Millerna left the room pale and emotionless. "We have to get Najeh back. Do you feel up to traveling Analous?"

"Yes." He bowed to his king.

"Good then pack up we'll be heading out tomorrow early in the morning." Van ordered. Whether he liked it or not they were going to be traveling and the group would be in more danger than they had ever been in.

"Bring the boy." Hitomi exited the room without any other words.

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"Why are you not working?" A voice walked in.

"Milord you may want to see this."

What is this? One of our men captured and he has been broken free." The man was aghast at the thought. A face of a woman stood out. Her jade eyes held back none of the pain, the weariness, and the exhaustion that she currently felt. She had seen more than they had wanted anyone to see and more than anyone should have been able to see. It was Queen Hitomi and she had become more powerful in her long absence from Gaia.

"Bring her back to me." He ordered his people.

"Yes, milord." They bowed. They brought out one of the few people that they had left with them currently.

Disclaimer: I don't own them I just enjoy writing them. If this chapters seems familiar it is because I have working on correcting a few of the chapters.

Chapter 23

Loanna had gone to bed as he had requested. For her tired was the understatement of the century. She didn't know if it was the traveling, her companion or the repetitive beat of constantly moving.

She stretched but she knew that she was awake early. She really wanted a bath. The last bath that she had was a couple of days ago. Loanna stepped out of her tent. Silently she watched her self proclaimed protector. Vanel looked as if he hadn't gotten any sleep last night. His hair was wet as if he had just taken a bath. "There's some water behind your tent. I figured you'd want to clean up before we started for the day."

She smiled her appreciation before she went back into her tent. All this time that they had been traveling together it seemed that they were starting to know each other far too well. The man had answered almost all of her questions until now but now he wouldn't even allow her in. She didn't know what it was that he was trying to cover but Loanna knew it had to be bad.

Vanel was pouring her soup in a bowl. He had seen something else last night. His mother was getting ready to head out with his father, Queen Millerna and her husband, and Analous. There was more danger coming her way than she or the group was going to know how to handle. He knew that Van was one of the three master swords man in Gaia but he also knew that she could take care of herself. He knew naught about the other woman that was to be traveling with them. He had a feeling that he would before the adventure was over. Dryden wasn't a fighter. It didn't seem like that had changed in the last twenty years. He was just as over confident as he had been all of those years ago. His Okaasan was right about his strange sense of style, his kind of earthy hippie feel that he held around him. Millerna he knew didn't do a lot of fighting but she would carry her doctor bag. Vanel was also assured that it would provide them with some kind of protection.

"Hey," a hand touched his shoulder.

He turned around the bowl in his hand sloshing some of the soup onto his hand. "You ready to eat?"

She didn't miss him wince at the still steaming soup that had hit his hand. "I am. You want to tell me what's up?"

"No, it's too dangerous." He looked away from her.

"Why don't you let me decide that?" She asked.

"It's coming. The time is coming and I'm not sure what is going to happen."

"That is a good thing. One thing that you must remember even though you can see into the future is that the future has no absolutes. It isn't written in stone." She reminded him.

"Maybe not but it will be if we can't stop this."

Vanel walked into the woods with Loanna following. If Vanel didn't want to tell her that was fine but he couldn't go on like this and fight whatever it was on what little if any sleep he had gotten the night before. He had drawn from her strength before and she already knew that he was drained. What had happened while they were Mycenea hadn't helped that situation much and he was much too stubborn to admit that he was still in danger of himself. "Vanel, what are you running from?"

"Loanna what are you doing here?"

"Helping you, you can help no one if you have no energy."

Vanel looked at her. "Loanna this is going to be dangerous and if something happened to me, then the same can happen to you."

Loanna had already known that. That didn't stop her though. She put one of her hands on his chest and tried to put her hand on his cheek. "This doesn't work unless you let me in." She glanced at the positioning of her hands very briefly. This was the boldest thing that she had ever done. "Look at me."

Vanel did but he couldn't quite describe what he saw. There was something of pure power swirling around in her eyes, almost like she had more strength to draw on than he was really aware. "Loanna…"

"Hush." She ordered. He saw the swirl in her eyes change to the mere colors, heard the voices in her head and felt renewing strength seeping through his tired body. She wasn't done yet though. When she touched her lips to his in a butterfly kiss the injuries to his body finished healing. The constant movement hadn't been good for them. He knew that but she hadn't known. That was one of the things that he hadn't been telling her.

Loanna came to with images in her head and Vanel kissing her. She sighed contentedly wrapping her arms around him. She felt the sharing of power between them but it was no longer an issue. They backed off slowly, "Please be careful, hime, I don't want you hurt."

He knew that she had seen what he had been blocking from her. He knew that her power had been drained to help him. She hadn't drained all of her power though and wasn't about to. It would be too dangerous if she had. She also had more where that came from. All that she would have to do is rest her powers for a day. "You mustn't use them for the rest of the day. You have to recharge." She nodded her head affirmative. "Thank you." She heard him whisper.

The camp was active and they were working on packing up. "Wait." Vanel turned her back to him behind the tent. Loanna's hair was slightly messed up from when he had run his hands through it. He pulled out a comb that he had with him. Her hair straightened again and completely attuned to him she stepped away before they did anything about whatever this thing was between them. For all they knew it was the power that each of them shared but she highly doubted that would be the case.

-Van-

Van watched Hitomi and Millerna laughing about something. He was glad because that meant that they weren't worried about their children that were missing. Oh he knew that Hitomi could check on her son whenever it pleased her. He also knew that their son had some other powers that he hadn't yet used. These powers even Van hadn't used in near twenty years now. There had been no need. Could it be that his family was the only thing that could truly save Gaia? If so, why them and why again? Why rebuild the one place that had almost destroyed the Mystic Moon?

Could it be that these powers would be called forth again? Could it be that his son held the ultimate power? The power of a seer and the Draconians. He knew that Hitomi was descendant of Atlantis as much as he was she had just received other gifts. Their son was a combination of them both but all that power combined into one person did it really make him the Chosen One? Did he want his son to be of the Chosen One? He didn't understand. Was his whole family part of the chosen fates? Did he really believe all of this? They had fought fate before and changed it could they do it again. They were told that Atlantis, known on Gaia as the Mystic Valley, had to be destroyed. Why?

"You seem to be in deep thought." Dryden's cool voice said behind him.

"How long has it been Dryden?" Van watched as Celena joined them.

"It has been two years, hasn't it?" Dryden answered.

"Two years ago I never thought that I would see her again." Dryden chuckled. "She just disappeared. I know Lady Eries felt bad when Celena disappeared, but I felt worse because I promised to protect her when she was around us."

"I don't think that any of us did. What happens now that you have an heir to the throne?"

"I don't know. I guess the best man wins and I'm rooting for both them." Van kept his eyes on the group. Analous was in the cabin guarding the newest member of the group. All of this was far too incredible.

"Why does it always have to be my family?" Van asked.

"You are Draconian Van, Hitomi holds the power of Atlantis, and you're son I'm not quite sure what he is capable of doing." Dryden answered.

Dryden continued looking at the women. The clouds were passing them by. As a merchant he had been able to get a hold of the fastest ship there was.

The railing was rough against their hands. Van didn't miss Hitomi's eyes going glassy. "Oh no."

-Hitomi-

'I feel burning heat. Hitomi opened her eyes to see sparks of fire. 'Oh no not again.'

People were running about panicking. Everyone was fighting and Dryden was trying to put out the fire. It wasn't going to make a difference. She could feel them falling from the air. One look at the levi stones told her it wouldn't make any difference because they were about burnt.'

-Van-

"Hitomi!" Van's voice broke through.

"She's burning up." A soft cool feminine hand touched her forehead.

"Hitomi what did you see?" Van was sitting on the bed holding her hand.

"We're in danger Van. Someone's going to try to burn this ship!" Hitomi shook in his arms.

Dryden looked down. There was nothing he would do to believe more than this nightmare wasn't going to happen but he had seen how every one of her visions had come true.

"We'll be prepared." Van said and called Analous. Dryden do you have any canons or weapons of sort."

"No, I am a merchant ship."

"You haven't changed a bit." Van muttered.

"Yes, milord?" Analous walked in.

"Prepare for battle." Van ordered.

Analous understood. There was fear in his king's eyes. "What is going on?"

Hitomi sat up and took her sword. "They're here." Celena grabbed her bow. "Millerna don't go anywhere." Analous frowned. The queen shouldn't be fighting.

"Can it!" She cut the thought from coming out into the open. "Get Dryden in here."

He nodded his head while she exited the room followed by Celena. A bump that said they were being boarded and that they had to move fast.

Hitomi and Van were already fighting off several people. Celena began shooting off arrows as fast as she could. Some men were trying to get to her but he couldn't allow that. Analous threw a dagger at them and blocked another. "I'm sorry but I can't allow you to get that close to her."

"Oh, why not?" The man taunted. "You want her?"

"Oh please. She's a priestess of some sort." Analous muttered to himself; besides the fact that he was interested in another.

"What a shame, she sure is a sight to see." An arrow hit the guy but he smelt smoke. A couple of fire missiles had been shot and he could feel that they had hit the levistones. The ship was beginning to fall. Another one hit the cabin. "Van we have to get everyone out of here. We're going down." Van looked over the edge. Dryden had come out and was trying to put out the fire.

"Get Millerna out of here and jump when the trees are close enough to touch." He ordered.

Millerna was already out with her medical bag. The ship went down in the trees the fire wasn't as bad if Dryden hadn't been trying to put it out. Van looked around trying to find Hitomi. There was no sign of her. "Has anyone seen Hitomi?"

"No!" They had all begun calling for her. "Van we can't find her."

"Maybe she's in the woods somewhere." He was painfully aware that might they may not be able find her.

"Would they have kidnapped her?" Van asked.

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I hope that you enjoyed the chapter.