given and ran them through with their swords. Mothers screamed for their children to be spared, but they were pried from their arms, and daggers plunged into their small chests. Cassender was one of the firsts to be run through by the sword of a passing soldier as he stood in the street amidst the chaos that had overtaken Mantis. A warrior found Leda hiding in a structure that had been spared by the consuming flames and killed her instantly by plunging a dagger into her heart.

No one was to be spared…not women and not children. These were the orders the warriors were given and they carried them out unwaveringly.

On a hill over-looking Mantis, General Pelias sat atop a large black horse. Using a telescope, he quickly scanned the carnage committed by his warriors. Thick black smoke from burning structures rose into the night sky over Mantis. Bodies of dead villagers laid about the streets as warriors rounded up the few survivors for the dark fate that awaited them. General Pelias lowered his telescope when a young warrior on horseback approached him. "Well, Lieutenant Creon?"

"The men have killed most of the residents of the village including the women and children, as you ordered sir," the lieutenant replied. "A few managed to flee into the forest, but they won’t get far with our men tracking them on horseback."

"Good," the general said with a pleased smile. "It appears our mission on this island is a success which will greatly please our lord. Let’s hope that Generals Gorgias and Heiron are just as successful on the neighboring islands."

**********

The sun was ascending into the sky, marking the start of a new day. Ares draped a leg over an armrest as he sat comfortably on his throne inside his temple in Attica. He took another sip of the blood red ambrosia wine from the golden goblet he held in his right hand. His sensuous full lips formed into a smile. The actions of his warriors would certainly set back Dahak’s plans to overthrow Olympus.

Ever since Xena had informed him of Dahak using the residents of Kos to house the spirits of recently freed fallen Watchers, Ares knew he had to slow down Dahak’s progress until the Holy Saber was found and he could stop the One Great Evil permanently. Since Olympus was clueless to his actions, Dahak could get bold in his attempts to free the rest of the fallen Watchers. The attack on Kos and the surrounding islands would be unexpected and throw Dahak off any timetable he had planned and just might force him to make a desperate move which could expose him to Olympus. Then those fools would see that he had been right all along about Dahak’s arrival. Ares already had a plan in the works to defeat Dahak but would welcome the other gods if they decided to join the fight. He would of course dispose of them once Dahak was defeated and he claimed the power within the Holy Saber.

Ares was taking another sip from the goblet when the large door to the temple opened and in walked, General Pelias followed by two warriors. All three made their way to stand before Ares’ throne and dropped to their knees. Only the general rose to stand before their lord.

"Ah General Pelias, your presence here must mean your mission was a success?"

"Well...yes and no," General Pelias stammered.

Ares narrowed his gaze as he stared at the general. "What does that mean? You did follow my orders and killed all on Kos and the neighboring islands?"

"Yes my lord, all the inhabitants of the three islands are dead but..." The general abruptly stopped speaking as he lost his train of thought.

Mortals can be such dolts sometimes Ares thought as he removed his leg from the armrest and sat up straight on the throne. He was still waiting for General Pelias to continue with his report of the events on Kos. For the first time he noticed how pale the man was compared to the previous night. Even the two warriors who accompanied him seemed a bit haggard for a mission that should have been easy, killing simple villagers.

"Out with it General. What happened after you killed the villagers?"

"I’m sorry my lord. I don’t mean to act so out of it but in all my years as a warrior, I have never seen anything like this." General Pelias then recounted for Ares what happened in Mantis after the villagers were killed...

It was a few hours after the attack on Mantis had began. General Pelias and Lieutenant Creon wanted to see the carnage up close and entered the smoldering village on horseback. Upon their arrival into Mantis, they were informed that all the residents of the village and the outlying settlements were confirmed dead.

General Pelias, alone, journeyed further into the village on horseback, and came across some of his men who were tossing the lifeless bodies of villagers into the flames of burning buildings. The general took special note of a warrior who was carrying the lifeless body of a small boy to be cremated in the flames that began burning in the street when large wooden planks were torn off a nearby building when it was set ablaze. When the warrior stood before the flames, he didn’t toss the child’s remains into the fire but stood there, staring at the boy’s lifeless face.

"Is there a problem soldier?" General Pelias asked the warrior when he approached him on horseback.

"I have a little boy around this age sir and it makes me realize that this could have been him," the warrior said softly.

"What’s your name soldier?"

"Isaeus."

"The death of a child is never easy Isaeus," the general said solemnly. "Our actions here tonight may be confusing to you and the other soldiers but trust me when I say what we did will prevent other children from meeting a far worse fate than death."

"If you say so sir." Isaeus gently laid the child’s lifeless body in the flames.

From atop his horse, some distance from the fire, General Pelias, along with Isaeus who was on foot, watched as the flames consumed the bodies of the residents of Mantis. They covered their noses and mouths with cloths as the stench of burning flesh began to fill the air. Along with the stench, came a thick black smoke that appeared above the orange flames.

The thick black smoke moved away from the fire to surround those warriors who had chosen to remain close to the flames causing them to cough uncontrollably. The general figured they had been fools to stand so close to the fire. But his attitude changed when the thick, black smoke dissipated and the men quickly grabbed their throats as if they couldn’t breathe. Those effected immediately fell to the ground in convulsions.

"What’s happening to them?" Isaeus asked.

"I don’t know, but I intend to find out." General Pelias had his horse move him closer to the fire and Isaeus jogged after him.

When they reached the fire, the warriors were no longer convulsing but lay completely still. Isaeus immediately started checking on the condition of his fallen comrades. He knelt over one and felt for a pulse.

"Sir, he’s dead!" Isaeus said with true surprise. He quickly got up and checked for signs of life in some of the others. "They’re all dead! But how can this be!?"

"I don’t know." General Pelias recalled what his lord said to him about Kos being under the control of Dahak. "We better go check on the others."

Isaeus was moving away from a fallen warrior, when the man suddenly sat up and grabbed his right arm. Isaeus’ face was filled with fear as he gazed into the fiery red eyes of a man he thought a moment ago was dead.

"Don’t leave, stay and join us," the warrior cooed with a wicked grin before erupting into evil laughter.

Isaeus yanked his arm away, and quickly stood. "What is going on?" He slowly backed away from the laughing warrior.

"C’mon Isaeus, let’s get out of here!" General Pelias offered an arm to help the warrior onto the back of his horse.

At that moment, they heard the sound of horse hooves galloping quickly down the street. Both men immediately turned to see Lieutenant Creon and several warriors. All were on horseback.

"Thank the gods you’re all right general," Creon said with relief when he brought his horse to a stop in front of the general’s. "Something strange is happening to all of the soldiers..."

"I know lieutenant," Pelias quickly interjected. He looked at the twenty warriors on horseback accompanying Creon. "Are these all the men you have left?"

"I’m afraid so sir. All the rest appear to be...dead. I don’t understand sir. What happened to our men?"

"There’s no time for an explanation now," Pelias quickly stated. "We did as ordered. Now let’s get out of here."

The small band was about to head for the beach when one of the warriors near the rear cried out in fear, "Look sir, behind us!"

All turned to see what had the warrior so spooked.

Slowly moving down the deserted street and headed straight towards them was a thick black smoke similar to what had appeared when the bodies were burning in the fire.

"We must get to the beach now!" General Pelias kicked his horse’s flanks to urge the animal to take off quickly.

All had seen what happened to their comrades when the black smoke engulfed them and no one wanted to end up the same way. So they all urged their horses to gallop after the general’s, through the dense forest, to the beach where the ships were anchored offshore.

"We must move faster, that creepy black smoke is gaining on us!" one of the warriors near the rear of the group shouted.

A few moments later, all heard an agonizing scream. Some turned around to see the warrior at the rear and his horse fall to the ground as the eerie black smoke engulfed them.

Those remaining urged their horses to gallop even faster. As the group quickly moved through the dense forest, more screams of agony could be heard as the black smoke engulfed another warrior and his horse, then another and another.

When the group reached the beach, there were only ten of them left. They quickly dismounted and headed for the small boats.

"But sir, what about the horses?" Isaeus asked.

"It will take too long to get them to the ships, so they’ll have to be left behind." Pelias looked over his shoulder and saw that the eerie black smoke had cleared the forest and was steadily making its way across the beach. "We must hope this smoke doesn’t follow us out to the ships."

General Pelias and the few left in his army pulled the boats out into sea and quickly paddled their way to the large ship anchored offshore. Their horses, which they had left on the beach, were frightened by the steadily approaching black smoke and galloped off in the opposite direction of the strange phenomenon.

"Look General, the black smoke is stopping at the shoreline and not following us," Lieutenant Creon stated with true relief.

"Thank the gods for that," Pelias sighed as he removed his helmet and wiped the sweat from his brow.

When they reached the large ship, they quickly pulled up the anchor and headed out into deep waters. All had never been so grateful to leave a place...

"If you talk with generals Gorgias and Heiron, they will give you stories identical to mine in regard to the two neighboring islands," General Pelias said once he had recounted to Ares all that happened after the residents of Kos were killed. "When I sailed to Kos, I had over 500 men. When I made the return trip, I only had 50 men left. The rest were killed...taken over by that...that...eerie black smoke. I think this time, my lord, Dahak may be impossible to stop."

"Dahak!" Both warriors who accompanied the general whispered in unison as they quickly glanced at the general then their lord. Shock and fear was clearly etched on their faces.

"My dear General, I won’t deny that defeating Dahak will be difficult but it is not impossible and I will do just that," Ares firmly stated. "Return to your camp and wait for further orders."

"Yes my lord." General Pelias bowed before leaving the temple followed by the two warriors.

Now alone, Ares got up and started to pace the floor as the anger within him quickly boiled to the surface. A low rumble could be felt throughout the temple.

"DAMN!!!" he shouted at the top of his voice as he viciously threw the goblet he was holding at one of the battle murals. The goblet broke into many pieces as the blood red wine left a big stain on the mural as it trickled down the wall. A loud clap of thunder could be heard in the sky directly above the temple.

At that moment, a low ranking priest entered the hall, quickly picked up the jagged pieces of the goblet and started wiping at the stained mural with a cloth he held.

"You can do that later! Get out of here!" Ares growled.

Frightened by his lord’s tone, the priest immediately retreated.

Ares seated himself back in his throne. He was in deep thought as he firmly gripped the armrest. He should have anticipated what happened to his warriors on Kos. He should have remembered he was dealing with the spirit world and they couldn’t be destroyed so easily.

General Pelias and his men were simple mortals who were frightened by what they had witnessed and didn’t truly comprehend what had happened on Kos and its neighboring islands. But Ares knew. When the dead villagers’ bodies were placed in burning fires throughout Mantis, the fallen Watchers inhabiting their bodies were released and sought the closest new hosts they could find---the warriors. Those men were dead all right but now their bodies were inhabited by the most evil beings to have ever existed.

Ares had miscalculated and Dahak would be the beneficiary. Before, all he had were the bodies of simple villagers to carry out his plans for world domination. But thanks to the sneak attack on Kos and its neighboring islands, Ares had provided him with the bodies of big and strong, well trained warriors.

He would now have to plan a recovery from such a blunder. He had another general trying to uncover the location of the secret base he knew Dahak had to have. But even if he were to discover its location, steps would have to be taken to make sure what happened on Kos didn’t happen in an attack on this base. But Ares truly could not think of a way to protect his warriors from being possessed by these fallen Watchers. But there was someone about to journey to Greece who would know how to neutralize his evil brethren---Cyrus.

Cyrus had agreed to accompany Xena to Greece in order to translate the Watcher Chronicles so they could find the Holy Saber and kill Dahak. Ares would now also get out of the former Watcher what he needed to destroy those evil spirits.

Thoughts of Xena’s return trip to Greece, reminded Ares that not only would Cyrus be accompanying her but his son and daughter, whose existence he had discovered unbeknownst to either Xena or Cyrus. He already had a plan worked out for when the traveling party entered Olympian territory. Ares would patiently wait until that time, and then he would finally meet his children who had been kept from him since their birth six years ago.

CHAPTER 25

A bright orange sun was rising in the pale blue sky over Persepolis signaling the dawn of a new day. At Cyrus’ estate on the outskirts of Persia’s capital, the staff at the stables was already busy making the final preparations for their lord’s trip to Greece.

"Well Joxer, all three horses are saddled up and the necessary gear is packed, so you guys can leave whenever you’re ready." Braxton was holding the reins for Argo, Otis and Cyrus’ horse Xerxes as he led them out the stables.

"Thanks for all your help Braxton." Joxer took hold of Otis’ reins. "If I’m ever in Persepolis again, maybe you could show me your winning technique for craps."

"It would be my pleasure." Braxton was smiling as he gripped Joxer’s right forearm in a gesture of friendship.

"Hey Joxer, when will we be leavin’?" Lycus gracefully walked atop a nearby wooden fence.

Ever since last night, at dinner, when his Uncle Cyrus had told Lycus that he and Lysia would be joining him, Xena and Joxer on their trip to Greece, the young boy had been wired with excitement. He had heard so many stories about the myths and legends of Greece. His Uncle Cyrus knew a lot of people and maybe he’d get to meet a hero like Hercules or maybe the gods of Olympus.

"We will be leaving as soon as Xena and your Uncle Cyrus get here." Joxer looked in amazement at how the young boy managed to balance himself atop a fence at least six feet high and only about two inches wide. Lycus walked atop the fence as if he were on the ground.

"Where are we goin’ in Greece?" Lysia sat on a wooden bench and braided the hair of the doll in her lap.

"You two will be going to Amphipolis to stay with Xena’s mother while we take care of some serious stuff."

"Why can’t we go with you guys?" Lycus asked.

"Because Amphipolis is the safest place for you to be and you’ll have a good time there." Xena approached the foursome standing outside the stables with the horses. Cyrus was close behind her, talking with Vashti who was by his side.

"Oh good, everybody’s here, so we can go now." Lycus jumped from the fence top and landed noiselessly on the ground. "Xena, can I ride with ya?"

"Of course you can," she replied while a smile.

The three adults mounted their horses. Braxton lifted the children up onto their mounts, Lycus with Xena and Lysia with Cyrus.

"Maybe you should leave the doll here Lysia." Vashti gazed up at the young girl sitting in front of Cyrus on his large stallion Xerxes. "She may get lost during the long trip."

"I won’t lose her." Lysia held Vashti’s surprise present tightly in her arms. "Will ya take care of Mei-Jin for me?"

"I promise, Mei-Jin will receive good care while you’re gone." Vashti affectionately patted the young girl’s left leg as it dangled down the horse’s side.

"Who’s Mei-Jin?" Joxer asked.

"Mei-Jin is that yappin’ little fur ball Lysia says is a dog," Lycus sneered. "It’s got big brown eyes, a dark face that looks pushed in and a puffy tail."

"A year ago, I had business in Chin with a merchant whose dog had a litter of puppies. I knew Lysia would think they were cute so I brought one of the puppies back with me," Cyrus said.

Xena recalled seeing such dogs when she was in Chin. Nobility could only own the dogs and they were so small, people carried them in the wide sleeves of their robes.

"Lycus is just mad that Mei-Jin got to come with us to Persia and he hadta leave Jai in India," Lysia said.

"And who’s Jai?" Joxer asked.

"Jai is my tiger," Lycus proudly replied. "A real pet."

"Mei-Jin is a real pet too," Lysia insisted.

"Mei-Jin is an okay pet...if you’re a girl," Lycus said. "But Jai is a boy’s pet."

"I can see you two are definitely going to make this trip interesting," Xena said with an amused grin on her face.

"Good-bye Joxer. It was nice meeting you." Vashti was smiling as she shyly looked up at him. She thought he looked rather handsome as he sat atop his large horse.

"It was nice meeting you too Vashti," he shyly replied, smiling back.

Joxer had finally met Vashti last evening when the traveling group had dinner together. Joxer knew the young girl Xena described on their trip to Persia would be all grown up now but he hadn’t expected her to be such a beauty. Gazing on that creamy brown skin, those deep brown almond shaped eyes, her waist length black hair that shined like silk and that curvaceous figure made a lump form in Joxer’s throat whenever he just said a few words to her. He was surprised when he discovered she shared his talent for playing the lute, which she displayed for them all after dinner the previous evening. That common interest had made it somewhat easier for Joxer to talk with her last night. Maybe when this Dahak stuff was over, he could return to Persia and discover what other interests he and Vashti possibly shared.

When everyone had said their good-byes, the three horses made their way to the gate of Cyrus’ estate. Argo lead the way with Xena and Lycus on her back, followed by Cyrus and Lysia atop Xerxes and Joxer atop Otis took up the rear.

"Tell me a story Xena," Lycus said after they had made their way through Persepolis and had reached the main road which lead out of Persia. He had been inspecting his brand-new slingshot, the surprise gift from Vashti, and now tucked it safely in a pant pocket.

"What would you like to hear?"

"Tell me a story about one of your adventures."

"All right," Xena said hesitantly. She really wished Gabrielle was there. Xena hated talking about herself and the bard was a much better storyteller than she was. "I’ll tell you about the time Hercules and I freed Prometheus."

"Wow! Ya know Hercules? Do ya think I can meet him when we get to Greece?"

"We’ll see," she softly replied as she watched the young boy settle himself against her and prepared to hear the tale.

Xena had made the decision to confide in her mother about the twins since they would be staying with her in Amphipolis but she was very apprehensive about anyone else seeing them. Xena knew she was being paranoid, but she feared if Hercules met the twins, he might see a resemblance and put the whole story together. Then she would be bombarded with countless questions, which would demand answers. Xena knew Tartarus would freeze over before Hercules ever told Ares about the twins, but just the same, she didn’t want anyone else to know about them.

"As the large bird soared through the sky, I was dangling by a rope. The bird flew toward a rocky mountain peak that would have surely killed me if I collided with it so that’s when I..." Xena stopped mid-sentence when she suddenly noticed how limp Lycus felt as he leaned against her. She finally looked down at him to see that his eyes were closed as his chest rhythmically rose and fell.

"How do you like that? He asks me to tell him a story then he falls asleep before it’s even over," Xena jokingly remarked to herself. "And I thought I was doing a pretty good job of story telling too."

"Lysia has fallen asleep too." Cyrus had heard her comments and he brought Xerxes up to trot next to Argo. One of his arms was wrapped around the little girl whose head rested against his chest as she peacefully slept.

"They were very excited when you told them they were coming to Greece with us," Joxer added. "They were so wired, they probably didn’t get much sleep last night."

"You’re probably right Joxer," Cyrus said. "And they did have to get up very early, so a nap will do them both good.

Xena had a smile on her face as she wrapped an arm securely around her son’s waist as he snuggled closer to her and got more comfortable as he slept.

**********

It was a few hours before sunset when the traveling party made camp for the night in the forest. Both children had awakened hours ago and eagerly helped the adults set up their temporary camp. Having spent their whole lives in a palace surrounded by servants, both children were surprisingly enthusiastic about a week of sleeping under the stars and even bathing in streams. Their young minds saw it as an adventure.

Lysia helped Xena tend to the horses; Lycus went with Cyrus to gather firewood, while Joxer replenished their water-skins at a large lake near their camp.

As Joxer filled the water-skins, he was really glad he came with Xena to Persia. Joxer thought about the fun he had with Braxton in Persepolis and the happy faces of the children in the orphanage as they listened to his stories of heroism. He couldn’t leave out Vashti, who brought a smile to his lips, as he thought about her.

But that smile slowly faded from Joxer’s lips and was replaced with a frown as he felt a throb in his left temple. "Oh, why now?" he groaned. Joxer set the water-skin he held on the ground and gently massaged his left temple with his left hand and closed his eyes.

Joxer had been suffering from these headaches ever since his return from the isle of Kos. He was beginning to think that maybe Gwenyth hitting him on the head caused some damage. Joxer had to chuckle at the thought, considering all the times he had conked himself on the head from clumsiness. But to ease his mind, when they got to Amphipolis, he would pay a visit to the town physician.

After a brief moment, the pain subsided. Joxer picked up the water-skin again and filled it to capacity. He filled the rest and was on the last one when a searing pain shot through his head. It was so intense that he dropped the water-skin. Joxer was about to fall over and had to steady himself by placing his hands on the ground.

"Stop fighting me Joxer!!!" He heard a voice yell in his head. Joxer suddenly felt very weak, like he was going to pass out.

"Hey Joxer, are you done filling those water-skins yet? You got some thirsty people back here." Xena yelled from their campsite.

Joxer shook his head as the dizziness and searing pain faded. "The water’s coming in a sec, Xena." He picked up the water-skin he dropped, filled it, collected the other filled ones, and walked towards their campsite.

"You can’t hold out forever Joxer!!!" He heard the same voice yell in his head. Joxer shook his head again to clear his mind as he made his way back to the camp.

When Joxer returned to the campsite, Cyrus and Lysia were seated around the roaring fire, helping themselves to the last of the food the kitchen staff had prepared for them that morning, while Lycus had Xena embroiled in conversation.

"C’mon Xena, ya promised to show me how your chakram works."

"Can I quench my thirst first?" she chuckled while catching the water-skin Joxer tossed to her. Xena uncapped the water-skin, and took a swig of the cool liquid.

Joxer deposited the other water-skins before joining Cyrus and Lysia around the fire and helping himself to some of the food.

"Okay, here it goes." Xena unhooked the chakram from her waist and tossed it in the air.

Lycus’ crystal blue eyes sparkled with amazement as he watched the chakram whiz through the air. The round metal object bounced off a few trees, a fallen log and a large rock on the outskirts of their camp.

During the chakram’s flight through the air around the campsite, Cyrus had moved away from the fire and stood by a large rock on the outskirts of the camp. When the round metal object whizzed in his direction, he raised an arm and caught it in mid-flight.

"Wow! That was awesome!" Lycus ran over to where Cyrus stood by the large rock. "I didn’t know ya could catch a chakram!"

"Cyrus should be able to catch it, since he’s the one who gave it to me," Xena said.

"Can I have a chakram too?" Lycus now held the round metal object with a small hand while running his fingers over the design etched in the metal.

"Maybe, when you’re older," Cyrus replied. "Now you and Xena better help yourselves to what is left of the food.

**********

"I’m sorry I fell asleep on your story Xena," Lycus said after everyone had finished eating. "If ya tell another one, I promise to stay awake ‘til the end."

"Well..."

"I could tell you guys a story," Joxer interjected before Xena finished her reply.

"And you could use these." Xena opened the saddlebag that lay next to her and displayed its contents.

"Ooh great! You brought Gabrielle’s scrolls," Joxer said. "They will certainly make telling a story a lot easier." He picked some up and unrolled them, trying to decide which one to read to the children.

"Who’s Gabrielle?" Lysia asked.

"She was my best friend who traveled with me everywhere," Xena replied. "She was a gifted bard who recorded our adventures together in these scrolls."

"She was in the Prometheus story," Lycus added. "What happened to her?

"She died a few months ago," Xena softly replied.

"Ya must miss her an awful lot." Lysia sat down beside Xena.

"I do," Xena sighed. "But she is still with me, in my heart, and I will always have the memories of the friendship we shared." Her lips formed into a faint smile as she brushed a hand through the young girl’s long black curly locks.

"I would sure like to take a look at those scrolls," Cyrus said. "I’ve tried to follow your life since we last saw each other but those writings would certainly fill in the gaps."

"You can look at them whenever you want," Xena said.

"Okay kids, I think I found a story you guys will really like." Joxer was still inspecting the contents of the scrolls. He grabbed an oblong piece of wood and lit it for a torch. "It’s a clear night, so we can go sit down by the lake." Joxer headed for the lake followed by the twins.

"This belongs to you." Cyrus handed Xena back her chakram then sat on the opposite side of the roaring fire. "I am curious to know what happened to the one I gave you?"

"This chakram is identical to that one, " Xena said with true surprise. "What gave it away?"

"I didn’t get a good look at the chakram the last time you were in Persia. It is an impeccable likeness but you are dealing with an immortal that can easily detect the metal of the gods. You must have gotten this one from Ares."

"I did. But I still have the one you gave me."

"Where is it?"

"It’s a long story but I can summarize it for you," she replied. "When Ares made me his top warlord, some of the others were not too happy that a woman got the coveted position. A big, ugly warlord named Thales challenged me. I won our brutal fight but the chakram you gave me was broken. Ares had Hephaestus repair the chakram by coating it with a divine metal. So the chakram you gave me is still here, but it’s under this godly metal." Xena patted the palm of a hand against the round metal object.

"The chakram I gave you may be under there but it has been drastically changed and is not the same anymore. And continuing to hold onto that chakram only maintains the bond between you and Ares."

"Now Cyrus, you know as well as I do that the bond I share with Ares transcends this chakram so chucking it would really change nothing."

"Speaking of that bond, I can see that all is going well between you and the twins."

"They have taken to me pretty quick," Xena said with large smile. "And I am enjoying every moment I can spend with them, something I thought I would never have."

"I know you are, I can see it in your face whenever you look at them," Cyrus said with a smile.

"But no matter how much I’m enjoying this time with them, I can’t forget that when this mess with Dahak is over, I will have to say goodbye to them again," Xena said in a somber tone.

"Maybe circumstances will work a way where you won’t have to say goodbye."

"I love your eternal optimism Cyrus but I’m a realist. Considering whom we are going to meet in Greece, I know no matter the changes I’ve made that I can never be a part of the lives of those two precious children. It’s something I accepted a long time ago."

**********

The screech of a bat awoke Xena from sleep. She gazed at the smoldering campfire then the bedrolls positioned around it. Cyrus was sleeping silently, Joxer laid on his back softly snoring, Lysia slept with a faint smile on her face, as one arm clutched the doll Vashti had given her. She must be having a nice dream Xena thought. When she gazed in the direction of Lycus’ bedroll, it was empty. Xena didn’t want him wandering around an unfamiliar forest and went to find him.

Xena figured he might be down by the lake, so that’s where she headed. When she reached the lake, three large rocks were moving some feet above the dark waters. The rocks were moving slowly, then picked up speed as they dropped to water level and skimmed the surface of the lake. As the large rocks approached land, they rose high in the air again, then abruptly dropped with a soft thud at the water’s edge.

"You need to work on your landings, that one was kinda rough."

"Oh, hi Xena," Lycus said in a glum tone. The young boy was lounging on a fallen tree with his arms folded behind his head.

"You sound kinda down, did you have a bad dream?" Xena sat on the end of the fallen tree.

"No bad dream" Lycus sighed. "I was thinkin’ about my powers. I can do this really cool stuff...and so can Lysia. But we can’t show anyone...not even our friends and sometimes I feel like I’m gonna explode. And why can’t the other kids do this stuff?"

As Xena listened to Lycus, she was hit with the realization that despite all her hopes and wishes that the twins have normal lives that would never be fully possible with the godly blood running through their veins. "The gods sometimes give mortals special gifts. You and your sister could be two such mortals."

"Yeah, that’s what Uncle Cyrus says but I think it has somethin’ to do with our parents. I wish they were here." Lycus now stood on the fallen tree, pulled out his slingshot and started shooting pebbles into the lake. "Back in India, me and Lysia would watch the other kids with their moms and dads and wish ours were still alive."

"You may not have your mom and dad but you do have your Uncle Cyrus and Vashti who love you dearly."

"Yeah, I know but I still would like to have a mom and dad like the other kids," Lycus sighed.

Xena pretended she had something in an eye as she wiped away a lone tear. "You shouldn’t have wandered away from the campsite, Lycus," she quickly stated. "When I woke up and saw you weren’t in your bedroll, I was worried something could happen to you."

"I’m sorry." Lycus shot the last of the pebbles into the lake. "Xena, what’s the God of War like?"

"How do you know about him?" She was somewhat startled by the child’s unexpected question.

"He was in the story Joxer told us."

Xena rolled her eyes. Joxer would have to pick a story with Ares in it. She wanted to respond to Lycus’ question by saying dark, soulless and manipulative but instead just said, "Ares is very powerful."

"Like all gods, right?"

"Yes," Xena quickly replied. The last person she wanted to talk about with Lycus was Ares. "We really should get back to the campsite and into our bedrolls. We have a long day of travel ahead of us tomorrow and sleeping on the back of a horse is not something you want to make a habit."

Lycus had a frown on his face after her last statement. "But I’m not sleepy."

"You’re just having trouble sleeping in that bedroll because you’re not use to it. I bet I could sing you a song which would put you to sleep."

"Ya sing too?" the young boy curiously asked.

"I have many skills which would amaze you."

Lycus now sat next to Xena on the fallen tree. As she began to sing, he rested his head against her right arm. Her voice was soft, soothing and hypnotic. And despite his earlier protests of not being sleepy, Lycus found his eyelids growing heavy as Xena continued to sing.

Xena lifted the boy onto her lap and rested his head against her leather-covered breasts as she sang the last verse of the song. When she looked down at Lycus he was in a deep sleep and long black lashes framed his closed eyelids. A soft smile crossed Xena’s lips. The song she had sang to Lycus was the very same song she would sing to him and his sister when they were growing in her womb. The song would still the movements of the unborn babies with sleep and it still had the same effect. Xena affectionately ran a hand through the boy’s soft, curly black hair before she rose from the fallen tree, cradling her son in her arms.

As she carried him back to the campsite, Xena’s emotions overwhelmed her and she couldn’t hold back the urge to hold him closer. When she reached the campsite, she gently laid the boy in his bedroll. After she covered his small body, she softly kissed him atop his head. She gazed at his sleeping form one last time before getting into her own bedroll and drifting off to sleep.

CHAPTER 26

Aratus softly whistled the melody of the song he had heard at a nearby tavern earlier that night. He thought the woman who sang the song had the voice of an enchantress and the beauty to rival any goddess on Mt. Olympus. Aratus was now considering venturing into town tomorrow night just to hear this beautiful woman sing again.

Aratus held the reins of his horse in one hand as he took a quick swig from the bottle of wine on the bench next to him in the wagon. He looked up at the clear night sky and could see part of the moon through tree branches. Aratus took the wagon off the main road and onto a narrow trail surrounded by trees. The wagon had gone some distance into the dark forest when Aratus pulled back on the reins of the lone horse, bringing it to a stop outside what appeared to be an abandoned barn.

Aratus jumped down from the bench and went to the back of the wagon. He lifted the gray tarp covering the wagon’s contents, momentarily gazed at his precious cargo, causing a sinister smile to cross his thin lips, and then he strolled into the old barn.

**********

"Are you sure that’s the man?" Ephiny asked as she and a small band of Amazons crouched behind thick foliage and gazed at the man who just went into the old barn.

"Yes my queen," Aurora firmly replied. "He told me he hadn’t seen the girls but when he mounted his horse, an Amazon medallion fell out one of his pockets. When I tried to chase after him, he urged his horse to go faster. I know I would have caught him, but my horse threw a shoe so I had to abandoned the chase."

"Do you think he sold them to a slave trader?" Solari asked.

"He better not have," Aurora said with a touch of anger.

"If this man knows where the girls are, he will tell us," Ephiny firmly stated.

Ten days ago, the Amazons began their week long rite of passage for young teens. The young girls would have to use their knowledge as Amazons to survive a week in the forest alone. The ceremony ended three days ago, but two of the girls failed to return to the Amazon village, Cyone, Aurora’s daughter, and her best friend Tyra. Aurora had trained with Cyone and Tyra for months and was confident the girls could survive a week alone in the forest. So when Cyone and Tyra failed to return to the Amazon village with the other teenage girls, Aurora knew something must have happened to them. Even Queen Ephiny was disturbed by the disappearance of the two teens since no Amazon had failed to return from a rite of passage in over a decade. While investigating the disappearance of the girls, Aurora ran into Aratus in a village on the outskirts of the forest. It took her two days to track down this man who had lied about seeing the Amazon teens and Aurora was determined to get him to reveal the whereabouts of her daughter and the other girl.

Shrouded by the darkness of the night, Ephiny, Solari, Aurora and a small band of Amazons quietly approached the old barn. Standing outside the worn wooden structure, all could see a yellow glow seeping through a plank. It was decided that the small band would stand watch outside the barn, while Ephiny, Solari and Aurora found a way inside.

A small door was ajar on the barn’s upper level from which hung a rope. Using a nearby wagon to stand upon and reach the rope, the three Amazons climbed up the rope and quietly entered the barn through the narrow opening. All three immediately noticed the unbearable stuffiness of the barn’s interior. But breathing the stuffy air was a small hardship worth bearing if it would lead them to the missing girls. As the three Amazons stood in the barn’s loft, they distinctly heard two male voices engaged in conversation.

"So, he has a friend. I wonder are there any more?" Aurora whispered.

"I think it’s just the two of them but if there are more, we got the others outside to back us up," Solari whispered.

Ephiny remained silent as she led the way, and quietly crawled to the edge of the loft to get a view of what was in the barn. "By the goddess Artemis!" she whispered as the site below took her breath away. Solari and Aurora quickly joined her at the loft’s edge and now all three gazed down in shock at the barn’s first level.

They now had an explanation for the stuffiness of the barn. It was being used as a greenhouse to grow plants the Amazons had never seen before. Each plant had a thick, dark green stem and a large flower with red-orange colored petals shaped like the flames of a fire. Almost the entire first level of the barn was lined with rows of the unusual plants.

The man they had followed to the barn and his cohort each stood by a large plant using shovels to turn the dirt surrounding the plants. Above their heads, suspended by ropes and hanging by their ankles were the pale lifeless bodies of two men. Both had deep jagged cuts running from ear to ear across their throats. Dark red blood poured from the cuts onto the chocolate brown dirt, which the men stirred into the soil, deepening its color.

"What a couple of sick bastards!" Solari whispered.

"They are using human blood to fertilize plants!" Aurora was in shock over what she was witnessing. "I pray to Artemis that Cyone and Tyra didn’t suffer the same fate as those two men."

"Unfortunately, that may be a possibility we all might have to accept," Ephiny said in a grim tone. "But we won’t know that until we confront those two men down there."

**********

"That’s it, soak up this nourishment like a good plant," Aratus cooed lovingly as he stirred the blood into the dirt around the large plant before him.

"You sound like a fool talking to that plant," the other man snickered as he also stirred blood into the dirt around the large plant before him.

"For your information Pheidon, I happen to know that talking to plants in a soothing tone helps them to grow," Aratus said.

"That may be true for most plants, but these are different." Pheidon noticed the blood now barely trickled from the corpse hanging above the plant. "This guy is down to his last drop, what about yours?"

"Yeah, he’s almost empty too." Aratus gazed up at the corpse hanging above the plant.

"I will go get some fresh ones from the storage room." Pheidon removed himself from the row of plants and departed for the storage room.

Aratus started whistling that earlier tune still stuck in his head as he continued to turn the dirt around the plant before him.

"All right, don’t move," a voice whispered behind Aratus as he felt what he thought was the point of a sword in his back.

The shovel he held was immediately kicked from his grasp as a person moved to stand in front of him. Aratus stared at the curly blond haired woman standing before him holding the blade of a dagger at the skin of his throat. From the way she was dressed he figured she was an Amazon, just like the two girls he stumbled upon in the forest a couple days ago.

"Does this look familiar?" Ephiny held up an Amazon medallion that belonged to one of the girls. "It should. You dropped it the other day when you took off in a hurry after being asked some questions concerning two missing Amazon teens." Ephiny stared hard into the man’s eyes and nicked the skin of his throat with the dagger. "For your sake, they better not have ended up like these two men."

**********

On his way to the storage room, Pheidon started whistling the same tune as Aratus. "Oh great, now the tune is stuck in my head," he smirked.

When Pheidon reached the storage room, he retrieved a lit torch from the wall before unlocking the door. When the door was opened, he walked in and cast the light of the torch around the dark room. People with dirty clothes and faces sat on the straw covered floor with bound arms and legs. Moans and groans could be heard as people tried to shield their sensitive eyes from the light with bound hands. Pheidon let the light of the torch settle on a man and a woman hovering in one corner.

"You two will do nicely." Pheidon walked over to the pair, grabbed the woman by her bound hands and dragged her towards the door.

"Please...don’t kill me," she begged. Due to lack of food, the woman was too weak to put up any kind of struggle.

A bound man tried to come to her aid, but was quickly knocked unconscious when Pheidon hit him on the head with the end of the torch. The others just turned their heads as the woman was dragged away to the fate that awaited them all.

Pheidon had just reached the storage room door with the bound woman when Solari jumped out in front of him. Her sudden appearance startled him so he didn’t have time to react when she delivered a blow to his neck, dropping him to his knees, coughing. Solari then delivered a blow to the back of his head, knocking him unconscious. She immediately knelt by the side of the woman lying next to him and used a dagger to cut her arms and legs loose.

"The others...you have to free them too," the woman weakly whispered.

Solari picked up the fallen torch and shined it around the dark storage room.

"Hey Aurora, get in here. There’s something you gotta see that will bring a smile to your face." Solari let the light of the torch settle on the two missing Amazon teens.

**********

"Why are you killing people to feed plants?" Ephiny asked with disgust.

Aratus glared at her with defiance from his bound position sitting in the dirt and refused to give her a response. The other Amazons had entered the barn and cut down the two corpses, prepared to give them a proper burial.

"We found the girls." Aurora was grinning from ear to ear and had her arms wrapped around Cyone and Tyra as she walked between them. "Both are very weak from lack of food but they will survive."

"Did you get anything out of that sicko?" Solari followed behind Aurora and the Amazon teens. She was dragging along Pheidon who had regained consciousness. Behind them were the other captives from the storage room."

"He refuses to talk." Ephiny stared down at Aratus, sitting before her.

"This one won’t say anything either." Solari shoved Pheidon in front of her.

"Let me have a moment alone with him. I bet I could get him to talk." Aurora walked over to Pheidon and viciously kneed him in the groin, getting a howl of pain out of the man as he dropped to his knees again. Aurora pulled out a dagger, ready to slice the man’s throat.

"That’s enough Aurora!" Ephiny yelled. "I understand your anger concerning these men but I will not allow you to kill them in cold blood. We will turn them over to the magistrate in the nearest town."

"But my queen, they should be taken back to our village and face Amazon justice," Solari said. Aurora nodded in agreement.

"Our two Amazons were found alive. But these two dead men and I fear others were not so lucky, so justice for their killings must be handed down by their people and not the Amazons," Ephiny said.

"Yes my queen," Solari and Aurora said in unison.

"Someone’s coming," one of their Amazons sisters reported.

All could now hear the hooves of a horse and the wheels of a wagon as they got closer to the old barn.

"Get out of here Cleon! We’ve been discovered!" Aratus shouted as he rose as quickly as he could with his hands bound behind his back and headed for the barn door.

Before Aratus reached the barn door, he was tackled to the ground by some Amazons and in the process, knocked over a wooden barrel containing oil.

Cleon had heard Aratus’ cries and quickly turned the wagon around. All could hear the wagon as it went back down the narrow road at a quick pace.

The commotion with Aratus distracted the Amazons and gave Pheidon the opportunity to grab a pitchfork, partly covered in the dirt, which he used to pierce the leg of a distracted Amazon standing with her back to him. When she cried out in pain, the others turned around.

"You’re not taking me to any magistrate!" Pheidon held the pitchfork like a weapon, ready to attack any Amazon who came near him.

"Get the girls and these people out of here," Aurora said. "I can handle him." She slowly approached Pheidon, ready to do battle.

"Do as she says," Ephiny ordered.

Solari and the other Amazons got the girls, the other freed captives and a bound Aratus out of the barn and left Aurora to handle Pheidon.

"You may have found this barn but you won’t stop us. You will die along with all the others." Pheidon lunged at Aurora with the pitchfork, which she easily kicked, from his grasp.

Now desperate, Pheidon grabbed a torch hanging on a nearby wall and came at Aurora swinging it. Aurora moved back as she dodged the flames so she didn’t see the spilt oil covering the ground behind her. She slipped on the oil, falling backwards and her head hit the ground hard. Aurora was momentarily dizzy, which gave Pheidon the opportunity to yank her sword from her grasp. He now stood over her fallen form and held the sword in both hands high above his head.

"For you Dark One!" he shouted before bringing the sword down upon the fallen Amazon.

Before the sword could pierce Aurora’s body, Pheidon let out a gasp as blood poured from his mouth. He looked down to see a sword sticking through his chest. There was a look of surprise in his eyes as he fell to the ground next to Aurora.

Aurora looked up to see Solari standing before her with a sword covered in Pheidon’s blood.

"Thanks," Aurora said.

"We better get out of here." Solari offered Aurora a hand to help her to her feet.

When Pheidon grabbed Aurora’s sword, he tossed aside the torch, which fell in some of the spilt oil, starting a fire, which would soon consume the entire barn.

Aurora and Solari quickly made their way out of the old barn as the fire fed off the spilt oil and crept towards a wall.

The fire quickly moved up the dry old wood and soon the wall was nothing but a huge block of bright orange flames bringing light to the previously dark forest.

"Thank Artemis you are both all right. When we saw the fire start, we were afraid you would be lost in it," Ephiny said. "The man is dead?"

"He left me no choice, I had to kill him," Solari replied.

Ephiny nodded in understanding.

Aurora went to stand by Cyone and Tyra as all watched the fire consume the old barn. What was left of the old wooden structure fell to the ground in fiery flames spewing ash into the night air. As all stood there staring at the fiery heap, the golden ashes seemed to hover over the burning remnants of the barn.

"Look, at that, I’ve never seen anything like it," Solari said.

"Neither have I," Ephiny replied.

At that moment, the golden ashes moved away from the fire and quickly approached those gathered.

"Get away from me!" one of the freed female captives screamed as she violently swatted at the golden flames swarming around her. Soon, everyone was swatting at the eerie golden flames, which now swarmed around all like bees.

Ephiny spotted some large round metal objects leaning against an old fence near the barn.

"Amazons, we can use these to ward off that strange ash," Ephiny shouted as she now held one of the objects like a shield and stood near the old fence. Her Amazon sisters followed her lead and each picked up one of the round metal objects and now stood by her side. "All you people, get behind an Amazon and they will use these as shields to protect you."

The people did as Ephiny instructed and gathered behind the Amazons holding the large round metal objects.

The strange golden ash tried to approach those gathered but was warded off by the Amazons using the large round metal objects like shields as the freed captives huddled behind them with fear. But all heads turned when they heard agonizing screams.

Aratus had refused to stand behind an Amazon and was now engulfed in a swarm of the strange golden ash. Since his arms were still bound behind him, he was completely helpless as the swarming ash covered his body. He let out one blood-curdling scream before he collapsed to the ground. The ash covered his body a few moments more then dissipated leaving Aratus’ body visible to view. He lay motionless on the ground.

The Amazons lowered the round metal objects as Solari and Aurora approached Aratus’ body.

"He’s dead!" Aurora said with true surprise as she knelt over his body.

"How can someone be killed by ash?" Solari asked.

"Something really weird is going on here," Aurora said.

At that moment, Aratus’ arms moved, shredding the thick bonds around his wrist like twine. He immediately sat up and with lightening quick speed, roughly grabbed Aurora’s left arm. As she stared into his face with true shock, she couldn’t help but notice the fiery redness of his eyes.

"Let me go!" Aurora yanked her arm from Aratus’ grasp and quickly moved away from him.

"We’re free!" he gasped with awe. "We’re flesh again!" he shouted as he ran his hands over his face, arms and chest. Aratus rose to his feet and started laughing hysterically as he ran off into the dark forest.

Aurora and Solari were prepared to chase after him.

"Let him go," Ephiny ordered. "We must get these people back to their homes."

The Amazons got the people ready for their walk through the dark forest headed towards the nearest village.

Solari noticed that her queen seemed to be engrossed with the design on one of the large round metal objects they had used as shields to protect the people.

"Is something wrong my queen?" Solari asked.

"It’s this design," Ephiny replied. "Come see it."

Solari did as her queen commanded. When she finally looked at the design, she let out a gasp of shock. "I thought they were gone for good."

"Well, it appears they are a very determined bunch," Ephiny said as both women stood gazing at the design, remembering the last time they had seen it.

When Ephiny got word of Gabrielle’s death, she, Solari and a few Amazons wanted to see the place where their queen had given her life so they went to Dahak’s temple. A recent earthquake had reduced most of the temple to rubble but they were able to go inside what was left of the structure. There were rocks and debris scattered about the ruins and among them, broken shields with designs etched in the metal identical to the one before them now.

"This would certainly explain the bizarre killings we found in the barn and that strange ash," Solari said. "If Dahak’s followers have regrouped and are killing in his name, we must stop them."

"Oh, we will stop them all right," Ephiny firmly stated. "But first, we must find Xena. This may be just what she needs to gain back the fight she seemed to have lost after Gabrielle’s death."

CHAPTER 27

After almost a week of travel, the three horses and their five riders were on the road, which led into Amphipolis.

"A circus is in town!" Lycus’ crystal blue eyes beamed with excitement as he gazed at the colorful top of a tent visible above the trees.

"I think you’re right," Xena said from behind him as the pair sat atop Argo, who trotted closer towards Amphipolis.

"Ooh, can we go to the circus?" Lysia turned to gaze up at Cyrus who sat behind her on Xerxes.

"I don’t see why not," Cyrus replied. "While you are staying with Xena’s mother, I’m sure she wouldn’t mind taking you."

"But I wanna go now." Lycus was anxious for some fun after spending hours on the back of a horse.

"We are all going to the tavern, so you two can meet Xena’s mom and unpack your things," Cyrus firmly stated. "You can go to the circus later."

Both children had disappointed looks on their faces.

"Ever since I was a kid, I always loved it when a circus was in town and before we leave, I sure would love the chance to check this one out too," Joxer said with child like excitement. "I could take the kids to the circus, while you two take their things to the tavern."

"Well?" The children anxiously asked in unison as they waited for a response from Cyrus.

"You both can go," Cyrus replied.

Both children now had pleased smiles on their faces.

When the traveling party reached Amphipolis, the streets were filled with people who had come to see the circus. Joxer dismounted Otis then helped both children down from the backs of Argo and Xerxes. Xena held Otis’ reins so the horse would follow Argo as she and Cyrus made their way to the tavern while Joxer and the twins headed for the circus.

Xena and Cyrus took the horses to the stables, unloaded the children’s things and headed for the tavern. When they reached the tavern, the place was packed with people who had come to see the circus. Xena lead their way through the crowd, headed for the kitchen where she figured her mother would be.

Cyrene closed the cellar door located in the floor of the kitchen, then picked up the two large jugs of ale and headed for the barroom.

"Xena, you’re back!" Cyrene said with surprise when she saw her daughter walk through the kitchen door. She set the two large jugs on a nearby table, then embraced Xena in a big hug.

"And, I’m in one piece." Xena returned the hug. "I want you to meet the dear friend I told you would be coming back with me," she said when they broke the hug and Cyrene took notice of the man with long curly blond hair standing behind Xena. "Mother, this is Cyrus."

"It’s a pleasure to finally meet you Cyrene," Cyrus said with a big smile.

"I’m always happy to meet one of Xena’s good friends." Cyrene thought Xena’s friend looked very competent and reliable which somewhat diminished her fears over her daughter’s alliance with the God of War. At least now, Xena wouldn’t be around Ares alone. Recent events in Xena’s life made Cyrene doubt her daughter’s judgment concerning the war god.

"Where is Joxer?"

"He took the children traveling with us to see the circus," Xena replied.

"What children?"

"They are Cyrus’ wards, a boy and a girl...twins, to be exact." When it was initially decided that the children would go to Greece, Xena had also made the decision to tell Cyrene they were her children. But now, Xena knew once Cyrene was told she would badger her about the identity of the father. If Cyrene knew the father was Ares, it would just lead to a rehash about her fears regarding their alliance so Xena decided to stay silent about the children’s parents. "I figured they could stay here, while we meet with Ares. You don’t mind do you?"

"No, of course not," Cyrene replied. "It will be nice to hear the laughter of children around here. I can put them in the two rooms across from mine."

"C’mon Cyrus, we can take their things up to the rooms, I’ll show you the way."

"You two can do that later," Cyrene said. "I’m taking these two jugs out to the bar, then I’ll be back and I want you two sitting at that table over there, eating the stew I just prepared which should be a welcomed meal for you both after a week of eating what the forest provides." Cyrene quickly exited the kitchen.

"I guess a home cooked meal is in order," Xena admitted.

"Oh, I’ll say," Cyrus added. "I don’t know how you make it eating that stuff we found in the forest on a daily basis."

"It’s an acquired taste," Xena confessed.

"Well, you can have it," Cyrus stated flatly. "Give me home cooking any day." He deposited the children’s belongings on the floor, grabbed a bowl sitting on the table and helped himself to the freshly prepared stew simmering over the hearth. Xena got a bowl of stew also then joined Cyrus at the table.

"There’s one more thing I got to handle, then I will join you two," Cyrene said as she briefly came back into the kitchen to get another jug then departed to the barroom again. "Oh, and I expect to hear all about your trip back to Greece," Cyrene said as she stuck her head through the door then disappeared.

"I don’t think she wants us to leave," Cyrus said when they were alone in the kitchen.

Xena knew her mother disapproved of her alliance with Ares and wouldn’t be surprised if she was trying to stall their meeting with the war god.

"You are probably right," Xena said. "But we will leave. There is too much at stake and my mother is one of the few people who knows that better than anyone."

**********

Joxer and the twins were having a good time as they explored the variety of entertainment the circus had to offer. The children cheered Joxer on as he participated in a few events. He was only victorious in one. For his prize, he picked out a large green stuffed toy dragon, which he gave to Lysia. Joxer stopped at the booth of a vendor selling candy and decided to buy some for the trio.

"Let’s check out the tent that looks like a rainbow," Lycus said after Joxer rejoined them.

The trio was approaching a small tent that had red, blue, orange, green, yellow and purple vertical stripes.

"Come learn all from Agatha the sooth...sayer," Lysia said as she read the sign outside the tent. "Joxer, what’s a soothsayer?"

"It’s a person who knows stuff before it happens," he replied.

"Cool, let’s go in," Lycus said with excitement.

The trio made their way through the strands of blue and black beads hanging from the doorway of the tent. Once inside, they immediately noticed how dark it was despite the bright sunshine of the afternoon and were overwhelmed by the smell of floral incense.

"This place is creepy, let’s go." Lysia tightly held Joxer’s left arm.

At that moment, the trio was startled by the sound of a lamp being lit. The lone bright orange flame made the contents of the small tent visible to view so their gaze focused on a round table draped with a black cloth set in the middle of the tent. At the table sat a figure wearing a black cloak with a large hood.

"C’mon over dearies, I wun’t bite," the cloaked figure cackled in a scraggily voice.

Joxer and Lysia cautiously approached the table but Lycus boldly strolled over to the table and sat in the only chair across from the soothsayer. Joxer and Lysia stood on either side of him.

"I’m Agatha and fer one deener, I’ll tell yer future."

Joxer reached in his money pouch and pulled out one dinar, which he set on the table between them. A wrinkled hand with bony fingers, knobby knuckles, and long sharp yellow nails quickly reached out and grabbed the lone dinar.

"Put yur hands on the table boy," Agatha ordered.

Lycus did as she commanded. The soothsayer quickly grabbed his small hands with her bony ones which somewhat startled the child and his two companions. Lycus thought her hands felt rough and ice cold against his. Despite the large hood and the shadows it cast, Lycus was able to see some of Agatha’s face. It was very wrinkled and thin. She had a pointy chin with a few gray hairs growing from it. Strands of snowy white hair stuck out of the large hood. Lycus could see her gray old eyes peeping out from the shadows of the hood, staring intently at his face.

"You boy are named Lycus," Agatha said in a raspy voice. "The girl standin’ next to ya is yer...sister...Lysia." The soothsayer’s gray old eyes were now staring at Lysia and made the young girl feel somewhat uncomfortable.

"Put yur hands on the table," Agatha commanded as she continued to stare at Lysia.

Reluctantly, Lysia set her small hands on the table next to her brother’s. Agatha still held Lycus’ right hand as she now held Lysia’s in a firm grasp. The young girl had to fight the urge to yank her hand away because the soothsayer’s felt so cold and rough.

"I feel a power...a great power...comin’ from ya both," Agatha whispered. "A power like the gods."

The soothsayer’s words were no surprise to the twins since their Uncle Cyrus had told them their powers were gifts from the gods. And Xena had told Joxer the children had special gifts so the soothsayer’s words were no surprise to him either as he stood there silently watching the soothsayer read the twins’ fortune.

The soothsayer quickly turned over the right hands of both children and ran her boney fingers over the small palms. Her gray old eyes stared intently at the two small palms she held in each hand.

"I see a woman...a warrior woman..."

"It must be Xena!" Lycus interjected with excitement.

"Quiet, ya must remain quiet, ‘til the readin’ is dun," Agatha stated in a firm raspy voice.

"Oh, sorry," Lycus whispered.

"I see a warrior woman...and...the war god," Agatha said. "They must protect ya from a great evil...the Demon Snake. He wants ya both but he’s goin’ for the boy first."

Lycus was excited about the possibility of meeting a god but the soothsayer’s words regarding a demon snake sent chills through his body. It reminded him of the snake man in his nightmares who was coming after him. "Will the demon snake get me?" Lycus anxiously asked, forgetting to remain silent until the reading was over.

"I can not say...it is too clouded," Agatha softly replied, her face in a frown, adding to the wrinkles. "You girl...are the key...to the power that can stop the demon snake." The soothsayer’s gray old eyes now stared at Lysia.

"How will I do that?" Lysia had a perplexed look on her face also forgetting the silence rule.

"When the time is right, you’ll know. Many things will happen in the months ahead and ya both must be strong." With her last words, Agatha sat back in her chair.

"Is that all?" Lycus asked.

"Yup, fer only one deener, that’s all ya get," the old soothsayer replied. "It will cost ya five deeners a piece to get the rest."

The twins were curious to hear more and now looked at Joxer expectantly.

"Ten dinars! That’s highway robbery!" Joxer declared. "C’mon kids, we are leaving." He ushered the twins towards the opening in the tent.

"But dun’t ya wanna know yer own future? It’ll only cost one deener," Agatha said to Joxer’s departing form.

"Do it Joxer," Lycus said.

"Yeah do it," Lysia added.

If they couldn’t hear all that awaited them, they wanted to hear at least what was in store for Joxer in the future.

"Oh...all right," Joxer said grudgingly as he walked back over to the table and tossed a dinar onto the black tablecloth. He sat in the lone chair across from the old soothsayer and then put both hands on the tabletop. The twins stood on either side of him.

The soothsayer grabbed his hands and ran her boney fingers over his palms just as she had done with the children.

"I see...that warrior woman again...you are fightin’ by her side, and I see...another woman...she is very close to ya...she is very beautiful with long curly auburn hair."

Joxer knew the warrior woman the soothsayer referred to had to be Xena. He had no clue who the other woman was. He obviously hadn’t met her yet and this rather intrigued him.

"I see something else." Agatha’s face was drawn up in a twisted frown.

"Ooh what is it?" Lycus asked with excitement.

"It’s very dark...very angry and very..." Agatha’s voice dropped off as she peeped through the hood of the black cloak she wore and stared hard into Joxer’s face with old gray eyes. A wail escaped her thin lips and her body began to tremble under the black cloak as she quickly released Joxer’s hands from her grasp. "Ya must go now," she said abruptly.

"But what didja see?" Lysia asked.

"I saw nuthin’," Agatha quickly replied. "Go...please just go!" she demanded as she covered her wrinkled face with her bony hands.

"Let’s do as she says." Joxer rose from the table. He led the twins out of the soothsayer’s tent.

"I saw evil...a great evil," Agatha whispered after the trio had departed. Her bony hands were shaking as she brought a bottle from underneath the black tablecloth and quickly put it to her quivering thin lips.

**********

Once outside the soothsayer’s tent, the trio started walking in the direction of the big top.

"What was wrong with Agatha?" Lycus asked.

"I think she saw somethin’ that really scared her," Lysia said.

"Agatha was an old drunk who didn’t know what she was talking about so just ignore everything she said." Joxer had smelled the wine on her the minute they walked over to the table. "Now, you two are really going to love the acts under the big top. They have acrobats...as a kid they were always my favorite part of the show...and trained animals from around the world."

Joxer and the children were crossing into the Town Square when yelling could be heard above the usual chatter in the street.

"Why don’t you watch where you’re going you clumsy oaf!" One man shouted.

"You’re calling me a clumsy oaf?!?!" The second man yelled. "You’re the one who bumped into me!!! And look what you did to the vase I bought for my wife."

Joxer and the twins quickly made their way through the gathered crowd to view the disturbance. Two men stood facing each other, about to come to blows, while the turquoise colored ceramic pieces of a vase lay on the ground around them.

"That vase cost me twenty dinars and you’re going to replace it!" The second man yelled as he gave the first a rough shove.

"You were a sucker to pay that!" The first man yelled shoving him back. "And I’m not shelling out dinars for your clumsiness!"

Joxer had learned a lot fighting alongside Xena these past few months and took it upon himself to squelch this quarrel before it turned into a brawl. "Gentlemen please!" he said in a raised voice while stepping forward out of the crowd and approaching the two men. "There must be some way for you to settle your differences without turning this into a fist fight."

"You should mind your own business!" The second man growled as he swung a fist at Joxer, which connected with his jaw, knocking him to the ground.

"Hey, leave the guy alone!" A man yelled as he stepped out of the gathered crowd. "He was only trying to help!" The man swung a punch at the second man.

Soon, several men, not wanting to be left out of a good fight, joined in the ruckus.

"C’mon Lysia, let’s get outta here." Lycus dragged his sister away from the growing crowd.

"But what about Joxer?"

"Oh, he’ll be okay." Lycus took a quick glimpse at Joxer who was lying on the ground, rubbing his jaw. "Let’s go have some fun." There was a devilish smile on the young boy’s face.

Lycus was drawn to a dart-throwing booth, so that’s where he dragged his sister. A game between a few people had just concluded and a new one was about to get underway.

"Hey mister, can I play?" Lycus asked when he and Lysia stood before the vendor running the booth.

"I’m afraid not sonny," the vendor said as he gazed down at the children. "You’re too young."

"But my brother is really good," Lysia said. "He always beats the servants."

"The servants, huh?" the vendor said with a chuckle.

"Oh c’mon Pindar, let the little boy play," a man, standing at the booth said. "What are you, afraid he’ll actually win and clean you out of merchandise?"

Some others gathered snickered at this comment which angered Pindar. "The kid has no money, so he can’t play!" Pindar snapped.

"But yes I do." Lycus pulled a dinar from a pocket.

"See, the kid does have money, so let him play," the man said. Others gathered voiced the same sentiments.

"Oh, all right," Pindar muttered as he took the dinar from Lycus and handed him some darts.

"Lycus, where didja get that dinar?" Lysia whispered in his head.

"I got it from Joxer’s money pouch when he wasn’t lookin’," he replied.

"But that’s stealing!" The girl stared at her brother wide-eyed.

"Joxer had so many, he won’t miss it,"

Lysia just stood there staring at Lycus as he took his spot next to the others about to participate in the next game of darts. Sometimes she wondered how he could be her brother and this was one of those times. Lysia was brought out of her thoughts when she felt something wet on her left hand. She looked down to see a black mastiff licking her hand.

"Are you lookin’ for a friend?" Lysia asked the dog as she now stood before it, holding its face between her hands and staring into the animal’s big, brown, soulful eyes. "We can both watch Lycus win the dart game." She rubbed her hands behind the dog’s ears, which the animal seemed to really like. Then they both found a spot to watch Lycus play darts.

**********

Joxer rubbed his sore jaw as he wandered down another street looking for the twins. Joxer thought he had an understanding with the kids---a truce---no more pranks---against him anyway. He had shrugged off the incident in the forest regarding his clothes. Joxer remembered the pranks Jett would coerce him into pulling and what the twins did to him paled in comparison. He thought with volunteering to take them to the circus and the good time they were having that they were now friends. But the twins had proven that underneath those innocent faces were the devious minds of little harpies who ditched him the moment they were given the chance. Joxer had been looking for the twins for almost an hour when he noticed the hoopla gathered around the dart-throwing booth. He decided to take some time out from his search for the twins to check out what had everybody so psyched.

Lycus had won ten games in a row, which had drawn quite a crowd around the dart-throwing booth with people amazed at the ability of such a young child.

"Here’s a dinar, let me play the kid, I know I can beat him," a man said as he stepped from the gathered crowd.

"I’ll give it a shot too," another man said as he stepped forward.

Lycus eagerly accepted the challenges.

Lysia stood nearby, holding a sack full of toys her brother had won. The black mastiff still stood next to her. Lysia was looking around the crowd, when she saw a familiar shirt pass in a blur. She moved some ways through the crowd, until she saw the familiar shirt again and its wearer.

"Uh oh, trouble," she murmured then she headed back towards the dart-throwing booth.

"Lycus, Joxer is comin’ this way!" the boy heard his sister shout in his head.

"Uh, I gotta go now," Lycus quickly stated to Pindar and the two men getting ready to challenge him.

"But the game is just getting started," Pindar said.

"Sorry, but I’m just a little kid and I gotta go home so…bye." Lycus quickly departed from the booth, found Lysia and then both quickly moved through the crowd, followed by the large dog.

Once out of the crowd, the children started running down the street.

"Hey you two, wait!" they heard a voice cry out to them when they had gone some distance down the street.

Lysia turned around to see who was calling to them. It was some man she didn’t recognize.

"C’mon Lysia, we havta keep goin’." Lycus pulled at her arm.

"But it’s not Joxer, it’s someone else." Lysia came to a stop.

Lycus groaned in disapproval but stopped with his sister.

"Boy...you two...certainly move fast," the man gasped when he stood before the children.

"Why were ya yellin’ at us?" Lysia asked.

"I have a little girl around your age who I promised I would get a stuffed toy griffin at the circus. The last one available in the entire circus was the one you picked at the dart-throwing booth. You have a bag full of toys and I was wondering if you would let me have the griffin."

"We’ll let ya have it for five dinars," Lycus stated.

"Five dinars! That’s a lot of money for a stuffed toy griffin," the man said.

"Gee Lycus, that does sound like an awful lot for the toy," Lysia agreed.

"Not for the only stuffed griffin left in the whole circus," Lycus firmly stated. "Besides, the man promised his little girl he would get her one and I know how I feel when grown-ups don’t keep promises. So, how badly do ya wannit?"

Begrudgingly, the man took five dinars from a pouch and handed them to Lycus. Lysia retrieved the stuffed toy griffin from the sack she held and gave it to the man who then departed the way he came.

"Now I can give back the dinar I took from Joxer and still have four dinars left for us," Lycus said with a pleased smile. "Where did that dog come from?" He finally noticed the large animal standing next to his sister.

"Oh him, he was standin’ by the dart-throwin’ booth." Lysia looked down at the dog. "He musta followed us when we ran down the street."

"Well, if he wants to follow us, I guess he can." Lycus rubbed a hand over the dog’s back.

The children, along with the dog, turned down an alley to avoid Joxer who they knew was still looking for them. The alley opened onto another street, which led to the big top. The street was packed with people headed for the large tent to see the show, which would begin in a matter of minutes. The trio quickly moved through the crowd and ended up at the makeshift camp of the circus performers behind the big top.

"We’ve been runnin’ around for an awful long time. We should let Joxer find us now," Lysia suggested as the trio walked down one of the many rows of circus wagons.

"We’ll go find Joxer but I wanna see if there’s any cool stuff back here." Lycus’ eyes quickly scanned their surroundings.

"There’s nothin’ but old wagons back here," Lysia complained.

"Hey, I didn’t know a circus in Greece would have one of these!" Lycus ran over to a large cage.

"This one is bigger than Jai." Lysia now stood by him. Both children were gazing at a large tiger that nervously paced the length of the cage. The animal acknowledged their presence by roaring at them but continued to pace the cage.

"Jai is still a cub but he’ll probably get as big as this one." Lycus put a small hand through the metal bars. The tiger bared its large sharp teeth and growled as it approached the hand inside the cage. The animal sniffed the small hand as its golden eyes stared into the calm blueness of the young boy’s eyes. Suddenly, the animal lay down and began rubbing its large furry face against the small hand. Lysia now inserted a hand through the metal bars and began petting the tiger too.

The black mastiff was still with the children and did not appreciate another animal getting all their attention and started barking and jumping up and down.

"What’s the matter with him?" Lycus glanced at the barking dog.

"I guess he feels left out." Lysia stopped petting the tiger and kneeled before the dog. The animal happily wagged its tail as it covered the young girl’s face with licks, causing her to giggle.

But the dog was not satisfied with only Lysia noticing him. The animal went for Lycus who had his back to him, as he was still engrossed with the caged tiger. The dog grabbed the slingshot sticking out of the boy’s pants and took off running.

"Bring that back!" Lycus took off after the dog, followed by Lysia.

The black mastiff held the slingshot securely between its jaws as it raced up and down the rows of circus wagons followed by the twins. The animal was confident its two legged pursuers were no matches for the speed of its four legs. But that confidence quickly evaporated when the large dog ran down a row of wagons which led to a dead end. The animal turned around and watched as the children steadily approached it.

"Drop the slingshot!" Lycus slowly approached the cornered animal. Lysia was next to him as they moved closer to the dog.

Obeying the command, the dog immediately dropped the slingshot, backed several feet from it, and then sat down.

Lycus picked up his slingshot and inspected it for damage. "You’re lucky there are no teeth marks." He angrily stared at the dog.

"He probably took it ‘cause he wannit ya to play with him too." Lysia now stood by the dog and gently rubbed a hand down its black back.

"Yeah, I guess." Lycus shoved the slingshot into a pant pocket. "We better go find Joxer now." Lycus had started walking back the way they came when a blinding bright light suddenly appeared in front of him. "Hey, what’s goin’ on!?!?" The child quickly brought his hands up to his eyes to shield them from the brightness.

When the brightness appeared to dim, Lycus removed his hands from his eyes and that’s when he noticed someone standing in front of him. The row was still shrouded in a thick haze making it difficult for him to see but Lycus knew whoever stood before him was not the large dog or Lysia. The young boy was gazing upward to get a glimpse of the stranger’s face, when a large hand reached down and touched his left shoulder, then everything faded to blackness.

Lysia had also shielded her eyes from the blinding light and uncovered them when the brightness dimmed. She tried to scan the thick haze looking for Lycus but didn’t see him. Lysia had cautiously started moving through the thick haze, with the large dog by her side, when she got a glimpse of a tall dark figure moving towards her. The child stopped moving and remained planted where she stood, fear beginning to race through her body. Lysia couldn’t see a face but it did look like whoever it was held something in an arm. As the figure got closer, she realized the something held in an arm was Lycus!

Lysia shrugged off the fear as she stared at her brother’s limp form and took off headed for the tall dark figure.

"What didja do to Lycus!?!?" she yelled, getting ever nearer to the tall dark figure. "What didja do to my bro..."

Lysia’s question was cut short when the figure reached down; touched her right shoulder and all faded to blackness.

Before she could hit the ground, the tall dark figure scooped her up in his free arm. The tall dark figure, now holding the limp forms of both children in his arms, was still shrouded by the haze, when a sharp whistle escaped his lips. The black mastiff immediately ran over and stood by his side. Then as quickly as it had appeared, the thick haze vanished, along with its four occupants.

Chapters 28 – 31

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