Part four Several mornings later, outside Corinth
'These two are mine and they must be returned to me. The foreign demon shall not have them indefinitely, though it wills that end; and only my queen can break their bond to it. Only my queen can cut the cord that once held a life in common between our world and the other's. Only that cord binds the man we know to the other's world; because by his own choice, he once fought the demon's spawn.'
Ariella, priestess of Artemis, woke with the Goddess' words ringing in her mind once more. She knew a great deal more about their meaning than the first time she spoke them for the Lady. She knew a great deal more about the courageous few gathered to fight 'the foreign demon'. And she knew more about herself, because she'd never once imagined being part of such an effort. Still she wondered, especially in the quiet of early hours like these, if she was made of stern enough stuff to aid her new companions.
They're wondering the same thing about themselves, Ariella. she told herself. Anyone who isn't daunted by such a task must be mad. Look at what you've done to prove yourself in just a few days' time. You confronted the son of Zeus with words he did not want to hear. You confronted him not once but three times, until he believed you. You spent first hours, and then days in the royal palace, planning how to attack and destroy a demon, rather than in your temple precinct, planning when to plant or cut herbs or what to teach the new acolytes. And hardest of all, you revealed all this to the senior priestess, on your own, with only the king's message to back you up! You convinced her to give you time beyond what you'd already taken without her leave. And now, you're camping further outside the city walls than you've ever walked, together with a demigod, a druid priestess, two kings of Corinth, a warrior woman, a queen from another land and an Amazon! Ariella, you're lucky that Calandra believed you, much less gave you permission for this exploit!
She and Gabrielle had found several sites that might be the actual location of Ariella's visions. The fortress had two turrets, but one was half torn down, open the sea and air. The other was small enough, according to the charts. Besides that, was a room labeled 'hall' that was small enough by present day standards to be the kind of place the vision showed. And the last was, not surprisingly, a dungeon or a crypt, it was hard to tell which use had been made of the lower level of the fortress so long ago.
Today they would approach the fortress along the sea wall that protected Corinth's harbor. Each of them got up as early as Ariella and made their personal preparations. There were only the eight of them, although a troop of Guards waited further back along their route. Ariella wore her ritual robes, as she thought appropriate to her role here. Kings Iphicles and Jason were dressed as common warriors, as were Hercules and Xena. Gabrielle, Morrigan and Nebula had changed their usual garb. Instead they wore somewhat longer tunics, more colorful kilts and headgear all decorated with feathers, or in the manner of wild animals. These, Ariella had been told, were the proper costumes of Amazons and that was the role these three would play.
Hercules told his friends there was no point in trying to sneak up on their common enemy. It was not the kind that could be taken by surprise or by stealth.
"The thing we're going after is expecting us, most of us, anyway. It knows what enemies it made in Sumeria and Ireland and Greece." The son of Zeus said, when they were ready. "We can only win this by seeming to give in to it, to surrender, if I understand our priestess' vision correctly. Jason and Iphicles, Xena and myself are going as an armed escort, apparently, for our friendly neighborhood Amazon queen. Ariella, Morrigan, and Nebula, I guess, are going in as her entourage. Don't mistake me. I don't like this any better than you do. Going to meet an enemy I'm not to fight is . . not what I'm used to."
"Well, I guess I don't dare complain," Gabrielle teased the rest. "I've never had both and escort and an entourage before."
"Don't let it go to your head, my queen." Xena shook her head at the bard. "One way or another, it won't last long."
"Oh, but while it goes on, warrior, she must let it go directly to her head." Nebula laughed, "Gabrielle, being a queen, for a short while, can be very agreeable. First, though you have to learn to walk like this." The Sumerian beauty lifted her shoulders and straightened her back as if not a sea captain's ramrod, but a monarch's scepter was being measured against it. She raised her head and smiled frozenly from side to side, waving and nodding as if she accepted the praise and love of hundreds of adoring subjects, while balancing the world's heaviest crown on her head. "See?"
Ariella stared at the transformation Nebula made from warrior woman to queen without seeming to bend the least effort. She looked at the rest of the group and found that Iphicles and Jason were simply nodding agreement, Xena was hiding half her face behind one hand, masking her own reaction, while Morrigan and Hercules were smiling.
"Uh-huh." Gabrielle replied, with a slight frown creasing her forehead. "And this will fool that thing inside the fortress?"
"No, but it will confuse the humans guarding the place, long enough for us to enter, maybe even long enough for Dahak to make itself known." Jason told her, "If our strategy is successful."
"Gabrielle," Hercules asked the younger woman, with the kind of respect, even deference Ariella thought he might give a queen. "are you ready?"
The bard nodded. "I've been ready for this day for a very, very long time, Hercules. I just didn't know when or if it would arrive. I will do my part, I swear it as a bard and as a queen to Amazons. Nothing will stop me."
"Or me." the demigod replied, clasping her gauntleted wrist. "I swear it as the son of Alcmene and of Zeus.
"Or me." Iphicles intoned. "I swear it as the king and protector of Corinth."
"Or me." Xena echoed. "I swear it as the companion and protector of our Amazon queen."
"Or me." Jason said in turn. "I swear it as the friend of the man we seek to release, and the former king of Corinth."
"Or me." Nebula said strongly. "I swear it as Sumeria's queen, and the heart that lives in place of Iolaus'."
"Or me." Morrigan stated sternly. "I swear it as the last of the Druids."
"Or me." Ariella joined, clasping her arm on the others' so clasped. "I swear it as the priestess of Artemis the Huntress who sent us here today."
A thrill ran up through her arm, and looking round, Ariella saw the others felt it too. They were one in mind and purpose now. They were oath-bound.