As The Scrolls Unroll -- One

[EllieNeo]

ellie had had a nightmare. she woke up screaming. ava woke next to her, and tried to calm her down. ellie’s heart was racing, she was sweating and panting. the voices kept echoing in her head. she felt ava’s arms around her, and began crying.

“ellie. that’s three nights in a row now you’ve woken up screaming. what are you dreaming about?”

ellie looked into ava’s deep blue eyes. how she loved those deep blue eyes.

“i can’t lose you.”

ava shook her head and kissed ellie gently.

“you’re not gonna lose me.”

... but she had. ellie sighed. she sat on her bed on the right side of her hut, stroking omri, who lay across her lap, sound asleep. she stared across the room at the empty bed that sat opposite hers. the bed that hadn’t been slept in in almost three years, and hadn’t even been sat on in over a month. she sighed heavily. she spoke to the empty room.

“i miss you.”

lauri slowly pulled back the curtain door and entered ellie’s hut. ellie looked up at her, but didn’t say anything. lauri walked in and sat next to ellie on her bed. they sat in silence for several minutes before lauri spoke.

“queen eglise has… requested… that you heal janis’s knee. she is an amazon warrior, and cannot fight without being able to walk. we can’t fix her knee. we need every amazon warrior for this war. though more tribes will be arriving tomorrow to assist us, we still need everyone in top fighting condition. especially if the information you obtained about the attack tonight is accurate.”

ellie sat in silence for a very long moment, stroking omri’s head. she glanced at the katana that now sat back in its place on the table. she shook her head.

“no.”

lauri didn’t respond. ellie didn’t feel any surprise coming from her, so she guessed that lauri knew she would say no. lauri stood and started to leave the hut. ellie’s voice stopped her.

“do you think it’s my fault ava died?”

lauri turned and almost glared at ellie.

“absolutely not. you loved her. i know that you would have done anything to have been able to save her. she was too badly wounded, even for your powers.”

ellie closed her eyes and nodded. that was true. ava had lost two limbs and too much blood. even she couldn’t heal that. janis’s voice from years ago rang in her ears.

“you can’t heal that, can you?”

ellie shook her head. she opened her eyes and looked at lauri. her voice was quiet.

“but if i hadn’t chased after that centaur…”

lauri raised a hand. ellie fell silent. lauri walked back over and sat next to her again. her purple eyes met ellie’s. those eyes were really good at calming ellie down. lauri placed her hand on ellie’s shoulder as she spoke.

“listen to me, ellie. you didn’t kill ava. there was nothing you could have done to save her. if you had stayed and fought beside her, you both would have been killed. and then you would not be here to fulfill your destiny.”

“but… lauri… i’ve been here so long…. i’m not even sure i want to fulfill my destiny anymore. that’s… why i took off for weeks. my whole life’s here. all my memories...” she paused and looked at the round black container on the table. a tear rolled down her face as she continued. the next two words she spoke, just above a whisper, had many emotions behind them. “…my lover……” she shook her head and angrily wiped the tear away. “and if i fulfill my destiny, you’ll send me back. i don’t wanna go back. if i go back, i’ll forget. they’ll put me in a psyche ward for amnesia. i’ll be all alone. as much as remembering ava hurts,… i don’t wanna forget.”

lauri sighed deeply. she stood, and motioned for ellie to follow. ellie stood quickly, and omri leapt to the floor in surprise. lauri left the hut, and ellie followed. omri jumped back on ellie’s bed and fell asleep.

“ellie, i told you when you got here ten years ago that i would send you back when you fulfill your destiny; if you still wish it. you do not have to go back.” they now stood within sight of the red-furred wolf, who sat in front of the medical hut, observing everything around her. “as for your disappearing into the woods for weeks…” lauri tilted her head towards the red-furred wolf. “one often meets her destiny on the path she takes to avoid it.”


*note: blue dialog is greek

[Awesome Aphrodite]

I was spacing out as I sat in front of the medical hut. I continued to look around, just to give the appearance that I was paying attention. When I saw someone enter Ellie’s hut, my attention returned. She had very long hair, and wore the robes of a sorceress. I was tempted to follow her when she entered Ellie’s hut, but decided better of it. I sat and waited. Sooner or later, she would have to come out.

Several minutes went by, but when they came out, they walked towards me. My keen hearing picked up every word that the woman spoke to Ellie.

“Ellie, I told you when you got here ten years ago that I would send you back when you fulfill your destiny; if you still wish it. You do not have to go back. As for your disappearing into the woods for weeks…” The woman tilted her head towards me. “One often meets her destiny on the path she takes to avoid it.”

‘Whoa,’ I thought. ‘What is that supposed to mean?’

[moonglum]

Early evening found them riding down a narrow winding track into a small fishing port on the coast. Jason stopped as a local goatherd moved his animals across the lane.
“Is this the port of Piraeus?” asked Jason.
The man laughed. “No. You flatter us. Piraeus is a good two days ride to the north.”
Letitia groaned in Jason’s arms and his heart sank. They rode on into the town and found a tavern. While Letitia waited on the horse, Jason rented a small hut, at the rear of the building. He returned and led her to their room for the night.

After they had eaten, Jason helped her bathe and then changed her dressing. He’d changed her bandages at each stop, cleaning the wound and applying a salve to ward off infection. Now however, his nose wrinkled at the odour from her hand and he noticed the greenish tinge of the flesh.
“What is it?” she asked.
“Nothing,” he lied.
“Jason, I may be ill but I‘m not stupid. Neither has my sense of smell gone completely.”
Jason flushed with shame. “I’m sorry my love. It’s getting worse!”

[EllieNeo]

ellie looked down at the red-furred wolf as she walked into the med hut. janis lay on the same bunk scrappy had occupied the day before. two amazons were tending to her knee, and tears of pain rolled down her face. ellie sighed and stepped up to the amazons who were bent over janis. they looked up at her.

“leave.”

their eyes widened. they nodded, then got up hurriedly and left the hut. no one else was inside. the large hut filled with rows of empty medical bunks felt abandoned. ellie picked up a chair and placed it near janis’s bunk, by her head, then sat in it. janis turned her head and looked up at ellie.

“why?”

ellie raised an eyebrow.

“why what?”

“why didn’t you kill me? why haven’t you killed me? you’ve had plenty of opportunities over the last five years. and i know that since i made you almost cut ava’s arm off, you’ve wanted to kill me. so my only question is, why haven’t you?”

ellie shook her head.

“you’re an amazon[/i], janis. you’re a warrior[/i]. so was ava. if i kill you, i’m no better than the bastard centaur who killed ava. and…” ellie paused. how should she word this…? “…it wasn’t your fault i almost took her arm off. it… it was mine. you were right back then. i hadn’t been going to see lauri, because i didn’t think i needed help controlling my temper. but i did. if i hadn’t gotten it, it really would have been my fault ava died. lauri had seen a future where my temper was the cause of ava’s death. because of what happened that day, that future didn’t happen. so… if you hadn’t pissed me off, my temper would have ended up killing ava.”

janis still had tears rolling down her face from the pain. she groaned and looked away from ellie. ellie sighed. with her left hand, she reached out and touched janis’s left knee. the green glow was so bright it filled the hut. when it faded, janis looked at ellie again. she shook her head.

“i don’t understand you.”

ellie stood and started toward the door. before she left the hut, ellie looked over her shoulder at janis.

“and you never will.”

[Awesome Aphrodite]

Ellie walked past me and into the medical hut, glancing down at me as she walked by. The woman Ellie had been talking to walked right up to me and looked down at me. She smiled.

“You are Annabelle, am I right?”

My jaw dropped. I nodded.

“I am Lauri. Follow me.”

Without a word, she walked away. Not sure what to do, I decided to follow her. She walked into the hut that sat next to the medical hut. It was mostly bare, with only a bedroll and cupboard on one side and a fire pit on the other. In the middle of the room was… a meditation circle…?? I hadn’t seen one of those since I was a little girl. Lauri walked in and sat on the meditation circle, cross-legged, facing me and the door. Her eyes met mine.

“You are Ren’s daughter.”

I was taken aback. So… it was the same Ren. I nodded. Lauri smiled at me.

“You are a Werewolf.”

Again, I nodded.

“I will not harm you.”

I was still unsure. How did she know all this? I shook my head and backed away a couple steps.

“Please. I know you have many questions. I also know you cannot speak while you are in your wolf body. If I were going to harm you, don’t you think I would have already?”

She had a point. She was wearing sorceress robes and had a meditation circle in her hut. Which meant she must be a sorceress, just as mother was. Which meant she could have killed me on sight if she had wanted to. I nodded, then slowly transformed into my human form. I looked down at her, and she remained seated on the floor. She looked up at me. Her purple eyes met mine and she smiled. Her tone was gentle.

“You look like your mother.”

My feet could no longer hold me up, I was so surprised. Lauri had known my mother? I sat in front of her and stared. Had I known Lauri? She looked familiar, but I couldn’t place her. Perhaps I had been too young to remember. My head hurt. Her purple eyes met mine, and they seemed to calm me down. I finally found my voice.

“You… you knew my mother?”

Lauri nodded.

“Your mother was my mentor. She taught me everything I know. She told me I was destined to bring the chosen one back from the future. I did, ten years ago.”

I blinked.

“Ellie.”

Lauri nodded.

“Ellie.”

“Did you… know my mother well?”

Again, Lauri nodded.

“Oh, yes. I knew your mother very well. In fact, it was me who delivered you. Because of the… circumstances… regarding your conception, your mother was unsure she wanted you. Until she held you.”

I nodded.

“Yes. She told me that.”

We sat in silence for a long moment. I shook my head. In all my life, I had never met anyone else who had known my mother. Anyone. Ever. Except…

“I met him.”

Lauri raised an eyebrow.

“Who?”

“My father.”

“Are you certain it was him?”

I nodded.

“This was three years ago. In a tavern. He was… bragging about killing mother. About how he’d…” I couldn’t say that word. I shook my head hard. “…and then how he’d come back nine years later and killed her. He didn’t realize that his now-nineteen-year-old daughter was sitting right next to him.”

Lauri simply looked at me for a moment.

“What did you do?”

I shook my head and looked at the floor. I didn’t want to think about it. But I already was. So I might as well say it.

“I turned to him. I said ‘Hello, father.’ I transformed into my wolf form, and before he had fully transformed into his, I had ripped his throat out. He died half-morphed. Everyone else in the tavern had scattered. He didn’t even get buried because no one ever went back into that building.”

When I looked up at Lauri, she was nodding. I raised an eyebrow.

“What?”

“Your mother knew you would one day find him. She had seen that future. She told it to me. All of her visions so far have come to pass. There is only one more of her visions left to come true.”

I shook my head.

“Which one is that?”

“That you and Ellie will save the Amazons.”




Please note: Blue Dialog is Greek. Special thanks to Ellie for helping with the writing of Lauri's dialog.

[Awesome Aphrodite]

What Lauri had told me seemed impossible. How was I supposed to save the Amazons? Even with Ellie’s help? I had no powers other than turning into my wolf form. Lauri stared at me for a moment, and almost seemed to read my thoughts.

“Your mother, like me, could see the future and shoot fireballs. She also had healing powers like Ellie’s. She could also raise the dead, but this power had its limits. What powers did you inherit from your mother?”

I shook my head.

“None.”

Lauri stood.

“Come with me.”

She walked past me, to the door. I raised an eyebrow. No way was I going out there in human form. None of the Amazons would recognize me, and I’d be killed. I transformed back into my wolf form and followed Lauri out of the hut.

She led me to the clearing where Ellie and the others had been a few hours earlier. But… there was no evidence that anyone had been here…! There were no campfire remains, no hoof prints. And that thing Scrappy had been riding had left no tracks.

Lauri walked into the middle of the clearing and sat. I sniffed the air, trying to pick up any evidence that anyone had been here. There was none. I stared at Lauri, then sat next to her.

“This clearing is magical. It amplifies powers. It is this magic that I used to bring Ellie here, ten years ago. It is also this magic that magnifies my own power, and allows me to see the future more clearly. If you also have this gift, the clearing will make it known to you. Only you will see the images. I will be blocked from them. Sit here, and concentrate.”

I didn’t understand, but I felt as if I didn’t really need to. I concentrated as hard as I could. I felt myself forced into my human form. The woods glowed red. I saw images flash in front of me. I saw myself leading a woman with dark brown hair and blue eyes to Ellie. The two ran to each other and embraced, and they both had tears in their eyes. I closed my eyes tightly and the images vanished. My head felt like it was splitting in two. I glanced at Lauri, who still sat beside me. She smiled at me, and nodded. I had to know.

“Who… was that woman Ellie was hugging?”

Lauri shook her head.

“As I told you, I was blocked from the images. However, I know of only one person who Ellie has ever hugged.”

I shrugged.

“Who?”

“Her name was Ava.”

I blinked.

“Was?[/b][/i]”

Lauri nodded.

“Ava and her unborn child have been dead for three years. If that is who you saw, then perhaps you also share your mother’s ability to raise the dead.”

I stood and backed away from Lauri. My head was spinning. How was any of this possible? Without a word, I transformed into my wolf form and took off into the woods.



Please Note:Blue dialog is Greek. Special thanks to Ellie for helping with the writing of Lauri's dialog and allowing me to read bits of her character's back story.

[Scrappy Amazon]

We sped off again in the direction Phalon had indicated, toward the unknown. Well at least the mostly unknown. I had a vague recollection now that Phalon had mentioned it of the tall blonde guy standing at the table. He had the answers. At lese Phalon thought so. And so off we went to find him again.

My mind wandered as Phalon clutched my waist trying not to fall off. Traveling through the mist must have done something to me. My memories form that house were shadowy at best, and becoming darker and harder to recall the longer we were here. I remember fighting, and danger and giant stone beings trying to kill me. Or were they? And I hadn’t once thought about Dixie until Phalon had mentioned her name.

It was like being shown a picture of something familiar and waiting for its name and smell and taste to come back to you. Like a flash her face came to me when her name was spoken out loud. Blonde and happy and beautiful. My little witch. I had to know now what had happened to her. What had happened to us. I couldn’t remember anything past that breakfast. And precious little before that. And my home? Where was that and why didn’t I feel like I missed it. Why didn’t I want to burst into tears, like Phalon, at the mention of going home or even knowing now that I was separated from it?

As completely immersed in my thoughts as I was I was still aware of my surroundings to an extent. I broke from my reverie with Phalon squeezing my shoulder hard and yelling in my ear that we ear being watched.

“What?” I yelled back.

“I thought I saw something in the woods.”

“Like what?”

“Well I’m not,” at the moment something whizzed by my head. I was used to bugs flying past my head on the freeways at home but this was bigger. Sturdier.

WHOOOOOSH

It happened again. Suddenly Phalon was squeezing my waist harder and yelling into my ear. “Let’s get out of here! Faster Scrappy get this thing moving!?”

I looked back to find we were being pursued by centaurs. Half man half horse creatures of legend galloping along side trying to keep pace with my bike while shooting arrows at us.

“SHIT!” I gunned my bike to speed up. I made it go as fast as I dared go on the dirt track we were on. Barely a wagon road with deep ruts. I prayed we wouldn’t hit any major holes or burms. I turned this way and that, still following the wagon road but taking last minute detours in an attempt to lose our pursuers.

I felt something cold and wet hit the back of my head. Turning back for a quick look I saw Phalon clutching a large fish and weilding like a weapon. Left and right she was flinging it attempting to ward off the galloping centuars. At one point she flung it in front of my face and stopped a potentially deadly arrow.

In the end, even their horse power was no match for mine. After only a few minutes we had lost them. Problem was, we had lost ourselves too. I stopped the bike and turned to Phalon.

“I’m lost and I can’t see the sun in this dense forest. Any idea where we are?”

“None. I lost track 5 turns ago.”

“Now what?”

“Well, we could start by seeing what’s on fire just up that way.”

I looked in the direction she pointed. I could see the smoke rising and I could now smell it drifting our way. “Ok.” I said “At least it’s a place to start.”

I turned the bike in that direction and we made our way to what appeared to be a giant burning log. Phalon got off the bike, still clutching the large now mangled fish, as I parked it and turned off the ignition.

“That’s odd.” She said as she examined the log. “It doesn’t seem to have been caused by lightening or any other natural cause that I can tell.”

"Think maybe we can stop for some lunch? I'm starving and that fish still looks edible. Heck we won't even have to start our own fire."

[moonglum]

She remembered the dark. A thick, cloying darkness that choked her, strangled her and made her cough. The woman next to her, where was she? The others in the room, where were they? Where was she?

Green, lots of green. It was moving. She hadn’t seen green move past her that fast in a long time. Leaves brushed her face. Gentle, kind, green leaves…………. Whoof…..Aahh……S*****g Hell!

The effects of the wine were still wearing off, and she felt like crap. Getting the wind knocked out of her, by being unceremoniously dumped in the middle of a forest didn’t help matters. She gingerly ran her hands up and down, checking for broken bits and pieces. No, nothing that a JD and coke wouldn’t cure. Standing up, she looked around her at the forest clearing. She was surprised to find herself here…..mind you, not as surprised as the people sitting on the logs playing I-Spy.

Dixie, where the f**k are you? She thought.

[vox]

She was quickly brought out of her daydream when she heard the distant roar of Scrappy’s metal machine, “it wont be long now“, she thought to herself. She secreted herself away just before Scrappy and Phalon appeared. She waited for them to stop and slowly walked out from behind a large tree. “Do not be alarmed! My name is Aphemenie, I do not wish you any harm, I have come as a messenger on a mercy mission”. “I have been watching you all since you arrived here, your meetings with Jason, Letitia, Ellie and the others. It is for Jason and Letitia that I have sought you out.

They have reached the north-west coast, I believe they are on their way to the port of Piraeus………..”, she paused a while to get her breath, she felt that in her haste, she was speaking too fast. “Jason needs you Phalon” she said, “I heard him say it to himself many times”. “He wishes he had not left the group in the clearing so suddenly, as there were things he wanted to ask you, but his main concern was to get some help for Letitia”. “The Lady Letitia is very sick and Jason is searching for someone you know, a lady named Eurayle”

“Please……., I implore you, go and find them Phalon, you and only you, may have the answer that Jason is seeking” Aphemenie felt sure that Scrappy would offer her assistance in transporting Phalon to her desired destination, quickly.

“If you agree and are willing, I will show you the way……..” and with that, Aphemenie took in another breath and blew the flames out from the poor dead tree stump so as not to cause further damage to the woods, while she awaited a response.

[Awesome Aphrodite]

They had told me I had to help the Amazons win the war. That was the reason I had been sent to warn the Amazons in the first place. But finding out I could see the future and possibly even raise the dead had shocked me so much that I found I no longer wanted to. I swam back across the river for home. I swam in the shallows, to avoid being bitten again. I ran and ran until my home was in view. He stood in front of it, chopping wood. He turned and looked at me, and he was glaring. He dropped the ax.

“WHAT are you doing here?!?”

I transformed into my human form and approached him.

“Atron…”

“NO. LEAVE.”

He had never spoken to me like this. What was going on?

“I can’t go back there. Lauri told me…”

He held up a hand and I fell silent. I had never seen him look so angry.

“She told you you can see the future and raise the dead. I’m a Seer, Annabelle. Did you really think I didn’t know that? It’s still your destiny to help save the Amazons. And you can’t do that standing here. Why did you think we built our home so close to the Amazon tribe? For our HEALTH!?”

I shook my head. He’d known…? Why hadn’t he told me…?

“Atron…”

A voice rang out from the house.

“Atron, who is that?”

She stepped outside, carrying a pot in her hand. She was cleaning it out with a rag. When she saw me, she too glared at me.

“Annabelle[/i]. You’re early. What are you DOING here?[/font]”

I shook my head.

“Getting yelled at, apparently, Jess.”

Without another word, Jess turned and disappeared into the house. What was going on here…?? Atron looked at me again. He shook his head hard.

“Why have you come back?”

I suddenly didn’t know. I shook my head. I turned and started to leave. Jess’s voice stopped me.

“Annabelle. Here.”

She approached me, and handed me a scroll. I looked down at it and shook my head.

“What’s this?”

“A letter from your mother. Do not read it here. Return to the clearing first. Read it there.”

With that, Jess turned and disappeared into the house. I stared down at the scroll. How had she gotten this…? She hadn’t known my mother. After deciding to stay in human form, I turned and left, heading back in the direction of the clearing.



Please Note: Blue dialog is Greek

[EllieNeo]

the sun was beginning to set. lauri sat in the middle of the clearing, her hood covering everything but her eyes. the woods glowed blue around her. her eyes glowed brightly. the sky turned purple as the sun set behind the trees.

queen eglise stepped into the clearing. the trance lauri was in was broken, and she looked up at the queen with sadness in her glowing eyes. queen eglise spoke just above a whisper.

“what did you see?”

the blue glow in the woods vanished, lauri’s eyes returned to normal. she stood, and her hood fell from her head. she looked directly into the queen’s eyes when she answered, and the single word that was lauri’s answer made the queen shiver.

“death.[/font]”

[vox]

Trepidation

After such a quick introduction to Scrappy and Phalon, Aphemenie now wondered what kind of reception she would receive from them. After all, it was not going to be an easy task explaining herself to them, which would have to wait until much later, as time was of an essence for Jason and Letitia. Would Scrappy and Phalon accept her help? accept her as a travelling companion?
Especially as she had just noticed the fish that they were probably hoping to cook on the now extinguished fire……

Not only was she herself, uncertain of the future, she was acutely aware of their uncertainties. She did not wish to hinder their progress any further, or make them feel obliged to her in any way. The silence was unbearable, it seemed like hours had passed when in fact it was merely seconds. The rivulets of sweat began firstly in the palms of her hands and then at the nape of her neck just under the hairline and then began to appear on her forehead. Aphemenie was in fact very nervous, she had had the same feeling during her long conversation with Goranje, which now seemed like days ago.

[moonglum]

They ate a light meal and drank some spiced, warmed wine. Letitia retired for the night while Jason sat by the window watching the night sky. He felt he was waiting for something, but he wasn’t quite sure what. Letitia stirred once or twice as her coughing awoke her. At a steady pace, they should be able to reach Piraeus in a few days, he thought. Finding the ferryman shouldn’t present too much of a problem.

He decided to get some information from the tavern keeper. So, after checking that Letitia was sleeping, Jason slipped outside and headed towards the tavern. He entered the large, single room building and sat down on a bench at the back facing the door. Old habits die hard, he thought. He surveyed the room, noting a curtained alcove in one corner, presumably where the owner slept. Next to that stood a table with pots and jugs, at which the taverner was filling mugs. He brought one over to Jason and carried on serving the others in the room. In the corner behind the door sat two soldiers dressed in their legionary's garb. They eyed Jason briefly, and then fell back into their conversation.

[Phalon]

“Wait!” Phalon cried. It was too late; the winged woman drew in a big breath and with it, extinguished the flames of the burning log. There’d be no fish fry now, damn it to Tartarus! It wasn’t every day that the gods dropped gifts from the sky - a life-saving gift it turned out to be, she thought pulling the arrow from the fish. And it wasn’t every day lunch just dropped into one’s lap. "Argh!", she was hungry. Ah well, easy come; easy go. There’d be other fish to fry on this long road ahead of them, she was sure.

She took one last longing look at the fish in her hand, imagining its delicate taste melting in her mouth, before flinging it Scrappy’s way. Although Scrappy wasn’t expecting it, her reactions were quick….but not quick enough to keep from coming face-to-face with the flying fish. A quick, unexpected brush of the fish-lips did not turn it into Scrappy’s princess charming. Things like that only happen in far-fetched fantasy tales, and apparently this wasn’t one of them. Scrappy tossed the now useless fish over her shoulder, and wiped her mouth with the sleeve of her jacket.

Although a lunch of fresh fish didn’t pan out, it seemed the gods had just dropped another gift for them from the sky. Aphemenie, the winged woman. Once again, luck was with them. It didn’t matter they’d been run off course; Aphemenie was here to lead them to Jason, and he wanted to see her!

His reason was much more urgent than theirs. Letitia’s life hung in the balance as Aphemenie awaited their answer. Phalon shot a “Whaddaya think?” look in Scrappy’s direction, who was still trying to wipe the essence of fish-breath from her mouth.

It seemed to Scrappy that Phalon was acting as if traveling through ancient Greece on the Harley, getting chased by centaurs, and being smacked by a fish that magically dropped out of nowhere, were everyday common occurrences. Damn, she hoped they weren't. And now a woman with wings asked them to follow her into who-knows-what. “Let’s go”, she shrugged, getting back on the bike.

Surely things couldn’t get any weirder than they already were. Could they? Phalon heard her thoughts…and now it was her turn to shrug.

[Phalon]

Aphemenie flew low to enable Scrappy and Phalon keep her within eye-sight, but high enough to see a good distance. It was decided she’d stay far enough ahead so she could send a warning signal if anyone was approaching from the opposite direction. With her keen sense of hearing she’d be able to hear anybody coming down the road long before they’d hear the motorcycle. The ancient Greeks might be used to having gods and goddess interfering in their lives, often appearing in disguised forms. They were familiar with part human, part animal creatures, and knew well enough which to steer clear of, and which meant no harm. They did not, however, have any knowledge of Harleys, and Scrappy, Phalon, and Aphemenie thought it best to keep it that way. It was fortunate that this didn’t appear to be a well-traveled road; Aphemenie heard no one up ahead and though it was overgrown in places, they made fairly good time.

In Scrappy’s world, the distinct thundering roar of a Harley’s V-Twin engine made it nearly impossible for driver and rider to communicate. But Phalon had never ridden on the back of the Harley in Scrappy’s world. Communication for them was merely a question of opening one’s mind to let the other in.

“Phalon, don’t you think this is all just maybe a little bit weird?”

“What’s weird?”

“Everything’s weird. I mean don’t you think it’s strange we’re following a woman who’s flying up ahead of us? With wings, and not in a plane, hang-glider, parasail or anything else that normal people fly in? That we were chased by centaurs? That a f*cking fish magically fell into your lap!!!”

“That fish thing was a little odd, I admit….but look at things from my point of view. When we were stuck in that house, we encountered some pretty strange things….most of them horrible things. But there were things there that you thought of as normal that were completely out of the realm of what I ever considered possible. Water that ran out of faucets with the turn of a knob. Candle-less lights that turned off and on with the flip of a switch….”, Phalon smiled, remembering how much fun she had flipping the switch, amazed that each time the light went out, it came back on again. “Guru’s gadgets, your gun….Mrs. Peacock’s sensible shoes….those were all things I’d never seen before. Not to mention I was dead when I arrived….that took a bit of getting used to.”

“Ok, I get your point….at least we’re not dead this time around.”

“But you also have another advantage that I didn’t have in the house. You are presently living in the past. Unlike me seeing guns, electricity, and motorcyles for the first time, you’ve already encountered most of the things we’ve seen here….you’ve read about them in books. You just previously thought of them as myths – something dreamed up by a civilization less advanced than your own to explain the things they did not understand. But Scrappy – everything you’ve ever read as being mythological is very real here.”

“I gotcha…so I shouldn’t be surprised if a woman with snakes for hair turns you to stone?” Though Phalon couldn’t see her face, she imagined Scrappy was rolling her eyes.

“No…if that happens, be surprised. I know better than to look into her eyes”, was Phalon’s sarcastic reply.

“No really…I understand what you’re trying to say. I’m in a world where myth is fact. If I disregard what I know from Greek mythology as being only myths, then I’ll be less surprised by what we encounter. When in Rome, do as the Romans do.”

“Right….except we’re in Greece; don’t do anything that will mistake you for a Roman – it’s a good way to get yourself killed. There’s one other thing though, that my experience in your world, and your experience in mine have in common.”

“What’s that?”

“Language. I learned English...”. Phalon laughed, “….though I had the advantage of learning it through possession. You’re going to have to learn Greek the hard way; I'm going to teach you. Now, say please.”

“Listen, Phalon….granted I don’t know Greek, but I’m not going to beg you teach me.”

“No, no, no. Please…ðáñáêáëþ. That’s how you say ‘please.’ And you’re welcome.”

“I never said ‘thank-you’.”

“ðáñáêáëþ - it means both ‘please’ and ‘you’re welcome’. Maybe you better let me do the talking when we get to town. It looks like we’re almost there. Aphemenie is signaling for us to stop.”

“Better kill the engine now then”, Scrappy said. Phalon laughed. There was a time she’d have have taken the statement literally, and drawn her sword...and if Phalon had "killed" the Harley's engine, Scrappy would have killed her.




note: English to Greek word translation is per Babel Fish; it is not an English to ancient Greek translation, but for the sake of this post, who really cares?

[Awesome Aphrodite]

When I arrived at the clearing, Lauri was still seated where she had been when I had left. The sun was beginning to set. The woods glowed blue around Lauri, and I thought I saw her eyes glowing under her hood. The sight sent chills up my spine. She must have been in some kind of trance. I didn’t want to pull her from it. So I didn’t enter the clearing; but sat outside it and unrolled the scroll. It was mother’s handwriting, without a doubt. But… How…?? I squinted to read it in the fading light. It was written in English, which didn’t surprise me. It was, after all, mother’s first language.

“My Dear Annabelle-
Though I have never and will never meet the Seer and Seeress you now live with, I knew it must be them to give you this note. You have, by now, lived with them for many years. You have come to think of them as your family, and you trust them. No one but someone you trust could have given you this note. As a Seer and Seeress, they knew the first time they touched you where I had hidden this note, and knew why and when I needed you to receive it.
You have just now found out that you possess powers like mine. Though I longed to tell you, I could not. You had to learn this from my best friend and trusted apprentice, Lauri. If you had known sooner, the powers would have overwhelmed you. You would not have been able to control them, because I would not have been around to teach you. For this, I am sorry.
Yes, I knew that your father would return to kill me. I also knew that you would in turn kill him. I wish I could say I feel sorry to know that he will die at your hand. But I don’t. He is an evil man and he deserves what you gave to him. However, as much as I hated your father, he did give me you, and for that I am grateful. Regardless of the unforgivable things he did to me.
At this moment, you are unsure that you want to help the Amazons. You know nothing about them and you feel no loyalty towards them. I understand this. When I died, I told Lauri to send you away. This wasn’t a mistake. But it does make you feel like you owe the Amazons nothing. This is not true. The Amazons saved me. By sending you away, they saved you. You now must return the favor.
Lauri can teach you to control the powers you have inherited from me. She cannot teach you if you abandon the Amazons. You and The Chosen One are destined to save the Amazons. Fulfill your destiny, my dear daughter. I love you now and always. No matter what you do, I will always be proud of you.
Your loving mother
Ren[/i]”

I rerolled the scroll, and I had tears in my eyes. I looked up and saw Queen Eglise enter the clearing. I transformed into my wolf form and held the scroll in my mouth. When Queen Eglise and Lauri started back toward the village, I followed.

[EllieNeo]

“AGAIN!”

standing in front of the stage in the village, ellie swung her katana. it was expertly deflected by another. she lost her grip on the handle, and her katana clattered to the ground.

“NO!”

ellie glared at janis, whose expression was one of distaste. the katana janis held in her hands had been given to her by the queen. its handle was wrapped in black leather and its scabbard on her left hip was dark blue. the emotions ellie felt from her teacher were mixed; anger, jealousy, impatience… and that lust for ellie’s healing ability again. would that ever go away? ellie couldn’t understand why janis was lusting after something she couldn’t possibly ever have. and that lust had been there every day for almost four years now. ‘you’d think she’d get over it already,’ ellie thought.

“you are not listening! how can i train you if you will not listen?!”

ellie growled, and bent down to pick up her katana. pain shot through her left hand when janis stomped on it.

“OOOWW!” ellie yanked her hand away. “you bitch! what was that for?” ellie put her right hand on top of her left hand, and with the green glow, the pain subsided.

“you are not listening to me!” janis picked up ellie’s katana with her left hand and threw it at her. ellie caught its handle in her left hand, then sheathed the blade. she could feel herself losing control of her temper. she stared at janis, who was not through yelling at her. janis yelled in english, because she wanted to be absolutely sure ellie understood her.

“you’re still holding the blade wrong! how many times do i have to show you this? i have been training you for almost four years[/u] now! if you were a true amazon, you would have gotten it the very first time i showed you. but you are not a true amazon! you will never be a true amazon, even if you stay here and train with us for a hundred years. you are not worthy of the title of amazon. you never will be! OUTSIDER!!![/u]”

ellie almost roared, and threw herself at janis. janis, caught off guard, didn’t have time to react. ellie tackled janis to the ground. the katana janis had been holding flew out of her hands and landed on the ground several feet away. ellie pinned janis to the ground and drew her silver sai on her, holding them criss-crossed across janis’s throat. a hand suddenly came down on ellie’s left shoulder. “ellie, stop,” ellie heard the voice but was so enraged she did not recognize it. still blinded by rage, she swung her left hand out, slicing her sai through the air.

that’s when ellie saw who stood there. the voice echoed inside her head. ‘ellie, stop.’ her heart skipped a beat, her face fell, her rage subsided. but it was too late to stop the momentum of her arm. ava jumped back, but not in time. she screamed in pain and grabbed her right arm, just above the elbow. dark red blood appeared beneath her fingers, and flowed to the ground. ava’s knees buckled and she fell forward. ellie got off of janis, threw her sai to the ground, and caught ava in her arms before she hit the ground. moving ava’s left hand away from her arm, ellie saw this wound was very deep. she could see the white bone of ava’s elbow joint. it was bleeding profusely, and ava was screaming and sobbing. the blood was all over ellie’s clothes and boots. frantically, completely panicked, ellie put her hands on the wound. the green glow appeared, but not before ava had passed out from the pain. satisfied to see the wound was completely healed, ellie gently picked ava up.

janis stepped in front of ellie, and ellie could feel her rage and hate. janis spoke in greek, and ellie could hear the anger in her voice.

“you. you could have killed her. lauri was supposed to teach you to control your temper. either you have not been meeting with her, or you are too stupid to learn anything from her.” without another word, janis pushed past ellie and disappeared into her hut.[/i]

crouched in a treetop near her village, ellie snapped herself out of her memories. talking with janis about that day had put it back in her mind. and she didn’t like it. and this was not the time to be lost in memories. ellie’s job was to sit in this tree and await the arrival of the centaurs. once they were there, she would attack, then lure them to rondex’s village, where the amazons would surround them.

so far, the plan was working perfectly. queen eglise had quickly moved all the amazons to rondex’s village. the weapons hut had been completely emptied. all the torches in the village were put out. the trap was set. now it just had to be sprung.

the moon was climbing high in the sky. the stars shone brightly. but not brightly enough to light up the ground. the village was pitch dark. the only sounds were owls and other nighttime creatures. ellie was just starting to get impatient when she heard the hoof beats. she took out her bow as quietly as she could, then watched the large group of centaurs rush into the village, their weapons drawn. they looked around, and ellie felt their confusion. ellie grinned. she was used to shooting things in the dark. she didn’t need torches to see her targets. she shot the weapons out of the hands of two centaurs before the others even realized she was there. but then they saw her. she quickly replaced her bow on her back. she then jumped from tree to tree towards rondex’s village, and the enraged centaurs chased after her, shooting arrows into the trees. in the darkness, they couldn’t see well enough to hit ellie even once.

when she reached rondex’s village, ellie jumped from the tree to the ground. she ran to the middle of the village, the centaurs right behind her. before she could give the order to attack, ellie took an arrow in the back and fell face first to the ground.





notes: in the flashback portion of this post, ellie is 18, and ava is 19. ellie didn't yet have the black sai, and she and ava were not yet lovers.

[moonglum]

Jason recognised the signs straight away. Five men entered the tavern. As the door opened, he had the impression they were all together, but as they stepped over the threshold they separated into two groups. Two men sat on the other side of the door from the soldiers, while the other three, sat down on the same side of the room at the next table to them. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the taverner step slowly away from his table and slip behind the curtain. Jason’s hand slowly closed around his jug of wine and he raised it to his lips. At the same time he leant his head back against the wall and partially closed his eyes. Feigning stupor, he let the pot fall from his grasp and lolled his head to one side. His right hand had slipped under his coat and closed around the handle of his needle-gun. He waited.

[Awesome Aphrodite]

I saw Ellie leap down from the tree and rush toward the middle of the abandoned village. I had hidden the scroll in the village of the Amazons before joining them in the trap they had set for the centaurs. I had stayed in my wolf form, and I was ready to rip some centaurs to pieces. Before Ellie reached the middle of the village, she took an arrow in the back and fell face first into the dirt. I rushed out of where I had been hiding, Omri right behind me.

The centaur who had shot Ellie was running up to her, his sword drawn. I bit into his back left leg as hard as I could, and he cried out in pain. Omri stood between the centaur and Ellie, his teeth bared, the fur on his spine standing on end. The centaur tried to kick me off, but I held him too tightly.

The Amazons must have taken our attack as the cue to attack, because they all leapt from their hiding places with their weapons drawn. Queen Eglise attacked the centaur I had been biting. I released him and rushed to Ellie’s side. She was unconscious. I smelled poison on the arrow in her back. Omri looked at her and whimpered. He bit the arrow in her back, and pulled it out. He then gently picked up her left wrist in his mouth, and put her hand, palm down, on top of the wound in her back. It glowed, and Ellie groaned. She rolled over and looked at him. She shook her head, and I could see the disbelief in her eyes.

“Omri…?”

Omri seemed to smile at Ellie. Then he took off after a centaur, snarling, his teeth bared. Ellie shook her head again, then stood up. She drew her sai from her boots and joined the battle. I shook my head, still not believing what that wolf had just done. A centaur almost stepped on me, which snapped me out of my thoughts. I bit the leg that was in front of my face, and watched an Amazon stab the centaur through the stomach.

[EllieNeo]

…in pain, distraught, and exhausted, ellie misjudged the last jump. she landed wrong, and she felt her left leg shatter when she hit the ground. her rag shirt came completely off and her bow and quiver went flying as she slid to a stop, face down, at rondex’s feet. ava leapt from rondex’s back and hurried to ellie’s side. three arrows were stuck in her all-but-bare back, two in her right leg, and one in her right arm. several more had grazed her skin, leaving it scratched and bleeding. the wild centaurs appeared at the entrance to the village. ava picked ellie up over her back and ran with her to the medical hut, despite the shout of her mother to “ATTACK!”

ava placed ellie gently on a medical bunk, face down. carefully, she began to remove the arrows. ellie cried out in pain. ava brought bandages and ointments to ellie’s side, and tended to her wounds. there was a faint green glow as ellie’s scratched-up hands healed themselves. ellie didn’t care. tears streamed down her face.

“ellie. ellie, stay with me. come on.”

ava cleaned the wounds on ellie’s back as best as she could, then moved to the ones on her leg. ellie sobbed loudly, but not from the pain. ava lifted ellie’s hands and placed them on her back. the green glow healed ellie’s back, but then she yanked her hands away. when ava tried to put ellie’s hands on the wounds on her leg, ellie wouldn’t let her.

ava knelt down and looked into ellie’s green eyes.

“ellie…”

ellie shook her head and closed her eyes tightly.

“…let me die.”

the intense emotion that radiated from ava made ellie open her eyes and look up at her. that emotion was so intense… yet ellie still couldn’t figure out what it was. ava shook her head and took ellie’s face in her hands.

“never.”

without another word, ava continued to treat ellie’s wounds with what was in the medical hut. ellie sat quietly and didn’t object. sleep overcame ellie, though if it was from the pain or from the exhaustion was unclear.

[EllieNeo]

when ellie awoke, she was still in pain. she felt ava’s presence, and that emotion again. damnit what was that emotion, and why couldn’t she place it? ellie wondered how long she had been out. she groaned and opened her eyes. she tried to sit up, which was a bad idea. she collapsed back down onto the bunk and tears fell from her eyes. ava knelt down in front of ellie and held her face in her hands.

“ellie. you have to heal yourself. you were passed out for over an hour, you’re still bleeding, and i can’t do anything else for you. please.”

ellie shook her head.

“nela is dead. she died because of me.”

ava shook her head.

“no. you didn’t kill nela.”

ellie forced herself to sit up on the bunk, despite the pain. ava sat next to her.

“lay back down, ellie… you’ll make it worse…”

ellie shook her head.

“nela is dead because of me. i heard that arrow, i could have leapt in front of it… caught it. done… something!” raising her voice hurt, and ellie coughed up dark red blood.

ava wrapped her arms around ellie.

“ellie… please.” tears streamed down ava’s face, and she spoke in greek. “you have to heal yourself. you could die if you don’t.”

ellie pushed ava’s arms off of her and laid back down. ava lay beside her. distraught, all ellie could do was sob and repeat herself.

“let me die.”

“NO![/b]” the intensity of ava’s voice shocked ellie.

ava suddenly grabbed ellie’s arms, forcing her hands to touch her wounds. ellie struggled against ava, but ava seemed to suddenly possess inhuman strength. again and again, the green glow appeared and ellie’s wounds vanished. when no more wounds remained on ellie’s body and ellie felt no more pain, ava released ellie’s arms and collapsed on the floor.

ellie stared in awe at ava, who was sitting on the floor and sobbing. slowly, ellie rose from the bunk and sat on the floor next to ava. ava hugged ellie close to her. ellie could find no words. she stroked ava’s hair, kissed the top of her head, and tried to calm her. when the sobbing had subsided, ava spoke in greek, in a whisper so low that ellie had to strain to hear her.

“i can’t lose you, ellie. i can’t.[/u]”

“shhhhhh. it’s ok.”

ellie stood, and ava stood with her. they hugged each other closely. ellie kissed the top of ava’s head once more before speaking.

“let’s just go home, ok?”[/i]


…ellie thought she felt ava’s hands clutching her wrist again, and raising her hand to her back. the pain subsided. ellie woke and rolled over, looking up into omri’s bright white eyes. had he just…?? ellie shook her head.

“omri...?”

he seemed to smile at her, and ellie could have sworn she saw him wink before he took off after a centaur. could omri be…?? ellie shook the thought from her head. drawing her sai, she joined the battle.




notes: in this flashback portion, as well as the one in flashback... part 1, ellie is 16 and ava is 17. they are best friends, but aren't lovers yet.

[moonglum]

When it began, it started fast. The two Greeks seated together began to argue, their argument escalated rapidly, as did the level of their voices. Suddenly, benches crashed backwards and they were at each others throats. The two soldiers watched with amusement at first, then got up to intervene. A bystander would have been engrossed in the diversion created, and would have been slow to see the three men, at the third table, draw their daggers and rush at the soldiers. The arguing pair then stopped, drew their daggers and turned on the soldiers. Out of the corner of his half-closed eyes, Jason saw the taverner slip from behind the curtain and edge along the wall, knife in hand, towards him.

Jason wasn’t quite sure who was surprised the most; the taverner, when Jason’s gun-hand whipped upward and shot him through the throat; the soldiers at finding themselves attacked from two sides in a narrow room, or the Greeks at seeing the door flung open and three women burst into the room.

[Scrappy Amazon]

“Better kill the engine now then.”

She turned the ignition all the way to the left and waited as Phalon dismounted. She could tell by the small extra step that she still wasn’t used to getting on and off the bike. “You’d think,” Scrappy mumbled to herself “with all the horses she’s ridden she’d be better at the dismount.”

Shaking her head Scrappy turned to Phalon. “We can’t just leave my bike out here in the middle of the road. Help me get it over there behind those trees so we can cover it up.” Scrappy used the toe of her boot to lift up on the bikes gear pedal and put it in neutral then quickly dismounted as well. With Phalon’s help they managed to get the bike safely wedged between two large trees.

Scrappy stood back to survey the hiding place. “Wish I had a machete.” She said to no one in particular.

“What’s a Mashed Eddie? Sounds painful.”

“What? Not a Mashed....”

Phalon interrupted with a grin and a chuckle. “I know. I know.” She grinned eve bigger. “It’s going to be fun teaching you Greek.”

“Yeah. Yeah.” Scrappy rolled her eyes. “Think you can use your sword to gather up some branches and ferns so we can completely cover this thing up?”

“Of course.” Still grinning Phalon pulled her sword and began whacking away at some neighboring underbrush.

Turning back to her bike Scrappy unzipped one of the saddle bags and began looking through it. “I better grab some things before we cover it up.” She thought to herself.

Scrappy pulled her long leather duster out of the bag first. “Man am I glad I kept everything packed after we got back from that weird motel.” Scrappy removed her shorter riding jacket, folded it up and carefully stowed it in the other bag. Rifling around some more she discovered an extra clip for her 9mm. After she put her duster on Scrappy crammed the extra clip in her hip pocket and made sure her weapon was secure behind the waist band of her jeans. At this point she didn’t feel like messing with the shoulder holster.

Phalon had finished gathering her forest bounty and began covering the bike with branches and fern clippings. When they were both satisfied that the bike wouldn’t be found by anyone but the most determined Phalon turned back toward the path. “Let’s go. Aphemenie is anxious.”

“Hang on, give me just a another minute.”

[Scrappy Amazon]

“Hang on, give me just a another minute. I want to tie up my hair. Who knows what we will be walking into and I want to be prepared.”

“Yes yes, gods forbid you should be having a bad hair day.”

Scrappy couldn’t help but laugh. She removed her gloves and slapped them together to remove any perceived dirt then stuffed them in her back pocket. Her gloves were her life. They protected her. From everything and everyone. But she had no fear of getting impressions from herself. She ran her hands through her long blonde hair attempting to remove the major tangles then began to twist it into a long braid.

Scrappy let her mind wander back to that house. Most things were fuzzy but this memory was loud and clear.

"This has been one hell of a night.” she thought.” I haven’t even had dinner and I’ve been here, how long now? Oh well.” She watched as Guru stood warily and Phalon relaxed her grip a bit. This one was very perceptive. Scrappy didn’t trust Guru, but, then how could she trust a dead woman either. Each had their own motives. Their own agendas. She and Phalon would have to have a private talk soon. She may be dead but she felt comfortable, familiar, trustworthy. Soon, over dinner she would get some explanations from these people, and then she would get the truth from Phalon.

Scrappy watched without fear as Phalon crossed the room and gently put a blue tinged hand on her shoulder. Scrappy waited for the inevitable pain. “What is going on in this place?” effortlessly entered her mind. Scrappy took a moment to notice the difference. No pain. Only a light tingling coursed up her spine….

She spent most of her life avoiding people. Avoiding feeling anything. Literally and metaphorically. The gloves were like an old friend. Comfortable, trustworthy, safe. Without them she was vulnerable, open to outside influences she couldn’t control. Open to attack and injury she couldn’t prevent. It was all about control. Control your power or die. Her life from years before had taught her that. All too well. Wear the gloves and keep people at bay or get hurt.

But she knew she could trust Phalon. It had taken some work, and some pain and almost tears but Phalon was her duty and her family. And most importantly, she was her friend. She wouldn’t abandon that. They had a bond that went deeper than just ancestry. They had fought together and bled together. Whatever happened, Scrappy would have her back. They had made it somehow through that monstrous house. Could anything they faced in Greece top that?

“Don’t ask Scrappy.” She said to herself. “You never know about things.”

When her hair was sufficiently wrangled she fished around in one of her front pockets to find something to tie it up with. She almost ALWAYS had something. Even a small piece of leather thong. Her ungloved hand lit on something soft and silky. Suddenly Scrappy got a flash. Her eyes closed, she breathed deeply trying to control the pain. Shiny blonde hair and soft blue eyes flashed through her mind in a whirl. Scrappy shut it down as fast as she could trying to keep the vision from taking control.

When she pulled her hand out of her pocket she saw a thin red ribbon wrapped around two fingers. Scrappy sighed heavily and wrapped the precious memory around the end of her braid several times then tied it in a tight knot.

Phalon pulled Scrappy out of her reverie by tapping her on the shoulder. “You dropped this.” She handed Scrappy one of her gloves. “Ribbons? How festive! They suit you.”

“Don’t make fun. It was Dixie’s and it’s the only thing I seem to have to tie it with.”

Phalon read the change on Scrappy’s face “Sorry Scrap, I didn’t mean anything by it.” She moved a few steps farther up the path to give Scrappy some space.

Scrappy pulled on her gloves and followed. She put a hand on Phalon’s shoulder. “No I’m sorry. It’s just that everything’s been such a blur you know. I don’t know how long we’ve been gone from the house and I don’t even know if Dixie is alive or dead. I don’t feel that connection to her like I did before. I know you’re happy to be home but I have to find out what happened before I can be happy too.”

“I’m sorry Scrap. I know how you feel. While I was in that house all I wanted was to get home. And now I’m here and you’re in the same position I was. We’ll find out what happened to Dixie and then we’ll figure out how to get you back to your home. I know it. I promise.”

“You misunderstand me. I had no real home back there. My family is all dead and I had no real place I could go back to and call ‘home’. So as far as I’m concerned, home is where you are. You’re my family and my friend. I just need to know what happened to Dixie before I can be comfortable moving on.”

“Well I think we’ll get those answers from Jason. We just have to go and find him.”

“Right, let’s get a move on then.”

The forest ended abruptly as they topped a small hill. Ahead of them, spread out like an emerald blanket was a meadow dotted with tiny yellow flowers. And just beyond the meadow, accentuated by a slate cliff, was the ocean.

[EllieNeo]

the amazons were winning. several centaurs lay dead, and many more were wounded. ellie was engaged in a vicious sai vs. sword fight when she heard the voice of one of the centaurs above the sounds of the battle.

“there’s the sorceress! KILL HER!”

ellie stabbed the centaur she had been fighting in the knee and kicked his sword away. he fell to the ground in agony. ellie turned, and saw lauri pinned against a hut, surrounded by three very large centaurs. her staff had been split in half and was lying on the ground in front of her. she was shooting fireballs at them, which ellie knew she could do but had never seen. but they kept dodging them and advancing on her. ellie whistled, and omri ran up to her. his mouth was covered in blood. ellie pointed to the largest centaur attacking lauri.

“sic em.”

omri took off like a shot, and ellie followed him. as omri leapt from the ground onto the centaur’s back, ellie attacked one of the other centaurs that had cornered lauri. lauri smiled, and shot a fireball directly at the chest of the third centaur. he caught fire, and ran off, trying to put himself out. the centaur omri had attacked lay on the ground in agony, clutching the spot his right arm had been. lauri shot another fireball at the centaur ellie had attacked, and he fell to the ground, screaming, trying to put the fire out. ellie nodded at lauri, who nodded back, and the two rejoined the rest of the amazons in the battle.

[vox]

Aphemenie landed gently. “Now let’s go find Scrappy and Phalon” she thought to herself. She didn’t have long before she came across them as they were busy trying to hide the ‘metal machine’ that Scrappy fondly calls ‘her bike’, “can I help?.....” she asked. Scrappy motioned towards the trees, Aphemenie didn’t need to wait for an answer as she had read Scrappy’s mind. She quickly unsheathed her dagger and began lopping off branches to cover up the ‘bike’.

Whilst helping, Aphemenie wondered what the hell she was doing here, but the strong feeling of protection towards Jason and now Phalon and Scrappy overwhelmed any other feelings she may have had. She was now willing to show her true colours in order keep them all from harm. After the bike was concealed to their satisfaction, they began on their journey towards the coast. Aphemenie turned to Phalon and said “ Phalon, I wish to thank you for not giving me away to the others when we were all in the clearing” Phalon chuckled, as she, remembered the signal that Aphemenie had given her just before she flew off. “No problem, I like a little mystery myself” answered Phalon. She turned to Scrappy and said “and also a huge big thank you to you too Scrappy”. Scrappy acknowledged the thanks and said to Aphemenie “tell me, just why are you trying to help Jason and Letitia?” Scrappy was known for not ‘mincing her words’ and coming straight to the point.

Aphemenie immediately felt at ease and felt that she could talk to the both of them. She said “I come from a peaceful race, we do not condone war, but at the same time, we have the abilities to defend ourselves and to help others, by using our abilities, if needed” Phalon was intrigued by that remark. “Can I ask what your abilities are besides the ones that we are already aware of?”
Aphemenie said that she would rather not divulge her ‘other’ abilities as it would spoil the element of surprise, should she use them. Scrappy asked, “are there many of your race?” Aphemenie said “ there are about fifty of us in our village, I do not know if there are more of us in other villages, in other planes of existence”, she then went on to say “ I have only memories of the ‘here and now’, but things are slowly coming back to me” “whilst I was watching you all in the clearing, I had a name come to mind, the name of Mervina, I now understand that I am a distant descendant of a dragon, which would explain how I can ‘breath fire” As they continued on their way, Aphmenie recounted her talk with Goranje the ‘elder’.

[Phalon]

Aphemenie was a descendent of the dragons?! She could breathe fire, and, and....other things she was not willing to devulge to them yet. Her appearance gave nothing away; she had no claws, razor sharp teeth, scales, or any other characteristics which Phalon normally associated with dragons...except her wings, of course. They appeared fine and delicate, and Phalon suddenly had an urge to reach out and touch them.

For a moment, she almost envied Aphemenie. She’d always imagined what it’d be like to able to fly; the feeling of freedom must be amazing. As a child, she’d dreamed it a million times….she’d fly over the town, glide high above the trees, out over the cliffs, feeling for just a moment as if she’d plummet to her death on the rocks below, but no…instead she’d soar up, up, up over the blue waters of the….

“The sea!!!!” Phalon inhaled sharply. “Scrappy, do you see it?!” She grabbed Scrappy’s arm excitedly as they crested the hill and looked down over a meadow to the sea beyond.

Scrappy smiled. “Yes, yes, Phalon, I see it.” She laughed, almost in spite of herself. Phalon’s child-like excitement was contagious. It looked as if she’d burst at the seams with it. Although they had urgent matters to attend, they took a brief moment to drink in the scene, and inhale mix of the sweet-scented meadow mingling with the salty air.

Phalon was at home in the forest; her adult life had been nomadic, and much of it was spent traveling through forests such as the one they’d just left. But the sea was her home. She’d grown up next to it. It was a part of her, and it always would be. Not a day went by in that demonic house that she did not dream of returning to Greece, and the sea that surrounded it.

They started down the path through the meadow, the tiny flowers swaying in the sea breeze. Torch lights from the fishing docks in the town below shone on the water, dancing in the gentle waves. There was a lightness in their step that did not reflect what possibly lay ahead of them in the Inn once they reached the small seaside town.

The town was quiet when they arrived. Small houses, one nearly stacked on top of another, lined the streets. The warm glow from candles lit within gave the three woman enough light to see by. The stalls in the marketplace were empty for the night, the vendors gone home to their families, or perhaps alone to reflect their lot in life. In the morning though, the stalls would be filled again, and empty streets would be bustling with people, bartering for fruits, vegetables, fresh fish, dried meats, and staples needed to get them through another week. There’d be more than just the necessities though – there would be those vendors that specialized in trinkets, and those that fancied themselves apothecaries, selling herbs and potions promising to cure love-sickness, lift curses, and ease stomach pain all in the same dose. Most of these potions were nothing more than snake oils, promising everything, but delivering nothing.

Phalon loved the marketplace, and she was a bit disappointed they’d arrived after it closed. There was excitement in the market – and not the kind of excitement that included sword wielding demons, or charging centaurs. It was a place for all the senses – the smells, sights, tastes….and touch. As much as she loved it, she used caution there; too much jostling left her senses flooded with a jumble of visions from other people’s lives.

That risk was one she could bear though. She hoped they’d have a chance tomorrow to browse the stalls. She needed to replenish her herb supply with those not readily available in the wild. They’d need a cooking pot too, and other traveling supplies essential if they were ever going to make it to the larger port of Piraeus, which was just one more stop before Phalon could head home. All those things which she normally kept in her saddlebags were lost when she’d left so abruptly.

They passed a storefront with a neatly printed sign announcing “General Goods”. Phalon imagined the inside to be much like the shop her family owned. Herbs would hang from the rafters over wooden bins filled with nuts, and dried fruits. Shelves were lined with bottles of fine olive oils, wines; others would contain silks and linens, candles, incense, and tins of scented soaps. Although the shop was dark now, the family living quarters to the rear of the building, beyond the public’s view, would be alive with warmth and laughter.

This was not her family’s shop, of course, and this town that wasn’t the place where she grew up. But the sea was near, the sights and smells were familiar, and that feeling of belonging that she missed had returned. Phalon finally felt as if she was truly home.

“The Inn is just around this corner”, Aphemenie pointed. She then stopped, and tucking her thick, red hair behind her ear, listened intently. In the stillness of the night, the noises of town’s inhabitants living their lives where faintly audible from behind the walls of their houses. Aphemenie heard something more though. “It sounds as if a fight has broke out in the Inn’s tavern”, she whispered.

As they quietly rounded the corner, and crept closer, it was obvious it wasn’t just a couple of drunken men arguing in an alcohol-induced stupor. The noise level had risen, and the fight was full-fledged by the time they reached the tavern door. When a chair flew through the window out into the night, and narrowly missed Scrappy, all three women drew their weapons.

Sword, dagger, and gun were poised and ready. Phalon sighed. “Welcome home”, she muttered to herself as they burst through the door.

[vox]

By the sounds that greeted them, there was quite a fight going on, which momentarily stopped when they saw the three women enter. A quick glance around the Tavern, “This is going to shock them” thought Aphemenie, “ I am willing to bet that they think we, as women, are incapable of defending ourselves”. Then what she did next came as a complete surprise to her fellow travellers, she opened her mouth and spewed out a swarm of locusts.

[Phalon]

Locusts! Phalon stared in disbelief at the swarm that left Aphemenie’s mouth, her own mouth hanging open. She quickly closed it tight, lest the one or more of the creatures found their way into it. This was one of the winged woman’s abilities she wished she had been warned of – bugs! Anything but bugs! She’d fought the Romans, done battle with a demon, even waged war with a raging storm of Evil, fighting side-by-side with the Amazons. She’d tangled with the gods, and faced whatever threats they threw towards her friends and family without flinching. But flying insects! Phalon hated them! She covered her ears to the incessant din of locust wings that filled the room, and cringed at the thought of their sticky legs crawling on her, and their mandibles constantly chewing everything in sight in a never-ending attempt to fill their insatiable appetites.

As a house cat will instinctively seek out the one person in a room who is most afraid of felines, a locust sought out Phalon and alit on her shoulder. A chill went up the back of her neck as she sensed it there, rather than felt it. Slowly she glanced down to see it mockingly wiggling its antennae at her. As if she were frozen, she stood motionless as it crawled up her neck, and burrowed into her long hair.

“SCRAPPY!!!!” she screamed. “Get-it-out, get-it-out, get-it-out!!!!”

“Whaaaaat?” Scrappy yelled back, trying to hear over the noise of the swarm.

“THERE’S – A – BUG – IN – MY – HAIR!! GET IT OUT NOW!!!”

Feeling it start to crawl deeper into her hair brought Phalon out of her frozen state and set her to motion. She batted at it with one hand, and swung her sword above her head with the other in an attempt to ward of any of its brethren from joining it in its new found shelter.

“Damn it, Phalon! Hold still! I can’t get it out while you’re flailing around like a lunatic!”

Scrappy chased after Phalon as she danced across the room, trying to rid her hair of the locust. Phalon caught Jason’s eyes in passing. It didn’t take but a quick glance to read the bewildered expression on his face: It’s no wonder they couldn’t rid the Whoosher House and themselves of the demon. These women couldn’t fight their way out of a paper sack!

Phalon’s sword struck the rough-hewn wooden chandelier above, upsetting the lanterns placed on it. Hot oil spilled down on the heads of two soldiers creeping up behind her. Eyes burning, one of the soldiers struck out blindly with his own sword. He missed his intended mark – Phalon - and rammed the sword into the belly of his comrade instead. The comrade, blinded and now mortally wounded, used the last of his strength to lash out at his unseen attacker. The two fell to the floor in unison, each of them dead by the hands of the other.

“Aphemenie! Call it off!” Phalon screamed.

“It’s not as if it’s a pet, Phalon. I can’t call them home for supper.”

Still wildly swinging her sword, Phalon narrowly missed Scrappy’s head, causing Scrappy to quickly back into one of the long, heavy tables in the room. The table overturned, momentarily pinning three advancing soldiers beneath it, splattering the table’s contents on top of them. Now covered in food and drink, the locusts swarmed the men as flies swarm to honey. The soldiers’ faces became moving masses of hungry insects. (What then took place is best left to the imagination.)

Scrappy fired a quick burst from her 9mm into the air, effectively quieting the room. Even Phalon stopped moving long enough for Scrappy to slap her in the back of her head.

“OUCH! What’d you do that for?”

“Got it”, replied Scrappy.

“You squished it?!! In my HAIR?! Oh, ick, ick, ick, ick, ick!”

The remaining Greeks in the tavern stood confused and afraid, thinking some type of ritual had been performed intended to bring upon them the curses of pestilence and plague. The English the women spoke was foreign and strange to them, and sounded like chants of pure gibberish – the language of demons! The flailing movements of Scrappy and Phalon appeared as a wild swirling dance of the insane, confirming the women were indeed possessed by the Furies. Or they could be the Furies themselves, sent by the gods to drive the men mad. For surely the scene that had played out before them was one true of madness.

They quickly made their retreat, nearly tripping over each in their haste to reach the door. Aphemenie flew across the room, and beat them to it. She stood in the doorway, barring their exit. “Breathe a word of what you’ve seen to anyone”, she threatened, “and you’ll have me breathing down your necks for the remainder of your paltry existences.” With each word she spoke, she breathed a puff of smoke which curled in tendrils around her flaming red hair. She emphasized her point by emitting from her mouth an eruption of fire aimed at their feet. It was on smoldering heels the men ran from the tavern, never once glancing back.

(Returning to work on the docks the following morning, none of the men spoke of what had happened, except to comment the tavern keep must have served them up a bad batch of mead.)

After the men left, Aphemenie then drew in a large breath, and swallowed the rush of locusts which swarmed back into her mouth.

“I thought you said you couldn’t…”, Phalon said, staring at Aphemenie through narrowed eyes.

“We weren’t quite done yet”, Aphemenie explained with a sheepish smile.

“I think it went well”, Phalon said surveying the aftermath in the room. She plucked the squashed locust from her hair, and threw it on the floor.

“Everything according to plan”, Scrappy agreed, stomping on the dead bug with her boot heel, just be make sure it was actually dead.

“The method was a bit unusual perhaps, but it got the job done”, Aphemenie added, landing beside Phalon and Scrappy.

The three women turned to Jason, the only man left standing in the room. His expression was still one of bewilderment, dumbfounded at what he just witnessed. He opened his mouth to speak, and thinking better of what he intended to say, closed it again. Or perhaps, being the skilled warrior that he was, he didn’t quite know what to say, never having seen such a seemingly haphazard display of clumsy foolishness….and one that produced such effective results. Instead, he just sighed.

“Now that that’s all taken care of”, Aphemenie said to Jason, “I’ve brought help. Where’s Letitia?”

[Joxcenia]

Trenna dropped the buck off with the Hospice she came across in the past days journey to greet the sun. In return the Hospice fed her and gave her a bed for the night. The next morning she helped with the chores, and accompanied a group as they went into the village for supplies.

The market place was a huge hive of activity, with swarms of customers milling about from shop to shop, gathering up their needs for the day. Such large crowds made Trenna uncomfortable. She preferred small groups, and truly enjoyed when she had time alone to herself.

If she knew this about herself, why did she not know who she was or where she had come from? And as much as she did enjoy being alone, why did she long to be reunited with people she couldn’t remember? And why was she dreaming about leeches and wallowing in the mud? Was she being cursed for past indiscretions? Maybe she should take this opportunity to start over. To become the person she should have been, but circumstances had prevented it.

It was decided then and there, Trenna would abandon her guest to have Apollo help her find her past home and family, and instead she would find a future home and family. And she would start that quest here and now. Perhaps this would be her destiny: this Hospice and this village.