Eve quietly approached the doorway, slowly stuck her head outside and looked in both directions before exiting the room where she had been held prisoner. She cautiously walked down the hall at first so as not to attract unwanted attention, but soon she found herself running at top speed through a maze of halls and rooms. A flash of light caught her eye and she skidded to a stop, panting a little from her running.
Eve turned her head in both directions before walking over to what appeared to be a stone door from which a small patch of sunlight leaked through. "This has got to be a trap of some sort," she muttered as she leaned up against the door to begin pushing it open. "But it seems I've got no choice but to try and get out of here," she grunted.
It took her a little bit of time, but Eve was eventually able to push the doorway open enough for her to squeeze through it. "This is too weird!" she said as she came out into full sunlight. She placed her hand above her eyes to shade them as they readjusted and quickly looked around. Her shoulders drooped when she saw that her choices of escape were limited - back inside or else following a trail into the forest.
"What's this?" Eve murmured when she saw footprints in the dirt path. She knelt down and saw that they were fresh - and she recognized the boot-prints. "That's Dorie!" she softly exclaimed. She frowned in puzzlement when she saw the small pair of three-clawed footprints next to Adora's. She turned her head away from the path and her eyes widened when she saw signs of a struggle - and some very large footprints that had trampled the grass, but those led away from the clearing.
"I better get out of here before whatever Dorie tangled with decides to come back," Eve said as she rose to full height. She stared into the trees in front of her and the left side of her mouth curled up into a determined sneer. "Well, here goes nothing." Her hands clenched into fists as she stalked into the forest to find her friend - and whoever or whatever was traveling with her.
"No! I want to stay and fight, not hide with the children!" Joxer retorted when Xena told him what she wanted him to do.
"Joxer, be reasonable," Xena said, sighing. "You know that you've never really learned to fight."
Joxer's lips jutted out stubbornly. "I can fight!"
"Bro, why don't you try listening to Xena for once?" Jett asked in an irritated voice. "She's right. You're nothing but a big liability out there."
"Thanks a lot for taking their side - not that I expected anything different from you!" Joxer angrily exclaimed, whirling around to glare at his brother.
"Jox, you're damned lucky that you're my brother, because otherwise I'd come over and beat the living snot out of you!" Jett replied in a low and husky voice, his fists involuntarily clenching together as he returned the glare. "I might just do it anyway. It'll probably knock some sense into that pigheaded noggin you've got!"
"Both of you; stop it! Just stop it right now!" Jace stepped in front of Jett before either one of them could say anything else and gave him and then Joxer warning looks.
Jett growled low in his throat but didn't move from where he was standing while Joxer returned the glare, his own fists clenched together in uncustomary anger.
Gabrielle reached out and put her hands on her husband's shoulders and squeezed firmly but not too hard to get his attention. "Joxer, please calm down and listen to reason! This is no time to be acting so bullheaded!" She stopped for a moment, took a breath to calm herself and lowered her voice as she continued speaking. "Look: all of us know that you want to help and we appreciate it, believe me, but if you get killed, Adora dies and if she dies, Eve has no protector, and I don't think I have to say anything else, do I?"
Joxer closed his eyes and exhaled harshly. "Gabrielle, Adora is our daughter. Don't ask me not to fight for her. If Eve was here..."
"Yes Joxer, I wouldn't hesitate to fight for Eve's life, but who's going to protect the children and the others who are too sick, too young or unable to fight if you fight with us?" Xena softly interrupted. "They need-"
"If you're trying to make me feel better, it's not working!" Joxer interrupted rudely. He was about to say something else when he felt someone tugging at his hand. He looked down to see Andy looking up at him, his dark brown eyes wide and innocent.
"Please, Uncle Joxer. Stay and protect us. Daddy's going to fight and we need you," Andy said.
Joxer looked down at his nephew, who was looking up at him with unshakeable trust in his eyes and he swallowed hard. "All right, then. I'll stay with the children," he said quietly.
The others exchanged relieved glances as Xena patted him on the shoulder. "You've done your part in this battle. You and Gaston made all those rockets and I think that they're the biggest advantage we've got against an attack."
Joxer nodded. "I guess that we better leave, then." His eyes shifted to Gabrielle, who looked at him with a sad little smile on her lips. "Gabby, I..."
"I know, Joxer. I know." Gabrielle reached over and pulled his head down to give him a ferocious kiss. "Be careful!" she admonished softly when the kiss broke.
"You too," Joxer whispered. He closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against hers for a moment before straightening up and looking down at his nephew. He held his arms out and picked up Andy. "Let's go." He pointedly avoided Jett's gaze as he quickly walked past him and out the door.
As Jace was about to pass by him, Jett reached out and grabbed his wrist to get his attention. "What?"
"Make sure that he's okay," Jett said curtly before letting go.
Jace nodded once and left the house to join the others.
Jett turned around and stared out the open door until Iolaus and Hercules returned, Autolycus following behind them. He turned away then, his jaw working.
There was a moment of silence before Xena turned around with a stern expression on her beautiful features and walked over to the table. "I want everyone to take a look at the western wall," she began, pointing down at the roughly drawn town map. The others gathered around and began discussing alternative strategies to protect the town.
The little gargoyle kept looking around nervously and Adora was starting to get annoyed with his behavior. "Behlem, will you please settle down? You're getting on my nerves!"
Behlem jumped from one tree branch to another. "We're being followed," he reported nervously.
"Are you sure about that?"
"Yes, mistress. Somebody's following us!"
"Maybe it's a friend."
"I don't know, mistress! I'm scared. Please use your magic!"
Adora closed her eyes and sighed in exasperation. "I told you that it's not time to use it - and I don't know why, so don't bother asking me again! Why don't you climb up that tree and see who's following us?" she suggested.
"Yes mistress," the gargoyle said, immediately scrambling up the tree to obey her.
"And Behlem?"
"Yes, mistress?"
"STOP CALLING ME MISTRESS!" Adora yelled.
"No, mistress! You'll be heard!" Behlem wailed.
"I DON'T CARE..." Adora began to say when the two of them could hear somebody running towards them and the gargoyle whimpered. "Shh! Calm down!" she muttered, picking up a nearby stick to defend herself and her odd little companion.
"Dorie! Dorie! Is that you?"
"They heard you, mistress! They're coming for us!" Behlem squeaked as he dropped to the ground with a thud.
"No, it's Eve!" Adora replied, dropping the stick on the ground. "Eve! Eve! Over here!"
"Dorie, don't move!" Eve yelled. "I'll be right there!"
Behlem quickly hid by ducking into the shadows, his skin somehow changing so that he effortlessly blended into the forest cover.
Adora's face broke into a smile as Eve crashed through the bushes and ran straight over to her. "Dorie, I'm so glad you're okay!" she exclaimed, pulling her friend into a fierce embrace.
"Me too, Eve. Me too," Adora replied, returning the embrace. "It seems like I've been looking for you forever..."
"Do you know how to get out of here?" Eve asked curiously as she took in their surroundings.
Adora shook her head and made a sour face. "No, but I'm sure Behlem does."
Eve frowned. "Behlem? Who's Behlem?"
Adora snorted derisively and rolled her eyes in disgust. "You're in for a real big treat, trust me!" She turned around and yelled, "Come out of hiding, you little coward! For somebody's that's supposed to be protecting me from harm, you completely suck at it!"
Eve watched in silent astonishment as what looked like a rock slowly gained feet, legs, arms, hands, a body and finally a head. Her jaw dropped open and she actually made a squeaking noise. "What is THAT!" she gasped when she was able to speak again.
Behlem ran behind Adora. "Protect me, mistress!" he begged.
Adora laughed and shook her head. "Evie, I'd like you to meet my, uh, protector and guide, Behlem... Behlem, this is my best friend, Eve."
Both stared at each other for a moment before Behlem finally said in an awestruck voice, "My apologies, my lady. I didn't realize that... you are The One." He bowed stiffly as he spoke.
Eve rolled her eyes at Behlem's words. "Uh, yeah. Whatever."
"Okay... Now that that's settled, let's find a way out of here," Adora said as she began walking away.
"Mistress, wait for me!"
"Hey, wait for me too!" The two scurried after Adora, who turned around to wait for them with a tiny smile on her lips. Once they had caught up with her, they continued their way through the forest, looking for a way out.
Joxer and Gaston sat down on a rock in the cave where they took the children and everyone else that couldn't fight. "I know I told Xena that I'd stay here and I will, Gaston," he sighed as he cradled his head in his hands. Jace looked up from where he was helping an elderly woman get comfortable and looked troubled when he saw the sad expression on his brother's face, knowing that it wasn't just staying in the cave that was bothering him. He turned back to the woman and smiled reassuringly at her, but listened intently as Joxer continued speaking. "It's just..."
"That you feel helpless, no?"
"Yeah, I feel helpless - that I could do more than just sit and hide out in a cave," Joxer replied in a low voice.
Gaston shook his head. "You're doing a lot more than I am, Joxer. We're all depending on you - the children, your mother, your brother and everybody else in here."
"But what good am I to them?"
Gaston gazed at Joxer solemnly. "Your mere presence brings us courage."
Joxer stared at Gaston in disbelief before turning to look over at Jace, who smiled and nodded in encouragement. He then turned around to look at everybody else and saw that Gaston was right. They were depending on him - and he wasn't about to let them down, either.
Joxer stood up then and cleared his throat. "Okay then. We've got to get this cave secured..." He turned to look at his brother, who nodded. "Jace, get someone to help you with securing the entrance."
Jace nodded, rose to his feet and headed towards the cave entrance with a couple of the townspeople following behind him. Joxer then turned towards Ioannes and Stephanos, who were the oldest children in the cave and had been assigned to help Joxer rather than fight. "Okay, you two. I'd like you and Stephanos to get some folks to help you with making some kind of additional weaponry and gathering together any that we've already got here just in case we'll need them, because if anybody gets past Xena and company, we're going to need any protection that we've got. Also, we need to start laying some traps..."
As the boys went off to do their assigned tasks, Jezda placed her hand on Joxer's arm. "I pray to the Gods that we'll be safe."
Bitter laughter rang out in the cave. "The Gods? You've got to be kidding me! What a crock, Jezda! The Gods are the ones that are causing all this trouble in the first place! Pray that they will keep us safe? We'll be lucky if we make it out of this place alive - and if we do, it won't be because of them!" a woman, who had just finished settling her little boy in, yelled before she sat down on a blanket and turned her head so that she faced the wall.
Jezda was about to retort sharply when she saw Joxer shaking his head and she nodded. She went over to help another mother and her children instead and he sighed as he went to see if there was anybody else in the cave that needed help.
"Father, please go to the cave! It's too dangerous to stay here!" Gabrielle pleaded.
Herodotus shook his head. "No! I belong here with you."
"Why? So you can die? Please go to where you'll be safe!"
Herodotus stared down at his daughter. "Tell me, Gabrielle. Exactly how is a cave going to protect us from the Gods?"
Gabrielle looked taken aback at his words for a moment before she said, "It'll buy you time."
Herodotus laughed harshly at Gabrielle's words. "Are you serious? I'd rather die now trying to protect my family than to wait to die while hiding in a cave..."
"But you won't be alone! Joxer, Mother and Lila are there!"
Herodotus looked deep into Gabrielle's eyes. "But you won't be there and there's no way in Tartarus that I'd let my oldest daughter die without any family near."
"But..." Gabrielle looked at Xena for support but she was too busy talking to Hercules, Iolaus, Jett and Autolycus. "Listen, I appreciate everything that you're saying, I honestly do! But Father, you're making a mistake - a big mistake by staying here!"
Herodotus shook his head. "I don't think so, Gabrielle. Not this time."
The forest seemed to go on forever and it looked like it was beginning to get dark. Eve had her arm over Adora's shoulder while Adora carried a sleeping Behlem in her arms.
"Is he heavy? He looks like you're carrying a rock that's somehow come to life," Eve said.
"No, he's not heavy at all, believe it or not," Adora replied.
Eve nodded. "Okay, but if your arms get tired and you want to take a break, let me know."
"I will. Thanks."
The two walked in uneasy silence for a little while and came to a halt when they came upon a large tree that blocked the path. Eve carefully climbed over the obstacle and jumped down on the other side. "Dorie, hand Behlem over to me so you can climb over," she said.
"Okay." Being careful not to wake him up, Adora carefully handed the sleeping gargoyle over to Eve, who carefully settled him into her arms. She then climbed atop the log and jumped down, landing on her feet with a thud. "Ouch! That was higher than I exp..." Her voice trailed off when they heard a strange noise that sounded like it came from above them. "What in Tartarus was that?"
"Dunno..."
An unearthly scream suddenly ripped through the air and they both gasped when several small monkey-sized creatures that appeared to be made from fire appeared and began dropping from the trees.
"WHAT ARE THEY?" Adora yelled, her eyes wide with fright.
Behlem woke up then and began screaming in terror as even more creatures appeared.
"I don't know, but we better get out of here and fast"
The two took off in a run as the howling creatures pursued them, flinging fire bolts at them as they ran. Eve yelped when a bolt passed by too close for comfort and slightly singed her hair.
Adora suddenly stopped in the middle of the path and turned towards a small stream that was nearby. Murmuring softly as she concentrated, she raised her hands, pointing them towards the water. She raised her arms then and the water arced up from the stream and rained down upon her, Eve, Behlem and the fire-creatures, transforming them into steam. Howls filled the air as each creature met its watery death and when the last one changed to steam, Adora collapsed to the ground in exhaustion.
"MISTRESS, NO!" Behlem squeaked as he scurried towards her.
Eve easily ran past Behlem and knelt down next to her dazed friend. "Dorie! Dorie, are you all right?"
Adora nodded slowly as Eve helped her sit up. "I'm all right. I'm just a little dizzy."
"Let me help you up. We can't stay here - way too dangerous. Behlem, get on my back and I'll piggyback you out of here. We'll need to have our hands free from now on," Eve said.
Behlem looked over at Adora, who nodded wearily. Satisfied that it was okay to do so, he scrambled onto Eve's back, putting his little arms around her neck.
"Hey! Not so tight!" Eve exclaimed as she helped Adora up.
"My apologies, my lady," Behlem replied, loosening his hold on her neck.
"The name's Eve."
"Yes, my lady."
Adora smiled slightly and shook her head when Eve draped her arm across her shoulders as they restarted their journey.
Gaston slowly helped Joxer to his feet. "Are you all right?"
Hecuba came over with a concerned look on her face. Gabrielle had told her and Lila about Joxer and Adora's connection before they had departed for the cave. "It's Adora, isn't it?"
Joxer nodded slowly and blinked hard to re-focus his eyes. "Yes, I felt her. She's close by. I'm not sure how near she is, but she's around here somewhere."
"Then go find her, son. We'll be safe. She may need you."
"Are you sure?"
Hecuba put her hand on Joxer's shoulder. "Gaston's right. You need to find the girls. They may be in some type of trouble that only you can help them get out of."
Joxer looked at the others and they nodded in agreement. He nodded and smiled at Gaston, who returned it. "Thanks." He began running towards the cave's entrance with a determined expression on his face.
Jace turned around as he heard someone running towards him and his eyes widened in alarm when he saw the look on Joxer's face. "Little brother, what's the matter? Where are you going?"
"It's Dorie! She's around here - and stop calling me that!" Joxer yelled over his shoulder, never faltering as he ran past Jace towards the cavern's entrance.
"Little brother, wait up! WAIT FOR ME!" Jace cried and took off after his brother in a dead run. He followed him outside the cave and his mouth opened in horror as Joxer vanished before his eyes. "JOXER, NO!"
Jace heard footsteps behind him and he turned around just as Hecuba, Jezda, Gaston, and Lila came outside.
"What happened? Where's Joxer?" Jezda asked, putting her hand on Jace's arm.
Jace's shoulders slumped forward. "He... disappeared right in front of my eyes."
"What?" Lila asked, round-eyed with shock. "But... Where do you think he could possibly be?"
"I don't know," he said with a mournful sigh. "I only hope that he's with Dorie and Evie." He turned away from them then, closing his eyes as his face twisted in grief. Little brother...
