Hercules was not happy with the way things were going. His quick,
easy rescue mission had been taken out of his hands. Jason had finally had
enough of his 'helpful' suggestions and ordered him out of the war room. Dusk
found the young demi-god pacing in the main hallway. He was so lost in his
worry for Iolaus that even the indignant shouts and protests of the merchants
and soldiers unlucky enough to be caught in his path didn't reach him anymore.
He wanted to leave. Now. It had been a day since he'd last seen Iolaus, and his
mind had been busy that whole time coming up with creative tortures that might
have befallen his best friend.
The door to the war room swung open at the far end of the hall and Hercules
double-timed to the entryway. "Well?"
"We'll leave at dawn." Jason told him.
"Dawn? Why wait? Iolaus could be dead by the time we get there."
"Hercules, it's dark. We can't find the camp without light. This warlord will
still be there..."
Shaking his head, Hercules cut off the young king, "We don't need sunlight, Jase.
Artemis is on our side. Have you even looked outside?" He practically dragged the young
king to the window. "See? Almost as bright as day. You can stay here if you like, I've
had enough of this. I'm leaving now."
"Okay, I'll grant you the light, but we can't leave yet, we're not prepared..."
"Jason, this is Iolaus we are talking about. I sat around while you planned for
hours, I even tried to relax, but now you're saying that I have to leave him out there
with a warlord and Hera? NO way, I'm going to find him. I'll see you there." With that
he turned and stalked out of the palace, ignoring the protests and threats from behind him.
He knew Jason would follow him as soon as humanly possible. He even knew that
the hour or so he would save by leaving now would amount to nothing in the scheme of
things, if this warlord were as powerful as Artemis hinted, not even his semi-divine
strength would help him free Iolaus alone. This knowledge he ignored. He was moving
now, doing something for his friend. That thought offering at least some comfort.
He traveled through the night, the moon's bright guiding light never wavering.
Sometimes he was sure he'd heard Artemis' soft voice in the back of his mind, directing
him where to go. It was around mid-day when Hercules first saw signs of a camp. The
trails became more numerous and worn and the smell of smoke permeated the air.
Only then did the young demi-god slow his pace. He crept forward to take in
the camp, the stone walls testament to the length of time this warlord had been
operating. He saw no sign of Iolaus, and the thought didn't really comfort him
as much as he thought it would. _At least he's not gutted and hung._ His mind
pointed out helpfully.
Swallowing past his worry he set to work planning the entry point and
angle of attack for the army he knew was on its way. _Hang in there, Iolaus.
We're coming._
Iolaus was not having a good day. But then having terrified servants falling
all over themselves to make him look presentable for his pending sacrifice tended
to have that kind of effect on his mood. He'd spent another long night in Narius'
tent and had woken up to cold anger yet again. The man sickened him. He had
actually offered Shiri as a reward to one of his lieutenants. For what, Iolaus had
no idea, nor did he care. There sheer idea of such a reward, the look of excitement
and anticipation on the other man's face was too much. _If I get out of this, the
first thing I do will be to make sure you can never harm another soul._
Unfortunately the prospect of getting out of this particular situation alive
was beginning to disappear slowly but surely. With an irritated sigh the hunter blew
a strand of his blond hair out of his eyes for the hundredth time. He looked down at
the young girl with the haunted eyes who was meticulously mending his patched vest.
"You don't have to do that." He told her gently, risking a glance at the
heavy-set guards who were following him around during his many stops. "Really,
that old thing has been falling apart for years..." He forced a smile. Nothing,
she didn't even look up.
With an inward sigh, Iolaus lowered his voice and tried again. "Don't be
afraid. Help's on the way, they'll be here any second." He was rewarded
by a dubious look as she paused in her task.
"I'm serious. No one ever believes me when I say that. You wouldn't happen
to know why?"
She stared at him, his vest completely forgotten. A fearful glance darted
away from him towards the guards. "Are you crazy? Are you trying to get me
killed?" She hissed at him.
"They'd kill you for listening to my ramble?" He asked, "I can put on a
pretty convincing 'doomed-man' rant if they ever got curious." He flashed her
a grin.
She eyed him curiously as she continued to work on his vest. "Narius
plans to kill you, you do know that right?"
"Details, details. Keyword in that sentence being 'plans'. I got
my own plans."
"And those would be?"
"Well, I was thinking, I always wanted to be a bard. Ever since I
was little kid, so I figure, while I'm up there on that altar and everybody's
staring at me it'll be my big chance. Wanna hear my routine?" He inquired.
"You are crazy." The girl told him, her eyes wide.
Iolaus shook his head, "Not crazy, just stubborn. I'm Iolaus, by the way."
"Amera, and I know who you are. Everyone does after you survived the arena."
"Well Amera, it's nice to meet you." He flicked his eyes up as the guards
shifted position. He motioned her closer, "I've got friends out there who are going
to be coming after me. I don't know when they're coming, but they should have
been searching for two days now. When you get back to the pits, spread the word.
I want everyone to be ready. If it's the last thing I do, I'm gonna stop Narius."
She nodded silently, a small smile on her lips. "The old ones were right.
You are the Chosen."
_Chosen?_ A rustle at the entranceway stopped him from questioning her
further as they both looked up sharply. Turning his attention back to the girl,
Iolaus looked into her chocolate brown eyes. Eyes that were filled with terror
and pain, too much pain for one so young, and his hatred of Narius grew again
if possible. It only served to make Iolaus more determined to stop this man,
no matter the cost. "Always keep hope." He told her, a brief smile playing across
his lips.
He missed her nod as Narius stormed into the tent in all his glory. He strode
up to the post Iolaus had been bound to and looked him over like a villager would
overlook a piece of meat at the market. "I suppose this will have to do." He sneered.
"Hey, if I'm too small, you can always throw me back." Iolaus offered helpfully,
an enigmatic smile on his face.
Narius only glared at him. "You won't be so disrespectful on Hera's altar."
The older man snarled.
"Don't bet on it." Iolaus shot back, meeting the dangerous stare with one
of his own. He was vaguely aware of Amera, kneeling by his feet staring at him in
ill-concealed terror. _If she thinks this is bad, she should see me talk back to
Ares._ He wanted to toss her a wink, to calm her fears, but he didn't dare draw
attention to her. The black eyes narrowed, obviously the only response Iolaus was
likely to get. "So, is it a deal? If I can be disrespectful on Hera's altar, you
let me go. If I can't...well, I'll do your laundry for a month. Good?"
Narius simply glowered at him. Iolaus shrugged as much as possible under
the circumstances and continued anyway. "No good huh? How about I'll do your
laundry for two months and I'll even throw in a back rub free of charge."
The warlord made a motion with his hand and before Iolaus could react
he was hit from behind, the blow hard enough to cause blackness to swim in over
his vision. Struggling to hold on to the elusive threads of consciousness Iolaus
dimly heard Narius issue orders to his men. He heard the words 'Teach him some
respect' somewhere in the dialogue. Barely managing to comprehend their meaning
before he felt his arms encased in an iron grip as he was dragged bodily from
the 'preparation chamber'.
Shiri paced irritably in the small tent she had been placed in. The chain
was back in place around her throat, making it all but impossible for her to
escape without the use a lock pick. A lock pick that Narius had had the presence
of mind to keep away from her prison.
Another shriek wafted through the tent flaps from the slave pits and Shiri
winced visibly. It had been several hours since they had dragged Iolaus, barely
conscious, into the impromptu torture chamber and still they kept it up. She
wondered briefly if there was anything left of the young hunter. Surely no
one could withstand such prolonged torture without breaking. Even her own
admittedly long sessions becoming intimate with the business end of a whip
hadn't lasted this long.
_There's got to be a way out..._ Trying to ignore the hoarse cries Shiri
inspected the post to which the chain was attached. The wood was chaffed away
from the hours of her imprisonment when she had tugged, yanked and pulled at
the chain uselessly. Other than that not much could be used to free her. _Unless..._
Her head shot up as an idea occurred to her, her hazel eyes searching for
the one vital item. _Please let it be in here..._ Her heart sank when she didn't
find the item she was looking for. _Wait..._ There in the corner, under the oil
lamp... _Yes! Now if only I can reach it..._
Stretching to the end of her chain she groped with her fingers. She felt
her fingers brush against it and strained harder. Her fingers closed around the
smooth surface and a wolfish grin spread over her face. Dragging the trowel back
into view and set to work digging at the dirt surrounding the post.
It was slow going, but eventually there was a hole about a foot deep and
several inches around. The bottom of the post was finally visible. She shoved
with all her weight and slowly the post began to move. Gritting her teeth she
pushed until there was space large enough for her to slip the chain collar off the end.
The guards outside had begun to notice the tent's slow collapse and Shiri
moved as quickly as possible to remove the chain collar. When the guards finally
made it through the flap she was ready for them. Holding the chain in both hands
she swung the heavy collar at the stunned guards.
The heavy iron ring hit the first guard square in the face, knocking him
out of the fight. The other guard, however, dodged backward just in time,
avoiding the wildly swinging chain.
He drew his sword and took up a defensive position in front of her. Shiri
let him get into position before whipping the chain at him hard. He dodged
backwards again and called out. Shiri cursed inwardly, her eyes darting about
the rapidly collapsing tent for someway to finish this off quickly. With the
guards latest shout reinforcements would be coming soon.
With a quick battle cry of her own Shiri suddenly launched herself at
him, chain swinging ferociously. The guard backpedaled frantically but caught
a glancing blow across the temple from the iron ring. He went down hard and
Shiri darted around him quickly, out into the early afternoon air.
The length of chain still fastened securely around her neck she was
forced to carry the entire binding chain in her hands as she ran to prevent
it from dragging behind her.
Not risking looking back she broke for the trees that surrounded the camp,
sprinting head long for the minimal shelter they offered. Behind her she heard
shouts and curses as the remaining soldiers began to notice her flight. One
shout was louder, more vulgar than the rest. It had to be Narius.
Her heart in her throat she pushed harder. Footfalls echoed behind her
but still she kept going. If she stopped now, Iolaus was dead. She had to go
get help, bring someone back to help the hunter. This was no longer about her
personal survival or even her peace of mind. That had long since vanished
beneath Narius' cruel touch. Nothing could bring back the innocence she'd lost.
She ran now to save the one true essence of good she'd ever met. Her time with
Narius had changed her, damaged her beyond repair, though she'd never admit
it to anyone, and she didn't want the same thing to happen to the golden hunter
who had risked himself to help a stranger.
Someone leapt at her, grabbing her ankle and pulling her foot backwards.
She stumbled and fell, twisting in midair to kick out at her attacker. Her foot
connected with a jaw and the man went down, dazed. But the others had caught up.
Scrambling to her feet she flicked her chain, forcing them to back up. Whipping
once more for good measure she turned and ran again for the trees.
She made it past the tree line before the next attack came. Two soldiers
from the front gate had snuck around the camp at the first alarm and were
waiting for her in the trees. One grabbed her arm as she ran past and slammed
her into a tree, knocking the breath from her lungs. As she tried to catch
her breath he pinned her up tightly against the rough bark.
Once she recovered enough to look up she found herself staring into
ice blue eyes. She struggled for a minute, but to no avail. She was well and
truly trapped. With a silent curse she began looking for some sort of weapon.
The first blow came without warning. It was hard enough to make her black out
for a second and would surely leave a mark.
"Bitch." The man growled at her as he raised his hand to strike her again.
"You put my brother in the med tent. Hurt his arm real bad, healer says it'll
have to come off." He hit her again, surprised when she didn't cry out. "I'm
gonna make you scream, girlie. Narius said any man who catches you today can
have his way with you. Guess this be my lucky day." He moved to hit her again
but his fist was stopped mid swing.
"What the-? Jomin what do you think you're doing?" The soldier looked up
into pale blue eyes that were as hard as rock. Belatedly he noted that Jomin was
unconscious on the ground and he was now facing a blond teenager.
His grin turned into a scowl. "Hey punk, this ain't none of your business."
"That's no way to treat a lady." The blond boy said mildly. Tightening his
grip on the other man's fist.
"This bitch ain't no lady, brat. She knows her place, just like you
should. Now beat it before you get in over your head."
The boy nodded reasonably and released the fist, "Have it your way." He
waited until the soldier's grin returned before slamming his own balled up fist
into the man's face. His eyes rolled up into his head and he slumped to the
forest floor, unconscious.
She edged away from the tree, her hands gripping the chain defensively,
as she eyed the stranger warily. _Second blond, blue-eyed guy to help me out of
a bind this week. Shiri, you've set a new record for yourself._
"Thank you." She whispered.
"No problem, you alright? He hit you pretty good before I got here."
The boy's voice was kind, concerned. Shiri wondered briefly what he was doing
in the woods so close to the camp.
Her hand drifted up to brush the lump on her cheek, "It's nothing. I've
had worse."
"Good." He moved closer slowly, keeping his hands in sight at all times.
"I'm just going to take that chain off you if that's okay. You caused quite a
stir in that camp, we'll need to get away from here quickly." She nodded and
he grasped the collar around her neck in both hands and pulled them apart.
The collar snapped as if it were made of brittle wood not iron. Shiri stared
incredulously.
"How'd you do that? Who are you?"
"How is a long story, as for who, my name's Hercules..." He trailed off
as he noticed the look of pure joy on the girl's face. "What?"
"Hercules? The Hercules? Oh thank the gods. You're Iolaus' friend aren't
you? You have no idea how glad I am to see you! We have to hurry..."
Hercules quickly put up both hands in a gesture of surrender. "Whoa, slow
down there. Where's Iolaus? And who are you?"
Shiri took a deep breath, it would not do to frighten her only available
help. "I'm Shiri, I'm a... a slave in the camp. I escaped three nights ago into
the woods, Narius, the warlord, sent a dozen men after me. They surrounded me
at the river, I would have been captured then and there but Iolaus helped me.
We were looking for you when..." She stopped suddenly, her face going white.
She looked up with wide eyes at the demi-god.
"Keep going," Hercules prodded gently, fighting back his impatience.
"I'm not going to hurt you. What happened?"
"Hera's archers happened. They knocked us out, the next thing I know,
I'm stuck back in that bastard's tent and Iolaus is being dragged in to make
me co-operate. He's planning on sacrificing Iolaus tonight. We have to hurry,
I escaped to get help..."
Hercules took this all in as calmly as possible. A cold knot of fear
formed again in his gut when he heard of Iolaus' pending sacrifice. His
mind was running circles around the word and it was physical effort to
concentrate on the present. He took a deep, steadying breath and thought
through his options.
"Okay, Shiri, we'll get Iolaus out. I promise, okay? I've got friends
on the way, once they get here we'll go in. When did you last see Iolaus?"
"This morning, after...well after Narius was satisfied with me, he sent
Iolaus back to the slave pits. Right before I took off I saw them drag him
into the uh, 'discipline' area. He didn't look too good. That was about two
hours ago, I don't know what kind of condition he's in right now."
Hercules didn't answer her; he stared in the direction of the camp with
his jaw clenched tightly and cold anger in his eyes. Shiri swallowed, "For
what it's worth, I'm sorry I got him into this."
"It's not your fault this Narius is a monster. If you want to know the
truth, I think Hera had more to do with this than you ever did. She's been
looking for a way to hurt me ever since I stole that damn chalice." His voice
was little more than a growl, "Look, let's get away from this place, climb a
tree, see if we can spot Iolaus. If we stay out in the open like this, we'll
get caught too and then we won't be able to do anything."
easy rescue mission had been taken out of his hands. Jason had finally had
enough of his 'helpful' suggestions and ordered him out of the war room. Dusk
found the young demi-god pacing in the main hallway. He was so lost in his
worry for Iolaus that even the indignant shouts and protests of the merchants
and soldiers unlucky enough to be caught in his path didn't reach him anymore.
He wanted to leave. Now. It had been a day since he'd last seen Iolaus, and his
mind had been busy that whole time coming up with creative tortures that might
have befallen his best friend.
The door to the war room swung open at the far end of the hall and Hercules
double-timed to the entryway. "Well?"
"We'll leave at dawn." Jason told him.
"Dawn? Why wait? Iolaus could be dead by the time we get there."
"Hercules, it's dark. We can't find the camp without light. This warlord will
still be there..."
Shaking his head, Hercules cut off the young king, "We don't need sunlight, Jase.
Artemis is on our side. Have you even looked outside?" He practically dragged the young
king to the window. "See? Almost as bright as day. You can stay here if you like, I've
had enough of this. I'm leaving now."
"Okay, I'll grant you the light, but we can't leave yet, we're not prepared..."
"Jason, this is Iolaus we are talking about. I sat around while you planned for
hours, I even tried to relax, but now you're saying that I have to leave him out there
with a warlord and Hera? NO way, I'm going to find him. I'll see you there." With that
he turned and stalked out of the palace, ignoring the protests and threats from behind him.
He knew Jason would follow him as soon as humanly possible. He even knew that
the hour or so he would save by leaving now would amount to nothing in the scheme of
things, if this warlord were as powerful as Artemis hinted, not even his semi-divine
strength would help him free Iolaus alone. This knowledge he ignored. He was moving
now, doing something for his friend. That thought offering at least some comfort.
He traveled through the night, the moon's bright guiding light never wavering.
Sometimes he was sure he'd heard Artemis' soft voice in the back of his mind, directing
him where to go. It was around mid-day when Hercules first saw signs of a camp. The
trails became more numerous and worn and the smell of smoke permeated the air.
Only then did the young demi-god slow his pace. He crept forward to take in
the camp, the stone walls testament to the length of time this warlord had been
operating. He saw no sign of Iolaus, and the thought didn't really comfort him
as much as he thought it would. _At least he's not gutted and hung._ His mind
pointed out helpfully.
Swallowing past his worry he set to work planning the entry point and
angle of attack for the army he knew was on its way. _Hang in there, Iolaus.
We're coming._
Iolaus was not having a good day. But then having terrified servants falling
all over themselves to make him look presentable for his pending sacrifice tended
to have that kind of effect on his mood. He'd spent another long night in Narius'
tent and had woken up to cold anger yet again. The man sickened him. He had
actually offered Shiri as a reward to one of his lieutenants. For what, Iolaus had
no idea, nor did he care. There sheer idea of such a reward, the look of excitement
and anticipation on the other man's face was too much. _If I get out of this, the
first thing I do will be to make sure you can never harm another soul._
Unfortunately the prospect of getting out of this particular situation alive
was beginning to disappear slowly but surely. With an irritated sigh the hunter blew
a strand of his blond hair out of his eyes for the hundredth time. He looked down at
the young girl with the haunted eyes who was meticulously mending his patched vest.
"You don't have to do that." He told her gently, risking a glance at the
heavy-set guards who were following him around during his many stops. "Really,
that old thing has been falling apart for years..." He forced a smile. Nothing,
she didn't even look up.
With an inward sigh, Iolaus lowered his voice and tried again. "Don't be
afraid. Help's on the way, they'll be here any second." He was rewarded
by a dubious look as she paused in her task.
"I'm serious. No one ever believes me when I say that. You wouldn't happen
to know why?"
She stared at him, his vest completely forgotten. A fearful glance darted
away from him towards the guards. "Are you crazy? Are you trying to get me
killed?" She hissed at him.
"They'd kill you for listening to my ramble?" He asked, "I can put on a
pretty convincing 'doomed-man' rant if they ever got curious." He flashed her
a grin.
She eyed him curiously as she continued to work on his vest. "Narius
plans to kill you, you do know that right?"
"Details, details. Keyword in that sentence being 'plans'. I got
my own plans."
"And those would be?"
"Well, I was thinking, I always wanted to be a bard. Ever since I
was little kid, so I figure, while I'm up there on that altar and everybody's
staring at me it'll be my big chance. Wanna hear my routine?" He inquired.
"You are crazy." The girl told him, her eyes wide.
Iolaus shook his head, "Not crazy, just stubborn. I'm Iolaus, by the way."
"Amera, and I know who you are. Everyone does after you survived the arena."
"Well Amera, it's nice to meet you." He flicked his eyes up as the guards
shifted position. He motioned her closer, "I've got friends out there who are going
to be coming after me. I don't know when they're coming, but they should have
been searching for two days now. When you get back to the pits, spread the word.
I want everyone to be ready. If it's the last thing I do, I'm gonna stop Narius."
She nodded silently, a small smile on her lips. "The old ones were right.
You are the Chosen."
_Chosen?_ A rustle at the entranceway stopped him from questioning her
further as they both looked up sharply. Turning his attention back to the girl,
Iolaus looked into her chocolate brown eyes. Eyes that were filled with terror
and pain, too much pain for one so young, and his hatred of Narius grew again
if possible. It only served to make Iolaus more determined to stop this man,
no matter the cost. "Always keep hope." He told her, a brief smile playing across
his lips.
He missed her nod as Narius stormed into the tent in all his glory. He strode
up to the post Iolaus had been bound to and looked him over like a villager would
overlook a piece of meat at the market. "I suppose this will have to do." He sneered.
"Hey, if I'm too small, you can always throw me back." Iolaus offered helpfully,
an enigmatic smile on his face.
Narius only glared at him. "You won't be so disrespectful on Hera's altar."
The older man snarled.
"Don't bet on it." Iolaus shot back, meeting the dangerous stare with one
of his own. He was vaguely aware of Amera, kneeling by his feet staring at him in
ill-concealed terror. _If she thinks this is bad, she should see me talk back to
Ares._ He wanted to toss her a wink, to calm her fears, but he didn't dare draw
attention to her. The black eyes narrowed, obviously the only response Iolaus was
likely to get. "So, is it a deal? If I can be disrespectful on Hera's altar, you
let me go. If I can't...well, I'll do your laundry for a month. Good?"
Narius simply glowered at him. Iolaus shrugged as much as possible under
the circumstances and continued anyway. "No good huh? How about I'll do your
laundry for two months and I'll even throw in a back rub free of charge."
The warlord made a motion with his hand and before Iolaus could react
he was hit from behind, the blow hard enough to cause blackness to swim in over
his vision. Struggling to hold on to the elusive threads of consciousness Iolaus
dimly heard Narius issue orders to his men. He heard the words 'Teach him some
respect' somewhere in the dialogue. Barely managing to comprehend their meaning
before he felt his arms encased in an iron grip as he was dragged bodily from
the 'preparation chamber'.
Shiri paced irritably in the small tent she had been placed in. The chain
was back in place around her throat, making it all but impossible for her to
escape without the use a lock pick. A lock pick that Narius had had the presence
of mind to keep away from her prison.
Another shriek wafted through the tent flaps from the slave pits and Shiri
winced visibly. It had been several hours since they had dragged Iolaus, barely
conscious, into the impromptu torture chamber and still they kept it up. She
wondered briefly if there was anything left of the young hunter. Surely no
one could withstand such prolonged torture without breaking. Even her own
admittedly long sessions becoming intimate with the business end of a whip
hadn't lasted this long.
_There's got to be a way out..._ Trying to ignore the hoarse cries Shiri
inspected the post to which the chain was attached. The wood was chaffed away
from the hours of her imprisonment when she had tugged, yanked and pulled at
the chain uselessly. Other than that not much could be used to free her. _Unless..._
Her head shot up as an idea occurred to her, her hazel eyes searching for
the one vital item. _Please let it be in here..._ Her heart sank when she didn't
find the item she was looking for. _Wait..._ There in the corner, under the oil
lamp... _Yes! Now if only I can reach it..._
Stretching to the end of her chain she groped with her fingers. She felt
her fingers brush against it and strained harder. Her fingers closed around the
smooth surface and a wolfish grin spread over her face. Dragging the trowel back
into view and set to work digging at the dirt surrounding the post.
It was slow going, but eventually there was a hole about a foot deep and
several inches around. The bottom of the post was finally visible. She shoved
with all her weight and slowly the post began to move. Gritting her teeth she
pushed until there was space large enough for her to slip the chain collar off the end.
The guards outside had begun to notice the tent's slow collapse and Shiri
moved as quickly as possible to remove the chain collar. When the guards finally
made it through the flap she was ready for them. Holding the chain in both hands
she swung the heavy collar at the stunned guards.
The heavy iron ring hit the first guard square in the face, knocking him
out of the fight. The other guard, however, dodged backward just in time,
avoiding the wildly swinging chain.
He drew his sword and took up a defensive position in front of her. Shiri
let him get into position before whipping the chain at him hard. He dodged
backwards again and called out. Shiri cursed inwardly, her eyes darting about
the rapidly collapsing tent for someway to finish this off quickly. With the
guards latest shout reinforcements would be coming soon.
With a quick battle cry of her own Shiri suddenly launched herself at
him, chain swinging ferociously. The guard backpedaled frantically but caught
a glancing blow across the temple from the iron ring. He went down hard and
Shiri darted around him quickly, out into the early afternoon air.
The length of chain still fastened securely around her neck she was
forced to carry the entire binding chain in her hands as she ran to prevent
it from dragging behind her.
Not risking looking back she broke for the trees that surrounded the camp,
sprinting head long for the minimal shelter they offered. Behind her she heard
shouts and curses as the remaining soldiers began to notice her flight. One
shout was louder, more vulgar than the rest. It had to be Narius.
Her heart in her throat she pushed harder. Footfalls echoed behind her
but still she kept going. If she stopped now, Iolaus was dead. She had to go
get help, bring someone back to help the hunter. This was no longer about her
personal survival or even her peace of mind. That had long since vanished
beneath Narius' cruel touch. Nothing could bring back the innocence she'd lost.
She ran now to save the one true essence of good she'd ever met. Her time with
Narius had changed her, damaged her beyond repair, though she'd never admit
it to anyone, and she didn't want the same thing to happen to the golden hunter
who had risked himself to help a stranger.
Someone leapt at her, grabbing her ankle and pulling her foot backwards.
She stumbled and fell, twisting in midair to kick out at her attacker. Her foot
connected with a jaw and the man went down, dazed. But the others had caught up.
Scrambling to her feet she flicked her chain, forcing them to back up. Whipping
once more for good measure she turned and ran again for the trees.
She made it past the tree line before the next attack came. Two soldiers
from the front gate had snuck around the camp at the first alarm and were
waiting for her in the trees. One grabbed her arm as she ran past and slammed
her into a tree, knocking the breath from her lungs. As she tried to catch
her breath he pinned her up tightly against the rough bark.
Once she recovered enough to look up she found herself staring into
ice blue eyes. She struggled for a minute, but to no avail. She was well and
truly trapped. With a silent curse she began looking for some sort of weapon.
The first blow came without warning. It was hard enough to make her black out
for a second and would surely leave a mark.
"Bitch." The man growled at her as he raised his hand to strike her again.
"You put my brother in the med tent. Hurt his arm real bad, healer says it'll
have to come off." He hit her again, surprised when she didn't cry out. "I'm
gonna make you scream, girlie. Narius said any man who catches you today can
have his way with you. Guess this be my lucky day." He moved to hit her again
but his fist was stopped mid swing.
"What the-? Jomin what do you think you're doing?" The soldier looked up
into pale blue eyes that were as hard as rock. Belatedly he noted that Jomin was
unconscious on the ground and he was now facing a blond teenager.
His grin turned into a scowl. "Hey punk, this ain't none of your business."
"That's no way to treat a lady." The blond boy said mildly. Tightening his
grip on the other man's fist.
"This bitch ain't no lady, brat. She knows her place, just like you
should. Now beat it before you get in over your head."
The boy nodded reasonably and released the fist, "Have it your way." He
waited until the soldier's grin returned before slamming his own balled up fist
into the man's face. His eyes rolled up into his head and he slumped to the
forest floor, unconscious.
She edged away from the tree, her hands gripping the chain defensively,
as she eyed the stranger warily. _Second blond, blue-eyed guy to help me out of
a bind this week. Shiri, you've set a new record for yourself._
"Thank you." She whispered.
"No problem, you alright? He hit you pretty good before I got here."
The boy's voice was kind, concerned. Shiri wondered briefly what he was doing
in the woods so close to the camp.
Her hand drifted up to brush the lump on her cheek, "It's nothing. I've
had worse."
"Good." He moved closer slowly, keeping his hands in sight at all times.
"I'm just going to take that chain off you if that's okay. You caused quite a
stir in that camp, we'll need to get away from here quickly." She nodded and
he grasped the collar around her neck in both hands and pulled them apart.
The collar snapped as if it were made of brittle wood not iron. Shiri stared
incredulously.
"How'd you do that? Who are you?"
"How is a long story, as for who, my name's Hercules..." He trailed off
as he noticed the look of pure joy on the girl's face. "What?"
"Hercules? The Hercules? Oh thank the gods. You're Iolaus' friend aren't
you? You have no idea how glad I am to see you! We have to hurry..."
Hercules quickly put up both hands in a gesture of surrender. "Whoa, slow
down there. Where's Iolaus? And who are you?"
Shiri took a deep breath, it would not do to frighten her only available
help. "I'm Shiri, I'm a... a slave in the camp. I escaped three nights ago into
the woods, Narius, the warlord, sent a dozen men after me. They surrounded me
at the river, I would have been captured then and there but Iolaus helped me.
We were looking for you when..." She stopped suddenly, her face going white.
She looked up with wide eyes at the demi-god.
"Keep going," Hercules prodded gently, fighting back his impatience.
"I'm not going to hurt you. What happened?"
"Hera's archers happened. They knocked us out, the next thing I know,
I'm stuck back in that bastard's tent and Iolaus is being dragged in to make
me co-operate. He's planning on sacrificing Iolaus tonight. We have to hurry,
I escaped to get help..."
Hercules took this all in as calmly as possible. A cold knot of fear
formed again in his gut when he heard of Iolaus' pending sacrifice. His
mind was running circles around the word and it was physical effort to
concentrate on the present. He took a deep, steadying breath and thought
through his options.
"Okay, Shiri, we'll get Iolaus out. I promise, okay? I've got friends
on the way, once they get here we'll go in. When did you last see Iolaus?"
"This morning, after...well after Narius was satisfied with me, he sent
Iolaus back to the slave pits. Right before I took off I saw them drag him
into the uh, 'discipline' area. He didn't look too good. That was about two
hours ago, I don't know what kind of condition he's in right now."
Hercules didn't answer her; he stared in the direction of the camp with
his jaw clenched tightly and cold anger in his eyes. Shiri swallowed, "For
what it's worth, I'm sorry I got him into this."
"It's not your fault this Narius is a monster. If you want to know the
truth, I think Hera had more to do with this than you ever did. She's been
looking for a way to hurt me ever since I stole that damn chalice." His voice
was little more than a growl, "Look, let's get away from this place, climb a
tree, see if we can spot Iolaus. If we stay out in the open like this, we'll
get caught too and then we won't be able to do anything."
