Hercules: The Legendary Journeys

To Humble A God

The Fifth Adventure In The Empath Chronicles

By Donna Eisner



Copyright October, 1997 By Donna Eisner. Please Do Not Alter Without Author's Consent.



This story contains scenes of violence and sexual situations, but no more than you might encounter while viewing the average episode of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys.

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The empath knelt before a low growing bush carefully picking the best leaves and smallest twigs to put in her basket of woven reeds.

"Mommy!" Hercus called to her. She sent her mind to her son so that he might find her. "Shall I help you, Mommy?" He was always willing to help her if she asked. He seldom offered to help, however.

She nodded. "If you would like to, yes."

He was as careful as his mother to pick the tender leaves that would make the best tasting tea. He knew his mother would dry them, and when they were ground and left to seep in boiling water, they made a spicy tea.

"Mommy?" His voice was very serious. "I have been having mind speech with Grandfather Thysis."

She rose up to smile at him. "Have you? I am glad. You are doing so well, Hercus. I am very proud of you."

He smiled back at his mother. Taking a deep breath he continued. "Could I spend the winter with him?"

The empath stopped what she was doing and searched her son's eyes.

"Please, Mother? I can really learn a lot from him. You know my mind needs direction."

"We have been apart so much, Hercus."

"I know. But you told me yourself that the yosemin boys in your village were always taught by the elders of the clan. Thysis is our clan elder, is he not?"

"Yes, my son, he is. The tie is of the soul. I have no objection to who you wish to be your tutor, only that it would mean our separation from each other."

"Grandfather Thysis and I have bonded, and we have been doing studies of the mind all this time. But it is time to return to him. Is it not true that the young people of your village went into apprenticeship to learn the ways of the earth?"

"Yes, Hercus. They would be in apprenticeship to an elder, often even living with them, learning and studying on a daily basis. Still, they were in the same village, just across the clearing or even sometimes next door. They could see their families daily."

"Yes, but I would only be four days away." His mother let her breath out with a sigh. "I am old enough now to take the pledge of apprenticeship, am I not?"

"It is not so much a matter of age, my son, as it is a matter of the mind and the soul."

"All the more reason it should be now. I am ready. Grandfather Thysis believes so, and so do I. I want to learn of the earth and grow stronger in mind. I wish to learn the ways of the people of the earth. I feel the earth's call, my mother. Please do not deny me this."

Tears filled the mother's eyes. "You have made a wise choice. I feel the earth within you. Have you spoken to your father?"

"Not yet."

"We will speak with him tonight at supper. The final decision must come from your father and your uncle."

"Will you agree to my apprenticeship?"

Her breath caught on a sob. "Yes, my son. If this is what you want, then I accept your choice."

He put his arms around her. "You are indeed wise, my mother. The earth will be pleased with your decision. I will endeavor to fulfill the earth's expectations, and in so doing honor my family."

She smoothed his hair from his forehead. He looks so much like his father, she thought. He had requested the right of apprenticeship with true yosemin formality, and the formal words from him had torn at her heart. She had delayed the final decision for a short time only. She had promised Thysis, Hercus, and herself that when the time came for him to go to his studies, she wouldn't object. But now that the time had come she was torn. To be separated from him again left her feeling lost and lonely. He seemed so young to her, and in years he was. But in his strength of mind and his maturity he was more than ready.

Leaving the final decision to the male heads of the household was a yosemin tradition. She and Hercus both knew it was a formality really. While his father might not wish him to go, he would do what Sira thought was best for their son. He'd always encouraged his son's strength of mind and his maturity. He had done his part to develop the boy's understanding of the world around him and had insisted he be given lessons in what it meant to be of the earth.

The boy left his mother to her thoughts and went to check his snares. He felt warm all over. He would miss his mother and father as well as his uncle Hercules. It would, he admitted, be hard to be away from them. But he wanted this. He knew his mind was unfocused, and of late this had made him feel inadequate. It was an uncomfortable place to find the mind and he was determined to bring his strong mind to a place of peace. He wasn't fooled. He knew it could take years. But then the strengthening and focusing of the mind was a lifetime endeavor at any rate.

The healer left her task and wandered to the river. She sat on a rock looking over the water to the far mountains. "You must take care of him, my mother. He is so young. He is your son, and I give him willingly into your hands. Guide and nurture him. Show him the way to your bond of soul that makes your people whole." A sob shook her and she did nothing to stop the tears that flowed freely down her cheeks. She sent her mind to her chosen father and felt his instant response. He sent comfort to her. She knew her son would be in good hands. She felt her father's desire to have her son with him, and understood his need to pass on some of the peace of mind he'd struggled so long to achieve.

"Could this not wait a little longer, my father?" her mind beseeched him.

"It is time, my daughter. When the weather allows, you may visit. For now, let us say only that he will stay with me for the winter, then return to you. You will have the tie of mind to help and I will make sure he has mind speech with you daily."

"Very well, my father. I know it is the right thing for him, but I am not so sure about myself."

"The earth will guide you, my daughter."

With resignation she returned to her task. She dreaded the next few hours. A ladybug landed on her hand and she stopped to watch it. She felt a peace seep through her. The earth was comforting her, and she knew she had made the right decision in letting Hercus go to his studies without protest.



Over dinner that night the healer brought up the subject. Hercus had waited patiently for her to do so. She knew he was anxious and nervous.

"My husband and my brother, son Hercus has requested permission to spend the winter with his honored grandfather and mentor."

The hunter had been about to take a bite of stew. He stopped, the spoon still poised at his mouth. He searched his wife's eyes a moment. He'd known this moment was coming. Now that it was here he felt dread overtake him. It started as a painful tingle in his middle and spread up and out from there. He set his spoon down and turned to his son.

"My father and my honored uncle, I have made this request only after careful thought." The boy had obviously rehearsed this part of his speech. "I wish now to further the studies that we started long ago. The earth has called me to this, and I feel it is very important that I do as the earth has directed me. My mind has felt unfocused of late and it has brought me discomfort. I seek to find the direction needed to find peace with the power the earth has seen fit to grant to me."

The hunter swallowed, then swallowed again. Before he could speak the boy continued.

"Mother has consented to my request, providing the male heads of household and clan leaders agree."

Iolaus looked to the empath once again. He felt her pain, but he also felt her acceptance of the situation. She touched his mind to reassure him that she had indeed given her consent. Sira and Hercus had set a mood of formality and he took their lead. He turned to his friend.

"Brother, and honored uncle to Hercus, of the clan of the wolf and the lion, I would value your opinion on this matter."

The demigod looked startled. He wiped his mouth with his napkin. He was unprepared for this sudden thrust into decision making as far as his nephew of the soul was concerned. He sent his mind to the healer and received guidance.

"Honored brother, I feel that Hercus has been most wise in choosing such a course. I am honored to be included in such a mature undertaking." The son of Zeus spoke gravely. He turned to the boy. "I give my consent for you to resume your studies at the feet of your honored grandfather."

The boy grinned despite himself and turned to his father.

"Very well, my son. I grant you this in the name of the earth. May she guide you in your endeavor." He cleared his throat. "I'll miss you."

The boy hugged his father. "I will miss you also."

Sira let her breath out in a rush. She hadn't realized she'd been holding it. She'd almost wished Iolaus would deny the boy's request, and been afraid he might. She now wanted this for her son, but wished it could be delayed for herself.

"Thank you, my father and honored uncle. I will endeavor to please and honor you with my learning."

It was the yosemin expression given by those going into apprenticeship. Sira had been far too young to use it herself when she was taken to the hall of healers to begin her own apprenticeship. Still she knew the expression well. She wiped the tears from her face but they were back as soon as she did.

When the meal was complete Hercus went to finish his outside chores. The healer stood in the doorway looking out over the yard and beyond to the mountains. The hunter came up from behind and put his arms around her. She leaned back into him and rested her head against his chest.

He kissed the top of her head. "He'll be fine, you know."

"I know. It is just hard to let him go. I want this for him, and yet I would give anything to have him stay here with us."

"I know. I almost said no because I'll miss him so much."

"For his sake, I am glad you did not deny him. For my sake, I wish you had."

"Yes, I felt the same, my honored wife."

"He presented his request in the true yosemin tradition. I am very proud of him."

"As am I."

"Once he is accepted into apprenticeship, could we perhaps not return here right away? The place is pretty well ready for winter, and it would be good to be away for a time."

He smiled. He knew she enjoyed the trail and traveling. "Where would you like to go?"

"Maybe to visit Jason and Alcmene. Then maybe just to stay in the mountains for a time. The winter will be upon us soon enough, but there is still time to enjoy some of the autumn."

"I don't see why not. I would enjoy it myself. Why don't you go see what Herc thinks."

Sira found the demigod sitting on a rock near the river. He looked up to smile at her approach.

"I wanted to thank you for understanding about Hercus. You said just the right thing."

"I was honored to be included."

"You are family. You are his uncle of the soul, and among the yosemin people the male heads of household must make these kinds of decisions."

"This won't be easy for you, my sister."

"No, it will not be easy. But it is only for a few months, and it is important to him."

"You are wise in these things, honored mother."

The healer laughed. "You learn very quickly. We will make a yosemin of you yet."

"I'm going to miss him. This place will be far too quiet with him gone."

"I wondered how you would feel about joining us when we take Hercus to his grandfather? Iolaus and I thought perhaps we could visit your mother and Jason and then spend some time in the mountains before we return here."

"I think your going is a good idea. It will lessen the pain of separation. But wouldn't you rather go without me? You and Iolaus have so little time alone together."

"We have lots of time alone. At night when we close our bedroom door, during the day when we sneak away to the river to bathe or go to the meadow to be together." The big man blushed and she grinned at him. "We would not wish to go without you, my brother. You are a part of our lives. Life is more enjoyable when you are there." She put her hand on his arm. "Please say you will come with us."

He stood and took her into his arms. "You and your family have made me so welcome. You've filled a void in my life. I too feel better when we're together. I just don't want to outstay my welcome."

"That is impossible, my brother. Would I feel that Iolaus out stayed his welcome? Or Hercus? This is your home. We are your family. It is not a matter of being welcome. You belong here as surely as any of the rest of us."

"Then, my sister of the soul, I would really like to come with you when Hercus is delivered into the hands of his grandfather. And I look forward to being in the mountains with you once again."



The next morning, the empath worked hard to prepare things for their departure the following day. It seemed they were always traveling. The girl smiled. She was looking forward to that part. Maybe we will stumble onto an adventure, she thought. That would take the pain of leaving Hercus from my mind, at least for a time. A tingle of anticipation tickled her spine.

She kept busy all morning and the day slipped by quickly. The afternoon was hot and sticky as clouds hugged the horizon and sent their moisture to laden the air. She felt tired and hot. With a mental shrug at the work still to be done, she grabbed what she would need and headed to the river to bathe.

When she and Iolaus first found the hidden clearing and chose it for their home, they had worked to make a deeper pool near the cabin for bathing and fishing. They had removed some rocks and built a dam of sorts to hold the water back. Water still spilled over the top but it made for a deep pool that the healer loved. In the middle she couldn't stand on her feet and keep her head above water. Across the pool on the far bank was a small cascade of water that ran almost year around. Now with the lateness of the year it was just a trickle. Sira liked to rinse her hair in the fresh water that fell into the pool.

She slipped her dress over her head and stepped out of her undergarments. She looked about her as a strange feeling of being watched passed over her. But there was nothing there and she waded into the water. She slipped into the icy water and shivered with delight as it caressed and soothed her. She dove to the bottom and back up. She washed her hair and rinsed it in the water of the small waterfall. It felt wonderful as it splashed over her shoulders and down her front as she stood under it.

When her hair was done she twisted it up on the top of her head. Leaving the water for a moment she pinned it in place with the two polished sticks she'd brought for the purpose then she returned to the water to complete her bath. She threw the soap and cloth on the grassy shore and swam for the pleasure of it.

She sensed something and looked up. A man stood on the riverbank watching her. He was tall and powerfully built. He was clad in black leather. Black curly hair waved back from a prominent brow. The lower half of his face was hidden behind a black goatee. Watching her as she bathed, he stood motionless, his muscular arms folded across his chest.

Her body was underwater for the most part so she felt no embarrassment at having him find her this way. She wondered idly how long he'd been watching her. Her hand tingled where a hooded figure had kissed it in the underground chambers of the old wizard's castle. "We have met before," she stated. He inclined his head but didn't speak. "What is it you seek?"

"Only your company." His voice was deep and sensual.

"Then turn your back and I will leave the water."

"You're quite beautiful where you are." Tendrils of damp hair curled around her face, making her look young and innocent. He was taken with her quiet poise. "Besides, how do you know I would keep my back turned?"

"Because you will give your word not to turn around."

"Is my word so easily taken?" He'd worn an amused look but it was gone now.

"Yes," she nodded, "because it is not easily given."

Again he inclined his head. "Very well then, it will be as you say." He turned his back to her.

She didn't hesitate, but walked boldly from the water. Picking up the blanket, she dried herself. Then she slipped her dress over her head.

"Thank you. You may turn around now."

"Such a simple frock." He frowned. "You should wear silks and furs. Your hair should be adorned with gold and jewels."

"If you think that, then you do not know me at all."

He laughed a deep whispered laugh. "How could you be sure I wouldn't turn around? Why didn't you grab at the blanket to cover yourself?"

"Because I felt your integrity. You wanted to turn, but you could not break your word."

"If you think I have integrity, you don't know me at all." His voice was stern.

"Thank you for helping me in the old castle."

"I did nothing. It was your own power that stopped the old man."

"I felt your power join mine to strengthen my mind."

"Who are you?"

"Sira, yosemin empath."

"Sira." The whispered name from his lips was like a caress.

"Ares! What are you doing here?"

The god of war turned to face his brother. "What?" he held his arms wide. "No loving embrace for your brother?"

"What do you want here?" the demigod asked. But before Ares could answer Hercules turned to the empath. "Sira, are you all right? Has he hurt you?" He didn't wait for her to answer either. "Ares, if you've laid a hand on her�"

"What, Hercules? What are you going to do about it?"

Both men took a step toward each other. Sira stepped between them. "This is no way for brothers to act."

"Half brother," the demigod hissed through clinched teeth.

"That's right. He's only half god. He's always been jealous that I'm a full god."

"Stop taunting him, Ares," the healer scolded and reached out to place her hand on his arm.

He drew in a quick breath at the intensity of the energy he felt surge through him. She was a little shocked herself. It was almost painful but she kept her grip on his gauntlet clad arm. She closed her eyes for a moment and felt his emotions sweep over her. He was powerful, his mind strong. But he had no idea how to govern his mind, and his thoughts flowed to her unchecked. She opened her eyes and placed her other hand on the demigod's arm. She meant to bring their thoughts together but the demigod had learned a lot from her and he was too good at the game. He shut his mind to her and the god of war stepped back. He narrowed his eyes at her, giving her a suspicious look. The look turned thoughtful and calculating.

"Stay away, Ares." The demigod's voice was filled with anger.

With a diabolical laugh and a flash of light the god of war was gone. The big man took the healer's upper arms in a tight grip. "Sira, are you all right?"

"You are hurting me, my brother."

He released her immediately. "I'm sorry. When I saw him with you�" his voice trailed off. "You're all right?"

"Yes. I am fine."

"What was he doing here?"

"I believe he was curious?" It was more a question than a statement. He searched her eyes for a moment and she continued. "In the chambers under the old castle at Yucaipia, he helped me save Iolaus. I was struggling and he lent some of his power to me."

"What!? You never said anything. Sira."

"I did not know who he was. I only saw a hooded figure for a moment. It was not until I found him standing here watching me bathe that I knew who he was."

"What!? That bastard."

She laid her hand on his arm. "Nothing happened. There was no harm done. You must calm yourself."

He took her into his arms. "You must never trust him, Sira. He's dangerous."

"Yes, I felt that. But he did help me when he did not have to. I feel there is good in him also, my brother."

"No, Sira, you can't trust your feelings about Ares. He'll twist and manipulate them. He'll toy with your sensitive heart, then tear it out in the next breath."

The girl frowned at him. "I can still trust my feelings even where Ares is concerned."

"No, my sister. He can't be trusted. What you feel from him one moment will not be the same the next moment."

"I am not as innocent and naive as you seem to think."

"Where he's concerned you are. You are goodness and love. He is hatred and evil."

"I can sense that. But there is more to him than that. He possesses much deeper feelings as well."

The words Thysis had said to him seemed to fill his ears. "Her kind of power could be dangerous. It could be used for evil. Her power makes her vulnerable to outside influences."

"You can't trust him or your feelings about him. Damn it, Sira, you've got to trust me on this."

"You want me to trust you. Then trust me."

"Don't you see the potential for evil here? Thysis saw it. Ares will use you for his own evil, selfish needs. Your powers are too great to let them fall into his hands. I know all too well the depth of your love and compassion, and should he find out, he'll use them to force you to his will."

"And you think I would let that happen? Do you not trust me at all? I thought we had touched in soul, my brother." She pulled away from him. "I thought that we understood each other and that we trusted each other. I know my power. I live with it every day. I am the one who lost control of that power. I felt what it was like to be out of control. I will never allow that to happen again. I thought we understood each other because we are both strong." Tears spilled from her eyes. "I am sorry. I guess I have misunderstood all this time. Maybe I am wrong, and you are right. I see now that I have misjudged you. So perhaps I cannot trust my feelings where the sons of Zeus are concerned." She turned and ran back toward the clearing and the cabin.

He stood watching her retreating back, then turned and stared out over the water. He realized he was trembling. Seeing her with Ares had unnerved him even more than he had thought. I've lost too much to him and Hera. I can't let them take Sira as well. "Damn!" he swore under his breath. I wasn't very nice to her. She's still feeling vulnerable from the episode in the old castle and I just pulled the rug out from under her feet. I really am a selfish bastard. He picked up a rock and tossed it in the pool. He picked up another rock and threw it as hard as he could. It sailed over the river and disappeared in the forest.

The hunter stopped Sira in the door and took her in his arms. "What is it, Sira? What's happened?" She only cried harder. "Sira?"

"Hold me, Iolaus. Just hold me and keep the outside world away for a little while."

"What's frightened you?"

"I have." The demigod stood beside them. "I'm sorry, Sira. I was wrong. You were right to remind me of that. I can't think clearly where my family is concerned and I took it out on you." He laid his hand on her back. She cried harder.

The hunter sent an inquiring look at the demigod and he took a minute to explain what had started this whole thing.

"Please, Sira. Forgive me," the big man asked her. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

"He's right about Ares, Sira. He can't be trusted." The hunter tightened his grip on her. "You must be careful."

"He frightens me. And I do feel his evil and hatred. I say only that there is more to him than that. Has anyone ever looked beyond the god of war and seen the person behind it? I know he is a god. But in touching him and in touching Zeus I felt the soul as well. It is there no matter how much of a god they are. They have emotions and feelings just as we all do. They can love and feel and hurt just as you or I.

I am not fooled by Ares. I have no intention of trusting him. But do not ask me to hate him either. I have felt the other side of him. I cannot hate him, only feel sorry for him and hate the things that have shaped his life and made him what he is."

"I'm sorry, my sister. Seeing him with you�" his words trailed off.

"I did not mean to frighten you, my brother."

"I guess that's what happened. But I shouldn't have taken it out on you." She looked up to meet his eyes and with a moan he took her in his arms. "Friends?"

"I am sorry, my brother. I also over reacted."

The hunter grinned at the two of them. "Come on, you two. I have tea ready."



The healer took only a few minutes to enjoy the tea. There was much to prepare yet for their departure tomorrow. Besides that she wanted to keep busy. What she'd sensed at the touch on the god of war's arm had unnerved her more than she cared to admit. There had been such hate and anger. These emotions were the strongest. But behind them she had felt loneliness and even despair. There was a lost little boy quality to the feelings that had touched her heart and linked the two of them together. You are forever the healer, she admonished herself. He is far too dangerous. Avoid him, she told herself over and over. Yet her heart yearned to help him, to ease his loneliness and fear. And yes, there had been fear. Fear of the feelings she had glimpsed.

The demigod joined Iolaus in the yard. The hunter was lifting a heavy log over his head. Unlike the half god he had to work to maintain his strength. He moaned and complained of the necessity, but in truth he enjoyed the exercises. He and the demigod often worked together, honing their skills in weaponry and hand to hand combat.

The big man stood watching the hunter for a moment. The hunter put the log on the ground and rose up to smile at his friend. "What's troubling you, Herc."

The demigod let his breath out in a sigh. "This thing with Ares."

"Figured that was it. I don't like it either. I wonder what in Tartarus he wanted?"

"Well, you can guess it wasn't to invite her to a garden party."

"Have you thought about what might happen if Sira's earth powers were to�" He searched for the right word.

"Fall into the wrong hands?" the demigod supplied.

"So you have thought of it."

The son of Zeus nodded. "Yes, and so has Thysis. I think the old hermit knew damn well something was up. He warned me to watch out for something like this."

Both men frowned. "Let's hope we've seen the last of my dear brother," the big man added. But somehow he didn't believe they had. He wandered from the yard and to the forest. On impulse, and with a quick look around to be sure no one was listening, "Father, I don't know if you can hear me or not. But if you can, take care of her. She doesn't deserve the evil that Ares can bring to her. You know her. You refused to help me with Deianeira, or with Serena. Maybe I can understand this 'Hands Off' policy when it comes to those killed by another god. So don't let that happen here. You can see the potential for danger if Ares were to somehow force her to use her powers to aid his sadistic endeavors. I'm asking you to prevent that."

He didn't know what he hoped to accomplish. He hadn't really believed his father would appear before him and assure him that all would be well. With a huff of exasperation he turned to return to the cabin. "I should have known better." He crashed his fist down on an unoffending rock. The rock split at the power his godly half gave him. "Damn!" he swore under his breath. "Sira will be angry with me for that."



The empath made the evening festive. She fixed her son's favorite dinner and a sweet confection of nuts and honey baked with wheat flour into a cake. She served it after the dinner with fresh berries over the top. The men insisted on cleaning up after the meal and the healer let them. She returned to the pool in the river, not to swim but to enjoy the beauty. Sitting on the grass, her legs crossed, she sent her mind to the earth. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, willing herself to relax and become open to the healing power of her mother. She stayed out late and the hunter came looking for her. She opened her eyes when he approached and offered him her arms. He pulled her to her feet and into his embrace. "What are you doing out here so long, Funny Face?"

She bit his earlobe and he pretended to holler. "You are the one with the funny face, Funny Face."

He kissed her neck. "I missed you."

"I was finding peace with the earth." She ran a finger down his chest to his navel.

"I got our son to bed. Want to come back to the cabin?" He trailed kisses down the cord under her ear and to where her dress rested on her shoulder.

She rose up on tip toes to take his mouth with hers. Her lips parted in invitation to his tongue. He began to unlace the front of her bodice. She helped him slip the dress over her head. He kissed the swell of her breast. Her underthings were made of soft woven moss bleached in lye to almost white. They seemed to make her skin even paler. The moonlight glistened on the soft flesh of her neck. She smelled sweetly of flowers, and the aroma sent a shiver up the spine of the hunter.

She unlaced his leather trousers and pulled them down. "Let us stay here for tonight. Making love to you outdoors heightens the pleasure."

He pulled her under top over her head and stood looking at her in the moonlight. "By the gods, you're beautiful." His voice was a whisper filled with passion and she drew in a quick breath as her stomach muscles contracted.

He stepped out of his trousers and pulled her into a tight embrace. With a moan she pulled him down on the grass to lie beside her. He took her mouth and his kiss was filled with fire. Her response was urgent and demanding.



They slept for a time, but the night grew cold and the hunter rose to pull his pants on. He helped her with her dress and they returned to the cabin. He found the warmth of the bed pleasant and he was soon drowsy. Sensing something he raised up to try and see her. He knew she was crying. "He'll be all right."

"I know. But I will miss him."

"We can visit often."

"He seems so young."

"But he's a true child of the earth. He needs this."

"I know." She turned to him. "Hold me, my lover."

He took her into his arms and rocked her like a baby. After a moment her crying stopped. "Better now?"

She nodded and turned her face to kiss his chest. "Take my mind off of it for a time," she whispered.

He kissed her and his desire was kindled again. For a time the daughter of nature forgot her worry and concern, and the night passed into morning.



A black clad god paced the floor of his temple. I wonder just where she gets her power. He'd been shocked by the energy he'd felt surge through him at her touch. He'd seen and felt the power she commanded when she fought the old wizard in the castle. Feeling that power touch his inner emotions had been like a physical blow. He was afraid of what she may have felt in that touch. He was angry with himself for letting it happen. She's doing no harm. Stay away from her, he told himself. Ah, but if I could somehow harness that power. He stopped pacing and ran a hand over his goatee. Yes, if I could turn her into my emissary. He remembered how she'd looked as she bathed and he narrowed his eyes. He felt a tingle in the pit of his stomach. She is a beauty. His blood was stirred again as it had been that morning. What would it be like to taste those sweet lips? Ares, you're a fool. Keep your emotions and your lust out of this one. How many times had he told himself the same thing when dealing with Xena? Not for the first time he cursed his hot blooded nature and the father that had passed it to him. The randy old goat never could keep his hands off of a tempting morsel, and I'm damn near as bad. I bet she tastes as sweet as she looks. "Damn!" he swore in annoyance with himself. At least try to keep your wits about you. You're in the middle of a scheme. He grinned to himself. If this goes the right way, and there's no reason to believe it won't, you'll soon have the warrior princess back where she belongs. Then maybe there will be time for, other pursuits. Listen to yourself. She's far too dangerous, her perception too keen. You never should have gone looking for her. Now it's going to haunt you. A thoughtful look came into his dark brown eyes. I wonder what Father will think of a mortal with such power. It wouldn't be the first time he has eliminated what he considered opposition. That may just be the way to go. He threw back his head and laughed. Yes, and just think how that will hurt my dear baby brother. Oh, I forgot, half brother. He laughed again. Yes, for now she can wait. But once a certain raven haired beauty has rejoined the fold, then we will see. He sprawled across his throne. It's a shame. She really is a beauty. That golden hair, those green eyes. "Damn!"



They left early the next morning. Sira fixed Tassis tea to help wake them up. She hadn't slept well and felt the need of a strong stimulant to clear her head. To break their fast there was bread and fruit. She had things ready the night before so they left as the sun was sending yellow bars of light to chase away the darkness. Most of the stars had faded, but the demigod took a bearing on the north star, and picking a far mountain peak as his guide they left the clearing in the woods. The empath looked back once and said a prayer to the earth to watch over the cabin then turned to meet the trail ahead.

Hercus was excited and chattered endlessly. No one really minded. In fact Hercules encouraged him by pointing out flowers and animal tracks. He brought the boy's attention to a hawk that flew overhead. The boy made a sound in a fair imitation of the bird's call and the winged hunter of the sky followed them for a time.

The hunter took the lead after their nooning and steered them in the direction of the hidden glen where the healer had found him wounded and dying. He knew it was a favorite spot for the nature child he loved. He hoped it would help to ease her dread of the coming separation from their son. They followed a small brook for a time and the girl waded in the cool water to wash the dust from her brown spotted feet. She wore no foot covering, preferring to feel the earth as she walked. She found a bit of stone and added it to her waist pack. It was a bit of fire agate that was reputed to strengthen one's memory. It was made of earth and fire and could be a strong protector from evil. She smiled to herself. She'd often used the stones and crystals of the earth to aid in her healings. If for no other reason than that they served as a reminder of the earth's role in any healing she performed. When they returned to the cabin she would add the pretty stone to the others she'd placed in a pottery dish on the fireplace mantel.

They made the clearing the hunter sought just as the sun lost its mastery over the sky. The mountains were lit with lavender, the clouds tinged in pink. Sira turned to the west to watch the earth paint with a master's hand the world about her. She took a deep breath, as if drinking in the peace and beauty. When the hunter joined her he felt her awe. He turned to watch her a moment. The love he felt for this child of the earth swept over him to leave his heart and soul open and exposed. She turned to him and melted into his arms. He buried his face in her hair and breathed in the scent of flowers that seemed always to be a part of her.

"Thank you for bringing me here. You knew I would find peace here, did you not?"

"I hoped you would," he agreed. "This place always brings me peace. It brought us together. Here on this grass we found each other. We made love here on this soil for the first time. I'll never pass this spot without remembering what finding you has meant to me. You are my life, my soul, forever."

"Even unto death," she whispered back.

He picked her up and swung her around. His lips sought hers and the kiss he gave her was tender and filled with emotion. Hercus stood watching his parents a moment then turned to the demigod. The big man had watched the lovers for a moment then turned away.

"I like to see my parents together," the boy stated. "Their love seems to fill the air, and I like the feeling it gives me." He grinned at his uncle of the soul.

"Yeah. You're right, their love does kind of fill the air." He grabbed the boy up and tossed him in the air. He caught him with ease and repeated the toss. The child laughed and squealed with delight. Then he was on the ground for a quick tickle. But he'd learned early on that the backs of the demigod's knees were ticklish and he could always get the best of the big man if he could get to this sensitive spot. Of course the son of Zeus easily kept him from reaching his goal. Then seemingly by accident the big man let the boy reach the right spot and the demigod went to the ground in submission.

The hunter and the empath watched them. Delight was written on both their faces.

The hunter chuckled. "I wonder who likes their games more, Hercus or Hercules?"
"I was just wondering the same thing."



The healer had made a stew their last night at the cabin and brought it with them in a pot with a lid to protect it. She warmed it now and served it with bread. It made for an easy meal on their first night out. Not that she was tired. The travel had filled her heart with joy. The changing scenery filled an empty place in her and brought its own energy to join the energy of the earth she drew to her as she walked. When the meal was complete she and the hunter visited the spring. With a quick warning to her son and her brother of her intention she stripped and waded into the water. It was a deep pool and she swam to the middle and dived to the bottom. The water felt wonderful on her flesh. The hunter joined her and they swam together. Of course being so close to her had its inevitable effect and they came together in the liquid earth. His kisses were demanding and she responded in kind. It was very late before they returned to camp walking hand in hand. Hercus had retired to his bed but the demigod was still sitting by the fire, his back propped against a log. He grinned at the lovers when they returned but made no comment. Sometimes he found it hard being near such ardent fervor.

He rose and stretched. "I think I'll bathe myself."

Sira dug in her bag and tossed him a ball of soap. He caught it easily, and with a salute of two fingers to his temple he headed toward the spring.



The empath was first up and had the tea ready when the demigod came yawning to the fire. She handed him a mug of the strong brown liquid. He grinned at her by way of thanks.

After his bath of the night before he'd put on a pair of woven moss pants. He'd rinsed out his leather pants and shirt then left them on a bush to dry. He looked comfortable and relaxed, clad only in the loose fitting pants and the girl stole a glance at his broad chest. His body always sent a chill up her spine. He was magnificent. He caught her watching him and she blushed. He grinned but said nothing. Thysis had commented once that the touch of soul could stimulate the needs of the body. It seemed to be quite true in the healer's case. She had an open, straight forward way of looking at such things that sometimes caused him embarrassment, and herself as well, it would appear.

"I wonder if my things are dry?" He grinned despite trying not to. "If not I'll have to stay dressed like this the rest of the day."

"That will make for a very pleasant trip. You look very appealing in a primitive way, clad as you are now."

"Primitive?"

"Raw, animalistic, barbaric."

"That's a good thing?"

She laughed. "It can be at times, yes." He blushed and she chuckled again. "You look very innocent and boyish now with your pink face."

"I should have known better than to tease you. Unlike me, you have no shame."

She laughed out loud. "You are right, my brother. I have none, so do not challenge me."

He held his hands up in submission. "I surrender."

She brought him a bowl of boiled oats sweetened with honey, then dug in his pack and tossed a shirt to him. She'd packed his things and knew he had another shirt. "Now we can both relax."

"Ah, saved by the thoughtfulness of a woman."



They stopped early to refresh themselves from a trickle of water that dripped from a mossy bank to form a small stream no wider than the empath's hand. Growing on one bank were tiny trees, new this year. Flowers no bigger than a single drop of water carpeted the grassy bank. It looked for all the world like a miniature version of the forest they traveled, as if some mighty wizard had cast a spell to shrink a portion of the land. They were as giants to the perfect little world laid out before them and the healer went to her knees to enjoy the diminutive world within a much bigger one.

Hercus joined her. He looked at his mother in wonder. "It is so perfect," he whispered. "One almost expects to see tiny, ant sized people living there." He grinned at his mother. "I wonder if there are teeny little fish swimming in the water?"

She put her arm around him. "Of course there are."

"Yes, I think so too."

She was glad that her son took such pleasure from his surroundings. He was truly filled with the earth and that knowledge filled her with joy. He loved all living things and had a special way with animals. He'd been broken hearted when little Kitty had disappeared not long after they had returned to the cabin. He'd been looking forward to the kittens she would soon have. He'd worried about her and searched for her for weeks. The healer had cried herself, but she admitted it was more for the pain her son felt at losing his first pet. He still had the horse at Alcmene's, but that wasn't the same. He fed the squirrels and any other animal that came to the clearing, but that wasn't the same either. Kitty had been his without question. It was a hard lesson to learn and Sira's sensitive heart had bled for her son. He'd finally accepted the earth's will and been able to put his grief in its proper place.

The empath knew that Thysis had helped him with it. She was glad that the boy had used his telepathy and gone to the elder for advice. She knew she was too closely involved to help him objectively. As his teacher of the earth, the old hermit was the right choice to guide the boy in his first real lesson in life.

They traveled on, munching on dried meat, nuts, and berries. They had filled their water flasks and used the cool fresh water to wash down the simple meal. The girl found wild onions and pulled a few for their evening meal. She gathered the whitish roots she enjoyed and packed them away for later as well.

They were climbing now. They must cross a small group of low mountains to reach the cave the elder of Sira's clan called home. The day grew hot and the water flasks were low. Hercus found the spring that saved them worrying about water. He followed some bees and they led him to the little dale where water collected in a hollow fed by a natural spring.

"Good job, Son. You truly are of the earth." His father's words filled the boy with pride.

There was still light left to travel but they were in no hurry. The demigod set about gathering wood to make a fire. Father and son took their bows and arrows and went in search of dinner. Sira filled the cooking pot then washed the roots she'd gathered. After this she bathed her face and neck then washed her feet. When the hunter and the boy returned with two rabbits, she skinned them and started the meat to cook in boiling water. When it was tender she would add the roots and make a thick soup. She made a dough, and rolling it into long ropes she wound them around sticks and placed them near the fire to cook. She turned the sticks so that the dough cooked on all sides. When they were done she slipped the bread from the sticks and wound more dough around them and set them to cook as well.

Hercus helped her turn the sticks. He liked the "stick bread" as he called it. He knew it would be good when dipped in the soup. The healer added dried herbs from her pack to the cooking meat then cut up the roots to join the herbs in the pot. The demigod had found some berries as he searched for wood, and knowing his sister would like them, he took the time to pick them for her.

"You have used the earth's abundance well, my mother," Hercus congratulated. "I am well satisfied."

"Thank you, my son. May your stomach find peace with the taking of the earth's bounty."

The hunter had to turn away to hide his smile. To hear such formal yosemin speech from his son always delighted him. He was well pleased with his son. He could already catch fish almost as well as his mother. He could set a snare and start a fire to cook his catch on. Hercules had made him a bow that fit his small size and helped him to shape his own arrows. He had taken one of the rabbits they ate tonight. The big man and the boy were very close. Hercus followed the demigod around like a puppy, and the son of Zeus seemed to enjoy it. He talked to the boy like he was a grown up and the boy listened. Just by association he had learned a great deal. Iolaus and Hercules instructed him on survival in the wilds, showing him little tricks that could make it easier to live in the forest he called home.

Sira showed him plants that could be eaten or used for medicine. He knew which plants could be used to wash his body and his clothing. He knew which moss made the best garments and what time of year was best to gather it. He could read tracks and knew which animals they belonged to.

Like his mother he took great pleasure in the simple things that life brought his way, delighting in the world around him and viewing it as a gift from his mother, the earth.

Sira often saw the demigod watching Hercus, a lonely lost look in his eyes. With the perception of her strong mind and heart she knew he was thinking of his own children. At other times he watched the boy with an amused tolerance.

Hercus' maturity, agility, and acceptance of life seemed to fascinate the half man, half god he called uncle. A word of praise from the demigod and the boy seemed to shine with pride. A stern look from his uncle was enough to set him on the right track, and he never seemed to resent it when he had been reprimanded by the demigod.

He occasionally challenged his mother and tended to push the boundaries with her more than with his father or uncle. Should he be caught in this less than acceptable behavior by either his father or his uncle, he could expect a reprimand, that he took with a "That is what I get" philosophy, that made disciplining him a hard task. Not because he didn't take the discipline like a man, but because being stern with him when he had so readily accepted its necessity made the giver of the punishment feel like a heel. Sira swore he was fully aware of this and used the knowledge to his advantage.



The morning was cold. The high altitude and lateness of the year saw to that. Hercules was first up. He stirred up the fire and added wood then went to check his snares. He was rewarded with three rabbits. He had them cooking and tea ready when Hercus joined him at the fire. The big man wore his cloak but the boy, barefoot and without a cloak, seemed not to notice the chill in the air. With a smile at his uncle he gathered his things and went to the spring to bathe in the icy water. Like mother, like son, the big man thought. The boy looked like his father, but his brown spotted feet and personality were very much his mother's.

They left the spring and continued their journey. By midday it had grown hot again. The ground they walked was dry, the grass brown. It waited impatiently for the coming of the rainy season, as did the yosemin empath. She loved the changing of the seasons. The earth was preparing for its rest period, when it renewed itself and stored away energy for the growing season.

Their camp for the night was on the far bank of a large river. Hercules and Iolaus always insisted on crossing a river before camping for the night. That way they didn't have to face it in the morning and they could sleep easier. There was always the chance it might rain and that the river might swell, making a crossing dangerous or even impossible.

They were able to cross most of the river on rocks but there was one place they had to wade through the water. Hercus was a good swimmer but the current was too swift here for him to swim and the water too deep for him to keep his head above it. Hercules lifted the boy on his shoulders and carried him across. The boy held most of their belongings up out of the water and seemed to enjoy the ride immensely. The demigod left him safely on the far bank and waded back across. He offered to carry Sira in the same way and she stuck her tongue out at him. But when she reached the place to wade and saw the depth of the water she gladly accepted the big man's arm to guide her across. He went back for the rest of their things and met the hunter in the middle.

Hercus had found a place to make camp and had already gathered wood to start a fire. The healer started the fire then set out dry clothing for them all. Hercus found a quieter pool and waded in. Giving a prayer to the water mother he set about catching their dinner. The men changed and the healer spread their things out to dry, then turning her back on the men she changed herself. The demigod turned away. He always did. The empath wouldn't have cared. She found no shame in the human form. With a feeling of butterflies in her stomach the healer pulled a pair of woven moss trousers over her rounded hips and fastened them around her tiny waist. She'd made the pants in secret months ago but had never had the nerve to wear them. She'd grown tired of the limitations her skirts imposed. She walked right along side the men, climbing mountains, working beside them. Her skirts were forever getting in the way. She slipped on a top of woven moss, dyed a dark green that brought out the green of her eyes. The top crossed in front and tied on the side, showing off her slim waist. It came to a v-shape down her front that flattered her ample figure. She piled her hair on top of her head and held it there with two polished sticks. With a look down at herself to judge the effect and a deep breath for courage she returned to the fire.

Both men stared at her in open mouthed astonishment. The hunter was the first to recover.

"You look lovely, Sira." He grinned at her with a devilish smirk. "You take my breath away."

The healer turned to Hercules. He still stared at her and she began to grow embarrassed.

"Well?"

The big man shook his head. "Don't let Salmoneus see you in that outfit."

"And why not?"

"Because he'll pass out."

She stomped her foot. "I am tired of always tripping over my skirts. I am right there with you men, climbing mountains and fording rivers. I would like to see you try it in a skirt. It is simply not fair to expect me to do it if you do not."

The big man laughed. "Iolaus is the one who likes to wear dresses, not me. Besides, you misunderstand me. I approve. Really I do. I mean only that it shows so much� Well, it� You're so�" He stopped. "I'm as bad as Salmoneus."

They laughed and the tension was broken. Sira reveled in her feeling of freedom. The hunter found her attire very disturbing. Hercules was right. It did show a great deal of her. He walked down the riverbank to where his son still fished and gathered up the fish the boy had already thrown on the bank. He wasn't sure he wanted other men to see his wife dressed this way. A grin crossed his face. Well, he thought, whether I like it or not, I'm not brave enough to tell her she can't wear them. He chuckled to himself, and giving the yosemin prayer of thanks he began to clean the fish. He always gave the prayer now before he butchered any meat. He knew Sira would bless the meat before she cooked it as well.

Hercus returned to the fire. "Nice pants, Mother," he stated. "I bet Father will not be able to keep his hands off of you now."

"Hercus! Where do you come up with saying such a thing?"

Hercules laughed despite himself.

"From watching you and Father so much in love," the boy replied innocently.

Hercules laughed again.

"You, my brother, are no help," Sira scolded.

Hercus grinned at the demigod and the big man winked at him.



It seemed the boy was correct. The hunter couldn't keep his hands off of her. He watched her working at the fire and found it hard to breathe. Going to the fire for tea his hand slid across her bottom. He thought no one was watching but the demigod hadn't missed it. Sira turned and melted into the golden one's arms. He took her mouth and his hand again found the rounded curve of her bottom. He whispered in her ear and she blushed. He said something else and she nodded. Hercus watched his parents with a tolerant grin.

When the healer called them to dinner the demigod took his plate, and with a grin, "It would appear your son was right about the pants."

Sira grinned back at him. "Yes," she sighed. "Perhaps they were a bad idea after all."

"No, they've given you the freedom to be the warrior you were meant to be. That is, if you can keep a certain hunter at bay."

She frowned at him. "Warrior?"

"Yes, my sister. You were never meant to sit idle behind the walls of the healer's hall, watching as the world passed by, anymore than you are meant to be a quiet dutiful housewife and mother in a secluded cabin in the middle of nowhere." She started to object but he rushed on. "You don't fool me for a minute. You love the trail and you love adventure. I've seen that look in your eyes at the prospect of a new challenge or crusade. I've seen how you handled yourself. You're a warrior all right." He chuckled at the stubborn look on her face. "The earth had something else in mind for you, my sister, and you know it's true."

She searched his eyes a moment then a smile crossed her face. "I wonder if we will stumble upon an adventure on this trip."

He laughed, and shaking his head he found a placed to sit and eat his dinner.



They made it to the old hermit's cave at midday. The elder met them at the bottom of the hill and escorted them to his home. The empath could feel his delight at their arrival, and the hug he gave her was warm and comforting. His mind's touch on hers was like coming home to a warm fire from a cold day in the woods. He had fresh venison cooked and ready for them and beds made up in the cave. He looked the healer's attire over with a raised eyebrow but made no comment.

As evening fell he took the healer aside and studied her face for a moment. "You are well, my daughter?"

"Yes, Father."

"I sense something that troubles you."

"Only the prospect of being parted from my son."

"No, I think there is another reason. But I sense your reluctance to speak of it." He motioned for her to join him on the rock he had led her to. "Your son will be well cared for, my daughter."

"I know that. It is not so much that I worry about him, as I dread the loneliness I feel when we are separated."

The old one nodded. "Yes. I understand, my child. Still, this is what your son needs. He has told me of his struggle with his chaotic thoughts and his strong mind. He feels the need of direction. Now is the time to help him find that." He sighed. "If I had found the peace of mind needed to focus my earthly powers when I was a child, my life would have been much different. So many years were wasted. So much pain was felt. I want better than that for your son. It is not that I wish to take him from you. Stay here with us if you wish. It will delay his training, but he will learn."

She shook her head. "Not now. For now he is better off left to you. But perhaps in time we will stay here for awhile, or you will come to the cabin."

He nodded. "You are wise. Your love for him guides you, as the earth knew it would when she gave such a remarkable child to you."

"Thank you, my father. I am now ready to present him into the master's hands. And may the earth smile on his efforts." She gave the yosemin release of child into apprenticeship.

"He will feel the earth in all that he learns, and his mind will grow strong with the power of mother earth."

They returned to the cave and Hercus came forward with lowered eyes. "Grandfather," he stated gravely. "By the earth, I request you take my hand and guide me in learning the ways of our mother."

The elder inclined his head. "You agree to abide by the earth and her teachings, my grandson?"

"I agree, Grandfather."

"Then, with the approval of your family, it shall be so." He turned to the hunter. "Do you agree to your son's request?"

"I agree."

Now he turned to the demigod. "Do you also agree?"

"Yes, I agree."

He turned back to the boy. "Your mother has already released you into my hands. The earth is well pleased, my pupil. May you learn and grow strong with the power of the earth."

Sira wiped the tears from her eyes. The hunter put an arm around her and she turned to bury her face against his vest.

"This is not an occasion to cry, my daughter, but an occasion to celebrate."

"You are right," she nodded. "I am most pleased with my son. The clan of the wolf and the lion is enriched by the power of the earth that he brings to us."

The boy smiled at his mother. "I will do my best to please you and the earth." He turned to his father. "You have chosen your mate of the soul well, my father."

The hunter smiled at his son. "See that you work hard and reward her for her part in bringing you into the world, and endowing you with the earth."



The empath didn't sleep well despite feeling drained, and she woke with a dull ache in her temple. She made the tea strong and was on her second mug before the hunter joined her by the fire. He looked as if he hadn't had any more luck sleeping than she had. The healer handed him a mug of tea.

"Ugh," was his only reply.

"Yes, I agree."

He set his mug on a rock, and taking hers he placed it on the rock to join his. Pulling her to her feet he held her tightly against him. She willingly melted into his arms and the feelings of love he sent to her.

"He will be all right, my love."

He let his breath out in a sigh. "I know that. I trust Thysis. I know he loves the boy. But� Well, this is harder than I thought this time. We've left him before, but this time seems different."

"That is because it was his idea this time and because it will be for so long."

"It won't be for that long really. Maybe it's because he seems so grown up."

They planned to leave tomorrow. She could feel his dread of the moment when they would. She sent her love to enfold him and his arms tightened around her.

"I will bring your mind to his everyday. It does help. You also have the tie of mind and soul and will feel him a part of you at all times."

"I know."

His words sounded so forlorn that the girl's heart constricted. She realized he wouldn't be sleeping any better this night than she would.

The demigod joined them. "Am I interrupting?"

"No, Herc, you're not. We were just feeling sorry for ourselves."

"Yeah. I didn't sleep worth spit. I'm going to miss the Tartarus out of him."

"Sira was just helping me deal with no sleep and the pain of the coming departure."

"You've chosen your mate well, my friend." The tension was broken and they all three laughed. "He says some of the damnedest things. I just can't think of him as only four."

Sira turned around in the hunter's arms and leaned back against his chest. He kissed the top of her head.

"Yes, he is young in his time here on our mother earth, but he is an old soul," Thysis said as he joined them at the fire. "His soul comes from those of old, back in the time before the remembered time, just as his mother's does. His mind is very strong and he needs this chance to bring it to its full power and understanding of the responsibility the earth has given him. I am most proud of the progress he has already made."

Sira took a mug of tea to the elder. She squeezed his hand and smiled at him. "We know you are right, my father. There is no one I would rather trust my son's care and education to. I know he will be well cared for. You are truly my father of the soul, and his grandfather." She smiled at him again. "Your guilt at our pain is not necessary. You are doing what is best for my son and I love you for it." She planted a kiss on his cheek.

"It was not guilt."

She only smiled at him and he gave her a sheepish smile in return.



The afternoon was hot and sticky. Great billowy clouds hugged the horizon. The air was heavy and laden with moisture. Iolaus and Hercus had gone hunting and the healer went to the river to bathe. Thysis came to stand before the demigod where he sat on a rock mending a strap of his pack. The elder indicated the rock next to the big man.

"May I?"

"Of course, Father."

The old one folded his old bones slowly and deposited himself on the rock. He heaved a sigh and wiped his hand across his brow. "It will rain by tonight."

The demigod looked up and searched the horizon. "Well, maybe that will cool things off a bit. It looks like we're not going to have much of an autumn this year. I think one night we'll go to bed perspiring and wake up to snow."

The old one chuckled. "The earth is warming. Most years there is less rain and less snow. But it is soon due to change. The warming cycle seems to last about five to eight years, then there will be two or three wet and cold years before it starts again."

Hercules smiled at his friend. "Sometimes I forget you've been around nearly three hundred years. I guess you would know about the earth's cycle if anyone would."

"Yes, I have studied it. It gives my mind something to dwell on." He smiled. "I have been on this mortal plane three hundred and two years to be exact." He laughed. "Yes, my son, you are right. It is a very long time. But I once knew a yosemin elder who lived to be almost five hundred years old."

Hercules grinned. "Sometimes you read my mind too well. I meant no offense."

"There was no offense taken."

"Was the elder well and active for five hundred years?" There was humor in his voice.

"Yes, he was. He died finally, while making love to his two hundred year old mate. She was most active in that way, and the elder was too willing to accommodate her. The third time for that day was just too much for him." Thysis shook his head.

The demigod laughed. "Well, if ya gotta go, that's a good way to do it."

"Yes, at least he knew the worldly pleasures as he left the world to join the earth." Hercules laughed again and the old one chuckled. "Now tell me what happened just before you left to bring Hercus here."

"I wondered if you were aware of that."

"How dangerous is your brother?"

"Damn dangerous." The demigod set his pack aside and rose to pace before the elder. "He would use Sira without qualm. He has no integrity whatsoever."

"I have sensed from your mind, his role in killing your wife."

The big man let his breath out with a huff. "Yes, and that's just the tip of the iceberg." He ran an agitated hand through his hair. "Sira also knows that Ares killed Serena." He turned to stare at the old one. "Then she tries to tell me she felt deeper emotions from him, that he's not all bad."

The old one nodded. "That hurt your feelings, did it not?"

The demigod sighed again. "Yes, I guess that's part of it. She just doesn't understand that he could easily make her believe there's more to him than the hate and evil that's on the surface. If he's already guessed her depth of compassion he'll simply use it to get to her. He would play the wounded heart act in a moment if he thought that's what it would take to manipulate her. And I believe that's exactly what has happened."

"I think you may be right to a certain extent. Still, I believe that Sira would see past the deception to what really lies beyond. Do not sell her earthly powers short."

"You said yourself that she holds too many things dear, things he would use in a heartbeat to hurt her and bend her too his will. Hercus, Iolaus, yourself."

"And you, my son. Yes, you are right. All we can do is trust her to do what must be done."

"You and I both know she'll do what he asks, if it means the salvation of one of us. She's proven that too many times."

"Again I think you underestimate her. I think it more likely she will fight him, and if that fails she will give up her powers rather than lend them to evil."

"That wouldn't guarantee anyone's safety."

"No, but neither would giving in to him. She will see that. She is no fool, my son. She would give her life first."

"Damn it, Thysis. That's not a solution."

"No. It is what I have feared, however. But you are right, it is not the end anyone would wish for." He took a deep breath of frustration. "We must trust her. We can try to protect her, but the ultimate protection must come from Sira and her earthly powers. Her heart is her greatest asset. We must hope it will be enough."

"I could almost believe it would be," the son of Zeus whispered. "If he had a heart. But he doesn't."

"What roll might your father play in this?"

"I don't know. He helped her with Jason, and I got the impression from her that he was friendly. But if he sees her power as a threat�" His words trailed off. "Serena was a threat. Zeus eliminated all the other hinds. He demanded my power and hers before he would allow us to wed. Then he did nothing when she was killed."

"Yes. He could quite possibly see Sira as a threat. She is most powerful. As for your father's refusal to help you or Serena, you must realize his hands were tied. He walks a very narrow line between holding his place as the king of the gods and losing it to another god, perhaps even to Hera or Ares. Can you imagine how the earth might suffer if that were to happen? I believe your father has a great deal of love for the mortals here on this plane. I think he feels protective of them and is doing his best to protect them even when it means not helping the son he loves."

"Now you sound like Sira."

"And you, my son, sound like a spoiled child not given your way."

"Damn it, Thysis."

The old one smiled at his big friend. After a moment the deep furrows between the demigod's brows softened and he smiled back. "You damn yosemin never pull your punches, do you?"

The old one rose and went to the table he had set up outside. "Come, my friend, let us play a game of chips."

"That's a good idea. I feel the need to beat you at something."

"Then perhaps we should try arm wrestling or something, because I plan to beat your socks off."

"We'll see about that."



The rain started just as the sun lost its mastery over the cloud covered sky. The healer stood in the downpour, her face turned to the silver shards of liquid. She laughed as the thunder shook the earth and light flashed overhead. She gave the earth's prayer and let the peace of her mother soak into her soul. The hunter watched her from the cave entrance for a moment, then joining her he picked her up and swung her around. She laughed with delight and took his mouth.

Taking his hand she pulled him away and took him to the river. With complete disregard for what the others might think she stripped herself and began to undress Iolaus. With a quick pull on his hand she led him to the water. They swam and made love in the river as the storm raged about them. The demigod shook his head at the child of nature he called sister. Turning to the elder he read the same feeling of awe in the old one's blue eyes. They grinned at each other and without a word began to fix a meal.

By morning the rain was gone and the healer woke to find the world shrouded in a thick blanket of fog. There was a definite chill to the air. She stirred up the fire and added wood before making a trip to the woods. The ground was muddy under her feet, not that she cared. She loved the feel of her mother earth oozing up between her toes. She pulled the damp, fog laden air into her lungs. Smiling with pleasure she found a place of privacy. The fog dripped from the trees and trickled down the back of her neck. She shivered with pleasure as the cold drops dampened her hair and clothing.

When she returned to the cave her son handed her a mug of tea. "Is this weather not wonderful?"

"Yes, it is," she agreed. "I miss the fog during the summer."

"I do also. Thysis thinks it will be a mild winter. Will you and Father visit often?"

"You know we will."

"Do you think Uncle Hercules will come with you?"

"Yes, I believe so. He is going to miss you as much as you will miss him."

The boy smiled. "It will not be easy to let you go, my mother."

She put her arms around him. "And it will not be easy to go."

"I am doing the right thing, am I not?"

"Yes, my son, you are. As hard as this is for all of us, it is the right thing and the right time." She tightened her arms around him. "The earth has called you to this and you must listen. But it will only be for a short time. We will travel for a bit and visit Alcmene and Jason, then we will come to see you for a few days. Our minds, hearts, and souls will be as one. We will not really be apart."

They lingered over their first meal of the day, not wanting to face the inevitable. When they could find no good reason to delay any longer they made ready to leave. Sira kissed the elder and held her son for a moment. She turned away as Iolaus and Hercules said their good-byes. She knew if she didn't she would break down. With a last wave they left the cave. The empath held up until they were well passed being seen, then she began to cry. The hunter pulled her into his arms and held her against him.

"It's all right, Mom. Let it out. You'll feel better if you do."

She seemed to take him at his word and cried even harder. The demigod patted her back. "I was thinking that instead of heading directly to my mother's, that we should head east. The mountain range there is quite beautiful. It's damn high up to the top of the ridge, and if we're going to see it we should go now, before it gets really cold."

"Sounds like a good idea to me," the hunter acknowledged. "What do you say, Sira?"

She nodded. "I would like that. I need the peace of the earth for a few days."

"That's what I figured," the son of Zeus smiled at her.

They turned slightly east and continued to travel. They soon began to climb. It wasn't long before they climbed above the fog and into rockier terrain. The air had a clean sweet smell and the healer drank it in like wine. And like the fermented fruit juice it seemed to intoxicate and possess her.

She turned to look back the way they had come and drew in a quick breath. The land below them was lost in a thick cloud of fog. It looked like a sea turned white by the hand of some mighty god. She reached out a hand to the hunter and the demigod.

"It is so beautiful," she whispered, her voice filled with wonder and amazement.

The hunter squeezed her hand. "So are you. When I see that look on your face it makes me love you all the more."

She turned to smile at him. "What look?"

"Pleasure, awe, enjoyment." He shrugged, not knowing how to describe the look he had just seen. It was the same look he had seen on her face the first time she had looked on her newborn son's face and held him to her breast to suckle.



They stopped for a short time just past midday. They walked beside a swiftly running mountain stream, and finding a grassy area near it they stopped to rest. The water was sweet and cold. It felt good as it cooled their throat.

The trees were old and tall here. It was an ancient forest, unmolested by fire perhaps since the beginning of time. The ground was carpeted with pine needles, the shadows were thick with ferns. The child of nature loved every step she took. She ran ahead to admire a flowering bush, then further to watch a butterfly float away to land on a fern.

"This is a good idea you had, my friend," the hunter smiled at the demigod. "Thanks."

"I knew she'd like it. It's beautiful up here."

"It is that."

They made their camp for the night beside a small lake. It was clear and deep blue, which spoke of its depth. The water was cold as ice. The healer waded into the water, heedless of the temperature and proceeded to catch their dinner.

"I don't know how in Tartarus she can stand to be in that water," declared the amazed demigod.

The hunter laughed at his friend. "She never seems to feel the cold. Heck, it makes me cold just watching her."

"Yeah, and it's going to be damn cold tonight. I think we should gather more wood."

"You look for wood. I'm going to sit here and watch her."

The demigod gave his friend a nasty look, and grabbing him by the arm he pulled him to his feet. "No, you're going to help me find wood. Now move it."

"Tyrant."



The demigod had been right. The night was cold. He slept close to the fire with plenty of wood at hand so that he could just reach from under his blankets and add wood as it was needed. At some point in the night the hunter rose and put a big log on the coals, then with a shrug added another.
"Thanks, Iolaus. I just couldn't bring myself to leave my blankets."

"Go back to sleep."

"I am sleeping. I'm talking in my sleep."

"You're also talking nonsense. Now shut up and go back to sleep."

"Tyrant."

The hunter chuckled and crawled back into the blankets he shared with the healer. She curled herself around him to warm him, and within moments he was warm and drowsy again.

The morning was colder than the night. Sira rose before full light and built up the fire then made her way to the lake to bathe. She could see her breath as a white vapor and shivered in anticipation of how cold the lake would be. When she had finished she checked the hunter's snares and brought the four rabbits he had caught back to camp with her. She skinned them and had them cooking before the men showed any signs of life. She was on her second mug of tea before she looked up to see the demigod watching her from under his blankets. She took a mug of tea to him.

"The rabbits will be ready in a moment. Are you hungry?"

"No, I'm damn cold."

"Baby. I have already been to the lake to bathe. Get up and do the same. It will wake you up."

"You wouldn't catch me dead in that water. What are you, crazy?"

She laughed at him. Taking the meat from the fire she slid it onto a rock to cool. The hunter joined her at the fire and gladly accepted the mug of tea she offered him.

"Cold enough for you?" he asked.

"It is not really that cold. By midday you will be complaining about the heat."

"Maybe. But for now it's cold. Come on back to bed and warm me up."

"Foolish human. I have better things to do than to dally in bed all day."

"Oh, really? Like what?"

She grinned at him. "Like cleaning my fingernails."

He grabbed her up and kissed her hard. "Is cleaning your nails better than this?" He kissed her again.

"I am not really sure. Maybe we better try that again so I can decide."

He was most happy to oblige. It was the demigod who finally served the rabbits. He knew if he didn't they would never get their breakfast and they would never make a start on their travel of the day.

They left the lake behind and began to climb again. They walked through dense forested land. It was cold and damp under the trees and the men wore their cloaks. The child of the forest did not. Her feet were bare so that she could feel the earth as she walked. Her hair hung loose down her back to bounce on her calves as she walked. Her woven moss trousers blended with the colors of the forest. The combination of these things lent her an untamed look, like a forest animal that had somehow learned to walk upright.

The hunter watched her and his eyes sparkled with pleasure. She was the forest. She had felt the untouched primordial feel of the forest they passed through. He could feel the same from her. Maybe Thysis was right, he thought. Maybe she really is an old soul.

She knelt to pick up a pretty rock. "Look, Iolaus. Is it not pretty?. It will go on the mantel with my others so I can remember this place."

The hunter was watching her, not the pebble. "Yes, it is very beautiful."

She lifted her eyes to his. The look she gave him made him gasp. Her love washed over him with almost a physical force. He swayed slightly and swallowed, then swallowed again. "Sira." His spoken word was like a caress. She closed her eyes and let his love seep deep into her soul. They didn't touch, although the need to do so was strong.

The demigod walked ahead. He had felt their love. He hadn't meant to, but it filled the air and touched him before he saw it coming.

The hunter took the hand of the earth mother's child and they followed the demigod. When they caught up to him Sira linked her arm with his. "Thank you for bringing me here."

"You're welcome. It is beautiful."

"You have been here before?"

"Yes, a couple of times. But somehow it didn't look as beautiful before."

"It is because you look at the world around you differently when you are a part of the earth."

"Perhaps it also has something to do with the company."

"Of course. That is the best part."

The girl stopped short and closed her eyes. They shot open and she began to run.

"Sira!" the hunter called. "What in Tartarus?"

"She's gotten a call. Someone must be in trouble. Come on." The demigod followed the healer, and the hunter followed him. She could run remarkably fast and the men knew they could never catch up to her. The demigod followed her more by mind than anything and kept running.



The empath broke through a screen of brush and stopped short in a small clearing. A tall raven haired woman, dressed in lacy armor turned quickly and drew her sword. Her feet were planted wide apart and she was ready for anything. Behind her, a blond woman sat propped against a tree trunk. That the dark haired one meant to protect her was obvious.

"Your friend is hurt. I can help her."

"I can give her all the help she'll need. You come one step closer and it'll be your last."

"You are a healer?"

"No. Are you?"

"Yes."

"Right, and I'm a Hestian virgin."

"I will not hurt you. I can help. She is in pain. I can relieve some of it."

"Who in Tartarus are you?"

"I am a yosemin empath, and I can help your friend. Please let me try." Sira sent her mind to lightly touch that of the injured girl. She closed her eyes for a moment and a look of pain came into her eyes. "She is bleeding. It should be stopped."

"If you'll get the Tartarus out of here, I'll do just that."

The wounded girl moaned despite trying not to.

"Gabrielle?" the warrior whispered. Fear and concern were heard in her voice. She needed to be helping her friend, but she wasn't about to turn her back on the girl that stood before her.

"I'm all right," the bard whispered.

Sira took a step forward. "Please, Xena, I can help her. You must let me try."

"Xena, it's all right. I trust her. She won't hurt me," the bard's words were slurred with pain.

The warrior princess moaned inside. She wanted to help the girl who had become more than a friend in their travels together, but she had no way of knowing who this forest nymph was or what her intentions were. "How do you know who I am?"

The demigod broke through the brush and stopped beside the healer. "Xena? What's happened? Is Gabrielle all right?"

"I don't know. I can't get a chance to find out. What are you doing here?"

Iolaus joined the healer and the demigod. He stood panting beside them, staring at the warrior princess.

Hercules took a step forward. "You should let Sira help Gabrielle." He took a quick look around him. Two men were down. Both had been armed. There was a third sword on the ground that spoke of more than just these two involved in the attack on the warrior and her blonde friend.

"Why should I let her?"

"Because she's a healer. She can help."

"Like I'm going to trust her." Her words were thick with sarcasm.

"Don't be a damn fool. She's my sister of the soul and Iolaus' wife. You can trust her with your life or the life of Gabrielle. Do you think I'd let something happen to Gabrielle?"

Sira swayed on her feet. "Please, I must help her."

Gabrielle reached for the dark girl's hand. "It's okay. Let her help me. We can trust Hercules and Iolaus."

The sword stayed in place, but the healer sensed the warrior's defenses lowering. She moved forward. One of the men on the ground moved to reach for her. The hunter shouted, the demigod started forward, as did Xena. Sira kicked hard. The blow took the would be antagonist square on the chin and his head snapped back. With a grunt he fell back to the ground and stayed there. The healer calmly stepped over him, and with a smile of reassurance to the warrior princess she knelt beside the bard. The dark woman turned to watch her for a moment through narrowed eyes.

Sira placed her hand on Gabrielle's shoulder and the knife wound that oozed a dark stain of blood. "I am glad to finally meet you, friend Gabrielle. I am sorry it is under these circumstances however."

"You're Iolaus' wife?"

"Yes."

"Hercules said that he was married. I've wanted to meet you too."

The hunter knelt beside the two girls. "Hey, Short Stuff. How ya doing?"

"All right." Her pale face, beaded with preparation, said otherwise.

Sira took some of the girl's pain to herself. She knew that sometimes just relieving the pain could help a person heal.

Hercules looked about him once again. "So, what happened?" he asked of the warrior.

"Five guys tried to jump us."

"Not a healthy thing to do," he grinned at her.

The man that Sira had kicked moaned and the demigod knelt to check him. He had a large knot on his head, and his face was already turning purple from other blows. His chin was grossly swollen. "You worked him over pretty good before Sira kicked the Tartarus out of him."

"Not me, Gabrielle."

He looked up to study her blue eyes. He was struck again by her poised beauty and he took a ragged breath. Her eyes seemed to hypnotize him. For a moment he forgot everything else and let himself fall into their warm blue depths. The man at his feet moaned again and the spell was broken.

The other man rolled over a slight embankment, and jumping to his feet he ran. The demigod started to follow but the dark girl stopped him.

"He's not worth the trouble. Let him go."

The demigod grabbed the other man by the shirt front and jerked him to his feet.

Sira came to stand by her brother of the soul. "Does he need my help?"

The son of Zeus shook the man. "No, he'll be fine. How's Gabrielle?"

"All right for the moment. It is a deep wound but no vital organs were harmed and no arteries severed. She is very lucky."

"Will you transfer?"

"Not unless I have to. Right now it is not necessary to save her life. But I will, should that change."

He nodded at her, then turning his attention back to the man he still held he shook him again. "What was the point of attacking these women?"

A moan was all the reply the big man received. He shook the man again. "I asked you a question."

"We was just gonna rob them."

The demigod turned to Sira.

"That was not the only thing they had in mind," she stated with a matter of fact tone.

"You bloody bastards!"

"What are you gonna do to me?"

"Maybe I'll just snap your neck. It would be all too easy."

"That girl on the ground already hit me in the head with her stick, and this one kicked me in the chin. I think it's broken." He moaned.

"It is not broken." Sira supplied.

"Who are you guys anyway?"

"Allow me to introduce ourselves. "Here, we have Xena, warrior princess. Over there are Gabrielle, Amazon queen and Iolaus, the golden hunter. This is Sira, warrior empath, and I'm Hercules."

The man went a sick shade of green. "Let me go. I promise not to try and hurt anyone again."

The big man seemed to be giving the idea some thought. "What do you say, Xena?"

"I say run him through. Or better yet, let us all have a turn at him."

"He is mine first," Sira stated.

The demigod shook the man again then opened his hand and let him drop. "He's all yours, ladies."

"No! Wait! You can't let them hurt me. Hercules!"

Xena's face wore a look of disgust. "You really are pathetic. You have about two seconds to get the Tartarus out of here." She deliberately turned her back on him.

Sira turned to her. "Gabrielle would like to see you."

The dark girl nodded and walked away. The man struggled to his feet and stood swaying. He stared at the empath a moment and she narrowed her eyes at him. He took a step back and she followed. He turned and ran. He stumbled and fell but jumped back up and kept going.

The demigod put an arm around the healer and they walked back to the camp. The hunter had the fire going and water heating to clean the bard's wound.

The dark warrior knelt beside her friend and took her hand. "Are you all right, Gabrielle?" All harshness was gone from her voice.

"It's amazing, but she touched my shoulder and I felt relief almost at once. Her hands were so hot. This tingle spread all over me and made me feel so much better."

"You're delirious."

"I am not. Stop that. She says I'm strong of mind and should be able to heal myself. But then I am an Amazon queen."

"So you keep reminding me every chance you get." The blue eyed beauty grinned at her. "You worked that poor guy over pretty good, I'll give you that."

The empath came to kneel beside the bard. "I need to clean the wound and bandage it. I am sorry, but despite taking some of the pain to myself it will still hurt. Are you up to it?"

"Yes, I think so."

The girl put on a brave front but the healer could feel her fear. She closed her eyes and began to chant and sway. "Relax, Gabrielle. Your mind is strong. You must only find direction. Let me lead you. "

After a moment she opened her eyes and pulled the temporary bandage aside. She poured a green

liquid into the water and wet a cloth. Carefully she washed away the blood. The bard grimaced, as did the healer.

"Let me help." Xena placed two fingers against the bard's neck and gave a quick jab. "I've used a pressure point to stop some of the pain. It can't stay this way long, but it should help for the moment."

Sira worked as quickly as she could to clean and bandage the wound. She was aware of pressure points and could use them to stop the flow of blood. She wasn't aware that they could be used to stop pain for a time but she understood the importance of easing the pressure on the sensitive nerves as soon as possible.

"There, it is done. Now give me a moment to touch her mind and take some of the pain. It will hurt when you relieve the pressure on the nerve."

The warrior waited. When Sira nodded Xena again stabbed her fingers at the bard's neck and both girls cried out with pain.

"I'm sorry, Gabrielle," her companion apologized.

The child of the earth could feel the warrior's pain at her friend's discomfort. Her feelings ran deep for this more than friend. Sira could easily sense the tie of soul between the two women.

She laid her hand on the warrior's arm and tentatively sent her mind to touch that of the dark haired girl. The warrior jumped to her feet and stood staring at the healer through narrowed eyes.

"Let's get one thing straight. I don't know who you are or what your game may be, but I still don't trust you. If you hurt Gabrielle, you'll answer to me."

Sira nodded. "I am sorry if I frightened you. That was not my intention. I meant only to comfort."

The warrior walked away.

"Don't worry," Gabrielle smiled at her. "She'll come around. Sometimes it just takes awhile."

The warrior was not happy. What she had just felt wasn't a comforting thing to her. She knew from Hercules that Iolaus had taken a wife. She still felt guilt for her betrayal of the hunter and had been glad to hear he had found someone. But something was just not right here. She hadn't failed to see the healer's brown spotted feet and the strange color of her eyes. She looks about twelve judging by her size and the look of her face, the warrior thought. But that's no twelve year old's body. Why had Hercules looked to her for confirmation of the validity of the attacker's statement? Just what exactly did Hercules mean by calling her his sister of the soul? And how did she take Gabrielle's pain on herself? The warrior's blue eyes narrowed. She didn't doubt that the healer had done so. She was most definitely in pain of some sort and she had cried out at the same moment Gabrielle had. Xena admitted to herself that had frightened her.

The demigod came to stand beside the warrior. "A dinar for your thoughts."

"Just who in Tartarus is this woman Iolaus has married?"

The big man chuckled. "She is something, isn't she?"

"She's not human."

"No. She's yosemin. They call themselves the children of the earth and worship the earth as a god. She gets her power from the earth."

"And just what power are we talking about?"

"She's an empath. She can take the pain and injury of another to herself and help the person heal."

"You believe this?"

"I've seen it and experienced it. She healed Iolaus and she's healed me. She won't hurt Gabrielle."

"How is this empathic thing done?"

"She's telepathic. She can communicate with her mind and touch other people's minds. I don't know how it works," he chuckled, "but it does."

The hunter took a blanket to the bard and covered her. Sira smiled up at him and he squeezed her shoulder.

"It will rain later. We should find shelter." He turned to search the sky. Not a cloud showed, but he didn't doubt her weather prediction.

"Are you all right?"

"Yes, I will be. The pain is not so bad now."

He bent and placed a kiss on her lips then turned and went to talk to the demigod.

"How is it you feel my pain?" Gabrielle asked.

The healer turned back to the bard. "Our minds are now linked. I am an empath." She shrugged. "I do not know why the earth brings this to me, but it has always been so. Even as a baby I felt others' pain."

"How's Gabrielle?" the big man asked of the hunter.

"Sira thinks she'll be all right. She also thinks we should find shelter. It's going to rain tonight."

The warrior princess looked around her. "Don't be foolish. There's not a cloud in the sky."

The demigod ignored her. "We could return to the lake where there was that overhang. If we built a lean-to on the front, it should make a pretty decent shelter."

"And there would be plenty of water," the hunter nodded. "I think that's our best bet."

The demigod turned to the raven haired girl beside him. "Gabrielle can ride Argo. I'll pack up the camp."

"Now wait one minute here. I make the decisions about myself and Gabrielle, not you and some forest elf. It's not going to rain anyway."

He smiled at her. "Why do you always take the defensive? What can it hurt to get Gabrielle to shelter? If nothing else, it'll be cold tonight." He started to put his arm across her shoulders but she ducked out from under his arm.

"All right. We will, for the moment, do this your way. But you haven't won this one yet."

"I wasn't aware we were in a battle. I thought we were friends and that helping Gabrielle was our main objective. Maybe later, pitting our skills against one another could prove interesting. As I recall, you are quite good at it."

She narrowed her eyes at him, then putting two fingers in her mouth she whistled for Argo.

Sira came forward and stood watching the horse for a moment. "She is magnificent." The healer reached out a hand to the horse.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. She hates strangers."

Sira scratched the horse's muzzle and the horse nudged the healer's side. "Yes, you are very beautiful." She scratched the horse's ears. "Will it be all right with you if Gabrielle and I ride on your back? It would be most helpful."

The dark haired girl turned away in disgust. Argo never took to strangers, and yet she seemed completely taken by Sira. "This whole thing just keeps getting weirder all the time," she mumbled to herself.

When they were ready to go Sira jumped on the horse's back unaided. Hercules picked the bard up as gently as he could and placed her in front of the healer.

"This isn't going to work," the bard objected. "Argo hates me."

"No, she doesn't, although she is jealous of Xena's affection for you. Close your eyes and still your mind. Then touch her mind with yours. Just ask her if it is all right for you to be here and if she would be willing to help you." The bard giggled. "Concentrate, Gabrielle. Let me lead your mind."

Sira reached out to pat the horse and guided the bard's hands to the massive neck. "Feel her thoughts, Gabrielle. Let her feel that you want to be friends."

"She doesn't hate me after all. I've been so afraid of her that I wouldn't even try to be friends." The girl from Potodaia giggled. "She really can feel my thoughts."

The empath chuckled. "Of course. Your mind is strong."

"What's all the giggling about?" the hunter smiled at the two girls.

The girls only laughed harder. The strawberry blond sighed and leaned back against the healer. "Let it go and relax, little one. I will try to ease your pain."

The warrior princess hadn't been pleased to hear the girls giggling. She was glad that her friend felt up to it, but hearing it hadn't made her happy. Stop being foolish, she scolded herself. You're acting as if you're jealous.

The ride wasn't easy for either girl. The bard drifted to sleep and the healer was hard pressed to keep her on the horse. The demigod sensed her need, and walking beside the horse he helped steady the sleeping girl.

"Are you all right, my sister?"

The healer only nodded. The pain in her shoulder seemed to throb with each step the horse took. She was lost in the pain, not fully aware of what was happening around her. She hadn't transferred, and she hoped she wouldn't have too. Still she had taken a lot of the pain to herself to relieve the other girl.

"Sira, could you send some of the pain to me?"

She opened her eyes and stared at the demigod a moment as if trying to remember who he was.

"Sira?"

"Yes, I can release some of the pain to you. Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yes. I want to help."

She nodded again and opened her mind to his. He felt her mind touch his and drew in a quick breath. Then the pain eased a little and he relaxed.

They reached the lake and the big man lifted the bard from the horse's back. She moaned and turned her face against his chest. Iolaus made a bed for the girl under a tree and the demigod laid her gently on the blanket.

"Okay now?"

She nodded. "Help Sira."

The hunter helped the healer from the horse. She was so stiff from holding the injured girl on the horse's back that she couldn't walk at first. The hunter picked her up and laid her beside the bard.

The warrior princess brought them both some water. She felt guilt shoot through her. She could see how stiff and tired the healer was. She could see pain written in her eyes.

"Thanks for helping Gabrielle."

The girl smiled. "She is very lucky to have you as a friend."

The dark haired girl smoothed the hair from the bard's brow. "No, I'm the lucky one." A wind blew her hair about her face and she pushed it back impatiently. She rose and looked about her. Clouds had started to build around the high peaks that surrounded them. The warrior princess frowned. She grabbed the hunter's bow and quiver of arrows and started to head for the woods. Thunder rumbled and another breeze stirred the tree tops and sent the pine needles at her feet scurrying along the ground. "Damn," she swore under her breath. "It really does look like rain."

The men worked to construct the lean-to. There was plenty of material at hand in the forest. When it was constructed and a roof of pine bows covered it the demigod spread a tarp over the top then added more pine bows to keep the tarp in place. It wouldn't withstand a hard wind but it would keep the rain off of them. The hunter made a bed for the bard in the shelter and carried her to it while the demigod started a fire. Sira joined the bard on her blankets and soothed her back to sleep. The girl had developed a slight fever that concerned the empath.

The warrior princess returned with several quail and set about plucking them. She watched the two girls on the blanket as she worked. The sky was lit with a bright light and the ground shook at the noise that followed closely on its heels. Hercules sat cross-legged on the ground beside the warrior, and taking up one of the birds he began to help her.

"Still think it won't rain?" A few scattered drops fell.

"How did she know?"

"She always does. She says she can feel it in the air."

"Who is she, Hercules?" She turned to search his face. "I mean, who is she really?"

"I told you. She's a yosemin empath."

"I've never heard of a race of people called yosemin. And I don't believe for a moment that she can bring another person's injury to herself."

"Well, she can. She healed Iolaus, which brought them together. I didn't fully realize her powers until she healed me not too long ago. Believe me, we were both close to death. Her mind power is unbelievable."

"You trust her?"

"With my life."

"Why do you call each other brother and sister?"

"Because we're closer than friends. It's hard to describe our bond, but it is there and it is very real."

"Perhaps she has possessed you."

He laughed. "Then perhaps the same could be said for you. We're more than friends."

"You don't mean..?"

He laughed again. "No, that's only for her mate of the soul. Iolaus is that beyond question. But surely our friendship means more than just that also."

The dark haired girl sighed. "You're right. It does."

"Then why is it so hard for you to trust me?"

"I trust you."

"No, you don't. If you did you'd also trust Sira."

She sighed again. "I guess it's just hard for me to trust anyone or anything."

"You learned a lot of things about using the mind when you were in the land of Chin."

"Yes, I guess I did."

"So why can't you believe this is possible?"

"We'll see. I guess I believe she's harmless. I know you wouldn't let anything happen to Gabrielle. Maybe part of it is guilt. I can't believe I let her get hurt again."

"It wasn't your fault. How could you know those men were going to attack you?"

"I know. But it's not the first time she's been hurt because she travels with me."

"You told me once that it was her idea to tag along." The dark haired girl nodded. "Didn't you also say you tried to talk her out of it?" She nodded again. "Wasn't it her idea to pursue this Amazon thing?"

"Yes. She's very determined to become a warrior." Xena smiled. "She can be very stubborn, and very persuasive when she sets her mind on something."

"Then why feel guilt? She's here with you because she wants to be. She's doing what she wants to do. I'm sorry she got hurt. But it was chance, not you that brought it to her."

"Maybe it's just that I can't understand why she would want to be with me. She wants to learn to fight to guard my back. What have I done to deserve that kind of loyalty?" She shook her head. "I haven't earned that. She has this warped sense of who I am. Believe me, it's not always easy to live up to her expectations."

He took her hand. "I think she has a very clear picture of who and what you are. I think it's you who doesn't see clearly."

She studied his face a moment. He bent forward and brushed her lips with a kiss then stood. "You have feathers in your hair." He smiled at her, and going to the fire he began to set up a spit to cook the birds. The girl watched his back a moment then touched her finger to her lips.

Xena helped Gabrielle eat and she ate with a good appetite. Better in fact, than the healer displayed. The rain fell in a steady sprinkle. The thunder and lightning had passed, the breeze was gentle. The sun, not yet ready to admit defeat, still hugged the horizon, obscured by the clouds and rain. The healer took her things and went to the lake to bathe. She felt sore and stiff, and hoped the water would ease some of the tension. The hunter waited on the bank for her. She invited him to join her, but the water was too cold for him and he contented himself with watching her bathe instead. When she had finished she left the water and walked up the bank to him where he waited with a blanket to wrap her in.

She showed no embarrassment at the lack of privacy and Gabrielle blushed. She looked around her and realized she was the only one really embarrassed. The others knew Sira was bathing and that she hadn't tried to cover herself before leaving the water, but they seemed unperturbed by it.

The hunter grabbed her up, and swinging her around he kissed her. The child of nature laughed and kissed him back. The kiss deepened and the bard turned away. Almost against her will she looked back. The air around the two lovers seemed to glow with the love they seemed unable to quench. Rays of light bounced back at them from the misty rain and made a halo to surround them. She could almost feel their love, like a tingling sensation on her skin. Tears filled her eyes. They're so beautiful, she thought. Her heart swelled with joy for the hunter. She had entertained some romantic thoughts of Iolaus herself after the time they had rescued Prometheus. I wonder if I'll ever find a love like they share. She turned away and tried to make herself comfortable. Every move hurt, and the tears that had filled her eyes as she watched the lovers spilled from the corners.

The bard was not the only one to note the lovers at play by the water. The warrior princess had seen the love between the hunter and the empath. To think my hate and greed kept me from finding that with him. If I had ever been the girl I pretended to be, maybe it would be me out there. Still, if I had been different I might not have fallen for Hercules. She shot a quick look at the demigod. For just a moment she let her mind dwell on what it had felt like to make love to him. She remembered all too well the animalistic drive they both had brought to their first encounter. It had been wild and untamed. The first few kisses had nothing to do with love. But somehow as she had lost herself to the lust she had also found a deeper feeling. What's more, she had seen the moment his own feelings had changed from lust to something more. She almost wished now that she could be free to pursue what had started out as a need of the body and became a need of the heart. No, he's far too dangerous. I need to find the real me first. It's there. I at least know that now with certainty. Sometimes I get a glimpse of it. She looked at the big man again. It would be unfair to him to try for something more when I'm still only half a person. She looked away again, but she found her eyes right back. By the gods, he looks so good.

He looked up to dazzle her with a boyish smile, almost as if he could read her thoughts. Her heart turned over painfully. She smiled back and he brought her a mug of tea then sat on the rock next to her.

He looked to the west. "Beautiful sunset."

She followed his gaze. "Yes, it is." She deliberately kept her eyes on the sky.

"Beautiful," he whispered.

She turned to find him watching her, not the sky. He quickly turned back to the view nature provided.



When the hunter and the healer returned to camp the demigod brought them a mug of tea. Gabrielle had fallen into a restless sleep. Sira laid a hand gently on the girl's forehead. The fever seemed a little worse. She sat on the blanket beside the girl and kept a hand on her side. She made the decision that if the fever grew much worse she would do a transfer. Until that became necessary, if it did, she could do a lot of healing without transfer.

Xena came to sit beside her. "How is she?"

"She has a slight fever."

"I wish there was something I could do."

"You can. But it would mean our minds touching. I know you found my first attempt uncomfortable."

The blue eyes searched the green eyes a moment. "I've always had to keep my feelings and thoughts locked away."

"Why?

"Too many times when I haven't, I've paid dearly."

"There are chances we take anytime we open our hearts to others," she nodded. "Still, if we do not, we do not really live. To have friends, we must be friendly. To love, we must love others. To do this we must open our minds and our hearts and take the chance on being hurt."

"It's not always an easy thing."

The healer sighed. "For some it comes too easy."

The warrior studied her face again. "How did you know it would rain?"

"I felt it in the air and in the earth. The signs are there if we but look."

The bard stirred beside them. "I'd like to be able to tell when it will rain. Someone I know has an uncanny knack for landing us in the middle of nowhere, with no shelter or firewood when it rains, like night before last."

Xena smiled. "It is a good trick. Maybe Sira can teach you."

"It is not a trick. It is simply a matter of focusing your mind. With a little practice you could do it."

The bard looked disgusted. "Keeping my mind focused is the real problem." She laughed. "The only time I can do that is when I'm telling a story." She winked at the healer. "Speaking of which."

The dark haired beauty moaned. "Really, Gabrielle, don't you think you should save your strength?"

The hunter joined the girls. "I want to hear it. She tells a good story, if I recall."

The demigod sat next to Xena. "I'm for it." The warrior moaned again. "You have something better to do, maybe?" he grinned at her.

The girl narrowed her eyes at the big man but said nothing. Gabrielle stuck her tongue out at her friend, then settling herself more comfortably she took a deep breath and started.

"There used to be a nation of people different than most of us here. This nation was strong and they were many. They were the earth people, people of the forest. They lived off nature, taking from it all that they needed to survive."

The hunter took the empath's hand. The bard saw the look he gave the girl he loved and she warmed to her tale.

"These people were small in stature, their feet were spotted with brown, often their eyes were the color of the forest around them, or perhaps the sky. They could talk to one another without words, using their minds to touch others and make their thoughts known. These people lived much longer than the humans. But the people of the earth paid a dear price for their gifts. Humans hated and feared them and therefore hunted and killed them. The diseases that the humans carried killed the earth's people. Their lands were stolen by others. And to keep their powers they had to give up the ability to have many offspring. So, few were born and many were lost. The earth people went into hiding to try and hold back the tide of their own destruction."

The bard looked around at the others to be sure she had their attention. Assured that she did, she continued. "These gentle, loving people tried for a time to fight, but to kill came very hard for them. To live and to give life was their purpose here on their mother's surface. The gifts they were given by the earth were to heal and save lives. So they disappeared from view, taking to the deep forests, living in hollowed trees and in caves, avoiding humans and the human gods that now ruled their earth mother's surface. When, by chance, humans did find the earth people, rather than harm the humans they sent mind pictures to them, making them feel fear and see things that were not there. Humans began to believe their minds and souls could be stolen by the earth people, and now they were even more determined to eliminate the peace loving children of nature who only wished to be left to their quiet life in the forest."

She paused to drink from a flask. "Certain of the earth's children were very strong of mind. They were the true warriors of the people. They were the empaths. Only the women were endowed with the power of the earth to such a degree that they could take from others, any sickness or injury and heal it with their mind.

"A powerful young woman among the earth's people was given to a man of the clan whose mind was also very strong. The hope was that a union between the two might bring a renewal of the earth powers and strengthen the people. But shortly after a child was born to the woman, she was called upon to do a healing on a human. This human was married to a witch who was, at least in part, of the earth."

The demigod looked at Sira and she looked at him, then at the hunter. The healer tightened her grip on the hunter's hand.

"The healer and the human fell in love. Healing could sometimes lead to this. It was, you must understand, no ordinary love, but a powerful overwhelming love that could not be denied. They couldn't live without the other half of their soul. The witch was furious. She had turned to hate and evil and she now turned this against the couple. They fled but the witch followed. The woman of the forest wanted to return to her home and her people, but she was ashamed that she had taken another mate when she had promised herself to another. She was torn apart at her abandonment of her child. She also feared she might bring the wrath of the witch down on her people.

"The lovers hid, but the witch found them. Again they fled, and again they were found. Now you must understand that the woman of the earth was very powerful and very strong. She could have turned her powers against the witch and destroyed her. But she was a healer. To harm another was not something she could bring herself to do. The lovers were never left in peace for long. The child of the earth paid a high price for finding her mate of the soul. She was lost to her people and she was condemned to the life of a fugitive, always looking over her shoulder and fearing for herself and the man she loved."

The bard took another drink. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Understand that she had no control over who the earth had brought to her and to whom her soul belonged. She wished at times that it could be otherwise. But she was lost to this man and nothing could change that, not even the Tartarus the witch put them through. When many years had passed, more than would have been given to the human if he had not gained some of the earth child's longevity through their link of the soul, when the human was old and not long for the earth the witch found them again. But the empath now knew such pain of soul because she knew her lover would soon be gone that she turned on the witch. She used her powers against the evil the witch had been consumed by. She hurt and crippled her enemy and the witch fled. When the empath returned to her lover he was almost gone. A few hours only did they have together. Then with her soul torn and bleeding, her heart sore from what she felt had been her ultimate crime, the one thing she could never forgive herself for, the hurting of another, she returned to her people. She came to them for punishment. She wished to be ostracized and condemned, which would mean being stripped of her powers. Shame was the only feeling that eased the pain of loss. It helped to fill the void that losing her soul had left. But her people did not condemn her. Instead they welcomed her with love and understanding. They gave her positive emotions to help soothe her wounds and bandage her heart.

And she found her granddaughter, a child possessed of such power as even the earth's people had never seen. The grandmother held the baby, and a vision was given to her, a vision of the future of her people. 'This one,' she told the others. 'This one will mother a new nation. Different, and yet stronger. A nation where humans and the forest people will live in peace together. Where differences between them will be welcomed and embraced.' And the grandmother finally found peace for herself."

Sira wiped the tears from her cheeks and leaned back against the hunter. The demigod sent his mind to her and she felt his love.

"Of course," the wounded girl concluded, "it's only a bard's tale."



The morning brought a return of the sun but it did little to warm the earth and the puny humanoids who dared to scale the mountain peak and try to reach its domain. The empath was first up. She searched the forest for roots and in a deep thicket of ferns she found what she wanted. She returned to the camp by the lake to make tea and to place the roots in the coals of the fire to roast. She took one of the roots to Argo. She pealed it and fed it to the horse as she talked to her. She found a brush among the things the warrior princess left out from when she dug the horse's blanket out for the night. Sira removed the blanket and left it in the sun to dry then proceeded to brush the horse. Argo nudged the girl, looking for more roots and the nature child laughed.

"I can't believe it," Xena stated in disgust. "Argo doesn't like anyone, and yet she's as docile as a lamb with Sira."

The demigod laughed. "She touched the horse's mind with hers and I guess they found something in common."

The blue eyed girl shot him a disgruntled look.

"What? She can touch the minds of animals."

The warrior shook her head. "She's a bit unbelievable, isn't she?"

"Yeah, I guess she is at that. But she's made a believer out of me."

"So I see."

Something in her tone made him turn to look at her. "Don't tell me you're jealous?"

"Jealous of what?"

"That's what I was wondering."

Xena walked away and made her way to the woods. As she passed the healer the girl looked up to smile at her. The warrior heaved a sigh and kept on walking.

With a shrug the girl left the horse and went to the demigod. "Why?" she began without preamble, "does Xena dislike me."

"Xena dislikes everybody at first." He put his arm around her. "She's also jealous of you."

"Of me? Why?"

"Because you're all the things she gave up when she turned to hate and war as a way of life."

"But she is not like that. I have felt her love and goodness."

"I know. The problem is, she doesn't know it."

With a shake of her head she wandered to the lake. She stood watching the water for a moment, then stripping to her undergarments she waded into the water. She gave the prayer of thanks to the water mother and asked for her bounty. She poised her hand over the water and waited. Within moments her prayer was answered and she threw a fish on the bank. Another one soon followed. The warrior princess came to watch her.

"How can you stand that cold water?"

"I just do not think about it." She threw another fish on the bank.

"I can catch fish with my hands, but not that easily. How do you do it?"

"The water mother gives them to me. Come join me and I will show you."

"I'm not getting in that cold water."

The girl chuckled. "Chicken."

"I'm not chicken. I'm just smart enough to know better than to freeze my bottom off in that icy water."

"I say you are chicken. You are afraid you will be unable to catch a fish and that will make you look less in charge."

"You're wrong. I thought you were telepathic."

"And I thought you were tough."

With a shrug the warrior princess sat on the bank and removed her boots then her armor. With a mental squaring of her shoulders she also removed her leather and waded into the water. She gasped as the icy water touched her feet. She waded a little further out.

"You've got to be crazy," she told the empath. "And I'm crazy for letting you goad me into this."

Sira waded to her, and taking her hand she led her into deeper water. "Now show me how you catch the fish."

It took some time but the raven haired girl did catch one and sent it to join the others on the shore. "There. Told you I could catch a fish."

"Yes, you most certainly did. Still, you scared away about a dozen more. Now watch." The girl opened her mind and waited for the water to settle and the fish to return. Then with seemingly little effort she tossed a fish on the bank. The water stayed calm and the other fish seemed to be unperturbed by the absence of their companion. Seconds later she came up with another.

The dark girl laughed. "That's amazing. How do you do it?"

"You have the general idea. You already understand how the water distorts the images you see. Now you must learn to feel the fish with your mind and to slice through the water with your hand rather than grabbing for the fish."

"Show me."

The healer showed her how to slice through the water and make as little splash as possible. The warrior tried it several times before she could catch the fish and still keep the water calm. Soon another fish was thrown on the bank.

"You did it," the healer laughed. "That was wonderful. You learn so quickly."

"Look how calm the water is."

"I know. You did wonderfully. Try again."

The dark haired girl laughed, and making herself ready she waited a moment then came up with another fish. "Wait till Gabrielle sees this. She always swears I don't feed her well enough." She looked up and searched the healer's eyes.

"She is going to be all right, you know."

"No thanks to me."

"It was not your fault."

"I almost lost her once. I may have again if you hadn't come along."

"You are thinking that if you did not let her come with you she would not have been hurt. But you cannot know that. Just getting up in the morning can be dangerous. You may slip on the floor and fall and break your neck. She needs you, Xena, as much as you need her. Do not sell her short. Let her live her life as she wishes. You would want nothing less for yourself. If you love her, how can you want less for her?"

"What do I do if she doesn't make it the next time? And there could so easily be a next time with the life I lead her into."

"Then you will be lonely. But you will know that she did what she wanted to do and that she traveled with whom she wished to be with. You must let go of your guilt and understand that you did not make her come with you. She chose to do so because she loves you."

"What good is a love that gets you killed?"

"What good is a love if it makes you fear being with your friend?"

"It's kind of a dilemma, isn't it?"

"Not if you open your heart and let it lead you."

"I don't think I know how to do that."

"Yes, you do. I can feel it there." She took the girl's hand again and touched her mind with hers. "See? It is there. Let it guide you."

The warrior nodded. "Sometimes I can feel it. Then I get scared and I lose it."

"I know. But you must fight the fear. It is of your own making. Fight it with as much courage as you fight your physical battles."

She nodded. "Maybe you're right. Maybe that's what I need to do."

The healer smiled at her. "Still cold?"

The warrior laughed. "I forgot all about it."

"Want to swim?"

"To that rock. The last one there has to clean the fish." She pushed off from the bottom and struck out with a powerful stroke.

The healer easily out distanced her and waited on the rock for the warrior. When the dark girl grabbed the rock to pull herself up the healer laughed.

"I like the tails cut off of the fish when they are cleaned."

"That's not fair. I forgot you're a woodland creature."

Sira slipped back into the water. "It is not that. I am just a better swimmer."

"Humph."

"I will beat you back," the healer challenged.

"No, you won't," Xena shot back. She dove from the rock and took a strong lead.

Still, Sira was waiting on the bank for her when she walked from the water. The healer handed her the blanket she had brought for herself.

Xena came shivering from the water. "You win. You're the better swimmer."

Sira stuck her hand out to the other woman. "Friends?"

The warrior took it in a firm grip and smiled. "Friends."

The demigod stood watching them, a tolerant look on his face. He gathered the fish and ran a stick through their gills to carry them back to camp. Then he turned back to watch the girls again.

"What are you looking at, big man?" the warrior teased.

"Nice view. I guess the water must be pretty cold."

"Keep it up and you'll find out. You'll be in the middle of it."

"Who'd put me there?"

The dark girl looked to the healer and she looked back. Together they started toward the demigod. He beat a hasty retreat back to camp.



Gabrielle seemed better, but it was agreed that one more day of rest couldn't hurt and the camp by the lake was pleasant. The hunter left the others to it and went in search of their dinner. The demigod challenged the healer to a game of chips. She hated to let any challenge go and was soon beating him soundly. The warrior princess joined them in a couple of games. She was cunning and quick in her moves and won both the games she played. The hunter returned with the choicest cuts of venison and started it cooking.

Sira checked on Gabrielle. She sat next to her and placed her hand on the girl's injured arm. After a moment she closed her eyes and began to sway. She began to chant a single word in a rhythm that soothed and comforted. "Cantos, cantos, cantos." The yosemin word for earth, hummed slowly, always sent a chill of delight up the hunter's spine. It was the first conscious memory of the healer he had from his own healing. He could never hear it without remembering what the chant had heralded for him.

He went to sit beside the bard and placed his hand on her other arm. She started to speak and he placed a finger over her mouth to stop her. Then closing his eyes he joined the earth child in the healing.

Xena turned to the demigod. "What are they doing?"

"She's doing a healing. Not a transfer, but a healing. You should go help. I'll watch the meat." The warrior gave him a skeptical look. "It won't hurt you and it will help Gabrielle."

Xena nodded and went to join the others. Sira opened her eyes and smiled at the blue eyed girl. "It will mean our minds touching, but you would add much to a healing. Will you help?"

Xena shrugged and nodded then took a seat next to the two girls. The healer directed her to relax and to let her mind drift. The warrior princess was soon drawn into the healing. She wasn't very pleased with the encounter. She found it hard to keep her inner emotions hidden away. The empath made no demands on her, nor did she try to touch the tightly constructed wall of pain the dark haired girl pooled her deeper feelings behind. But she couldn't help but get a glimpse of the raw emotion that threatened to spill over the wall at any moment. Sira sent love and understanding to her new friend but it wasn't well received.

When the healing was over the warrior princess rose quickly and disappeared into the forest. The son of Zeus was concerned by the look on her face. He had seen pain and despair, but also anger and hate on the girl's beautiful features. He motioned for the hunter to watch the roasting meat and followed Xena.

He found her sitting on a rock, tossing pebbles into the lake. "Xena? Are you all right?"

"What in Tartarus do you want?"

"To check on you."

"You're a sadistic bastard. You knew damn well I wouldn't be able to handle the healing."

He stood before her, watching her. Then at the look on her face he pulled her into his arms and held her. She stood stiffly in his arms, not yielding, and yet not pulling away. "I wasn't trying to hurt you. I truly thought you could help Gabrielle because you two already have the tie of soul. I'm sorry, Xena."

She seemed to melt against him, and he sent strength to her. She responded and turned her face up to him. He took her lips with a gentle kiss. Her lips parted. Then she pulled violently away. "No! Damn you. I don't believe this tie of the soul bilge and I still think you deliberately set me up. I don't know who this Sira is or why you've fallen into her trap, but I'm not buying it. She can keep her damn mind to herself, and so can you."

He studied her face a moment. He knew where her anger came from. She had, through the healing, opened her mind to her own feelings, and in doing so let others feel them as well. It had frightened her. Being frightened was not something she understood or embraced.

"All right, Xena. Maybe you're right. Your own private Tartarus is your own business. But you don't need to be frightened. You're among friends. No one will use or exploit you."

"Can't you just shut up and go away?"

"It's okay to be frightened of your vulnerable side. But you told me once that you and I could never be together until you found the true you. The real Xena is hidden in there behind the emotions you felt today, and until you let them out you'll never find the real you."

She slapped his face. There was real power behind the blow. Pain and anger were in her hand when it landed. Tears streamed down her cheeks. He stood his ground. "You don't know one damn thing about it, Hercules! Just stay out!"

He took her into his arms again. She fought him for a moment but he pinned her arms to her sides. "I'm sorry, Xena. Forgive me."

"Damn you. I hate you for making me cry. I never cry."

"It's all right, my love. If it's going to happen, better it be with someone who really cares about you."

Her breath caught on a sob. "I hate you."

"I know. But hate is the counterpart of love. I'll take the hate for now. At least I know you feel strongly about me."

"I hate you for that too."

"I figured that."

"I really would like to be alone."

"No, you wouldn't. You don't fool me for a moment."

"Damn you." He only chuckled and continued to hold her. "Are you going to let me go?"

"Nope."



The empath sat with her back against a tree, her knees pulled up under her chin. She was concerned for the warrior princess as well. She hadn't meant to unnerve and frighten her. The warrior's mind was strong, though not as strong as her blond friend's. Still, the warrior's mind was disciplined to such a degree that she could use her mind much more effectively than Gabrielle. In fact Sira was awed by the control the dark haired girl had on her senses. In the healing the blue eyed girl had lost some of that control. The child of the forest could well understand how uncomfortable that could be for Xena. To lose control was to admit weakness. To show that weakness would mean a chink in the carefully constructed armor that she hid behind. Sira knew it had left the girl feeling emotions she didn't understand and didn't like. It left her feeling vulnerable.

The demigod returned to camp alone and Sira sent him a searching gaze. He came to sit beside her. "Don't worry, my sister. She'll be all right. She just needs a moment to rebuild the barriers."

"I did not mean for her to be frightened."

"I know that. Besides, it was my idea that she join you in the healing." He let his breath out in a sigh. "She's the strongest person I have ever met. And yet, she's also the most fragile. She's fought so long to gain mastery over the real Xena, and now she's trying to chip away the outer covering to release her real self. It isn't easy for her. A lesser person might well go mad, or simply not bother. Then again, a lesser person could never have buried themselves so completely." He shook his head. "I love her, Sira. Not like the feelings I had for Deianeira or Serena." He took the empath's hand. "Or for you. But there is something deeper than friendship between us. I wish she'd let me in. But she's so damn scared of her own feelings." He picked up a small twig and began to strip away the bark. "I'd take her now just as she is. But she feels it would be unfair to me because she can't give fully of herself until she finds herself." He looked at the healer. "Am I making any sense at all?"

"Yes, my brother. Your feelings are very clear." She gave him a smile of compassion. "Remember, it would not be fair to her either. To love someone, you must also love yourself. She cannot do so as long as the real Xena remains buried. She is indeed strong. To put aside her desire until she can truly love openly and freely takes a strength of will not often found. I begin to see why she is a warrior. She gives her all to whatever she attempts. She will find herself. She will settle for nothing less. The real shame is, that were she to let her guard down and come to you, the bond of soul between you would make her fight much easier. You could fight the battle together. I know how deep your love and compassion runs. You could well be her healer. But until she realizes that for herself, she will, I am afraid, continue to be stubborn."

He grinned at her. "She is that all right."



When the dark haired girl returned, nothing was said. She shot the hunter a nervous look and Sira noted the look. The empath knew from her mate of the soul how Xena had first made herself known to Iolaus and Hercules. She was well aware of how deep the hunter had been hurt by the dark beauty. She also knew that the hunter blamed the hate and evil that consumed the girl for the injury to him, not the girl herself.

Xena, however, didn't realize this. She knew that the hunter had felt some of her emotions in the healing. She feared he might use what he had felt against her.

She went out of her way to avoid both the healer and the hunter. She stayed with the bard most of the afternoon. Iolaus went to sit by the lake and the healer joined him there. He pulled her into his arms and buried his face in her hair.

"You smell wonderful."

"So do you."

"Want to go for a walk?"

"Yes. In a moment."

He kissed her neck. "Why wait?"

"Because you are troubled."

He chuckled. "You're far too perceptive, my little woodland creature."

"She thinks you will use what you felt in the healing against her."

"Damn it. Doesn't she credit me with any honor at all?"

The healer nibbled his ear. "She does not know you as well as I do."

"What I felt just proves she really is human."

"That is what frightened her," she whispered, her lips pressed against his ear.

He kissed her chin then took her lips. She ran her hands under his vest and across his chest. With both hands on her buttocks he pulled her tightly against him.

She moaned. "Shall we take that walk now?"

"I thought you'd never ask."



Xena tried not to notice the lovers at the lake or to think about where they were going when they walked hand in hand toward the forest. She took a quick glance at the demigod. He met her eyes and she quickly lowered hers. He came to sit beside her and the bard.

"So tell me, where were you lovely ladies headed when those foolish men decided to demand your company?"

"Hopefully to stop a blood bath," Xena supplied. The demigod raised his eyebrows but made no comment, waiting for her to continue. "Not far from here is a small coastal valley. In the middle of this valley there's a very productive diamond mine. You remember Pothose?" The big man nodded. "He now controls the mine. He took it away from the rightful owners at sword point. Add to this Makarios and his band of cutthroats and you can imagine the potential for disaster.

"In the middle of this are two small villages, one on the coast and one inland. As far as I know, the one on the ocean is still fairly safe. The other one hasn't been so lucky. Innocent people are being killed, and I plan to put a stop to it."

"This village on the coast wouldn't by chance be Acubus, would it?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact it is." She narrowed her eyes at him. She hadn't failed to see how he had stiffened at her confirmation of the name of the village.

"How serious is this?"

"Both Pothose and Makarios have recruited armies of mercenaries and low life scum to back them. Pothose has the mine and plans to keep it with as many blood thirsty murderers as he can find. Makarios always did have an army with him and I hear he has strengthened it recently." The dark girl pulled the cork on her water flask and took a long drink. "The thing is, they're going to need supplies. Where better to get them than Acubus? It has its own port and they trade with ships that stop there. So, take over Acubus and you control the entire valley. Pothose is no fool. He'll have realized this already. He isn't going to let Makarios have the town without a fight. So what'll happen to the people of the village?"

"Control the mine and the village, and you're king."

"That's about the size of it."

"So you were just going to walk in there and talk these two warlords out of this, I take it?"

She reached out and patted the sword that sat on top of her belongings stashed near the bard. "I planned to do whatever it took to protect the people of the valley. Too many lives have been lost already."

The son of Zeus looked at the bard and she shrugged. "I tried to talk her out of it, but you know how stubborn she is."

"I refuse to sit by and let innocent people die because two strutting cocks want to fight. If they want a fight, they can fight me. If there's anything left of them when I get through, then they can start on each other." She grinned. "Besides, Pothose knows me. I plan to have a talk with him. I don't give a damn about the diamonds or who gets them. The miners are dead anyway. So let the fool have his diamonds. All I really want is for him to leave the innocent villagers alone. He can bring in supplies from over the mountains, or he can buy them from Acubus. Once the demand grows the ships will flock to the place to supply it. It might just make the town. Put it on the map, as it were. Pothose isn't as big a fool as some. He could become a real tycoon with this thing. He just needs to be shown the righteous path. If he played his cards right he could start an import business and make more dinars with that than with the damn diamonds."

The demigod smiled at her. "So, what you've said shows you've thought this out. The problem is, the people of Acubus aren't going to sit idly by and let either Pothose or Makarios take over their town. They'll fight."

"What could a bunch of farmers and fishermen do to stop either warlord?"

"You might be surprised. They'll fight. But you're right, they can't hope to make any real difference against an army of thugs." He stood and began to pace. "Damn it, they'll get themselves killed."

The bard looked from the demigod to the warrior then back again. "Am I missing something here?" The big man shot a glance at her as if he didn't know her. He was lost in thought for a moment. "Hercules?"

He took his seat again and began to explain why the news of trouble in Acubus had disturbed him, and why he was so sure the people of the small coastal village would fight to keep their town.

Xena looked disgusted. "So now on top of everything else, we have a bunch of amateurs to get in the way. Damn!"

"Don't sell them short, Xena. They'll fight. They know what they're doing. Still, the odds are against them." He was silent for a moment. "When Gabrielle is ready to travel, I'm coming with you two. We have friends there. They'll trust me."

"What? They wouldn't trust me?"

"No offense, Xena, but they're not your average bunch of villagers. They'd suspect you, and it doesn't sound like we have time to waste on building their trust. I'm coming with you."

When the hunter and the empath returned from their walk in the forest the girl took one look at her brother of the soul and knew something had happened. "What is it, my brother?"
He turned to Xena. "Will you explain?"

The dark girl nodded. Sira sat beside the demigod. She made no interruption as the warrior princess once again explained the situation in the small fertile valley Acubus occupied.

When Xena finished, the healer rose and went to sit beside the bard. She placed her hand over the wound in the girl's shoulder, and closing her eyes for a moment she let her mind relax and open. "I believe that Gabrielle should be able to travel tomorrow. We will have to take it easy, but we can make a start."

Xena jumped to her feet. "Now wait a minute. We're heading into a full scale war here. It's no place for someone like Sira."

The hunter rose, and going to the warrior he planted a kiss on her cheek. "You're a love for being concerned about her. But she can take care of herself. Probably better than the rest of us. We're coming with you."

The girl stood staring at him. The kiss had taken her totally by surprise. "It will be dangerous, Iolaus."

"We understand that." He looked to the girl he loved. "Besides, I couldn't keep her away even if I wanted to."

"We have friends there," the healer stated.

The warrior princess looked disgusted. "Well, don't expect me to baby sit. I plan to stop the death of innocent villagers. I'll do whatever it takes to protect them. I won't have time to watch out for you or anyone else."

Sira smiled at her. "It is all right, friend Xena. I will watch out for you and myself. I will protect you."

The dark girl narrowed her eyes at the yosemin. Hercules turned away to hide his humor.

The hunter chuckled. "She will too. Don't worry about Sira, friend Xena."



As the sun made its way toward the western sky a cold wind sprang up. The warrior and the demigod searched for more wood. The fire would need to be kept burning through the night. They returned, their arms loaded with wood.

"It's a good thing we're leaving tomorrow," the big man commented. "It's getting harder and harder to find wood."

The healer left the roots she was peeling and stepped to the edge of the camp. She closed her eyes a moment. With a smile she took the demigod's hand and began to lead him toward the trees. "Come on, Xena. I believe we will need your help with the wood."

"What wood?"

Sira motioned to the warrior's sword. "May I?"

Xena looked skeptical. "I wouldn't want you to hurt yourself."

"I will not." The dark girl shrugged and handed the sword to the girl. Sira ran a finger over the flat edge of the sword. "It is very beautifully made."

"It's also damned sharp. What are you planning?"
Sira stepped away from the others and moved the sword in a circular motion over her head. She closed her eyes and tossed the sharp steel blade into the air. With her eyes still closed she caught it easily. She opened her eyes and smiled at Xena. "It is very well balanced." She made a sideways swipe with the sword and hacked away some brush. Her movements were fluid and sure. Another swipe with her right arm removed more brush. She tossed the sword to her left hand and removed more of the vines and brush that blocked her way. Then with a quick smile she offered the sword back to its owner. "It is a little heavy for me. But I thank you for allowing me to use it."

The warrior princess checked the edge. It was still clean and sharp. "So what was the point of that?"

"I had two points. One to show you I am not helpless, the other to show you where to find wood." She motioned to the area beyond the brush she had cleared away.

The demigod stepped through the clearing the healer had made. "Come look, Xena," he chuckled. In a small grove of trees, almost completely obscured by vines and brambles, was a wealth of wood that would last for several days.

The dark haired beauty shot a suspicious look at the empath. "So you've practiced with a sword. That's a far cry from using it to protect yourself."
"Yes, you are right. I would not willingly use it to harm someone. As for practicing with a sword, I have not. I have watched Iolaus and Hercules do so. It did not look difficult. Once you find the center of balance, it is not so difficult to use the sword to advantage. Let us hope we can put a stop to what is happening in Acubus and the surrounding valley without using the sword." The healer turned and walked away. Xena stood watching her back.

The demigod grinned at her. "Don't try to figure her out, Xena. She's not like anyone you've ever met."

"There really is a race of people called yosemin?"

He laughed. "She's living proof. Wait until you meet her father of the soul. He'll really make a believer out of you."

"How did she know the wood was here?"

"She felt for it with her mind."

"Was she serious that she had never used a sword before?"

"Yes. You should see her with a bow and arrow."

Xena smiled at him. "I begin to see what has so entranced you. She looks so young and naive. To see her, you think she's so innocent. Then she pulls off something like this." The girl shook her head. "Iolaus is a lucky man."



As the sun went down, the wind stopped, but the night only grew colder. The demigod pulled the bard's bed closer to the fire and spread his cloak over the girl.

"Thank you, Hercules. I'm fine, you know. I'm not in any pain now and there's no fever. All of you need to stop babying me."

The half man, half god smiled at her. "You might as well enjoy it while you can."

"Yeah, maybe you're right."

Sira did another healing on the girl then left her to go to her own bed. The hunter joined her under the covers and took her into his arms. "She'll be all right to travel tomorrow?"

"Yes. We should take it slow and stop if she gets too tired. Still, we should be able to make it over the pass. Then if she is too bad, perhaps you and the others should go on. I have a bad feeling about what we may find at Acubus."

"I feel the same. But I wouldn't leave you. Still, Hercules and Xena could go ahead of us. We could follow when Gabrielle is better. Have you tried to touch the minds of those in Acubus?"

"Yes. I get a sense of deep worry from Elias. His mind is the strongest one I can feel, perhaps because we have touched in mind before. I have tried to let him know that help is coming. I cannot be sure if he understands. I think he knows I am touching his mind, however. I will keep trying. It might give them comfort to know we are coming to help them."

The hunter tightened his arms around her. "Are you warm enough?"

"Yes. Are you?"

"No."

She ran her hands over his chest. "I could warm you up."

"You are already. But it's a little crowded here for that." She giggled and moved her hand lower. He grabbed her hand and brought it to his lips to kiss the finger tips. "Behave yourself."

"There is no fun in that."

"We're not here for fun. We're here to sleep."

"I would rather have fun."

He chuckled. "So would I. Maybe when it warms up we can take another walk."

They took turns keeping the fire going, dozing in their blankets for a time then reaching out a hand to replenish the flames. It was still far from dawn when the healer woke and sensed the bard's discomfort. She slipped from under the blanket and cloak she shared with the hunter and rose. The moon, almost full, shed a silvery light on the world it looked down upon. The ground was covered with a thick blanket of frost that reflected the moon's light back and made the night clear and bright. Sira knelt beside the shivering girl. She feared fever, and without a word she lay down beside her new friend. Slipping under the covers with her she wrapped herself around the girl.

"I'm so cold," the bard complained through chattering teeth.

"I know. But I do not feel fever. It is just the cold night on a person whose defenses are down. Open your mind to mine and I will help you fight the cold."

"I can't stop shivering long enough."

"It will be well. Try to relax and let me guide your mind. Relax, little one. Open your mind." The healer chanted her instructions to the injured girl. Slowly the bard began to relax and the shivering eased. The gentle words, spoken in a soft rocking rhythm, comforted the girl and eased her discomfort.

The bard grew drowsy as the warmth the healer offered seeped into her tired muscles and relaxed them.

"Sira?"

"Shhh. Just sleep. I will be here to help you when you wake. You need worry about nothing."

"Thank you."

"Shhh."



The stars were gone, chased away by the coming of the dawn. The moon still hung low over the horizon as if dreading the moment when it must relinquish its place in the heavens to its brighter brother, the sun. The hunter turned over, seeking warmth from the healer. Finding her gone he jumped to his feet. He saw her at once where she lay beside the bard. He smiled to himself. Shaking with the cold he pulled his cloak from the bed he had just left and wrapped it around his shoulders. He took the blanket and placed it gently over the sleeping girls then put more wood on the fire.

He made his way to the lake. The frozen ground crunched beneath his feet and he could see his breath as he walked. There was ice around the edge of the lake that he cracked with his boot to get to the water. His hands hurt with the cold and he gladly warmed them over the fire when he returned to camp. He had set snares the day before but they yielded nothing. The little pink nosed creatures he had hoped to catch in his snares knew better than to venture out in this cold weather. He put a pot of water on the boil. He would fix boiled grain to break their fast and hope for better hunting on their travel of the day.

He went to stand over the healer and the bard. They're both so beautiful, he thought. The bard's hair was strawberry blond, the healer's golden. They were both fair of skin. Both were small and delicate of bone. They could almost be sisters.

The demigod rose and made a quick dash to the woods then returned and wrapped his blanket around his shoulders. The hunter poured them a mug of tea. The big man took his with a nod of thanks.

"Is Gabrielle all right?"

"I'm not sure. I woke to find Sira gone from our bed. I'm not sure when she went to Gabrielle."

"I hope we can make a start for Acubus."

"We talked of that, Sira and I. We were thinking perhaps you and Xena should go on to Acubus without us if Gabrielle isn't well enough to travel. We're both worried about our friends there."

"I guess we could do that." The half man, half god ran a hand through his hair. "I'd be worried sick about the three of you of course."

"We can take care of ourselves. You'll be the ones going into danger."

"You'll be in danger as well. We have no way of knowing how many men are traipsing about down there. The type of men both Pothose and Makarios employ aren't likely to be the gentlemanly type."

The hunter grinned at his friend. "So we'll just have to be careful. Sira would know if someone was near. I'd say we have a good chance of making it to Acubus."

"You should have seen her with Xena's sword," the big man chuckled. "You would have thought she had used a sword for years. Your wife never ceases to amaze me."

"I damn near had heart failure just now watching Sira and Gabrielle sleeping so close. They're both so beautiful."

The demigod shot a quick look at the sleeping girls. "You're right, it's not good for the heart on such a cold morning."

"I got warm real quick," the hunter smiled at his friend. "But I guess you're more interested in dark haired girls, huh?"

The half man grinned at his friend. "Does it show?"

"Only like a hundred candles shining in the night."

"Only that much, huh? So I guess no one would really notice."

The hunter chuckled. "Not in a million years." He handed his friend a bowl of the boiled grain, sweetened with honey. "Sorry about the food. The little furry beasties were keeping warm in their burrows last night."

"It's fine. In fact, it's good. You're a good cook, my friend."

"You're only saying that because you don't want to cook."

"I guess you know me too well."



The dark warrior rose, and with a nod at the demigod's greeting she made her way to the woods. When she returned she gladly took the offered tea from the hunter.

She shivered beside the fire. "Right now I'd pay a king's ransom for a pair of pants like Sira wears. You men have it lucky. My legs are freezing." The hunter removed the cloak from his shoulders and held it out to her. "I can't take your cloak."

"Of course you can. It would be rude not to. I'm trying to be a gentleman."

She took the cloak in one hand, and placing her mug in his outstretched hand she swung the dark blue woven moss garment over her shoulders. "You always were a gentleman."

The golden one scratched at the pale straw colored bristles on his chin. "Thanks."

"I guess she doesn't know you very well," the demigod added.

Xena chuckled and pulled the cloak tighter around her. It smelled of the man who had so graciously given it to her. She remembered that smell. She turned away. I was such a fool. He's too good a man to have been put through what I inflicted on him. She looked to where the two blond women slept, still wrapped in each other's arms. I'm glad he has Sira. He deserves to be happy. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. When she first woke and found the two girls sleeping so closely together she had felt a stab of jealousy. It wasn't easy to share her friend with others. She and the bard were so close. More than just friends, Gabrielle was her family, her companion, her sanity in an insane world. Maybe there was something to this tie of the soul. Both Sira and Hercules said they could feel the bond of soul between her and the sleeping bard. She sighed. I'm getting just as foolish as Hercules about this yosemin stuff.

The bard woke. She was a little surprised to find the healer still clinging to her. She remembered when Sira had come to her and helped her fight the cold her injured body had been unable to cope with. It had seemed like a dream. She gently smoothed the hair from the empath's face. She felt warm and comforted. It took someone special to give so much of themselves, she thought.

Seeing the bard awake the warrior brought her a mug of tea and helped her to sit up. She was careful not to wake the healer. "I was so cold last night," the teller of stories offered. "She helped me stay warm."

The dark haired girl nodded at her. "You're not feverish then?"

"No. But it was so cold last night."

"It froze hard. It's good that you're better, we need to get out of this high country. We should make it over the pass today."

"I'm sorry I'm holding everyone up."

"Don't be silly. No one's blaming you."

"Still I'm worried about what might be happening down there to the villagers."

"Well, you're more important than they are, so stop feeling guilty and use the energy to get better."

The healer stirred. She wasn't really ready to wake. She had healed the bard for most of what remained of the night. She felt tired and drowsy.

The hunter brought her a mug of tea. "Rise and shine, sleepy head."

She moaned. "Not yet. It is too early."

"It's late. Besides, if Gabrielle is up to it we need to make a start. It's too damn cold to stay in the mountains."

The empath sat up. "I am sorry I slept so long. I will catch us some fish."

"No, you won't. There's ice on the lake. I've fixed mush for now. I'll hunt when we get lower down."

The empath took a sip of the tea. It was hot and strong and unsweetened like she liked it.

"Is Gabrielle well enough to travel?"

"Yes, I believe so."

The bard interrupted her. "I'm well enough. Thanks for keeping me warm last night. But you said yourself I wasn't feverish."

Sira smiled at her. "Do not worry. We will not leave you behind."



Hercules lifted Gabrielle to Argo's back. The empath spoke with mind and voice to the horse and helped the bard do the same. The horse seemed to beam with pleasure at being put into service. She even nudged the storyteller and accepted a rub on the nose for her trouble.

The warrior princess looked annoyed and turned away. "My horse is becoming a big softy." Hearing her, the demigod laughed.

The blond rode the horse alone for a time. The healer kept a close eye on her, however. When she noticed signs of fatigue she asked her brother of the soul to lift her to the horse's back, and sitting behind the bard she put her arms around her. "Lean back into me and relax. You can sleep for a bit, and I will send you strength."

The strawberry blond did as she was instructed. "I'm so drowsy," she mumbled.

"Just rest. Picture a pleasant meadow in your mind. The day is soft and cool, the grass green, the flowers sweet. Hear the call of the birds as they build their nests. Feel the sun on your back. The sky is so blue, bluer than seems possible. So blue it makes you want to cry and laugh at the same time. The yellow flowers rock back and forth in the light breeze, waving to you and inviting you to join them on the green carpet." Sira's voice was soft and she spoke in a rhythm to soothe and rock the bard to sleep. She began to hum a tune, and between the soft sing-song sounds she made pictures with her words. "Hear the bees at the small brook, buzzing and playing in the sun. The far mountains look down on their child the meadow and smile with pleasure."

"You're a bard," Gabrielle whispered.

"Shhh. Sleep, little one. The grass caresses you and heals you. The sun protects you and the earth mothers you. Sleep, and let her take the pain away. Sleep, sleep, sleep."

The hunter walked beside the girl he loved. A blue white light glowed around her, making a halo of silver over her head. He put his hand on her thigh and sent his love to help her in the healing. The son of Zeus took the warrior's hand and she gave it willingly. They walked on. They made the pass and started over it just as the sun reached its zenith. But they didn't stop. Gabrielle was sleeping and out of pain. Sira sent her mind to her brother to suggest they travel now while they could. He felt her worry and concern for their friends in Acubus. Feeling it in his own heart he continued to guide the others over the rock strewn cleft in the mountains that would lead them to the other side of the mountain range and put them closer to the coastal valley they sought.

They satisfied their hunger with dried meat, fruit, and nuts, washing it down with water from their flasks. The bard slept on. The healer's arms supporting her on the horse grew weary then numb. Now they ached with a dull pain that the healer couldn't seem to ease. She sent her mind into a trance instead. Better to not feel at all for a time than to ride on lost in the discomfort.

It was well past midday when Gabrielle woke. She felt stiff and sore all over. Her arm and shoulder throbbed. Her head pounded with each step the horse took. Sensing that she was awake the empath brought her mind back from the stupor she had let it fall into. She could sense the girl's discomfort. It mingled with her own and magnified her own pain and discomfort.

Sira sent her mind to the demigod. "We must find a place to stop, my brother." He turned and walked back to her and the bard. "Sira? Are you all right?"

"Gabrielle is in discomfort, and I am not sure how much longer I can keep her on the horse."

He reached out and placed his hand on her leg. He could sense her pain and stiffness. "I'm sorry, Sira. I didn't realize you were in such discomfort." He sent his mind to her and she gladly accepted the strength he offered.

"Xena," he called. "We need to find a place to stop for the night. Gabrielle and Sira are both done in."

The hunter turned concerned eyes to the woman he loved. "Do not worry, I will be well. I am just stiff from riding for so long."

He nodded at her, and sending her a smile of encouragement he moved ahead to look for a possible place to stop.

Nearly an hour passed before he found it. Among a jumble of rocks he found a clearing almost covered by a dead fall of trees. Some mammoth wind sent by the gods of the elements had blown its breath across the area the travelers now crossed. Trees had toppled to form a roof of sorts over the rocks. Wood abounded for their fire. A small trickle of water cascaded down the mossy face of a huge granite boulder embedded in a cliff face and splashed between two rocks to disappear underground.

The hunter made a bed for the girls. Hercules lifted the bard down and steadied her on her feet. The warrior princess helped her to the blanket spread on the ground for her. The son of Zeus lifted the empath down and carried her to the same blanket. He laid her gently beside the bard then pulled the cork on his flask and offered them water. The hunter had already gone in search of food while the dark haired beauty gathered wood for their fire.

The healer sat up beside the bard and placed both hands on her side. Within moments she was entranced. She swayed and chanted beside the injured girl, drawing her mind into the spell of healing she wove about them.

Xena stood watching her a moment, then whispered to Hercules. "Is she going to do a healing now?"

He nodded. "She needs to, as much to heal herself as to heal Gabrielle." At the girl's skeptical look he continued. "It wasn't easy for her to hold Gabrielle on the horse. Gabrielle weighs more than she does, and while Gabrielle slept she was dead weight."

"I know that. I saw she couldn't move when we stopped. I just wondered how she could heal herself while healing Gabrielle?"

He smiled at her. "Sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you. She'll heal by surrounding herself with the earth's energy. She knows what she's doing. This will help her."

"You were concerned for her, weren't you?"

"Yes. I could feel her pain and discomfort."

The dark haired beauty shook her head. "This whole thing takes some getting used to."

He chuckled. "I know. I resisted for the longest time. I just didn't want to believe these things were possible." He shrugged. "Now I know how foolish I was all that time. I've never regretted lowering the barriers on my mind to her or to the earth."

"You've changed, my friend."

He nodded again. "Yes, I have, more than you might think."

She studied his face seriously for a moment. "I like the changes."

He reached out a hand to her and she took it eagerly. "Thank you. That means a lot coming from you."

She squeezed his hand then released it. "I'll start tea."

He smiled at her. He knew she didn't really want tea but it made a good excuse to walk away from the emotions she had just felt. He turned back to the two girls, lost now in the healing. He placed one hand over the healer's where it rested on Gabrielle's side and the other hand on the bard's side. He opened his mind to the healing and Sira pulled his strength to her. He could sense her fatigue. His mind cautioned her to hold some of the earth's power for herself so that her strength could build.

When the hunter returned he brought the choicest cuts of venison from his kill. He started it cooking. Some they could eat now, but he would cook it all to help preserve it. Xena helped him set up the spit and start the meat cooking then she handed him a mug of tea.

He took it with a smile of thanks then let his breath out in a sigh. The warrior princess smiled back at him. "Rest for a time. I'll look after the meat."

He sat down on a fallen log near the fire and watched the three people entranced in the healing. Sira was always beautiful to him, he never looked at her without feeling the beauty and peace she brought to him. It was like looking at a sunset, or topping a ridge and looking into a beautiful green valley. Sometimes it was so beautiful it took your breath away and left you feeling humbled. You felt like crying and laughing at the same time. He had always found peace in the forest. And since that time in Yucaipia when the earth had led him to a new understanding of himself and the girl he loved, he had found a new love of his surroundings and of the child of the forest who had so completely stolen his heart. She was the forest, just as sure as the trees and the rocks were. He hadn't just fallen in love with a woman. He had fallen in love with the earth and the beauty and wonder the yosemin god offered.

Xena watched him watching the healer. She could feel his love for the tiny forest creature and it sent a shaft of pain through her heart. It was the same feeling of pain and pleasure she felt when she was in battle with a worthy opponent. The thrill of the adrenaline flow was intoxicating and addictive. She admitted she had fallen under its spell far too often. She remembered she had felt the same feeling at times with Marcus, mostly when they'd made love. Then she had felt it again with Hercules. She remembered the feel of the big man's arms around her as they touched and loved on that patch of damp ground. Yes, she understood the feeling that had shot through her just now. She wasn't sure how the love between the hunter and the healer could so completely fill the air, but she admitted it surely had.



When the healing was complete, Sira gathered some roots and set them to cook in the coals, then she sprinkled some herbs and salt on the cooking meat to season it. The food was well received by the hungry travelers.

"You," the warrior told the healer, "are a better cook than Gabrielle." She shot a quick look at her friend to see what effect her teasing was having on her friend. "Maybe you could tag along with me, then maybe I'd eat better."

"Hey," the strawberry blond objected. "Maybe if you would bring in a decent kill once in awhile like Iolaus does, I could cook better."

The warrior laughed and the bard mumbled something about broken frying pans.

Their meal was complete and the five of them sat around the fire. Hercules and Iolaus were having a lively debate about something. Xena was sharpening her sword. There was a satisfying feeling in the companionship among the five of them.

Sira jumped to her feet. "No," she moaned.

The demigod was closest to her, and in one long stride he had put his arms around her. "What is it, Sira?" She moved her head from side to side as if listening for a sound in the night. Her eyes were closed tightly.

"Sira?" The big man knew she was entranced now, in an attempt to feel more clearly the emotions that had triggered her abrupt jump to her feet. He sent his mind to touch hers, not to disturb her but to strengthen her mind. She pulled his power of the earth to her and led his mind to the thoughts she fought so hard to understand.

"Someone in Acubus is hurt. Someone I have touched with mind." Tears slipped from the corners of her eyes. Painstakingly she felt for the minds of those in Acubus she'd had contact with. Elias, Calla, Barnabus, Granny, Hector. They were all there. Jug, Giles. She stopped. The feelings here were muddled and unclear. She tried again. She felt grief and pain. She sent her mind to Elias and felt his response this time. She felt his grief and sent comfort. Now at least the people of Acubus knew that help was on the way. She grabbed for his thoughts as they began to fade but he was lost to her again. With a sob she opened her eyes. "It is Giles. I fear he is gone. I cannot reach his mind."

The demigod tightened his hold on her. The hunter put his hand on her back and she turned in the demigod's arms to face her lover. She leaned her face against his chest and reached back a hand to grasp the demigod's arm as it rested over her shoulder. She drew strength from the two men she loved. Slowly she built the barriers needed to bring her mind back from the trance she had sought to strengthen her mind.

"I'm sorry, my sister." The son of Zeus knew how deeply she was affected by death. Her sensitive mind and heart left her vulnerable to the pain of others as well as intensifying her own pain and grief.

He felt grief himself. He remembered the leather smith with friendship. The pack Giles had made him was one of his favorites. He felt his anger rise. The hatred of injustice that had made him the champion of the oppressed more times than he cared to count swept over him and left him feeling shaky. The urge to take hold of something and bend it to his will was strong in him. Frustration at his inability to immediately change the situation in Acubus tore at his insides and left him feeling empty. The empath sent her love to fill the emptiness and he took a deep breath to calm himself. She had sensed his mood. She always did. She wasn't surprised to find the same mood in herself.

"We'll get there as soon as we can," the hunter assured them both. His own sensitive mind had felt their frustration.

The healer nodded. "You are right, my love. It is just that it is not always easy to wait for the proper time and place. It leaves one feeling helpless."

"I know. I feel it also. But there's no longer any immediate danger in Acubus or you would know it. There's nothing we can do for Giles now."



The god of war stood leaning against the entrance to his temple. His stance was one of nonchalance, but his mind was anything but calm. He shoved himself from the wall, and turning he entered the temple. He stood looking around the room. He found it pleasant. He had it decorated with all manor of weapons and instruments of war. Helmets and armor stood poised as if worn by invisible warriors. On his left, on a small raised platform stood a massive throne. He had never used it but he liked it. It was uncomfortable to sit on but it seemed to fit perfectly with the rest of the room. It was made entirely of human skulls. He turned to his right and walked to the display of crossed swords on the wall. With a loving hand he took one from its mount. Turning it slightly he watched the light reflect from its shiny surface. He ran a finger over the edge then turned his hand over to watch the blood well to the surface. Two drops fell to the floor, then as quickly as the cut was inflicted it was gone. He moved the sword before him as if defending himself from a foe. The balance was perfect. "There is," he stated in a deep whisper, "a certain satisfaction in making something so magnificent." He had made the swords himself, not with his godly powers, but with his own hands. With one last caress he replaced the sword in its place of honor.

He walked to his throne and sprawled across it. Why does she have to be here now? he thought. That was not my plan. Still, perhaps I can find a way to make this work to my advantage. He pulled absentmindedly at his goatee. Perhaps I can even find a way to convince her to aid me in my little scheme. There must be something I can use to persuade her. I'll have to be careful. She's far too clever for her own good.

A gleam lit his eyes. Yes, maybe now is a good time after all.



The night was cold but the hunter and the healer made their bed back from the fire and a little apart from the others. Sira fell asleep almost at once. The golden hunter held her close, enjoying the feel of her in his arms. They had used mind speech to talk with Hercus while their dinner cooked. Hercules had joined them after a time and sent his mind to his nephew of the soul. The boy was excited to learn that they were now traveling with the warrior princess. Hercules had told the boy of the dark haired beauty's fighting skills. The boy sent his thoughts to them and let them know that Thysis planned to take him to a yosemin village he had found in the pilgrimage he'd taken shortly after finding the empath. Sira could feel her son's excitement at the prospect. His enthusiasm helped to ease her conscience at what felt like her abandonment of him. She had done the right thing in releasing him into his grandfather's hands.

The hunter fell asleep with the healer in his arms. She woke in the night and was comforted by the arms she felt around her. Her cheek rested on his biceps and she turned her head so that she could plant a kiss on the soft flesh of his upper arm. His skin was warm and smooth. She placed her hand on his chest where his vest had fallen aside. She could feel his heart beating strongly under her hand. She raised up carefully and placed a kiss on his chest. She felt him stir and kissed his chest again. She trailed kisses down his chest to his navel then back up. His hold on her tightened. She touched his mind, expecting to find it muddled with sleep, but he was fully awake. She could sense his desire, and rising she offered him a hand up. They said nothing, but words weren't needed. The healer grabbed a blanket, and with her hand in his she led him from the camp.

Xena, true to her warrior tendencies, heard them. She watched them walk away hand in hand. She stirred uncomfortably in her blankets. She thought about the demigod sleeping just on the other side of the fire from her. Being around him again had had its inevitable effect on her. Damn! she thought.

Hercules had also heard the lovers leave the camp. He had traveled with them enough to know why they'd slipped into the night. His mind drifted to the dark haired girl across the fire from him. Sometimes, he thought, it's all I can do to keep my hands off of her. He heard her stir in her bed and he moaned silently.

The child of the forest led her lover to a grassy area in a small clearing. There was no concealment here and the moon bathed the grassy clearing with a silver light. Sira spread the blanket on the ground and silently removed her clothing. She stood naked before the man she loved. His eyes took in her beauty and his heart began to beat faster.

She touched his mind with hers in a caress of love. Her thoughts inflamed him all the more. He sent his own thoughts to her. She stepped closer and removed his vest. He stood unmoving as she slid it over his shoulders and down his arms. She placed her hands on his chest. They tingled with energy and heat. She unfastened the leather laciness of his trousers and helped him remove them. Sira knelt down, her hands caressing him as she pulled him down on the blanket beside her.

A tiny breathless moan escaped her lips and she threw her head back, lost in pleasure. He rolled her over and took her mouth. She gave it eagerly. Their minds touched and blended. Their souls touched with each touch of their bodies.

She rode a wave, and when the wave crested tears of pleasure and release filled her eyes and she cried out loud. She fell with the crashing wave and kept on falling, and falling into an abyss of physical feeling. Her mind stilled, her conscious thoughts stilled and she melted into him as their souls touched even deeper. She clung to him with trembling hands, unable to turn loose her grip.

"Forever," he whispered with his mind and voice.

She cried even harder. "Even unto death." Her voice was shaky and filled with emotion.



Frost covered the ground when the lovers rose. Xena and Hercules had their first meal of the day ready before the lovers returned to camp.

"Where have you two been?" the bard scolded.

"Don't ask, Gabrielle," the warrior princess advised.

"Oh, I didn't� Oh." She blushed and stuttered. The hunter laughed at her, completely unperturbed by her embarrassment.

"Are you going to help this morning?" the warrior asked, sarcasm written on her face and heard in her voice.

The hunter took the empath in his arms. "No, I'm going to hold Sira while you get the camp packed."

Xena mumbled something about him doing little else since they had joined forces. He laughed at her and swatted her bottom as he passed her.

She looked startled for a moment then turned her back so no one would see the smile on her face. He has changed also, she thought. It seems this little slip of a girl has had quite and effect on both Iolaus and Hercules.



The frost was gone before they left their camp. The sky was clear and the sun soon warmed the earth and the travelers. Xena rode Argo with the bard. It was Sira's idea. She knew the warrior princess needed the chance to take a more active part in her friend's care. She had sensed the dark beauty's frustration. Xena felt she was doing nothing to aid the healing. She wasn't used to others being in charge of Gabrielle or having someone else call the shots. Now that Gabrielle was better, the yosemin saw no harm in letting Xena help.

Sira walked with her hand in the hunter's. She hadn't slept well and the comfort she felt from the close contact with the hunter was welcome. They stopped at midday near a small stream they could follow for a time in their descent into the coastal valley. Sira washed her feet in the icy water. The liquid earth felt good around her ankles. They ate cold venison and some of the roots the healer had gathered on their morning walk.

The storyteller walked for a time when they left their place of nooning. They left the mountains behind and entered an area of rolling hills covered in dry summer grass.

Sira stopped walking. Both hands flew to her temples, as if to hold her head in place as she was rocked by an unseen force.

Without a word she began to run ahead. The demigod shot a quick look at the hunter. "Not again." Both men ran after her, leaving the warrior princess and the bard looking bewildered.

The empath topped a ridge and stood staring into the valley just below her. With a cry she went to her knees.

"No!" She closed her eyes as dizziness and nausea swept over her. Her hand tingled where a hooded figure had kissed it in the castle at Yucaipia. "No! Why would you do this!?" Her mind shouted.

Her mind was filled with a rakish laugh. "I'm the god of war. This is what I do."

"No. Your heart was not in this. You let it happen but you found no pleasure in it. You could have stopped this."

"You're wrong. I got a great deal of pleasure from it."

His thoughts were gone as quickly as they had come. The girl rose and began to descend the slight embankment.

The demigod took her hand. "Don't go down there, my sister. Stay here with Iolaus. Xena and I will check for survivors."

The warrior princess and the bard had caught up with them. The bard took one quick look at the death below her and turned away. The dark haired girl shot a quick look at the demigod then pointed to the sky. The black feathered harbingers of death had found the food laid out for their feasting. Without a word she started down the embankment.

The demigod turned to the hunter. "Keep Sira here. She's already entranced. Going down there will only make it worse."

Iolaus put an arm around the girl he loved and pulled her away. The demigod turned back to the scene before him, then shuddered. There were about a dozen men down there. He held no hope of finding any of them alive. It was plain to see they'd been brutalized after they'd fallen. With a mental squaring of his shoulders he started forward. He felt sick at seeing the horrors and atrocities that one human could inflict on another. He looked up to watch the warrior princess as she walked among the dead. Feeling his eyes on her she looked up and shook her head at him.

Sira rested her forehead against the hunter's shoulder. "You know I must go down there."

"I know." He let his breath out in a sigh. "But I also know what it will do to you. I want to spare you from that."

"I am sorry for what it will do to you through our link of mind and soul. But I must know they are beyond my help or there can be no end to this for me."

"I understand. The earth has helped me deal with this before. It will again."

She raised her head to watch his face. "You, my mate of the soul, are truly of the earth." She turned and started back toward the field of death.

"Iolaus, you can't let her go down there."

He turned to the Amazon queen. "She has to, or this will haunt her forever." The girl beside him looked skeptical. "She's been called by the earth. You saw how she reacted back there. She felt the death. She can't just walk away."

"But they're dead. What can she do?"

"Nothing for them, but she can find a way to deal with this for herself by going down there."

Xena motioned to the son of Zeus and he turned to see what she pointed to. He went to the healer where she knelt beside a fallen man.

"Sira, you shouldn't be here."

"I must be. It is not that I want to be. But I must."

She stood then moved to the next man. Kneeling beside him she ran her hands over his body, not touching him but feeling for his life force. Two squawking birds fought over a long rope of intestine, purple and bloated from the sun. The healer watched them a moment then turned away. Rising she went to the next man. Seeing the birds had turned her stomach. It seemed such a desecration of the dead, and yet she knew it was the earth's way of cleansing itself. The scavengers were a necessary part of the earth's cycle. She wished they could bury the dead to allow them to return more quickly to the earth. Still, she reasoned with herself, these people might not feel the same way about such things as she did, and there remained the need to reach Acubus. And now that need was even more pressing for her. Her friends might end up in just this way.

She shuddered at the thought. The demigod followed her as she went from body to body. He said nothing, and his very silence lent her strength. He understood why she was here and accepted it just as the hunter had. She could feel his strength coming to her in wave after wave of strong emotion and took comfort from it.

She stopped beside a body and knelt once again. She didn't look at the face, but began to feel for life with her sensitive hands. She looked up to see the warrior princess walking toward them. She seemed out of place. She glowed with life and energy in a place where only death should be. Sira looked at the face of the body she knelt beside. At her quickly drawn breath the demigod stepped closer.

"He is only a boy," she whispered. The face looked youthful and innocent, pale with death, the lips red and puffy as if he had been crying. Pale blond curls blew in the slight afternoon breeze. His eyes, open to the sun were blue. "No." The whispered word was torn from the healer. "No!" she screamed. She went to her knees beside the boy who looked so much like her own son. "No, It cannot be."

The demigod tried to pull her to her feet but she fought him desperately. "I must help him." She hit at her brother of the soul with her fists. "My son!"

"Sira, what are you saying? Come away from there."

"No! Hercus!" The scream seemed to echo over and over in her ears.

"Sira! That's not Hercus. Look at him. He's far too old." She seemed not to hear him. "Sira!" He shook her gently. "Sira, it's not Hercus." The healer seemed to fold in on herself and collapse against the demigod. She looked down at the boy who lay at her feet. He really looked nothing like her son. The hair was the same color, the eyes close to the same blue as the eyes of the son of nature she held so close to her heart, but he was much older. Why then, had the lifeless form that stared through unseeing eyes at the black shadows flying overhead reminded her of her son?

Her head was filled with a deep, evil laugh.

"I have done nothing to you. Why would you wish to harm me? I would be your friend if you would let me." Her mind touched the mind of the god of war. She felt anger from him as he felt the meaning of her thoughts. "Are you so filled with anger that you must lash out at those who see the real you?"

"You know nothing about me. Not yet, anyway. But you will. Oh yes, you will."

"Is that a challenge? But why challenge me? I sense that you would like to count me as your friend."

"I have no friends, and that's the way I like it."
"Then why is there pain in your heart at what you just confessed?"

She gasped as pain shot through her head. She instinctively threw up a barrier on her mind and sent a blast of mind to repel his bombardment on her senses. Almost instantly he withdrew. She stood trembling in the demigod's arms.

The hunter and the warrior princess came up to them and the hunter took her hand. "Come away now, Sira. There's nothing you can do for these men."

The healer looked about, her eyes glazed with the trance she had been in since the moment the earth had led her here. The demigod picked her up and carried her over the ridge and out of sight of the blood and gore they had just encountered. "Let's get the Tartarus out of here and find a place to camp. We need to bring Sira out of this trance."

They walked to the south around the field of death then headed back in the direction of Acubus. The half man, half god still carried the entranced girl in his arms. He sent his mind to hers, calling her name and imploring her to build the barriers needed to bring her mind back to the present. Slowly she relaxed. She turned her face to bury it against the demigod's leather shirt, and closing her eyes she let her mind drift. She felt drained and empty. The hunter held her hand and sent his own thoughts to the woman he loved. He had known this would affect her deeply. Her sensitive mind and soul left her open to pain. Her healer's heart couldn't help taking death of any kind personally.

The warrior princess moved away from them to search for a place to camp. She was in a black mood. There was a time that death hadn't seemed to make an impression on her, a time when her heart refused to acknowledge it as significant. But that was no longer the case. If she were honest with herself, she would admit it never really had been. She was also affected by the healer's reaction to the carnage they had just left behind. She had felt something from the girl's mind that tore at her heart. Then too, she knew how hard the son of Zeus took such things.

The dark beauty returned to the others, leading a man before her. His face and shirt were covered with blood from a cut on his scalp.

"Look what I found cowering in the brush."

"I wasn't cowering. I was hurt, that's all."

"It's not much of a hurt," the warrior princess stated in disgust.

"I was knocked out for a long time."

"What's your name?" the hunter asked.

"Artak."

"Who's bunch are you with?"

"The right group. Pothose."

"And the dead men back there?"

"Pothose's men. A bunch of Makarios' men ambushed us. There must've been twenty of them waiting behind the ridge. We never stood a chance."

"You the ones who attacked Acubus?"

"Say, why all the questions? What gives? Who in Tartarus are you, anyway?"

The hunter gave him a thoughtful look. "Your executioner if you don't give me some answers."

The empath was only vaguely aware of what was happening around her. Her mind had turned in on itself in a trance of pain and despair. The demigod still sent his thoughts to caress and soothe her in an attempt to bring her back from the pit of anguish she'd fallen into.

How could I have been so wrong about him? Her mind asked the question over and over. She was sure of what she had felt. Even now, when she had been so hurt by him, she had sensed his deeper feelings and emotions. Perhaps it was not so much that I was wrong about what I felt, as that I did not understand that he could be so cruel. Is it the cruelty that makes him the god of war, or the deeper emotions he tries so hard to deny? Is the cruelty just one more way of hiding the pain? Try as she might, she could find no answer. I must avoid him. He is far too dangerous. He could too easily harm my loved ones. I cannot cure everyone's pain and turmoil, and this is one I must walk away from.

"I asked you a question."

Something in the even controlled voice of the hunter sent a chill up Artak's spine. "Yeah, we went to Acubus. We gotta eat, ya know."

"So you figured to take the food from innocent farmers and tradesmen who need it more than you do."

"Well, that's their tough luck, aint it?"

The fist took him on the chin and the man sprawled back on the grass. The hunter walked away. He said nothing, but one look at his face was enough. He was seething with anger and frustration.

The man rose and began to follow them. He'd lost his bearings and wasn't sure how to get back to Pothose at the diamond mine. Then too, while he would never admit it, he was afraid of being left in the hills alone.

He came up to Xena. "Why'd he do that?" He rubbed at his jaw.

"Feel glad that's all he did. You're a lucky man. In fact, judging by the look on my friend's face I'd say you were very lucky indeed." She quickened her pace to avoid the man. His whiny voice gave her the creeps.

They walked on, the half man, half god carrying the healer, his mind still calling to her. Slowly her mind responded to the minds of the others and she left the entranced state behind. She even slept for a time, comforted by the love of the two men who touched her mind with theirs.

Gabrielle walked beside the warrior. "What are we going to do with him?" She poked a thumb at the man who still followed them.

The dark haired girl only shrugged.



Sira's thoughts kept returning to the god of war. She had sensed some of the demigod and his father in the god. Perhaps that is another reason he touched my heart, she thought. There is still so much I must learn when dealing with others' emotions and feelings. My training as a healer was far too short. When my mind is clearer I must communicate with Thysis. He will help me deal with this without the prejudice I sense in the others. She felt much better now. She had made a decision, and it brought a sense of finality to her troubled mind.



The god of war paced his temple. He was angry, very angry. Damn her! His mind shouted. If she is so sensitive to other's feelings, then why doesn't she see the real reason I sent that image of her son's death? It could so easily have been him lying there. She's a fool. I thought she was smart and clever. All she does is spout drivel about love and friendship and goodness. It's sickening.

He kicked the raised platform in the middle of the room that held his throne, but it did little to relieve his anger. That blast she threw at me. He shook his head. It was far too powerful. He was shocked by the pain she had inflicted on his senses. She's far too willing to use her power to defend herself. I'll have to be more careful. How is it possible for a mortal to possess such power? Damn! Why must she interfere with me now?

He stopped pacing and took a moment to remember the way the warrior princess looked walking among the dead. She belongs on a battlefield surrounded by those she has slain. A smile split his full lips. She is never more beautiful than when her hands are smeared with blood. A tingle of delight ran up his spine. She's always had the power to stir me like no other woman. Every inch of her body is a fighting machine. By the gods, she stirs my blood. She was mine once, and she will be again. Then� Then I will see about this nature child. There was a time I thought about leaving her alone, but no. No, now I'll have to do something about her. She would make a most powerful ally. Xena and Sira. He threw back his head and laughed. His anger was gone. Sira and Xena. Now there's an unbeatable team I'd like to see in action. He laughed again. Holding out his hand, a goblet of fine red wine appeared. He took a thoughtful sip. Sometimes the pleasures of the mortal world are sweet indeed.



They found a place to stop for the night. It was a grassy hollow concealed by brush and rocks. A hot spring of brackish water bubbled to the surface of a deep cleft among the rocks. The healer had felt the presence of water with her sensitive mind and led the demigod to their night camp with a gentle touch on his mind.

Their uninvited guest slumped to the ground with a rock at his back for support. His head pounded with the beat of his heart and he held it in his hands in an attempt to ease the pain. The golden hunter started the fire, and filling the cooking pot with water he put the last of the venison on to boil. Xena and Gabrielle gathered more wood as the hunter gathered roots to add to his stew. They were becoming hard to find this late in the year, and the ones he did find were tough and pithy. He added them to the boiling meat anyway, knowing they would become tender as they cooked. He added salt and some herbs from the healer's bag to add flavor. He made a dough of wheat flour, animal fat and salt. He flattened small balls of the dough to make a thin bread he cooked in a frying pan.

The demigod stayed with the healer. He continued to soothe and comfort her, sending healing to the more than sister of his soul. He hadn't wanted her to leave the ridge and walk among the dead. He knew how hard it would be for her to deal with. When he'd first looked up at the warrior's signal and seen the empath kneeling beside a dead man, he'd been angry with Iolaus for letting her do this. Then when he touched her mind he realized this was something she must do or there could be no end to the pain for her. The hunter had seen this before the demigod, and loving the child of the earth as he did he'd put his own feelings aside.

The son of Zeus could feel a restraint in his sister. She was holding something back from him. He pushed her to be honest with him and received a very strong "Stay Out." for his troubles. He knew first hand how stubborn his sister could be so he reluctantly left her hidden thoughts unchallenged.

"I'm here for you, my sister," his mind spoke to her. "Come to me if it will help."

She sent her love to this special man-god she called brother. She willingly took his love in return but her hidden anxiety remained locked away.

The night was cold as a strong breeze whipped the tree tops and sang in the rocks. It fluttered the dry grass that rippled like waves on the sea and passed over the fallen men where they lay. It ruffled their hair and clothing and gave them the appearance of moving. The black scavengers of death hovered about them, too engorged by their feast to fly. Their movement only added to the illusion of the dead struggling to rise once more. Perhaps their spirits wished to use their torn and ripped bodies to haunt the earth they had so recently abandoned. The call of the birds seemed to give voice to the spectral forms. Larger animals did their share to keep the dead from rising, as if afraid of what the ghostly beings might herald for them should they succeed in arising to beset the world with their stench of rotting flesh.

Soon nature would dispose of the melting flesh and only their bones would remain to remind those who might pass that someone's life had ended here. The healer felt remorse that she hadn't stayed to bury the dead. It would return them to the earth much sooner. Still, she knew they would return to the soil and their return would provide nutrition to first the animals and insects then to the soil itself.

The hunter shot a look at Pothose's man. His presence was annoying. The hunter admitted however, that the man was injured, and it wouldn't have been right to leave him wandering the hills.

"What are Pothose's plans?"

"To get bloody rich."

"And he doesn't care how many men he kills in doing it?"

"They attacked us." The man's voice was incredulous.

"I was thinking of the miners you killed to get the mine in the first place, and the villagers you've killed."

"If the villagers had cooperated, they wouldn't have died."

"So you think they should just sit by and let you steal their food while their children starve?"

The warrior could feel the hunter's anger rising and reached out a hand to restrain him. He looked at her a moment, then taking a deep breath to calm himself he rose and went to the healer.

The demigod knelt by the fire to fill his mug with tea. "I think we should set a guard tonight. There's no way of knowing how many fools are wandering the hills. I'll take the first watch."

The hunter took the healer in his arms and she melted against him. "Are you all right, Sira?"

"I will be. I would like a bath to wash the blood off."

"Come on." He rose and pulled her to her feet. He grabbed her pack in one hand and her hand with the other and led her to the spring.

The demigod shot a look at Artak. "Get some sleep. You can use my cloak as a blanket. I'd say over there is a good place." He pointed at a place that put some rocks between their guest and the bathing healer.

The man met his eyes for a moment. The meaning was clear. Artak took the hint, and picking up the cloak he lay down. Turning his back to the camp and the spring he rolled himself up in the cloak. So, he thought, the mighty Hercules. Why would he be out here in the middle of nowhere? You damn fool, he scolded himself. He's here to put a stop to your little war. Well, even with Xena's help he won't be able to stop both Pothose and Makarios. As long as Pothose can hold the mine we'll be all right. He smiled to himself. But then if he doesn't, Makarios will want men. He didn't give a damn which side he fought for, so long as he got some diamonds out of the deal. But then that was the rub. He hadn't forgotten the men that lay dead in that ravine. What good are diamonds if you're dead? Maybe I should volunteer to work in the mine. I could lift a few diamonds then get the Tartarus out of here. Then again, maybe I wouldn't need to return to the mine at all. It seems to me I heard that Hercules is rich. I wonder. He had thought that the girl with the green eyes was Hercules' woman. Then it seemed she belonged to the blond man. There's something kind of odd about this set up, he decided.

He settled himself more comfortably and closed his eyes. He was tired and his head still ached. Tomorrow I'm getting out of here. With that he let his mind drift and sleep claimed him.

Sira turned restlessly in her sleep. She had spoken with mind to her father of the soul and found an acceptance of the god of war's anger and hatred. She wasn't happy with her inability to change the god she had so briefly felt stir her healer's heart, but she agreed he was not someone to trifle with.

Her mind was comforted by her son. His mind on hers gave her strength. She had wanted many children. However, it wasn't given to the people of the earth to be fruitful. Whether it was as the bard's tale foretold and the price the children of the earth must pay for the earth god's power was infertility, she wasn't sure. But whatever the reason, she had not conceived again. Her son had matured so quickly. He had never really been a baby, or so it seemed to his mother. She knew from the elders of her village the same had been true of her. She had gone into apprenticeship so early, even before she could walk well.

Her mother had once told her that she hadn't really given birth to a baby, but to an old soul not needful of her nurturing. The empath hadn't understood the pain she'd felt in her mother's words, at least not then. Now, however, she understood all too well.

The forest child whimpered in her sleep. She saw before her the face of her son. It was pale and waxy, his blue eyes glazed. In her dream she ran a knuckle over his cheek and it was cold. She placed her ear on his chest but found no heartbeat. She felt the dread sweep over her. She searched for his life force but it wasn't there. He was too young to go to the earth. Somehow he reminded her of her grandfather. She remembered all too well how his surrender to the earth had touched her. She had given him to the earth while still a child, and his death had forged a depth of grief she hadn't yet experienced. As an apprentice healer she had seen death. She had known grief before. Still, nothing like her grandfather's death had yet touched her. It was at his death that she truly became a healer. Her outer shell of innocence and indifference had been stripped away to leave her heart and soul exposed. Try as she might, she had never been able to enclose it again. There had been times when she wished she were not a healer, times when she wished she could leave her empathy behind. But the earth had refused to take back the gifts it had given.

She felt the grief at the scene her subconscious mind played out before her. As on that time when her village had died and she had been unable to save her people, she wished she could flee. The urge to run away and leave this behind was almost uncontrollable. "My son is dead!" her mind shouted. "How can this be true? Why must I lose those who are dear to me?" Then laid out before her on a grassy bed were the hunter, her more than brother, her son, and her father of the soul. With a moan of pain she lay down beside them, and closing her eyes she let her life's force slip away. Better to return to the earth with them than to live without them.

She screamed then screamed again. The hunter pulled her into his arms and touched his mind to hers. But you are dead, she thought. She felt the demigod's mind as a caress on hers.

His words came to her. "It's only a dream, my sister. Only a dream."

"A dream?" She shivered. A dream? Or a premonition? she thought. I must not let it become a reality. This is a warning. I must be careful and watch. I must fight. My mind is my greatest defense, but it is also my Achilles heel.

Xena left the demigod and the hunter to comfort the empath and moved a little way out of camp. She listened into the night, straining her ears for sound not consistent with the night. She found none and relaxed a little. The empath's screams had unnerved her and she worried that the sound might be heard by those she hoped to stop before they killed anymore innocent people. She moved silently around the camp but found nothing to alarm her. She found a place to sit where she could keep an eye on the camp and most of the surrounding area. With a sigh she eased tight muscles. She shivered with the cold. Damn, she thought. I should have brought my cloak with me. Do I want to go get it? She settled herself more comfortably. In a little bit, she decided.

The night slipped by quietly. The breeze of earlier had stopped as quickly as it started and the night was quiet and cold. The demigod started to rise from his place beside the healer. The hunter had laid back down and pulled her into his arms. The son of Zeus sat beside her, his mind on hers, his hand on her arm.

The girl reached out for him. "Stay with me."

He could feel her fear. "Why won't you tell me what is troubling you?"

"It is something I must deal with alone. At least for now. But I take comfort from your closeness. Will you stay?"

He lay down beside her and she wound her fingers around his hand. His mind had touched her almost continuously since the moment she had felt the death that lay in the ravine. It had given her strength and made the pain of death less acute.

"Thank you, my more than brother."

"Sleep, my sister. You heal in sleep."



The god of war jerked awake. He seldom slept. It wasn't necessary for a god to sleep except occasionally. They must at times, however, renew their energy. He had lain down on a thick fur rug. There were several soft cushions to help him feel comfortable. He hadn't meant to sleep, only to rest.

He shivered. What had awakened him? He shook his head. Where is this feeling of despair coming from? It isn't mine. He jumped to his feet. The pain of emotions he felt was most uncomfortable. Sira. It was coming from the little blond healer. But I've done nothing to harm her this time. A very unfamiliar feeling gripped him. He began to tremble with its intensity. "What in Tartarus is this?!" his mind shouted.

Compassion and love. The words seemed to fill the air and go scooting about his temple. Compassion, compassion, compassion.

"I have no compassion for anyone or anything!" he shouted. "I'm Ares, god of war! I'm hate and anger, blood, gore, death! Why would I care if she were hurt!?" He took a breath to calm himself. "I wouldn't," and yet his mind said otherwise.

He returned to the rug he had left so abruptly. "I wouldn't," he assured himself. But somehow he didn't believe what he had just said. She must come to me, or she must die. There is no other alternative. She's far too good at playing with others' emotions. But I have no emotions. Why can't I think?

He calmed himself, willing himself to relax. Then he sat abruptly forward. How did I feel her emotions in the first place? As a god he could, when he tried, feel at least some emotions. Mostly he felt others' anger and despair. He'd felt Sira's power in the past more than her emotions, although, he admitted he'd felt her fear in the underground chambers where he'd first appeared to her. What he'd felt just now was raw unchecked emotions. And what had he felt? Fear, grief, despair. But the emotion that he felt the strongest was love. He shuddered. I know nothing of this kind of emotion, he admitted to himself. At least not the kind of love I just felt from her.

He lay back against a velvet cushion. I wonder what it would be like to love someone like her? Somehow he knew the kind of love she would bring to a relationship would be anything but casual. She would never settle for something half way. He pulled absentmindedly at his earring. Maybe that's part of her attraction. She reminds me of Xena. If I could enlist her power to aid me in my endeavors she would be a most powerful ally. He let his mind dwell for a moment on the possibilities, and a cunning smile touched his lips.

He let his breath out with a sigh. "Somehow, I don't think persuading her to accept my offer will be easy. But then I like a challenge." He laughed and the sound echoed about the room.



Artak was awake when Xena returned to camp. The stars had faded but darkness still claimed the earth. She stirred up the fire and put water on to heat for tea. The warmth of the fire sent a chill of pleasure running up her spine. She had never gone for her cloak and the night had seemed an eternity, a very cold eternity.

Pothose's man sat up and watched the warrior for a moment. "You're that warrior, Xena, aren't you?"

"That's right."

"You looking to join up with one of our groups?"

"No. I'm here to stop a blood bath."

"You figure you could stop an army single handed?"

"I figure I can stop the rag tag bunch of misfits Pothose and Makarios attract."

"Pothose aint got no misfits." There was anger in the man's voice.

"I'd say judging by you, he has a bunch of whining cowards to enforce his tyranny. And I'll do whatever is needed to stop you barbaric bastards from harming innocent people. In fact, you can give your leader a message for me. I'm coming out to that mine to see him. If he refuses to listen to reason, he'll be the first to die."

She deliberately turned her back on him. The demigod had heard her conversation with the man. He smiled to himself and rose to stretch. He smiled at the dark beauty when she looked his way. She gave him a disgusted look and shook her head. His smile broadened.

He gathered his things and made his way to the spring. He could see his breath in the cold air and wasn't looking forward to bathing. He was just finishing when Artak sought him out.

"Why are you hanging around here, Artak? Don't you have some place to go?"

"Maybe. But I've been sick."

"So? Let Pothose wet nurse you."

The man scratched his chin in thought. "I've heard the mighty Hercules has lots of money. That true?"

The big man snorted. "Sorry." He started to walk past the man. He didn't like him anymore than the hunter or the warrior princess.

"That little bitty female. Does she belong to that other guy?"

The son of Zeus turned to pin the man with a narrow-eyed look. "Why?"

"Just wondering." He scratched at his chin again. "Nice set up you got there."

"How so?" The demigod's voice should have filled the fool with fear. But he smelled money and nothing else. He felt an excitement fill him. I'm going to blackmail the mighty Hercules out of some money. Wait 'til I tell that at the tavern.

"Yep, a mighty nice set up," he smiled. "You two sharing her and all."

The fist came out of nowhere and splattered the grin all over his face. The demigod felt the bones give under his powerful swing. The man folded up like a fan and sprawled on the grass near the spring. The big man stepped over him and returned to camp.

The warrior princess looked up at his return. "Where's our friend?"

"He ran into something out there."

The dark haired girl raised one eyebrow in a quizzical look but she said nothing and the demigod offered no further explanation. The warrior princess went to the spring to check on the annoying tag along, but other than some blood on the grass she found nothing. She wondered idly for a moment if the demigod had disposed of him in the spring. She shook her head. She knew the big man better than that. She found where Artak had stumbled away in a northerly direction. She shrugged. Good riddance, if you ask me.



Continued