AN: yes I am afraid that I do like cliff hangers, it keeps tension. I was originally going to have Mya tell the story of the Great Wicca's to the knights, but though tit would be more interesting to let Dagonet remember it. As usual thanks for reviewing, hope you like the new chapter, and sadly I don't own KA or any related characters. I apologise in advance to anyone who is squeamish.

SEEING THE HORROR

Dagonet stood stunned, but the laughing of Mya and Lucan bought him back to his senses.

"You look like you've seen a ghost, it was only a snow ball" the giggling girl said. Dagonet just smiled a broad smile and went to join them.

"I was shocked, no ones thrown a snow ball at me since I were Lucan's size" he responded, ruffling the boys hair. He decided not to worry the girl about what only might be true.

"So I guess that was a LONG time ago" she answered, making the boy in her lap laugh. He looked at her happy face; it really was a pretty one, with dark brown eyes, high cheek bones, and naturally red lips. He thought she looked even prettier when she smile, she looked young and carefree, so unlike the starved prisoner from that dungeon.

"Fulicina said you can have ye bath when every one is asleep. Says she has to refill the tub, on a count of Guinevere being so dirty." He told her, she smiled at the information; she would be able to be clean without the piercing stares from the other villagers. "In the mean time" he said, in a cheery voice "hows about showing us some more of that magic, looks fun." He went over to where he had previously been sitting, Lucan moved into his lap, and together they watched as Mya created the figures out of snow again, and made them dance, fight, and act.

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On the other side of the camp, Arthur sat deep in thought. Thinking about what Dagonet had just told him, about the girl, why would Marius be so intent on killing her? He knew she was a witch, but she lived away from the village, as far as he could gather she had never tried to hurt any one, or even spread rumours against Marius. So why her? He thought to himself. He was so confused, nothing really made sense, he understood about the other in the dungeon, they had disobeyed him, but why her? He heard a snap of a twig and looked up to see Tristan standing before him.

"They are still behind us, just." Spoke the scout, his face remaining expressionless, "but they are close, Arthur, why are we stopping for the night, they will catch us if we stay too long."

"It is only for the night, so they can rest. If they did not rest, the Saxons would have caught us anyway, they cannot move as fast if they are tired." Answered the commander, he knew what his knights felt about saving the villagers, but his conscience would not let him leave them to the barbarians. He nodded at Tristan, indicating that the scout could leave, but as he was walking away a thought crossed his mind.

"Tristan" he said, the scout turned round to look at his commander, expecting another order, "What would make you imprison some one, and make everyone afraid of them, if they had never caused you harm before?" He asked

The scout paused, thinking abut his response "Because I was afraid of them, and what they might do. If no one will listen to them, maybe they are not such a threat." He was curious as to why Arthur was asking such a question, it was unlike him. But being Tristan, he did not question Arthur; just walked away to join some of his fellow knights around a pathetic little fire.

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Later, when all the villagers were asleep, in makeshift beds, a figure swept through the darkness, carrying a small pile of clothes and entered a lit wagon. Inside was a tub filled with hot water. Beside it sat Fulicina, the sleeves of her dress rolled up to her upper arms. She smiled warmly as Mya entered, she did not bare the girl any ill feeling, she knew what she was, but thought it was a gift, not something to be tortured out of her.

"Put your new clothes over there" she said, pointing to a stool in the corner " and take off that rag, we'll see if we can't get that dirt of you" said the kind Roman woman. But Mya was hesitant; she knew what Fulicina would see, so just stood still on the spot, slightly scared about what she was to do. "I'm not going to hurt you" encouraged Fulicina, standing up, walking over to Mya, putting her arm round her shoulders and leading her over to the tub.

Mya stood by the tub; paralyzed by fear, Fulicina stood behind her and began to loosen the ties which held her 'dress' together, as the top fell away Mya heard the Roman woman gasp.

Fulicina stood behind the girl, sickened at what she saw, her back was a bloodied mess, a pattern of lines criss-crossed over each other, thin streams of blood and dirt encrusted into the wounds. Some looked infected, with sticky, yellow discharge leaking from their scabbed coverings. Fulicina wondered how this girl had survived so many months of torture, at the hands of her husband no less. Mya's hand skimmed up her back, desperately trying to hide the horrors covering it. But Fulicina just took the hand, and held it, like a mother would hold the hand of an ill child.

"I am sorry" Fulicina began to sob, heart wrenching cries, the cries of a woman who had seen so much awfulness, this was just something else to add to the list.

"We need to dress these" said the woman once she had subdued her tears, bustling about the bathing wagon, like someone lost in a daze. Unable of coherent thought, just lost.

Mya sat silently through this; she was used to being silent. But inside she felt her heart had broken, Fulicina had discovered the true depth of her own husband's darkness. Mya felt a wet cloth sweep over the wounds, it stung, and she let out a small cry of pain. She felt the woman's hands shaking, so she turned around to face her.

"Be calm, be calm" she spoke, taking Fulicina's trembling hands. "I was not afraid then, I am not afraid now. Besides, I cope with pain very well" Fulicina smiled slightly, but still trembling.

"I I I I ju..ust d...ont know wh wh what to do" stuttered Fulicina, taking deep breath to try and calm herself, "I have never, I just didn't, how, why?" she asked the world these questions, unable to find any answer.

"Because I am strong, and I am used to it" answered Mya, giving her own answers to the questions. "Don't be shocked, I am sure they look worse than they are." Finally Fulicina began to calm down.

Mya removed the rest of her tattered dress, and got into the hot water, at first it stung a little, but then it felt nice to be warm, and clean. Fulicina scrubbed the dirt away, being careful with her back, but when she was washed, Fulicina looked at her and said:

"Your back looks no better, I am no healer. I should get that knight; he would know what to do. Just cover you up, and I will go and get him." With that she left the wagon. Alone Mya placed a linen towel around her body, drying it, but not touching the delicate area on her back. She knelt on the floor, waiting for the Roman woman to return. Looking at the murky waters, the only remnants of her time in the dungeon.

Fulicina returned, carrying Mya's thick cloak, she wrapped it gently round her shoulders, and said:

"He said you should go to the wagon, he has some supplies, but he won't come over here, Lucan is asleep with him." Fulicina kept close to Mya as they made their way back to the wagon.

Mya noticed that Guinevere was not in the wagon, she wondered only for a moment where she may be. Dagonet was awake, but Lucan was asleep, his tiny head in his large arms. He had a bowl of, what looked like water, next to him, a clean sloth and some others things Mya didn't know the use of. He motioned for her to sit in front of him, she obeyed. When Fulicina was sat next to him, he took the cloak from her shoulders, the linen shift covering everything but her back. He heard him gasp, like Fulicina, but it was an angry gasp, almost a growl.

"How can anyone be so cruel?" he asked to no one in particular. No one answered; neither Fulicina nor Mya knew the answer to that question. There was none. Dagonet dipped the cloth into the water, and slowly dabbed the liquid onto the festering cuts. Mya hissed as the liquid stung her skin, cleaning out the wounds.

"Sorry" whispered Dagonet, sounding slightly preoccupied, he was studying the extent of the cuts that marked her back. He was as horrified as Fulicina had been. When she had told him, he had noticed the state she was in, and had to take a few minutes to calm her down before she could tell him. Instantly he wanted to hurt Marius, badly. Now, that he had actually seen the wounds, he would have been content if Marius was dead. The truth was he liked Mya, she was kind and he felt the need to look after the girl, she seemed so vulnerable to him.

Throughout the night both Fulicina and Dagonet worked on her back, cleaning, dressing and sometimes stitching the open wounds. Mya had laid down on her front, and eventually came numb to the throbbing pain on her back, and fell asleep. They finished just before dawn, Fulicina went to join her son in their wagon, and Dagonet covered the sleeping Mya. He moved over to the entrance of the wagon, checked Lucan was sleeping soundly before settling himself down on the ground beside him, he could at least have a little rest before they had to get moving again.

Dagonet, however, did not have such a pleasant awakening. He was grabbed by two mercenaries, and dragged into the middle of a group of Marius personal guards. Still half asleep, he used his brute strength to fight them off. He threw down two guards, now fully awake, and went to pick up his large sword. He was about to attack when he heard Marius shout.

"I have the boy and the witch, don't move!" Dagonet turned around and saw Marius hold Lucan, a knife at his throat. One of the Mercenaries held Mya, arms tightly behind her back, wearing only the linen shift which left her back bare. She was desperately struggling, but the mercenary was too large, and held her too tightly. Fulicina lunged at her husband, but he threw her too the ground with ease.

Dagonet stopped, frozen with fear; he did not know what to do. Mya managed to free an arm, and jabbed her elbow hard into the mercenary's stomach, causing him to double over in pain. She used this moment to escape; however, she did not get far. Marius pushed Lucan to the ground, and grabbed Mya's arm, the knife now held her throat.

"Drop your weapon" Marius ordered, Dagonet hesitated. "Drop it, or I will kill the witch" He ordered again, just to make sure his threat was heeded, Marius made a small cut n her collarbone, a thin stream of blood emerged from the cut. This time Dagonet did not hesitate, he dropped his weapon. "Pity, death is no less than what you deserve witch." He whispered in her ear.

Suddenly, an arrow sped through the air, embedding itself in Marius' chest. He dropped his knife, looking stunned, before collapsing, dead, onto the frozen ground. As he fell, he pushed Mya hard in her back, causing her to loose balance and fall onto the frozen ground as well.

She looked up and saw Guinevere, in a pale green dress, approach the mercenaries, another arrow knocked in her bow, flanked by the knight known as Arthur, and another knight, one of the ones from her vision.

"You have a choice" shouted Arthur, "you help, or you die."

"Drop your weapons" ordered the head mercenary, "drop them now." All the mercenaries did as they were told, afraid of meeting with Arthur's sword, or any other for that matter.

Dagonet quickly moved over to Mya, Lucan close by his side. He helped her to her feet, but she wobbled a bit, still in shock, so he put an arm round her shoulder and led her back into the wagon. As she turned round, the many people now gathered around saw the wounds on her back. Many looked away, ashamed or embarrassed at their behaviour to the girl. Many of the villagers felt sorry for this girl now, she had never harmed them, only tried to help, and the had shunned her away.

"ARTORIUS!" Shouted a large man, riding up fast, and battle axe raised high above his head. Pulling his horse to a stop beside the mercenaries. "Do we have a problem here?" he asked the mercenaries, who nodded dumb. Just then another man rode to join the group "How many d'you kill?" asked the large man.

"Four" answered the man, Mya turned around to see Tristan on his horse, but Dagonet urged her back in the wagon, and she heard no more of the conversation.

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Some miles away, a British scout reported a Saxon ruler, a cruel man by the name of Cerdic.

"My Lord" said the scout "The knights have taken the family, and many of the villagers, we may be able to catch up with them, they are moving slow."

"No" said Cerdic I his raspy voice, turning to his son, a disappointing coward called Cynric. "Take your light infantry, and catch up with them, I'll take the main army to the wall."

"Um, My Lord" said the scout, slightly nervous, he was afraid of the large commander, "there is another thing, um, they rescued some people, from the Roman's dungeon, a boy and two girls. But, um, one of the girls, she is a witch, one of the Great Wicca's they say." He was slightly relieved that Cerdic didn't fly into a rage, but slightly unnerved by the smile that crept on Cerdic's lips.

"You are certain?" he asked the scout, who nodded his response "Cynric, bring me back this girl, kill the others where you find them. I want to kill that little rat, she has evaded me to long, years I have searched for her, and now I find her. It will be a pleasure to finally kill the last of the Great Wicca's, those annoying little maggots, always stopping me back then, but now, there is only one left, and I will kill her with my own hands." He seemed overjoyed as he walked away, the scout was nervous.

"What have I done" he whispered to himself.