Guinevere was busy having an animated conversation with Arthur, but she broke off abruptly when he stood as the women entered the tavern area. "Drinks for our friends!" he called out to Vanora who grinned and nodded. "Ladies, please, join us at our table. There's plenty of room."
The women looked to Lilith who gave a slight nod, and they moved to join the knights. Lilith looked up and found Guinevere's cold eyes upon her. There was jealousy and anger in that gaze. Lilith held the stare letting no emotion in her blue gaze and finally the other woman looked away. "My, my, my," Hecate murmured from her left, "It seems someone isn't very happy with you."
"I have no idea why." Lilith responded. Hecate looked at her in disbelief as if to say, 'Seriously?'.
A Roman approached their table and their conversation changed to a safe subject. He was interested in finding someone to throw daggers for a wager. Vesna looked up eagerly. "I would love to. Oh, but I have no coin."
The man looked at the lovely redhead with a leer. "Perhaps we can make an alternate wager then?"
Gawain and Galahad bristled, but Vesna smiled. "Like what?"
"If I win you give me a kiss?"
"And if I win?" she asked sweetly.
The man chuckled thinking it would be an easy win. "Well, what could you want?"
Vesna eyed the man's daggers. They were quite nice. "Your daggers."
"My daggers?" he looked surprised.
"Yes, your daggers."
"Surely my daggers are worth more than a kiss?" he said with a small laugh.
"Fine." she said calmly. "I win, I get your daggers, you win, I stay the night with you."
Galahad gasped, "He's very good." he whispered to her.
"Done." the man was smirking now.
Vesna looked at Galahad with a grin. "I want the daggers."
The Roman went first, and Galahad had been correct the Roman was very good. Vesna watched calmly, and patiently for the man to finish. He moved back crossing his arms over his chest with a satisfied expression on his face. Vesna stood and walked over to the line. Without any effort she pulled and tossed her daggers. They looked at the board in shock. Two of her daggers were in the very center of the board, and the other two were sticking out of the ends much as she'd done the first night in the Keep. She turned to the fuming Roman and held out her hand.
"My daggers?"
His eyes glittered with anger, and he considered telling her she wouldn't be getting his daggers, but then he saw the look on the Sarmatian, Dagonet's face. He handed them to her while barely controlling his rage then turned and stalked away. Vesna recovered her own daggers and sat back down at the table to admire her winnings.
"Tell us, where did you learn such fighting technique?" Gawain asked them with the curiosity evident in his voice.
"We were trained." Rhiannon was the one who answered. "Two years of intensive training before we were chosen for teams." She drank the mead down thirstily. "The first year was probably the worst."
"Waking up, not knowing where you are." Kali added.
Hecate said with a small faraway look on her face. "Or who you are."
"What do you mean?" Lancelot frowned.
"When you're chosen to be a Child of Time your past is erased." Aradia explained. "Everything of who you were before is gone, wiped away as if it never existed…as if you never existed."
"Your soul purpose is to serve and correct the damage wrought by the evils of mankind." Vesna said and the pride was evident in her voice.
"But your family?" Galahad said incredulously.
"There is a long screening process before you are accepted. It's voluntary; we weren't taken from our beds in the middle of the night." Lilith spoke. "You can't have family to be accepted. Part of the benefit to the mind wipe is that you don't remember the pain of losing those you loved. You're a blank slate that can be molded into the perfect agent."
"So how did you come to be here?" Arthur asked. He was fascinated by their story.
Although all of the women knew the history of The Children of Time, Lilith looked to Rhiannon to tell the tale. The blonde smiled. "Where we're from the world is being torn apart by war. We've been at war for years now; it started long before we were born. Two men fight for power. Jacob Strung, a man who wants to rule the world and destroy all those who oppose him, and Simon Maxwell. Simon feels that everyone in the world is equal; both men and women. He feels that no one person should have the total control that Strung craves. Simon believes in free will."
"He's a good man." Lilith murmured.
"About twenty years ago a brilliant man from all that was left of the German colonies, I think those were called Germania and were far north of Rome in this time…anyhow, the man, Boris Markov, invented a device for time travel. Strung chose to use the device to destroy the history of mankind. He tried to lay waste to everything; books, records, art, music, hell, even people. Anything that didn't fit in his Utopian society, anything he didn't agree with was to be destroyed. The Children of Time, the organization we're part of, was begun to limit the damage he caused." Rhiannon smiled at the group. "We were brought together by a man named Balthazar Vrond."
"Balthazar was our mentor. The creator of our training process." Lilith added.
"The man who took away your memories?" Lancelot asked quietly.
"Yes, it was Balthazar who determined we would do far better without those." Lilith agreed. "We saved so many artifacts Strung tried to have ruined. Saved people's lives; men, women, and children."
"Strung had mounted an attack on our stronghold," Aradia said thoughtfully. "The day we came here we'd just returned from a mission. We were called in to see Balthazar before we were even done cleaning up. We were his best. We'd never lost a mission, or failed in our endeavors. We were only supposed to go back two weeks…"
"Instead we ended up here." Lilith's jaw was clenched. "Balthazar was programming the machine when one of Strung's men entered the room and shot him in the back. He must have hit something on the panel as he died." There was silence around the table.
Guinevere snorted in derision. "You expect us to believe such a tale?"
"Believe it or not; doesn't really matter to me." Lilith shrugged nonchalantly looking at the younger woman.
"Well you certainly have overactive imaginations." She said snippily. "No one here believes your tales."
"I do." Arthur said quietly. Guinevere's head whipped around in shock.
"You must be joking?"
"Nay, I'm not. Their tale is indeed bizarre, but it easily explains the clothing, weapons, and mannerisms of the women. I heard nothing but honesty in their words."
"I do not think any of us doubt their tale." Lancelot agreed with his best friend. "You said to get home you had to stay close to Arthur; what did you mean by this?" he asked Lilith.
Lilith looked to her Historian. "Rhia?"
Rhiannon sighed. "I don't think there's any harm in telling you what we know. Keep in mind some of our records from this time are gone. The records we do have told us of Arthur and his knights. We know the Saxons are coming, and they're coming in force. We know that Arthur Castus joined with Merlin and his people to defeat the Saxons. We know that for certain. And we know that Arthur became a great King." Arthur had gone pale in his seat, and the rest of his knights had turned to stare at him. "Even in our time there were indications that Merlin might have been more than a man."
"You hoped he could send you home." Guinevere stated faintly. "My father…you hoped he'd have the power to send you back."
"Does he?" Lilith asked bluntly.
"I don't honestly know. He is a powerful man, and capable of much. But what you ask for I just don't know." she answered shaking her head.
"What will you do if you can't get back home?" Gawain asked.
"That's a good question isn't it?" Vesna had been quiet up until then. She had one of her new daggers in her hand and was flipping it around her fingers. In her empty hand she held a large mug that she'd been drinking from for awhile. "We're really only good for one purpose, and now that purpose would be gone. Without our memories we don't know what we once aspired to. It's like being in limbo." Lilith saw the uncertainty in her friend's eyes and her gut tightened.
"If we can't go back to our time, then we'll find a purpose…together." she said meeting Vesna's green gaze. "We always triumph."
"We never fail." Aradia added with a very small smile. "If we cannot save them by going home, or even to the time of the attack on Albatross, then we will learn to live in this time."
Lilith leaned back in her seat. "So we stay to help you fight the Saxons Arthur Castus."
"It is madness." Lancelot said quietly. "To kill yourself for a land that was never your own."
"Arthur is to be King." Aradia told him simply. "No matter how we have changed history by being here, we will make sure he lives to be King."
Lancelot looked into the girl's dark eyes and saw conviction. "And you, what if any of you die saving him?"
"He's right, I could never ask that." Arthur was frowning at the thought.
"Don't worry yourself so." Aradia smiled and her smile was brilliant. "We aren't so easy to kill. Many have tried and failed."
"You should not be so arrogant." Guinevere stated with narrowed eyes. She did not like the idea of the women staying here. Especially the woman Lilith. "That is how you welcome your deaths."
Lilith leaned forward looking at the Woad princess. "It's not arrogance that leaves Aradia's lips. It's knowledge. Perhaps one day I will better explain."
"When do the Saxons come?" Arthur asked.
"Soon. Within the next day or so." she spoke finally looking away from Guinevere.
"You will leave at first light." He told his knights. "You are free now. You can leave and go home after all of these years." Arthur stood smiling at his friends. "She is right. If the Saxons come I will stay and fight. Be safe and well my brothers." He turned and left the table.
Lilith didn't stay for much longer. She headed to the stables hoping to clear her mind. Soon they would find out if Merlin could do the impossible and send them back to their time. If he couldn't she didn't know what they would do. All she knew was that it was up to her to make it all work in the end. She was almost to the stables when Guinevere caught up to her.
"Where is Arthur?" the girl hissed.
Lilith raised her eyebrows. "How the hell would I know? You and I were both there when he got up and walked away if you'll recall."
"You try to lure him to you so that you will be queen." Guinevere was angry, and her voice rose slightly. Luckily the streets were deserted.
"You have lost your frigging mind." Lilith blinked at the girl. "Look here little girl, you can't keep a handle on your man, that's your problem. I haven't lured anyone anywhere. Second, me a queen? That's the biggest laugh I've ever heard."
"Liar!"
Lilith took a deep breath. The girl was asking for it. "Maybe it would be best if you stopped insulting me now. You're being young and foolish. You don't even know what it is you're looking for… Can't decide between Lancelot or Arthur…You're very lucky tonight. I'm going to walk away, and it would be best if you watch your mouth."
Guinevere's eyes were huge. This woman knew of her inner struggle. Of her attraction for Lancelot, and her desire for power with Arthur. Guinevere backed away her gaze never leaving Lilith's blue eyes. In that instant she knew the older woman could kill her, and would do so without remorse if need be, and that frightened Guinevere.
Lilith watched Guinevere run and sighed. Since when had she become mean to children? She entered the stables and walked to the horse that had been hers for the trip. "Hello Ailen."
"What are you doing?" his voice was quiet and it startled her slightly.
She looked to see Arthur in the stall with his steed. "Talking to my friend Ailen here."
"You threatened Guinevere?"
Lilith was surprised there was no anger in his tone or face. "I would call it more of a warning really."
"You were right. She was being young and foolish." he said stepping out of the stall, and latching the gate. "She should not have said those things to you."
She shrugged. "Well, I didn't mean to terrify her, but she should learn to watch what comes out of her mouth." He was moving closer and Lilith felt her stomach fluttering. What was he doing? His blue eyes held hers and for once she was the one to pull her gaze away. "Perhaps you should go find her?" she said nervously.
"Why? As you said, she is young, and she is caught between myself and Lancelot." he said moving closer still.
Lilith turned to him. "Arthur, what are you doing?"
"I don't know." he murmured. "You're unlike anything I've ever seen."
Lilith looked up into his face now that he was standing so close to her. "I'm going home soon Arthur. Neither of us should be doing this." she said very softly.
His hands came up to grip her upper arms, and he buried his face in her hair. "I know this." he muttered with frustration. She gasped at the feelings he was arousing in her.
"Lilith!" The scream came and they broke away from each other as Vesna came running into the stables. "The Bishop has locked Rhiannon and Aradia up. Said they were witches and would be punished accordingly."
Lilith moved with Vesna meeting up with Kali and Hecate outside. Arthur followed closely behind. "How did he get them?" she asked angrily.
"We didn't have our weapons with us. They were going to head back to the room and he had eight or nine Roman soldiers with him. He also had the boy Lucan, and told them if they didn't come with him quietly the boy would die." Hecate explained. The knights had joined them and Dagonet clenched his fists in anger.
"We will rip him apart." The man said angrily.
"No." Lilith said with force. She looked to Arthur and saw the choice he'd have to make. She wouldn't put him in that position. "No. We will get them."
"How?" Arthur asked.
"It's what we do." she told him. "We go in and get back what's been taken. You will all be very visible in the tavern while we do this. Do you understand?"
"What do you need from us?" Lancelot asked her. He was angry that he couldn't help, but he knew why she did it.
"I need to know about the building they keep prisoners in." She said and the group headed back to the tavern.
The four women crept quietly through the streets moving from shadow to shadow. They were back in their leathers and special equipment. The men had told them that prisoners were kept in a tower cell. After the rescue they were to return to Lancelot's chambers. They reached the building and pulled themselves up onto the roof. Inside there were ten Roman guards playing some type of game. Stealthily they made their way across to the tower. At the top of the tower they could see a small window. They would have to get closer, but from where they were it looked big enough for the women to squeeze through.
While Lilith, Vesna, and Hecate kept watch Kali aimed her grappling spike for just below the window. She scaled the wall as the cord carried her up and she peered inside. Aradia was pacing while Rhiannon seemed to be telling the boy a story. "Business as usual." she said quietly. "We're doing all the work, while you two laze around having fun."
Aradia smiled at the woman. "Fun? I'm bored silly."
"Take the boy first." Rhiannon murmured and lifted Lucan through the window and into Kali's arms.
"Brought these for you." Kali said and dropped two more grappling lines to the floor. "Are you ready for an adventure Lucan?" she said with a smile. The quiet boy nodded and without another word she spiraled them down.
The other two women weren't far behind. As soon as they were on the roof they gave a flick of the wrist and the lines dropped with a slight thunk. Everyone stayed very still waiting to see if they'd been heard. After several moments when no one seemed to notice they began moving again. Lilith got onto her belly at the edge of the building and looked over. It was clear, and she leaned down farther to look in the window. Again the coast was clear so Lilith flipped herself over the side of the building into a crouching position. She stayed extremely still and then motioned for Vesna to drop down. Aradia came next and Hecate handed Lucan over to her. Then Hecate and Kali joined them. Once again the women melted into the shadows and made their way back to Lancelot's chambers.