As The Scrolls Unroll -- One

[Joxcenia]

<Unrolls scroll>

[Phalon]

"Oh, no, no, no", Phalon muttered, opening her eyes. "Not this time. Not again."

She shook her head in a vain attempt to clear it, the fog in her mind clouding her thoughts. She closed her eyes tight, wishing away what she'd seen moments before. Slowly, she opened one eye, and then the other.

"Damn. Damn, damn, damn", she sighed, looking from side to side, and not recognizing one single thing of her surroundings. "It's happened again", she thought, wondering where she'd been dumped this time.

Phalon was born in Greece. Had she died in Greece? She thought so, but wasn't quite sure. She hadn't been sure of much of anything for quite some time. She'd drowned. That she remembered. She'd felt dead, even as she walked and talked, and fought alongside her fellow companions, kept prisoner in some hellish house rising up from the shore of a sea that was not her own. Not the sea in Greece – the one she’d died in - but another sea in some foreign land in a foreign time. And all the time she was there, the one purpose she had – the only thing that kept her going in that hell-hole – was to find her way back to Greece; a way back to Zena, and Evergreen, to Frieda, and to her mother.

In her time, she was called a seeress, but the ability did little to help her or her friends in that house, and did nothing to help her now. Friends. She smiled. Yes, those people in that house from which she so desperately longed to leave, were her friends too. She’d even grown to love some of them. There was Joxie; poor cowardly Joxie, who had more courage deep inside her than she’d realized; she just needed to tap her inner strength and use it. Scrappy, dear, wonderful….hardheaded, unreasonable, quick-to-fly-off-the-handle Scrappy. There was a strong kinship between Phalon and the stubborn woman; one that needed to be explored, but one that Scrappy’s brain would not allow. It was as if her mind was filled with straw – and finding a way in was like finding a needle in a haystack.

Then there was Guru. Ah, Guru - the man made of tin without a heart. He’d lost it when he’d lost his wife. Phalon felt a pang deep within her own heart, but shut it out as completely as she’d felt shut out with him.

There was a good witch, Dixie, and an evil, evil being whose sole purpose seemed to be stealing their souls. And Jason. A sorcerer? A soul-hunter? She wasn’t sure; she didn’t know him as long as she’d known the others. He was a powerful warrior for sure. He’d be the one to save them all, Phalon thought. If she’d stuck around to find out. If she wasn’t killed in the process. Or maybe she had been killed? Died once more and that’s how she had ended up here….wherever here was.

And she wasn’t sticking around here long enough to find out exactly where here was either. "Not this time. Not again", she repeated.

She shut her eyes once more on the unfamiliar scene in front of her. Tapping her boot heels together, she whispered, “There’s no place like home. There’s no place like home, there’s no place like home….”

[EllieNeo]

...that was it. that time, ellie was sure she heard something. and it wasn't the deer she'd been hunting. it was a voice. from behind that tree. "there's no place like home..." it said. she didn't recognize the voice. she leaned her back against the tree and slowly peaked around it, her hand gripping the bow strapped to her back.
there stood a short woman in a blue robe, tapping her boots together. ellie raised an eyebrow and watched as this woman continued to tap her heels together and say "there's no place like home..." over and over again.
some sort of ritual, perhaps? ellie was unsure. she released her bow and continued to watch. when the woman did nothing else, ellie stepped out from behind the tree....

[Phalon]

Phalon knew she was being watched. Even with her eyes closed and chanting, she sensed a presence behind the tree. If she was cognizant of what was going on outside her head, she wasn’t concentrating hard enough on the chant she just knew would get her home.

She closed her eyes tighter, willing herself to think of nothing but her desire to be home. “There’s no place like home, there’s no place like home, there’s no place like home….”

It was kind of ironic really. How many times had she wished she was anywhere but in the damnable house? And here she was, not in that damnable house any more. ‘Be careful what you wish for, eh, Phalon’, she thought to herself.

Concentrate, damnit. “There’s no place like home, there’s no place like home….”

Perhaps it was the demon beast who’d granted her wish. His idea of a sick joke, and he sent her away just as they were on the brink of destroying him. HA! The only thing they were on the brink of in that house was hell. One misstep and they’d lose whatever shred of hope they had, and plummet over the edge into the fiery inferno for eternity.

“There’s no place like home…”

If it was the beast that granted her wish, did that mean she’d bartered her soul? She remembered his offer; it was a simple one. She helped him, he’d send her home. At the time, she’d refused vehemently. Had he finally taken over her mind, and she’d in turn done the unthinkable?

It came faster now, and with greater urgency, “Theresnoplacelikehometheresnoplacelikehome…”

But no…this new place, wherever it was, was not her Tartarus, or anyone else’s hell for that matter. Her senses were keen enough to know whoever was watching her was not malevolent, but just curious.

“There’s no place like….”

Phalon’s sigh was heavy with resignation. This wasn’t working; she supposed she never really thought it would. She opened her eyes, and looked up at the tall woman staring at her.

“Ok, so tell me….where’d I end up this time?”

[EllieNeo]

ellie could feel the woman's disappointment. and a hint of confusion. apparently, this ritual wasn't helping her. she sighed with resignation and turned and looked at ellie.

"ok, so tell me... where'd i end up this time?"

ellie blinked. the question reminded her of what she had asked when she'd ended up here ten years ago. at least this woman wasn't tackling and stabbing her. and she seemed a lot older than fourteen. and her clothes actually seemed to fit the time period. no, this woman hadn't been brought here by the same magic which had brought ellie. but how had she gotten here? ellie saw no boat in the river behind the woman. she saw no horse. had she fallen in the river and drifted here? how long had she been on the riverbank?

ellie noticed there were vials containing what looked like potions and an herb pouch strapped to the woman's waist. is this woman a doctor, perhaps? the sword strapped to her back looked very old.... and very well-used. ellie had never heard of a warrior doctor before. at least, not since she'd been here. maybe lauri was wrong. she shook the thought from her head. no, lauri has never been wrong. sensing that all the woman really wanted was to know where she was, ellie decided she was no threat.

ellie motioned for the woman to follow her, then started walking, not looking back.

[Joxcenia]

Trenna poured water on her campfire and thinned out the ashes with a limb. Once she was satisfied the coals were cool and would not reignite, she climbed up onto her horse and rode off toward the sunrise. The trail gave no hint as to whether or not she had been this way before.

This was her morning routine, and she seldom detoured from it. The sun called to her and she rode toward it until it was overhead, then she kept it at her back, going in the direction where the sun would rise up the next morning. Would she really meet up with Apollo if she continued this way? And if she did, would he give her a lift in his chariot so that she could search for wherever it was she had once called home?

[Scrappy Amazon]

She was dreaming again.....

She clung to her motorcycle with the ferocity of a wild beast. Speeding through the mist, the intense and familiar rumble of her bike’s engine filled her ears and vibrated her bones. The mist, cold and wet against her cheek, smelled dark and damp like a wild forest that hadn’t been touched by human hand or soul in hundreds of years. Untamed, wild, scary, at the same time clean and loamy. She closed her eyes to feel it all on the little skin that was exposed and opened her mouth slightly to taste the wild air. It tasted like raspberries.

She could feel rather than see the presence of the trees and the ferns around her as the dream motorcycle sped past, cutting the mist like butter. Hurtling her towards her fate. She had never had such a sensory dream before. It frightened and exhilarated all at once. Though she would never admit to the fear. She tingled all over like lightening on her skin.

She tried to consciously pull herself out of the dream and back to the house. That damnable house. That bleak, black, house where all her friends were waiting for her. That annoying old woman Phalon would want to chastise her some more, and her love, Dixie wouldn’t wait long. They needed her to wake up now. She had a job to do. She needed to finish what she started. They needed her help. And she needed them.

She squeezed her eyes shut in the dream. Ignoring the danger of not watching the road her dream motorcycle was on. Road hell, more like dirt path. Barely big enough for her twin engine Harley. She squeezed her eyes shut and pictured the house, the dining room where she was sure she had fallen asleep, boots propped on the table. She squeezed her eyes shut. But it wasn’t working.

The forest and the mist were pulling her in. The forest always had a pull on her soul. Dark and primordial, safety was in the trees and she belonged there. She always had. She always knew she was a tree dweller at heart.

She opened her eyes again and stopped resisting it. She breathed it all in again. She leaned into the bike and felt its full power rage beneath her. She reveled in the call of the forest.

Suddenly in the path before her a figure appeared. It became apparent fast that the figure was unaware of the danger hurdling in her direction. Her reflexes were still good because she applied the break and veered away from the figure with demon speed. But the bike had other ideas. It tipped and began to skid. Her black leather chewing up the dirt as the bike laid all its weight on her right side. She kicked it away as hard as she could and the pile of hot, fast moving metal, slipped away at an odd angle still crashing through the under growth. The bike finally came to rest next to a large boulder covered in moss. The woman however, came to rest against a rotten log. Tangled amongst the old roots like rag doll.

She became aware suddenly, that she hurt. And not just the general hurt from having laid her bike down. That was a familiar hurt. Sore and bruised and scratched. This was a deep internal pain. It was hard to breathe and she couldn’t feel one of her feet.

She heard a voice behind her. The figure was chanting. “There’s no place like home. There’s no place like home.” Still oblivious to the crashed motorcycle. Over and over again the figure chanted. Suddenly the woman knew without a doubt who the chanting voice belonged to. She attempted to stand up and instantly regretted the action. Reaching down to her right side she noticed her shirt was torn and a rather large stick was protruding out of her abdomen.

“Great.” She growled to herself. There wasn’t any choice now she had to call for help.

“Phalon! Phalon you old Hag! Stop all that chanting and get your butt over here and help me!”

The wounded woman craned her neck to try and look over her shoulder. She couldn’t see much. But out of the corner of her eye she watched as another, taller woman, walked out of the forest, and gestured for Phalon to follow.

“Shit.” She said under her breath. “Phalon! Damn it don’t leave me here!” Could she even be heard? Were they all in the same plane of existence? Was she still dreaming?

This all felt real enough. The pain was a sure indicator of her reality in this place. She yelled once more hoping she’d be heard this time then let go and leaned back on the log.

[EllieNeo]

for a moment, ellie stopped. she sensed someone else nearby. someone in pain. the woman who she had found raised an eyebrow as ellie looked around. she looked behind the trees, and in the river. she looked for several minutes. she knew she felt someone else's presence. but... there was no one. what magic was this...?

magic. that's it. there was someone here, ellie could feel them. but she could not see them. and, judging by the look on the other woman's face, she couldn't see them, either. but... she knew someone who could. she jerked her head to motion the woman to follow her, then took off running.

knowing these woods as well as she did, ellie ran quickly without tripping over anything or running into any trees. she thought she heard the woman behind her call out for her to slow down, but she didn’t dare. she knew someone was hurt, and she planned on helping them. finally, the familiar sight of her village came into view. she had not been here in weeks, yet it hadn't changed. she skidded to a halt and looked over her shoulder. the woman was quite a ways behind her, but she had followed. good. that simplified things.

ellie caught her breath before approaching the hut she sought. she entered quickly, without knocking. as she expected, lauri was meditating in the middle of the room. ellie sat in front of her. without opening her eyes, lauri spoke.

“you have found someone.”

“yeah.”

“she is standing outside the hut.”

“i found someone other than her. someone i can’t see. you need to come quick, only you can help them. they’re hurt. badly, maybe. i dunno.”

lauri opened her purple eyes and looked at ellie.

“take me to them.”

“yeah, of course. com’on.”

ellie stood quickly and started to leave the hut, then stopped herself.

“lauri, what about her?” she motioned with her head toward the outside of the hut.

lauri stood.

“she may stay here, or she may come with us if she wishes. that is up to her, ellie.”

ellie nodded and turned to leave the hut. lauri reached out and grabbed ellie's shoulder, holding her there.

"ellie. you have been gone for several weeks. i was worried about you."

ellie shook off lauri's hand and shook her head.

"whatever. let's go. we don't have a lotta time."

ellie walked out of the hut, and lauri followed.

[Phalon]

It started with a low rumble, and rapidly progressed to a reverberating roar that seemed to shake the earth. By the gods, she was hungry! She’d made up her mind to follow the stranger; with no immediate plans, or any pressing engagements to attend, it’s not as if she had something better to do. And the woman might lead her to someplace where food was present. Even her stomach at its hungriest though, couldn’t produce a noise like that roar they’d just heard.

Whoooosh…. Dust kicked up, gathering with it swirling leaves in a whirlwind. The roar became deafening for a moment, and seemed to engulf Phalon. Then it all came to a sudden halt. The dark-haired woman which just moments before motioned Phalon to follow, was now intent on finding whatever it was that blazed past them. Phalon was only half-aware the woman now searched the underbrush and riverbank.

The disturbance the thing caused, whatever it was, still hung in the air, and it clung to Phalon as mist clings to the trees, forming a thin veil, cold and gray. Something was wrong, but the veil obscured what it was.

A sound filtered through the mist. "Phalon! Phalon you old Hag!” Faint and faraway, she strained, unable to hear it clearly. “Stop all that chanting and get your butt over here and help me!”

The woman, done with her searching, appeared in front of Phalon, and motioned for her to follow again. Before Phalon had time to protest, the woman was gone. She hurried after stranger before the forest had a chance to swallow the woman, and leave Phalon alone again.

“Phalon! Damn it, don’t leave me here!” The voice was clear now, not audible through the mist, but resounding in Phalon’s head. She stopped and turned, the folds of her long robe swirling about her feet.

Scrappy? “Scrappy, where are you?!” Scrappy here? How could that be? It was no more strange, though, than Phalon herself being here. No more strange than the two women having the same conversation in each of their minds. It might have been odd at first, stumbling attempts made at communicating by thoughts only, but with a little practice…and a lot of necessity, it came easier and smoother. They were bound by an ancient family curse that tied each woman to the same demon. They also shared the same ability nearly every generation of woman in their family shared for centuries: the gift of sight. The Sight may have manifested itself in slightly different ways in each of them, but Phalon and Scrappy both had the ability to speak to each other through thought. They fell into a familiar pattern.

“How the hell am I supposed to know. And right now, it really doesn’t matter. I’m hurt, damnit.”

“How hurt?”

“Just your average bruises and scrapes. I laid down my bike – that thing you call my metal horse, O Ancient One. Oh, and there’s this other thing….it seems I’m impaled on a stick. More like a branch, maybe, stuck in my gut.”

Phalon winced. There were plenty of potions and herbs contained in the glass vials and medicine pouch that hung from her belt that would ease the pain and aid the healing of bruises and scrapes. The stick though….there was nothing Phalon had in her bag of tricks to help with that.

“Ok, listen Scrappy….I’m going to follow this woman; she’s going to get some help, I can feel it.” Phalon felt no such thing; she had no idea where the woman was going, and could only hope it was to get help. Wherever she was going though, she was headed there with a purpose, and a person with a purpose always had a plan. And that was more than Phalon had at the moment.

“You stay put. And Scrappy, whatever you do, don’t pull out that stick.” She tried to keep the image of a geyser of blood spurting from the wound in Scrappy’s abdomen out of her mind.

What do you think I am, Phalon, an idiot? Besides, I’ve got no immediate plans, or any pressing engagements for the moment.

Phalon chuckled at the same words she said to herself earlier. If Scrappy only knew how much they were alike, it’d kill her. Or at least send her into a fit of rage. And Phalon knew the intensity of the younger woman’s rage; she felt it in the bruises left on her neck when Scrappy nearly strangled the life out of her in that house. And long after the bruises disappeared, there were those lingering wounds left behind that were still raw – for the both of them.

She proceeded cautiously, “No, of course, I don’t think you’re an idiot. But we both know you’re impatient….and I need to know you won’t go running off to some place where we can’t find you.” She laughed at the irony. As if they could find her now.

“Would you quit laughing for once? That cackle of yours might as well be nails on a chalkboard, and my head already feels like it’s splitting in two as it is.”

Phalon couldn’t help but smile. “I’m glad you’re here, Scrappy. No, really I am. I mean that. Odd as it might seem given their volatile history, she did meant it.

There was a long pause before Phalon heard Scrappy’s voice in her head again, “Yeah, whatever, Phalon. Just hurry back.”

The glint of sunlight on a katana far up ahead led the way, and Phalon ran to catch up.

[Scrappy Amazon]

Scrappy lay against the log cursing herself and her stupidity. She had a couple of choices here, neither of which were very good ones. She started to get up when she felt a familiar tingling behind her temples. A quiet and sure invasion of her mind. Something she was used to now but at first was terrifying and painful. It took some practice but she and the seeres had it down pat now. Almost to a fine science, if you could call having a conversation in your head without actual words a science.

Scrappy let her in.

“Scrappy, where are you?!”

She had missed that familiar voice. It was comforting and frustrating all at once. But she felt better knowing Phalon was here with her. Wherever here was.

“How the hell am I supposed to know. And right now, it really doesn’t matter. I’m hurt, damnit.”

“How hurt?”

“Just your average bruises and scrapes. I laid down my bike – that thing you call my metal horse, O Ancient One. Oh, and there’s this other thing….it seems I’m impaled on a stick. More like a branch, maybe, stuck in my gut.”

She could feel her friend mentally wince when she mentioned the stick. Scrappy guessed that was a bad sign. Though it didn’t take much to see for herself it was a bad sign. The stick wasn’t that big but it went all the way through. She could tell.

“Ok, listen Scrappy….I’m going to follow this woman; she’s going to get some help, I can feel it. You stay put. And Scrappy, whatever you do, don’t pull out that stick.”

Again she was stating the obvious. Scrappy knew better than to cause more damage by pulling the thing out by herself.

“What do you think I am, Phalon, an idiot? Besides, I’ve got no immediate plans, or any pressing engagements for the moment.”

“No, of course, I don’t think you’re an idiot. But we both know you’re impatient….and I need to know you won’t go running off to some place where we can’t find you.”

Scrappy wondered to herself if they could actually find her now. It still surprised her that the other woman had nearly fallen over her and hadn’t seen her laying right there. No time to panic she told herself. Phalon will fix it. She always did.

“Would you quit laughing for once? That cackle of yours might as well be nails on a chalkboard, and my head already feels like it’s splitting in two as it is.”

“I’m glad you’re here, Scrappy. No, really I am. I mean that.”

Scrappy paused before she answered. Now wasn’t the time to get all sappy. But Scrappy sure felt the same. She was glad this mist had brought her to where ever it was Phalon had landed. She just wished it had been a little bit gentler on her body.

“Yeah, whatever, Phalon. Just hurry back.”

Scrappy lay back again and listened as she heard Phalon run off through the woods. Hopefully toward help. Either way she didn’t have a choice but to wait.

[EllieNeo]

when lauri exited the hut, she stood face to face with a woman who appeared to be a doctor. the vials and medicine pouch reminded lauri of the ones her mentor used to carry. lauri nodded at the woman, who nodded back.

“i apologize, there is no time for formal introductions. ellie sensed someone is hurt, and we are going back to help them. ellie is an empath, and also possesses very powerful healing powers. but if we do not get there quickly, even she might not be able to help.”

the look on the woman’s face told lauri that whoever was hurt, she knew them. ellie appeared at lauri’s right side and pulled at the sleeve of her dark purple robe, then took off running. without hesitating, lauri followed. neither one of them looked back to see if the woman was following them.

ellie led lauri back through the woods, to the spot she had sensed the person in pain. lauri could feel the intersection of another plane of existence. like a twinge at the base of her skull, that then ran up and down her spine. she had felt it many times before, but that didn’t make it any less unsettling. she bent down and stretched her hands out. she chanted quietly. the woods were engulfed in a bright blue glow.

when the glow faded, ellie gasped. the woman laying there, nearly unconscious, was wearing jeans and a t-shirt! …she also had a large stick protruding from her right side. ‘shit,’ ellie thought. if she didn’t know any better, ellie would have thought the woman had been in a car wreck.

steeling herself against the empathic wave she knew she would feel, ellie carefully pulled the stick out and tossed it over her shoulder into the river. the woman cried out in pain. the pain she felt almost blinded ellie. blood poured onto ellie’s boots. the woman’s gloved left hand reached up and gripped the right strap of ellie’s black leather halter top. her bright golden-yellow eyes looked up at ellie in desperation. quickly, ellie laid her hands over the woman’s wound.

a green glow covered the woman’s side, and when ellie removed her hands, the wound had vanished. the only evidence it had even been there was the blood on ellie’s boots and the large hole in the woman’s t-shirt. she had apparently passed out from the pain, and her hand released ellie’s shirt and fell to the ground.

ellie sat back and sighed, rubbing her head. the thing she hated most about her empathic ability was that she always felt other peoples’ pain, whether she wanted to or not. lauri patted ellie’s knee, and ellie looked up and smiled at her. ellie gently picked up the body of the now unconscious woman, and she and lauri walked back through the woods to the village.



*note: blue dialog is greek

[EllieNeo]

ellie and lauri sat in the medical hut. across the room, the unconscious woman lay on a medical bunk, and the other woman sat in a chair next to her, holding a wet rag to her forehead. ellie could feel the woman’s worry. she turned and whispered to lauri.

“that one woman is wearing jeans.”

lauri nodded.

“is it possible that… she…”

lauri shook her head.

“i did not bring her here, ellie. i don’t know how she got here, but it wasn’t my magic that did it. we’ve had this discussion, ellie. stop hoping for someone else to come and fulfill the destiny that is yours. it’s not going to happen.”

ellie shook her head.

“i know. you’re right. still. she has to be from my time… or close to my time, at least. so how did she get here? how did either of them get here?”

“i don’t know. it may have something to do with the approaching war, but i don’t know for sure. perhaps they will be able to tell us. i will ask them when the one you healed wakes up.”

they sat in silence for a few moments, watching the women who sat across the room. the woman who was sitting in the chair removed the rag from the other woman’s forehead, rung it out, and put it back. she whispered to the woman. lauri and ellie had to strain to hear her words.

“come on, scrappy. wake up.”

lauri sighed and placed a hand on ellie’s shoulder.

“ellie, it may be necessary for you to talk to them.”

ellie shook her head hard, and shook lauri’s hand off her shoulder.

“NO. what good would it do?”

“it would make you seem like a normal person, for one thing. you have spoken to no one except me since ava died. she has been dead for three years, ellie. you must stop blaming yourself. there was nothing you could have done. when i told you of the coming war, you disappeared into the woods for several weeks. every other amazon has been preparing for the war except you. your sister amazons are worried about you. i’m worried about you. and queen eglise is afraid you are not ready to assume the throne.”

ellie stood and walked toward the door. she turned and looked at lauri.

“i never wanted the throne.”

without another word, ellie exited the hut. lauri shook her head.

“i know.”


across the room, the woman called scrappy stirred. lauri stood and walked over to her. she sat in a chair near her head. scrappy stretched, opened her eyes, and looked up at lauri. lauri was surprised to see she had golden-yellow eyes.

“what… happened? where’s my bike? where am i?”

lauri blinked.

“i don’t know what or where your ‘bike’ is. we were too concerned about getting you healed and safely back here to search the woods for any of your belongings. you are in greece, in the amazon village ruled by queen eglise. the queen does not normally welcome outsiders, but she trusts ellie enough that she has made an exception. you are welcome to stay here as long as you want. however, there is a war approaching. the remaining centaur tribes in this area have allied with a large group of invading roman soldiers. they want to wipe the amazons out. if you wish to leave, no one would blame you. however, it is a very long journey to athens; at least a week of hard riding. you may not make it out of the area before we are attacked. the queen will leave the decision up to you. i suggest you leave, if you wish to avoid pain and possibly death. know this; if you choose to leave, we cannot afford to provide you with an escort. we need every amazon warrior here to fight.”

scrappy nodded, then sat up on the edge of the bunk. the rag fell from her forehead and she caught it. she looked at the other woman. she smiled.

“heya, phalon.”

phalon smiled.

lauri addressed the two women.

“do either of you know how you got here? it’s obvious a very powerful magic brought you here, and i am the only sorceress in this area.” she nodded at scrappy. “other than ellie, you are the only person i have ever seen wearing jeans and a t-shirt. it’s obvious you’re from the future.” she nodded at phalon. “and you appear to be a sorceress or perhaps a doctor. if you were brought here by your own magic, i suggest you use it to get back to where you came from. this war will kill many amazons, centaurs, and romans. we cannot ask you to fight for a people you do not know. if you wish to stay, we will of course welcome your help. but the choice is yours.”



*notes: dialog in italics is whispered, blue dialog is greek.

[Phalon]

Home is where I want to be
Pick me up and turn me round
I feel numb - burn with a weak heart
So I guess I must be having fun
The less we say about it the better
Make it up as we go along

~ The Talking Heads

Amazons.....the queen...centaurs....roman soldiers....blah, blah, blah.

Phalon knew she should be listening to the sorceress' words; she heard the urgency in the woman's tone. She also knew Scrappy was going to be alright. The tall dark-haired woman had healed her and for that she'd be forever grateful. She felt an immense sense of relief at Scrappy's awakening.

She and Phalon shared a family history.....but they did not share the memories that make a family. Their memories together were made up of the time spent in that demonic house....how long had it been? Days, weeks, months....it seemed like a lifetime of misery and damnation. It was a bitter contrast to the memories spent with her own family. Those were warm memories; warm enough to even melt the icy, stark darkness of the house.

It was that warmth which overwhelmed her now, causing the sorceress's warnings, and even Scrappy's recovery to fade into the background - all brought on by four words said by the sorceress. For simple, little, and very precise words:

"You are in Greece....."

All else faded for Phalon.

Greece!

Home.

Home - is where I want to be
But I guess I'm already there

*Note - words in italics and post title taken from lyrics to "This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)" by the Talking Heads.

[EllieNeo]

lauri looked up as a dark-skinned amazon entered the hut. she carried a plate of food in her right hand. she had no left arm. she took the plate of food to lauri and handed it to her. lauri handed the plate to phalon. the one-armed woman looked around.

“where is she?”

“she’s not here, janis. why are you looking for her?”

“she abandoned us when you told her of the coming war. she has not been back for weeks. she is not worthy of her title, and i wish to challenge her for it.”

lauri scoffed.

“only a fool seeks their own destruction. do not forget who took your arm.”

janis almost growled as she turned to leave.

“no. i will never forget.”





*note: blue dialog is greek.

[moonglum]

…..........The two riders materialised out of thin air and crashed through the undergrowth. Jason reined hard toward what looked like a deer track and finally slowed his panicked horse. Letitia, doing the same, had to jump a machine lying in the bracken. It looked like a motorcycle, she thought as she flew past.

[Scrappy Amazon]

I kept my eyes tightly shut. Listening to Phalon try and call me back. Starting at my toes I mentally worked my way up taking stock and assessing damage control. My feet were good, the boots must have protected me. My legs were fine, except that ever present creak in the left knee. I felt no scrapes or bruises even though I had apparently not been wearing my chaps. I moved up my body a bit, no pain or throbbing from the spot where the stick was. In fact, it felt as if I had never been impaled at all.

“Well that’s a surprise.” I told myself internally.

In fact as I finished my assessment the only discomfort I could identify was the sleight pounding behind my eyes.

“Heck, if a headache was all I was going to get from that whole thing I can count it another successful landing!” I laughed to myself. “Phalon would not agree I think. Ok, time to open my eyes and find out what all the mumbling is about.”

I stretched a little then opened my eyes to find a red haired woman with violet eyes, staring back at me. She was wearing mystic robes like Phalon. I wondered if they were related.

“What… happened? Where’s my bike? Where am I?”

The red haired woman blinked a little as if she wasn’t prepared for me to actually say anything. I listened quietly as the woman attempted to explain our current situation.

“I don’t know what or where your ‘bike’ is. We were too concerned about getting you healed and safely back here to search the woods for any of your belongings. You are in Greece, in the Amazon village ruled by queen Eglise. The queen does not normally welcome outsiders, but she trusts Ellie enough that she has made an exception. You are welcome to stay here as long as you want. However, there is a war approaching. The remaining centaur tribes in this area have allied with a large group of invading roman soldiers. They want to wipe the amazons out. if you wish to leave, no one would blame you. However, it is a very long journey to Athens; at least a week of hard riding. You may not make it out of the area before we are attacked. The queen will leave the decision up to you. I suggest you leave, if you wish to avoid pain and possibly death. Know this; if you choose to leave, we cannot afford to provide you with an escort. We need every Amazon warrior here to fight.”

“Wow,” I thought to myself, “that’s a lot to take in all at once.” I nodded at her then sat up on the edge of the bed and looked over at Phalon who was grinning from ear to ear. I knew that hearing she was again in her homeland would make her happy.

“Heya, Phalon.”

The redhead addressed us both this time.

“Do either of you know how you got here? It’s obvious a very powerful magic brought you here, and I am the only sorceress in this area.” she nodded at me. “Other than Ellie, you are the only person I have ever seen wearing jeans and a t-shirt. It’s obvious you’re from the future.” she nodded at Phalon. “And you appear to be a sorceress or perhaps a doctor. If you were brought here by your own magic, I suggest you use it to get back to where you came from. This war will kill many amazons, centaurs, and Romans. We cannot ask you to fight for a people you do not know. If you wish to stay, we will of course welcome your help. But the choice is yours.”

I looked over at Phalon, “Did you catch all that? I know your English is still a bit choppy.”

Mentally she sent me a brief acknowledgement. “I understood most of it. And what I didn’t, I understood the meaning behind the words. I think we need to discuss this in private.”

I turned to the robed woman again, “I don’t have many answers for you. Neither of us knows how we got here. If we did we would surely let you know. Am I from the future? I suppose you could say that, though according to certain laws of physics this could just as easily be an alternate reality. But, I’ll save the Stephan Hawking lessons for another time. As far as your coming war and whether or not we’ll be staying; we need time to discuss that, in private.”

I looked up at the door as we were interrupted by a one armed woman bringing in what looked like a plate of food for us. The red head and the new comer exchanged a few terse and uncomfortable words in what I assumed was Greek, and then the one armed woman left. Reminding myself to ask Phalon if she’d followed the conversation I again turned to the woman sitting in the chair and addressed her.

“I’d need to find my bike. Uh....the large noisy metal thing that I came here on. So if you could just point us in the direction of where you found me we’ll go look for it and let you get back to doing what you do.”

The woman stood and led us out of the tent. “Take the south path out of the village and travel about 10 minutes in that direction until you see a large Sycamore tree. When you see the tree bear left just a little then travel about another 5 minutes. That should be the area where we found you. Your “bike” will probably there somewhere.”

“Thank you.” I nodded then turned to see Phalon unceremoniously stuffing whatever had been on the plate in her mouth. “I know we haven’t had a decent meal in god knows how long, but we have stuff to do. Let’s go get my bike so we can talk.”

I chuckled a little as she handed the now empty plate to the woman and followed me out of the village to the area we had popped into this place.

[moonglum]

Jason and Letitia were standing at the spot where their horses had 'landed'.

"I can't feel anything, can you?" She asked.

"No, it looks like the portal closed behind us." It was strange, he thought. She'd told him they both had the power to travel between the planes but, it seemed, neither had the slightest idea of how to initiate the process. The presence of the motorcycle would indicate a time period similar to the one they had recently left. Or would it? Who knows? He'd seen stranger things on his travels.
"It will be getting dark in a few hours, we may as well make camp here. You never know, the owner of the motorcycle may return for it." He said.

The horses had been found fully tacked and saddled. The saddle-bags yielded provisions and a small tent. They pitched the tent by the motorcycle and sat talking as evening approached

[Phalon]

Her thoughts wandered as the woman spoke….

Phalon let her mother lead her to the sparsely furnished room that the family used for bathing – a chair, a small wooden tub, a tiny alcove recessed in the stone wall crammed with cakes of soap, powders and vials of various sizes, a wooden rack used to hang clothing and a large basket of towels. She sank into the wooden chair against the stone wall and closed her eyes. Her mother laid the clothes she carried under her arm across the rack, knelt in front of Phalon and began unlacing her boots.

Phalon opened her eyes, “Mom, I can…”

“Phalon. When are you going to learn that I need to help you once in awhile? It’s what mothers do. It’s what I’ve been denied for too many years. And it is my right”, she added, smiling. “So just sit there and hush for a moment.”

“Sure, Mom”, she sighed. As Kaisa worked at her boots, Phalon glanced at the clothing on the rack next to her, seeing for the first time what her mother had intended for her to wear. A longish skirt, and a blouse – the skirt the color of oak leaves in autumn, and the blouse, wheat colored with an embroidered ring of ivy circling the scooped neck. She ran her finger tips across the exquisite work.

Kaisa noticed her admiring the embroidery. “Beautiful, isn’t it? Those were Cassandra’s clothes. She did the work herself. Spent hours and hours on it. Such a shame she’s grown out of them so quickly. I swear these children are growing faster than the weeds in my garden.”

“Mom, I can’t wear these.”

“Sure you can. Cassandra’s the closest to your size, though she’s only seventeen.”

“That’s not what I meant. These clothes are beautiful…it’s just that…”

“Hush, Phalon, remember? There!” she said, wrestling off the last boot. “Now get undressed, get in the tub and relax. Perhaps a nice soak will wash away whatever is troubling you. And don’t worry, while you’re bathing, I’ll wash your things and hang them next to the fire. They should be dry by the time…”, she stopped herself, not wanting to say the words, “by the time you leave”. Instead she finished, “by morning.”

Phalon did as she was told and undressed while Kaisa took a vial of scented oil from the alcove in the wall and added a few drops to the bath water. A soothing fragrance rose from the steam and filled the room. As Phalon stepped into the wooden tub, Kaisa gathered her clothing. “Call out if you need anything”, she said, closing the door behind her, leaving Phalon alone with her thoughts.

Phalon leaned back, resting her head against the back of the tub and stared at the ceiling, letting her mind wander.

“You are not Amazon.” Zena’s words suddenly came back, resounding in her head taunting her. “Do what you think is right for you. Go where you think you will be happy.”

Phalon slid down, completely submerging herself underwater. Happy? Where was she happy? She was happy here, amongst her family. And with her friends. In this house she was happy….. “We do not belong here”, Zena had said of the Amazons visiting the village of Phalon’s youth. Did Phalon herself belong here after all these years? Could the love from her family overpower feelings of hatred and exclusion from an entire village? She wondered.

She looked up through the water and she thought how the view from this perspective and her thoughts and visions were so much alike. Clear, yet at the same time distorted. And, quickly coming to the surface, how staying submerged in either for too long could leave her gasping for air.

“Heya, Phalon.” Scrappy’s words brought her from her thoughts and back into the present…and to a plate of food being passed. HA! How her mother, Kaisa, would scold her for gobbling her food in front of strangers in such a manner. Her! A grown woman being scolded for bad manners as if she were a small child! Phalon smiled, and giggled inwardly. How many times did she chide Scrappy for the exact same thing? Her inward chuckle manifested itself into full-fledged laughter as she followed Scrappy outside the hut.

“What are you laughing at now?” Scrappy asked in the exasperated tone she seemed have in an abundant reserve when talking to Phalon.

“Oh, nothing….. Hey, Scrappy, did you hear her?! We’re in Greece! After we find your bike, we need to make a little side-trip.

Oh, and Scrappy? While we’re there, do yourself a favor and keep your boots off the table.” She let out another peal of laughter.

“Phalon, you are so strange”, sighed Scrappy as she strode through the village, leaving Phalon rushing to catch up.


Note: Phalon's daydream sequence is an excerpt from The Zena Scrolls.

[Phalon]

As they walked through the village toward the path the woman told them to take in order to find Scrappy’s bike, Phalon stopped every Amazon they passed, asking the same question: Had they seen her Amazon friends? Did they know what became of Evergreen and Zena? Had Pruella or Xendra passed through this way?

The answer was the same each time – a disheartening “no”. There were rumors of a small band of women, some of them Amazon, who’d once traveled this area, perhaps not even that long ago. But there was nothing definite. Rumors became tales, and tales grew into legends. The Amazons might have heard the stories, but did not personally know the characters that lived them. She continued to ask anyway, sometimes interrupting conversations….conversations spoken in Scrappy’s language! Odd. Amazons don’t speak English….at least none of the Amazons she knew did! She remembered the woman’s dress – the one that called herself Ellie. Not only did she speak Scrappy’s language, but her dress was similar to Scrappy’s also.

By the gods! Could the Fates have played such a cruel trick on her? Would they have finally brought her back to Greece, and left her to find herself in a time other than her own? Oh, no, no, no….they wouldn’t have! Not even the cruelest of them, Atropos whose job it was to cut the thread of life, would allow such a thing!

She realized she was talking aloud to herself when Scrappy said, “Phalon, you’re going to have to speak English if you expect me to understand what you’re muttering.”

“Scrappy, have you given thought to why we’ve been brought here”, she said, slipping back into English. “Not the ‘hows’ of it – I’ve long since given up on trying to figure out how I ended up in the horrible house with you and the others. And I don’t really care how I came to be back here – back to the land I belong. But why? That I was brought here is understandable – this is my place. But you….you have no ties to Greece, other than bloodlines ancient to you. And you and I together? What could be the reason? There has to be a reason, yes? Things just don’t happen randomly – even the gods don’t have the right to alter what the Fates decide.”

“Hmmmm….. I don’t have an answer for you, Phalon. But I’m sure in their own sweet time, your “Fates” will let us know. But until then, first thing’s first. Nobody - not even your Fates - is getting in the way of me finding my bike.”

[EllieNeo]

ellie could see the horses, about a hundred yards away, from her vantage point high in the tree. the two people down there were talking, but she couldn’t make out the words. where had they come from? they didn’t look familiar. the man was taller than any human she’d ever met. the emotions she felt from the two were mostly curiosity, and a hint of confusion.

as she surveyed the area, she realized she could also see… a motorcycle? no way. she hadn’t seen a motorcycle in over ten years. where had it come from? the woman she had healed… did it belong to her? was that why she had looked like she’d been in a car wreck? the motorcycle didn’t look like it was in very good shape. maybe it had been crashed. it sat on its side, by a large bolder covered in moss. ellie shook her head. lauri had been right. she may have to talk to the woman she’d healed. no one else from her time had ever shown up here. and ellie’s head was full of questions.

she stayed quietly crouched in the tree. she watched as the two strangers set up a tent near the motorcycle and sat near it, talking. realizing it was starting to get dark, and close to dinner time, ellie took out her bow and looked up. a flock of geese flew overhead. ellie smiled. perfect timing. she leapt from the tree onto a thick branch of a neighboring tree, to get a better angle. she let an arrow fly and the goose she hit fell from the sky. putting her bow away, she whistled loudly, then climbed expertly to the ground.

as her boots touched the earth, a large black wolf came running up to her, seemingly out of nowhere, the goose she had just shot in his mouth. she smiled and took the bird from the wolf, patting his head.

“good boy, omri.”

she could still see the pitched tent through the trees, but the two people had not moved from where they sat. they didn’t seem dangerous, and they certainly didn’t look like romans, but ellie still didn’t want them to see her. she turned north, omri staying by her side. she then turned west, walking down to the river. certain she was out of sight of the strangers, ellie made a small fire and cooked the goose. she shared it with omri, who ate it hungrily. taking her weapons, jeans, and boots off, ellie dove into the river in her boxer shorts and halter-top. omri laid down next to her clothes and kept a close watch on everything around him. the water was calm here, and ellie relaxed, certain that omri would warn her of anyone’s approach. she laid back and floated on her back on the surface of the water. she looked up at the stars and sighed.

where had all these people come from? and why had they shown up right before a war was going to start? and that clearing… where they had appeared…

ellie shook the thought from her head as she floated on the water and stared up at the sky.

[moonglum]

Jason stiffened; he could have sworn he heard the familiar ‘thrum’ of a bowshot not far off in the woods.
“What is it?” Letitia asked.
“We may not be alone,” he replied.
They both scanned the forest but, with the light fading, they saw nobody. They were about to rise when they heard a loud whistle. Eyeing each other, they sat still for a few minutes, and then made pretence of crawling into their tent. Seconds later they were inching their way to the edge of the clearing. Still they saw no-one. Standing up, they crept slowly into the forest, moving from tree to tree. After a while Jason stopped and bent down. When he rose again, Letitia could see he had something in his hand.
“What have you found?” She asked.
Jason held up a goose feather. “Someone hunting for their supper, by the looks of things. Let’s go back.” They walked slowly back; all the while Jason scanned the forest floor ahead of him. He hadn’t said anything back there but, he’d noticed paw marks in the soft earth. They had seemed to be too big for a hunting dog.

[EllieNeo]

as the sun came up, ellie mumbled to herself. again wearing her jeans, she sat on the riverbank, scrubbing the blood from her boots. it had been a long time since she’d had blood on her boots. some of those stains were still visible as she tried to get the fresh stains out.

‘some of those stains are ava’s…’ she shook the thought from her head and kept scrubbing her boots.

omri suddenly bounded up to her, carrying what looked like a broom in his mouth. he dropped it by her side and sat next to her. his bright white eyes looked up into ellie’s. putting her boots down, she picked the broom up. or what was left of the broom. it looked like it had been in a fire, its bottom half was almost totally burned off, and it wouldn’t be useful anymore. ellie stared at it. what did it remind her of…? the woman’s voice echoed in her head.

“there’s no place like home…[/i]”

ellie’s eyes widened. of course! why hadn’t she thought of this before? the wizard of oz! but… that was just a movie… and… that woman had been speaking in greek. ellie scratched her head. where had this broom come from? ellie inspected it closely. it looked like the one janis owned. ellie chuckled at the thought of janis as the wicked witch of the west. how fitting. was that woman she had found chanting “there’s no place like home” from the future, too? like the woman with the jeans? why would she be speaking greek if she was from the future? ugh, her brain hurt. lauri’s voice echoed in her head.

“ellie, it may be necessary for you to talk to them.”

why was lauri always right? just once, ellie would like to see lauri be wrong. just once.

ellie sighed and put the broom back on the ground. she looked at her boots. most of the fresh stains had come out. good. she put them on and stood, stretching. she looked down at omri, who looked up at her and seemed to smile. after gathering her weapons, ellie picked up the broom. may as well return it to janis, even though the best it could be was firewood. ellie turned and walked back toward the clearing where the motorcycle sat. omri stood and followed her. ellie guessed the woman would come back for the motorcycle, probably with her friend, and she wanted to talk to them.

[Scrappy Amazon]

It took us longer to leave the village than I had originally estimated. Phalon stopped almost every woman in the village to ask questions. Occasionally in English so that I got the gist of what information she was looking for.

We were in her home. In Greece and she was fervently seeking information about her traveling companions from before “The House”. I couldn’t blame her for her excitement. But every time there was a negative response I could see the disappointment behind her small smiles and thank you’s. I didn’t have the heart to tell her we may have landed in Greece but we may not be in her time. We couldn’t know the answer to that until we found someone who knew her or her friends directly. For all I knew her friends and family could be long decomposing in their graves.

Finally, we ran out of people to talk to as we made our way out of the last vestiges of the village and into the thick part of the woods. I recited to myself the directions Laurie had told me as I plotted a course in that direction. “South for ten minutes then take a left at the sycamore tree.”

I looked back to see Phalon brining up the rear muttering to herself in Greek. A quick word to snap her out of her reverie and hurry her along, “Phalon, you’re going to have to speak English if you expect me to understand what you’re muttering.”

“Scrappy, have you given thought to why we’ve been brought here”, she said, slipping back into English. “Not the ‘hows’ of it – I’ve long since given up on trying to figure out how I ended up in the horrible house with you and the others. And I don’t really care how I came to be back here – back to the land I belong. But why? That I was brought here is understandable – this is my place. But you….you have no ties to Greece, other than bloodlines ancient to you. And you and I together? What could be the reason? There has to be a reason, yes? Things just don’t happen randomly – even the gods don’t have the right to alter what the Fates decide.”

“Hmmmm….. I don’t have an answer for you, Phalon. But I’m sure in their own sweet time, your “Fates” will let us know. But until then, first thing’s first. Nobody - not even your Fates - is getting in the way of me finding my bike.”

We strode trough the woods surprisingly quiet. I guess I did learn a few things from that old trapper many many years ago. And Phalon was always light on her feet. Not that being quiet was a priority or a necessity. It just felt polite, respectful in this ancient old forest.

It was nearly dusk by the time we got close to the place the red head said my bike would be in. The light was streaming in at a low angel making spotted patterns on the trunks of the trees. The air was changing from warm and sun dappled to crisp and moonlit. I loved this time of day the best. The night time forest was just about t come to life and the day time forest was about to go to sleep. That split second when everything was quiet and the trees were holding their breaths.

We traveled on a little ways after I saw the sycamore tree until we came upon two people who appeared to be camping near where my bike landed. In fact not just near but within sight of it.

“Damn!” I swore.

“What is it?” Phalon hadn’t seen them yet.

“Someone’s set up camp where my bike is. And my weapons are in the saddle bags!”

“Well, what do you want to do?”

“Gimmie a sec. I’m thinking.”

[vox]

Aphemenie had been watching everyone and listening intently from her hidden position high in a big old oak tree, she already knew their names, she had seen Jason and Letitia materialise, seen Scrappy's accident on her bike and she had also been to the village and seen Phalon, Ellie and the others. She could cover great distances in a short span of time due to her ability to fly. She was to report back to her band of sisters and brothers when she had discovered what their plans were.
.
Where had they all come from, why were they here?. She knew of the impending war. In the meantime, she would remain hidden until such a time that she wished to reveal herself.

[EllieNeo]

elsewhere...


queen eglise stepped up behind lauri. lauri held a familiar object in her hand. it was covered in blood. amazon blood. one of their sister amazons lay dead in front of them, stabbed in the heart. it also looked like someone had tried to burn her body but had failed. lauri tossed what she held to the queen, who stared at it in disbelief. her eyes met lauri’s, and she spoke in greek.

“ellie’s box cutter.”

lauri nodded. the queen shook her head.

“she… gave that to me, years ago. you remember… it was the day she passed her test. it has been hidden in my hut ever since. why would she have taken it back now, just to kill one of her sister amazons? she is not that stupid.”

the queen paced, staring at the blood-stained box cutter. she then looked back at lauri.

“one of the amazons is a traitor, and is trying to frame ellie for the murder of tala. we have to find out who the traitor is, or she may kill us all.”

lauri nodded.

“eglise. janis spoke yesterday about wanting to challenge ellie for her title. janis does not understand; we cannot afford to be fighting amongst ourselves with a war approaching. perhaps framing ellie for tala’s murder is part of janis's plan. if i were to guess, i would say that janis is the traitor. she is the only amazon who has ever challenged ellie to a fight to the death. if janis is the traitor, perhaps ellie should have killed her that day, rather than just taken her arm. ”

queen eglise nodded, and handed the box cutter back to lauri.

“perhaps.”

the queen then bent down and picked up tala’s body. lauri noticed what looked like ashes and the remains of the bottom half of a broom underneath tala’s body as the queen picked her up. curious, she picked up what was left of the broom. glancing at the queen, the two of them walked back to the village in silence.


*note: blue dialog is greek

[Phalon]

They crouched low behind the brush on the edge of the clearing, surveying the camp. Phalon hadn’t caught a glimpse of the two people Scrappy had seen before they retreated to their tent. Her brow furrowed, and she narrowed her eyes as she studied the scene. If one were to look at the intensely determined expression on her face, one might assume she could see right through the material of the tent to the people hidden inside.

“Scrappy, do you notice anything odd about this camp?” she whispered.

“You mean that whoever put up the tent had the audacity to pitch it right next to my bike!” hissed Scrappy.

Phalon reached over, and grabbed Scrappy’s upper wrist between where her glove stopped, and her leather jacket sleeve began. The contact was made when her hand met bare flesh. “Scrappy….”

“Damn it, Phalon!” Scrappy nearly fell over backwards from her crouched position from the jolt of an unexpected voice in her head. “It’d be nice if you’d give me some warning first! You nearly split my head down the middle with that move!”

Phalon gave her an apologetic look. Old habits die hard. The hand to wrist contact was needed during their first fumbling attempts to communicate to each other through thought. Both women shared the power to peek into the lives of those they touched. Scrappy hated it, and her thick leather gloves protected her from unwanted visions. Phalon reveled in it. Time and practice had negated the need for the physical contact between them in order to share their thoughts. Phalon, reflecting on the scene before her, had reached for Scrappy’s wrist almost unconsciously, wanting to get her thoughts across clearly, quickly…and in their current situation, quietly.

“Won’t happen again. I promise. But no – not that the tent was put next to your bike. Do you notice anything odd about the tent itself?”

“No, it looks nearly the same as any other tent I’ve seen….a little small maybe…”

“That’s what I thought. It looks like any tent you’ve seen. But I’ve never seen anything like it…the material, the construction; it all looks so strange to me. The Amazon huts in the village – those look nearly the same as any other Amazon hut I’ve seen. But this tent….it looks out of place here. Like it doesn’t belong…like it’s from somewhere else….”

“Like this is a portal of some kind to another time", Scrappy finished her thought.

“I came through first, then you….what if someone else followed? What if it was someone….or something we wished hadn’t?

In the unsettling quiet in the dusk of the forest, a wolf pricked its ears at the faint hush of steel blade being unsheathed. Phalon’s sword was now held ready to meet with whatever it needed to. And the desire to get to Scrappy’s motorcycle…and those saddle bags…suddenly became more urgent.

[moonglum]

Jason sat on the log and stared into the campfire. He felt himself drifting off to sleep. The flames had an almost hypnotic effect and……………
“Ow…………..Shards of Tarn!”
“What is it?” Jason stirred from his daydreaming.
“I’ve cut myself!” Letitia stared in disbelief at her hand. She’d been peeling a piece of fruit and the knife had slipped, cutting into the mound of flesh below her left thumb.
“Let me take a look.” He took her hand in his, adding, “It’s not too bad. I’ll dress it for you, there’s a medi-pak in one of the saddlebags.”
She pulled her arm back, staring at her hand as if it didn’t belong to her.
“You don’t understand,” she breathed. “This isn’t supposed to happen!”
“It just a cut, an accident. It’ll be fine.” He was losing patience at her over-reaction.
“Fine! Does this look fine? I’m supposed to be immortal; this….,” she sneered, waving her hand at him. “This is meant to heal almost instantly.”
Jason looked at her for a long few seconds then, shaking his head, he retrieved the pack from his horse and silently bandaged her hand.

Later, after Letitia had crawled into the tent. Jason sat by the fire once again letting his thoughts mingle with the crackling of the wood and the dancing of the flames. As he began to doze once more, he saw a face appear in a dream-like haze. He knew his body was asleep but, at the same time, he was able to see and hear everything going on around him. The face rose up slowly from the flames and grew into the figure of a woman. She smiled at Jason as she walked towards him. He wanted to move backwards, but his body was asleep, transfixed. She was dressed in a long, plain robe. The apparition stopped in front of Jason and knelt down. He tensed, involuntarily, as she raised her hand and with her forefinger, traced a circle in the centre of his forehead………..

……..He was seated in a crude amphitheatre; and she was seated next to him. He knew her instantly. He also knew a whole lot more, he suddenly realised. Memories, thousands of them, returned and jumbled themselves around in his mind. A myriad of emotions flickered across his face until; finally, he breathed a long sigh and lifted his eyes to hers.
“Hello, old friend.”
“Hello Jason,” replied the healer.

She had lived by many names. He’d last known her as Eurayle. Like him, she was a nomad, a wanderer; doomed to roam the centuries in one guise or another. They had travelled together, fought together and even, yes, died together.
“Do you know why I’m here, or even, where here is?” Asked Jason.
“No,” she replied. “I do know this, however. There is a war coming and these people may need your help. Then again, they may not!”
“As enigmatic as ever,” said Jason, laughing.
“Be warned though, things have changed. You and your companion are not what you once were. Whether for the best, or worse, I cannot say.”
Jason looked at her for a few moments and said.
“What do you mean?”
“There was a saying I once heard”. She thought for a while, and then said. “How do you hurt a man who has lost everything?”
She waited, and then when he didn’t reply, she continued. “You give him back something that’s broken!”

They sat in silence for some time, before talking some more. Then Eurayle suddenly looked over her shoulder. Jason hadn’t noticed before but the edge of the amphitheatre was ringed by the trees and bushes of the forest.
“It appears you have company”. She said. “Ah, another old friend, I see”. “Be wary Jason. The green-eyed one can be a powerful friend, or a formidable enemy. The choice is yours”…………….

Jason jumped slightly as he awoke from his reverie. Standing, he turned to face the bushes. Drawing his coat back to reveal his sword hilt, he folded his arms across his chest and said, “You can come out. I offer you no harm”.

[EllieNeo]

ellie walked along the riverbank to get back to the clearing. she breathed in a breath of morning air as she walked. how she loved morning air. soon the clearing was in sight, the two people sitting at a fire. across from them sat the woman she had healed and her friend. the four of them were talking, but ellie couldn’t make out the words. she raised an eyebrow. these four knew each other?

omri suddenly stopped, looked up, and growled. the fur on his spine stood up and he bared his teeth. the four in the clearing looked up at him, but he wasn’t growling at them. janis suddenly jumped down from a tree in front of ellie, her katana drawn. ellie recognized the katana as the one queen eglise had given janis years ago. its handle was wrapped in black leather and its scabbard on her left hip was dark blue. ellie could feel her anger, and it was so intense that it made her head hurt. but that was nothing new, considering this was janis. ellie simply looked at her. janis glared back.

“your box cutter was found embedded in tala’s chest this morning. you are a traitor, and i’ve come to challenge you for your title.”

ellie shook her head. what was janis playing at? ellie had given that box cutter to the queen, damn near ten years ago. she hadn’t seen it since. and a challenge for a title had to be made in the queen’s presence. ellie knew that, and so did janis. so why was she here now, in the middle of nowhere, trying to challenge her? omri still growled, and janis eyed him.

“don’t make me kill him.”

ellie looked down at omri. he looked up at her. she shook her head, and he stopped growling. but his narrowed eyes stayed on janis, and the fur on his spine still stood up. janis kept glaring at ellie.

“why do you stand there like a statue? didn’t you hear me? i’m challenging you! chosen one![/b][/font]”

ellie nodded. she had heard her. she didn’t care. she wasn’t going to fight her. did janis really want to lose her other arm? if they fought again, that could happen. and if ellie did take janis’s other arm, she may as well kill her while she was at it, because she’d be completely useless without any arms. and ellie didn’t want to kill. not again.

without any warning, janis swung her katana at ellie. ellie dodged around behind her, dropping the broom she was holding. janis turned and again swung her katana at ellie, missing her neck by half an inch. ellie rolled to her left and kicked janis in the elbow with her heel. janis cried out in pain and dropped her katana. ellie picked it up with her left hand and held it on janis. janis still glared at ellie, and her anger hadn’t subsided.

“well, go on. kill me. you’ve wanted to for years. now, do it.”

ellie shook her head. she brought the katana back, and hurled it over janis’s head as hard as she could. it landed in the middle of the river behind janis with a loud splash, and disappeared below the raging current. turning her back on janis, ellie walked into the clearing where the four people now stood watching them.

ellie didn’t see the dagger janis had drawn from her belt. she did hear the angry snarl, and turned to see omri closing his teeth around janis’s wrist. janis cried out in pain, and the dagger fell from her hand. ellie stepped up to her and looked down at omri, whose teeth were imbedded deeply in janis’s wrist. she whispered the command to him.

“good boy. drop it.”

omri released janis, and janis pulled away. ellie quickly grabbed janis’s wrist with both hands. a green glow appeared. janis tried to pull away, but ellie held her too tightly.

“i don’t need your help!”

when ellie released janis, her wrist was back to normal. janis still glared at ellie. noticing her broom on the ground, she picked it up. she then turned and started to walk away. she looked over her shoulder as she left.

“i hate you.[/font]”

ellie nodded as she bent to pick up the dagger janis had dropped. she didn’t need janis to tell her she hated her. she knew.



*note: blue dialog is greek

[vox]

Getting to Know

The one called “Jason” intrigues Aphemenie more than any of the others. This tall blonde man, dressed in jeans, shirt, boots and a long dirty duster coat. It appears to her that he may have travelled many many miles to get here. The haunted look on Jason's face warrants more explanation. Just what is Jason looking for, or moreover what is he hiding? And Letitia, the beautiful woman by Jason's side. Aphemenie feels they may have some connection from long ago in another plane of existence but what kind of connection and where from?

Her mind wandered from her quest as she thought about her sisters and brothers back in the forest to the north of the village where she had first seen Ellie. They have made their homes in modest makeshift shelters high in the trees, which are all well hidden from view and they live just on the fruits of the forest, which are in plentiful supply. It seems like an age has passed since she last reported back, which was only about 1 hour (earth time).

Suddenly she heard something that brought her back to reality, what was that? She was watching the ones called Phalon and Scrappy, she could hear their voices but their lips were not moving....

“Won’t happen again. I promise. But no – not that the tent was put next to your bike. Do you notice anything odd about the tent itself ?

No, it looks nearly the same as any other tent I’ve seen….a little small maybe…”

“That’s what I thought. It looks like any tent you’ve seen. But I’ve never seen anything like it…the material, the construction; it all looks so strange to me. The Amazon huts in the village – those look nearly the same as any other Amazon hut I’ve seen. But this tent….it looks out of place here. Like it doesn’t belong…like it’s from somewhere else….”

Ah! telepaths! She said to herself.

[Scrappy Amazon]

My head hurt. I’d had enough of all the strange and ominous stuff happening in the house and now I’ve landed in ancient Greece with even more strange and ominous stuff going on. When would we ever get a damn break? I was already on edge and having to retrieve my gun and my bike from god knows who. On top of which Phalon was floating in my head again.

She was right though, there was something not right about the scene before us. We were best served by caution. Despite my instinct to just walk into their camp and introduce myself.

“Ok I have a plan.” Our mental bond was always strongest when touching even though it was painful in the beginning, I allowed her to continue grasping my wrist. I didn’t want even the faintest whisper to give our position away. "I'd like to watch for a while. I'm not sure about them. I'd like to wait until the morning. But we need to be set and ready. You keep your sword drawn and circle around that direction. I’m going to try and circle around behind the boulder my bike is lying against. I want to see if I can get a look at them and read their auras before we go charging in there. They may be friendly. However, if I get a bad read, you go crashing in as a distraction while I go for my gun. Agreed?”

Phalon looked a little incredulous. “Crashing in?”

“It’ll be fine, I’m just looking for a distraction.”

“Ok but if you get me killed before I get to go home again I’ll haunt you forever.”

I rolled my eyes. “And what are we calling this?”

She mentally laughed and let go of my wrist before making her way around the outside of the stranger’s camp. I watched her for a few seconds before I began my trek in the opposite direction. I picked a good spot where I could keep a fairly good eye on them then settled in for the night. After a while I determined nothing big was going to happen but I wanted to wait anyway. So I sent a menatl message to Phalon.

"It's late I don't think anything is going to happen tonight so let's try and get some shut eye until morning."

"Agreed. Stay warm Scrappy."

"Thanks."

I awoke with a kink in my neck and a fine mist of dew covering my duster. My headcahe had gotten worse and my foul mood was even fouler.

"Phalon. Are you awake?"

"Awake? How could I sleep? You snore like a rampaging bear!"

"I do not! Anyway, the sun will be up soon so let's see if we can get a better position on them. You get closer and I'll see if I can manuever to my bike."

"Ok. I'll get closer and wait for your signal."

I had almost reached the lee side of the tent and was about to take a look when I got a mental shot from Phalon. It was random and not well formed. Slightly fearful and very angry. She’d been discovered. I hurried around the edge of the camp so I could see more clearly. Standing in the middle of the camp was a tall, very tall, very blonde almost white haired man holding a sword aimed at Phalon. I wasn’t sure but I thought they were talking as Phalon kept her own sword pointed at him.

“Hell!” I muttered at myself. “The woman just cannot follow instructions!” My gun was still too far away and it was too dangerous for me to go for it now. He’d have her run through before I cold get even half way there. I had no choice now.

I stood up and began crashing through the undergrowth heading for the man. I managed to jump on his back tearing at his arm before he could turn and face me.

“RUN PHALON.” I yelled.

“Scrappy! Get off him! Scrappy! He knows Eurayle!”

“What?!” I slid off his back cautiously.

“He just told me he knew I was coming, and that Eurayle told him so.”

“Well isn’t this fun. You couldn’t have warned me? I nearly killed him, well I nearly tried to kill him, well he didn’t make a fool of me at the very least by dumping my ass on the ground.” I glared in her direction. She at least had the foresight to look chagrined and apologetic. “Well then maybe we should sit and talk instead of going all commando?”

“I don’t know what a ‘commando’ is but sitting and talking is preferable, yes.”

The tall blonde turned to me finally, “I’m Jason.” He sheathed his sword and stuck out his hand. “And that’s Letitia.” I turned and noticed his companion for the first time.

I accepted his hand. “Scrappy. That’s my bike over there. If you don’t mind I’m going to go see if it’s ok and get something from the bags.”

“Please. We’ve been wondering if its owner would show up.”

I crossed the clearing to my bike and took a look. Most of the damage was limited to scrapes on the skid plates and dirt stuck in the engine area. All and all it didn’t look too bad. I stood it up and propped it up on the kick stand. I rifled through the saddle bags until I found what I was looking for. My gun. I felt naked without it. Checking that the magazine was full I slid it in between the waist of my pants behind my back. That would do until I could find my holster in the mess of my bags.

I made my way back to the center of the camp. We were all just getting settled and ready for formal introductions when we heard some more crashing in the woods just beyond the firelight. Looking up I could just make out two women battling just inside the trees surrounding the clearing. Everyone pulled their respective weapons and waited for the outcome of the fight. Finally the one armed woman seemed to concede defeat for the moment and the victor entered the ring of firelight.

My head was splitting and I was already in a foul mood. I had no patience for whatever was happening outside my immediate concern.

I growled and pointed my gun at her. “From the look of your clothing you know what kind of weapon I’m holding and the damage it can do. We haven’t been formerly introduced, and that isn’t going to change now. I don’t know who you are and I don’t care to know you. And if we were supposed to be impressed by that little melodramatic demonstration between you and lefty you’re wrong. Now tell us what you want or go away before I shoot you.”