Lady Kassandra the CyberKnight chapter 1214

by Charisma Belle

More from my rpg character's background, though from here it is the story pulled from notes taken during the games our gm ran, and damage actually taken. Kass meets Doc Holiday, the gm's character ,and the rather annoying Luke, who our gm used as a npc.

The diary of Kassandra Starr the Cyber-Knight.

Part 2 Chapters 12-14

Part II

Chapter 12

For the last few days I have traveled alone, afraid to stop and make camp, fearing something coming and getting me in my sleep, instead I fight how tired I am and keep going, glad it's so cold now, for the bitterness in the breeze helps keep me awake.

No wonder Alex prefers his hover cycle over a horse it would be a shorter ride with a cycle, maybe I should look into trading up?

I get to the first town sense I left the academy, it's a town I have been to before, only Darius isn't here with me, neither is Alex. I can't help but wonder where Alex is and wish I could be there with him that I could start my adventuring with him not alone like this, but I don't even know where he is.

I go up to the Inn, it's still day light but I don't care; I'm beyond tired at this point. I don't even bother with a shower at first; I just fall down into the bed and fall asleep for a few hours before getting up and stripping off my clothes and stepping into the warmth of a shower and clean clothes. Once clean I go down to the local Tavern, called Moe's Tavern and Grill, and I go in and sit down at the bar alone after giving my order to the keep.

Than some man comes and sits next to me and I pay no attention until he start to speak to me.

"Hay good looking," he says, he is a wiry looking man who smells as if his last bathe was a few weeks before.

I look toward him and roll my eyes.

"Sorry," I said.

He smiles my way showing a missing tooth and I try to hide a laugh, as I also notice that this man has one bleu eye and one brown one.

"Where you headed," he asks with a wink?

"home," I say for that's the only place I can think of going, home to see mama, to show her I'm alive and ok, to show her all I have accomplished so far and to ask her about my father. I figure she is the only one who can actually answer the questions I have in my heart.

"Hay keep get the woman here another drink will ya," the man said that he turns back to me, "so where is home?"

"Coalition territory, Missouri," I say as the bar keeper gets me another drink and why I don't know but I drink it, maybe I'm just hungry for human contact, someone to talk to, besides this man isn't a threat to me.

I drink inside to myself, for while I am still sad to be leaving the academy already I'm also proud of myself too, of my successes.

I sit and talk to the man a little more than pay my bill and tried to excuse myself politely.

"Well I think I will be heading up now," I said and he stepped a little closer to me now that I am standing. "I got a long trip ahead of me, but thank you for the conversation."

"How about a little more company," he asks and I can't help myself, I laugh a little.

"I'm sorry," I said, "but no, my heart belongs to another."

Then I walk away hearing him complaining about me and I shrug it off and go back up to my room for a day and a half of sleep.

I rise the day after the next one with the sun and I'm a little surprised at myself for sleeping so long, than I shower and dress again and head down with my bag for one more meal before I head out again.

That's the way it goes for over a month, I get to a town and I sleep and eat and I head out again into the cold to continue traveling east into the cold stormy weather. On the road I try with everything in me to not stop or sleep, though a few times I did stop and make myself a nice fire for my horse and I to warm up next to.

"you would tell me if you saw something coming, right," I asked her as if she could speak," yeah that's what I thought, you're a horse not a person, you can't speak."

Another town I am actually snowed in a few days with my horse in the barn.

It's a small place, nearly as small as Still Water, the Tavern and Inn in one with only three rooms to rent out. The keep of the tavern and inn is an older, plump looking woman with dark hair that looks like it were colored that way on purpose. She keeps it pulled up tightly in a bun with a few curls hanging down and a dress that looks like she thinks she is headed to a grand occasion. The inn is called Marguerites, and that is the woman's name, Marguerite.

There are a few children in the town and I sit by the fire one night, much like that woman had years ago back home, and I tell them the story of how the world came to be, according to my faith, how the sky was born, the stars, the oceans, and they sit there listening as if they believe.

Marguerite has a son a few years older than me, a shy looking man who don't talk much. I see him looking my way often but he don't ever speak to me and I don't know just why, he isn't an odd looking man, in fact he is a rather attractive looking man, with wide shoulders and thick blond hair, green eyes that to me look kind.

"That was a nice thing you did for the children," Marguerite tells me as I sit down at the bar and she pours me some hot coffee. "I'm sure they don't get that type of attention from one like you often."

"it was nothing," I said, "when I was young adventuring types did the same for me, showed me there could be a whole world out there, bigger than the one they see every day. It gave me something to hope for I guess."

"I suppose we all need that," she says.

"That we do," I say as I drink.

"If you don't mind my saying it, I think you would be a wonderful mother," she says and I almost choke on my coffee, "no I'm serious, you have a wonderful patience with the children, and I know a very nice young man who I've seen watching you over the last few days, you and my son would make a perfect couple, I know you would make beautiful children."

"Oh wow," I said looking up at her in shock, "um I don't, I mean I'm sure Jordan, that's his name right, I'm sure he is a very nice man and all but I aint cut out for that life I'm sorry."

"Oh nonsense," she says.

"No ma'am, it aint in my cards, I'm sorry," I said, "I trained too long and too hard for that, besides I already got a guy in my mind, I'm sorry."

I end up back up in my room sleeping, but only after I check the door for the third time to be sure it is locked. Why I think that woman would try to trick me into marring her son I don't know but stupider things have happened in my life.

Come morning, despite the cold and the snow, I am off again.

Back on the road I stop in another town and realize that though I had intended to go home I have avoided that direction a few times and I don't know why.

I head into the local tavern in hopes of finding some kind of work for now, as I realize just how much Darius took care of me when we traveled. Oh I'm not broke yet, I got some credit, but if I don't find a way of making some more soon I will be broke sooner than I want to think it.

I head into the bar of an inn looking for a room and a hot shower, or as hot of one as I can get for its cold enough out there that I feel it even. It's an old western feeling town and in one corner there are four men playing cards while others are drinking.

"How may I help you miss," a middle ages man asks, I assume he is the bar keeper for he is wearing a uniform looking out fit for just that.

"I was looking for a room and a shower," I say.

"I got a few of those," he says and I give him my credit and head up to shower the way I had intended to.

After I feel human again I head back down to the small bar looking for a drink to warm my insides and something to eat.

The four in the corner are still playing when I sit down at the bar.

"Well ma'am, now what can I get you," the keep asks and I smile.

"Food and something to drink," I say.

"What you got in mind," he asks.

"Whatever is most convenient and aint trail mix," I say and he laughs.

"Been on the road long," he asks as he pours a shot of whisky in to a glass for me.

"Few months now," I say.

"Awful cold out there," he says

"You said it," I say.

The keep walks away to get me some food and over in the corner I over hear an argument between the men.

"You're a cheat Doc Holiday and one day I'll prove it," one of the men practically yells at another player, who is dressed significantly better than the other three are. Then he stumbles out of the bar and it's more than apparent he is rather drunk.

"I'm done for it too Doc," another says as he gets up and leaves.

"Well you can't play with just two," the third says as he sets his cards down and gets up, "it was nice playing with you though Doc, don't worry about Bob, you know how he gets when he drinks."

"Yeah I do," this Doc guy says as he gets up, but he doesn't leave, he heads over to the bar and sits a few feet away from me.

This Doc is tall, not like Darius tall but still, he has dark brown hair that is rather neatly cut and placed, I was right at first glance about his dress too, a clean looking, and pressed, white dress shirt and black suit to go with it. He looked the picture of a gentleman, the only thing I don't get is the cane he walks with, I can't see why he would need it at all, the limp looks to me to be fake, though I'm sure other less observant folk might not notice that.

While I sit and eat I read some ads for help wanted around town but most look like nothing more than farm hand help, though I wouldn't mind it I would rather avoid it too.

Then I see the first of the poker players, the one who got all mad, I'm guessing his name is Bob, he comes in with another man who looks to me like kin, the two men argue in a moment than they head up to the bar together as folk who must know better get up and leave or stop talking as to not miss anything said.

Two agents one is never a good odds I think, than a third guy steps in and a fourth comes in to join them, four agents one are pretty bad odds I think.

"Doc did you cheat my brother," one of the men says, I assume by the grey that has invaded his brown hair he is the oldest of the men.

"I never cheated no one," this Doc guy says with a heavy old country accent, "I won fair and square, your little brother there needs to learn to pay more attention to his cards than his whisky when he plays."

All the while as this Doc speaks he don't look up, don't turn around nothing, he just keeps looking forward as if he aint got a care in the world.

I keep telling myself it is none of my business, but I also keep telling myself that four to one is a bad day, as I get up and move over closer to this Doc fellow more as if I were just trying to get a closer look at an ad on the bar.

I glance over at this Doc guy to try and assess the situation more, I mean I don't know just yet if this Doc is the good guy or the bad guy.

Doc smiles, he shows no sign of any nervousness, than again from what I understand it's called a poker face rule and means nothing really.

I do sense something from him, not evil, or magic, but Sonics maybe, like me maybe.

"I don't need any trouble in here," the keep says.

"We don't want no trouble either, just our brothers credit back," the older man says.

"Your brother lost it fairly," Doc says

"look at me when I talk to you boy," the older man yells at Doc, who rolls his eyes and I try not to laugh for something about this Doc guy is familiar, and I know already he has got to have an ace up his sleeve, pardon the cheap metaphor.

"Why don't you listen to the nice man behind the counter and take this outside before you break something," I say as I turn and look at the four men.

"This aint none of your concern Lady," the older man says.

"Oh she can sure make it her concern," one of the other men says and I wince a little, for none of these four brothers are pretty nor do they smell good at all.

"The only part of that statement you got right is the lady part," I say, "I highly suggest you take yourselves outside and handle yourselves as gentlemen not children."

The older of the men pulls a gun up pointing it at Doc and cocks it, yet still Doc don't seem to worry, not like I do, he slowly turns around and looks at the older man.

"I said I aint no cheat," Doc says, "Your brother is a sore loser, if he can't play the game he shouldn't sit down at the table."

The older man goes to hit Doc with the gun, but I'm faster and I catch it.

"I said take it outside, not in this man's place of business," he tries to pull the gun from my grip and can't, I roll my eyes to show that I aint even really trying either, I'm just stronger than he is. "Are you starting to get my point?"

"Yeah," the man says.

"Good," I say but I still don't let go of the gun, "sorry but I think it may be better if you pick this one up tomorrow from the bar, after you have cooled down some."

"Yeah," he says and he let the gun go as I set it down on the bar and the keep took it.

The four brothers leave the bar in a huff and I sit down as the keep pours me another shot.

"On the house ma'am," he says

"Thank you," I said.

"I could have handled that," Doc says.

"I don't doubt that," I said, "however the bar keep wanted the fight done so I ended it before it began and no one got hurt."

"Names Mathew Doc Holiday," he says as he extends his hand to me, "but most just calls me Doc."

"Lady Kassandra Starr," I say as I shake his hand, "so why is it they call you Doc?"

"Mostly cause I'm the fastest draw, like that old cow boy long ago, but I also studied to be a Doctor," He says.

"Really," I say.

"So why is it they call you Lady Kassandra," he teased in a way that reminded me of Darius.

"Because I have studied to be a cyber-knight for the past few years," I said

"Really," he says.

"Yep," I said, "just left the academy a couple months ago on my own. I guess it feels a little strange to be alone and all now."

"How long were you there," he asked.

"Just over two and a half years," I said knowing most stay much longer than I did and I know it sounds strange to anyone who knows better.

We sat and talked a while about basically nothing but I guess I was just starving for company in a way, someone who like me was an adventurer in a way, who understood what it was I was doing and did it too. I was getting the idea that my first instinct was right and this Doc was a good person after all, he sure was easy to talk to and be around and all. I don't think I laughed that hard sense before Alex left the academy.

We also realize we are going the same way.

Come morning I am showered and dressed, my things packed back up into the same bag I stole of pa's before I left home so long ago. I went down to the bar and ate some breakfast before going out and climbing up on my horse and all. Then I see Doc doing the same thing.

"You know I was thinking," Doc says to me, "these can be awful dangerous parts for a woman traveling alone or a Lady even."

"Oh," I said, "what makes you think I can't handle it,"

"Never said that," he says, "though I got to wonder about a woman who is traveling around without armor."

I laugh, "I hold my own I promise you that," I say.

"I was just saying is all?"

"Ok, so what do you suggest?"

"I was just thinking that there are safety in numbers and all," he said.

"That there are,"

"What do you say we ride together a while," he says, "we can watch each other's backs, and we are going the same way, it only makes sense."

"Ok," I said.

I am once again on the road again though it would seem I made a friend in Doc. As we ride he asks me a few questions about myself and I only partly answer not really giving too much information about me and I don't know why really. I find myself lying to him about my family, my heritage, referring to pa, the coalition officer, as if he were my father and not just the monster that lived in my mother's home, not my real father, the god. Then again I still don't really know how to explain the unexplainable anyhow? I find myself remembering what I asked Athena about how others would treat me and how she said they may fear me, awe me, or just not believe and I don't know just yet which one Doc would be or if I would be comfortable with either of them.

After a few days on the road, the sun finally begins to shine, not that it got any warmer, only that it didn't look as grim out, at least the wind had stopped. We come across a few rustlers dressed in cowboy wear, like from some old western movie, with the frilly colored ascot and everything, who come up on us and point guns at us.

"Give over your valuables and we won't kill ya," one of them says

"Your horses too," another says.

These three look as if they have been doing this a while, to small caverns maybe, but they aren't smart enough to see the difference between some poor travelers going for supplies, and hero's type who can handle themselves.

"Who us," I asked looking over at Doc, "I think they mean us."

"No, they can't mean us, that would be just stupid of them," Doc says.

"Well ignorance is bliss, and look how happy they look," I say.

"Who you calling stupid," the first one said, "and get off your horse before I fill you full of holes."

Like the man said I got off my horse and looked at him, I'm sure that these nice men don't realize what they have just stepped into, than again nether does Doc.

But Doc don't move, he refuses to and faster than I have ever seen any man, save for Hermes, move as fast as Doc did when two of the three men pointed there cocked guns his way, he already had two guns in his hands and pointed at them both. The guns he carries looks different than any I have ever seen before.

I summon my psi-sword and cut the ammo clip from one of the guns so he can't use it.

"Evens the odds a bit don't you think," I say and his eyes bulge a bit. "What we said it was stupid didn't we?"

He is obviously angry and he punches me in the face only to get a wicked surprise, a hurt hand. As Doc shoots the other two to disarm them but not kill them, as a trained Doctor I guess he knows what he is doing.

"You have got to be kidding me," I said as I touched my face, his punch wasn't even strong enough to move my head.

"stand down boy, see to your friends there and live," Doc tells the one who hit me, "or you can continue this fight here and you can all die here today it's up to you now."

Out of the corner of my eye I can see Doc is ready to shoot this man, and more than willing to also, but the man lowers his gun and drops it into the snow.

"Now I strongly suggest the three of you find yourself a new profession, and an honest one at that." I say as I get back up on my horse.

"Yes ma'am," one says.

"I mean that," I say, "I come this way again and you try that foolishness on me and I will kill you without a second thought."

We ride a few hundred feet than Doc slows down some.

"What's wrong," I ask him as he rides a little closer to me and touches my chin, lifting it and looking at my face in the sun light.

"Doc," I say.

"Nothing," he says with that skeptical look he gives, "that was just a pretty good hit is all; I was just making sure you were ok, is all."

"I'm fine," I said, "believing me I have been hit harder than that before."

He looks again, "ok, if you say so," he says and he lets go of my face and starts riding on and I follow him.

We ride on closer to Coalition Territory and it's a little more unnerving than I would have ever realized it would be. Doc doesn't say anything else about the fight and I'm glad in a way because I rather not start explaining nothing, than again I know very well I will eventually get hurt and have to have that conversation, or tell him something, I don't know just what yet, I guess I'll figure that out when the time comes.

At least it has warmed enough that the snow has begun to melt some.

We finally get to a town and head over to the Inn for some rooms and to see about food.

"I'm heading up for a shower first," I tell him and he looks at me, "what, it's something I do ok, I get to a town and I shower, I get clean clothes, than I eat. I know I'm strange and all but it's something I do."

"Sounds like a psychosis to me," Doc said.

"Believe me there are more where that comes from," I tell him with a wink and a grin than I head up to my room to undress and shower and change like I said I was going to do, pulling my hair back into a braid.

I meet Doc in the tavern and order up some grub. I don't think our food had been there more than ten minutes before a little girl came running in to another man at the bar crying about something no one understood really.

"Now calm down some hear me, I can't understand a word you saying," the man finally says out of frustration and I'm guessing it's her father.

"there are men in armor daddy," she cried, "they caught Harry, they put him in a cage and they are being mean to him, poking him and making him cry."

"Men in armor," I say looking over at her, "who is Harry?"

"Harry is a creature the village kids have adopted as a pet I guess," the bar keep says, "He is harmless really, but he plays with the kids, and they enjoy playing with him."

"What did the Armor look like," I asked?

"It was black with boney faces on it," she says.

"Skulls," I say, "but that's Coalition, this aint Coalition territory yet, not for a couple hundred miles at least."

"Every year they push out a little farther trying to take a little more land," the girl's father said.

"daddy what about Harry," the little girl asked and her father looked at her not knowing what to say, he knew, hell we all knew, what the coalition would do to Harry, no one wanted to tell the girl that though.

"Please daddy," she begged, "please just go tell them to let Harry go, to leave him be."

"Danny," her father said but he doesn't know what to say. He looks over at the bar keep who shrugs knowing that there wasn't anything they could do really.

"Doc," I say, "I got to do something, I mean I know the Coalition and what they stand for, I know what they will do."

"Wait," the girl's father said looking my way, "you will help him, a creature you don't know, you will talk to them for us?"

"Why not," Doc said, "where was it these guys took Harry, what direction?"

The little girl took us outside and pointed to where they were, she was actually rather exact on where they would be and Doc and I started out there toward where she said the officer's camp was.

"We need a plan," Doc said as we walked, "one better than moseying on up to a bunch of Coalition officers and asking than to show compassion for anything."

"I know," I said, "this may not be there land but they are still hateful, it's all they been taught."

"So than what's your plan," he asked

"What do you mean my plan," I asked looking at him?

"Well it was your idea we do this," he says, "and you are the trained cyber-knight are you not, the one who grew up with the coalition."

"Oh sure throw that in my face why don't you." I say.

As we are almost there I look threw some bushes and see the cage and a brown creature almost like a bear but more human it must be Harry he is cowering in a corner of it as some boys not much older than I poke a stick threw the bars at him. We also see seven officers in armor, one is a Sergeant, I even think I recognize one of the men, Kent Williams, the neighbor boy pa liked so much, the one who had a thing for me a few years back.

"Seven," Doc says and I snap out of my thoughts.

"Yeah," I say, he must have seen my mood change some but said nothing, "agents two, aint good odds, and some are well trained too."

"Well any idea on a plan yet," he asked, "other than just rushing in and kicking some butt."

"I'm thinking I'm thinking," I say. Than I thought, pa had reported me missing, LT Marshal had been there too, I was reported missing as Robby's fiancée, wasn't I? Maybe that could be used to my advantage, I wasn't found yet, obviously, so the missing persons report must still be on record, it was my way in, the only one where we could get out alive.

"Ok I got a plan," I say, "but I'll need to borrow your shirt."

"Wait, what," he says.

"Ever hear of a damsel in distress," I say, "I'll put on your shirt, as in only, to get their attention, make it out like my party was attacked, and distract them long enough for you to free Harry and we can get out of there."

"You're kidding me right," he says.

"No," I say, "why don't you think it will work?"

"Well first its butt cold out here," he says, "you will catch your death running about undressed like that. Second your seriously thinking of running into a coalition camp, unarmed, unarmored, barely dressed, in the freezing cold none the less, and you what, walking away in one piece?"

"I'll be alright," I said as I sat on a rock and started kicking off my shoes, "I'm stronger than I look, tougher too, so don't worry about me just take off your shirt and turn around a moment."

"Why do I got to turn around," he asked, but he started unbuttoning his shirt.

"You don't think I'm changing in front of you do you," I asked?

"Tough, yet modest," he says.

Doc hands me his shirt and turns around as I take off my shirt and put his on. He is right it is rather cold out here and I'm feeling it more now that I'm in only his shirt, no pants, no shoes, no jacket, just the shirt that goes down to almost my knees.

"Can I turn around yet," he asked?

"Oh yeah, sorry," I said. I neatly folded my clothes and set them down on the rock I had been sitting on as Doc turned around.

"Um, yeah, so I'll just wait here till um, till yeah," he said or stuttered really.

"What," I asked him.

"Nothing," he says,

"Ok," I said, "just wait and see if it works and set him free, if not, come save my ass."

"Yeah, sure," he said.

I took a deep breath and started walking down the forest some, the last thing I wanted really was for anyone to go looking in the direction I had come from and find Doc waiting there. That would go over real well I bet.

After I was far enough down the forest, in my opinion at least, I pulled my hair loose and ran a little through the trees and bushes, letting some stray branches get stuck in my hair. If I was going to sell the damsel in distress I was going to have to make it believable wasn't I?

Running in to their camp looking as afraid as I could manage wasn't as difficult as one might think, I actually was scared, terrified even, that I would end up getting sent back home to mama and pa. Going home to stop in and visit and being sent home were two completely different things all together.

"Help," I cried breathlessly as I fell to the earth near their camp, "please help us."

To my luck they all ran my way.

You know acting out of breath isn't as easy as one may think, it's not like I have ever really been out of breath before. Ok maybe once but that involved Alex that was completely different. Yet still I try, I look up at them, holding my side and thinking about what it felt like when I was shot in the stomach, and how it hurt.

"Miss," one of the officers said, I looked up and Kent looked at me and I knew before he said anything that he recognized me.

"Kassie," Kent said.

A few tears spring forward, for my fear was real, and I let them fall in hopes that it made this just that much more believable.

Kent knelt down next to me.

"How, where," Kent said and before I could answer anything the sergeant come through the group.

"What's going on here," he said that he sees me and the sternness in his voice fades, "miss, what happened?"

"I, I um," I stuttered, "my party, we were traveling, going home, and these men come up on us. We just, we weren't prepared for fighting. I don't know it all happened just so fast and I ran away as fast as I could, please, they are good people,"

I let the tears fall, the emotion in my voice was real, it was just the story that was a lie.

As the sergeant knelt down next to me I feel more nervous than I had ever been in my life, even when facing pa after I knew darn well I was caught doing what I wasn't supposed to be doing. Than Kent, who was also knelt down by me still, spoke up.

"Sergeant, I know this girl," Kent said, "she is Thomas Starr's girl, the one been missing these last few years."

I gulped back the lump in my throat as I saw Doc out of the corner of my eye go passed the ATV and over to the cage the beast was in.

"What's your name girl," the sergeant asked me.

"Kassandra Starr sir," I said, "my grandfather was General Dane sir, my pa is Thomas Starr."

"And these people you been with," he asked looking at me. At first I don't speak, I don't know really what to say to him. "I tell you aint no one that don't know about Thomas's girl up and disappearing in the night. They looked for her, had every officer looking."

"I know," I said looking away from him. "A few months ago I met up with some good people; they were helping me get back home to my mama, that's where we were going when we got attacked. Sir I'm sorry, I rather not tell anything without my mama and pa."

In the distance Doc frees the creature and I feel at least a little relief that I managed to distract them that long. Kent went over to the hover jeep I'm guessing he and a few of the other guys were using and grabbed a blanket to wrap around me as the sergeant ushered me into the ATV.

"Um, Sargent," Kent said, he wanted to go in with us.

"Kent, why don't you take Darby and Harrison and go check this out while I get to the bottom of this little mess," the Sergeant said.

"Yes Sergeant," Kent said.

Why was I getting the impression Kent didn't want me alone with his sergeant? Again my butterflies began to flutter away in my stomach as bad thoughts started going through my head.

Relax Kass, I told myself, this man knew pa, heard of Grandpa Dane, he was a distinguished officer himself, all I got to worry about really is tricking my way out of the ATV.

Once inside the ATV he shuts the door and I look around nervously, something in my gut said this wasn't right, something just wasn't right.

"My party," I said, "shouldn't I, I don't know, show them where we were?"

"Oh there smart boys they will figure it out," he said, "Besides its awfully cold out there and you sure aint properly dressed for the snow sweetheart. What you say we find us a way to warm you up?"

"What," I asked and he came in closer to me, "sir I don't even know you." I said as I backed up away from him some.

"Well than, my name is Sergeant Leroy Bass," he said, "and I know your Kassandra, there I do believe we have been introduced now. What do you say we make friends, while we wait on your party that is?"

Oh what have I gotten myself into?

He gets closer to me and touches my face with a finger, and I back up a little more.

"Now what is this, I thought we were going to be friends," he said.

"I," I said, "I'm engaged, to Robert Marshal,"

"I'm sure he is a nice boy," he said, "but he aint here now, neither is your pa, or your grandpa, in fact I do believe he died quite a few years back now."

He leans in and tries to kiss me and I turn my head.

"I don't want to do that," I said.

"Now Kassandra I want to be your friend, but you're acting like you don't want to be mine." He said, "I do believe it gets a might lonely traveling for a man, and I got no problem seeing you back to your mama or pa, but I do expect some kindness from you."

"Please don't," I said as he tries again but he is a stupid man and he grabs my arms and pins me agents a locker and kisses me.

"Now that's more like it," he said, "I like a little fire in a woman, makes the chase more worth it."

One of his hands went to my leg and began going up Doc's shirt, and I grabbed his hand to stop him.

"I really don't want to hurt you," I said, "believe me I don't, but there is only one man I want touching me that way and you're not him. I would take it as a kindness that you stop, or I will stop you and I can defend myself."

"Ah what you going to do little girl, huh," he asked me, "I got me a few boys out there will be happy to come in here and assist me?"

"That why you sent Kent, figured sense he and my family were close he wouldn't," I asked

"And smart," he says, than his lips go to my neck and he whispers in my ear, "now be smart and let's make friends."

I intended to push him away, that's all I intended to do, but he grabbed my arm and I pulled it free, only in the process I accidentally hit him in the face a little too hard and my hand basically went through his head.

"Oh shit," I said to myself more than anyone else, than I looked at this guy, this so called sergeant of the coalition. "Why couldn't you just listen to me, huh, why push, I told you?"

Ok Kass now what? I look down at Doc's shirt, at the blood and brain matter that is now covering it. I do hope I can explain this to Doc.

As long as Kent and the two boys that he took off with to find my imaginary party members are still gone, that only leaves three left, agents one, bad odds, but I can handle it, I hope.

I open the door and walk out looking at the three boys and I see Doc over in the distance looking my way.

The other three also look my way and seeing the bloody goo on my arm and body they stand and pull big old guns.

"I'll give you a chance to surrender," I said with my hands up in surrender, "I really don't want to hurt anyone, but he gave me no choose. Put down your weaponry and surrender or I'll have to fight you and I will kill you, hear me."

I know as I say it that surrender isn't in there vocabulary and I see that Doc is more than ready to shoot anyone who tries to shoot at me.

"I mean it, I aint alone and you folk are surrounded, your other three guys aren't coming back, it's just you three, your sergeant is gone."

I know as I said it, it was a lie, aint no way I was tracking down and killing those other three boys, there was no reason to.

I should have seen it coming, apparently Doc did, for just as one of those good old boys started to shoot at me Doc shot the guy and he flew back ward dead as the bullet went through his head, the shot hit the ATV behind me, but missed me altogether.

I summoned my psi-sword instantly and jumped down. As another tried to shoot, only my sword went right threw his head and he fell, good thing for us they were settling in for some grub and had their helmets off.

The last tried the oh so heroic attack from behind but instead met up with the shot to the head from Doc, who had actually come out of the trees.

"My shirt," was the first thing Doc said.

"I'm sorry it was unavoidable," I said, "let's get going before the other three get back and we have to kill a family friend, I'll get to meet Hades for that I'm sure."

"What,"

"Nothing," I said and I walked passed him and over to where my clothes were still sitting and picked them up.

"My shirt," he said again and I looked at him.

"I said I was sorry," I said, "I'll get you a new one, now can we get going, believe it or not I'm getting pretty cold here."

"I can tell," he said.

"What," I asked.

"Nothing Lady," he said.

I stopped and pulled my pants on and my shoes, but I didn't bother with the shirt, what was the point, I would be taking a shower the first chance I got back in town.

To say we turned a few heads on our way back into town would have been an understatement, what with Doc shirtless and me covered in blood and whatever was in that man's head, sure wasn't a brain if you ask me, if the man had a brain he would have stopped when I asked him to. Not to mention arguing with Doc the whole way to the Inn about his shirt I destroyed. Maybe I should have just taken it off before I accidently killed that jerk.

I went straight up to my room and peeled myself out of Doc's shirt and my pants and jumped into a hot shower to wash as much of the brain matter and blood off me as I could as I thought about what just almost happened and what did happen. I know Kent knows me, I also know very well it wouldn't be hard for him to figure out I had something to do with what happened back there. I wonder to myself just how long it will take before I find out what kind of price I just got put on my head, and just how much it will be.

After my shower I put Doc's shirt in the sink to soak in hopes I can get it as clean as I can, but it isn't working and I give up leaving it there to soak a while I go down to get some food in me.

Doc is already in the tavern when I walk in, once again perfectly dressed and with that cane.

I go sit down by him and let out a sigh.

"What," he asked

"I'm sorry about your shirt," I said as I put my hands on the table and folded them together.

"Don't worry about it," he said with a wiry smile, "you handle yourself pretty well, I was sure you would get yourself hit or even killed without any protection."

"I don't worry about stuff like that," I say with a shrug.

"How can you not worry about it," he asked?

"I figure my fate is what it is," I said, "if I'm meant to die today so be it, I'll live each day as it is and if the fates want me than they want me, hopefully my life line is longer than this."

"You mean that don't you," he said.

"Yep," I said, "now what was going on in that ATV, that worried me some?"

"Ok I'll bite," he said, "so what happened in the ATV that made you have to stain up a perfectly good shirt."

"He came on to me."

He raised his eye brows looking at me, "it was your plan to get attention was it not?"

"Not that much attention," I said, "you would think an officer who is supposed to be leading men would take no for an answer, I mean my family has had a great reputation in the coalition, generations of It, doesn't that deserve some respect?"

"So you knew that boy," he said, "the one who went off with the other two boys?"

"Kent, yeah I knew him, I guess we grew up together, you could say my pa loved him more than me," I said.

"Harsh," he said, "I grew up around the coalition too, so when I say that you got yourself a problem in that boy you should know what I'm talking about. He knows you and he is alive still, that means you got yourself a price on you, hell if they had any camera's on or near that ATV and saw me than I do too."

"Yep" I said, "sorry I dragged you into this."

"Oh come on now doll face," Doc said, "you think that's this would be the first time I been wanted?"

I just laughed.

"So it seems the town here is a might happy that we done saved that Harry thing there," he said, "they pulled together some funds for our troubles and all."

He handed me a hundred credits.

"I already took my share," he said, "so you don't think I'm a cheat or anything."

"I never thought you were," I said

"it aint much but it's at least a day's work," he said, "and if you're interested I know another job, don't know what kind of pay they can get, but its nearby, maybe a day ride, less if we leave early in the morning. That is if you want to help them."

"What kind of work?"

"Some monsters invading folk and eating them," he said.

"By all means let's," I say.

I think we drink a little more than even I usually did, not that I really drunk much anyhow, or that I felt it. Then I excused myself and headed up to bed for the night alone.

Oh how I missed Alex, whenever I stopped to think about it, or climbed into a bed alone, I missed him.

Come morning Doc and I are up and more than ready to leave after hearing that some CS officers had come into town looking for us already. I knew from the description it was Kent and the guys he was with, so did Doc.

"What say we make us a sandwich for the road," Doc suggested and I agreed.

We rode out of town quickly and stopped a few hours out to eat our breakfast and stretch our legs some. For once the sun was shining and warming the air around us, taking the most of the chill out of the air.

A few times Doc looks over at me but says nothing, just looks away and messes with something on his horse.

"What's on your mind," I finally asked him?

"Nothing," he says.

"Yeah right," I said teasingly.

"Ok," he said, "are you a dragon?"

"What," I asked out of surprise, "no, I'm not a dragon, why would you think I was a dragon?"

"just wondering is all," he said, "I mean you never wear armor, don't even seem to own armor, I know you said about fate and all but still, even I have on some armor."

"So," I said, "I don't care for armor,"

"What," he said, "you're an adventurer, you jump into fights all the time, you got to have been hit once or twice, or eventually you will get hit."

"I've been hit before," I said, "I'm tough though, I can handle it, besides armor, that metal and all, not exactly very attractive."

I don't know why I said it, why I just didn't tell him the truth, that I can't wear armor, that I'm afraid of armor and all. Maybe I just feel as if I don't know this man well enough to tell him my secrets, after all I could have easily told him about my family secrets either. Then again one might just say that my secrets are mine.

We get back on the road and ride a few more hours without really saying anything.

"You know this whole demonic creatures eating folk and all, it could be dangerous," he says.

"Most of the time it is."

"What I mean is, I mean if we are going to be riding together and all," he says.

"Yes,"

"If something were to happen to you what would you want done for you?"

"Wait, what," I asked, "you mean like if I die?"
"You're the one without armor," he says.

"I'm not going to die anytime soon," I said, "but if I did, I guess I would say contact the cyber-knight academy, they would know what to do for me, what my family would want."

"Ok,"

"What about you," I asked?

"I wear armor to keep myself protected and all," he says.

"So you can still die you know," I said, "if the fights bad enough to kill me than why would you think your safe?"

"I'm not the, what hundred pound girl, without armor," he said and I laughed realizing that it was something you had to see to believe, like me I guess. Wasn't that part of why I kept my secrets; it was something you had to see to believe sometimes?

We ride into the town with a few hours of daylight left in the day and see no one really. Than a man in his early twenties comes out of a local feed shop and walks over to us his dark eyes nervously fixed on us. He was dressed like a cow boy alright, hat and all, must have made Doc feel at home.

"May I help you folk," he asked.

"Just passing thru really," I said, "it'll be getting late soon and my friend and I thought we would see if we could bother you folk for a room."

I could almost hear Angry Bear in my head say that one didn't need a power to tell this man were hiding something, and I know very well he aint going to just give it up too quickly either, but he is scared of something, just what I don't know yet.

"Well we are a small town," he said, "but we got us a tavern there, but only one room for rent I'm afraid," the man says.

Doc looks over at me and smiles, "I swear I'll be a gentleman."

I look at him and sigh, and then I climb off my horse and grab my bag. Oh hell I thought to myself, we camp together out in the wilderness alone, in the cold, what was the difference really?

"All I got to say is you better not snore," I tell him and he laughed.

Let's be honest here, the only reason the man in town said they only got one room was to discourage us from staying there, and the only reason for that was fear, we just got to find out what it is they fear and how it is we can help them out without getting anyone hurt.

We head into a tavern called the red hood, and go up to the deserted bar to see about the one room.

To me the tavern, hell the town itself, wasn't that small, ok it was far from a big town but bigger than the town I grew up in by far, the tavern had at least eight tables and the bar itself.

Once we have the key we both head up to set our bags down, we're not in the room and with the door closed more than a moment before Doc turns to me.

"There hiding something," he says.

"You noticed," I said, "they're scared, of what I don't know yet, but I soon will."

"How," he asked, "you sure can't go asking them, they aint going to tell us a thing I tell you that right now."

"I guess I'll just feel around," I said, "see what pops into my head, and then maybe see about asking some questions as normally as I can muster."

"What," he asked, "never mind I'm sure I'll figure it out on my own. For now I guess I'll just follow your lead Lady."

I just shake my head and open the door.

"Are you coming," I asked him?

"Right behind you Miss," he says and we head back down stairs and up to the bar where we sat.

"Can I get a shot," Doc asked the rather portly older man behind the bar. "Aint a very big town you got going here."

"Nope nice and quiet," the keeps says, "just the way we like it around here."

The keep looks over at me, "and you miss,"

"Same please," I say as I look around the bar.

The keep waddles down the bar to get a couple clean glasses and waddles back down to us, than fills both for us.

"Not very good for business," Doc says

"Oh we do alright," the keep says, he looks over at me and his eyes momentarily shoot over to the mirrored glass wall behind him as if he is trying to tell us something. I could easily imagine that it's a two way mirror, to an office or something; I have to wonder who may have been watching us right now and what the hell they were thinking.

I pick up my shot and somehow manage to spill Doc's and he looks at me.

"Oops," I say, and the keep goes to grab a rag to clean it up, leaning in far enough for me to whisper something to him.

"So who is in the room," I asked.

"The creature and my daughter," he whispers back to me.

As the keep pours Doc another shot I walk over to the old juke box in the corner.

"Oh it's so quiet in here," I complain as I do, "this looks at least a little interesting."

Then I touch the box and let my mind start picking up images. I see those white men, the creatures I fought before, with Darius and Alex, I see them come in with guns, shooting a few men who tried to stand up to them. There is another man with them, he looks different but armor hides most from me. I get the impression the man in armor is in charge, that for whatever reason the white creatures are following him.

I see a girl with long blond hair, longer than mine even, she looks to me to be around twelve of thirteen maybe. I see the man in metal armor grab the girl who screams and cries for her father, and he laughs as if he is enjoying her fear, as do the white men. I also see the bar keep; he falls to his knees and begs for the little girl, I'm guessing he is her father.

As I come out of the vision I sense evil in the bar, Sonics too, from behind the bar, in the room behind the mirrored glass. I walk back over to the bar and sit down next to Doc and truth be told I have no idea what to do. I have never been in a situation like this before, one where I couldn't just rely on Darius to give me guidance but I have to do something don't I, the gods only know what men like that would do to a child like that. I only know that one who wanted a child for lunch and that was bad enough for me.

I pick up my whiskey and drink it as I think in hopes it's not too obvious I'm up to something.

After a few moments I turn my back to the bar and look ahead.

"I think I'll go check on the horses," I say, as I realize that I only sensed a couple in the bar, the one in armor maybe and two of the white men yet in my vision I saw several more of the white men. They have to be in the town somewhere, I just have to find them and see what I can do about them. At lease I know Doc can handle his own. "There is a couple behind the glass with the little girl, keep your eyes open." I whisper to Doc.

"What about you," he asked.

"There are more, I'll go find them, just make sure the girl is ok," I say.

"Kassie," Doc says.

I just smile, "learn trust grass hopper!"

"What,"

"Nothing," I say, "man you need to read more."

I walk outside and it is now dusk, the sun is slowly making it's descend from the sky and I know very well that the worst things come out to play in the night. I look around and see men peeking out windows at me, from businesses and homes, but I see no women looking out, no girls or boys, no children at all, only grown men.

I feel so uneasy about this and I really hope and even pray this goes well, but let's face it, I'm too new at this game, I don't know what I'm doing yet.

Oh Darius don't be wrong in saying it was time I leave.

I use my senses as best I can, using the ability to feel evil to direct me to the barn ahead of me.

The closer I get to the barn the stronger the feeling gets, my stomach actually starts to feel sick inside it's so strong and I wonder if I'm in a little over my head on this one.

You know Kass, I think to myself, your just one, sure a demi god, but still what is that really, I'm still only one really. No, Kass don't doubt yourself, you will be fine, you trained for this, Darius believed in you enough, there is no way he would have sent you out into the world if he didn't think you were ready to face it alone. If you don't walk away from this one than oh well, than this here was what it was you were meant for, this is what was meant to be, you weren't meant to walk away than.

Before I even get to the barn or am even done giving myself a little pep talk, a figure comes out of the already open door, I see the glowing red eyes look my way.

I look at him and summon my psi-sword and I smile, oh yeah, I am ready to fight.

Before it even comes out it shoots at me and misses, than he comes out and tries again and once again he misses, but he is now close enough for me to attack and I swing my sword slicing his chest and cutting his arm. At closer range he shoots again and actually hits my arm. But I swing my sword around and its head falls to the ground.

I still feel it, the evil stench; I know there is more, plenty more in fact.

In the background I hear gun fire and I know Doc has his own fight going I just hope he can handle it.

The barn is dark and I really don't want to go in there, unlike them I can't see in the dark, it's a disadvantage to me to do so. Luckily for me they can't wait to fight either. Maybe they think that they can take the, as Doc so eloquently put it before, the hundred pound girl, I guess the fact I already got shot in the arm and I'm bleeding a little is more comforting to them too, after all it makes them feel I'm weak, I aint weak at all and I hate being helpless. I hate being helpless almost as much as I hate the idea of armor.

One more walks out holding a women's head in his hand, the poor woman was decapitated.

"Big mistake," I say, "now I'll have to enjoy killing you off."

These things wear no armor and I can remember just how easily their necks snap. I disburse my sword and grab him, throwing his body into the street as yet another comes out of the barn.

As I punch the second one the first one shoots me with the rather large looking gun that the first one I killed dropped. It hits my thigh and knocks me down, but I get up just as the next shot comes my way and missed me.

"Ok I'm done playing around," I say as I grab the second one by the throat and snap his neck with my bare hands than drop him to the ground. Just as a third comes out and shoots me again, this time the multiple blast actually hits me in my head, or forehead and the top of my head some and I fall down stunned for a moment as my own blood actually drips into my eyes.

I pick up the gun from the ground of one of the guys I already killed and I shoot the guy who just shot me until he stops moving, as I try to get up, but one of them jumps on me and those razor sharp claw like nails of theirs, I forgot about those, rips into my face, neck and chest. I manage to push him off me but he starts coming back and I kick up as my foot actually gets stuck in his body.

What exactly is happening down the road I don't know all I know is I hear a lot of gun fire and I'm rather torn up, more so than I think I have ever in my life been.

I sense no more evil down here, nothing more from the barn, and I get up, forcing myself to ignore the pain I feel and run down to the bar to help Doc out some, just to get in as the last shots were fired off and the last bad guy fell down.

Doc had gone in the other room, behind the bar, to get the keeps daughter, I had no idea if he had gotten hurt, I didn't see him yet. But I saw the bar keeper.

"I got the five in the barn, are there anymore," I asked as I walked up to the bar.

"No ma'am," he says, "we had no defense, and they had our wives, our daughter, and the children."

"I understand," I said as I sat down and pick up the bar rag the keep grabbed earlier to clean up the spill I made, and I dab the blood from the top of my head and face but it keeps coming. Now that things have calmed down I can feel the sting of my wounds and it hurts more than I have ever felt before in my life.

Oh I'm sure the scratches have already begun to heal some but they still bled and I'm sure come morning I'll still have some healing to do, that shot to my head will take time, my thigh and my arm too.

I look over at my arm and force myself to move it.

"Owe," I say, "I need a drink,"

"Sure thing ma'am," the keep says as his daughter comes out with Doc. She runs over to her father and I take the bottle from him, no bothering with a glass, no I want the whole damn thing.

"Kassie," Doc says looking at me.

"Brenda go get some bandages," the keep tells his daughter who runs off.

"I'll be ok," I say both to the keep and his daughter and to Doc who is glancing over the damage I took and wincing in pain himself, I'm sure in his head he can almost feel the pain himself.

"Doc really," I say, "first let's worries about the others, they need free, and they need to know they are safe."

"Your bleeding from your head," he says, "you been shot, see now this is why you wear armor, Kassie, you need a doctor."

"Well now Doc aint you trained to be just that," I asked

"A surgeon yes," he said, "and truthfully we should check to make sure you aint got no shrapnel or anything in those wounds."

I learned long ago with Darius and Alex that you had to actually see how fast I heal to truly understand.

"Doc, now you don't have to go getting all surgical on me ok," I said looking at him, "I'm sure it looks bad from where you are and all, your training and such, but I'll be fine in a day or two. Hell most of this will be healed by morning, I promise you that.

"You were shot," he said.

"Actually I got shot three times," I said, and he looks at me and touches my arm. "I know once you see blood on my face the arm don't look too bad huh, the thigh either. I can tell you it doesn't feel too good though.

He just looks at me and I smile.

"Doc I swear to you by the gods I will be ok," I said, "but I could use a shirt, maybe a pair of pants too, and another shower, some food, a gallon or two of whiskey, some sleep."

"You were shot in the head," he said, "you know sleep aint the best idea, you could never wake up."

"Or sleep may be a good thing," I say, "tell you what you can look over me if you want."

There was no argument, I know better already, and Doc headed up to the room to get his bag to go along with the bandages the keeps daughter brought down. Then he carefully cleaned and dressed the wounds while I drank, but no matter how much I drank it didn't really help none.

In side I laughed at the effort and the thought of how Doc will react come morning when he sees the wounds and how they have healed.

As we went back outside slowly some of the town's people, the men at least, came out, one by one. They followed Doc and I, and the bar keeper, down to the barn, and really, let's face it, no one really knew what it was we would be finding in the barn as far as the hostages. We didn't know if they were dead or alive or anything. Not after the one be-headed woman, and I still didn't even know who she was or if she had any family here.

Once inside the barn we found the scattered remains of three other women and began to fear that they were all dead.

I must not have been the only one for I looked over at Doc and was surprised. In all the time I had known Mathew Doc Holiday he seemed to have always had that poker face whenever anything bad happened, but seeing this seems to upset him, not a little either.

"Hay wait," Doc said, "where does this door go to?"

The door was jammed shut somehow with a sword.

"It's a basement," one of than men said, like the rest of the men in town he was noticeably upset, who could blame him though; it was looking like there loved once were really dead, not just dead but horribly murdered. "It is used mostly for emergencies, storing stuff and such."

"Are there any other ways in," I asked?

"No, just that one," another man said.

Doc wastes no time, he just starts pulling on the sword until he gets it out. Sure I could have helped him but right now with me all hurt and all he is acting as if I will hurt myself even more. I just looked at him and rolled my eyes and let the man have at it.

No one was sure what we would find once we opened the door, and I was truly expecting a horrific scene inside, more bodies, torn apart and such, I feared the number of graves we would be assisting with before our work in the town was done.

Luckily I was wrong.

Cowering in a corner were a bunch of women, huddled in a small group, squeezed together as tight as they could manage by fear, the youngest in the middle, safer from death.

Seeing light don't help these ladies, they cry some as they try to gather a little tighter together even still as the figure of a male they don't know appears before them.

"The fight is over ladies," Doc tells them as I stand behind him.

Others from the town push their way in as Doc and I move back into the barn and our of the town folk's way, as loved ones found each other again and the kin of those few dead ladies claimed their dead for burial.

"Well now Lady Kassandra, what say we go back to the bar and let these folks go about their hello's and such," Doc suggested.

"I do believe I got me a shower waiting for me," I said.

We headed back to the tavern and I went up to the bath room to strip out of my torn up clothes and bandages and step into the nice hot water as I watched my blood, and some of the creatures blood and goo, wash down the drain. Then I got out and wrapped a towel around my body and headed into the room where Doc now sits.

All the fighting and getting shot and death and all and I had just about forgot we were sharing a room, my only real thought went to getting clean again, it surprised me a little to find him sitting there in the room. I would say the moment was a little odd to say the least.

"How are you feeling," Doc asked.

"Ok," I said, "I mean I'm not one hundred percent by far, I still seem to need the aid of some bandaging and all, but in a day or two I'll be fine."

I pulled a pair of sweat pants out of my bag, actually they were Alex's sweat pants I took from the academy, his shirt too, and then I went back into the bath room to dress.

The moment I got back to the room Doc looked over my wounds again and re-dressed them good and I sat on the bed a moment unsure of just how we plan on doing this night.

"Hungry," Doc asked?

"No," I say.

"Tired,"

"Oh yeah," I say.

"I got my bed roll," he says, "I'll sleep on the floor."

I looked over at him, my eyes getting heaver by the moment.

"You're a girl and you been hurt," he says.

"Doc I'll be fine," I say, "besides I can take the floor, I'm plenty used to it."

"No ma'am, I just wouldn't feel right about that," he says and I lay back some on the bed; before I even know it I'm fast asleep.

I wake with the sun on my face from the window and I wince in pain. Oh my head hurts; it rings something awful and my stomach growls in hunger. I see Doc sleeping on his bed roll on the floor with his hat over his face and I look around. I don't remember putting a blanket over myself, yet one covers me.

I head into the bath room to get a drink of water and check my wounds, there nowhere near as bad as they were the night before, but it was apparent I had some healing left to do still.

After dressing I head down to the bar and sit at a table with my head in my hands.

"You look much better than last night," the keep says was he walked up to me.

"I feel horrible," I said.

"What can I get you," he asked.

"Whatever you got going will do," I say much the way Darius said when I first met him a few years ago, "and a shot please, or three, my head is killing me."

Brenda goes off into the kitchen to get me something to eat and the keep gets me that shot and starts fixing something else in a glass.

"Here drink this down it will help the pain in your head more than anything else I got will," the keep says as he sets the glass in front of me, "it got one hell of a bite though, don't say I didn't warn you."

"Thank you," I said.

"Now how about some coffee," he asked and I laughed.

"Yeah sure," I say, "sounds good."

I sit there a moment looking at the glass of grayish sludge and I can only imagine what it will taste like as I pick up the glass and start to bring it to my lips.

Come on Kass, you can do it, it can't be much worse than jumping into an icy pond could it, I tell myself?

"Gotta down it in one gulp without breathing or nothing," Brenda tells me.

"Oh great more good news," I say and she sets the plate if hash and eggs down in front of me and her father sets down the cup of coffee.

"well bottoms up," I say and I take a deep breath and drink down the sludge that tastes like a combination of slimy bittersweet chocolate mixed with salt and iron, it has a consistency of watery coffee grounds.

Oh it's worse than I thought it would be and I quickly pick up the coffee and drink it to kill the taste.

I must have had quite the look on my face when Doc come down cause he looked at me funny, "coffee that bad," he said that he sits down and sees the other glass and picks it up and smells it.

"Wow," he says, "nasty stuff, I tried it a few times, and it works mostly, though I didn't figure a hangover on little miss I'm so tough. Then again you sure went out like a light last night after you drank only part of that bottle and all."

"It's not a hang over," I said or corrected, "It's a head ache, from that shot; you know the one to my head and all. My head is still ringing from it all."

"Sure thing Lady," he says

"I had what a few shots," I said, "believe me I drank more than that at the academy."

"This cyber-knight place sounds a lot of fun," he teased and I laughed and winced at the pain in my head.

"Owe," I said, "it wasn't like that really, it was a lot of training, a lot of work, but someone died and my trainer and I drank to her memory is all."

I realize I'm taking about things I'm not real sure I'm comfortable talking about. It's not that anything about it was bad or anything but that one comment leads to another and so on and so forth and I didn't want to go where the conversations go. I look away and maybe he realizes by now I'm keeping things from him.

"So if your head still hurts than how is your other wounds," he asked.

"doing ok and all, I mean I sure still got healing to do and all but I'll be fine in a day or so," I say, "now this pain in my head is sure a feeling I aint never had in all my life, and I don't think I care to again."

"Going to reconsider the fashion choice of armor verse no armor," he asked me?

"Nope!"

"What," he asked, "you got to be kidding me, you got a death wish or something, I swear Kassie, I just don't get it."

"I can't ok," I said but I didn't look at him when I said it, I couldn't do it, I couldn't say it.

"I don't understand," he said, "but ok, maybe one day I will."

"Doc," I said looking his way, "look it's something I don't know how to explain ok."

He dropped the conversation and I felt badly really for I trust this man to look after me when we travel, I trust him with my life in combat, why can't I trust him with a silly thing like a stupid fear of tight spaces?

The town is rather happy with us and not only do they not let us pay them for anything we have bought in the town, food and such, the room, but they figured a way of paying us for our troubles too.

Party I feel strange about it because I'm charging good folk for living in a way, and the few poor souls who died, than I remind myself I have to live too.

Chapter 13 THE FIRST OF SPRING!

Dear diary,

I have now been traveling with Doc for a few months and we have managed to find ourselves some work here and there to keep us fed and all. The snow has finally melted and the mud dried up mostly which makes camping a whole lot easier than it was in the snow. The warmth in the air feels nice on my face and I'm happy to think of the green grass that will be popping up again soon the pretty smells of the flowers, the different berries to eat and such.

To me Doc really seems to be a good guy, just not like Darius or Alex, than again who am I kidding it took some time to adjust to them too.

There were a few more battles that came our way but nothing significant really, no real injuries to speak of, though after seeing for himself just how quick I healed up all that damage I took back with the white things and all, I think he begun to back off about the armor and all.

We finally come to a place called Silverado, it's a rather large city in Colorado, with lots of people of all kinds of different races it would seem, I sense evil around me but don't see really anyone doing nothing they shouldn't be.

"You do know that evil is a relative term," Doc tells me as he sees me looking about.

"I guess so," I say.

He laughed, "Come Lady I'm sure by now all you want is a room and a shower."

I just smile and follow Doc over to an inn and go up to the desk to get those rooms so as we can go up and set our bags down and do just that, shower and change into some clean clothes for a change.

I'm determined while we are in town to go shopping some for I have gone through a few shirts lately and I'm starting to run out of a change, only having some of Alex's shirts and I don't want to mess any of them up. It's all I really have of him for now.

Silverado is currently having some sort of jousting matches, someone in the inn referred to it as a mock Olympics like the world used to have years ago and I look at him for I find it strange to hear of.

The town is so full we try three inns before we find one that still has rooms for rent.

There are guards all over the place making sure everyone understands good and well that there will be no fighting, save for the official fights in a ring.

I go up and shower the way I usually do than I head down stairs to find Doc in the tavern in a booth already. He sees me and waves me over to him but before I get there I get a glimpse out of the corner of my eye, a girl with green hair and I wonder if I'm losing my mind, but then she runs up to me calling my name.

"Kassandra," she throws her arms around me and hugs me to her as tightly as her little arms can muster and I hold her to me.

"Con, what are you doing here," I asked her?

"You don't think I would miss the opportunity to be the first to wish my favorite cyber-knight a happy birthday do you," I hear and I look over to see Darius, out of armor, dressed as if her were just another average man, a rather large average man.

"No sir," I say with tears actually coming to my eyes.

Doc looks confused and stands up with me looking at Darius and Con.

"I mean it is the first day of spring is it not," he said, "and I have missed you dearly, everyone has sunshine."

"Thank you sir," I say and he puts his arms around me a moment until I regain myself.

"Um Doc," I said, "Meet Sir Darius, my teacher and friend, and Con his new student."

"Darius, my new friend Doc Holiday," I say than I turn back to Darius, "please sit with us, tell me how everyone is, tell me everything I have missed, tell me how on earth you knew I would even be here."

"Gladly dear," Darius says as he takes a seat, Con right next to me, Doc sits too. He tells me the John actually left the school for a few months and had just returned before he left, that Con was doing well in her training already and that Tiffany left on her own, or close to her own, she took Frank with her.

"How about you," he asked.

"I'm doing ok, made a friend, got some work, done some good, killed some more of those damn jerks that attacked Anna's family last year," I said.

"Kassie," he said

"I took a few shots yes but nothing too bad, I healed up fine as always, I'm ok."

"I know you are," he said.

Doc excused himself for a while as we talked after he saw a card game being set up in a corner and it caught his eye something awful.

"Hear anything about Alex," I asked?

"I heard that after the mess with Seven and all he got in some fight and he got sucked threw a rift, sorry I aint heard nothing else sense than," he tells me.

"I got to believe he is ok," I said, "Hermes said he was fine, that we would meet up again, I got to believe that. Now you never told me how you knew where I would be."

"Well it's a kind of magic," he teased, "and the tournaments here are loosely based on a contest of your gods you know, the Olympics and all, hell some argue over your fathers involvement in the first contests."

"Really," I said

"That and I heard some rumors of your coming in this direction and all," he said and I laughed.

They are staying the weekend and I laughed and tease Darius about getting restless stuck at the school so much and he shrugged and agreed with me.

After a while we all retire for the night for sleep and I let Con bunk with me, the only other girl.

The next day Con and I have fun wondering around the town square. They have all sorts of contests to enter, not just fighting but athletic contests too, as well as eating contests and such. For the kids they have something called cotton candy and other goodies to eat.

I bought Con and I some of the cotton candy, as well as some of the other children around us.

"Try it, it's good," Con kept telling me.

"Yes it is," I said after I ate some, "sweat though, but good."

We wondered about for a few hours buying things before running into Darius and Doc together.

"What is this," Darius asked as he played with the strings on the princess crown I bought Con, I had one on also, she wanted us to be like twins, mine was purple and hers yellow.

"We're princess's," Con said as she curtseys for him.

"Yes, I suppose you are, in some sense," he said looking at me and I rolled my eyes.

"We were just having some fun sir," I said as I take off the crown.

"I know that," he said, "and I didn't say anything was wrong with it either."

To me both Darius and Doc are acting silly, something was definitely different and up and I wasn't real sure as to what it was exactly, but I was going to find out.

"Ok what is going on," I out right asked.

"Nothing," Darius said with a shrug, "than again there is a contest, and all, I mean what would being here and not entering something be really, especially for someone like you, I mean it's almost in your blood and all."

"After how many times you said I could hurt someone," I said.

"I'm not talking about fighting or wrestling or anything," he argued, "there are other contests still, like I am willing to bet you could drink any of these fools under the table any day of the week and no one would ever expect it."

I look at Doc and I see how unsure he is about it.

"Kassie, I don't think it's a good idea," Doc says, "some of these guys signing up are pretty big and burly and all, and they won't be watering anything down for this one."

"She can handle it," Darius argued.

"She is just a girl who barely weighs a hundred pounds," Doc says.

"Kassie," Darius says looking at me, I know what he is wondering and thinking, I'm the demi god, or as Alex liked to call me the mini god what problem would Doc have with this, but I have yet to be that honest with Doc yet.

"Come on," Darius says, "they have yet to make a substance too potent for you, not on this planet at least."

I look away from them.

"I don't know," I say showing my uncertainty, it's an unfair advantage I have isn't it; I can't help but think it.

"Ah the lovely Kassandra," Darius says he reaches out and touches my face tenderly as our eyes meet in a knowing glance, "I can't think of one member of your family who wouldn't take the offer you know."

I just look at him now.

"I'm serious Kassie," he says, "besides it's all in fun aint it, and besides it's not like the fate of the world, any world, depends on this or on you tonight."

I let out a sigh and roll my eyes, "ok, ok, I'm in, how so I sign up?"

"That's my girl," Darius smiles my way.

"You can't be serious," Doc says, for whatever reason he is now playing the role of my protector, as if I need protection from Darius or myself for that matter.

"She will be fine I know it," Darius says but I know what Doc means, he still to this day believes I had a hangover that morning after I had been shot and all.

"Ok it cost one hundred credit to enter," Darius says, "you sign up in the bucket of blood tavern. The winner walks away with the winnings, so far there are twenty guys signed up. There is also betting allowed and I doubt anyone will be betting on the barely hundred pound girl, but you know very well who my credit will be on.

I stand in the line behind four other guys, but no women at all, and I get quite a few looks from others who are wondering what I think I'm doing. There are even a few men who thing it's a joke or worse yet a mockery of a perfectly legitimist male sport.

At the counter the bar keep looks me over good with raised eye brows, "you sure girly," he asked and after hearing the other guys and the things they were saying I was more than.

"Oh yeah," I say.

"You ever drink Whiskey before," he asked.

"A couple times yes," I say as if I were just the silly girl they were taking me for not the daughter of Olympian god who patterned the sports altogether.

"You sure you know what you're doing little girl," he asked me one more time?

"Yes sir I do," I said.

I know very well that some of the men in the bar are watching me with an interest I've known before, seen too many times before, and I decide to for once use that to my advantage.

I leave the bar with just about two hours before the contest should begin telling both Darius and Doc I had something I needed to do and I go back out to one of the shops I had passed by earlier and buy myself some more sweat smelling soaps and perfume and a new pair of brown leather pants that are held together on the side with leather string, and a small white tank top that would easily show off my cleavage and well tones stomach well. Then I went up to my room alone and showered again with the pretty soaps and sprayed myself down before dressing and brushing my hair out, it now went as far down my back that it nearly touched my lower back. Than a little color on my face and lips and some healed brown leather boots and I headed back down to the tavern. As I walk into the tavern all eyes are on me easily, but for a change that's the way I want it.

The tavern has been sectioned off already for the contest, a part roped off where the contestants will be seated with judges watching them.

I see Darius and Doc sitting at a table with little Con already waiting on me and I walk over to them and it would seem that even my two male friends here are a little taken back by me.

"Um trying to make a statement Lady," Darius asked, his eyes went a few places that they normally wouldn't have gone that I saw and then blinked their way back to my face.

"Not really," I said, "though it would seem I am doing just that, nevertheless let's remember dear Sir, this was your idea, was it not."

"you still can pull out you know," Doc told me, "I mean really Kassie, I been looking at these guys, weight wise there is no way you can win, your one fifteen at best, that guy over there I would guess is around two thirty, twice your weight easily. You try putting down the same amount of booze as he dose and you could kill yourself."

"I'm tough."

"yeah, obviously, I believe we have had this conversation," Doc says, "but just cause you got some healing thing don't mean you should try this, your body can't heal how many shots you put away that quickly, I done seen how you heal, and by the way some of these guys here have super natural abilities too, like healing and such."

"Doc I will be fine I promise you that," I say, "but please do me a favor and make sure when this is over and all, that I get back to my room and sleep this off, without some stranger or anything equally stupid."

"Kassie you know I'll take care of you, I always got your back," Doc said.

"So do I," Darius says.

To be honest I haven't drank that much really, to say that it never affected me and it can't affect me aren't the same cause I aint never drank enough to tell how that works. Oh sure Athena said it won't affect me the way it would normal men but that don't mean at all does it.

I went over and sat at the bar with the other men and one other woman as bets start being taken and I know they all think I will be the first to drop, for the other woman is a rather burly looking woman.

The first round goes out and the second and third without a hitch, by the time the tenth goes out two men have already fallen out, one a rather skinny looking man with wiry hair, and some middle aged man with almost clear eyes. From there a man falls every round; I'm surprised that the other woman stays in until the sixteenth round before she is disqualified for throwing up.

After two hours and nearly thirty rounds it's down to a partial Borg, who gives me the creeps, a shiny skinned man, a rather large burly looking man and me.

I had begun to feel it in the last few rounds, as if my equilibrium has broken altogether, but I was far from done and I knew it.

Round thirty three and the shiny man falls asleep and off his seat and on to the floor. Two more rounds and the Borg goes out. Now it's just the burly man and me.

"You can't win this girly," the man says, he already looks ready to fall to me.

"Yes I can," I say, "this party has just begun."

I look him in the eye and I take the next shot.

Three more rounds and he stumbles but argues that he is fine and the judges let it go farther, by round forty it's over and he can't even sit up alone. It takes three men to help him out of the bar and up to his room to sleep it off.

"The unlikely winner," the bar keeper, and final judge says, "Lady Kassandra, the cyber-knight."

I go to stand and feel the effects on my body as gravity wants to pull me back to the earth and Darius is quick to grab me before I fall, Doc right on the other side of me.

"I told you," Doc scolds.

"I'm ok," I say and I can hear my own voice slur as I speak, "but I would like to go to bed now."

"I got her," Darius says as he picks me up I partly heard the giggle escape my throat as Darius caries me out just the thought of being in the arms of any man right now in this state which is what I was afraid of to begin with.

Doc followed right behind him, always my protector, not that he needed to be.

I partly remember going to my room and Darius taking my boots off me, but that's about it, the next thing I know the sun is shining on my face from the window and its morning.

I start to sit up and look around the room as I wince in a pain like nothing I ever felt before in all my life. Con is lying next to me asleep, Darius is on the floor with his back agents the wall, sleeping sitting up, and Doc is sleeping in a chair with his hat over his face as usual.

The brightness of the sun is hurting my eyes and my head more and I crawl off the bed as easily as I can without waking anyone and make my way to the rest room to splash some water on my face a moment.

When I look up into the mirror I jump as I see a face staring back at me and it aint mine, it's that Hermes guy.

"Well, well, well," he says, "like father like daughter I suppose, I have to say at times you're the spitting image of him, your temperament is much the same, your joy for life and fun, you can't turn down a challenge, and you always overcome all of them, even those much like yourself."

"I don't understand,"

"That man in the bar last night, the one you beat out in the end, he was planted by someone who doesn't like you too much, didn't like your father either. I guess sense Hera decided to put her two cents in and endow him and all, and Zeus found out about it, good old dad and Herc made a visit to Dionysus and asked a little favor of their own, they had the, I believe you call it whiskey, blessed, or cures you decide."

"Who is Dionysus?"

"Another god," he says, "one of food drink and a good time I suppose, he is known for being able to bring any god to their knees."

I blinked my eyes a little and lean agents the wall as I still was feeling some of the effects of the booze.

"I see he was right," Hermes says, "I would be willing to bet this is the worst you have ever in your life felt, or will even."

"You would be right by that," I said.

"I have to say I'm impressed though and I'm a god that isn't an easy thing to do you know," he says and I look at him confused." you walked away, ok with help you were carried away I guess, but that ache in your head is like a prize and I'm sure Dionysus will be surprised you took his poison so well."

"Your old man is proud too, made for a memorable birthday I would say, I think he would too." He says

"And is there something that can take the pain away," I asked

"Afraid not," he tell me, "it'll wear down in time though, I mean you do regenerate you know."

"I may have noticed that over time," I say and I close my eyes a moment, when I open them he is gone and I am alone.

I smile and shake my head than I scold myself for doing it for it hurt, than I get a drink of water and climb into a hot shower in hopes of feeling a little more human again.

In the room both Darius and Doc are now awake but Con still sleeps on my bed.

"Who were you talking to," Doc asked and I look over at Darius and smile.

"No one really," I say.

Doc looks at Darius than back to me and shakes his head, "ok, well how are you feeling today?"

"Never worse," I say, "but I will live I'm sure, I'll heal it in time and all, don't worry about it."

"I really thought you would be fine Kassie," Darius says, "You know I wouldn't ever put you in a way to get hurt."

"Oh Zeus," I say and roll my eyes as I sit on the edge of the bed, "I know that Darius and I'll be fine, really."

"But,"

"But nothing," I say, "you ever hear of a guy called Dionysus, if so, well his version of whisky is brutal."

"Sorry," he said.

"Don't be," I said, "this isn't your fault, really, besides I guess to those who seem to be watching over me, I overcame again."

"I would say so," Darius says.

I know Doc doesn't really understand what we are talking about and I don't feel like explaining just yet, to him or anyone else at all.

After we are all up and dressed and down stairs I collect my earrings, twenty five hundred credit, and Darius and Doc made a pretty penny from the betting's too and I looked at Doc who I knew was trying to talk me out of it all along.

"what I bet on the winner," he said, "I may have said it was a bad idea and all but I still believed in you, I don't think you would have put down the credit if you couldn't, besides this school you went to seems to have been a party place and your teacher bet on you so I figured he knew better."

After a light breakfast of toast and coffee I look at Darius and see how uneasy he is and I know before he says it, he is leaving.

"Just say it Darius," I tell him.

"you know I have to get back to the school," he says, "I have to get Con back too, I hate it but I do."

"I know you do," I said, "but thank you for being here and all; you don't know what it meant to me."

"Hay you're my girl," he said with a smile, "I miss you sun shine."

"I miss you too sir," I said, "and thank you for this, for being here for my birthday and all, it meant a lot, really."

Chapter 13 THE FIRST KNIGHT I WANTED TO KILL!

"So where are you off too from here," Darius asked me and I shrugged, truly I hadn't thought that far ahead yet. I had originally thought I would go home for a bit, stop in and say hi than figure it out from there, now I wasn't real sure. Yes I still had questions that only mama could answer, but going home came at a cost I wasn't real sure if I was ready for yet. No, I needed a name for myself before I did that, but one day I still intend to, after the little run in with the coalition and all.

"You're always welcome at the academy you know," Darius told me.

"Yeah that would really fulfill my destiny alright," I said, "staying there all hidden from the world and any danger in it. No, there is something that I'm supposed to do, meant to even, I just have to figure out what it is still, it's got to be more than just giving the gods entertainment."

I stood outside with Darius and Con and hugged con to me for a while before they got in the jeep and left me again.

That's where Doc finds me, standing there alone sulking in the fact that they are gone again.

"Hay," he said, "you ok, you need anything."

"No, I'm good," I said and I forced a smile.

"You're a terrible liar you know that," Doc said, "how is your head feeling these days, I mean after the contest last night and all?"

"I'm doing better really," I said, "Darius brought up a wonderful point,"

"What was that," he asked

"Where do we plan on going from here, do we have a plan or are we still just going and seeing what action find us?"

"well I got a friend who I just got a message from a bit ago," Doc said as he leaned up agents the wall of the building, "he seems to have a problem, he retired a few years ago, guess you can say we done grown up together, CS was his father's life in the day but he and I, we never did get into that. Anyhow we traveled a while than he retired and bought him a place, got settled I guess, he and his girls. Now I guess something is picking off his heard and he seems to need some help with it. I said I would go."

"His girls," I said, "so a wife?"

"And four little girls," Doc says, "he aint a weak man by far, but he is all those girls got, something happened to him, they wouldn't have anyone."

"Ok," I said, "so than when you want to leave?"

"Well we got most of the day still," Doc said and we went up to gather our things together before heading out.

We travel until near dusk and stop to make camp and enjoy the warmth of the fire as we roast us a rabbit.

"You know Kassie," Doc says, "my friend Paul, I mean, he asked my help and all, but I don't know if he can pay."

"Mathew Doc Holiday," I said in shock, "you don't honestly think I want him to do you, I mean really, this aint about credit to me."

"I was just making sure is all?" He says.

I sit there alone as the sun rises into the sky once again thinking about how pretty the earth is getting, the way the spring is changing everything around again, and soon Doc is also up and we are cleaning up camp and heading on our way.

A few more days pass as we head south west and we come across a caravan turned over, the bodies of two men and a woman lay still on the dirt, things strung about, and three bug bear throwing things about. Doc starts to shoot and I jumped off my horse and into the action and before either of us can really say much all three bug bears are down.

"I guess we got us some graves to dig and all," I say and Doc sighs in agreement.

"Wait," Doc said as I walked around, he was now standing with me, and he grabbed my arm to stop me. "There is something else here."

"What," I asked than I see it, the way the sun reflected off shiny armor behind some bushes and I walked over to it with more curiosity than fear.

"Kassie," Doc says and I look over at him to see that he has one of his guns up and aimed just in case he needs it.

In the bushes we find a man in armor I recognize as cyber-knight armor and I'm confused for I don't know one knight who would be cowering this way, than again after something bad happened to one who knows how he might react. One thing is for sure, that armor took a beating or two, the chest plate has burn marks, there was a crack or two in different places.

We aren't that far from the academy, with armor that bad why don't he just head home and see about getting it fixed up, hell even to a town to a black smith.

"Hay are you ok," I asked as I knelt down next to this man I aint never seen before in my life.

He looks up at me in fear as if he assumes I will hurt him, or Doc maybe I don't know which one, but the utter fear in his green eyes is noticeable.

I shake my head and smile as I hold in a laugh realizing he sure don't realize I'm a knight too, and with all my time at the academy, all the different knights I met, and I know I have yet to meet them all, that would be impossible for I know there are hundreds more than anyone would have thought, I have never met one so skittish, ever. Ok maybe Tiffany in the beginning, but Lady DeWhite always said she wouldn't make it that way, it was why she stayed so long, they all knew she wasn't ready to leave on her own yet. I really can't imagine any knight letting a squire leave this way.

"I, I," he stutters as he looks my way, "I'm unarmed, please don't kill me."

I look over at Doc a moment and he lowers his gun, "you know I definitely didn't get the idea from you and that Darius guy, but do you cyber-knights usually go about killing each other?"

"Nope," I said, "I can't recall one I wanted to kill, ok well maybe one but he was expelled from the program so I guess he isn't a knight."

"Wait you're a," the guy said as he perked up some and looked my way, "I mean, you're a cyber-knight?"

"Yes," I said, "minus the spiffy armor and all, but yes I was trained by the cyber-knights."

"Sense when is a cyber-knight unarmed," Doc said behind me but it didn't seem to affect this man at all.

Relief seems to fill his face, "I need help," he says as he stands up.

"You need help," I asked without hiding my confusion at all, "help with what?"

"Getting home," he says, "I've been trying to get home."

"To the academy," I asked?

"No, my real home," he says and now I'm real confused for most knights consider the academy there home for real. "I got to go home to my sister, we are all each other got anymore, she needs me."

Oh I couldn't disagree with that, I guess we all got some kind of family out there somewhere.

"What's your name," I asked?

"Luke," he says than he looks down at his armor, "um Sir Luke that is."

"Sir Luke," I say, "I'm Lady Kassandra and this is my friend Doc Holiday."

"Hay," Doc says with a slight nod, by this point he done put the gun away and stood with his hands folded.

I look over at Doc and I can practically read his mind, we already got us a destination, a quest if you will, we don't exactly need another quest right now. Then again we don't really know what we are up agents on this one and maybe another knight is a good thing, more help.

Oh sure this fellow knight is asking for assistance and I don't know just why, but he asked and I can't say no.

"Sure we will help you, in time," I say looking at Doc, "but first there is something we got to do. So where is home?"

"New Lazlo," he says, "but I asked you for help, you have to help me first, you have to, the code."

"it says never abandon a worthy cause or a friend," I say, "I know my code, believe me I know my code, which is why we got one thing to do first, we are already on a quest, a more important cause than escorting someone across the state, the Coalition states even, than again as a knight you should know that already. If we gave up every quest we were on the moment another came up we would never get anything done."

He argues a little more than gives up realizing I won't give up anything and we begin to dig the graves we intend to dig to bury the poor dead souls and I pray over them in the name of my gods once more. The whole time Doc and I are doing this Luke finds one reason or another why he can't help and I am really starting to wonder about this so called knight.

Luke takes one of the horses from the caravan and we start back on our way again.

"It's so hot," Luke complained after an hour on the road only, "I'm so thirsty, how do you do this?"

"We just do," I say and Doc looks over at me, like me I know he is thinking the same thing, who is this so called knight who whines so much?

Another hour passed and a slight breeze starts to pick up as the last parts of the day are coming our way and I begin to think about camping.

"I'm hungry," Luke complains, "don't you ever stop to eat anything?"

I look over at Doc and roll my eyes a little.

"Whenever you're ready to make camp I'm good with," Doc tells me.

"I believe there is a river up about a hundred feet from us," I say, "should make a good camp for the evening; give the horses a chance to enjoy the water some too."

Doc nodded in agreement.

"Wait, camp," Luke gripped, "we aren't going to a town, to a bed and food?"

"One can't travel at a snail's pace and get anywhere quickly," I say, "we don't have the power of time warping nor can we move towns to suit our needs.

"when there is a town we stop in and stay," I continued, "when the land between towns is far and vast like this we make camp, we adjust to what is and make do with what we have, what the gods have provided for us, happy to have a pond or river to wash up in or to fish out of for our diner."

"Fish," Luke asked?

"Or set traps for game," I say.

I glance over at Doc and I think he is amused at the annoyance I have begun feeling toward this man.

"Game," Luke asked with a questioned look on his face?

"Yes game, you know like hunting for rabbit or wild turkey," I say.

"You do that," Luke asked in complete disgust.

"Or go hungry," Doc says, "Adventurers travel light, they don't have with them what is necessary to keep food supplies for a long time, not to mention the space for it."

"That's what a hover car is for," Luke said more under his breath than to us.

I look over at him with an aggravation and I bite my tongue as Doc chuckles to himself. I didn't understand just where it was coming from for no one had ever gotten under my skin this way, I actually wanted to cause Luke harm and it scared me in a way I couldn't understand. I take that back one man has angered me like this, Weston, no one sense though, up until now.

Everything I have ever heard about how I am so much like my father goes thru my head and I suck it up some, trying to stop myself from feeling this way, though I know it's a futile gesture on my part.

Less than an hour passes before we stop to make camp and I think about Darius and the first night we camped out on our way out of Still Water, after seeing him I guess he is still fresh on my mind, seeing Darius sleeping out under the stars by the fire so I would be comfortable.

"I think I will go set up the net," Doc tells me after the horses are secure; to me I believe he is escaping Luke as much as I want to.

"Ok," I tell him and I pull out my tent off my horse and set it up, taking a moment to set up Doc's too for him, after all he is trying to catch our diner.

The whole time Luke sits on a rock and does nothing and I remember again the first few days with Darius and how I asked him if I could help somehow.

I look over at Luke.

"You know if you want to help out you can gather some wood for a fire," I say and he looks my way as if I speak another language altogether.

I shake my head and begin gathering the rocks and setting them up for a fire.

"Or not," I say to myself, "Why don't you just sit there and let everyone else take care of you, you pampered little."

"What," he asked?

"nothing," I say without looking his way, than I go to gather wood and bring it back to start the fire just happy I get to walk away from this so called knight for a moment.

By the time Doc comes back with the fish the fire is going and the traps for breakfast are set up.

I realize already I need to brake, I need to walk away before I snap, and I know just what I need.

"Hay Doc," I ask as he sits down and starts fixing to cook dinner for us, "how deep would you say the river runs?"

He looks over at Luke who is out of ear shot, "not that deep," he says.

"Doc," I say.

"Easily waist high at some points, maybe a bit deeper, why," Doc asked.

I glance over at my fellow knight and I sigh, "I think I will go use the chance and clean up a little bit, maybe I'll feel human again."

I went through my bag and pulled out one of Alex's pair of sweat shorts I had taken of his and one of my tank tops.

"Taking a swim are you," Doc asks and I smile as I start to walk away than I stop and turn back to Doc.

"Um Doc," I say kind of uneasily, it wasn't something I was good at at all. "Yes," he said.

"Can you keep an ear out," I asked

"I guess so, why?"

"It's a long story about a creepy peeping tom," I say.

"Um yeah ok," he says, "don't worry Kassie, I'll have your back, I would have more if you like."

I just shook my head and walked off, I have grown used to Doc over time, used to his comments, and I knew already that he wouldn't ever do anything to hurt me in anyway.

It seems to me that ever sense that day when that man came up on me that way, I haven't taken my time in a pond or river, I used to enjoy it, now I go and clean up as quickly as I can. Today however I undress slowly and set my clothes on a nearby rock as I turn my head and pop my neck some, than I walk into the cool water and let my body sink into it, the feeling of the water engulfing me. For once I take my time enjoying my solitude; the quiet serenity of no complaining, hell just droning out Luke's voice is helpful.

The more I'm with him, and it's only been less than a day, the more I hate him and it scares me in a way, worries me, for I thought I had more control over my emotions than that. I just can't fathom at all how it was that man got to be a knight.

Face it Kass, Luke isn't your only problem and you know it. Yes in a way Doc is a problem I don't really know how to deal with. He is a good friend, one I have put my life in the hands of more than once now, someone I have trusted with my life and body, literally. I knew very well the other night when I was drunk he wouldn't have taken advantage of me at all, no question crossed my mind. So why is it that I don't tell him anything about me really?

I have learned already that though the gods have little power here they still tend to interfere somehow in little ways, and there are some who just don't like me for reasons I really don't understand, other than who my father is, but that dislike has on more than one occasion tried to cause me harm.

More confusing is how this Hera lady has the power to do me harm, as well as those close to me even, yet other gods don't have the power she does, or the power to help me when she tries to hurt me. I have already begun to notice that somehow the female gods have more power than the male ones, at least here they do, and I don't know how or why.

I know deep down I should tell Doc the truth for I fear that him being associated with me puts him in danger in a way, and my dishonest with him isn't helping him but hurting him and he doesn't know it really. It's not fair really, to him or anyone else who is close to me.

At the same time I know that not everyone believes in my gods, even knows who they are at all, I can't help but hear Athena tell me how some won't believe me, some would fear me, others awe, it aint what I want from no one, that's the biggest reason I don't tell. Face it Kass, its pa too, all the things he said, all the times he said I was an abomination, that I would be the end of mankind all together, I fear in a way that anyone who knows what I am will see me that way too.

I walk out of the water and ring out my hair some before picking up my top and pulling it over my head, and then I sat on the rock and pulled Alex's shorts on. After I was dressed I still sit there for a few moments, partly not wanting to go back at all, but I knew I had to do just that.

I get back just as Doc is pulling the fish off the fire and eating it. Luke sits there near him looking at the fish with his nose up and I set my things down over by my tent and take a seat on the other side if Doc.

"Have a nice swim," Doc asked as he handed me my fish on a stick?

"I guess so," I said.

"What's wrong Kassie," he asked

"I just have a lot of things going through my mind," I say.

"Such as," he asked.

"More than I care to disgust just yet," I say, and he rolls his eyes, "no Doc really, sometimes I'm just a little mellow dramatic or moody, I get it apparently from my father. I just have to let myself shuffle threw this to figure out if its real or just me, or maybe I just need, oh never mind."

"What," he asked and I blushed thinking about Alex and wondering if my problem was just that I hadn't seen Alex now in nearly seven months and maybe in a way I was feeling a little lonely.

"Nothing," I say looking down and chuckling to myself that I thought it at all, me, the one who took a vow of chastity, "really nothing, I swear to you it's nothing."

"Ok so than we can change the subject than," Doc says looking at me and I know very well he sees the way my cheeks reddened up some, how embarrassed I was. "Who is taking the first watch?"

"Watch," Luke asked.

"Yes watch," Doc says, "you know we take turn sitting up and keeping the fire going and all, making sure that nothing comes up on us in our sleep."

"Darius would say it messes up a man's night waking up half dead and all," I say and Doc laughed.

"He would say that wouldn't he," Doc said and I laughed.

"Yeah," I say, "I'll take watch, it will give me some time to think, maybe get myself out of this funk I am feeling."

"Well if you decide you need help with that I will be in my tent there, you hear," Doc says and I shake my head. "Really, wake me when you get tired and I'll take my turn at watch."

Doc looks over and Luke is gone.

"Where did," Doc said and I look over at my tent.

"Oh he didn't," I say and Doc goes over and looks in the tent, there he finds Luke wrapped up in my blanket, on my bed roll, already fast asleep.

Is there no decency in this man I can't help but think?

"Kassie," Doc says and I know very well he knows I'm not happy.

"No," I say, "just don't go there right now, I'll live, go ahead and get some rest I'll wake you when I feel tired."

"You sure," he asked.

"Yeah," I say.

He starts toward his tent, "hay, when we switch, you can sleep in my tent and all."

"Thanks," I say and I pull out the book Athena gave me all those years ago.

I read a while but its making me tired and I really don't want to be tired, I tell myself I'll be fine, it's just one night, I don't need to sleep. Besides I have gone without sleep many times, before with Darius, when I was traveling by myself too.

To pass time I check traps and ready others for the next night, collect more wood for the fire, anything I can think of to not fall asleep, than I go back to reading.

By the time dawn emerges and the sun begins to make its way into the sky, I already have a couple rabbits skinned and cooking over the fire, and a pot of coffee on.

Doc makes his way out of the tent and looks at me.

"You didn't try to wake me did you," he asked and I shook my head, "why didn't you wake me?"

"I wasn't tired," I said without looking at him, "I didn't need any sleep, I'll be ok."

"Yes you do and did," he says as he sits next to me on a rock and pours himself a cup of coffee and starts picking through the rabbit that is over the fire. "You know you try to make yourself tougher than you need to be."

"No I don't," I say.

"Don't be a martyr Kassandra," Doc said, "you're a warrior yes, tough yes, I'll give you that one, but you're still a woman who needs to care for yourself too."

I look down and away from my friend.

"Eventually you do have to care for yourself too," he says, "be your own hero, save yourself from yourself it would seem."

I look over at him and roll my eyes.

"Maybe one day you will tell me why you're so hard on yourself," he says.

"maybe," I say though I know good and well I won't, hell I aint never even told Darius that one, not Alex either, I doubt I have it in me to truly explain it to anyone really.

More than an hour passes and I feel myself pushing a little more, I know very well I'm tired, I know very well I haven't been sleeping well as it is and staying up last night isn't helping any. Than Doc, who I believe is tiring of Luke more than even I am, goes over wake him as I begin gathering the coffee cups we used to take over to the river to wash up.

I stand there at the river wondering if maybe I should just let myself fall in myself, maybe I will feel better. I actually lean down and splash water on my face and it feels good to do it and I know I have to change still so I go ahead and walk in to the water letting it shock me awake.

Then I went back to the camp soaking wet in the clothes I had been in all night.

"Fall in," Doc teased me.

"Something like that," I say.

I pull out some pants from my bag and walk over behind some trees and change out of the wet sweat pants of Alex's but keep the wet tank top on I'll be needing all the help I can get to keep me awake today.

Somehow some way Doc has Luke helping pick up camp some though not by a lot at all. I see him trying to fold my tent up and it doesn't take more than a moment to realize that he aint never done it before now and I took over myself.

We get back on the road again and ride a few hours and I feel myself fighting sleep every minute of the time. I think Doc had noticed too for he started talking to me about nothing really, he started asking my opinion of things I knew we had talked about a few times, like the Coalition's views of DB's and such, easy answered questions that could easily get one riled up some.

He looks over at Luke a few times, "so who taught you the ways of the knight?"

"Oh um," Sir Luke said, "this man, um Sir John something, we didn't really speak much."

"Darius and I were close, friends even," I say

"I got that impression in Silverado," Doc says, "so than Luke, where was it you went to schooling, what academy did you go to for the cyber-knight training thing, when did you graduate and all?"

"About a year ago," Luke said and I knew he was lying, there was no way he graduated the same year I did, that he was there the same time I was.

"Really," I said looking at him, "what academy did you say you graduated from again?"

As I say it I know for a fact that not all knights train at the academy and that some only train partly there for some knights prefer the open road and are willing to risk it all with a squire out in the world.

He looks at me and I see the uneasiness in him as he wonders what the right answer is, "there is only one."

"I just didn't remember you that's all," I said, "than again there are several different classes, you must have been in Weston's class, he graduated last year too, the year before I did, he was one of those well know boys, always helping others learn something or another, always helping teach things, he definitely taught me a lesson or two, helped me with my psi-sword too."

Sure it was a grouse exaggeration on my part but I figured if you give a man enough rope he will hang himself, right?

"I'm not sure, than again I'm terrible with names, always have been," he says, "I'm good with a face though, can you describe him to me."

"He is a tall boy with blond hair and I believe blue eyes," I said, "big I guess, brood shoulders for a boy his age and all."

"Yeah I remember him," he says, "I don't think we called him by his real name though, you know how boys are with their nick names and all, Wes, I know him as, there are a few other names I won't mansion."

He smiled as if it were a memory and I wanted to hit him in the worst way, I knew Weston and I knew how he hated, well everything.

"Ever hear from him," I asked knowing good and well that Doc knows I'm batting a trap for him and he is falling into it hook line and sinker.

"a couple of times," Luke says, "we actually came out this way together, he promised to help me get back home, but then again something came up and he didn't show up, I hope he is ok."

"Wow," I say, "maybe we should be looking for him,"

"I'm sure he is fine," Luke says, "he's good at what he does."

I bit my tongue a little and rode a little faster and I think Doc knew I was upset about something just not what really. I also think Doc knew enough to realize that Luke was lying about something just not what yet, not like I do. Then again Doc knew good and well I would tell him in time, or not, maybe that's why he rode a little faster to catch up to me. Really what had I confided in him yet?

When Doc caught up to me Luke was still far enough behind to not be able to hear a thing at all.

"Ok Kassie, why don't you just tell him you know he is a lying little bastard," Doc asked me quietly, "between you me and these here horses you got a big problem with him and this and you don't hide it well."

"Yeah I'm pissed, ok," I said.

"why," Doc asked, "is it that Weston guy, is something wrong, like a cyber-knight thing where you should go look for him and make sure he is alright and all, or alive at least, get a hold of that Darius guy or something?"

"No," I said clenching my teeth some.

"Damn it Kassie tell me," he said, "One thing I learned by now is that if you don't talk to me, if you don't do something soon, you will do something you may regret soon."

"I'm not going to look for Weston because I know he isn't alright, nor is he dead, unless he took his own life, which I wouldn't put passed him," I said and I don't know why. Maybe it was because he was right and I knew it, I had begun to realize already that when I was upset or angry, even when my feelings were hurt or I just didn't understand something, all I wanted to do was beat the snot out of something and it scared me in a way I couldn't explain really, "I used his name on purpose, talking like he were some great guy and he wasn't.."

"Ok how do you know he is ok," he asked, "I get if you two weren't friends and all but he was a fellow knight right?"

"because we got into a fight and I broke his back, I paralyzed him," I said, "I was, I never was treated the same for one reason or another at the academy, Darius was my teacher and he acted more my friend than anything else, I guess cause my family asked him to look after me and he respects them. Weston was one of Lady DeWhites students, one of only three; it was Weston, Frank, and Tiffany only, with one other knight, Lady DeWhites brother Sir Jeremy. Usually once you learn the sword you graduate, it's like a mastery thing, but Shauna DeWhite never felt they were ready. Tiffany was too afraid to fight, Frank I don't know the deal there, but Weston was too impetus, the way he was willing to fight and kill without even asking questions as to who the good guy or bad guy was, he needed to understand what we were still.

"He challenged me and I fought him and I hurt him," I said, "Than we realized he was evil, he was hiding it from us somehow. When I said he was a mentor I meant it for he taught me that evil don't have to look strange, it can look and act like a normal man or woman, cause he made me see I was different than the other students even, but he was not a role model the way I made him out to be because I knew Luke would lay claim to knowing the guy everyone knew, it was a test and when I am ready I will call him on it, just not yet."

"So you two went all psi-sword fighting and all?"

"Nope," I said, "not at first at least. I mean I had tried and tried but I couldn't do it, when he challenged me I couldn't do it. He attacked me, an unarmed, UN armored girl, with his sword and cut my face. The next time I hit back and I hurt him pretty good, than he was kicked out."

"I don't get it,"

"he showed back up about a week before I left school, he threatened Con and I broke him," I said, "he couldn't have been out here helping or traveling with Luke with a broken back, even if he got it fixed, even cybernetics would have taken too long to heal."

"So dare I ask how you got so strong," Doc asked me, "I mean you said you weren't a dragon, you don't wear armor and I seen you hit with some strong blasts and walk away? I'm just saying that we ride together and all, I'm curious?"

"Doc I want to, really I do, but I can't," I said looking at him, how do you explain something like this without telling him? "I can say I'm not a bad person, I'm good, I just don't know how, I don't want to hurt you."

"It's ok," he said, "maybe one day you will trust me enough."

"Doc it's not about trust, I do trust you, with my life," I said, "hell I trusted you with the safely of my body when I drank too much, I've shared a room with you, this it's just complicated is all."

"I don't understand," he said.

"Neither do I really," I admitted, "all my life I aint never really understood it and every time I think I may get it I realize I don't really."

We ride only a few more hours before Doc makes us stop and make camp, I guess he knows good and well I will just keep going until I fall asleep or someone stops me.

We stop and I insist on helping set up camp like I always do. Just as Doc insisted I sit and eat something. For whatever reason I'm blocking Luke's complaining out, maybe I'm just that tired for real.

It's a nice night, warm, with a slight breeze in the air.

I open my bed roll and pull my blanket out right there under the stars.

"Get some rest Kassie," Doc says and I lay down their near the fire and sleep begins to take me away.

Just as I start to go into a real sleep I hear screaming and I jump up ready to fight something only all I see is Luke and Doc.

"What is it," I asked as I look at Doc.

"A spider," Doc said and for the life of me he looked as if he were going to kill Luke himself and I was already getting the impression he wasn't the violent type, "you're so called Cyber-Knight, saw a spider."

"Arachnophobia," Luke said and for the life of me I couldn't say anything, I was Closter phobic wasn't I?

"Is it dead," I asked?

"Oh yeah its dead, I stepped on the eight legged furry monster myself," Doc said in disgust.

I lay back down and let my heart slow some but sleep just don't take over no matter how I try I don't end up sleeping at all and I gave up and sat by the fire as I once again picked through the wild turkey that Doc had shot earlier in the day while we were riding.

One thing I have to give Doc Holiday, he can kill and cook on the road.

"You didn't really sleep," Doc told me.

"I know," I said.

"Kassie,"

"Don't," I said, "believe me I know just don't ok."

Reluctantly Doc went to bed and I sat up there by the fire alone again, but only after I promised I would wake Doc the moment I felt sleepy.

Needless to say Doc weren't too pleased with me when he woke the next morning to see me still sitting there by the fire and morning had come.

He just looked at me and shook his head than walked off a moment into the woods.

It goes that way for two more days, I just don't sleep, I don't know why really, and it's starting to really get to me, it's effecting me even if I don't want to see it or accept it myself.

One of the nights Doc made me lie down but I lay there until Luke started complaining again about something I don't even remember. It was getting to the point I could hear that man complain even when he weren't near me.

The fourth day I feel I'm slow as I help pick up camp and Doc knows it too.

"You know we got us about half a day to a town," Doc says, "sure it's out of the way and all but it's got an inn and beds to sleep in."

"Doc I'm fine,"

"No you aint,"

Yet still I climb on my horse ready to ride on again.

"A town sounds good," Luke says and Doc glares at him.

We ride on a couple hours, away from the town still for I rather get to Doc's friends place soon and then get Luke off to his home as soon as I can for I just want rid of him.

Than we come around a bend in the road and I hear the roar of something big, and when I see it I don't believe it myself, wondering if my eyes are really playing with me or what, for it is a t-rex, full blown and grown.

"By the gods," I say

It sees us and roars again coming our way and I bail off my horse and summon my psi-sword as I rush in to attack it and Doc pulled guns and started shooting off rounds.

I was tired and slow and I knew it, I knew combat was the last place I should be, only what choice did I have really?

Before I could attack the dinosaur bit his teeth into me and it hurt more than anything I have ever in my life felt before, like I could actually feel its teeth in my bones, literally, I could feel the blood pouring from my body and I thought this was really it. The pain was enough that I actually fell to my knees a moment and it went to bite again only Doc shot it and distracted its attentions a moment. I sucked it up as best I could feeling like I was walking on a broken leg and I attacked it. My sword went into it for a moment only for its tail swept me and I fell down before it picked me up again in its mouth, biting on to me, and flinging me across the path and into a rather large tree that broke with the momentum of my body hitting it.

"Kassie," Doc yelled as I heard more rounds going off.

All this time Luke was doing nothing, not a thing to help us at all; no he cowered behind some trees while we were attacked.

I used to think being shot with a missile launcher was the worst pain I could feel, I was wrong, being shot in the head was, I was wrong, now a hang over, I never imagined it getting worse than any of that but it was. A big part of me was really afraid this was truly it and I was a goner, I would die fighting off a t-rex, end up in its belly, and I would be letting my father down.

No Kass, I told myself as I ran back in there and jumped up to kick the rex in the gut, than I punched my fist into it using all my strength and it all hurt me just as much as it hurt the t-rex I'm sure.

I spent so much time holding back afraid I could hurt someone that despite the pain it also felt good to let loose this way.

The rex grabbed me again, biting into my leg and I felt a little crunching and I heard myself scream as I re-summoned my sword and jabbed it into the rex's eye making it drop me to the ground a few feet.

Doc got off another few rounds and the rex lost its fight and I saw it coming I just couldn't move before it happened, his large body fell on me, trapping me beneath it.

I could feel it already, the pain be damned, the smell of my blood, feeling confined this way, the smell of the earth engulfing my lungs along with the smells of my blood and sweat, the only thing missing was the smell of metal, oh god no.

"Kassie," I heard Doc yell as I cried, my panic getting the best of me.

"Help me," I cried as the panic took over and I could feel it, like I was buried alive again, the fear, the same over whelming fear, my voice taking on a high pitched tone. "Please help me, please get me out."

That damn thing was big and I knew Doc couldn't budge it and I was going to die there, yet somehow I felt as if it were moving some, if only just a little bit, maybe it weren't dead after all.

"You got to help me," I heard a voice say and I know it aint Doc's voice, "come on Kass, I know you can lift this damn thing, you just have to focus passed the fear and try for me babe."

"I can't," I cried though I don't think it was much heard.

"Yes you can," the voice said, "I saw you tear threw a building to find one little girl you can do this,"

I closed my eyes and positioned my arms better, though that took some effort and added a few more scrapes and cuts to my wounds, and I thought about how I had pushed my way out of the box, my grave, and I pushed with everything in me the same way I had than until he was rolled off of me and I was free and even more exhausted; laying there on the ground a bloody mess of me.

"Kass," I hear and he sounds almost horrified, than I look up and see Alex and for a moment I thought I was really dead, I must have been dreaming.

He picked me up in his arms much the same way he had in Coake's library, or armory, before, holding my body to his, and he carried me away from the t-rex.

Oh Doc must have been confused to see this stranger carry me over to the horses, and Alex's hover cycle that now sits next to them, and he set me down on the ground as he wiped some blood off my face.

"Kass, say something to me," Alex says.

"Ouch," I say and he laughed and kissed my forehead, "no really it hurts, a lot actually."

"I bet," Alex says, "you look like hell."

I tried to force myself to sit up some and Alex helped me.

My shirt was torn up so much I may as well not be wearing it it showed off so much of my body, not that I looked pretty with my skin torn open the way it was, my pants were much the same. There were parts of me that had huge gouges taken out of me that bleed more than the rest and I actually felt a little weak from it all.

"we need to get out of here," Doc said looking my way, "she may be tough but she needs medical attention, and those over grown lizards smell blood and swarm."

"Yeah," Alex said looking up at Doc but holding me, "if you can take the reins of her horse I'll carry Kassandra with me, I don't think she is riding alone."

"No, I would think not," Doc said.

I know Alex helped me on his bike and I heard Doc get Luke and they follow behind us, but I think I may have dozed off or even passed out for a moment or two finally.

When I opened my eyes the scene around us was different than what I was expecting and Alex carried me over to a nice piece of grassy land to lay me down, Doc was right behind him.

"Kassie talk to me," I heard Doc say.

"Um Doc, this is Alex, a good friend of mine," I made myself say, "Alex, Doc Holiday."

"Hi," Alex says.

"Hay," Doc says.

"Where is the pathetic, spineless, worthless," I asked.

"Luke is right over there, now holding the horses, until I kill him," Doc says and Alex looks at him.

"No I get to do that," I joke threw my own pain as I make myself stand up on my hurt leg.

Doc insisted on fixing me up as best he could with bandages, though he agrees to let me change first, while Alex went through my bag to get me some clothes.

"Wait," Doc says as he walks over to Luke and forcefully turns him around too and Alex laughs.

"You don't actually expect me to turn around do you," Alex asked?

"That's a bit of an oxymoron don't you think," I say as I take off my shirt and drop it to the ground.

"Well I just want you comfortable is all," Alex teased.

He sees the bite marks on my body and I hold on to his arm for support as I peal myself out of my pants, than he sees the bite marks on my legs too.

"Shit Kass," Alex says, he knelt down to look at the wounds and dress them some.

"You of all people should know by now I will heal this and be fine," I say.

"That maybe," Alex argued with me as I pulled on the sweat shorts I had been sleeping in, actually they were Alex's, "but it's no reason for you to be careless with your life."

He looked at me a moment.

"Those look failure," he says.

"They should, there yours," I said, "and careless, how was I careless, it was a t-rex for crying out loud."

"I have never seen you move so slow in a fight," Alex says, "riding up I saw you fighting, you were slow, sluggish even, and yes careless."

Without thinking, just adding his two cents into the argument, Doc turned around, lucky for me I was dressed already and Alex had bandaged me up too.

"She hasn't slept in nearly four days," Doc said.

"Gee thanks," I say.

"Why," Alex asked me but before I could answer Doc looked over at Luke and back at me with raised eye brows and Alex looks at me confused.

"It's a long story," I say looking off and Alex drops it without question.

"Ok," he says, "let's get going, there is a town we can make it to in about two and a half hours if we hurry. The last thing Kass needs right now is more trouble, she can't take another fight right now, besides if I know Kass she needs a shower right now more than the rest we all know she needs."

"You two definitely know each other," Doc says

Alex has me sit with him again on the cycle as Doc takes my horse and we ride now to make time, Alex and Doc both try to make their way to the town quick for me.

The town isn't small but it is far from big either and Alex insists that the first place we go to is the inn and get rooms for the night.

"Finally someone here has some sense," Luke says and Alex looks at him.

How exactly Alex feels about Luke I don't know, I don't think he has been around Luke long enough to like or hate him yet. Then again right now he is more concerned for me than the man pretending to be a cyber-knight.

The inn has no privet restrooms, more like one bathroom for every three rooms to share and there are only nine rooms.

I grab my bag and head into the restroom and strip off my clothes to get into the shower watching the familiar sight of my blood washing down the drain, feeling the sting of the water over my wounds.

"How are you doing," I hear and I jump even if I know the voice is Alex's.

"Alex really," I say, "you startled me."

"I see that," he says as he looks in on me with a smile.

"I need a day or two but I'll be fine," I say.

"And some sleep I would say,"

"I know," I say looking away from him, once again letting the water run over my face for a moment for I wanted to avoid this conversation altogether.

"You know we are alone if you want to talk about what is keeping you up at night because this isn't good for even you." He says, "I know you don't want to talk about your new friend and cyber-knight, Sir Luke."

"I'm just giving him enough rope to hang himself, ok,"

"Doesn't explain why you're not sleeping,"

I start telling him what happened the first night and the second one too, even the last two, but it was more than that.

"Doc was just trying to keep me from falling asleep while we traveled and all," I say, "so he started asking stuff about Luke's training and all, especially after Doc met Darius over my birthday, and I got him to say he was training with Weston."

"Weston,"

"Yeah can you believe it after that big fight," I said then I looked at him, "oh yeah you weren't there for that one."

"What happened what did I miss?"

"Weston came back to the academy and he had Con he and I got into it and I kicked him in his back and it broke."

"When was this?"

"A few days before I left on my own so about a month after you left then."

"You paralyzed him,"

"Yep."

"And now Sir Luke is claiming to have traveled with him."

"Yep."

"That aint possible," Alex says.

"Think I don't know that," I say.

"Sorry I missed your birthday," he says and I smile.

"Darius got me to join some drinking contest," I say.

"I would have loved to see that," he says.

"Seeing me drunk off my ass," I say.

"Yes," he said, "I didn't think it was possible, I mean the few times I have seen you drink it may as well have been water to you."

"The whisky was blessed or cursed, by Dionysus," I say.

"God of parties," he says.

"Basically yes," I say, "it didn't exactly help my convincing Doc I can handle it."

"I don't understand," Alex says as he leans up agents the wall, and crosses his arms over his chest.

"I haven't told Doc anything really," I say.

"Why,"

"I don't know," I say looking away, "maybe I'm afraid to, I mean he is just a friend but still."

"Afraid of what,"

"I don't know," I say, "his not believing me, how about the idea that others could fear me, or treat me differently because of it, or Hera pulling more of her crap only on my friends too because they know about me."

Alex reaches forward and touches my chin and turned my face toward his.

"There is more about my past than even you know," I say.

"I know there is, I just don't know what or why," Alex says.

"I don't want to go there," I say.

"Alex pulls me into his arms, even though I am still in the shower, and still bleeding, still he holds me to him.

I get out of the shower and dry myself off and let Alex dress my wounds again before I get dressed again.

"I'm afraid sir you need some clean dry clothes," I say.

"And a shower," he says.

"well I wasn't going to go there and hurt your feelings or anything," I say, "but I tell you what, I will go get you some clothes while you shower."

"That will work," he says as he kisses my forehead, "though I get the feeling there all in your bag."

"Only a few comfort items," I admit, "for those cold nights alone, you know."

By the time I get back he is out and drying himself off with a towel and I hand him the clean clothes as I question myself once again for I am definitely not in the right place to be looking at him and thinking the things I am, than again it has been an awful long time.

"How about some food," Alex says, "than we will see what we can do about you getting that sleep we been talking about."

Down stairs Doc sits at a table with Luke who is still wearing that damn armor and I glare at him a moment before Alex lightly nudges me.

"I thought you said something about rope," he says to me and I clenched my jaw.

"Lady Kassandra," Alex says as he pulled out my chair for me over playing the perfect gentleman a little and I smiled, trying to not laugh at his efforts. "What, too tough to be treated like you deserve to be treated?"

"You're such a goof," I say as I sit down.

I had almost forgotten what it was like to be around Alex this way, I knew I had missed him but now I realize I had really missed him.

Alex pulls another chair over to the table and sets it as close as he can possibly sit next to me without sharing my seat. He puts his arm around me and I rested my head on his shoulder and looked up into his eyes with a smile as he lightly kissed the top of my head. Oh it was nice being in his arms again, so nice.

A four armed woman with skin so tan it looks orange, comes up and takes our orders and walks off.

"So how did you two meet," Doc asked looking over at us.

I couldn't help it I laughed. "Technically I was one of his students," I said, "Alex was already a knight, he helped Darius take me to the academy, he trained me some."

"Well he was the teacher," Alex said, "though we did get a few looks as some of the other knights realized you were sharing my room. So I guess I should ask if I have any clothes left in my dresser at all, or if you took them all with you?"

"No I only took a pair of shorts and a couple shirts," I said.

"Ok," he said looking down at me, "so what you sleep in my clothes?"

"Sometimes," I admitted, "when I want to feel closer to you, or when I'm lonely."

Lightly he kissed my lips as the waitress brought our food, some stew and bread.

I ate as much as I could but my eyes were getting heaver and heaver.

"They call this food," Luke complained as he set the bowl down and dropped his spoon in the bowl.

"It would be wise for you to hold your tongue and be kind, or I will personally teach you your manners boy," Alex tells Luke with a completely straight face and Luke's eyes bulge a little, though I think that Doc was amused by it some.

A few moments later Doc looks over at me with concern, "you know Kassie I think that you should get some rest."

"He is right," Alex said, "you have been threw the ringer today and despite, well you know, you still need to care for you too."

"I like him," Doc said looking at me.

"You only said that cause you already told me that yourself." I say.

Even so I let Alex help me up to my room, his arm around me, he even put me to bed and kissed me good night, than for the first time in nearly seven months I lay in Alex's arms and fall asleep.

I wake up under a burnt up tree, all around me is the reminisce of what was once a beautiful forest. I sit up and look around, walk around and too late I realize where it is I am and I am truly confused as to why I am here and what had happened here.

A cold breeze blows passed me and I realize I'm cold and I look down to see my clothes are all torn up to shreds, there is blood dried on my arms and body. Threw what would have been the forest I see the tattered foundation and burnt structure of a place I once called home, my mother's home.

"mama," I cried as I looked around walking closer to what was the house, walking through the rubble for any sign of life and I find nothing, only a body too burned up to tell who it was at all, and I crumble to my knees as I feel hot tears burning my eyes.

I reach out and touch the body and I see it, a fight, Dee Bee's fighting alongside the coalition officers, dog boys with cyber-knights, demonic looking creatures and psi-stalkers. The fight gets close to the house, too close really, and a burst hits the house sending it erupting in flames.

I somehow just know that mama is in the house, Tate and Marty too, there too afraid to leave, to even move really and mama can't leave her boys.

I see pa out there fighting something that looks like a living skeleton and I know he doesn't realize his family is dying in the house behind him.

I see it, the fire getting closer to them, the smell of burning wood fills my nose, my lungs, and I choke on it.

Then I see myself too, I am fighting just as pa is, and I don't see it either, the fire in the house that is. I just see the fight before me as I swing two psi-swords around, I aint never used two before. Pa don't seem happy to see me fighting with him, by him, he glares my way as I cut the head off the skeleton he fights and it falls to the ground dead somehow.

Pa starts yelling at me, something I can't hear, I can only see the anger in his face and see his lips move. Yet somehow I hear the screaming loud and clear and I look toward the house as it tears threw my heart for I know its mama screaming in the worst kind of agony there is. I somehow ignore pa altogether as I run to the house calling for mama, trying with everything in me to get to her and save her.

It seems to me the faster I run the farther I am from the house, yet the smoke has no problem coming closer to me and I choke on it some more, I grow dizzy from the smoke in my lungs and fall to the earth holding my chest, realizing there is nothing I can do now for her voice, the screaming gets louder and then just ends altogether and a deadening silence envelops the land.

I cry as the vision ends, I pick up the bones of my mother and I cry, scream even, my brother's bodies under hers.

"Why," I ask, as I look up into the heavens for some kind of answer, some reason for this madness.

Thunder cracks threw the sky and the rain begins to pour down around me mixing with the tears I shed now.

"Kass, what's wrong?" I hear Alex say as I open my eyes to see that I'm still in the room, Alex is sitting there next to me with the door still open as if he had rushed in here to me, Doc even stands in the door looking concerned.

I can still feel the smoke in my lungs as I cough some more and try to regain my composure some.

Outside the window thunder crashed and lightning fills the dark sky with light as the rain pours down.

"Kassie," Doc says, he too now comes into the room and sits on the other end of the bed, his concern greater than anything else.

I sit up and pull my legs in closer to my body and hold myself, oh yes it hurts to do it, but still I do.

"It's ok," Alex says, he tried to touch me, to comfort me, yet I pulled away some. "Kass, just say something, something so I can fix whatever it is."

"You can't," I cried into my own legs, "I saw stuff, bad stuff, death."

"Kass, it will be ok," Alex says, "tell me what you saw, it will be ok."

"I saw a battle," I cried still not looking his way. "It was at home, my mama's home. This thing was fighting my pa and I was helping him, we didn't see it, didn't notice, we were too angry at each other too, but the house was burning up, and mama was in it, my brothers too, I saw them die horribly."

"But why would you be upset with your father," Alex asked.

"Not my father," I said or corrected looking at him, "my pa, the man my mama married, he hates me."

"It was a dream Kassie," Doc says.

Alex gets it, he knows more, and despite me he pulls me out of my own arms and hold me to him to comfort me and I fall back to sleep. This time when I wake Alex is still there holding me, he hadn't left my side for anything, I see him sleeping there holding me, and I fall back to sleep again.

Chapter 14 THE GREATEST HOPE!

Morning comes and I wake feeling much better. Oh sure my body is sore still, I can imagine it will be for a while yet, but at least I feel awake.

How long Alex has been awake I don't know, but he still lays there in bed with me holding me close to him in his strong arms.

"Morning beautiful," he says and I smile, "I have missed you too."

I just smile as he leans in and kisses me softly.

We get up and I head over to the shower after agreeing to let Alex come with me to look at how much I have healed and he winces at how much I still have to heal still.

Once we are dressed and headed back to the room to gather our things together as Alex complained to me.

"You know we can stay another night and let you heal up more," he says.

"I'm alright,"

"Maybe but you're not one hundred percent just yet," he says, "what if a fight broke out, you will be at a serious disadvantage."

"Why Sir Luke will be there," I sarcastically say and Alex laughs.

"Oh funny," he says, "I'm actually rather surprised you haven't knocked him on his ass yet, I know you want to, don't even try hiding it from me, I know you too well."

"Well he is lying," I say, "impersonating a knight, and worse yet, how did he get a hold of armor he has no access to?"

"He isn't evil,"

"No just a cowardly girly boy playing at being one of the big kids," I complain and again he laughs.

"Bitter are you," he says.

"look I'll be fine, I promise you that," I say, "and I haven't gone with my first, second, well threw one hundred and ninetieth, instinct because you and Darius, and John for that matter were good at teaching me my strength. Besides I have already accidentally put my fist threw a man's skull, I don't want to make a habit of it."

"What,"

"Nothing," I say.

I get my bag and head down to the horses, it stopped raining but the sky looks to me like it will storm again just no telling when yet.

"So where is your keeper," Doc asked and I looked up a little startled for I hadn't expected to see anyone really.

"Who," I asked and he gives me a look, "you mean Alex don't you?"

"Well he doesn't exactly let you out of his sight for long," Doc complained.

"Well we been threw a lot together," I say and he raises his eye brows at me.

I just shake my head and smile.

"Are we still going to my friends, to help them out?"

"Of course we are, why would you ask," I asked, "and after that we get rid of Luke, push him off a cliff or something, and from there we see where the wind caries us."

"You sure about that," Doc asked.

"Yes," I say, "why do you ask?"

"Well you said before about heading home and all, Coalition territory and all," Doc says, "and last, well that your mama still is there and all, your pa too?"

"Yeah," I say, "or as far as I know they are, some other people I care about still too."

"well I heard rumor of a fight coming up, a war," Doc tells me, "we will be heading across it to get to new Lazlo and all to ditch Luke, but it's said that if something don't change soon the coalition and Tolkien are going at it for real."

"Where did you hear that, when," I asked?

"I heard it too," Alex says from behind me, "I was going to go in, than I saw you and all, now, well I'll help you get his highness home so no one gets killed on account of him, than see what happens from there."

"Do you think the war will be," I asked trying to hide my own feelings for Alex just hurt them and I don't think he knows it yet, I don't even look his way?

"Well it's been a long time coming love," Alex says.

"That's for sure," Doc says, "guess folk grew tired of being told what to do or think, being bullied by ignorant folk and all."

Maybe Alex realized something in me changed, maybe not, but he reached out for me and I pulled away from him and went into the tavern to pay the bill and collect Luke alone.

We get back on the road and start traveling without speaking much at all. Oh sure I heard Doc and Alex talking some, Doc even tells Alex more of what he knows from the drinking contest and all, he even tries to get me to join in the conversation but I look off and ignore them.

Yes I'm mad, hurt even, and I can't explain why, yes I can; he will be leaving me again soon.

"Hay Kass, what's bothering you," Alex asked me?

"Nothing why would you think something is bothering me?"

"Oh that temperament we seem to joke about, the one that seems to be hereditary, it's coming out," he says.

"I'm fine," I say.

He laughs a nervous laugh, "yeah,"

I turn to Alex and look at him, "look don't do me any favors ok, this acting like I need protection getting across the great CS and all, war or not, don't, don't stick around for that, if the wind is telling you to go than go, I'm a big girl I can handle myself, I don't need a teacher no more."

"Wait, what?" he asked.

I looked away.

"Kass," Alex says as he catches up to me, "I want to be here with you, I know you don't need a chaperone, but we are friends still, I thought a little more than that."

"But you said," I said.

"I said I saw you," he interrupted, "that was my plan before I saw you, when I didn't know where you where, right now this is my plan and I don't know why really, I don't know if its cause I missed you or cause of that word we don't say, or cause it's the fates, I don't know but I want to be here with you, traveling with you."

Doc catches up with Luke at his heals.

"I hate to say this but it may be in our best interest to have a little back up going through the CS, after our little fight and the price you have got to have on your head Lady," Doc says.

"What," Alex asked.

"I killed a few CS officers," I say.

"And there Sergeant," Doc added as Alex looked at me.

"It was unavoidable Sir," I tell him sarcastically, "I didn't kill all of them, I managed to get a few of them to wander off looking for invisible people."

"And one of them knew you," Doc says.

"look Alex it took both you and Darius to get me out of there," I said, "you know very well they were looking for me than, I guess they still are only now differently."

"Look Kass in this, business we will call it, getting a price aint nothing, but killing folk for the wrong reason, come on," Alex tells me.

"I had the right reason," I say, "I was, and I admit my idea, barely dressed in the snow, the Sergeant took me into the ATV and came on a bit too strong, there was a slight struggle and I accidentally put my fist threw his head, it was not on purpose, he should have listened to me and stopped when I told him to. After that, well come on I walked out of the ATV wearing the man's blood and brains, the others attacked me and I fought them, Doc too. The guy I couldn't kill was off looking for my party I sent him looking for, so they lived. I couldn't exactly go hunting them down and kill them just cause he knew my name."

"Anything else you done sense we last spoke that maybe I should know about," Alex asked?

"um," I said thinking about it a moment and he looked at me, "I want to say no but I'm sure if I do Doc will pipe in with something like I nearly got my head shot off and all, so how about you?"

"Nope, just the usual," Alex says, "so are you still mad at me or are we good?"

"Were good," I say even though deep down I still feel as if I'm not ok, something is still bothering me and I don't know what or why. Maybe Alex has a point and it's just hereditary and all?

Travel becomes what it is, though both Alex and Doc keep asking me if I'm ok, if I need to stop or anything and revering to the gashes still taken out of my legs and body, still I insist I'm fine and push myself on until it gets to that point of the day when we need to make camp.

"I say we got us another two day ride to Pete's place still," Doc said.

We had just sat down around the fire and began to pick threw some fish Alex caught in the nearby lake.

"So how is that whole healing thing going there Kassie," Doc asked me.

"slower than I would have expected which makes me wonder just how much internal damage I took, I mean I know I felt some teeth getting rather up close and personal with my bones and all," I told them.

"Now if you had been wearing armor that wouldn't have happened," Doc says.

"Oh trust me the last thing you want is Kass in armor," Alex says, "it's not a pretty picture, she scared us a little there, she just freaked out."

"Thank you," I say looking at Alex.

Doc and Alex talked and say I can't have watch tonight, that I needed to sleep some and heal more. So I head in to my tent fearing sleep as much as I know I need it. Mostly I just lay there without sleeping, tossing and turning a little for comfort isn't as easy as one might think. Than Alex climbs in next to me as Doc took the second watch. He lies down with and pulls me into his arms.

"Maybe you will sleep better now," Alex says.

I can't help but wonder if sleep isn't the thing I need but Alex was.

Even so I lay there in his arms and I doze off into sleep.

I was beginning to realize peace and sleep weren't things I was destined for. Not even in sleep could I truly rest for I find myself standing on a freshly packed grave and I know I am the one who did the burring. I look behind me only to see several others I have dug and filled over time, some very new, others not as new, but all had one thing in common as I walked about looking at the head stones, all I had loved at one point or another.

I see mamas; pa's too and fined myself confused at how I feel about it. I see my brothers who tormented me for so long; Robby brings a curious lump into my throat. I see Con's grave, a few others I had known, some who helped me along the way and it hurts in a way I don't understand. Then I look at another grave and I fall to my knees as I choke on my tears and touch the head stone, the dirt in my hands still.

"No," I cry, "not you, no, I can't handle loosing you!"

Poor Darius, my friend and mentor, how would I ever face a day without the things he had taught me, who would I have ever been without him, without his love and support. Darius my rock, the one who made me finally see me and not feel hate.

I once again hear pa in my head, "you're an abomination on mankind, you will bring down the destruction of man; she lures men in with a pretty face only to lead them to their destruction."

Somehow I know it, this is my fault, I don't know how or why but I know I did this to them, to him, some way and inside I'm dying because of it.

I wake as Alex is caressing over my face softly, the look on his face is so full of concern.

I now feel the tears on my face and I realize I had been crying for real not just in my dream.

I say nothing, I really at this point don't know what to say or how to say it, right now it just hurts too damn much.

I buried my face in Alex's chest and let myself fall back to sleep in hopes of some rest.

Morning comes and I wake alone feeling strangely outside of myself as I sit up.

Reminisce of my dream goes through my mind again and the pain is worse than having a t-rex bite into my bones.

I make my way out of the tent and over to the fire that Alex and Doc sit at as a breeze of a spring storm blows threw the small camp we had made.

Someone had shot a stray chicken and it sit on a spike over the flames roasting and sending an aroma threw the air.

Even Luke was up and awake, sitting there by the fire, I had been the only one still sleeping.

"You want to talk about this," Alex asked me?

I just shake my head and look into the fire without really seeing anything at all.

"Babe," he says and I look up to see he and Doc both looking at me.

"I have been, I guess over the last few nights, a week maybe," I say hearing the emotion cracking in my voice and hating it all, "it's just these dreams, these night mares, I keep seeing all these bad things."

"What kind of bad things," Doc asked.

"Death," I say as a stray tear escaped.

"Whose death," Alex asked me.

"Everyone," I say, "at first it was just my mother, than it was her and my brothers, than others started joining the party I guess. Like everyone I cared about, everyone I ever loved was dead and it was all my fault."

"It was a dream love," Alex says as he knelt down beside me and holds me close to him, "even if it were more than just the one it still, it's just dreams."

"Darius," I say looking up in to Alex's eyes, "I saw him die, I buried him myself, and it was killing me to do it, to watch myself do it."

He holds me again and I cried, really cried.

"I just can't stop thinking that maybe it wasn't a dream," I cried, "what if it were more, what if it were real, like some warning of something to come that the gods are trying to tell me will happen or, I don't know, I just can't help but think that everyone will die, your all leaving me and it's all my fault, maybe all along pa was right about me, maybe I will be the destruction of mankind?"

"Kassie," Doc said, "dreams or nightmares even, there just that, nothing more."

To Alex it's different, he knows more, he knows me, all the things that others don't, or some of them at least. I suppose it's like he said before, underneath all the toughness I am still just a woman with some vulnerabilities, and it aint like no dream I have ever had hasn't come true, nightmare or not.

Maybe Doc was confused, I don't know I wasn't looking at him; I was too busy crying in Alex's chest.

"Kassandra's dreams have been real before," Alex says.

"How," Doc asked.

"Who knows really," Alex says quietly, "Sonics, magic maybe, her gods, all we know really is these things have a way of popping up on her."

It takes a few moments for me to regain my composure but once I do I wipe the tears from my face. "Ok enough of this, let's just get camp up and start out again on our journey. We sure aint getting anywhere sitting here listening to me whining."

"It's not whining Kass," Alex tells me yet still they do as I say and before too long we are back on the road again in hopes of making our way to Paul's place as soon as we can muster.

After only a few hours it would seem the sky began to quickly darken and the wind began to howl as that small spring storm that had threatened us all along began to turn into a bigger problem than we would have guessed it would have. Lighting struck and re-lit the land every now and then proving to our adjusting eyes how dark it had truly become, the loud booms that followed seemed to be right on top of us.

"We need to find some shelter," Doc says.

"Quickly," Alex agreed, he looks my way, "um so Kass, how much more healing do you think you need still?"

"Why," I asked.

"Just asking is all," he asked with a shrug.

It would seem over an hour we looked for a place to make camp where we could at least have something over our heads and found nothing, all the while Luke complained on and on about being cold, being wet, the wind, everything one could think of.

We found some thick trees and stopped a moment.

"look I think I remember this area," Alex says he looks about some, "it's hard to tell in the dark so much but I think there is a farm nearby, I could be wrong though."

"Wait we're really stopping again," Luke asked, "By the time I get home I will be an old man."

"Or you could go all by yourself," I say looking at him after I had lost my patience again. "I mean you are a great and powerful cyber-night are you not, equipped with a psi-sword and the other oh so special things a knight can do, what do you need us for, other than to listen to your complaining about everything from not enjoying the food in a tavern to the damn sun not rising when you want it to."

"I," he went to say.

"No," I interrupt, "there has yet to be a time sense I met you that upon opening your mouth the sound of a complaint has yet to come out."

"Well now I feel real comfortable with my original plan of leaving you two here while I look ahead some," Alex says.

"I'm going with you," Doc tells him, "you two stay here a moment and try to not kill one another, I'm sure Kassie would kick the snot out of you anyhow."

"More than just the snot," Alex says and they ride off leaving me sitting on my horse next to Luke.

"I," he begins.

"Shut up," I interrupt, "for the rest of the night I don't want to hear a word out of you."

"Not exactly lady like is it," he mutters and I want to hit him in the worst way.

To Luke's luck we aren't alone long before Doc comes riding up on us again. "Good news and bad news folks,"

"Ok," I say.

"Well the farm Alex mentioned aint there no more," he says, "but it was once there, where he thought it would be and even closer than you might think too."

"If it aint there where is Alex," I asked, "Wait was that the good or the bad, did something happen to Alex?"

"Gee's," Doc says, "and I thought he was bad about you. No nothing happened to Alex, that was the bad news, the good news is that though the farm is gone and the folk that lived there are too, the old barn is still standing and in good order it would seem, we can settle the horses in and get us some rest."

"Alex is there still right now," Doc said, "he was going to get some fire wood together before it began to rain so we would have warmth, and I came to get you two."

I climbed back up onto my horse and we road on for about half an hour before getting to a rather nice looking barn and Doc opened the door for us to lead the horses in to the different stalls for the night.

"At the least we will be dry," Doc says.

"At the least," I say as I look around. There were about eight stalls around a large open area, and at the far end of the barn I saw a rope ladder. As I secured my horse, Sprite, I saw that there was plenty new looking hay, I even picked some up and smelled it. After living on a farm most my life I knew the smell of rancid hay and this was near fresh, like cut rather recent fresh.

Sprite went straight for the hay she aint had really sense the last town we had been to.

"There you go girl," I tell her as I run my hand over her mane and pull my bag off her so she can truly rest up some.

Out in the main area I looked at Doc, "say, if you had to guess how long would you say hay could stay good and fresh this way without turning sour and all?"

"Don't know," he said, "I noticed that too though, it looks like it were cut yesterday or something."

"Let's just hope whoever cut it is kind," I say.

I look about more and I'm more perplexed, there is dust on the floor, easily no one but us has walked on this floor in months, there are other signs too, how creaked the hinges on the doors are, the cob webs, yet there is fresh hay and no reason for it, no idea how it even got there without someone stepping on it.

"shouldn't Alex be back by now," I asked Doc after all it had to have been an half hour ridding back to us for it had been a half hour ride for us to get to the barn, that would be an hour, we had to have been here a good twenty minutes and he still had yet to come back and I worried some for him, oh sure he is a skilled knight but, well there was a feeling in my gut I couldn't explain for him and didn't want to put to words, it made me worry.

"You would think so wouldn't you," Doc said as another rather loud crack of lightning rung overhead.

"Maybe I should go look for him," I say, "he could be in danger, a fight even."

"You're in no condition to be running off into a fight Lady," Doc says.

No sooner does he say it that the door bursts open and Alex pushes his hover cycle in the door with some fire wood on it, and a girl too, all bound up.

"What the," I say.

"Honey I'm home and I brought you a girl," Alex says with a shrug. "Get this; she tried to jump me, in the forest, alone."

I look at this scared looking girl with her dark hair long and reaching her buttock nearly, her dark eyes look down in fear.

I walk up to her looking into her pretty heart shaped face, she was a natural beauty even I had to say, her face need not creams or powders to perfect it for nature seemed to have done that all on its own. It would

Even seem that a natural color was on her lips as if she had stained them eating berries.

"What is your name," I asked and she shyly looks up at me and I see it around her neck, the silver necklaces that entwined the symbols of Athena, Artemis, Aphrodite, than I see Hera's symbol too. To see the goddess's signs put me at ease just as seeing Hera's worried me some.

"Kara," the girl says without making eye contact with any of us, "please, don't bring me harm."

I laugh slightly, "and how or why would anyone here bring harm to you?"

"Barbarian men make slaves out of woman," she says.

"Good thing there are no barbarian men here than huh," I say and I lifter her chin so she will look my way, I even smile.

"I don't understand," Kara asks, "do you not belong to these men?"

"Wow, hardly," I say.

"Yeah, the great Lady Kassandra belonging to anyone, I don't see that happening," Alex says and I look at him.

"Really," I say, "well it would seem to some, I mean after all, you did make me break a certain vow did you not?"

"Oh we won't go there," Alex says, "we start going there and next you're going to once again complain about my age."

"Well what did you really expect me to think," I muttered.

"wow," he says, "you know I think I will head back out into this storm that I'm sure your gods threw together as a means to force you to relax a little bit and finish healing up, and I'll see if I can find us some nice game to kill and eat so as we don't all go hungry tonight. And you lovely Ladies can convince Artemis that it was a necessity and we will use what is needed."

"I guess I will be going with Alex, to make sure he gets the job done without bringing anymore trouble our way." Doc says and they make their way out into the storm again.

In one corner of the barn there is a rather large and open fire place and I go to it and check to be sure it is safe to use, than I set the wood in to start the fire and Kara actually begins to help, I even see her make a gesture to one of the symbols on a bracelet.

"Another god I take it," I say?

"My people worship the Olympian goddesses," she says.

"I know," I say, "I recognize the symbols of the Athena and Artemis, Aphrodite too, and Hera."

"You know of the goddesses," she asked me?

"The gods too," I say, "Zeus, the father of the gods, Hercules god of strength, Hermes, god of speed and it would seem the messenger too."

She looks at me confused," not many know of my gods."

"Oh I would say they have a place in my life," I say, "Athena has always been kind to me, but I haven't really met any of the other goddesses, than again the only god I met is Hermes."

"Met," she says and I realize just what it is I have just said.

"Look when the guys get back, well let's not ok," I say.

"I don't understand,"

"Alex knows but that's it really and I like to keep it that way ok?"

"Sure," she says.

After the fire is going I sit there relaxing as best I could as I hear the thunder over head again.

"So what were you doing out in the storm alone," I asked Kara.

"I wasn't," she says and I look at her.

"If you're helping Hera trick me I'll have to kill you," I say.

"Why would Hera trick you," she asked?

"Just answer me what you were doing," I said.

Maybe my suspicions were heightened because of my dreaming of all I loved being dead and all, after all we were now rained in a place that has me feeling edgy in a way for something aint right here, now two men I cared for are out there in the storm and if I lost them I wouldn't know what to do, I don't know how I would react really.

"we were traveling not far from here, going home actually," she says, "it was a test mission, a graduation for one of my sisters, it was supposed to be a happy occasion, than these beasts come out, creatures of the night, I ran, what would the great Athena say of that, I ran and abandoned my sisters to death?"

"Wait, vampires," I say.

"Yes," she says as a tear actually reaches the bridge of her nose.

"Kara Athena is no fool," I say, "she knows a foolish fight when she sees one, she would have known you had no other chose than to run or die yourself. Besides she can't chance the loss of more worshipers it's where she gets her strength."

I look on and think of Doc's friend's problem and I wonder if it is the same vampires.

"Maybe Alex was right," I say though truly it's a thought out loud, one meant for me mostly, "I'm in no shape for a fight yet, no matter how I want to lie to myself that I'm fine. Maybe this storm is a blessing in a way, to make me stop and heal up some."

I stand up and wonder off alone, deeper into the barn, to the very end were the rope ladder is, and I climb up to the top were more new hay lay in a fine soft bed, privet and cozy it would seem.

"Hay Kass," I hear from down below and I look over the edge to see Doc and Alex back with a stray duck.

"I'm up here," I call looking down at him.

Doc takes the duck and wanders off a moment, he lightly kicked Luke to go help him some and they start to pluck out the feathers so as we can cook her up.

Alex climbs up to the loft and walks about looking the way I had, a funny smile playing on his face.

"This is kind of nice," he says, "secluded enough that one could have privacy if they so choose to, comfortable."

"You at times sound like a child excited over his first tree house sleep over." I say and he laughed.

"Oh I'll show you I'm no child," he says and now I laugh.

"You will, will you,"

He gets closer to me and touches my arms lightly, bringing his lips to mine softly. "Later on, after others have fallen to sleep,"

"You mean privacy,"

"Yes," he says, "wouldn't want Sir Luke thinking things of us knights would we?"

"I'll hold you to that," I say

"Hay Kassandra," we hear Doc yelling from bellow us, "Alex, Kassie, come quickly."

After hearing the word vampire I rush as fast as I can with a curious Alex behind me.

"What," I asked seeing nothing at all.

"Your so called knight accidentally found something of interest," Doc says with a smile on his face.

"What?"

"There is a trap door in the back I hadn't seen," Doc says, "well Luke got a little ill with the bird and all and fell into it you can say, it's a secret room full of things that could get us thru the night and then some just nicely."

We followed Doc to the secret room, the eight by twelve room filled with shelves of supplies, a few cots, blankets that looked rather clean and soft even, canned foods, bottled water, and even a few bottles of whiskey. There are also other supplies like flash lights, candles, matches too.

"Oh sweat gods of light its whiskey," Doc says picking up the bottle and opening it up to take a swig from it.

I laughed, "Now all you need it a table and a few chairs, complete with four brothers to call you a cheat."

"Funny," Doc says.

Down stairs we sit and enjoy a can or two of fruit cocktail while we wait for the bird to cook, and Doc passes the bottle of whisky around to us all, everyone but Kara drinks.

"What's wrong Kara," Doc asked her, "still think we are some mean old barbarian men?

"I just don't think my goddesses would approve of this or anything else," she says looking at me.

"Believe me they know," I say, "they all know what it is I'm doing and up to, who I'm with too."

"I don't understand still," she tells me.

"And I'm not explaining it anymore now than I did earlier," I say.

"Then why should I trust you," she asked?

"What does your heart tell you," I asked

"That you're good," she says.

"Well now," Alex says, "tell me Kara what is an Amazon woman doing away from her tribe?"

"They were attacked by vampires," I say and Alex looks my way.

"I was wrong to leave, to abandon my sisters," she says.

"I don't think Athena would be upset," I say, "look I know she is all about battle and all but survival too, you did what you had to do, you got away and you survived."

"You fight until death," Kara says.

"Not if it's a losing battle," I tell her.

"Kass is right," Alex says, "And she should know when it comes to Athena, she has spoken to her more times than anyone I know has."

"Hermes too," I say.

"When did you talk to Hermes," Alex asked.

"After I broke Weston and once in a mirror," I say.

"ok one of these days when we are not rushing about to kill something or healing from killing things you are going to have to tell me everything that happened." Alex tells me.

"Yes sir," I say looking his way.

Luke takes a cot and goes into one of the empty stalls to sleep, Kara has a similar thought only she uses the storage room with a shutting door for the safety she thinks she needs with us.

"I have watch," Doc says, "not that I think we will need it with the rain pouring down outside the way it is. The door is secured shut and all, and no vamp will be out in the rain."

"No, besides I'd know if there were any around us," Alex says

"Seems the only reason to watch is to keep the fire going," Doc says, "so I will make me a bed near the fire and keep it going."

"If you insist," Alex says, "I will than take the fair lady Kassandra up and see to it that she gets some rest."

Rest I think, yeah right, like we will be resting much. Then again I wasn't really looking for rest was I?

We head up again, using the rope ladder, and make our bed with a couple blankets and hay before lying down again.

Once laying down Alex brings his lips to my shoulder and kisses his way down over my body as we start taking clothes off and tossing them aside. Slowly, as if it were the first time for both of us, we make love, taking the time to savor the moments. After I lie in his arms and happily fall into a deep sleep without any thought as to my dreams.

Outside the rain poured down harder and harder as the lightning jumped through the sky leaving the crackling of thunder in its wake.

Suddenly I am there again, home, it's desolate in a way, only the play yard outside of the old tavern still stands. I see no one though not a soul in sight, nothing living or dying, not even dead.

"Ok Hercules, father of mine, tell me now what it is your trying to tell me," I asked looking up into the sky once more. "I'm not above listening to you as long as I understand what you're telling me."

I get no answer; just an icy breeze going through my soul.

"this is it isn't it," I say, "the great warning of immorality or whatever, I'll be left alone, all those I love or have loved will all die and I'll keep living, I'll be alone?"

I walk around for what seems like hours as the dark begins to take over and still I know nothing, I have figured out nothing at all.

Than in the distance I see it, off away from this land, a small fire burning and I start walking faster too it, running even, if there is anyone left at all I must know who it is.

I'm rather surprised to see it, to see him, Angry Bear, living and sitting by a fire, a small tent behind him. He wears what an Indian shaman should be wearing, as I had seen when we picked him up.

"I was begging to think you would never get here," he says without looking at me, "night after night I have waited for you, and you have woken without a single word to me, a gesture to say that you realized I was here at all."

"I'm sorry," I say, "I didn't know all I saw was the death and it scared me awake. I would have hurried had I known it was you I was seeking out."

"I'm sure you would have," Angry Bear tells me.

I look at the tent once more, something in it draws on my attention, I feel as if there is someone inside that makes all the difference for my existence only I don't know how or why.

"So you're feeling alone," Angry Bear asked seeing my eyes on the tent, "you want to know who is in there don't you child?"

"Yes," I say, "yes I do, I want to know who it is that still lives."

"Who says anyone is dead yet or your fault even," he asked and I look at him.

"These dreams aren't easy to tell," I say.

"Kassandra everyone eventually dies," he says, "but it's this war, not you, it's the fighting, you will have no place in this war child you hear me now, do not enter into it. Your place is in the people, those left in ruins after the war ends, it is in those you love, it is in Darius in a way, friends you will meet."

"But my mother," I say.

"I can't say," he says, "sometimes these things for tell of things to come, things that will happen so you have a chance to overcome them, to help or even change them, others they make no more sense than the babble of an infant, there just smoke screens, keeping you from seeing the brighter future."

"Who's in the tent," I asked.

"No tent, tee pee," he says.

I look at him and roll my eyes, "ok who's in the tee pee?"

"One a little angrier than me," he says.

"I don't understand," I asked.

"Then look for yourself," he says, "peek in and see for yourself who waits."

I go forward with great hesitation in to the tee pee not knowing what to expect really, what I see is far from what I would have thought. I see a small wooden cradle and inside it is something small and tightly wrapped, it squirms some as I come in closer.

I look at it and it couldn't have been more than a month old but it opens its eyes and looks up at me with what I would think a curiosity.

I find myself knelt down by the cradle softly touching its head and I don't know why I feel tears beginning to build up in my eyes.

I look up and I see Angry Bear standing there.

"Whose baby is this," I asked him and he shrugs at me. "Don't tell me you know nothing obviously you do."

"Kassandra the future is unwritten as of yet," he says, "your still a young woman, one who has many other lovers in her future."

"My future is unwritten yet you see things in it, that's and oxymoron you know," I say.

"You're a demi god," he says.

The baby begins to fuss as we speak and I pick it up and cradle it in my arms as it looks for something I can't give it. I have never in all my life felt a greater need to care for anyone or anything before in my life.

"I know who and what I am," I say as I adjust the baby in my arms, "what I'm asking is who this child I'm holding is? What is the significance to it in my life, or at all?"

"I can't tell you this, not any, not all," he says, "but do you not think that eventually in your life you will have a child with one of the many men you choose to love?"

"Wait I'm not," I asked as I look up at him than back down at this child.

"No Kassandra," he says, "holding that child in your arms right now is the closest thing you have to being with child. You are a demi god after all, you have the choice to have a child or not unless of course you were with another like you, another demi god or another god, than perhaps. Many a god has come to be by such affairs, most of your family in fact."

"I recall something I once heard about your grandfather turning into a bull to take a girl away and have her, you got two gods from that." He says.

"I don't understand," I say

"it's new," he says, "the significance is new, its fresh, its life, yes every creature must die but new ones are always born, life always goes on, from darkness there always comes a light, but that doesn't mean things will never look dark again child."

He walks out, leaves me sitting there holding this baby in my arms and contemplating his words for a long while.

I wake feeling soft kisses on my face and look into Alex's eyes.

"Hay sleepy head, you're awake," Alex says.

"Sir sleepy head," I say with a chuckle, "he loved that didn't he?"

"Yes," he says, "Darius sure has a sense of humor, and an understanding I almost didn't expect from him when it came to you and us. I take it you had no night mares last night?"

"Nope only good dreams," I say.

"Dare I ask?"

I just laugh, "Maybe you don't want to know."

"Well it is still raining out and I already snuck down and saw Doc who agreed there is no traveling in this storm, the horses wouldn't like it anyhow."

"I agree,"

"It would seem we have a little free time to our self," he says before bringing his lips to mine as I laugh and let him take my body again.

After I lay in his arms and fall back to sleep once more.

The thunder crashing outdoors wakes me and I pull myself out of Alex's arms and pulled my clothes back on before climbing back down to the main level of the barn. Doc and Luke sit by the fire with Kara who looks rather uncomfortable sitting with the men and I go over and sit with them as I picked up one of the cans of fruit and opened it.

"Should I ask where Alex is," doc asked me.

"He's asleep," I say with a smile, yes my spirit has lifted, whether it was Alex, or Angry Bear I don't know, maybe both, but I definitely feel better than I had.

"And you're healing up?"

"Near done," I say, "one more day and I should be more than fine, even for fighting a vamp, not that I have before."

It aint long before Alex gets up and we end up playing some cards to pass time there aint that much else to do really.

"I think maybe the gods were protecting you," Alex tells me as we lay back down to sleep that night, "this storm coming on this way, forcing you to relax the way you needed, to heal and sleep and all."

"And you," I say, "its ok I know you were thinking it, sometimes a girl just needs to be a girl and be held."

"Yes well you know I would do just that whenever you wanted me too, no matter where I am or where you are, I'll always find you, like I said before, together we will be," he said with a kiss.