Chapter Thirteen
"Where are they!" Xena yelled at Ares as they fought. Ares laughed. He wasn't even giving her all he had. He had come down to play with her, to see her pain in her eyes. He got her in a head lock and pulled her towards him so he could whisper in her ear.
"I'll tell you what if you find them, you can have them," He told her. He laughed evilly and disappeared releasing her.
"Xena!" Hercules appeared and ran over. "Are you all right?" Xena nodded breathing hard as he had cut off her air supply.
"Fine, but we have to keep looking it's been four weeks, that could be four years for them." Hercules nodded.
"Where is the next place?" Hercules asked.
"These were minor training grounds we've had to get too, The temple on the Sesvanna Range was destroyed by Zeus as punishment, and the temple on Mt. Rinjani was destroyed in the eruption in 1953 and the explosion in 65 finished it off, so he won't go there."
"You kept tabs on his temples."
"Of course."
"Why?"
"For this exact day, that I might need to catch him here, now let's see if this was me I'd put them close to home."
"And if you were Ares."
"It would be one with fond memories after so much time away from the world….Pompeii."
"Pompeii that's your answer a ruined city in Italy."
"No Mt. Vesuvius actually to be exact, and frankly don't talk to me like that, if you knew more about him you would have concluded that this is a logical place to try and find our children!" Xena disappeared before he could reply, the transport zone was in Naples itself but neither enjoyed the beauty.
"We have to travel around the volcano to where Pompeii lies that's where the entrance will be.
"Seems like a place Hephestaeus would like," Hercules commented after they had been driving for a while. "This volcano has exploded violently many times, the heat would be perfect."
"Well Ares claimed it first, because of its violent eruptions." They drove in silence for awhile keeping watch and passing people along the way but hardly acknowledging them. A string seemed to pull at Xena's heart.
"I think we're close this time." Hercules nodded trusting her instincts. They pulled into Pompeii an hour later, the night was approaching and the last tour bus had left. As darkness surrounded them Pompeii seemed to almost rebuild itself, but only one path had torches.
"Clearly he wants us to see something," Hercules commented. Xena held her sword out ready as they both proceeded cautiously checking doorways they passed until it led to a building that would have housed many people.
"You come in backwards," Xena told him. Hercules nodded and turned so they were back to back. They cautiously moved into the building, and it didn't take long to spot Michelle dressed in white lying on a sofa. Xena hurried to her and checked her pulse it was weak, but there.
"I hope you like my rendition of the virgin whore sold to the highest bidder," Ares laughed. Hercules looked at him with fury. "I won't make you guess I was the highest bidder of course." Xena saw the blood stain on the dress and looked at Ares horrified. Hercules rushed him but of course Ares disappeared. His voice surrounded them.
"Have fun as Mt. Vesuvius covers you with it's ashes." The ground began to shake sending Hercules to the floor as Xena unsteadily lifted Michelle up. Hercules got to his feet once more and took Michelle from her. They stumbled back to the car in pitch blackness. They saw the Mountain top erupt as Xena put the car in reverse, spun around, put it back into drive and drove off at a high speed trying to clear the flames and lava bombs that came shooting at them. No doubt Ares was controlling the lava bombs.
"Watch out!" Hercules exclaimed. Xena barely missed a lava bomb. Hercules used his powers to send a few back Ares way, but he kept missing as Ares just retaliated with another one. No the bomb wouldn't kill them, but it would surely kill Michelle and trap them. Eve didn't have the strength to fight him when he came after her and then escape to find them.
"We need help," Xena told him.
"What kind of help?" Hercules asked.
"Like massive amounts of water help." A fissure had opened up a head and a river of lava had flown out it was also advancing towards them from behind.
"While that would be nice I can't stop keeping these bombs from us." Xena tried to use her powers to spread the lava apart long enough for her to get by, but it didn't work. She stopped her erratic driving. She looked back at Michelle who groaned a little.
"Why did you stop?" Hercules asked.
"We're trapped." Xena got out of the car and looked around her. She spotted a huge tree as the lava moved in faster. Unlike normal lava this was not heading in all directions, this was heading straight for them. She grabbed Michelle as Hercules got out of the car too.
"I assume you've already worked out a plan from your silence."
"You assume correctly." She handed him Michelle and pointed to a tree lightning struck it hard and it came flying down towards them. They used the car to not be hit by the splash of lava.
"All right let's go." They raced to the tree and disappeared into the foliage at first of its top. Ares looked for them as he sped up the lava's progress willing the flames of the fire to begin consuming the tree. Hercules climbed up first and then pulled up Michelle before blocking a lava bomb. Xena climbed up next as the leaves began to go up in flames and the lava grabbed at her burning her leg.
"Come on this stuff is going to try and pull us in." The tree sank a little and nearly threw them into the lava. They hurried across as best they could. Hercules had to move backwards with Xena's guidance to keep throwing the lava bombs off them. They were easy targets if they just stood still they would be sitting ducks. They got to the middle and found fire blocking their path any further. They groaned as flicks of lava hit them burning them. They looked behind them there was nothing but a sea of lava. The tree sank once more as the lava bombs stopped they just heard Ares laughing, he was going to sit there and watch them slowly be consumed by the lava and Michelle's death would be imminent.
"What now?" Xena looked at Hercules in disbelief.
"What do you mean what now, I'm out of ideas, another tree will send us straight into the lava landing on this one and we don't have enough power to call rain."
"Well I've got nothing I've considered everything that you have."
"Need a lift?" They both looked up to see Cupid flying over them, his powers didn't affect his ability to fly. Almost immediately a lava bomb came flying at Cupid, but Hercules helped get rid of it as Cupid moved. He took Michelle from Xena, she was vulnerable, Xena and Hercules would be trapped, but not dead. Cupid flew off in the direction they had headed. Xena grabbed Hercules hand as he got rid of another lava bomb and they ran like crazy as the bark on the tree began to crack and break making them slip and slide across the trunk.
"Brace yourself." Hercules got in front of her so that he was almost like a shield before her. Xena was pissed, but it was too late to stop him they were in the fire. Before Xena could even react to being in the fire Hercules had tossed her in the air she back flipped and landed next to Cupid. Before him there was a small extension of lava.
"Oh great he can't jump that far." Xena watched in fear. Hercules backed up and jumped and she flinched as he landed in the lava and screamed in pain. Xena reacted without thinking she called rain using up her power and nearly her life as she passed out.
"I think she's waking up." Xena groaned as she moved her head it was stiff, her entire body was stiff.
"Mommy?" Xena's mind was a bit groggy, the voice speaking to her sounded like Michelle's voice.
"Mommy?" Xena noted the second voice had to be Eve.
"Aunt Xena wake up." That was her Kiyoshi for sure.
"Xena come on I know you can do it." Xena knew that was Hercules that time. He was stroking her hand gently to stimulate her. She opened her eyes slowly, the lights had been deemed a little to cause her less irritation. She was back home, she had figured that out pretty quickly. Hercules gave her a drink of water and it was painful, but she insisted on sitting up as her muscles finally relaxed only slightly.
"How long?"
"Just a few hours," Hercules told her. "It will be several days before my legs heal properly thanks to you, but you really shouldn't have done that."
"Mommy you scared us, I thought you would die," Michelle told her. Xena saw now how weak she really was. She hadn't changed out of the white sheet.
"I'm sorry I scared you all, but it was worth it," Xena told them. Eve shook her head at her mother.
"Leave it to you to have sat at death's door multiple times and still want to do it again next time." Hercules wrapped his arms around Xena and she leaned into his arms.
"Michelle did you see Sovann and Sovanara?" Eve asked her with concern. Michelle nodded.
"I heard them crying for a long time and while I was healing my brain was so foggy it was hard to discern, the tone of their cries kept changing you know."
"Like they got older?" Xena asked with a frown. Eve put her hand in her mothers, she knew Sovann and Sovanara would be the only ones of having the luxury of not having Xena be missing from a huge chunk of their lives. Michelle nodded.
"Yeah that's right, they would cry, but it was like they didn't have the same staimina as before." Xena closed her eyes for a moment as she forced it down for later.
"He told me he was torturing them that they ran like dogs through forests every day because they were hunted. He wanted them to kill." Xena frowned.
"I think I know where they are," Xena commented. She tried to get up but pain made her pause.
"Mother I know you want to save them, but you're no condition worse then the rest of us," Eve told her.
"It doesn't matter I have to save them from themselves, if they kill they will really be killing themselves figuratively and at least one of the physically."
"Then you must go spiritually your body cannot handle a journey."
" I don't have enough dregs of power to achieve that."
"We will lend it to you," Cupid told her appearing at the door. He was the only one at full strength. Kiyoshi lay his hand on Xena next to Eve's and Hercules still held her in his strong arms even though she had tried to get up. Cupid came over and let her some of his power. She accepted after taking several deep breaths she fell into a meditative state. Her spirit knew exactly where to go as she seemed to cross the very fabric of time to a forest long destroyed.
"What is this place?" Eve asked in her mind.
"A place long forgotten and dead." The trees were huge as big as giants and so wide a circle of twelve could sit in comfort around it's trunk. The roots thrust up from the ground like giant legs and Xena had to climb over them and look in every crevice as the roots provided a sort of shelter and hiding place.
"Who lives here?" Kiyoshi asked he was the weakest, she shouldn't have let him make this journey. "I would have joined as soon as you were gone." Xena smiled at his defiance.
"An ancient people live here, they hunt the unfamiliar, fortunately Ares has no control over these people, but time moves so much more slowly here."
"This is his training ground?" Hercules asked.
"No, not exactly, it's a place he can bring his most honored warriors too, to fight these people, but I learned along time ago time ago that Ares terrorized them. He left me hear once and I nearly got myself killed, but they showed me mercy. Usually only if you have done what he wants can you leave, but I came back on my own without him."
"Maybe they have saved the children," Hercules suggested. Xena shook her head.
"No, Ares didn't make that same mistake twice, because I did not kill I have the power to come here on my own see these people once more, but he now escalates the situation so that they must fight whomever Ares drops here."
"Either way they know you right, they will listen." Xena nodded and made way to the village looking for any sign of her children. They wouldn't know her now, but she would let them know she was here to save them. She made it to the village at first they attacked her, but then someone recognized her. They greeted her asked her if she had anything to do with Ares, she explained to them that she hadn't for a long time and his plot.
"There are so many shadows out there we don't know if there are children," the leader told her. Xena nodded. "But maybe it's the small shadows of the west." She pointed her staff towards the western forests which were dark and usually full of wolves.
"Then I'll start there." They nodded. She left them and there she was able to find tracks.
"Wolves," Eve gasped in her mind. Xena nodded.
"The foot size they're the children for sure, Ares doesn't put two warriors here at the same time at least not to work together, they mightn't even register one another it depends on if he thinks they'll fight or work together." There was an area where clearly the wolves had caught up, but somehow they had escaped. The tracks led her to a small opening in a tree, but before she could check she heard growling she turned to see the wolf baring it's teeth, it had blood around it's mouth.
"Oh no," Kiyoshi cried. Xena bent down slowly and picked up a strong branch. The wolf launched at her in her kneeling position. She thrust the stick into it's mouth and used that to throw the wolf over her head. She jumped to her feet and twirled the stick like a staff. More wolves came out and they were relentless in their attacks until she thrust it hard into the side of the Alpha Male. She sent the rest of the pack running except a lone female, but she wasn't poised for attack. She bowed to her before they left. She turned and moved close to the hollow, but was met with a sharp knife. Xena stepped back and Sovanara came out she was dirty and ragged. Her grip on the knife was way too tight any experienced fighter could take it from her easily. Xena could see the anger and fear in her eyes.
"Get away I won't let you kill me!" She screamed. She was seven and very beautiful under all the dirt and grime.
"I'm not here to kill you Sovanara," Xena told her gently.
"How do you know my name?" Sovanara asked. "He told you, this is another trick he led you here!"
"I'm here to help you, this isn't a trick, I have nothing to do with him."
"You're lying." She jabbed at Xena, but Xena was just out of her reach.
"Where is Sovann?" Xena asked her worried he hadn't appeared.
"He's dead inside the tree what do you care," Sovanara told her.
"I care because I'm your mother."
"My mother is dead killed by the Khmer Rouge."
"Your birth mother, but you have another family one that loves you," Xena told her. "You have two big sisters and an older cousin, and a father, we all want to bring you home away from this place."
"You lie." A groan came from the trunk. She gasped. "Sovann!" She dropped the knife and ran to her brother. Xena made a note to teach her not to be so careless. Sovanara was so concerned she hardly noticed when Xena helped her pull out Sovann. His foot was bloody, but he would just need to wrap it. For the first time Xena noticed the dark brown spot on Sovanara's side. If anything her wound was noticeably more serious.
"He will be fine, he just passed out from the pain, let me look at your wound." Sovanara looked at her for a long moment before letting her. Xena lifted her shirt gently, but the shirt had stuck to the wound. Sovanara cried out. The wound was infected. "Come on the village can help us." She put the shirt down and lifted Sovann over her shoulder gently and easily. She grabbed a leg of the wolf to drag it back to the village. Sovanara picked up the knife and followed her, but Xena was hardly worried and Sovanara thought she had the upper hand.
"If you betray us I'll slit your throat where you stand," Sovanara threatened.
"I expect nothing else from a daughter of mine," Xena told her seriously.
"I'm glad she doesn't know how serious you are," Hercules told her with a groan. Xena mentally shrugged. They made it to village who took the wolf as good omen. She used their supplies to tend their wounds. When she was done, they presented her with the hide.
"Hang it in the girl's room for she is brave the wolf spirit has pledged to be her guide." Xena nodded and took it. She carried Sovann through the portal and Sovanara held her knife and the skin. They walked through the swirling mist and Xena opened her eyes at home. Sovann was in her arms and Sovanara appeared in front of her. She gasped and dropped the skin holding the knife out in front of her.
"Where are we she cried!"