Surrounded by soldiers, Xena calculated the chances of her chakram taking out every bow. It was impossible. Maybe half, but that wasn't good enough. She glanced down at the chains holding Xenon to the tree. It would take too long to break them.

"Xena, I'm scared," he whispered, his small hands clutching the leather strips of her skirt.

Xena turned slightly toward him, keeping an eye on the soldiers, and put an arm around him, "Don't worry, they won't hurt you. I won't let them." He gulped hard and nodded at her words, and she patted his shoulder.

Her attention shifted when the masked man came back through the trees. Slowly he stomped toward her, his body so massive there was no chance of him walking quietly. Xena didn't move or raise a weapon. The closer he came, the more he seemed to grow in size. Xena looked him over, searching for a weakness, but his armor left very few small openings. He loomed over her, his breathing slow and heavy. She peered deep into his eyes through the slits in his mask, but saw nothing in them. They were empty, lifeless.

"YOU!" he growled, his voice so low and angry she could feel it.

Xena didn't budge, mearly raised and mocking eyebrow. He turned and walked about 10 paces away from her. Xena's body began to tingle, something was about to happen, she could feel it.

"YAAAAHHHH!" he roared, raising his sword into the air. As he turned, she was startled to see his free hand glowing an eerie green. The same green glow from her dream! He pulled his hand back and, without warning, threw a ball of green flame straight at Xena.

She had to think fast. Grabbing Xenon, she lifted Xenon high in the air and lined up the chains with amazing accuracy. The flaming green ball screamed as it came at them and shattered through the chains, freeing the boy. Another ball came flying, and she dipped down, just missing it. It blasted the tree behind them, leaving a smoldering hole two feet wide.

Grabbing her chakram, she flung it at the soldiers taking out half the bows to her left. "Run!" she yelled at Xenon, pushing him ahead of her. Spinning around, she backfisted a soldier that had come up behind her. Another came and she flipped over him, elbowing him in the back of the head. Senses heightened, she knew another flaming ball was headed her way. Dropping down, it screamed above her and slammed into another soldier, sending him flying through the air.

"Xenon, RUN!" she pointed to the trees. Xenon took one last look at her and ran off. Two soldiers took off after him, and clutching her chakram, she whirled it at them. It grazed the first on his helmet and deflected directly to the next, sending them both to the ground. Snatching the chakram out of the air, she faced the masked man. Now that Xenon was safely out of harm's way for the moment, it was time to settle the score.

*****

By mid-morning the funeral fires had died down to mere embers. When those had burned out and the ashes were cool enough, Gabrielle and Shelappa gathered one Amazon's ashes into a bowl from Gabrielle's pack and took them to the river. Wading knee-deep into the water, Gabrielle scattered the ashes while Shelappa whispered a prayer to Artemis for the fallen warrior's safe, easy journey into Eternity. They stood a few moments longer to say their own silent goodbyes.

One by one, each Amazon's ashes were taken to the river. Each was given a prayer and a tearful goodbye. It was well into the afternoon when they finished. Emotionally exhausted, Gabrielle and Shelappa only picked at their simple lunch of bread, cheese, and berries in silence. After a short nap, Gabrielle felt a little refreshed and found that she wanted to talk. Shelappa also wanted to talk, and soon they were discussing everything: Gabrielle's travels and adventures with Xena, Shelappa's childhood with the Amazons and her short reign as Regent, the different women who had made up their tribe, the battle that had killed them. So many stories. It made them both feel so much better to talk about them. To remember who they were. talking about the battle, realizing how little control she had over the outcome, relieved some of the guilt Shelappa felt.

Their amiable conversation was disrupted by a thunder of hooves.

Amarice rode Argo straight toward them, stopping only a few feet away. The way Argo was lathered in sweat and breathing heavily, told Gabrielle that they'd ridden hard for quite a while. Amarice was out of breath, too. She slid from the saddle and grabbed the waterbag that Shelappa offered. Gabrielle immediately led Argo to the river's edge to drink. When Amarice had drunk her fill, she handed back the waterbag.

"Xe...Xe..." she tried to speak, but had to slow down and take deep breaths. "Xena's in trouble... We gotta go!" She went over to Argo and tried to get back into the saddle, but Gabrielle stopped her.

"Amarice, stop! Argo is in no condition to go anywhere, at least not for a while." Her heart raced at the thought of Xena in trouble, but she knew there was no way of reaching her anytime soon without Argo. And Argo needed to rest if she was going to be ridden that hard again.

Amarice shook her head frantically, "But-but we have to go! She needs our help! I think she found that army. She probably found Xenon, too!"

Gabrielle suddenly felt a touch on her shoulder and knew it was Ephiny. Covering the spot with her own hand, she felt a warmth in the air above her skin. "I know, I know," she nodded. She knew how Ephiny must be feeling, hearing about her son, wondering about his safety. If Xena needed their help, how safe could her son be?

Amarice frowned for a moment at Gabrielle talking to the air, then remembered about Ephiny and looked down at her feet. She felt bad about upsetting her, but she couldn't take the words back.

Gabrielle sighed, "Look, since we have to wait for a while anyway, why don't you tell us what happened. Maybe we can work out a plan."

Amarice didn't like the idea of waiting, but nodded and sat down. Shelappa sat down beside her and offered her some bread and cheese to eat. Gabrielle sat across from them and could feel Ephiny's presence beside her. She found a small stick and placed it next to her in case Ephiny wanted to say something. She smoothed the dirt so Ephiny would have a clear surface to write on. She felt another on her shoulder and knew Ephiny was thanking her.

*****

Half-circled by soldiers, Xena waited for anyone to make a move. The huge masked man raised his hand and the soldiers took a step back. Slowly, he paced up to her. Xena gripped the chakram still cradled in her hand as he came to stand inches from her. She raised her head slightly to meet his eyes.

"Do you know why you're here?" he spoke, his voice dark as death.

"For singing lessons?" She smiled. She wanted to get him angry, wanted his mind clouded so she could attack. He didn't rise to the bait, he was too smart for that. He began to walk around her, but Xena stayed fixed facing forawrd.

"You're actually here by accident." He kept revolving around her at a steady pace. "It's not you I'm after, though your head would be an honored prize." He stopped in front of her again.

"Well, it's not for sale," she smirked. She tried to get some kind of sense of him, but couldn't. It was like he wasn't there.

"If you care to know, I'm after the Amazons. All of them. Years ago, Ephiny's tribe and my army had a minor disagreement about my land." He looked down, remembering the damage that Amazon had done.

"You mean HER land."

"MY land now. And Ephiny herself did a fair amount of damage," his free hand formed a fist, the thought striking a nerve in him. Sensing a weakness, Xena pursued the thought further.

"A good leader never becomes emotionally attatched to his army," she listened carefully for his reaction.

"I didn't mean a fair amount of damage to my army, but to me! To MY FACE!" He turned away from her. His hands were clenched tight, his sword trembling from his anger. "Someone will pay for it, and being she's dead now..."

"You wanted her son. You had the chance to kill him, if you wanted."

"I don't want to kill him. That would be too easy. I want him to see what his mother had done, to understand the consequences! Say Hi to Ephiny for me..." He slowly walked away. Xena tensed, expecting another flaming green ball, but he just raised his hand. His soldiers immediately stood at attention, raising their bows at her. Without turning around, he dropped his hand, signaling the archers to let the arrows fly.

Xena knew she had nowhere to run or hide from the arrows, the area had been chosen for that. She stood sideways, allowing the smallest amount of her body exposed to the archers as they pulled back on their bows.

She whirled around, knocking the first slew of arrows away from her with the chakram. She couldn't get them all, some whizzing by her ear, one grazing her leg. Another wave of arrows came and the masked man finally turned to watch the excitement. Through the blur of arrows, Xena snapped back and fell to the ground. She lay there motionless. The soldiers stopped shooting, stunned. After a few moments they let out a cheer, the legendary Xena dead at their feet! The masked man stomped back, raising his hand for quiet. They immediately obeyed.

He held his sword before him as he walked over to her. She lay so still, she didn't even breathe. He jabbed at her chest with his sword, but she didn't twitch. He wanted to make sure of his victory, so he raised the sword, ready to run her through.

"Aahhhh!" Xena screamed as she suddenly lifted her arm up and plunged an arrow deep into his thigh.

"Aarrgggh!" he staggered back, dropping his sword to clutch his wound. Xena grabbed the sword and suddenly felt a strange warmth envelope her. She gasped as a surge of power ran through her body. The masked man scrambled backward, the once fearless leader now scared as a rabbit. Xena raised her free hand and it glowed bright green. A mischievous grin spread across her face as a flaming hot sphere formed in her palm. She flung it at him.

The ball landed at his feet, making a crater in the groung and sending him flying back. She wound up for another and flung it at the feet of the archers. It crashed to the ground, blowing them back like puppets.

"Retreat! RETREAT!" yelled the masked man, and he and his men ran away through the trees. Xena wanted throw another ball, but was exhausted. The ones she had thrown had sapped her energy.

Standing alone, she looked at the sword. It was nicely laced with rubies and in the center was a small, oddly shaped skull. It was quite heavy, almost ten times that of her own sword. Looking behind her, she headed into the trees in search for Xenon.

*****

Amarice was grateful for something to eat, and in between bites she told the all she could about the events of the day before and this morning. How the shout from Xena had startled her and how she just managed to escape the masked man and come for help. "We should be going to help her," she pouted, chewing the last of her bread and taking another drink from the waterbag.

Shelappa rolled her eyes, "Gabrielle's right, we can't get to her soon enough without riding Argo. no matter if she needs help, do you think she'd appreciate our running her horse to death to get there?"

Amarice's eyes widened, imagining Xena's reaction, and gulped down the water hard. "Uh, yeah. I guess you got a point." Looking over at Argo, she got up and quickly began rubbing her down. As long as they were waiting, she might as well make sure Argo was comfortable. She didn't want Xena thinking she didn't know how to care for her horse.

Gabrielle bit her lip, trying to hide a smile. She knew how much Xena loved Argo. So did Amarice. She'd be worried, too, about how Xena would react if Argo was harmed in any way. Especially in an attempt to come to her aid. The mare would be rested enough in another hour, so she decided to get as much information out of Amarice as she could. "Amarice, tell me more about this masked man you saw."

Amarice shrugged, "Like what? I told you, he was a big guy with a mask and a long, red cloak. After Xena yelled for me to run, he came running out of the trees at me with this huge sword. I didn't stick around long enough to ask him his name, age, and rank, you know."

Gabrielle was about to respond to her sarcasm, but a scratching noise caught her attention. Next to her, the stick she'd laid aside for Ephiny was moving across the dirt. It was a strange thing watching the stick move without seeing the hand that held it, or the body it belonged to! Curious, Shelappa scooted over next to Gabrielle to see what was happening.

Scrawled in the dirt was the word TRAYLEK

Gabrielle addressed the air where she imagined Ephiny's head to be, "Traylek? Is that his name? The man Amarice saw?" A mark in the dirt confirmed it. Now we're getting somewhere, Gabrielle thought. "How do you know him?"

Again the stick lifted and more words were slowly spelled out: WINTER... TERRITORY... BATTLE...

The stick slipped through Ephiny's hand. The concentration it took to hold the stick and write those few words, together with her worry over her son and the anxiety of the whole situation, exhausted her. She could do no more now. She only hoped the words were enough to trigger Shelappa's memory.

Many winters ago, the village was attacked by Traylek and his army. He'd somehow gotten the idea into this head that the ancient hunting grounds to the east were his to claim. The battle didn't last very long. The sentries had alerted the tribe immediately and the army had been beaten back almost two miles away from Amazon land, with heavy casualties on his side. She'd fought Traylek herself. It was her right and duty as the leader to defend the tribe and land at the source of the threat. He held his own for a while, flaunting his fighting skills and his outrageous red cloak. Unfortunately, he'd underestimated the fighting ability and stamina of a tribe of Amazon warriors and their leader. He'd mistakenly thought he'd just be fighting a band of women. That the legendary Amazons were just that, a legend.

His overconfidence and ego led not only to his army's defeat, but his disfigurement as well. He fought Ephiny for almost half an hour when he began to tire. His steps faltered, his sword felt heavier, the swing became slower. A seasoned warrior, Ephiny wasn't even winded yet. She knew the instant he tired and took advantage. With a quick swipe of her sword, she knocked his own from his hand. While he stood surprised, she grabbed him by the shoulders, spun him around then locked an ankle around one of his, tripping him. He'd landed hard on the ground with his red cloak tangled around him.

Holding her sword only inches from his face, she told him not to waste anymore of her time. She had better things to do than answer threats from a second rate warlord with a pitiful excuse for an army. The land belonged to the Amazons, had for centuries, and would be defended to the death by every Amazon in the nation. She warned him never to forget that. To make sure he didn't, she planned on giving his face a nice swipe on the cheek. nothing big, just a small reminder that was deep enough to scar.

But as she lifted her sword, Traylek let out a furious growl and kicked her hard in the stomach. Knocked off balance, she bent forward and her arms came down quicker and closer than planned. her sword slashed down the middle of his forehead, bisected the top of his nose, and curved under his left eye. Blood gushed from the wound, spilling down his face and soaking his cloak, making it an even deeper red.

Horrified, she dropped her sword. The terrified soldiers grabbed their leader and threw him over a horse, riding off in a cloud of dust.

Now Traylek was back and even more powerful. Powerful enough to destroy her entire tribe and take her son. That had to be the reason why he took Xenon! Revenge for his defeat and what happened to his face. Although his disfigurement was really an accident, he obviously blamed her. She wished she could explain all this to Gabrielle, but it was too much to write and she just didn't have the strength.

Fortunately, she didn't have to. When Shelappa read the words in the dirt, she frowned. Amarice saw it and asked what was wrong. Shelappa was quiet for a few moments, thinking. Ephiny encouraged her silently, willing her to remember.

Shelappa's eyes lit up when the words triggered a memory from many winters in the past. She quickly explained to them the battle with Traylek's army, it's swift defeat, and his unfortunate meeting with Ephiny's sword. Gabrielle quickly and correctly dedeuced that Traylek wanted revenge.

Checking the position of the sun, Gabrielle decided Argo had gotten plenty of rest. "Argo's ready. Let's go." Taking the horse's reigns, she led her away from the river and toward the path that Xena had followed. Looking back at the two women, she frowned, "Uh, Argo can't take us all. At the pace we'll be riding, the most she can carry is two, and even then we'll have to rest ever so often.

Amarice folder her arms in front of her, "Well, I'm the one who knows the way, so you can't leave me behind."

Shelappa smiled, "No problem. You two ride and I'll follow on foot."

"On foot?" Gabrielle laughed, "Shelappa, we'll be riding hard and fast. How in the world will you keep up?"

Shelappa lifted her head proudly, "Gabrielle, in our tribe I was know as "Pegasus". I am a very fast, very capable runner. A gift Artemis blessed me with as a child. I can outrun any horse for quite a while. Not for an incredibly long time, of course, but I don't need to outrun Argo, just keep her in sight. That, and the stops we'll make will be fine."

Gabrielle was amazed. She'd never know anyone who could outrun a horse at full gallop! Well, she didn't have time to think about it now, so she took Shelappa at her word and climed into the saddle. Reaching down for Amarice, she helped her climb up behind her.

They rode away from the village with Shelappa trailing close behind. Ephiny watched them go, her heart aching to go with them. Walking over to the drum, she picked up Lucas from where she'd left him and cradled the toy in her arms.