Disclaimer: Xanth is property to Piers Anthony, though the idea for my character is my idea.

Mentia

Artemis had to jump off of Edith's back, when she suddenly fell. The Soul Stealer had her soul.

"Nee! Watch out!" She yelled to the naga as she turned into the human form she preferred. Nee wasn't anywhere around. Artemis was baffled as to where he could've gone, but couldn't muse over it too long because the Soul Stealer was orientating on her.

She fizzed out so he wouldn't know where she was. She quickly reformed behind him and made her arms stretch out and wrap around his neck to choke him. He started to struggle and was prevailing in getting out of her grip. She focused and her arms turned as hard as the scales of a dragon.

While she focused on his neck, he was able to kick her feet out from underneath of her and they fell to the ground. He had gotten free and looked furious at her for trying to kill him. She had to think of something fast.

'If I can escape I can bring reinforcements,' she thought. Then, 'the can! Where is it?'

Suddenly a Giant snake seemed to appear out of nowhere in front of her. It lunged at the Soul Stealer, mouth wide and fangs gleaming. And just as fast the snake stopped and fell over, just as Edith had.

But Artemis hadn't wasted the diversion. She had sought out the can the nagas had given them and snuck off to think of a plan.

'If I release the flare, he'll be able to find me, but that shouldn't be too much of a problem. The problem is keeping him here long enough for Nirva and Nido to get here,' thought Artemis. She was about twenty feet away from the Soul Stealer in a safe cache behind an umbrella bush.

If she had someone else's help she figured she could stall the Stealer long enough for the other nagas to arrive. She'd need someone crazy enough to help her.

"D. Mentia!" Artemis whispered as loudly as she dared.

A gaseous form appeared. Two eyes formed and they focused on Artemis with annoyance. A mouth form and it spoke, "what do you want?"

"I need your help. You could cause tons of mischief," she said hoping to convince her.

She had gotten her attention now. The gas formed into a humanoid shape, and then a woman. A woman wearing shoes on her hands, gloves on her feet and a dress upside-down.

"Mentia. You clothes," Artemis said slightly annoyed. Demoness Mentia was Demoness Metria's worse half. After Metria married and got half a soul, Mentia split from her. Where as Metria had a speech impediment, Mentia was slightly crazy.

Mentia looked at her clothes and they beclouded out and back in correctly.

"Now, what about me being able to cause mischief?" She asked with curiosity.

"There's a human man over there," Artemis explained pointing to the Stealer. "Just distract him for as long as you can. But beware. He can steal souls, and we demons are only souls!"

"Hmm. Does sound dangerous," Mentia said with a furrowed brow.

"Well you've done dangerous things before. What about that Gary Gar and helping those mundanes to the top of Mount Parnassus?" She asked.

"You have a point. I'll help." Mentia became smoke and disappeared.

Almost immediately she heard a startled yelp. She looked over the bush and saw the Soul Stealer trying to get his foot out of a brown goo. No matter what he tried he couldn't get out. And on top of that it was climbing higher, engulfing more and more of his leg. Before she knew it, it had gone up his leg and spreading.

Artemis then realized that the 'goo' was Mentia. The Stealer wouldn't ever suspect it. As long as he didn't know the 'goo' was a creature with a soul, of a sorts, he wouldn't think of using his talent on it.

Artemis then remembered the can. She turned it over and saw one end had some kind of a metal ring. She pulled it and a red flare burst out and flew up into the sky and burst. Red sparks covered the sky. She wondered if the Stealer had seen or not. If she was lucky, he hadn't.

She listened and heard quietness. What had happened to Mentia? Suddenly the Stealer burst through the bushes and pointed at her. She rolled and kicked at him. She scored, but not as she had hoped. She hit him in his leg and he fell over. He was dazed long enough for Artemis to think.

Where was Mentia? She had to do something, but what? Her talent. She could use her talent! What was it? Holes. She had already created a pot hole and a man hole. What would be useful? She had to try something. She concentrated, but nothing happened. She was doomed. The nagas wouldn't arrive to help her for another hour.

The Stealer got back up and stood over her. He pointed at her and she felt a wrenching sensation and knew what was happening.

Then, unexpectedly, a giant snake slithered foreword and bit the Stealer's leg. He fell to the ground in agony.

"My leg! I'll get you!" He yelled at the snake and pointed. The snake bit his torso, blood dripped to the ground. The snake let the body drop to the ground. The snake then turned into a man, Nido. Another snake slithered up and turned into Nirva.

"Is he dead?" She asked cautiously.

Artemis got up and looked at the body. Blood was everywhere. If he wasn't dead, he had to be close to it.

"How did you get here so fast?" Artemis asked. They shouldn't have gotten here this fast.

"I don't know. We saw the flare and came her as quickly as we could. It seems we shouldn't have gotten here as soon as we did," Nido said.

"I did try to use my talent," she murmured. "Maybe it worked."

"Now. We have to see to the stolen souls!" Nido said.

"Artemis, where's Nee?" Asked Nirva.

"The Soul Stealer got him," Artemis said.

"Well, all we have to do is reverse what the Stealer did. I have figured that he could not have held the souls within him. he must have kept them in some kind of a container, but very close by so he could use them," Nido speculated.

Artemis thought for a minute and remembered the pouch, she had seen on the Stealer's waist. She bent down and pulled the pouch off of the belt around the body's waist. "This has to be where he keeps the souls he takes."

She stood up and cautiously opened it. What looked like white glowing balls of light flew out and away. Many souls flew away. The Soul Stealer had captured many.

A gas also escaped and formed into Mentia.

"You rally owe me! He found out!" She yelled angrily and disappeared. Artemis had to smile.

Artemis and the two nagas quickly went over to where Edith and Nee lay on the ground.

They stirred and slowly got up.

"What ... what happened?" Edith asked as she got her equine party of her body standing.

The snake turned into the naga's human/snake form, somewhat dazed.

"The Soul Stealer has been stopped!" Nirva cheered.

"Really?" Edith asked surprise.

"Yes!" Artemis cheered.

"Oh, I'm so glad!"

* * *

Back at where Edith had found Nobu Naga, the four nagas, centaur and demoness had gathered.

"You're help has been invaluable," Nobu said saluting Edith and Artemis.

Edith and Artemis were both flattered they thought so. Edith most of all, because she had hardly helped at all.

"We really must go. But if you should ever need our help, glow this whistle. It's magic and we'll be able to hear it anywhere," Nirva said handing Edith a small metal whistle hanging on a cord. She gladly excepted it and they departed.

"Artemis," Edith started thinking. "Do you still have your soul?"

Artemis was startled and realized it was so. "I do."

"Then we need to find it's owner. And maybe, where the Stealer's bag?" Edith asked.

Artemis realized that she still had it. She gave it to Edith who opened it and put her hand in it feeling around.

"Just as I thought. There's another soul in here. It didn't go like the others did. It's possible it doesn't know where to go. I figured maybe one or two souls may not have 'flown' away. We'll have to deliver this one and yours personally," she explained.

Artemis wasn't sure how so asked. "How will we know where they go?"

Edith brought out the soul. "It's tugging slightly. Approximately north."

It was settled. They'd deliver the one soul first then worry about Artemis'. Their adventure together began.

To be continued ...

Review please! Flames won't be tolerated!!!

Oh, and for those of you who didn't figure it out, when Artemis used the talent she conjured a plot hole. :)