But she knew the first female, she knew every cell of her body. She was completely familiar to her, as familiar as her own body.

The female ran with those she must always kill. It made her hesitate. It made her envious. As she watched, the readings on her head up display kept changing, until, finally, the green lights began to change one after another to red. Targeting was lost. The three figures ran on safely.

Why did she do that? Why did she help those who must be killed? Like everything else it was all wrong. Why did everything seem to contradict what she believed must be true? It confused her. Everything that happened always seemed to confuse her. This time it had made her hesitate, made her fail. She mustn't allow that to happen again. She couldn't allow that to happen again. She had to believe that it was wrong, she had to. Because if she didn't, then everything she had worked so hard to accept and believe in for all these years could be thrown into doubt once more, and that would be disastrous. Because for her, doubt would lead to further hesitation, and sooner or later, hesitation would mean death.

The room was dimly lit and stank of rotting vegetation. The air was damp and cold, and the walls and floor were covered in a thick layer of greenish moss. The moss had been trodden down in places by the heavy boots of the two men working in the room. The men wore camouflaged military uniforms, and they were both busy working on a disassembled piece of electrical equipment that was spread over a couple of green-stained tables. Wires and cables went everywhere.

Corporal West rubbed the perspiration from his brow. The high humidity of the atmosphere made him sweat almost constantly, and it kept dripping onto the keyboard he typed on.

"How's it going, Ross?" he asked.

"I'm nearly done," the other man replied. He was busy cutting and splicing more cables into the exposed wiring of the ship.

"Good. It better work this time, or Thewel will have us both fed to those giant slugs out there!"

"I'm sure it worked last time!" Ross exclaimed.

"Well, if it did, where did the drone go? Because it sure didn't turn up in the cavern."

Ross didn't have an answer. He just grunted and worked on in silence.

West kept thinking it over as he worked. They must have missed something. A field of data maybe. Or messed up on part of the protocols. Something, anyway. He was sure of it.

Ross sighed and put down his tools. "I'm done," he said.

West picked up the portable radio from the table. "Commander, this is West. We're ready to try again, sir."

There was a crackle and then a stern voice replied, "Good! Get on with it! And try and get it right this time, Corporal!"

"Yes, sir!" West glanced at Ross. "Let's do it!"

Susan Hunter drove the aging Ford through the darkened streets. It was raining hard, and she rather wished that she hadn't come out so late. But nowadays it wasn't often that she could get both her children together in reasonable harmony, so an evening trip to McDonalds with a leaky windscreen (and mislaid french frys on the back seat) she could cope with.

"That's my milkshake! Mum! He's doing it again!" Jennifer snapped from the back of the car, and snatched her drink back from her younger brother.

Jennifer was seventeen, and no longer as tolerant of Michael's behaviour as she once was. That was because she now considered herself to be grown up, while her brother was still just an irritating child, even though he was over two centimetres taller than her. Jennifer resented that, and the way he always seemed to get the most of their mother's attention. It wasn't fair, and it always annoyed her.

Jennifer brushed at her long, dark brown hair. It was just like her mother's. And also like her mother's, it was quite straight, reaching halfway down her slim back. Normally she had a rather pretty face, oval in shape with brown eyes and a small nose, but now she scowled at her brother.

"Did you think I wouldn't notice," she went on, raising her voice above the drumming of the rain on the car roof. "If you do it again, I'm going to stick this straw up your nose and pull it out your ear!"

Susan sighed, the shaky cease fire was nearly over. "Drink your own milkshake, Michael, and leave your sister to drink hers in peace."

"But I've finished mine, and I'm still thirsty," Michael wailed.

"I asked you if you wanted a large or a regular," Susan replied, squinting through the deluge of water on the windscreen. The wipers were on maximum, and whipped back and forth in a demonic frenzy. "You should have had the larger size."

Michael was always changing his mind. At fifteen, Susan had hoped that he would be beginning to know what he wanted. But instead he seemed to be becoming less confident and would often drift off into his own dream world. Their father's departure eight years ago had effected both children badly. But, maybe it was Michael who missed the male guidance in his life more at this time. Jennifer could always confide in her, but Michael seemed to be less inclined to discuss his problems. Just like Ray, she thought, suddenly. It wasn't the only similarity. Michael was already as tall as his father, and like Ray, his hair was fair and his eyes were blue. In fact he was beginning to look more and more like his father every day. Susan sighed again.

"He always does that, he always picks the wrong thing and then tries to steal mine," Jennifer said. "The moron."

"Dog breath!"

"Dork brain!"

"Jennifer! Michael!" Susan glanced in the mirror and saw Michael throw a french fry at his sister. Then she heard the scuffle start. "No fighting you two! I've told you before about fighting in the car!" Her voice was loud, and not just because of the drumming of the rain. They settled down for a moment and Susan could almost hear the faces being pulled.

She stopped at a junction, and turned right. The rain was still coming down in torrents and it was difficult to see. It hadn't rained as bad as this since last year. Never mind, they would soon be home now.

Eight years before, when Ray had left with a friend whom Susan had thought was also her friend, she had been left with two young children to bring up and her career in medicine in tatters. It had been difficult, but like anything else, you learn to live through it. She had moved to New Zealand and started again. It was a big decision. Now at thirty-nine she was a small town doctor with two teenage children living in a reasonably sized house with the surgery attached. She had gained a certain amount of respect and confidence from her patients and the locals in Coopersville that she had worked hard and painfully to achieve. She had every right to be satisfied with how things had turned out, but -what was that?

The rain had stopped abruptly, as if they had gone under a bridge. But there was no bridge. Suddenly, Susan could hear the roar of the engine, and the car began to rock violently from side to side. The windscreen wipers started to make a horrible screeching noise matched only by the screams of Michael and Jennifer as they were thrown around on the back seat. Susan felt a sudden deceleration, as if the car had gone through a very deep puddle. A bag of french frys and part of a Big Mac flew over her shoulder and landed on the dashboard. Then the car hit a tree.

Vin-Ra stood naked at the window, her sword held high in her hand as if she was pointing it at the stars in the night sky.

"Someone comes," she whispered. "I feel it." And as if to emphasise her words, the blade of her sword glowed brightly in the light shone by Ellerkan's twin moons.

L'Maine cowered on his knees behind her, alarmed by her sudden appearance from Frederick's bedchamber almost as much as he was by her nakedness. "You must dress, my Lady," he demanded. "My Prince would not wish for the castle servants to feast their eyes upon your naked skin. He will be angry, and will punish me."

Vin-Ra spun round and kicked L'Maine over, "Someone comes!" she snarled at him in a most hateful voice. She pointed her sword at his throat, and he stared up at her in terror.

"Please, my Lady! Be calm!" he pleaded with her.

"Be calm?" she repeated. Her beautiful features were twisted in anger. "How can I be calm? I who have waited for centuries, trapped on this forsaken and wretched world, while they open the Window with such ease! Call out the guard, Le-Maine! Find them! Bring them to me! Quickly! Before the Insiders steal them from me once again! Take Soo-Quan and Lai-Nan!"

When he didn't move, Vin-Ra dragged the startled L'Maine to his feet and thrust him to the door. "Do as I say!" she screamed at him. "I must see who these creatures are that open the Window with such ease! Find them!"

The car was stationary but at an angle. The back end was sticking up in the air, whilst what was left of the front end was embedded into the base of the tree. There was a trail of debris behind it as the old Ford had ploughed a deep furrow in the soft ground as it had made it's final journey. Now the front wheels were so deep in the ground that only the tops of the tyres could be seen, and the bottom of each of the two front doors were also buried in the ground. The engine had died a quick death in it's meeting with the tree, and there was no more rain, so the car would have been in complete silence if it wasn't for the sound of Jennifer's voice.

"Get off me, you perv!" she shouted far too loudly in the stillness that now prevailed. But she couldn't help it. She was lying upside-down over the front seat with her legs waving about in the air behind her. Her head was almost underneath the dashboard, and her face was pressed against the carpet. She was still wearing her high school uniform, and her very short grey skirt did nothing to cover her vanity in her present position. However, that wasn't the problem. Michael was wedged on the floor between the front seat and the back seat, and he kept reaching up, trying to grab onto something to pull himself out.

"Get off my leg!" Jennifer shouted again.

"I'm trying to get free," Michael protested, trying to get a grip on something firmer than his sister's wriggling legs.

"And I'm sight seeing, I suppose?" was the tart, but now muffled reply, as Jennifer began twisting herself around. Pushing down with her hands she squashed something warm and sticky. Turning her head she found herself facing a half eaten, and now mashed burger. "Yech!" she said.

Susan shook her head. She rubbed her eyes and slowly they began to focus. She was staring out through the windscreen at a tree. But the windscreen wasn't there, it was just a big opening.

Susan looked around outside. The windscreen was lying propped against the side of the car. It was deformed and the glass was all crazed. It must have popped out in the impact, she thought with casual disinterest.

Michael got hold of the back of the front seat with one hand and braced himself against the back seat with the other, and slowly began to lever himself up. He could see his sister's legs sort of twist around, and then she grunted and her legs disappeared from view.

Susan was startled by Jennifer's legs landing in her lap, it seemed to jolt her back to reality. "Jennifer, are you alright?" she said, reaching down to help her daughter.

"Yeah, fine!" Jennifer replied, in the sort of tone that obviously meant the exact opposite. With her mothers help she finally managed to get into a normal sitting position on the front seat.

"Are you alright, Michael?" Susan said. She undid her seat belt and turned around to look at Michael. Her shoulder ached a bit where the belt had been, so she rubbed it. Michael was sitting on the back seat rubbing his side. "Are you hurt?" she said anxiously.

"No," he replied. "I must have landed in Jennifer's strawberry milkshake."

Jennifer laughed. "Ha! Justice!"

"Don't start, you two," Susan said quickly. "So long as you're both alright. No bumps, no headaches?"

"No," Michael said.

"We're both fine, mum," Jennifer said. "What about you?"

"Oh, I'm okay." Susan reached out and took a tomato ketchup stained french fry from her daughter's hair.

Jennifer brushed at her tangled hair and sighed. "Nice driving, mum."

"Where are we?" Michael said.

All three sat and stared out at the trees around them. Susan and Jennifer looked through the missing windscreen, while Michael wound down the passenger side back window. The trees were big, and the leaves were a funny shape, sort of big and round. It was dark and although the car was still all wet, and water dripped from the sills around the broken windscreen, there was no rain, no wind, and no other noise. Everything was still. It felt warm.

Jennifer was the first to speak.

"This isn't Coopersville is it?" she said to her mother.

"I don't remember trees like this anywhere around town," Susan replied, leaning her hands on the steering wheel and glancing round at all the trees. "At least not until you get to the edge of the valley, and that's miles away from where we were."

Michael shook his head. "Nah! Those are just a few trees around the edge of Bill Wainwright's dad's land," he said. Bill was his best friend, so he visited there often and played near those trees. "This looks like a real forrest, and these trees are much bigger."

They all craned their heads upwards to look at the tops of the trees. They were way out of sight in the darkness.

"And what happened to the rain?" Michael asked, but no one answered him.

Susan took a deep breath and sighed. "I think we should get out of the car," she said at last. She felt a little uneasy, but she didn't want to transfer the feeling to her children. "We probably just don't recognise where we are in the dark," she continued. "We can't be far from the road, anyway."

Michael opened a back door and got out. Susan and Jennifer started to get out, but found that both the front doors wouldn't open.

Susan wound down her window and looked down. "The door seems to be stuck in the ground," she said.

Michael tried to pull open the door on Jennifer's side. "So is this one," he said. "How are you going to get out?"

Jennifer and Susan looked at each other, and then at the big hole where the windscreen used to be. Finally, they looked at each other again, and Susan gave her daughter a wry smile, raising her eye-brows. Jennifer sighed. "My tights have probably had it anyway," she said. They both climbed out through the empty windscreen onto the bonnet, and then down onto the ground.

Michael came to stand next to them while they dusted themselves off. "How far do you think we are from the road?"

"I don't know, but it can't be far," Susan said, brushing down her long brown skirt as she walked to the back of the car. "We'll just follow the tracks the car made." She pointed out the tracks stretching out into the darkness from behind the car.

Michael jumped down into the deep rut. It would be easy to follow.

A wind blew. It ruffled their hair and made the leaves in the trees rustle. It startled them after the previous stillness and silence. It wasn't a cold wind, but it seemed somehow, well.........foreboding?

Jennifer looked around and shivered. She opened the back door and retrieved her grey cardigan. Even though it felt warm, she was only wearing a white blouse, so she felt better with her cardigan draped over her shoulders.

"That's a good idea," Susan said, and retrieved her black leather jacket and handbag from the car. Putting her jacket on first, Susan then slung her handbag over her shoulder and went back to stand next to Jennifer.

Michael was walking down the rut behind the car. He had his grey school jersey and trousers on, and he hadn't bothered to bring anything else. He rubbed at the cool, sticky patch of milkshake on his side, and stared into the darkness. He was sure he could see the end of the rut not far away, but the trees seemed to go on much further. And then he saw something move.

"There's someone coming."

"Are you sure?" Jennifer asked as she came to stand near to him, folding her arms.

Michael looked up at her from his position still in the deep rut. "Yes, I'm sure," he said. "Can't you see him running?"

"Oh, yes!" Jennifer replied as she made out the figure running towards them. He kept appearing and disappearing, as if he was dodging from tree to tree. "He's waving at us!" She waved back.

"There you are!" Susan said, triumphantly. "I told you it would be alright. He probably saw us come off the road."

"Is he calling to us? Did you hear what he said?" Jennifer asked, her arms folded again. Michael shook his head.

Susan looked at the running man. He was rapidly approaching and seemed to be in a great hurry to reach them. As he ran he shouted again.

"Run!"

"Did he say 'run'?" Jennifer asked her mother.

"RUN!"

"Yes he did," Susan replied. "Twice."

"RUN!"

There was a sense in the eye, only fleetingly, of the passage of a bright ball of orange light. It came from somewhere behind the running man, and struck a tree just to Susan's left. There was a loud explosion and part of the trunk of the tree seemed to just blow apart, showering them all with flaming bits of wood and bark. Michael jumped out of the rut he had been in, and dived behind the car.

Jennifer screamed and covered her head. She could smell the burning wood and felt the sudden heat on her legs. Susan tried to cover her own head as the burning debris fell all around them. She reached out to Jennifer, pulling her close, and looked around for Michael, shouting his name. The damaged tree began to make loud cracking noises as the remaining part of the trunk began to split apart. The branches shook, and more leaves and bits of wood and twigs began to fall all around Susan and Jennifer.

The running man was suddenly upon them, and without stopping, he pushed between Jennifer and Susan, grabbing them both and yanking them forward. Jennifer cried out as she felt her arm being almost pulled from it's socket. She and Susan stumbled as the man pulled them along, Jennifer with his left hand, her mother with his right.

Susan tried to resist, tried to hold back. "I've lost my son!" she shouted. "I have to find Michael!" But the man ignored her pleas, he wouldn't let go, and he kept pulling her forward.

"Run, will you, hen!" he shouted in a loud Scottish accent. "What are you waiting for, bloody Christmas?" He pulled them even harder.

"But I can't leave Michael!" Susan shouted back, just as the damaged tree fell behind them with a tremendous crash, landing almost exactly where Susan and Jennifer had been standing. The huge branches and leaves enveloped them and knocked them all to the ground, trapping them underneath.

The man grunted as he landed on his face. Jennifer and Susan both screamed. "Shit!" the man said. He climbed to his feet, letting go of Jennifer in the process, and began to tear at the tangle of branches and leaves around them.

Jennifer crawled closer to her mother on her hands and knees. She was confused and scared, and held onto her mother's arm tightly. "I think I saw Mike hide under the car, mum," she said in a shaky voice.

"Then we'll have to go back for him," Susan replied. She looked up at the man still tearing his way through the leaves and the branches. He was dirty and unshaven. He looked manic, desperate. The sight of him frightened her, but the loss of Michael frightened her more.

"I need to find my son!" she called to him.

"Donnae worry about him! One of the others will find him!" the man shouted back at her.

"What others? What's going on!" Susan demanded. "And why are we running?"

"For our lives, damn it! For our lives!" the man shouted as he finally broke through the tangle of branches that imprisoned them. Turning quickly he grabbed them both again. "Get up!" he shouted to Susan, pulling her to feet. He reached for Jennifer. "Get up, will you!" he said again. "And keep running!" He grabbed hold of Jennifer's cardigan and began pulling on it when there was another tremendous explosion.

The trunk of the tree they had originally hit in the car suddenly blew completely apart. The whole tree jerked into the air and then came crashing down vertically beside them. From under the branches of the first fallen tree, Susan saw the massive splintered trunk embed itself into the soft ground. All of it's branches and leaves did a graceful curtsy. For a moment she thought it was going to stay upright, but slowly it toppled over, and with a loud crash it landed right across her old Ford, crushing it flat like a piece of tin foil.

The man had almost dragged Susan and Jennifer clear of the first fallen tree, just as the second tree crashed down behind them, and more branches and great, round leaves enveloped them once again, knocking them to the ground.

The remaining stump of the tree was blazing, and the flames quickly spread to the entangled branches of the fallen trees. There was more smoke, thicker and heavier. Susan felt it at the back of her throat as she stared at the crushed Ford. It was completely flat. Only a small piece of buckled metal poked out from under the huge tree trunk.

"Oh God, Michael!" she shouted in sudden anguish, and then the smoke made her gasp and cough. Jennifer was coughing too, Susan could hear her near by.

"Shit! Shit! Shit!" the man was shouting, and dragging himself to his feet again, he began to cough aswell, as the thick, grey, smoke enveloped them all. But he continued to snap and pull at the branches and leaves, trying desperately to break out. He had started pulling Susan up when, suddenly, he stopped and went completely rigid. Susan looked up at him in panic and saw his wide staring eyes. Then she heard a female voice say something in a language that she couldn't understand.

"Sen nigh dat!" it said.

Susan looked round behind them and stared. Standing on the top of the fallen tree trunk above them, surrounded in thick smoke, were two of the strangest looking figures she had ever seen.

One was a man wearing what looked like armour, with a red cloak which hung from his shoulders. There was a dragon like crest on his chest, and he wore a helmet with a fancy red plume. He was carrying a sword. The other figure was a tall woman with blonde hair. She wore dark leggings and boots, and her body was encased in some sort of tight fitting black bodice. It left her arms and shoulders bare. She had an amazing shape, busty, with round hips and a small waist. A perfect, curvy, hour-glass figure.

The two of them couldn't have looked more out of place, standing there together. But what was even more strange was that instead of a sword, the woman carried a large assault rifle. It was chrome silver all over, and the woman held it casually in both hands. Although she smiled, and her face was beautiful, her expression was one of anger, or hate. It made her look unpleasant. The smile was one of triumph as she pointed the rifle right at them.

Again, Susan had a fleeting glimpse of orange light. It hit the woman standing on the tree trunk full in the chest and she exploded in a bright, red, flash. Her head and arms went in three different directions, and the man in armour standing next to her was thrown back off the tree. It was so quick, it was just like a balloon full of red paint that suddenly burst. One moment she was there, and the next moment Susan felt a hot, wet, splash on her face.

Susan tried to wipe the warm wetness from her mouth and eyes, but her manic rescuer was galvanised back into motion again, dragging her off her feet, and pulling her forward. "Come on!" the unshaven man shouted.

There was another explosion behind them. The blast knocked them forward, and Susan stumbled to her knees again. She could feel the heat close behind them as they were enveloped in more smoke.

"Keep going, hen!" the man shouted at her.

Susan was now in shock. Her son might be dead, crushed under the fallen tree, his body mangled in the twisted metal that had once been her car. And now a woman had just exploded right in front of her, blood and gore flying everywhere. Susan looked over her shoulder as she got to her feet again, squinting from the smoke and the sticky wetness that burned her eyes. She saw flames. The tree was well on fire now, and more orange lights flew fleetingly across the night sky.

Somewhere, somehow, Susan had entered a strange, nightmarish world, filled with smoke and fire, and the sound of explosions as more trees burst into flames. There were shouts and screams, and words Susan couldn't understand. She looked around in increasing panic, and could just make out the figures running and jumping amongst the debris of the fallen trees. Sometimes in shadow, sometimes silhouetted against the flames. Men in armour, with swords and pikes. And in amongst them, one or two of the women with their large silver rifles. They fired as they ran, seemingly shooting at each other, as Susan saw another one of them burst, and disappear, in a bright red flash.

"Come on!" the unshaven man shouted again, pulling her forwards.

Susan ran. In complete terror, and utter, blind panic, she ran through this nightmare world, all other thoughts gone from her mind.

They ran on. Then, just as they seemed to be clear of the fallen trees and the smoke, another woman appeared running towards them from the left. She was trying to cut them off. She was the same as before, carrying the same silver rifle. She had long, red hair, pulled tight into a single plat running down her back.

Like before, the woman shouted something that Susan couldn't understand. Susan screamed and tried to run in the opposite direction, trying to avoid the woman coming in from the left, but the man just dragged her forward, right into the woman's path.

As they drew level, the woman reached out with one hand and grabbed Susan by the arm. Susan screamed again and tried to fend her off, but her grip was too strong. She thought she would be restrained, pulled down, but instead the woman turned and pulled her forward, running along side her, helping her forward. Susan was confused, she didn't understand what was going on.

"What took you so long?" the man shouted across at the woman.

"They are too many, Cam-Ron!" she shouted back, glancing over her shoulder. "I told you this would happen!"

Two more women appeared from the side, both had jet black hair. They both turned as they ran, firing their rifles behind them in rapid bursts. Their rifles made a sound that was like a deep thump, and each time that they fired, the barrels of the rifles recoiled as they each spat orange light.

As they dodged among the trees, the bark exploded near them. Then one of the women was hit, and exploded as she ran, splashing red all over the side of a tree.

Susan thought she was going mad. Either that, or she was still unconscious after the car accident, and this was all a horrible dream.

She looked round at the woman, her beautiful face and neatly platted hair splashed with blood and dirt. She ran confidently, athletically, pulling Susan forward with her right hand, the silver rifle held in her left. Susan could hear her breath, regular and even. Then she turned to look at the man.

Dirty, dishevelled, splashed red and black. His face, sooty from the smoke, was twisted into a painful grimace as he ran. He wheezed as he dragged air into his lungs. He ran painfully, tired. His right arm waved back and forth, and in his hand he held Jennifer's cardigan. It flapped, empty.

"Jennifer!" Susan shouted out, and stopped dead in her tracks, almost knocking both the man and the woman to the ground. The man did stumble, and dropped to his knees, gasping for breath. The woman stayed on her feet, and began to tug Susan forwards again.

"Can not stop!" she said, tugging hard on Susan's arm. "Must go on!"

"No!" Susan dug her heels in and pulled back just as hard. "I'm not going without Jennifer!"

The other surviving woman had run on in front of them, but now she stopped and turned. She said something and jumped up and down in agitation. But Susan couldn't understand what she said, and she didn't care anyway. She turned to the man kneeling on the ground.

"Where's Jennifer? You had Jennifer! Why did you let her go?"

He waved the grey cardigan up at her and shouted back angrily, "She wasnae wearing it! Why was she no' wearing it? It came off, and I lost her!" He looked up at her accusingly, as if it were her fault. Then he glanced past her and nodded his head.

Susan didn't notice the gesture. She just stared at him in shock. This couldn't be happening. It was all so unreal, it had to be unreal. How could she lose both children in one night? Susan turned to look at the woman, to ask her how this could have happened, but all she saw was the end of the silver rifle as it hit her on the forehead, and then everything went black.

Jennifer coughed and scrabbled around on her hands and knees in the dark and the smoke. It seemed only moments since she had heard her mother and the man shouting, and felt him pulling her forward as they moved away. But the branches had caught on her clothes and dragged her back. The man had held onto her cardigan, and as she felt it slip from her shoulders Jennifer had tried to hold onto it, but it had been snatched from her grasp, and she had stumbled and fell. Now she couldn't see, and she was beginning to panic.

A woman had seemed to explode in front of her. Jennifer couldn't believe it. She rubbed the blood and the tears from her eyes. She heard other voices, and someone grabbed her hair, pulling it hard.

"Ow! Stop it! Get off me!" she shouted as she was dragged forward from the tangle of broken branches. Then she was tripped and thrown unceremoniously to the ground. She landed on her face with a yelp of surprise. Rolling over quickly, she looked up to see a man standing over her wearing a steel breastplate with a dragon emblazoned across it. There was a red cloak hanging from his shoulders, and he was covered in dirt and blood. In his hand he held a sword which he pointed at her menacingly. Smoke swirled about.

The man stared at Jennifer sprawled on the ground in front of him. His eyes moved down to her legs and he smiled unpleasantly.

Jennifer didn't like the look of that smile. "You can get that idea right out of your head for a start!" she snapped, scrambling quickly to her feet. The man stepped forward and shoved her to the ground again, and she landed on her bottom.

"I didn't tell you to stand, slut!" he told her.

For a moment, Jennifer was stunned. But the last thing she wanted was for this man to know that she was scared of him. So with great menace, and the heaviest scowl she could muster, she said, "Call me that again, and I'll rip your flippin' face off!"

The man just looked at her, and laughed. A big hearty laugh. "You have great spirit, wench!" he said. "That I grant you! But you'll need more than that for the work that awaits you! Now stand, and follow me!"

Jennifer folded her arms and stayed where she was. "Knickers!" she announced, stubbornly.

The man laughed again, stepped forward, and brought the handle of his sword down hard on the top of Jennifer's head, and she collapsed in a heap.

Michael lay next to the smouldering tree, listening to the explosions and the crackle of flames. He could smell petrol. He didn't know where his mother or sister had gone. The last time he saw them they had been with the strange man who had come running out of the dark. Now he was on his own and he felt scared.

A tree had landed on top of their car and crushed it. He had been lying right next to it when it happened. He was still struggling free of the tangle of broken branches when he first smelled the petrol. Now looking over his shoulder, he could just see a pool forming in the deep rut behind the car. He scampered quickly away on all fours. The branches seemed to be trying to hold him back, snatching at his clothes, scratching his face. Behind him, a burning leaf dropped into the pool and there was a loud whoomp! and the whole tree burst into flames. Michael was thrown forward onto his face. He felt the blast of heat on his back.

Quickly jumping to his feet again, Michael ripped his way through the last of the tangled branches as burning leaves and twigs showered down around him. Free at last, he broke into a run, trying to get as far away from the fire and explosions as quickly as he could. Soon the sound and the smell of the fire faded, but Michael didn't stop. He was running wildly, and dodging around a tree, he collided with a woman running the opposite way. The woman gasped, and Michael made an "oof" sort of sound, and they both fell in a heap.

Michael sat up, rubbing his head, and saw the woman lying flat on her back with her arms and legs spread out. A large silver rifle lay by her side. For a moment he stayed still, watching her carefully. But his curiosity soon overcame his anxiety, and slowly, he moved closer to her for a better look.

Although it was dark, there was just enough light for Michael to see her features. She had an oval face with a small mouth and nose, and slightly arched, light coloured eyebrows. Her hair was also very light in colour, probably light brown, or blonde, and it was pulled into a single long pigtail that lay strung out on the grass behind her. She was wearing some kind of dark coloured leggings and a black jacket, which was open at the neck. She must have been running quite fast just before the collision, as she was still panting just as hard as he was, even though she seemed to be unconscious. She was very pretty. Michael bent over her, watching her breathing, and wondering who she was and what she was doing here.

Suddenly, the woman stirred and opened her eyes. Michael quickly moved back. Even though she was very pretty, and looked quite harmless and friendly lying there on the ground, he was still suspicious and a little uneasy. As he moved back, he wondered what colour her eyes were, but it was too dark to see.

The woman still looked slightly dazed, and shook her head. She rubbed at her chest and stomach, and slowly propped herself up on her elbows. Then she looked straight at him, took a deep breath, and said, "Cas ya ganpak ya sol, toose?" Her tone was questioning, but her expression seemed sort of surprised, scared even.

Michael couldn't understand a word she said. He was still uneasy, and he began to move further away.

She sat up and raised one hand to wave him back. "Na, sun lak," she said, glancing quickly around. "Sun lak, toose."

Michael hesitated. The woman definitely looked scared about something. She seemed to want him to go with her, but he was still undecided. She got up and Michael saw that she was quite tall. She picked up her rifle but didn't point it at him. Instead she gestured towards him again, beckoning him to come closer.

"Sun lak, toose," she called to him again. "Sun kant Chen-Soo."

Michael still didn't move. He didn't know what to do or think. The woman seemed friendly enough, he wanted to trust her, to like her. And she was so pretty. But he just wasn't sure.

There was another explosion somewhere behind them, much louder than before, and it startled Michael so much that he almost ran away. But she kept speaking to him, talking in a soothing tone, and using that word again, toose. Even though he couldn't understand the words, her voice calmed him, and he didn't run.

The woman pointed behind him with her rifle, back towards the burning trees in the distance, still glowing brightly in the darkness. As he turned and looked, she brought the barrel of her rifle across her throat, and, as if to accompany the obvious gesture, there was another bright flash, and the sound of more explosions.

"Jayantee, toose?" she said, pointing forwards now, into the darkness and the trees. She nodded hopefully, and held out her hand to him.

Michael stared at her. She was so pretty, and her face was so expressive, that he could see quite plainly that she was both hopeful that he would go with her, and yet scared that he might not. She was also scared of something else. Michael understood what she was trying to tell him. That way danger, this way safe. He decided to trust her. He stepped forward and took her hand, and together they ran.

They dodged between the large trees, and soon the smoke and the sound of fire was left behind them. As they ran on, Michael would look up at her, watching her face and body as she ran. It seemed so strange, running through the forrest, hand in hand with this tall, beautiful woman. He wished he could understand what she said, wished that he could talk to her, and yet he knew that if he did, he wouldn't know what to say.

Every so often, the woman glanced behind her, her long pigtail whipping round. And sometimes, after glancing behind, she would pull Michael in a different direction. It began to worry him, and he would also look behind them, but he could neither see nor hear anything following them.

By now they had travelled quite some distance, and Michael was beginning to tire, when, suddenly, the woman stopped running.

Michael dropped to his knees, panting. He felt her put her hand on his head. He could hear her breathing hard too. He looked up and saw that she was staring up at the night sky. There was a noise like an animal howling. Then Michael heard a hooting sound, and suddenly the darkness was filled with the sounds of animals and birds calling and singing.

"Te pak," the woman said, and she looked down at her rifle.

Michael glanced down and something about the chrome silver rifle caught and held his eyes. Right in front of him, it began to melt in her hand. The silver metal flowed like a liquid, and the rifle lost it's shape and grew thinner and longer. Michael stared, fascinated. In a few seconds the rifle had turned into a long flat silver broadsword.

The woman moved her hand down under his chin and lifted his head to look up at her. Her face was very close to his. "Chen-Soo van mas-ja dat," she said to him. She quickly helped him to his feet, and glancing over her shoulder, she pushed him forward.

Michael stumbled a few steps and turned to her in dismay. "Now what gives?" he demanded. "You want me to go now?"

The woman looked at him in sudden surprise, her eyes growing large and round. "Why do you speak this language?" she asked him.

"You speak English!" Michael exclaimed, just as surprised as she was. "Why didn't you speak in English in the first place?"

"You did not speak, and I thought you were the same as the others."

"What others?"

There was the sound of several rapid thuds, and the woman was thrown off her feet. She cried out, and the sword was flung from her hand as she landed on her back.

Michael rushed towards her in alarm. "What's the matter? Are you alright?" He jumped down beside her. She looked to be in pain as she reached down to her midriff with her hands. Michael looked down and saw the neat round holes in her jacket just above her waist. "You've been shot!" he exclaimed.

"Run away..." she said weakly. "Run away, now!"

"No, I can't leave you!"

"Please, you must go!"

Michael realised that she wasn't looking at him anymore, she was staring past him at something else. He turned to see two men in camouflage gear standing over him. They even had bits of twigs and branches stuck to them. He couldn't see their faces as they both wore some sort of masks with strange looking goggles attached. Both men held rifles, and Michael found himself staring down the barrels of each of them, as the men stared back at him through their gunsights.

"Out of the way, kid!" one of them said.

Michael reacted instantly. He jumped on top of the woman who had helped him, wrapped his arms around her head and shoulders, and completely covered her head and body. "You can't shoot her!" he yelled. "I won't let you!"

"Get off her, kid!" the same man shouted.

"No! She's my friend! I won't let you hurt her!"

Both men then started to pull at him. But Michael still refused to let go, and they ended up lifting the woman off the ground with him. Then one of them tried to stick his rifle underneath him, and Michael quickly grabbed it, and wrestled with it. There were more rapid thuds, and bark flew off a nearby tree.

During all this, the woman kept telling him to let go of her, to leave her and run away. Her voice was muffled because Michael hugged her head into his chest, so he could hardly hear her. But what was important was that she was still alive. He didn't know what she had done, or why these men wanted to kill her. All he knew was that she had helped him, and there was no way he was going to stand by and let them kill her.

"This pain in the arse is going to get us killed!" the second man said. "Shoot him!"

The first man hesitated. "I'm warning you kid! We'll shoot right through you if we have to!"

"I don't care! I won't let go!"

"Shoot him, damn it!" the second man demanded again.

"He's just a kid!" the first man protested, and he began to smack Michael on the back rapidly with the butt of his rifle. It hurt, but Michael still wouldn't let go. Only when the rifle butt struck Michael on the back of the head did he finally give up and let go. He had to. It had knocked him out cold.

Susan woke up to find herself in a little stone built farmhouse. Her head still ached from the blow she had received the night before. But apart from that, she felt alright. She was lying in a bed, and someone had covered her with her own black leather jacket. She could hear someone moving about in the farmhouse with her. She sat up and saw an old man with grey hair fussing about with a large pot over an open fire.

"Who are you?" Susan asked him.

The old man turned. "Ah! Awake, are you? Good! Good! Time to eat and talk!" His voice was cracked and he limped towards her with the aid of a long crooked stick. "Come! Come! Up you get! The others are all outside waiting for you!" He started to pull her from the bed, helping her up. He was so frail looking that Susan didn't resist him, she was too frightened that if she did, she might knock him over.

"You didn't tell me your name," she said as the old man hurried her towards the doorway of the farmhouse.

"My name is Rolf L'Epine. I'm 86, you know! Here! Come and meet my wife!" Although he smiled, he had very sad looking blue eyes.

Susan found herself on the outside of the farmhouse. She blinked in the bright sunshine as she looked around. The farmhouse was only small, no bigger than a little cottage, really. It was built alongside a river in a small clearing in the forrest. It was very picturesque and quaint. Sitting by the river was the red- headed woman with the long pigtail. Next to her was the unshaven man. He stood up as he saw Susan glaring at him. She walked straight towards him, mentally rolling her sleeves up.

"How dare you!" Susan almost yelled at him. She was very cross. She was very, very, cross. "It was you're idea for her to hit me! I saw you!" The man opened his mouth to speak, but Susan kept on going. "Don't you deny it! And as for trying to rescue me and my children, well!" She waved a hand around the little clearing. "Can you see them here with us? No!"

"Just calm down, hen. Try and take it easy, and I'll explain," the man replied, trying to placate her. It was no use.

The old man, Rolf L'Epine, just laughed, and shook his head. It was a sort of cackle. Susan ignored him.

"Calm down?" she snapped. "Take it easy? How dare you tell me that! I've lost both my children!" Now she was screaming at him. "Do you understand that? Do you have the slightest idea of how I feel? I can't stand here wasting time arguing with you anymore! I have to find them! It was probably all your fault in the first place! Everything was quiet and peaceful until you arrived!"

"Let me explain will you? I was trying to help you!"

"Well you didn't! If you hadn't come along at least I'd still be with my children!"

Rolf waved his stick at her. "No, you'd be dead," he said in his cracked voice. "And your children would still be in the castle."

Susan looked at him in surprise as he waved his stick up and down at her as he continued.

"Two of my children were killed trying to help you last night, so if anyone has the right to be angry, it's me! So no more shouting! Now, be civilised! This is Soo-Kai, she's my wife, you know! And this is Cameron. He came all the way from a place called Scot Land. He came the night before last. They took his daughter, too. That's the way it is, you see! They kill the parents and the older ones, and keep only the children. You and him were the lucky ones!" He laughed and hobbled off with the aid of his stick. "I go to fetch my other children! Time to eat and talk! Time to eat and talk!"

Susan watched him go before slowly turning to Soo-Kai and Cameron, her expression filled with amazement. "My children are prisoners in a castle?" she asked them.

Cameron nodded. "Aye," he said with a sigh. "You had better sit down, hen. There's a lot to explain."

Jennifer heard a voice. It was loud and it annoyed her. She had a headache and she wanted the voice to stop.

"Michael, turn the radio off," she muttered.

"I'm no radio," the voice said. "My name's Stephanie. What's yours?"

Jennifer opened her eyes and looked up at the dirty face of a young girl with light brown curly hair. Sitting up quickly, Jennifer looked around. She was in a cave, quite a large one, in fact. And all around her were lots of dirty children, their faces lit by the flickering light cast by several flaming torches that were hung around the rock walls of the cave.

"What the bloody hell is this?" she exclaimed, "An audition for Oliver Twist?"

"No, it's not, silly!" Stephanie replied. "We're all hostages. And so are you, now."

Jennifer looked at all the children. They sat all around her, staring at her. They all wore the same blue coloured coverall, but they were torn and dirty. Their faces were also dirty. Boys and girls, all different sizes and ages. Some of them were quite small, just toddlers, but most of them looked around twelve or thirteen, and one or two of the boys might have been older.

"How old are you?" Jennifer asked Stephanie.

"Not until you tell me your name," was the reply. Stephanie folded her arms, and looked up at the roof of the cave.

"Sorry," Jennifer said, rubbing her aching head. "The last thing I remember was someone trying to knock my brains out." She held out her hand and managed a weak smile. "My name's Jennifer Hunter. I'm seventeen, I'm from Coopersville -which is a town in New Zealand which you will never of heard of, but you have probably eaten the sheep- and I'm as confused as hell."

"Pleased to meet you!" Stephanie smiled and took Jennifer's hand. "I'm Stephanie Vitalini. I'm fourteen, and I'm from Glasgow in Scotland. I thought you were Australian."

"People always get the accents mixed up. But I am actually Australian. My mum and brother and I moved to New Zealand from Sydney a few years ago. And as for accents, I knew you were Scottish as soon as I heard you."

"I'm not as bad as my daddy! He always says that I've got a posh little voice, and that I can't be his daughter at all!"

Jennifer smiled at her again. And taking a deep breath she said, "What's going on, Stephanie? Who are all these children? How did we get here? And how do the Knights of the Round Table fit into all this?" The questions all came out in a big rush.

Stephanie waved her hands at Jennifer. "Not so fast! I've only been here a day longer than you!"

"You must know more than me." She pointed at the other children. "What about them? They must know something."

A small boy, roughly in the direction of Jennifer's pointing finger, said, "Par tocant, see ma chevania to ya dechandra me?"

It was beginning to get light. Michael could feel the brightness even though his eyes were closed. His mum would call up to him soon, urging him to get out of bed and come down for breakfast. He opened his eyes slowly, and looked up to see a large bird with multicoloured wings soaring overhead in the bright sunlight. He blinked. The bird flew in and out of the tops of huge trees that seemed to be growing up all around him.

Suddenly his memory returned and he jumped quickly to his feet. For a moment he wished he hadn't. There was an ache at the back of his head that made him grimace. He reached round and felt a large lump where one of the two soldiers had hit him last night.

As he had stood up, something that had been covering him fell to the ground. Now holding the back of his head, he looked down, staring at it. Slowly he bent down and picked it up. It was the jacket that the woman from last night had been wearing. He felt the material, which was some kind of leather. It felt old and was quite worn. At one time it must have been black, or brown in colour, but now it was all faded and frayed. He turned it around in his hands, finding the four neat holes in the front.

Michael felt the tears in his eyes as he realised that they must have killed his friend. He looked round, expecting to find her body, but there was nothing. No body, no bloodstains, nothing.

With a sudden thought, he looked at the holes in the jacket again. There was no blood there either. Just neat little holes. She was still alive! She must be! How else would her jacket have come to be covering him? She must have covered him up with her jacket the night before, covered him up and then....

....And then deserted him.

Why would she do that? Why cover him up and just leave him? And what had happened to the two soldiers? Where had they gone? Michael couldn't understand any of it. What had happened last night after he had been knocked out? What had he missed? Michael had another thought. Maybe she hadn't deserted him, maybe she had just gone off somewhere, and even now was on her way back to him. He looked around again, searching among the trees, hoping to see her coming back to him. Instead he saw the mark. It was carved into one of the trees right behind him. A big arrow pointing to the left.

She hadn't deserted him, after all. But she hadn't waited for him, either. That's if she was the one who had carved the arrow. Oh, well, there was only one way to find out. He folded her faded black jacket over his arm and started walking.

Jennifer sat with her back against the rock wall of the cave, her legs straight out in front of her. Her left arm was around a little girl with short blonde hair. She must have been about four or five years old. The other children sat about in the cave all around her. Sometimes they spoke to one another in their own language. Sometimes they cried. The girls sat closer to Jennifer than the boys did. When one of them had started to cry, Jennifer had reached out to her, and the girl had quickly pushed herself up against Jennifer's side, hugging her. It was like a signal, and the other girls had all moved closer.

Stephanie sat just beside Jennifer. She also had a little girl clinging to her. Jennifer looked at Stephanie thoughtfully. Her face was round, with a slightly long nose and a wide mouth, and her eyes were a rich, soft brown. She wore a pair of tight blue jeans, a short red cotton jumper, and a matching blue denim jacket. The whole outfit showed off her shapely figure to advantage, and Jennifer thought she was quite attractive and grown up looking for her age. The little girl who sat close to Stephanie had her hands under her jacket, and she pulled at Stephanie's red jumper, twisting it in her hands.

Earlier on, when Jennifer had described to Stephanie how she had been captured the night before, Stephanie had become excited at the obvious description of her father. She had quickly gone on to describe how she and her father had first been helped by a woman dressed in black, only for Stephanie to become separated from them in the rush to escape. She had quickly got lost in the forrest and soon became terrified as she was chased in the dark, before finally being caught by the same sort of medieval knight that had captured Jennifer. Stephanie had then gone on to describe what had happened to her in the cave since she had been brought here.

Now they sat in silence, each to their own thoughts.

"Vitalini," Jennifer asked her. "Is that Italian?"

Stephanie looked round. "Yes, my grandaddy was from Italy. He came to Scotland during the war as a P.O.W., and never went home."

"Do you speak any Italian, then?"

"No. Hopeless, aren't I? But my daddy does. You'll like him."

Stephanie sat up as she spoke, drawing her legs up and hugging them with both arms. She had little black suede boots on, pointed at the toe with slight heels. Her brown hair was naturally curly, and occasionally, she would reach up to brush away a loose curl from her fringe, and reveal small, gold earrings. For a fourteen year old, Stephanie was extremely well dressed and heeled.

Jennifer sighed, conscious of her battered school uniform. She looked down at the little girl hugging her. Her face was buried in Jennifer's white blouse. They all seemed very frightened.

Frightened and quiet.

"When did you say the guards would come to feed us?" Jennifer asked Stephanie.

"Soon."

Jennifer looked down at her legs, moving her feet outwards then inwards. "My tights have had it," she said, looking at the holes on her shins and thighs. She pulled up her already short grey skirt to reveal even more of her legs, and another hole in the top of her tights.

"You've got nice, long, legs," Stephanie said in admiration. "I wish I had legs like yours. Mine are only little. I'm short and fat. I bet you're tall. Tall and slim. I hate you!"

Jennifer laughed.

"Got you to laugh! Got you to laugh!" Stephanie pointed at her, smiling.

Jennifer was beginning to warm to Stephanie. She was obviously quite well off by the way she was dressed, but she wasn't at all self-centred or big-headed. Instead she was very friendly, and completely frank and open-minded. Jennifer had never met someone who was so easy to get to know.

"You're not short and fat," she said. "You've got a nice shape. In fact I'm jealous. You're much bigger than me where it counts, and I'm older than you."

"That's the pasta. And pizzas. And bread, plenty of bread. My daddy is a baker. And anyway, you're still taller than me. I'm only five foot."

Jennifer smiled. "Alright, so I am taller. But not by much. I'm five foot six. I just look tall because I'm thinner, that's all."

"Told you! Tall and slim. I hate you!"

"You're still bigger!"

Stephanie opened her denim jacket wider, and put her hands on her breasts. "Do you want to swop?" she said mischievously. "You have these, I'll have your legs!"

"You're terrible! And I bet you won't say that again when you're older!"

"Oh, I don't know. Boys like legs. No matter where the boys come from, either." Stephanie had a cheeky smile. She nodded her head at an angle, to her right, as if indicating something over her shoulder. Jennifer looked. One of the older boys was kneeling down just a metre or two away. He was about fifteen or sixteen years old, and he was looking at Jennifer intently. Jennifer was suddenly conscious of her pulled up skirt and her exposed legs, and she pulled the hem of her skirt down quickly.

"You're blushing!" Stephanie accused her, obviously delighted with the effect.

"Stop it, you!" Jennifer protested in her embarrassment. "That's you're fault! I've only known you for five minutes and you're already getting me into trouble!"

Stephanie laughed, then she suddenly seemed startled, and began to fidget. "Stop that!" she said to the little girl next to her. The little girl had seen Stephanie's earlier gesture, assumed that it was an open invitation to investigate, and had put her hands up inside the front of Stephanie's jumper. Stephanie quickly retrieved the roving hands and held them in her own. The little girl looked up at her with sad blue eyes.

"Chem da swee to da ferm to ma?" she said. She had a tiny little voice.

Stephanie sighed. "I wish I knew what they were saying," she said rather sadly.

"It's not like Italian, then?" Jennifer asked.

"No. I don't think it's like any language I know. Have you noticed that they are all wearing the same little jump-suits? Boys and girls?"

Jennifer nodded. They were all light blue in colour, with two pockets at the chest, one of them with a funny fat bird emblem on it, and a single zip up the middle. Jennifer looked down at the little girl next to her, and gently rubbed her back. She seemed to be asleep. The material felt like plastic, sort of quilted.

"Have you noticed these?" Stephanie continued.

Jennifer looked up. Stephanie was pointing at the chest of the little girl next to her, above one of the pockets. It was a white strip with funny black squiggles on it.

"Do you think it's their names?" Jennifer asked.

Stephanie didn't have a chance to answer. There was a grating noise from the entrance of the cave as the door was pushed open. All the children jumped up at once. Even the little girl with blonde hair who had been asleep next to Jennifer jumped up. She sprang to life in an instant, a look of shear terror on her little face.

Jennifer had been told by Stephanie what to expect when their guards brought food into the cave. But she was still unprepared. All the girls started screaming and jumped on top of Jennifer and Stephanie. They were mobbed. Jennifer felt their hands on her throat, on her face, and her body. They weren't attacking her, they just wanted to hide, to find some protection.

All the boys stood up and moved to the entrance of the cave. All the girls suddenly went quiet and became very still. Jennifer could just see out between the bodies of the girls huddled around her. She could see the guards standing at the entrance to the cave. Three of them, two men, one woman. The light from the many torches in the cave was pretty poor, but Jennifer was still able to take a good look at them. It was the first time she had been able to see their captors in anything other than darkness.

The men were dressed like very strange medieval knights. They wore breastplates with a red dragon emblazoned on them, and helmets with long red plumes. But they also wore long red cloaks and short skirts. They wore armour on their legs and feet, too. It was as if someone had got the uniforms of a Roman Centurion and a Knight of the Round Table, and had mixed them all up.

The woman was a complete contrast. She wore black boots and leggings, and a black jacket with a multitude of pockets. The material looked like leather, and she wore the jacket fastened all the way to the neck. It was all very severe looking. She had long dark brown hair, and she would have been beautiful if it wasn't for the stern expression on her angular face.

The guards all carried large metal trays with food on them. It looked like some kind of roasted meat. Some of the boys went forward, took the trays, and quickly came back into the middle of the cave. The others stood their ground watching nervously.

There was a pause. Suddenly, the woman stepped forward, and almost immediately she started to move, the girls began to scream again. Loud and insistent. Their hands gripped Jennifer tighter.

The boys stood in the woman's way. She brushed them casually aside, knocking two of them to the ground. They jumped back up, and rushed up behind her, pulling at her jacket. She ignored them, walking straight towards Jennifer and Stephanie, and the screaming girls huddled around them. The boys tried to drag her back. She reached behind her and caught one of them by the head. Without a glance, she just threw him aside. He landed in a heap with a grunt.

The woman was by Jennifer's side now. She reached out and grabbed one of the girls. It was the one with short blonde hair who had been asleep next to Jennifer. She screamed louder than ever and tried to hang on to Jennifer's hands as the woman pulled her away. Jennifer couldn't hold on to her, and she saw a look of total terror on the little girl's face as she was torn from her grasp.

There was a sudden, enormous clang, followed by deathly silence as everyone froze.

One of the older boys, who was holding a tray of food, had emptied the contents onto the ground, gone up behind the woman, and hit her over the head with it.

The woman stood there for a moment, as if stunned, then she dropped the terrified girl to the ground and reached up to the back of her head. There was a swish, and she suddenly pulled a large silver sword from behind her back, and turned towards the boy who still held the dented tray in his hands.

The boy backed away quickly, holding the tray out in front of him like a shield, his arms outstretched. The woman thrust the sword forward, and it went straight through the tray as the boy continued to back away, the point of the sword stopping only centimetres away from the boy's chest. She kept moving forward, and he kept moving back, the impaled tray still between them. Then he stumbled and fell backward, and the woman stood over him, triumphant.

"Leave him, Lai-Nan!"

The voice belonged to another woman who had appeared un-noticed in the cave entrance. Jennifer stared at her in awe. She wore a long, light blue gown with a neck-line that plunged almost to her navel. She had jet black hair and very piercing, but emotionless, dark eyes. They could almost have been made from glass, those eyes. Immediately they saw her, the two men stood to attention and struck their chests with their right fists, lowering their heads.

"I am sorry, Vin-Ra. We did not see you approach," one of the men said to her, his head still bowed.

She ignored him, staring at the woman she had called Lai-Nan, who still held the point of her sword against the boy's chest as he lay on his back almost underneath her. Lai-Nan seemed to hesitate, her sword wavering.

"Leave him!" Vin-Ra called out again, more insistent this time. "Remember, only the females! The males must not be harmed!"

At last Lai-Nan stepped back from the boy. She pulled her sword away, leaving the boy holding the tray with a hole in it. She turned and looked down at the girl she had been forced to drop. It was a look of pure hate. The girl lay on her side looking up at Lai-Nan with big round eyes, as if transfixed like a rabbit in the headlights of a car. Lai-Nan raised her sword again.

Jennifer acted on a sudden impulse. She reached out to the girl who was less than a metre away. She had to strain and lean over, as the other girls still hanging on to her weighed her down. She grabbed the little girl's arm and yanked her, unceremoniously, back towards her side. The girl yelped in surprise, but then responded by grabbing hold of Jennifer, and hugging her tightly.

Jennifer looked up at Lai-Nan and their eyes met. Jennifer felt the hairs standing up on the back of her neck. The look from this woman was filled with such hate and anger, she could feel it like a physical presence in her mind. It was a look of pure evil.

Lai-Nan took a step towards Jennifer, her sword raised. The boys who had tried to hold her back before stepped between them again, blocking her way. This time she stopped and glared at Jennifer. It made Jennifer's blood run cold. There was no doubt in her mind that this woman wanted to kill her, and that she would do just that if she got half the chance.

Lai-Nan suddenly turned and walked away, back towards Vin-Ra and the two men who still stood at the entrance to the cave. As she walked, she placed the point of her sword behind her neck and reached up. For a moment the sword was like a huge silver cross above her head, then it slipped down and she let go of it, and it was gone. She fluffed her hair as she walked out of the cave.

Vin-Ra didn't follow her. Instead she remained in the entrance to the cave, staring at all the children, her eyes apparently searching for something. Jennifer froze as Vin-Ra's eyes locked onto hers for a brief instant, before moving on. Then Vin-Ra turned on her heel and left. The two men turned and left also, pulling the door shut behind them. It made a grating noise as it dragged across the cave floor.

Jennifer heard a deep sigh of relief. It was her own. She felt the grip of the other girls clinging to her relax, and slowly, they began to climb off her. All except the girl she had rescued, who still clung tightly to her. Jennifer stroked her hair.

"It's alright," she said to her. "You're safe now."

The other girls sat about next to Jennifer and Stephanie. The air was full of the sounds of deep breathing as they all began to relax.

Stephanie looked up at Jennifer in admiration. "That was brave of you. And risky. I don't think I could have done that."

Jennifer felt her heart beating so fast in her chest, she was sure it was going to break out from between her ribs and run away. "I've never been so scared in all my life! Anyway, he was the brave one!" She pointed at the boy still sitting on the ground, clutching the metal tray. He had a dazed look on his face. "I thought you said that there'd be a lot of screaming, the girls would jump on us, and that that would be it!" Jennifer continued. "You didn't say that they would try and kill us!"

"They haven't done that before, at least not while I've been here," Stephanie replied. "I was as surprised as you were! And you've got to remember that I've only been here a day longer than you have. I'm just as in the dark about all this as you are."

"I know! I know! I'm sorry! It's just that I was sure she was going to kill me!"

"I think she would have killed that boy if that other woman hadn't stopped her."

"I know she was going to kill this girl. I was sure of it. That's why I grabbed her."

Stephanie came closer, and sat next to her. Together they sat, leaning against the wall of the cave. The girls sat all around them, keeping close. Stephanie smiled at them. One or two smiled back weakly.

The boys began giving out the food. It all seemed so casual after what had happened before. The food looked like pieces of chicken. They were obviously a bird of some sort. They had been roasted and the boys pulled them apart and distributed the pieces. Even the pieces dropped on the ground were being eaten.

One of them went over to the boy sitting on the ground still clutching the tray. He patted the boy on the head and thrust what looked like a chicken leg in his mouth. The boy now dropped the tray and took the leg from his mouth. He wiped his forehead with the back of his hand and sighed. Then he stuck the leg back in his mouth and took a bite. Jennifer thought that he couldn't have been much older than her own brother.

For a moment she thought about Michael and her mother. They must have got away. They would both be safe now, with Stephanie's father. But would they be looking for them? Yes, of course, they would. They must be desperately trying to find them. But even if they did find them, what could they do? Jennifer sighed.

"Something like this must have happened before," she said. "They know what to expect. The girls all scream, and the boys try to defend them." She thought about it for a moment. "They must do something bad to the girls, but not to the boys. That woman called Vin-Ra even said as much. Did you hear her?"

"Yeah, I did," Stephanie said slowly, thinking about it.

Before they could discuss it any further, one of the boys came over and thrust a large piece of roasted meat into their hands. Jennifer looked down at it. He gave a piece to the little girl huddled next to her, and she immediately began to eat. Jennifer watched her take little bites, turning the piece over in her hands.

"You're not a vegetarian, are you?" Stephanie asked. She took a bite out of the piece she had been given. "'Cos if you are, you're going to starve."

Jennifer shook her head. She held the meat up to her nose and took a sniff.

The little girl looked up at her and pointed at the meat. She gave half a smile and nodded. "Ban fluen to par, sey sha," she said. Her mouth was full.

Jennifer took a bite. It wasn't too bad. It did taste a bit like chicken, but maybe a bit tougher.

"They bring us food twice a day, water once a day," Stephanie said as she chewed. "The water will be next time. They fill that bucket thing over there." She pointed to a large metal tub to one side of the cave. Jennifer hadn't noticed it before.

They sat in silence for a while as they ate. Jennifer kept going over what had happened in her mind. It didn't seem to make any sense.

"If they wanted to kill us," she said to Stephanie at last, "why did they bring us here? They could just as easily have killed us and dumped us in the forrest."

"I think we're all hostages," Stephanie said as she ate. "Or at least all these children are. They must be, why else keep them?"

"That's it!" Jennifer exclaimed. "It's so obvious, isn't it? But what for?"

"Yeah, and why are the boys more important than the girls," Stephanie added, derisively.

"Yes, that's right. It's as if the boys have some kind of extra value that the girls don't. Damn it, Steff! We have to figure all this out, you know! It could be important!"

"I know, but it's not that easy when we don't even know where we are anymore, or what's happened to our parents, or anything. We don't even know the language. Did that black eyed woman stare at you?"

Stephanie's sudden question surprised Jennifer. "Yes, she did," she replied slowly. "But only for an instant."

"Me too. Do you think she was looking for us?"

"Maybe..." Jennifer thought about it a bit more, remembering what had happened. "You could be right, you know," she said finally. "I wouldn't be surprised if she only came to see if we were here. I bet it was just luck that boy and this little girl didn't get killed today."

"But why would she be looking for us?" Stephanie sounded a little alarmed.

Jennifer pressed on regardless. "You said it yourself, we're hostages. Well actually, they're hostages, we aren't! Don't you see? Whatever it is that they want with these children, it can't possibly apply to us. Look at them. They're all dressed the same, and they all speak the same language. And that woman must have known that they wouldn't understand her, because she spoke openly in front of them."

"But we understood her, so why didn't she care about that?"

Now that thought even worried Jennifer. "We need to find out more about these children," she said, anxiously. "And I don't think we should waste anymore time in doing it."

They had sat down by the side of the river. Susan, Cameron and Soo-Kai. Rolf L'Epine was still off somewhere gathering up his other children. Susan wondered what they would look like. She still couldn't come to terms with the idea that Soo-Kai was his wife.

Susan turned to look at Soo-Kai. She couldn't have been much more than twenty years old, if that. She wore dark brown leggings and a similar coloured jacket that were both made from some kind of hide. It looked a bit like dull leather. Her jacket was open, revealing a black bodice, or waist-coat underneath, together with a generous helping of lightly tanned neck, chest and cleavage. Her hair was a glorious chestnut colour, and even tied into the long pigtail it was still bright and shiny. She had an oval face with high cheek-bones, and underneath well defined eyebrows, she had green eyes that were slightly slanted. They seemed to both question and smile at you at once. With well proportioned features, together with a slim, curvy, body, she could have graced any cat walk in the fashion industry.

Susan looked at Cameron. He wore a tee-shirt and a pair of jeans. They were torn in places. He had short, black, curly hair, and bright, blue eyes. His features were strong and he had a dark complexion, noticeable even under the stubble, which all seemed to contradict his Scottish accent and heritage. He was tall and well built, and probably younger than her, maybe early thirties? With a proper wash and a shave he would be quite handsome.

Susan took a deep breath. "Alright, Cameron," she said. "Lets start over again. My name is Susan Hunter. I have a daughter, Jennifer, and a son called Michael. And I have just got to find them both or I will go mad. Now tell me, what's going on, and where the hell are we?"

Cameron rubbed the back of his neck before replying. "Alright, I'll tell you, but donnae expect any easy answers. Ma daughter and I came the night before you. One minute we were driving by Loch Lomand, coming back from a day out, the next we were in this forrest and ma car was a write-off. I havenae finished paying for it yet, either!"

"That's exactly the same thing that happened to us!" Susan exclaimed. "One minute we're coming back from McDonalds, the next minute, wham!"

Soo-Kai broke into their excitement. "You both came through the Window," she said.

"What window?" Susan asked, turning to her with a puzzled expression. But it was Cameron that answered her question.

"It's a transportation system," he explained. "You know, like out of Star-Trek, or something you see on telly? They keep fiddling with it. And each time they fiddle with it, we pop through."

"Just a minute," Susan said. "Are you telling me we're not in New Zealand anymore?"

"I thought you were an Aussy."

"Never mind that!" she said in exasperation. Why did everybody always get the accents mixed up? "Just answer the question! Are we still in New Zealand, or not?"

"Definitely not, hen. Not in New Zealand, not on Earth, not in the Solar System, not even in the same bloody neighbourhood as the Solar System! We are so far away, even the stars in the sky at night look different to me. This is another planet, Susan. You are sitting on alien grass."

Susan looked around her at the trees and the river, and then at the two of them. "I haven't even got my passport," she muttered.

Cameron laughed and almost rolled over. "Well, I'll no' tell the authorities if you donnae! Passport! You donnae need a passport! You donnae need anythin'! You're here, hen! And that's it!"

Susan stared at Cameron as he laughed. She couldn't see anything funny about the situation. She turned instead to Soo-Kai. "But where's here? Where are we?" she asked.

"This planet is called Ellerkan," Soo-Kai told her. "Many people like you live here. This part of the planet is known as the Realm of Halafalon. Most of the people in Halafalon live in a walled city built on the ruins of a much larger city that was destroyed many years ago. They still call it by the same name, Ellerkan City. It is a few miles away on the coast, built on many islands in a river delta into which this river flows. There are more people living on the plains and in villages along the coast. Across the mountains is Falonbeck. It's people are not ruled by those in Ellerkan City."

Susan shook her head. "I don't understand any of this," she said. "How can we be on another planet?"

Cameron had recovered from his fit of laughter. "I told you!" he said. "The transportation Window!"

"But that can't be possible! I don't believe it!" Susan's voice rose. "I don't believe any of it! We must be still in New Zealand somewhere! We have to be!"

Cameron grew more serious. "Believe it, Susan! We're here, and our children have been taken from us. It's reality, hen! It's happening!"

"It's all your fault!" Susan rounded on him. "You should have left us alone! At least we'd still be together!"

"Oh, aye? And what about me, and ma daughter, Stephanie? She's only fourteen, and I havenae seen her since yesterday. What about ma daughter? Hey? This isnae just about you, you know!"

Soo-Kai reached out to them both, gripping their arms. "Hush now!" she told them. They were both getting heated again. She turned to Cameron first. "Do not shout at Soo-Zan," she told him. "She has lost two, and she does not know this place yet." Turning to Susan she said, "And you, Soo-Zan, do not be hard on Cam-Ron. My husband told you the truth, they would have killed you and Cam-Ron if they had caught you. They only take the children."

"But why?" Susan begged. "What do they want with our children? Why steal them away like that?" Susan was still filled with the same anxiety and fear that the sudden loss of her two children had brought the night before. Now she felt the tears welling up in her eyes and she could do nothing to stop them.

"Do not cry, human female," Soo-Kai said. "Your children still live. They will be taken to be with all the others. Do not worry, they will not be dead."

"Are you sure?" Susan asked her.

Soo-Kai nodded. "I am sure. Yours are not the first children to be taken."

Susan began to wipe the tears from her face. She wished that she had a mirror. But she had lost her handbag somewhere last night.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I can't help worrying about them. I love them so much and I hate being separated from them like this. But I don't know what's happened, or where they are. And I'm so confused." She looked at the kindly expression on Soo-Kai's face. She looked so concerned, Susan was suddenly ashamed. "Is that right, what Rolf, your husband, said? About some of your children being killed helping us last night?"

"Soo-El and Mai-Chen, both killed. It could have been more. I had to hit you or you would have delayed us. There was no time to explain. But we killed one of them, and we have you."

Susan remembered what she had seen the night before. "The blonde haired woman on the tree, was she one of your children?" she asked.

"No, she was not one of Rolf's children. She was Soo-Quan. An Outsider."

Before Susan could ask her what she meant by that, Soo-Kai suddenly asked her, "What is New-Zea-Land?" She cocked her head to one side as she spoke. "Is there an Old-Zea-Land?" She looked at Susan with such honesty and inquisitiveness that she had to answer.

"No. New Zealand is the name of the place where I come from," she hesitated, "on Earth, where I live. Where are you from? Are you from here?"

"No, I am not from here," Soo-Kai replied. "I, and those like me came here a long time ago. And like you, we are trying to escape. We have been trying for a long time."

While Susan and Soo-Kai were talking together, Cameron had taken the opportunity to look closely at Susan, looking at her face, her hair, her body and her clothes. Susan had brown hair and eyes, and something about her face appealed to Cameron. It was a long sort of face, with strong features and a firm jaw. She had a nice face. Nice, but strong. It held a strength of character. Yes, she looked like she was used to getting her own way and bossing people about. Cameron liked that in a woman, but there was still something else about her.

On the downside, he thought she dressed rather conservatively. She wore a long, multicoloured, quilted shirt. It was unbuttoned all the way down, revealing a white sweat-shirt underneath, which was tucked into the waist band of a long, brown skirt. Her skirt was sooty and grimy, and the white sweat-shirt was stained grey where it had been exposed to the smoke. She wore very safe looking flat shoes. She had a nice shape, and Cameron would have liked a better look at her body.

She must have been older than him, but she was still far more attractive than anyone he had met in a long time. He liked her. And as he stared at her, he finally realised what it was that appealed to him. It was something to do with her eyes. They were very appealing, very friendly. Even when she had been angry, her eyes had still been friendly.

Now Cameron spoke up.

"Tell her what you told me," he said to Soo-Kai. "Tell her about the war, and the Destroyers, and about Rolf and you. Tell her before Rolf comes back with the others."

Soo-Kai looked at them both, her gaze finally settling on Susan. Susan stared back at her, her expression urgent and expectant. Soo-Kai nodded and said, "I will tell you what I remember." And kneeling down on the grass, she began to speak.

"My race came here a long time ago in a ship which is now broken and buried in the ground. At that time they called my race the Gest Hroya. It means the Wind of Death. Now we are known simply as Destroyers. It was a time of war and we were very powerful and evil. There were many human people here then. I do not remember much of those early times, except to know that we killed many of the humans who lived here and that they hated and feared us. Then the other ship came, bringing with it more humans, and a weapon that curbed our power. It turned the tide of war against us, and most of us were killed.

"The humans were victorious, but they were now trapped here. No other ships came, and most of the technology of the modern age was lost. That which had survived soon wore out, and the humans did not know how to replace them. Instead, the humans learned to grow and hunt food, and slowly they rebuilt their city. But we had not given up.

We waited until our numbers were great and we attacked again. At first we won many skirmishes, but the humans soon gathered their armies against us once more. We fought hard against the humans, but their numbers were greater than ours, and again we were vanquished.

"Over the next generations there were many wars and battles. Always in the end we would lose and be over come, but always enough of us would escape and survive. Each time we would wait, building up our numbers once more, then we would attack again. Then a time came when one of the Kings of Halafalon did not stop the killing when the war was over. He hunted us with his army, killing us wherever he found us. And even after he stopped his pursuit of us, he passed a law which gave others the right to hunt. Many years then passed with the humans hunting and killing those of us that were left until we were very few. We never rose again.

"All this I can remember because I was there. And yet, I remember nothing. I can remember the battles, I remember killing humans, and I remember being injured. I can even remember the hatred and the fear. But I cannot remember the details. My mind is condensed, my memory of the years compressed to fit in the new memories to come. The years have passed without my knowing it. I am almost a shell. But I wander from my story.

"For many years we lived far away, isolated from the humans, but occasionally hunted and killed. The humans still hated us for what we had done, but they also prized us for the pleasure we could give. The hunts continued, but they now had another purpose.

"It was during these times that I met Rolf Le-Pine. He was in the Court of King Le-Hage, and rode with him on one of the hunts the day that I was taken." Soo-Kai paused, her eyes growing distant, then quickly focusing before she continued.

"To be caught at this time by the humans was not a good thing. Death would have been welcome. Instead they hurt me very much. First they vented their anger against me, punishing my body for all the evil that my race had heaped upon them. Then they vented their lust, giving no love, only pain. By the time they were finished, and Rolf was given the task to finally kill me, he had no heart for it. He lied to them, and they left me in the forrest. Rolf returned that night. He nursed me back to health and never went back to the town. That was sixty years ago."

Soo-Kai saw the same expression growing in Susan's eyes as she had seen in Cameron's eyes when she had told him. "Do not pity me, Soo-Zan," she said sternly. "I am a Destroyer. There is no evil that has been done to me that I have not done worse to others."

"I can't help it," Susan protested. "What they did to you was cruel and barbaric. They shouldn't have done it, and no matter what you did in the past, there's still no excuse for it."

"Believe me, you would have done the same if you had suffered what they had suffered at our hands."

Susan didn't argue, instead she asked a question that burned inside her. "How old are you, Soo-Kai?"

"I am two thousand, eight hundred and forty-seven years old. I am not like you, Soo-Zan. I am the Gest Hroya, a clone of the Tun-Sho-Lok, and I have come to accept that I will not die until someone kills me."

Michael walked through the forrest with his hands in his pockets. He kept a look out for anymore arrows carved into the trees. So far he had seen three, each one pointing the same way. He hoped that he was doing the right thing. It had to be his friend from the night before that had carved the arrows, who else could have done it? But why hadn't she just simply waited for him to wake up?

He sighed. Without the arrows to guide him he would have been completely lost. All the trees looked the same to him, and he didn't even have a compass. In fact, all that he had in his pockets was a handkerchief and a roll of insulation tape that he had borrowed from Bill at school. He was going to decorate the spokes of his bicycle at the weekend. Fat chance of doing that now. He continued walking and thinking, spinning the fat roll of tape around in his pocket.

As he walked he thought about what had happened the night before. He was in no doubt that this was not New Zealand. They had obviously travelled through something to get here. Wherever 'here' was. It must have been quick. One second they were on the road, the next second they were here. That didn't tell him much.

Michael thought about the woman. He still carried her jacket over his arm as he walked along. He hoped that he would see her again. She had been beautiful, and he had liked being with her. Thinking about her reminded him of the two men with guns. He couldn't think why they would want to hurt her. Maybe they were on opposite sides in a war, or something.

When he had realised that the men were going to shoot her, he had acted almost instinctively. He wasn't really sure why he had jumped on top of her, and protected her. It wasn't like he was being brave, or anything like that. He hadn't even thought about his own safety at all. But somehow he had felt that she was his friend, and that he had to protect her. He couldn't have stood it if they had killed her. When he had first thought that she had been shot, he had been so hurt, so worried, his stomach had tied itself in knots. He had almost felt sick. He wondered about that, and about his feelings. He always felt sick like that when he saw, or met a girl he liked. But this time it was different. He was sure it was.

Michael suddenly tripped over something lying in the grass, and nearly fell. He should have been paying more attention to where he was going. The ground was far from even in the forrest. The grass was quite thick and tall, and there were many large and small bushes that seemed to fight for every available bit of space. And everywhere there was litter from the great trees. Bits of branches, rotting logs, exposed roots, and always a multitude of fallen twigs and leaves.

Michael kicked at the object that had tripped him. At first he thought it was a large stone, then he looked at it more closely. It definitely wasn't a stone.

Kneeling down, Michael reached out to pick up what turned out to be a small, and very ugly, statue. It was very heavy, and he could hardly lift it. It must have been made from lead. It was a sort of dark grey, almost black colour. The statue seemed to be of a small dwarf like man, with a very big head. He had a horrible expression. He looked very much like he had been standing at the bottom of a lift shaft when the lift had come down and squashed him.

Turning the statue around carefully, Michael looked at it for awhile before putting it back down where he had found it.

"Weird," he muttered, and stood up and walked away. Behind him the statue toppled over, falling on it's face.

Michael hadn't gone much further when he saw something else lying in the grass just a little way ahead of him. This time it wasn't a stone, or a statue. Instead, it looked a bit like a small leathery animal with a long tail. He stopped for a moment. It didn't pay to be without caution. There were lots of animals in the forrest. Admittedly, most of them seemed to be birds, or animals that lived high up in the trees. He could hear them all the time. But there were bound to be some animals that lived at ground level. Walking forward slowly, he kept a keen eye on the object.

It wasn't until he saw the tail looping around and back again that he recognised it for what it was. He ran up and grabbed it.

It was his mother's handbag! He was suddenly excited. This meant that he must be going in the right direction! His mother must have passed this way!

Michael felt so relieved, and, at the same time, elated. This meant that his trust in the arrows was well founded. Whoever was carving them was guiding him back to his mother and sister. And he was sure it was the woman with the pigtail who was carving the arrows. It just had to be!

He opened up the bag and had a rummage inside. Drivers licence, house keys, Mars bars, purse, make-up -Mars bars! He grabbed the two chocolate bars. He had forgotten that his mother had bought those. It had been at the petrol station on the way to McDonalds. One each for him and Jennifer. For afterwards, she had told them. He suddenly felt hungry. He could happily eat them both.

He thought about his sister and his mother. They could be hungry too. What would he say to them if he found them in the next couple of hours and he had eaten both chocolate bars? As if in answer to his thoughts, he looked up and saw another arrow carved into a tree a few metres in front of him. He smiled, put one Mars bar back, and closed the handbag. He looped the strap over his shoulder and continued on his way, following the arrow, and unwrapping the Mars bar as he walked. The first bite was wonderful.

Not long after he started eating, Michael noticed a funny shape in the trees ahead of him. He thought again about what animals there might be in the forrest. So far he hadn't seen any large animals. He walked slowly around the shape, still unmoving in the trees. As he came level with the side of it, he realised that it was very thin, and not an animal at all, but a big triangular piece of rusty metal sticking up out of the ground.

Michael walked up to it and kicked it with his foot. It made a dull clang. It was much taller than him. It came out of the ground in a shallow curve. He stared up at it as he took another bite from the chocolate bar. He wondered what it was. He looked around and noticed another irregular shape sticking out of the ground some distance away. He walked towards it and realised that it was in line with the first piece. Then he saw some more further on, still in line. They were like a school of sharks swimming in line with only their fins showing above the ground.

He had better not follow them, he thought. They crossed his path. He had better keep going in his original direction, following the arrows. He finished the last of the chocolate, stuck the wrapper in his pocket and walked away.

He hadn't gone far when he saw more of the metal shapes ahead of him. He stopped and looked over his shoulder. Behind him he could just make out the metal shapes he had already passed. He shrugged and kept going. When he reached these other metal shapes, he noticed that they were curving out of the ground in the opposite way to the others. He looked through the trees and noticed other pieces sticking up out of the ground as before. All in line.

He had a thought. He wondered if these metal pieces curved down underground and came up the other side to be the other pieces he had seen earlier. Like the hull of some large boat or ship that had been buried in the ground. He looked at the trees growing all around and in the middle of the metal pieces. They were very big. That would make it very old.

Michael sighed and walked on his way. Ugly statues, buried ships, an archaeologist with a big shovel would have had some fun here, he thought.

Soon the ground began to slope downward, and the trees began to thin out a little. Michael thought he could hear the sound of running water. The sound stirred something within him. He was quite thirsty. And something else, something suddenly much more urgent. He stopped by a tree. He sighed with relief. Then he heard voices.

Typical! he thought to himself. You walk through a forrest for hours seeing nobody, and the moment you stop for a pee, someone comes. He finished quickly and made his way towards the sound of the water. Soon he was in a shallow valley with a narrow river running along the bottom. It was more grassy and open here. On the other side of the river there were more trees. He could still hear the sound of voices now and again, but he couldn't make out the words.

He must be near to where the arrows were taking him. Soon he would be with his mother and sister again. It was probably them he could hear. And hopefully, he would see the woman from last night again, too. He looked forward to that moment as he walked to the edge of the river. He had a quick look around before he knelt down by the water, and quickly washed his hands and face. He was surprised by the dirty look of the water he washed from his face. Opening his mother's handbag he took out the mirror. His hair was full of soot and bits of tree. He put the mirror back and then doused his whole head in the water.

The water was cold but he felt cleaner. When he finished washing he shook his head vigorously and rubbed his face. Then he scooped up the water in his hands and took big slurps. Finally, he sat back and listened for the sounds of voices again. He turned his head slowly from side to side.

They was coming from further up stream, somewhere to his left. He picked up his mother's handbag and started to walk along the edge of the river. As he walked passed a tree, he missed the arrow carved on it's other side. He had been meant to see it as he had approached the river. It pointed to the right, down stream, the opposite direction that he was taking.

A gentle wind blew towards him as he walked. It made his damp hair feel cool. He looked up. The sun was quite high now. It still felt warm. The sound of voices was getting louder. The ground on the other side of the river began to get more steep and rugged. Soon this side of the river began to get steeper, aswell. Michael moved back up to the edge of the trees and followed them along.

The river was soon below him, narrower and faster now, as it flowed through the rocky cutting. The trees had closed in again, and seemed to lean over the river, casting big shadows. Michael looked across to the trees on the other side of the river. He thought he could see someone. The voices were much louder and clearer. He moved from tree to tree, until finally, he saw them.

It wasn't his mother and sister at all. Instead, about half a dozen women were walking through the trees together. They walked close together in a bunch, and spoke quickly to one another in the same language he had first heard the woman who had befriended him speak the night before. Some had fair hair, some dark. And they all wore the same sort of dark clothes his friend had worn. One or two had skirts instead of leggings, and some wore a waist- coat instead of a jacket, but it looked like the same sort of dark brown or faded black material. Michael tried to look at the faces of the women, trying to recognise his friend amongst them.

They must have been walking along the edge of the river like him, but on the other side, he thought. They must have passed by while he had still been in the trees, having a pee. That was when he had first heard them. Now he had caught them up.

Michael followed them along, walking from tree to tree, watching them, and wondering if he should call out to them. As he watched them, he tried to count them. One, two, three, four- they moved around and he lost count. He tried again. Again they moved about and he lost count. One more time.

He had reached seven when they all suddenly stopped and seemed to crowd around. Their voices got louder, and there was some pushing and shoving. They seemed angry.

Then he saw her. Eight! There was eight of them, and she was the last. She must have been right in the middle of them all while they were arguing, that's why he could never see her.

Now she pushed her way out from between the other women, and Michael recognised her immediately because of the short white top she wore instead of the jacket he still carried over his arm. She turned quickly and shouted something at the other women. As she turned, her long pigtail whipped around.

Michael was elated. He had found her again, the woman from last night!

Jennifer pointed at herself and said, "Jennifer." Then she pointed at the little girl, and at the white strip above her left breast pocket with the funny squiggles on it. The little girl with blonde hair looked down at the white strip in puzzlement before looking back up at Jennifer. She didn't understand. They had tried this three times already.

"She's only little," Stephanie said. "Maybe she can't read."

"I hadn't thought of that." She brushed the little girl's hair and smiled at her. The little girl smiled back.

"Maybe we should try someone older." Stephanie went over to a boy and girl sat on the other side of the cave. Their skin was dark and they were both about ten or eleven. They stood up and held hands when she approached. They were nearly the same height as her. In fact the boy was taller. She should have thought about this herself. But yesterday, with no one to talk to, she had been rather afraid. She was glad that Jennifer was here. She pointed at herself.

"Stephanie," she said. Then she pointed at the white strips above their pockets. They both looked down.

"Tobye san Shanner," a voice said. Stephanie looked around at another boy who stepped forward. He came to stand next to her, and pointed at the first boy. "Tobye," he said. And pointing at the girl, "Shanner." Next he pointed at himself, "Anolt." Now he pointed at Stephanie. There was a pause as Stephanie stared at him.

"Go on!" Jennifer called to her.

Stephanie was startled back to life. "Stephanie!" she said hurriedly.

"Stef Annie?" the boy said slowly.

"Stephanie," she said again, more slowly this time.

"Stephanie," he said again, clearer this time.

She nodded. Then she pointed at him. "Anolt," she said. He nodded too. She smiled at him, and he smiled back.

"Tell me what date you've set for the wedding, will you?" Jennifer said, sarcastically.

"Pack it in, you! Or I'll introduce you as pain in the arse!"

"You would, too!" Jennifer got up and went over to join them. Other children gathered around. Jennifer pointed to herself. "Jennifer," she said.

"Shanner," the girl said. Then she pointed at the little girl who still clung to Jennifer's side, holding onto her skirt.

"Mia."

Jennifer looked down at her. "Mia?" The little girl looked up at her and smiled, and began talking with that sweet little voice of hers.

Shanner spoke to her, and Jennifer heard her name being spoken.

Mia looked up at Jennifer. "Jennifour," she said, and held her hands up to her. "Jennifour, Jennifour!" she repeated excitedly.

Jennifer reached down and picked her up. "My, you're heavier than I thought, for a toddler!" Mia quickly wrapped her arms around Jennifer's neck.

"You've got a friend for life now," Stephanie told her.

"So have you," Jennifer nodded her head in the direction of Anolt. "And it's not just legs that boys like, either!"

Stephanie looked at Anolt. He was staring down at her chest. "Hey!" she said, putting her finger under his chin and lifting his head up to face her again. "My face is here!"

Anolt blushed, and all the other children laughed. He blushed some more.

"Stop it, you lot!" Stephanie shouted to them. "Let's have some more names!"

Stephanie went to stand in front of more of the children and pointed at herself, saying her name. Each of the children began to say their names in turn, pointing to themselves at the same time. Stephanie started shaking hands with each of them. They hesitated at first, but they soon got the hang of it. This was going well, Stephanie thought, and she beckoned to Jennifer to come over and do the same. "Come on!" she said.

Jennifer came over and joined in, still carrying Mia. Seeing all the children up close for the first time, hearing their voices, and shaking their hands, made Jennifer realise that most of them were a lot younger than she had first thought. The average age was maybe ten or eleven, with Mia and another little girl being the youngest. Of the other girls, Shanner was probably the oldest, at maybe fourteen. And by the way she pointed to Tobye, and the close resemblance, it was obvious that they were brother and sister. One or two others also seemed to be related.

Of the boys, Anolt, and the heroic boy with the tray, who turned out to be called Kaser, were among the oldest, probably fifteen.

It wasn't long before Jennifer found herself in front of the boy who had been looking at her legs earlier. He was taller than her, and he was probably the oldest of all the children. He pointed at Jennifer and she said her name, then she pointed at him.

"Cary," he said. And when she held out her hand, he quickly took it, and smiled at her. Jennifer smiled back and waited, but he didn't let go of her hand. She pulled on it, and he held on for a moment longer before finally letting her pull her hand free.

With all the introductions made at last, and everybody's hand shaken, they all sat down in the middle of the cave in a big haphazard circle. Jennifer found herself sat next to Cary. He smiled at her and helped her un-cling Mia, who didn't really want to let go. Jennifer felt his hands brush her shoulder as he had to coax the little girl away, talking to her softly, and one hand seem to rest for quite a while on Jennifer's back before Mia was finally lifted clear and sat down between them.

Jennifer smiled at Cary before quickly turning to Stephanie, who was sat on the other side of her, and whispering, "These boys are a bit forward for their age, aren't they?"

"Oh, I don't know," Stephanie replied as she turned to look at Anolt who was sat next to her. He had quite a nice face. "Some of them are kind of cute, don't you think?" she added, smiling at him. He smiled back.

"You're going to get us both into trouble!" Jennifer accused her.

"I should be so lucky!" Stephanie replied, and giggled mischievously, still watching Anolt.

Anolt had started drawing in the sand on the floor of the cave between them all. Everyone watched as he drew three match stick people. The one in the middle was shorter than the other two. He pointed to the shorter match stick man and said "Anolt." Then he pointed to the other two, saying two more names. "Lasswar sen Mena."

Stephanie looked at him. "Your mother and father?" He looked at her, nonplussed. She lifted her hand above her head, as if indicating someone taller. And putting on an angry face she began to wag her finger at an imaginary person. Anolt grabbed her hand and nodded vigorously. He spoke to the other children, and some of them laughed.

Stephanie turned to Jennifer. "Isn't it nice to know that parents are the same everywhere!" she said with a grin.

Jennifer laughed. It was nice to see all the children smiling and laughing, too. They had all looked so sad.

"Let me have ago," she said, and leaning forward she began drawing her own match stick family. Four match stick people. Two the same size, one slightly smaller, and one slightly smaller still. She pointed at each figure in turn. She decided to take a guess. "Ray sen Susan sen Jennifer sen Michael," she said.

All the children went "Ah!" and nodded their understanding.

"Smart arse!" Stephanie said to her. She drew her family. Only two figures this time. "Cameron sen Stephanie."

The children nodded again. Anolt turned to Stephanie and said something, pointing at the figures. She didn't understand what he said, and shook her head. He leaned forward and drew another match stick figure next to hers, and pointed at it repeatedly.

Stephanie turned to Jennifer. "What do you think he means?" she asked.

"Have you only got your dad?" Jennifer asked her, and Stephanie nodded. Jennifer thought for a moment. "I drew in our dad to make it easy to understand, but he left us years ago." She leaned forward again and rubbed out the fourth figure in her family. Slowly she drew a line going away from the little figures with an arrow and another match stick figure at the end of it. Then she drew a circle around all the family groups drawn in the sand. Ray's figure was now left on the outside of their family circle.

Two of the children nodded and began to talk to the others. They also re-drew their families with a single figure on the outside of the circles. Then they rubbed out one side of the circle and added another figure, then re-joined the circle.

"One out, one in?" Jennifer said questioningly to Stephanie. Then they both smiled and said together, "They got married again!"

Anolt took Stephanie's arm and pointed at her family circle again. He drew a line out of the circle with another match stick figure at the end. Then he looked back at her and nodded, to see if he was right.

Stephanie turned to Jennifer. "My mummy died when I was little," she said. "What should I draw?"

Jennifer leaned forwards and rubbed out the lone figure, and then re-drew it lying down. "I'm not very good at this," she said. When she finished she pointed at the figure. She looked at Stephanie. "What should I do?" The children watched them both. Stephanie thought about it for a moment. Then she lay flat on her back and closed her eyes.

Anolt looked quite concerned and quickly grabbed her, talking quickly. Stephanie sat again, "I'm alright!" she told him and pointed to the match stick figure. "I'm just trying to explain." They still didn't seem to understand.

"I know how to tell them," Jennifer said. "But I hope you won't mind." She pointed to the little figure and then ran her finger across her own throat, closed her eyes, and tilted her head back. The children started to nod and one or two spoke quietly to each other.

Jennifer opened her eyes and turned quickly back to Stephanie. "Sorry!" she said.

Stephanie shrugged. "It's okay. I was very little."

One of the children's voices grew louder than the others. Kaser, the boy who had nearly been killed himself earlier, had seemed reserved and withdrawn when he had introduced himself to Jennifer and Stephanie. Now he leaned forward and drew his family in the sand. It was the first time he had joined in, and he seemed to be upset.

His hand trembled as he drew four figures in the sand. "Jayner sen Layetter sen Kaser sen Cheyan," he said in a shaky voice. He rubbed out the figure that he had called Cheyan and re-drew it lying down. Pointing to the entrance to the cave he said, "Fan che Cheyan! Ben Cheyan se mat!" Then he pointed at Jennifer and Stephanie. "Cheyan alt, ben Jennifer sen Stephanie!"

Now Kaser stood up. There were tears in his eyes. He grabbed himself around the waist with one hand, and put his other hand over his own mouth, and danced about, as if struggling with himself. Then he raised his hand from his waist and ran it across his own throat, like Jennifer had done earlier. Finally, he dropped to the floor and lay still.

Everyone stayed quiet. Kaser suddenly stood up again. He was crying openly now, Jennifer could see the tears running down his face.

"Cheyan se mat!" he almost shouted. "Fan che Jennifer sen Stephanie! A ben Jennifer se mat, a ben Stephanie se mat!"

Stephanie and Jennifer glanced at each other in shock. But before they could say anything, there was an enormous bang, and the door to their cave suddenly blew inwards with a blast of hot air and a plume of grey smoke. Three men wearing green and brown coloured battle fatigues burst through the smoke and started calling to the children in their own language. They each carried machine pistols, with enormous cylindrical silencers on the end.

All the children jumped up and there was a sudden rush for the entrance. The boys shouted at each other, and all the girls started screaming again. The men grabbed them, pulling them towards the entrance and shoving them out into the corridor beyond.

"It's a rescue!" Stephanie shouted, jumping up. "We're getting out!"

Jennifer felt herself being pulled to her feet. She looked up and saw that it was Cary. He was shouting something to her. He pointed to the entrance of the cave and pulled her towards it. Mia was screaming and holding onto Jennifer's leg, so Jennifer had to quickly bend down and pick her up. Cary helped her. Then he grabbed Jennifer around the waist and pulled her towards the entrance.

By now, Stephanie had already reached the entrance with Anolt pulling her along. One of the soldiers standing by the smashed door grabbed them both, and quickly shoved them through. An instant later and it was Jennifer's turn. She felt the soldier push her in the back and then she was out.

Jennifer found herself in a very narrow stone corridor, with a low ceiling, and torches hanging from the wall. The light they produced was very dim, particularly with all the smoke from the explosion that had blown in their door. Now the narrow corridor was filled with screaming and shouting children, all running along in a mad rush. The soldiers shouted even louder as they herded them along, urging them to run faster. It was a nightmare run, and at any second Jennifer thought she would trip, and be trampled in the rush, but Cary was always by her side, his arm around her waist as he helped her along.

As they ran, they passed other large doors in the wall of the corridor, and Jennifer wondered if other prisoners might be still inside. It was a thought that came and went as she was suddenly faced with a steep stone staircase. All the children scrambled up the steps, only two could fit side by side, and it was a bit of a squash. Cary had to move behind Jennifer, pushing her up the steps. Up ahead, Jennifer could just see Stephanie, with Anolt right behind her, doing the same.

The stairs seemed to go on forever, and soon the children's shouts and screams slowed, and finally stopped, as they were replaced by the sounds of panting and deep breathing. Even Mia was quiet. She clung on to Jennifer desperately, her head buried in her shoulder. Another boy up ahead was carrying the second little girl, and Jennifer could just see her face over the boy's shoulder, her eyes tightly closed. The soldiers kept urging them on. Two were somewhere at the front, another was at the back, not far behind Cary.

Jennifer saw daylight, and in a few seconds the narrow staircase ended, and Jennifer emerged through an open iron grating into a large courtyard surrounded by tall, dark coloured stone walls and battlements. The sunlight made her blink, but it was obvious that she was inside some sort of castle. Part of the walls seemed to have crumbled away, and were almost in ruins, but other parts seemed to be almost new. The newer jet black stones standing out in contrast with the older brown ones. The walls were tall and impressive, with many large towers built into them. Some of these towers were also in partial ruins, but no where could Jennifer see an actual breach in the walls.

There were two more soldiers in the courtyard. They shouted and waved to the children who ran towards them, tired now, and running a little slower, but still running. Jennifer was tired too. Her legs ached after the long climb, and Mia felt heavy in her arms, but like the other children, she ran.

Behind Jennifer, the last of the children had emerged from the staircase followed by the soldier. Now everyone ran across the courtyard towards a large gateway with two huge towers on either side of it. The gate was open, and four horses were tethered nearby.

As they approached the gate, six of the medieval knights emerged from a doorway in one of the towers and rushed to block their path. They waved their swords and shouted as they ran. One of the soldiers at the front of the children fired his machine pistol at the knights as they ran towards him. His gun seemed to make no sound, but the air was suddenly filled with loud, rapid clangs as the bullets put holes in the knight's armour, and all six of them fell in a heap.

Another soldier fired his pistol at the walls, and two more knights fell from the battlements. They landed with a crunch, right next to the horses that were tied nearby. One or two of the horses panicked, and began to rear up. To Jennifer's horror, one of the soldiers fired at them, and they all fell, kicking wildly in the dust.

More knights rushed towards the gate, trying to close it. But it was already too late. The soldiers shot them all down and rushed through the open gate, the children with them. Jennifer ran through the gate, and under the large stone gatehouse. Inside lay the bodies of more medieval knights, all strewn about, and at the other end of the gatehouse there were the remains of a second gate and portcullis, just bits of smoking wood now. The soldiers urged the children on, and they streamed through the gatehouse and out the other side.

The soldiers ignored the dirt road that meandered away from the gate of the castle, it's path cut in a break in the forrest. Instead they led the children across a small clearing, heading straight for the thickest part of the forrest.

Jennifer looked over her shoulder as she ran, Mia still held in her arms, and saw two more knights lying in the grass outside the castle gate, one on each side, their heads covered in blood. There was even blood on the walls behind them. And lying beside each of them was a long spear and a shield with the red dragon emblazoned up on it.

Before Susan could ask Soo-Kai any more questions, Rolf L'Epine returned with his children. For some reason, Susan was expecting to see actual boys and girls. Of course she was wrong. Rolf's 'children' turned out to be four very grown up looking women called Lai-Chen, Ann-Di, Tai-Zen, and Bey-Jai. Susan realised that these were the women who, along with Soo-Kai, had tried to help her and Cameron the night before. They were all annoyingly tall, slim and beautiful. Rolf introduced them all.

Lai-Chen had long, jet black hair, and Susan recognised her as the agitated woman she had seen with Soo-Kai the night before. Lai-Chen smiled almost shyly as she noticed Susan recognise her. Ann-Di was the only one among them with bright blonde hair, while Tai-Zen had her long, light brown hair tied in a plat like Soo- Kai. Bey-Jai also had light brown hair, but this time it was cut quite short.

They were all dressed in the same way as Soo-Kai, only Ann-Di wore a short skirt instead of leggings, and Bey-Jai's jacket was sleeveless like a vest.

Puzzlingly, Rolf introduced them all to Cameron at the same time as he did to Susan. They didn't seem to mind, and greeted him and Susan politely, shaking their hands and smiling.

Rolf beamed at them all after he had finished his introductions. "Now you have met my children," he said. "Are they not all beautiful?" Without waiting for an answer, he pulled on Soo-Kai's pigtail affectionately, and added, "Time for food! Time to eat!"

They all sat down next to the river, Cameron and Susan doing the same, and Rolf and Soo-Kai began serving out the food in little wooden bowls. Rolf had made a mean looking stew.

"Didn't you meet everyone yesterday?" Susan asked Cameron as they sat down together in the sunshine.

Cameron nodded and whispered, "Rolf forgets things."

Just then, Rolf came over with a bowl of stew. "I hope you like this," he said to Susan. "It's a small bird that lives in the forrest in great numbers. And vegetables that I grow in my field behind the cottage. It tastes good! Eat! Eat!" He handed her the bowl. "The river is there if you want a drink. It's clean and pure. Oh, and there's these." He took two, large round fruits from his pocket and gave them to her. "Eat these afterwards. They taste good. Eat! Eat!"

Susan found herself inundated with food, and had run out of hands with which to hold them. Cameron smiled at her as he helped her put down the fruits.

"They look like oranges," he said. "But when you bite into them they're a bit like an apple, and they have a big stone in the middle like a peach."

"What do they taste like?" Susan asked holding one up to her nose and taking a sniff.

"Better than the meat! It tastes sort of like chicken, but not. Have a bite, go on! It's not bad! Really!" As if to encourage her, Cameron took a spoonful of the stew from the bowl Rolf had handed to him, and nodded in approval.

Susan took the spoon that was in her bowl and scooped up some of the stew. Cameron was right, it didn't taste too bad at all. The meat was white, and there was a slight hint of chicken. The taste of it made Susan realise how hungry she must have been, so she ate it down to the bottom of the bowl. She ate the fruit too. It was sweet and watery.

As they all sat together and ate, Susan turned to Soo-Kai and asked her, "How long have you been here, Soo-Kai? I mean, before you met Rolf?"

"It has been two thousand, three hundred and twenty-nine years since I first came here," Soo-Kai replied. "The number of years I can remember, but other than for the wars and the battles, the events and experiences of those years have all gone."

"Why do you forget things?"

"Once we get beyond two thousand years old, our minds begin to clear our memories of all but tactical information. This is necessary to ensure our memory space is not used inefficiently. Because of this, even though I am bonded to Rolf, if he were to be killed, or I were to become separated from him for any great time, I would soon forget him and Bey-Jai and the others. In a short time I would revert to the old ways of killing like Vin-Ra, Kai-Tai, and the rest."

"Who are they?"

It was Bey-Jai who answered Susan. Her voice was slightly husky, and she continued eating as she spoke.

"They are the other Destroyers that have survived since the old days. Once there were many thousands of us, but now only a handful remain. They live in small groups in and around the forrest. We avoid them, or we must fight."

"Why is that?" Susan asked Bey-Jai this time. "Why must you fight if you meet the other Destroyers?"

Bey-Jai pointed to Lai-Chen, Ann-Di and Tai-Zen. "Because we four all share a common defect which separates us from the others. Soo-Kai does not have this defect, but she has known us all since birth, and she accepts us because she is bonded to Rolf, and he has asked her to do this. But Kai-Tai and the rest of the Destroyers do not carry this defect, and they are not bonded to Rolf, and so they cannot accept us. They would kill us if they found us, just as Soo-Kai would also kill us if it were not for her bond with Rolf."

"Are there any others like you?"

"No. Once Chen-Soo used to stay with Rolf and Soo-Kai, but now she runs with Kai-Tai and keeps away. We avoid her, as she would kill us, but Soo-Kai sometimes meets with her."

Soo-Kai looked up from her bowl of stew. "Chen-Soo would not kill you, Bey-Jai," she said quickly. "She knows you all, and that I associate with you, and she tries to understand." Soo-Kai then turned to Susan. "I do not think she would harm you either, Soo-Zan, or Cam-Ron. But if we do meet her, it would still be wise for me to talk with her first. She will listen to me."

Rolf suddenly stood up. "Chen-Soo is evil," he announced with a certain amount of emotion.

Everyone turned to look at him, and Susan was surprised at how stern he looked as he continued.

"She used to be one of my children, but now she runs and fights with Kai-Tai. She is evil, and callous, and none of you should approach her."

Soo-Kai was hurt at Rolf's words. "Chen-Soo is not evil," she protested. "Why will you not forgive her? She has done many good things since then. You know she has."

"Nothing she has done could ever outweigh the evil within her. She is a killer, a murderer! And far more suited to be at Kai- Tai's side than at yours! You know I will never ask you to stop seeing her, but you know my feelings, Soo-Kai. Chen-Soo is dangerous, and Kai-Tai even more so. Now we will talk no more of this."

The change in Rolf's manner was remarkable. One moment he was stern and commanding, standing straight and tall, and hardly using his crooked walking stick at all, and the next minute he was back to being the frail old man again. He sat down and continued eating, and for a while there was silence.

Cameron coughed nervously. "Rolf, tell Susan about Prince Frederick, and about the castle."

Rolf grumbled before he spoke. "Prince Frederick is King Carl L'Hage's youngest son. He is known as the Dragon Prince, a title that is passed to the second son of the King. It was a noble title, first given to the prince's uncle, who fought valiantly in battle in support of his brother, who had been imprisoned by an enemy before he became King. Frederick brings shame to the title. He is an evil and hateful young man, the exact opposite of his elder brother, Prince Rupert, the Crown Prince."

Rolf L'Epine warmed to the task of story teller, and his manner became more dignified as he continued. "Prince Rupert has been schooled in the art of kingship, and has acquired a noble and fair character. He has a growing reputation for fairness and integrity, and will be a wise king and a fitting heir to his father, King Carl L'Hage.

"Prince Frederick lacks all of these traits. He is selfish, arrogant and deeply self-centred. He despises his brother and his father, and covets the crown that will pass to Rupert on the death of the old king.

"The title and estate of the Dragon Prince includes the Dragon's Lair, an old castle in the forrest that was once the centre of many battles in the old days. It is run down and very bleak. If Frederick has your children, they will be there, deep underground in one of the dungeon caves. The castle is built over an ancient ruin that hides many secrets and treasures, and among these treasures is the broken ship of the Destroyers. For many years this was only legend, and no more. But I know it to be true. The ship holds many dangers and much power. But it lies dormant, and forgotten. Your arrival here means that it sleeps no more, and this scares me...."

Rolf coughed and had to stop speaking. Bey-Jai stroked his back while Soo-Kai held his hand as he rested his head against her and breathed deeply.

Susan realised that he was far more frail than she had thought. After all, eighty-six was a good age in the modern world, but here, living in this forrest, it must have been exceptional.

"Are you alright?" she asked him.

He nodded and waved aside her concern. Turning to Soo-Kai he said, "You talk, my wife, while I take my rest." As Rolf finished speaking, he closed his eyes and lowered his head, leaning more heavily against Soo-Kai.

Soo-Kai turned to them all and said, "I must take Rolf to his bed. The talking has made him tired." And to Cameron and Susan's amazement, Soo-Kai then picked Rolf up in her arms and gently carried him back to the cottage. Susan noticed how all the women turned their heads to watch as Rolf was carried away, their faces full of concern.

When the door of the cottage closed behind them, Bey-Jai turned to Susan and Cameron and said, "Rolf grows old quickly. He sleeps now for most of the day, and he forgets many things. We will all be sad when he dies, Soo-Kai even more so."

Cameron sighed. "I knew he forgot things," he said. "He kept telling me the same things over and over again. And I think he must have introduced me to all of you at least three times."

Tai-Zen said, "Twice he has asked why Soo-El and Mai-Chen are not here, twice we have told him. But even now, he still brings bowls for them." She indicated the two bowls filled with stew sat by the pot, and Lai-Chen reached out and picked one up, holding it in her hands and looking down at it, tearfully. Tai- Zen reached out to stroke her back.

The door to the cottage opened again, and Soo-Kai returned.

"Rolf is not yet asleep," she said to Bey-Jai and the others. "As soon as I put him down on his bed he wakes and asks for you. Go and sit and talk with him until he sleeps, I will stay with Soo-Zan and Cam-Ron."

The four women nodded and got up, and went quietly to the cottage. Soo-Kai sat down again with Cameron and Susan.

"Will he be alright?" Susan asked her.

Soo-Kai nodded. "He always sleeps after he eats. This is not unusual."

"You love him a lot, don't you?" Susan said, softly.

"I am never too sure what humans mean when they talk of love, but I do know that I dread with growing fear the day when Rolf dies and I am left alone once more."

"But you have your children," Cameron pointed out. "Yours and Rolf's, so you won't really be alone."

Soo-Kai shook her head. "They are not our children. Yes, Rolf and I grew them up from when they were babies, and he calls them his children, but I did not give birth to them, and Rolf did not sire them."

"What? But I thought they were...I mean I thought you were....?" Cameron's voice finally trailed off.

Susan stared at the closed door of the cottage. "But they all went so quickly to see him," she added. "And when you carried him away they all looked so concerned for him."

"This is not so surprising," Soo-Kai replied. "They have each known him a long time. Bey-Jai is the oldest. She came to us forty-nine years ago. Ann-Di is the youngest, she came to us thirty-four years ago. It is right that they should care for him, and be sad at the prospect of his death. But only Lai-Chen and Mai-Chen were genetically related. They came to us together forty years ago. And now Mai-Chen is dead."

Her last words were like an accusation, and Cameron lowered his head, shaking it slowly. "I should never have asked you to help us," he muttered with a sigh. "But what can we do on our own? We need help, Soo-Kai." He looked up, his voice almost pleading as he said again, "We need help!"

"I understand your needs, Cam-Ron. And I am not angry with you. It is not the first time we have helped those that have come through the Window. I think only of Rolf, and the loss of those he has known for so long. But Rolf also thinks of the people he has turned his back to for many years. Under the rule of King Le- Hage, life here has grown peaceful, and together, Rolf and I have been content. But now Rolf fears for the safety of the King and his son, Prince Ru-Pert. He knows that Prince Fred-Rick will use the secrets of the broken ship to steal the throne from them, and that he will be a bad king, and bring misery to the people in Ellerkan City. Rolf sides with the Crown Prince, but he is old and we are too few."

Susan felt very frustrated, there was so much she didn't know. "But why has all this happened now?" she asked. "You said that you've been here a long time. So why hasn't anybody else tried to use the wreck of this ship to seize power before?"

Soo-Kai turned to her as she began to explain. "Many times in the past we have tried to gain access to the castle and reach the broken ship. But this was long ago, when there were far more of us than there are today. Even so, the humans fought hard to keep us away, fortifying their positions around the broken ship, and finally building the castle to guard it forever. Once our numbers had diminished, and we no longer posed any threat, the humans even fought over the broken ship themselves. Soon the castle became more important than the ship, and as the years passed, the broken ship faded to legend. For the humans it is unimportant. But we remember.

"Now Prince Fred-Rick has become bonded to another Destroyer called Vin-Ra. She knows about the broken ship, and now that she has access to the castle, she will have found it, and used it to try to answer the call from the ship above."

Susan looked at Cameron with further confusion. "Another ship?" she asked him.

He nodded. "It gets worse, hen. At the other end of this valley there is a third bloody great ship. I havenae seen it properly, because Frederick's men-at-arms guard it too well now. But on the day before yesterday, Lai-Chen and Bey-Jai managed to talk to the people inside, and they're friendly, Susan. Colonists I think they are. Their ship came down a couple of days ago, and on the first night, Prince Frederick sent Vin-Ra with some of his men to take all their children. It must have been quite a battle. The poor people couldnae have known what was happening to them. All that fighting and them in the middle, they're kids being dragged off."

"But why do they always take the children?" Susan demanded. "And why did they chase after us?"

Soo-Kai answered her question. "We think it is because Vin-Ra needs the children to escape, and because you came through the Window."

Susan still looked none the wiser, so Soo-Kai went on, "The ship above was built by the Navak people. They were a very clever and highly advanced race. We fought with them for many years. It was they that gave us the name the Gest Hroya, and it was they who invented the weapon that curbs our power, and eventually led to our destruction.

"The ship will have a functioning transportation Window. The Window is operated by thought, you have to think where and when you wish to go to, and it will take you there. But it will not allow Destroyers to pass through because the Navak programmed it not to accept us. The Window somehow senses our thoughts, it knows that we are evil, and it will not let us pass. The only way for one of us to pass through the Window is at the same time as a human. But the Window must sense the human's thoughts for this to be possible, so the human must be alive and aware as they pass through. And only a fool or a child would allow a Destroyer to pass through the Window with them, and escape from this world."

The realisation of what this meant hit Susan hard. "Michael and Jennifer," she muttered, staring at Cameron. "They could already be gone....I might never see them again!"

She was beginning to panic, so Cameron quickly held her. "No, Susan!" he told her, "Your children and ma daughter are still safe! Vin-Ra is still here! She hasnae managed to get away! That means our children are still here, too!"

"But how can you be so sure?" Susan said desperately.

"Because that's the way it is! Believe me! Tell her Soo-Kai!"

Soo-Kai spoke quickly and calmly, acutely aware of Susan's near panic state. "Vin-Ra must use the data link in the broken ship to ask the ship above to open the Window, but only Kai-Tai and Chen-Soo can make the data link work properly. Vin-Ra has access to the broken ship, but she cannot answer the call from the ship above, or tell it that she is here. And until the data link is complete, she cannot request it to open the Window."

Susan still wasn't convinced. "But they could work together!" she exclaimed.

Soo-Kai shook her head. "Vin-Ra is an Outsider."

Her statement must have had some significance, but it was lost on Susan. "And what's that supposed to mean?" she asked.

"It means that we must fight," Soo-Kai replied.

It wasn't much of an answer, so Cameron explained. "There are two different kinds of Destroyer here, Insiders and Outsiders. They donnae like each other very much. In fact they hate and kill each other whenever they meet."

Susan stared at Soo-Kai, and she grew calm at last. "It sounds like a stalemate."

"Aye, it is!" Cameron said. "They each hold a card, but neither wants to cooperate with the other." Cameron then turned to Soo- Kai and added, "Tell Susan the rest."

Soo-Kai nodded. "The ship above is the same ship that first brought the Navak army and the weapon that curbed our power many years ago. It returns periodically, and calls to those it brought and listens for their reply. But they are long since dead, and no one else can answer, because the only working data link that is left on Ellerkan is the one in the broken ship. This is the real reason why the broken ship is so important to us. Because the only way for any of us to escape from this world is by using this data link to communicate with the ship above, and to ask it to open a Window to another place. With an innocent child, or with a willing male who is bonded to one of us, we can then pass through.

"All this is tactical information that we all know. But until now, none of us has ever been able to gain access to the broken ship and hold it long enough to answer the call. Many times the ship above has come and gone, it's call unanswered. But this time there is a difference. Unlike any other time, the ship above has switched off the weapon that curbs our power each night. Why, we do not know. Maybe it does this so that it can transmit power to the broken ship. But in doing this it has also brought life back to the swords that we carry in our backs, and we have been able to kill and burn like we did in the past. But the ship above only switches the weapon off at night, while it waits and listens, then switches it back on again in the morning. It is probably affected by the distance and the time it takes for this world to turn. All we know for sure is that it still listens and waits for the request to open the Window. But Vin-Ra cannot make that request, she can only listen to the ship calling, and wait."

"That must be annoying," Susan remarked. "But if she can't open this Window thing, how did we get here?"

"Like the ship above, the broken ship beneath the castle also possessed a transportation Window. We stole the ship from the Navak, and we turned it from them and made it serve our needs. This Window would allow us to pass. For many years this was the reason why we fought to gain entry to the ship. But it was soon clear that this Window no longer worked. Like everything else in the broken ship, it was damaged. But with power now available to her each night, Vin-Ra may be trying to use it to escape, and it may be her failed attempts to make the damaged Window of the broken ship work correctly that has caused you and Cam-Ron to be brought here."

"Well, that's just great!" Susan exclaimed. "So every time this Vin-Ra pushes the button, some other poor people are going to get scooped up by this faulty Window thingy?"

"We cannae know for sure," Cameron answered her. "But that's what we think. What is certain is that until tonight, when that ship up there switches the power back on again, no one is going anywhere, no matter which Window they use."

There was a brief pause after Cameron had finished. Then Susan said, "Soo-Kai, can you talk to the ship up there and make it open this Window thing?"

Soo-Kai nodded. "It is a question Cam-Ron has already asked me. I tell you what I told him. I need only to meet with Chen-Soo. She now has what is required to make the data link work. And despite what Rolf says about her, she will not deny it to me if I ask for it."

Susan wanted to ask her more about Chen-Soo, but Soo-Kai's expression made it clear that she should not. Susan glanced at Cameron. From his expression it was obvious that he had asked, and it was also obvious what kind of a response he got. There was something dark here, but it would have to keep until later. In any case, Susan had more pressing questions to ask.

"If Vin-Ra can't make this data link work, and the other Window thing is faulty, then what is she doing? Why has she stolen our children, and the children from this colony ship? And why is she still here? Why doesn't she just steal the colony ship and escape in that?"

"There are many reasons," Soo-Kai replied. "Vin-Ra is bonded to Fred-Rick, and his wishes will always come before hers. Because of this, everything that we have assumed about Vin-Ra may be utterly wrong. Because no matter what her intentions, Fred-Rick will be the deciding factor in her fate. For now, the Kingdom is far more important to him than travelling through the Window, and he has the advantage in any battle while Vin-Ra fights at his side. Rolf believes him to be an evil and selfish man. His actions are often erratic, but two things at least are certain, he wants his brother's title, and Vin-Ra cannot leave without him while he still lives."

Susan caught her meaning. "If he gets killed by his brother she could leave?"

Soo-Kai nodded. "She will not harm him, and she will even die to protect him. But if Fred-Rick should be killed, then the bond between them would be broken, and she would be free to leave. But she can only leave if she can make the Window in the broken ship work, or if she can contact the ship above and make it open it's Window, and even then she can only pass if she has a suitable child."

Then Cameron said, "We think that's why Prince Frederick keeps sending his men-at-arms out to capture the children, killing any of the parents who resist. And it's probably also why they chased after us. We and the colonists are from off world, and we donnae know anything of Destroyers. We could be duped into taking them through the Window with us far more easily than anyone from this world could. But we cannae do that if we are all locked up safe and sound in his dungeons."

Susan looked perplexed. "Why is everything so complicated?"

Cameron smiled at her. "Isnae that always the way?"

Susan sighed. "Is that it?"

"Not yet," Cameron replied, and nodded to Soo-Kai.

Susan turned and looked at Soo-Kai as she continued.

"For now, Vin-Ra must wait. She has access to the broken ship, and she knows that if Kai-Tai wishes to escape she must come to her. And Kai-Tai will wish to escape. But to do that, Kai-Tai must bring with her what is required to make the data link work. That is what Vin-Ra waits and prepares for. She must be patient, and it takes time to find a suitable child. If the child knows that Vin-Ra is a Destroyer, if it understands that she is evil, then the Window will not let them pass. And Vin-Ra is not alone. She commands the remaining Outsiders, and they will all need a suitable child to take them through the Window with her.

"As for the colony ship, it is damaged, that is why it came down. When Lai-Chen and Bey-Jai spoke with the people there, they said that they were repairing the damage according to the command of Prince Fred-Rick. He threatens to kill their children if they disobey him, but Lai-Chen says that they are working very slowly."

Susan became quiet and thoughtful when Soo-Kai had finished speaking. She was trying to absorb everything they had told her. Cameron and Soo-Kai waited patiently for her to speak, watching her closely.

This was all very confusing and frustrating for Susan. What she wanted to do was concentrate on getting her children back, but she couldn't do that without first figuring out what was going on here. Until she did that, she wouldn't stand any chance of success. But that was when things got really complicated. Not only did they have to assume what was happening, but even their assumptions were based on other assumptions about people whose motives were still unclear. And the more Susan thought about it all, the more indignant she felt.

"So why hasn't anybody done anything about all this?" she suddenly demanded in a raised voice, breaking the brief silence. "What's this King doing? Doesn't he have an army or something? Can't he stop his own son from killing everybody?"

Soo-Kai answered her. "There was a battle in the valley three nights ago. Prince Ru-Pert led the King's army against his brother, who has his own army who carry the mark of the dragon on their chests. The King's army far outnumbered the forces of Prince Fred-Rick, but the Dragon Prince is cunning, and only comes out of his castle to fight at night, when he has the weapons of Vin-Ra and the other Outsiders to aid his cause. The King's army was routed, and Prince Ru-Pert was wounded in the battle. Now Rolf fears for his life. As for King Le-Hage himself, he is almost as old as Rolf. He is frail and weak. Only Prince Ru-Pert could have stopped his brother from claiming the thrown. Without him no one else stands in his way."

Susan remembered the silver rifles Soo-Kai and the other women carried at night. Ordinary swords and arrows would be no match against those.

"Alright," Susan said slowly. "So we can forget about getting any help from the local authorities then. Now, let me get this straight. First, our children are being kept prisoner in this castle, along with the children from the colony ship, and any other children that Frederick's men have kidnapped over the past few days?"

"Right," Cameron replied.

"And Vin-Ra controls this transportation Window thingy, also in the castle. But she can't make it work properly, and even if she could, she can only use it at night? And she can only get away if Frederick goes with her, or he's dead?"

"Right again."

"Okay. So all we have to do is get into the castle, deal with Vin-Ra and Prince Frederick, get our children back, talk to the ship using this data link -that's if Chen-Soo does agree to help us- escape through the Window -whichever one is working- and do all of this in time for when the power comes back on tonight?"

Soo-Kai looked hurt at the suggestion that Chen-Soo might not help them, but before she could reply, Cameron smiled and held up his finger.

"Apart from the tricky bit where we deal with Vin-Ra and Prince Frederick, there is another problem," he said to Susan's obvious exasperation. "The ship up there only passes close to this planet for four days. Today is the last day, the fourth day. So when it comes overhead tonight, it will be for the last time. That'll be at about eleven o'clock, if you reset your watch to local time. After that, it goes away and doesnae come back for about twenty- eight years."

Michael strained to get a better look at the women without being seen himself. He moved to hide behind a tree which was right on the edge of the little gorge with the river at the bottom. He was very close, maybe ten metres away at most. They stood on the other side of the gorge, a little way back from the edge, but clear of the trees. They were busy arguing.

Michael watched the woman with the pigtail. She still had her back to him, and he wished that she would turn around. Her plat was quite long, almost reaching down to her bottom. And now that it was daylight, Michael could see that there was a piece of white fabric tied into the end of the pigtail. But the white fabric, and her blonde hair, were both blackened and all streaked in soot. In fact, apart from the white top she wore, which must have been protected by the jacket she had been wearing before she left it with Michael, she was generally dirty, and still covered in the smoky soot from the night before.

She held what looked like a rolled up bundle of something in one hand. Suddenly, she turned to face him and put the bundle down on the ground. It was a quick movement, but Michael had a quick glimpse of her face and the front of her body.

His first impression was of her countenance. She seemed unhappy. The second impression was of her chest and stomach. The white top she wore was very short and sleeveless, a bit like a vest, and her leggings stopped just over her hips, allowing him to see her midriff and abdomen. When she bent to put down the bundle, he also got a quick glimpse of her chest and cleavage. Then she turned again. It was all very quick and fleeting.

They continued to argue, and their voices grew louder. One of the other women suddenly shoved the woman with the pigtail hard, in the chest. She staggered backwards, regained her footing, and went to the other woman and shoved her back, just as hard.

In an instant, silver swords were drawn from somewhere behind their backs. At least four of them, one of them belonging to the woman with the pigtail. Michael hadn't quite seen where the sword had come from. She seemed to draw it from straight out of her back.

There was a clash of metal on metal and a lot of shouting. It was all happening so quick. Michael bit his lip. He was worried that they were going to kill her, and he wanted to do something, but he was on the wrong side of the gorge. Then a woman with short, red, hair stepped between the swords. Shouting louder than the rest, she pushed the fighting women apart like a referee at a boxing match. She seemed totally unconcerned by the swords they carried, while she, herself, was empty handed. Suddenly, she was the only one left shouting.

The other three women quickly stepped back, lowering their swords, and leaving the woman with the pigtail on her own, her sword still raised. Now only the woman with red hair stood face to face with her, her expression filled with anger.

They shouted at one another, and the woman with red hair suddenly grabbed the sword arm of her opponent with one hand, and her throat with the other. They struggled for a moment. The woman with the pigtail tried to pull the hand away from her throat, but she couldn't. Slowly she was forced down, onto her knees, and then backwards, further and further. She was almost on the ground when her attacker relented, and they stopped struggling.

Michael could hear the woman with red hair talking. It was like an angry whisper, a very angry whisper. She still held the woman with the pigtail in a tight grip, but now she could breathe, and Michael could see her stomach and chest rise and fall as she took deep breaths.

Suddenly, it was all over. The woman with red hair let go of her victim and stood up, turned, and walked away. The other women followed her. Michael noticed for the first time that one of them had a large bow over her shoulder. Over the other shoulder she carried a quiver of arrows. In a few seconds they were all gone. Disappeared among the trees.

Michael breathed out, deeply. He hadn't realised that he had been holding his breath. He watched the woman with the pigtail, alone now, on the other side of the gorge. She got up and watched the others leave, standing there motionless for a while.

Apparently satisfied that they were gone, she turned towards the gorge, raised the sword over her head, and tilting her head to one side, she appeared to place it in her own back. Michael watched, fascinated, as she stood facing him with her arms raised. As the sword disappeared, he stared more at her body, his eyes following the curve of her hips and her narrow waist. He was admiring her exposed midriff and abdomen when he noticed the bruises on her stomach, just above her waist. It took a moment for Michael to realise that they must be related to the bullet holes in her jacket. In a moment, she had lowered her arms, picked up the bundle she had put down before, and started to walk away.

Michael suddenly didn't know what to do. Should he call out to her? He didn't even know what her name was. And what if she just walked away into the trees? He was on the wrong side of the little gorge, and the sides were too steep here. By the time he found a place to cross, she would have been long gone.

He watched her walk away. To his relief, she didn't go out of view, heading further into the forrest, but instead she seemed to be making her way further up stream. He followed, moving carefully from tree to tree. She walked quickly, confidently. She knew where she was going. Soon she was walking faster than him, and he had to hurry to keep up. He kept a little way behind her, moving in parallel, and always keeping her in sight.

He loved watching her. He couldn't help it. Just the way she walked was nice. He watched her chest bounce as she walked briskly along, her pigtail swinging behind her. She had nice long legs too, and the tight leggings she wore made them look even nicer. And he was attracted by her skin. The white top she wore was only short, and it only seemed to have one strap going over her right shoulder. He could see her back, and her shoulders and arms, and-

"Oof!"

Not looking where he was going, Michael had tripped over an exposed root from one of the trees he was passing, and fell over on his face. He got up quickly, bright red in embarrassment. He stared after her. She was still walking along, a little further ahead now. Michael hurried after her.

They moved further up stream. Gradually, the ground became more rocky. The trees still grew close to the gorge, but no longer reached right to the edge anymore. Michael stayed with the trees, moving further away from the edge. But he still kept her in view just ahead of him, as she walked at the edge of the gorge, out in the open now.

Further on, he could see the gorge getting narrower and deeper ahead of him. The water was beginning to flow faster now, and he could hear the roar of a water fall. Soon he could see it just ahead. The gorge was about three or four metres deep now. The water fell into it from a large round pool formed by the river at a higher level. Water fell into that pool from another level about two metres above that. It was like the river was falling down two steps, the first step landing in the big pool, the second step landing in the bottom of the gorge. The wind blew the spray into his face, and the trees that seemed to gather all around the rock pool glistened with the dampness that was in the air.

Michael paused and stood on tip toes. He could just see over the edge of the upper level. The river was much smaller up there, more like a stream, and it disappeared quickly, winding in and out between the trees that seemed to grow in it's path. Then Michael realised that there was more than one of them, and that each of them approached from a different direction, until they all met at the edge, and spilled over into the pool in three tremendous spouts.

The woman with the pigtail had stopped by the edge of the round pool. She dropped the bundle she had been carrying on the ground, and reached up and drew the sword from behind her back. Where did she keep that sword? Then she stuck it in the ground and began to fiddle with her hair.

Michael sat down by a tree and watched her. It was shaded and cool here. She was going to have a swim, he was sure of it. He looked at her in anticipation as she stood facing him only a short distance away, undoing her platted hair. She had a very nice shape, he thought. Even nicer than Andrea Taylor's. In fact she was a lot more beautiful than Andrea, and much taller.

Andrea had been the last girl that Michael had a liking for. She was a school friend of his sister's, and Jennifer had wasted no time in embarrassing him about it. Not that he had needed much help in that respect, anyway. He always ended up doing something foolish where girls were concerned.

He didn't want that to happen this time. He had spoken to this woman, she had helped him and he had helped her. He remembered how he had jumped on top of her when the two men had came to kill her, and remembered how nice she felt as he held on to her. All of this should have made him feel more confident, but he was still reluctant to call out to her. Instead he just watched.

He could see her face clearly and recognised her easily from the night before. He wished that he could see what colour her eyes were, but even in the bright sunshine that bathed her as she stood by the pool, she was too far away for him to tell.

He saw now that the white top she wore was quite ragged. It was all frayed at the bottom, there was a hole in it, and the missing shoulder strap he had noticed before must have been torn off. The fabric just stopped in a tear above her left breast.

The woman finished undoing her plat, and fluffed her hair about. It was quite thick and slightly curly. Getting down on her hands and knees by the water, she dipped her hand in and swished it about. Michael wondered if she was checking the temperature, but then he realised it was the piece of cloth from her plat. She swished it about in the water a bit more, shook it out in the air, and looped it around the handle of her sword to dry.

Now she sat on the ground and took her boots off. She was definitely going to have a swim. Standing up again, she undid the front of her leggings. In a moment she had peeled them downwards, over her hips and thighs, and stepped out of them. Michael's eyes grew wide. She wasn't wearing anything underneath.

She turned and stepped into the pool, causing more water to spill over the edge into the gorge below. The water only went up to her thighs as she waded about, un-ravelling her leggings with both hands. Bending over, she pushed them under the water and splashed them about, kneading them, and splashing them about again, before finally bringing them up and wringing them out. She was washing her clothes.

Finished with the leggings, she laid them out on the ground in the sun, and reached over to pick up the bundle that she had been carrying all that time before. Slowly, she began unrolling it.

The bundle appeared to be some sort of corset. Or at least that was what it looked like to Michael. It seemed to be quite stiff, and after she had splashed it about in the water for some time, she shook it out, formed it into a sort of cylinder, and stood it up next to her sword.

She stepped back, wading backwards in the water. She seemed to fold her arms, and drew the white top up over her head. In an instant she lay back in the water and disappeared. There was a lot of splashing about. One of her legs came briefly out of the water, and then her head and shoulders reappeared in the middle of the pool. She shook her head. She still held the white top which she began to splash about.

Michael was sure that she was sitting on the bottom of the pool. He wondered if he should show himself now. It would take her some time to get out of the pool, and he would get there quicker. But he realised that the sight of him running out towards her would only scare her. After all, she was naked, and what she was doing was sort of private. He suddenly felt ashamed that he had been watching her. But he liked it. He liked watching her, he liked seeing her body. It excited him. He felt excited. Excited and hot. He had an erection just watching her. He felt even more ashamed at the thought of it. He had to talk to her, he couldn't just sit there watching her and do nothing. He had to get closer. He had to find out who she was. He had to.

He wanted so much to be able to touch her.

She stood up and waded towards one of the three spouts of water that spilled into the pool from the level above. First she rinsed out the white top she had been washing, then she stood underneath it. She stayed there for quite a few seconds, letting the water wash over her. Finally she came out, pulling her hair into a long wet shape, and squeezing the water out of it as she waded back to the edge of the pool and climbed out.

Standing by the edge of the pool, she shook the white top and dropped it on top of her sword. Then she bent forward and shook her head violently from side to side. Her hair flew back and forth in a blur, water spraying everywhere. She did that quite a few times before she straightened up and began to brush her hair back. It was all fluffed up and thick, and still very damp, but now that it was clean, Michael could see that her blonde hair was actually a very light, yellow colour, almost like straw.

As she stood in front of him, still brushing her hair back, Michael was able to have a clear, long view of the whole of her body. He looked longingly at her face and neck, his eyes moving down her body to her shoulders and round full breasts, then the narrow waist, and the wide curve of her hips, and continuing on, down to her thighs and long legs. She was tall and slim, and very athletic looking, but she was also shapely, too. Her skin was lightly tanned, and it reminded him of the colour of a digestive biscuit. And with her very long, straw coloured hair fluffed out behind her, Michael thought she was absolutely beautiful.

She picked up the white top and pulled it over her head. She stepped forward while still straightening it, and picked up her leggings. She stepped into them and began fastening up the front. That done, she sat down on one of the small rocky outcrops around the pool, and began fiddling with her hair again. Her long legs were splayed out in front of her, her feet still bare. She was platting her hair.

Michael watched her sitting there. He was growing more anxious every second that went by. Now would be the perfect time to approach her. She was just sitting there! But he didn't know what he was going to say! He stared at her as if transfixed, watching her stomach expand and contract as she breathed.

Think! Think! Now before she finishes and walks away! Still, Michael was rooted to the spot.

Slowly and carefully, the woman continued platting her hair. Occasionally she would fidget, and once she rubbed the bruises on her stomach. Finally she reached for the scrap of white cloth she had left on her sword, and pulling the end of her long plat forward over her shoulder, began to tie it in.

Still Michael couldn't move. He felt hot and bothered. He wanted so desperately to go and talk to her, but he just couldn't. His muscles didn't want to work.

Now she grabbed for her boots and put them on. Standing up, she picked up the corset like thing and wrapped it around her body. It covered her from just under the armpits down to her hips. She ran her fingers up the front, closing it, and began patting herself, as if checking the fit. She put her hands on her sides and ran them up and down, following the contours of her body.

Michael thought that it emphasised her shape, even though it looked a little bulky and stiff. It made her waist look even smaller, and her hips more curved. Then he realised what it was, and why it looked so stiff. It was some sort of bullet proof vest! That was why the bullets had gone through her jacket, but had only bruised her skin. She must have been wearing it the other night, underneath her jacket.

Satisfied with it's fit, she ran her finger down the front and took it off again.

Michael was now desperate, and the desperation finally drove his paralysed muscles into motion. With the roar of the water falling into the gorge ringing in his ears, he slowly stood up and stumbled towards her.

She was rolling the corset thing up into a bundle when she noticed him. She looked alarmed, and quickly picked up her sword.

Michael racked his brains for something to say as he approached her, to somehow explain why he had watched her all this time and said nothing. He felt so ashamed, so anxious, so foolish. In the end she saved him the torment.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded, pointing her sword at him. "Why did you not follow the arrows I left for you?" Her voice was raised above the sound of the waterfall, and she seemed to be angry with him. Michael suddenly felt like he was being told off.

"I did follow the arrows," he replied indignantly. "All the way to the river."

"Then why did you come upstream? The arrows pointed down stream, towards the house of Rolf Le-Pine. There you would have found the woman you came with, and the man with the strange accent. Why did you come this way?"

Michael was now a sword length away from of her. She pointed the sword at him, keeping him at bay. He was very conscious of how close she was. At last he could see her eyes clearly. They were very soft and expressive. Bright blue, they stared back at him in a sad, but almost alluring sort of way. Michael wondered why she might be frightened of him.

"I've brought your jacket," he said, edging closer. She immediately stepped back, moving nearer to the edge over the gorge.

"Drop it on the ground," she told him. "Now tell me why you are here. Tell me!"

Her last words were like a command. They made him jump, and Michael quickly dropped her jacket on the floor and blurted out, "I heard voices passing near the river when I got there, and when I saw you with the other women, I just followed you. I didn't realise I was going the wrong way. I'm sorry."

She stared at him, her blue eyes growing wide. "How long have you been watching me?" she said in alarm.

Michael felt his face growing red. "For quite a while," he said sheepishly. "But I didn't mean anything by it!" he added quickly. "I'm sorry! I really am! It's just that I was so happy to see you after what happened last night, that I didn't know what to say! And I didn't want to surprise you when you were in the water, because I thought you might get scared! I'm sorry, honest, I am! You're not mad at me are you? I didn't mean to upset-"

"Quiet!"

Finally, she had managed to shut him up. She stared at him and rubbed her forehead in dismay. "It is not you I am angry with," she said in a more subdued voice. "It is myself. If you can spy on me undetected like this, then others can. I have allowed myself to be too circumspect. I shall have to learn to be more cautious."

"I'm sorry," Michael said again. "I just wanted to be friends. I thought we were friends. You helped me last night-"

"And you protected me from the two troopers," she interrupted him again. "I know this, and I thank you. But we can help each other no more. You must go down stream, back the way you came. When you reach the house of Rolf Le-Pine, there will be someone there to help you. Now go!"

"Are you coming with me?"

"No, you must go alone."

"But why? Why can't you come with me? Why can't we stay together?"

Michael wanted so much to get closer to her, but the sword was still between them, it's point close to his chest. He tried to move around it, but she quickly stepped back, pointing the sword at him again. Her movement dislodged a stone that fell into the gorge behind her.

"Be careful!" Michael said quickly. "You're close to the edge!"

She glanced quickly behind her at the drop to the gorge below before saying to him, "I know where I stand, but you block my path, and so I am disadvantaged."

Michael looked at her in amazement. She was frightened of him. She was the one with the sword, and yet she was frightened of him. He stepped back straight away, and sat down on the same rocky outcrop that he had watched her sit on while she platted her hair.

"I didn't mean to frighten you," he said. "I just wanted to be friends."

She watched him carefully, as slowly she moved away from the edge of the gorge, circling around him, and always keeping the point of her sword towards him.

"You must go," she told him again.

"No, I want to stay with you!" Michael was entering stubborn mode.

"Why are you doing this?" She sounded exasperated, and lowered her sword. "Why did you follow me and not the path I left you? And why will you not leave me when I ask you?"

"Because I like you, and I want to stay with you!"

She paused to stare at him before replying carefully, "You can not stay with me. It is not possible."

"Why not? I'm not going to hurt you! We were friends last night, why can't we still be friends now?"

"Because today I might hurt you!" she said.

Now it was Michael's turn to pause a moment. He looked down at his mother's handbag and a sudden thought occurred to him. He quickly opened the bag and reached inside. His sudden movements alarmed the woman, and she raised her sword again, steadying herself.

"It's alright," he said. "Don't worry! Are you hungry? I bet you haven't eaten anything. Look, I've got this if you like. It's nice." He held out his right hand, and in it he held the second Mars bar, half unwrapped.

She stared at it as if transfixed. The sweetness of it attracted her, and her stomach and chest contracted and expanded in rapid bursts as she took quick sniffs at it, moving her head slightly from side to side. It smelled amazingly sweet. More sweet than anything she had smelled before. She rubbed her forehead again, and Michael heard her mutter, "Now he brings me food....."

Michael took a small bite from the Mars bar. "Mmmm...It's really nice! Here! Take a bite!"

He held the chocolate bar out towards her again. Now that he had taken a bite from it, the sweet smell was even stronger. She could hardly resist it. She took more sniffs at it, and slowly she stepped closer, her eyes locked on to his now, bright and shining, and watching for any sign of movement.

Slowly she came closer, and closer. Always watching him, her sword still raised, but now out to the side. Soon, she was so close that Michael could almost touch her. He could smell and almost feel the dampness of her clothes and skin. He glanced down at her stomach, watching her muscles tense and relax as she kept sniffing at the chocolate. Now she was right next to him, right by his side, still watching him warily.

In the darkness of the night before, Michael hadn't been able to appreciate how really beautiful she was. But now that she was really close, and he held the Mars bar up to her face, he could see her clearly at last, and she was very beautiful.

"It's nice to eat. Please, take it!" he said, encouragingly.

She seemed to hesitate before taking his hand in hers. He felt the warmth of her hand as she steadied his. For the first time, she took her eyes from his and looked down at the chocolate bar in his hand. She moved her head a little closer and sniffed at it again.

"Go on," he said. "Bite it. It's nice, really!"

She opened her mouth and he had a quick glimpse of white teeth as she finally bit into the chocolate. She chewed, slowly at first, then a little faster. It had been a big bite. As she chewed, she slowly began to lower her sword until the point almost touched the ground.

"I told you it was good," Michael said, and slowly he stood up. Although he was tall for his age, she was still taller than him, and he only reached up to her shoulder.

She didn't seem to notice him stand up. She stuck the sword into the ground next to her, and reached up to hold the chocolate bar with both hands. Michael let go and watched her take another big bite. He looked at her neck and chest and swallowed nervously. She was so close.

"My name is Michael," he said as she took yet another bite. "I'm lost here."

She seemed to ignore him, much too busy eating. Michael looked at the white top she wore, and at the curves of her breasts underneath, remembering how she had looked as she had splashed about in the water. He looked at her abdomen and the curve of her hips, and at her navel. It was a deep, vertical oval. He wanted so much to touch her.

"I like you, and I just want to be friends," he said, and looked up at her. She was still busy eating. She tore off more of the wrapper, and dropped it casually to the ground.

Michael looked down at her abdomen again, and with another nervous swallow, he slowly reached out with his left hand and rested it on her hip. Her skin felt warm to the touch, and she made no move to brush his hand aside. Feeling more bold, he slid his hand slowly over the front of her abdomen, until his fingers reached her navel. Her skin felt wonderful, it was so smooth and soft.

He felt her muscles tense, and her hand came down and clamped over his. It startled him and he almost jumped out of his skin. She moved against him, and Michael felt her hip and leg pressing against his abdomen. He looked up at her. She was still eating, but down to the last bite now. She kept her hand over his, pressing it against her abdomen. Michael felt his middle finger crammed into her navel. It felt warm and slightly wet. Probably water from the pool where she had washed.

Michael reached up with his right hand and took the end of her plat. He twisted it about in his fingers, looking at the little white piece of cloth at the end. It looked like the same material as the white top she wore.

"Will you be my friend?" he asked her.

She still didn't answer. Instead she took her hand off his and held on to the wrapper with both hands. She had finished the actual chocolate, and was now licking clean what was left of the wrapper.

Michael's eyes returned to her abdomen. His finger gently pulled at her navel before he withdrew it, and began to slowly move his hand around, and over, her navel in a circular motion, feeling the contours of her abdomen, and the softness of her skin, her muscles slightly tense underneath. He was growing more and more confident as she seemed to be content to let him touch her.

Letting go of her pigtail, he placed his right hand on her back, moving it slowly upwards, along her spine. As his hand slipped under her white top, he moved it across to rest over her right shoulder blade. He could feel her shoulder blade moving as she moved her arm. His left hand now began to move slowly up her abdomen, past her waist, and over her bruised midriff, until this hand also moved under the white top, easily sliding under the overhang caused by her breasts. Michael could feel the underneath of her breasts, and was just turning his hand to cup one of them when the chocolate wrapper fell to the ground, licked clean.

In an instant she took his hand from under the front of her white top, and turned to face him, still keeping hold of his hand. His right hand slipped down her back as she turned. Now it rested on her hip.

They stood facing one another, their bodies touching. She looked deeply into Michael's eyes, and it unnerved him a little, and he became embarrassed again. She was going to tell him off, he was sure of it. He had been far too forward, and now her retribution would be harsh and unforgiving. He had messed it all up again.

But she said nothing, and she didn't seem to be angry with him, either. Michael looked at her mouth. There was chocolate on her lips, and another stain on her cheek. He couldn't help it, he smiled at her.

In response, she tilted her head to one side as she watched him, sighed, and said, "Do you wish to copulate?"

The soldiers led the children through the forrest at a trot. They hadn't dropped their pace for an instant, and the children were all gasping and panting as they ran. It had been quite a while since they had left the castle, and now huge trees surrounded them on all sides. As they ran, they could hear the cries of birds and other animals high up in the branches. But on the ground nothing moved.

The children ran in groups of twos or threes, all strung out with the soldiers urging them on. Jennifer, Stephanie, Anolt and Cary, all ran together. Cary was carrying Mia now, the burden had been too much for Jennifer. They were all exhausted. But they were happy.

They had escaped!

It felt wonderful. Even though their legs ached and their lungs were bursting, they were all filled with elation. They had been rescued, and now they had actually escaped!

They ran on for what seemed like ages. Jennifer wanted to talk to Stephanie, to discuss what had happened. But she just didn't have the breath. Who were these soldiers? Where had they come from? The children seemed to recognise them as soon as they had entered the cave, and they spoke the same language. Were they the children's parents? Jennifer was desperate to know. She was also dying on her feet. She was pretty good at sports at school, but nothing she had done before could have prepared her for this gruelling run. By the time the soldiers led them into a small clearing, and finally brought them to a halt, Jennifer was absolutely exhausted.

The children all collapsed and lay about in the grass, chests heaving, and the air was filled with the sounds of huge gasping breaths. Jennifer lay on her back, her legs drawn up, and her hands clasped over her eyes. Everything tingled. She felt like her heart was bursting. The only sound she could hear was it's frantic beating. Slowly, her body began to recover. Her breathing became less urgent, and her heartbeat slowed down, and soon she became conscious of other sounds around her.

There were voices, and lots of rustling sounds. Jennifer was about to take her hands from her eyes and look up, when something heavy landed on her stomach. She was startled, and was relieved when she opened her eyes to find it was only Mia, who had jumped on top of her.

"Soo man sey pacar ma, Jennifour?" the little girl said with a smile. She wasn't tired. But then again, someone had carried her.

"Alright, trouble! What do you want now, hey?" Jennifer replied, stroking Mia's hair and smiling at her. Mia responded by climbing further on to Jennifer and lying down on top of her, her head on her chest, and her little arms clasped around her.

"What am I going to do with you?" Jennifer remarked as she tickled her, and Mia quickly began to squirm and giggle.

There were sudden raised voices, and both Jennifer and Mia looked up.

Some of the children were on their feet and talking loudly with two of the soldiers. Cary and Kaser were among them. They seemed to be arguing. Another one of the soldiers was pulling at bushes and branches that covered something large in the centre of the clearing. The rest of them were standing around the children, watching them. Altogether, there were six soldiers, all wearing green and brown camouflaged uniforms, and all holding machine pistols.

Jennifer looked towards Stephanie, who was sat on the ground a short distance away with Anolt standing by her side. "What's going on?" she called out to her.

Stephanie glanced round. "I don't know," she said. "But they're upset about something."

Jennifer sat up, sitting Mia in her lap, and Mia immediately started pulling nervously at Jennifer's already battered tights. She wasn't smiling anymore, and Jennifer began to get worried.

"Try and ask Anolt what's going on," she said.

Stephanie had just started to do as she asked, when Anolt began pulling her to her feet. He pulled at her very harshly, his expression and tone urgent.

The argument between the children and the two soldiers was getting more heated. One of the soldiers suddenly pushed Kaser to the ground. Another boy went to defend him, and was smacked in the face, and he fell too.

"Something's wrong," Stephanie said in alarm. "Get up, Jennifer! Get up quick!"

All the other children were already jumping to their feet, staring around them, frightened. Jennifer grabbed Mia and also stood up, just as one of the soldiers stepped forward and shoved her hard in the back. She staggered forward, almost dropping Mia. Looking round in anger, she shouted something offensive at her attacker. But her words were drowned out by the sudden screams and shouts of all the other children, as the soldiers began herding them together, moving them towards the large object that was slowly being uncovered by the soldier at the centre of the clearing. Jennifer stared at it in horror.

It was a cage.

Only the entrance and front of the cage were exposed, the steel bars glinting in the sun. The rest of it was still covered with some kind of green and brown coloured net. Into this had been stuck lots of leaves and broken branches, until the whole cage was almost invisible. As Jennifer was pushed towards it, she saw that it was only about waist high, and no wider than an average sized room. The children would be very cramped and restricted inside.

As they were pushed towards the cage, the children nearest to the entrance began to struggle with the soldiers, they obviously didn't want to go in. Then a small boy evaded the grasp of one of the soldiers, and quickly darting between his legs, he ran for the trees. The soldier turned, and in a second all the children suddenly became silent. Jennifer hadn't heard any shots, but when she turned to look, the small boy was lying face down on the ground, blood staining his blue coverall and the grass around him.

There were no further protests or attempts to escape after that. Only tears and backward glances at the body in the grass, as the soldiers continued to push and shout at the children, herding them tearfully, and miserably, towards the entrance to the cage. The soldier who had been uncovering it now swung back the door, and the children were forced to their knees and pushed inside, one at a time.

When it came to Stephanie's turn, one of the soldiers grabbed her, and pulled her aside. She struggled, and Anolt tried to pull her back, but another soldier quickly smacked him, and knocked him to the ground.

Stephanie continued to struggle with the first soldier, but he had his arm around her, and lifted her off the ground.

"Let go of me, you big bully!" she shouted, kicking her legs wildly.

"Leave her alone!" Jennifer shouted, stepping forward.

The soldier just smiled and jammed the large silencer of his machine pistol under Stephanie's chin. Stephanie immediately stopped struggling, her expression filled with terror.

"You! Put that brat down and come over here!" the soldier then said to Jennifer. She didn't move, startled by his unexpected use of English. "I said come here!" he repeated sternly. "Or this one's brains are tree fertiliser!"

Jennifer quickly handed Mia to Anolt, who was still sat on the ground by the cage entrance. Mia tried to hang on, crying out loudly as Anolt finally took her.

As she stepped back, Jennifer felt someone grab her arm, and looked round to see Cary on his knees, reaching through the bars to her. He looked really emotional, his eyes filled with tears. His expression really frightened Jennifer. Then one of the soldiers smacked his arm and he let go, and Jennifer was pushed away from the cage. She stood next to Stephanie and the soldier who still held her, waiting as the rest of the children were pushed into the cage, and the door closed behind them.

Now only Stephanie and Jennifer were outside the cage with the soldiers. Jennifer looked around at them nervously, as they all moved forward, watching her. She was very conscious of her short skirt and the way the men were looking at her legs and her body. Instinctively, she began to breathe faster.

The soldier who had been holding Stephanie suddenly dropped her on the ground. She landed on her stomach with a grunt, and another soldier quickly put his foot on her back and placed the silencer of his machine pistol against the back of her head.

Jennifer was immediately alarmed and took a step forward. "Don't shoot her!" she pleaded.

"We ain't going to shoot her!" the first soldier said, and his smile turned to a leer. "She's desert!"

Jennifer was overcome with a sudden surge of panic and terror that went straight to her legs, and she ran. She ran as fast as she could. The soldiers ran after her, the one who had held Stephanie taking the lead, and behind them the children in the cage all began to scream and shout.

The soldier who remained behind to watch the children kept his foot on Stephanie, and his machine pistol pointed at her head, while he whooped and waved at his comrades. Stephanie looked on in terror, willing Jennifer to run faster.

Jennifer's legs were already aching from her previous run, and she was already tired and exhausted, but the fear of what would happen to her if the soldiers caught her over came all her pain. She ran like hell. But even so, the soldiers were gaining on her.

Darting and weaving between the trees, the soldiers chasing after her, Jennifer suddenly ran headlong into another soldier. She knocked him flying, his gun thrown from his hand. Jennifer was also knocked to the ground. But she recovered quickly, and climbing on to all fours, she looked over her shoulder, and screamed when she saw how close her pursuers were. To her surprise, they had all stopped running, the excited expressions fading from their faces. Jennifer realised they weren't looking at her. They were looking passed her.

Jennifer looked round, and the first thing she saw was the soldier she had bowled over. He was sitting up on the ground, propped up on outstretched arms, his legs stuck out in front of him, staring at her with such a surprised expression on his face. Behind him was another soldier. He was standing with his hands on his hips, his machine pistol in his left hand, and an angry expression on his face as he glared at the soldiers. Jennifer stayed on all fours, her chest heaving, and her breath coming in loud gasps as she stared up at him.

"What the fucking hell's going on?" he demanded.

The soldier who had led the chase after Jennifer cleared his throat.

"We heard this one and another girl speaking English, and we thought we had better separate them."

"Who the fucking hell do you think you're speaking to, soldier?" the angry man shouted with such ferocity that all the soldiers jumped to attention and saluted him, aswell as the soldier he was shouting at. "Say 'Sir' when you speak me, Hampton! And address me as Commander Thewel at all times! Do you hear me? Even in your fucking dreams!"

"Sorry Sir! Yes, Commander Thewel, Sir!" Hampton replied, still saluting.

The soldier sitting on the ground was still staring at Jennifer, apparently unaffected by his commander's outburst. Now he turned and looked up at Commander Thewel and spoke as if he hadn't heard his angry rebuke.

"There you are, Commander! That proves it! I told you I saw a lad speaking English last night!"

Jennifer instantly knew who it must have been. "That's......my brother...," she managed to say.

The soldier looked round at her again. "Fair haired, wearing grey?" he asked her.

Jennifer nodded, too out of breath to answer this time.

"The pain in the arse nearly got me killed!" the soldier then said, rather derisively.

"That's Michael.....alright," Jennifer gasped.

Thewel stepped forward. He stood over Jennifer, reached down, and pulled her to her feet. He looked at her face, his eyes moving quickly down over her body and her legs. Jennifer was still breathing hard, she was sweating, and her blouse was all pulled out of her skirt. Thewel then glared at Hampton again, and said sarcastically, "Get away from you did she, Hampton?"

"Sorry Sir! Commander, Sir! She was quicker than we thought," Hampton said worriedly.

"Shut up, Hampton! And get your men back to the cage! Now!"

Hampton saluted again before shouting, "Come on you grunts! You heard the Commander! Get moving!" And he and the other soldiers all marched off, back towards the clearing, and the cage.

Thewel now turned to the soldier still sitting on the ground, and when he spoke, it was a little more calmly.

"Get up, Lieutenant Beltran! And get after them! What do you think this is, siesta time?"

"Sorry, Commander!" Beltran got to his feet, and recovering his gun, he quickly trotted after the departing soldiers.

Thewel now took Jennifer's arm and gestured for her to accompany him back the way she had came.

"This way, if you please?" he said in an unexpectedly polite manner.

"They were going to rape me," Jennifer exclaimed, standing her ground. "What are you going to do about it?"

"What I do with my men is my business," he replied harshly. "Now it's quite obvious that you, your brother, and this other girl that Hampton mentioned, are not part of the colonists group. That means you're not important to me. So you either do as I say, or I'll shoot you. Right here, right now. And I don't really care which. And if you should run and get away, remember that the other girl is still at the cage."

His expression was cold, and Jennifer didn't doubt his intent for one moment. So without any further protest, she walked slowly back to the clearing with him. Every so often she would glance at him, but he never looked at her, or spoke to her once.

When they reached the clearing, Stephanie was already in the cage with the other children, and Beltran was standing there, waiting for them, the body of the small boy cradled in his arms. Everybody was quiet.

Thewel paused in front of Beltran, who said, "Eight years old, Commander! A kid that age has no right being shot in the back."

Thewel didn't reply. Instead he looked at the dead child for a brief moment before he walked Jennifer to the entrance of the cage. There, another soldier opened the door, and she was pushed to her knees and shoved inside.

Jennifer felt the soldier's hand under her skirt as he roughly grabbed the back of her thigh, his fingers probing her as he pushed her in. She reached back quickly and clawed at his hand with her nails before he could let go. She drew blood, but it didn't wipe the smug expression from the soldier's face as he slammed the door shut behind her.

Stephanie, Cary, and Anolt were all waiting for her inside, and Jennifer was greeted enthusiastically. Other children patted her on the back, and even Mia had to fight for a hug. She was the only one who could stand upright. The roof of the cage was so low, that all of the other children had to stay on their knees.

"Are you alright?" Stephanie asked her, anxiously. "I was really worried about you! We all were!"

"Yes, I'm fine," Jennifer replied, rubbing her bottom. "They didn't get me, Steff. I was lucky. That guy is their boss, and I don't think he's too happy."

Jennifer was right. She watched as Thewel walked right up to Hampton, until they were nose to nose.

"Why is it, Hampton, that every time I leave you in charge, everything turns to rat shit?" Thewel demanded.

"I'm sorry, Sir! I'm doing my best, Sir!" Hampton replied smartly. There were beads of sweat on his brow.

Thewel stepped away from him, shaking his head. "You know how important these children are to me, and still you let this happen. What am I going to do with you?"

Thewel turned his back on Hampton, sighed, and then turned around again. Almost immediately, several bullets hit Hampton's chest, and he fell dead. Thewel's movements had been quick, but almost casual, as he had raised his gun and fired. Now he turned away again and shouted out his orders as if they were on a parade ground.

"Beltran, get them both buried! Scott, you're promoted, as of now!"

Susan was in shock. "Are you telling me that if we don't sort things out by tonight, we could be stuck here for another twenty- eight years?" she exclaimed.

"That's exactly right, hen," Cameron replied.

Then Soo-Kai added, "Only if no one escapes."

"What do you mean?" Susan quickly asked her. "Could it be longer than that? Not that twenty-eight years isn't enough anyway!"

"If Vin-Ra, or anyone else, manages to escape, then the ship above will not come back at all." Soo-Kai spoke so casually, and in such a matter-of-fact way, that it would have been easy to think that none of this concerned her.

There was a slight pause while Susan and Cameron exchanged glances.

Susan saw the look on Cameron's face and said, "You didn't know about that, did you?"

He shook his head. "I only got here a day before you, remember. You know as much as I do now."

"We need to do something," Susan said. "And quickly."

"Aye, but we cannae do anything without help," Cameron pointed out. "Like you said, everything we need is in that damned castle. We have to get in there, rescue our children, and try and get back home through the Window. And we have to do all that tonight, or we could be stuck here forever."

"Then let's go for it!" Susan was suddenly enthusiastic. "Where is this castle?" She looked at Cameron and Soo-Kai.

"It is on the other side of the valley," Soo-Kai replied.

"And how long will it take us to get there?" Susan asked her rather impatiently.

"About an hour, depending on how fast we walk."

"Then lets go!" Susan stood up, ready to go immediately.

Cameron was more subdued. "Now hold on," he said. "Donnae be so hasty. It's no' as so simple as that."

"But what else is there to think about? Frederick and what's her name, Vin-Ra, hold all the cards." Susan reeled them off one by one on her fingers. "She's got the Window thingy to use tonight. He's got the children of the other lot on the space ship, so they're stuck. He's got all the other children from round about so that his girlfriend can't sneak off without him. And he's got our children, too. I don't know about you, but I want my children back as soon as I can."

Cameron was trying to be realistic. "Look, Susan, the Window doesnae work properly, and even if it does, Vin-Ra is no' going to just let us walk in there and use it. And the same goes for the children. We need help, Susan. We cannae do this alone."

"But what about...." Susan began, and looked at Soo-Kai. Something about her expression made her stop.

It was a moment before Soo-Kai spoke. And as she spoke, she seemed thoughtful. "I am curious as to what takes place at the castle. Once before the castle was the focus of evil, when another Outsider dwelled within and brought death and fire to the forrest. At that time Rolf and I investigated it together. But now Rolf is old and frail. His mind fails him. I cannot abandon him, and I will not help you without his order."

"What about the others?" Susan asked her.

"They will only do what I tell them, and I will only obey Rolf."

"But he wouldn't refuse to help us," Susan pleaded.

"Two of those he considers to be his children are dead. He may not wish to lose more. You may ask him. He will still be awake, because the others have not yet left his side. If he agrees, and he orders me to go with you, then we will help you. But if he does not, you must not ask him again. I will not allow it."

Susan looked questioningly at Cameron. He sighed. "This is the same as what happened yesterday," he said. "When I found out that someone else might come through the Window like Stephanie and me, I asked Rolf if he would let Soo-Kai and the others help me try to rescue who ever it was. He agreed, and you know what happened after that. But with Soo-El and Mai-Chen dead, I donnae think he will be too ready to agree this time."

"But he has to!"

"Why?" Soo-Kai asked her. "You can live here. It would not be the first time. Ellerkan is not a bad place, and you could have more children." Her words were logical, straight forward, and rather callous.

"I can't just abandon Michael and Jennifer!" Susan exclaimed. "How could you suggest such a thing?"

"You will not be abandoning them," Soo-Kai replied. "Once the ship above is gone the children will have no value to Fred-Rick or to Vin-Ra, they may both be returned to you unharmed."

"But what if they aren't?" Susan demanded, her voice raised and passionate. "What if Frederick has them all killed out of spite? He could do it, couldn't he? You said he was erratic! What then?"

Susan had become emotional, but Soo-Kai remained calm when she replied. "If we attack the castle, some of us will certainly die, and even then, we may not be successful. You could still be without your children, only this time, we would be dead, and Rolf would also be left on his own."

Susan stared at Soo-Kai. She realised how much importance she put on the welfare of her husband. Everything she did depended on him. She never thought about herself. Soo-Kai only thought about Rolf, about how he would survive if she wasn't there to look after him as he grew more infirm and forgetful. Susan couldn't hate her for that, and she also couldn't argue against her motives. But she had to get her children back. She looked desperately at Cameron.

"I'll ask him," Cameron said, getting to his feet.

Susan stood up, quickly. "I'm coming with you!"

"No. You stay here with Soo-Kai. I can talk to him better on ma own."

"But-"

"No buts. Just wait here. I'm telling you, it'll be better this way. I'll be back in a minute."

Susan sat down again and watched Cameron walk towards the little cottage and disappear inside. Now she was alone with Soo-Kai.

Susan turned to face her, and found Soo-Kai was already on her knees, watching her intently, her head slightly to one side. It was beginning to be a familiar trait.

"What is it like to be a human female?" Soo-Kai asked before Susan could say anything.

The question took Susan by surprise. "Em..er..what do you mean?" was all she managed to say.

"How do you think? What do you think about? How do you feel?"

"The same as you, I suppose. How do you feel and think?"

"Ah!" Soo-Kai said with a sigh. "I am not like you. I look like you. But this is by design. I am a false person."

Soo-Kai spoke as if their previous discussion hadn't happened, as if she didn't care about Rolf's decision, one way or the other. Now she thought a moment before continuing, her head tilted even more to one side.

"I find it difficult to talk with you and Cam-Ron. It is not the same as it is with Rolf. I am bonded to Rolf, and I have been with him for many years. This has affected my thinking, but my instincts towards other humans is still guided by my programming. Even so, I am curious about how humans think and behave, and I would like to know more."

The return of her children was always upper-most in Susan's mind. But the things Soo-Kai spoke about, and her great age, made Susan burn with curiosity. There was something very interesting about Soo-Kai and the other Destroyers, interesting and almost attractive. There were so many questions that Susan wanted to ask. If only she knew that her children were at her side, safe and sound, she would have been content and eager to sit and talk with Soo-Kai all day. But now, with them missing....

"I think about my children," Susan said. "I think about where they are, who they are with, and whether they are alright." As she spoke, Susan became more emotional and tearful. "I keep wondering if they are in danger, or if someone is hurting them. Are they injured? Are they still alive....?"

Soo-Kai moved closer to Susan and took her in her arms. Susan almost welcomed it, and cried on her shoulder.

"I worry so much," she wailed. "I can't stand it!"

Soo-Kai held Susan tightly, staring off into the distance. "I know this feeling. When I am separated from Rolf, I worry like this for him. His life is my life. When it ends, my life will end also."

Susan had her arms around Soo-Kai's waist and her head on Soo- Kai's shoulder. For some reason it felt very comforting being so close to her. She felt relaxed, more at ease.

"You won't die," she said, drying her eyes. "I know the idea of it feels bad, and if I lost Jennifer and Michael I think I would die, too. But you've lived a long time and you still look young and healthy. You'll do what other people do. You'll just go on."

"No, I will die."

"Why should you die?"

"Because I would wish it."

Susan lifted her head and looked into Soo-Kai's eyes. There was a great sadness in those eyes, and Susan could almost feel the power of her intent.

"You love him that much?"

"My life started when he came to me. It will end when he leaves me."

Susan was astonished and somehow, slightly jealous. "I wish I could find someone to love that much."

"You have your children," Soo-Kai replied, watching Susan intently, her head tilted to one side as before.

For a moment they were very close, and Susan felt an almost sexual attraction. It embarrassed her, and she moved away quickly. But even as she let go of Soo-Kai, she felt a regret at the parting.

"I'm sorry," she said, rubbing the tears more briskly from her eyes and face. "I shouldn't get so worked up. But I worry about Michael and Jennifer so much I can't help it. We all get like that I suppose. It's not knowing, you see. It drives me crazy. I don't know what's happened to them, we've been apart all night, and I just don't know what to think. They've never been out all night on their own. I mean, Jennifer has slept over at friends houses, but that's different, isn't it? It's not like I didn't know where she was, or who she was with....and....and..."

Susan ran out of steam and just sat and stared at Soo-Kai.

Soo-Kai smiled at her. It was a sad, knowing smile.

"You are very strange, and very confusing. You say many things, but they do not always have the same meaning as the words intended. I find you very interesting. It has been a long time since I was in the company of other humans apart from Rolf. I find human males and females to be very different. When Cam-Ron speaks with me, his words often match the response of his body, where as yours are often conflicting. Your body says one thing, but your words say another. This intrigues me. I like you Soo-Zan, and if Rolf commands it, I will be content to help you find your children."

Susan felt herself growing red. Did Soo-Kai actually mean she knew what she had been feeling? Nah! She couldn't have! Or could she? Susan went even more red. But she had to know.

"How could you know what my body says -I mean feels? What did you mean by that?"

"My senses are very powerful. I can taste the response of your body in the air, and through contact. It is as precise as the words you speak, but always truthful."

"And what was I feeling?" Susan asked, almost preying that Soo- Kai would get it wrong.

"You were becoming sexually aroused by my presence, and now you are embarrassed of my knowledge of this. You should not feel this way, it is not unexpected or unnatural."

Susan was by now a human imitation of a tomato. "How can you say that? Of course it's unnatural!"

"I am not like you, Soo-Zan. The chemistry of my body is as powerful as my senses. There is a Purpose in this. It is aimed at the males of other races who we need to procreate. But it is not unexpected that it should also affect the females. Everything you see in me is by design. It is I that is unnatural."

Now Susan's curiosity had to be satisfied. "You said something before about being a clone. You mentioned a name. Was that your mother?"

Soo-Kai shook her head. "No, it was not my mother, it was the race that created us. They were called the Tun-Sho-Lok. I am like them, but different. I and all my sisters have been genetically designed and based on their structure. We are not human, but we are living creatures. We are a single sex race that is long lived and self replicating. We breathe, eat, excrete, reproduce and we can be killed. But we do not grow old and die. We are clones of the Tun-Sho-Lok, a combination of micro-biotic technology and genetic engineering designed for a specific Purpose."

"Micro-biotic technology? That sounds a bit like nano-technology, I've heard of that," Susan said brightly.

As a doctor, she was expected to keep abreast of the latest medical developments and advances. She had read a lot about genetics and cloning, and about their affects on the medical world and in industry. But where they drew a lot of attention in the media and from environmentalists and theologists, nano-technology was almost ignored. Susan was almost happy to explain her knowledge.

"It's to do with the design and construction of extremely small and simple components, or mechanisms, but at the molecular level. They carry out one very simple function. I've read a couple of papers on it. They want to use chemical versions of it against resistant viruses, or to create anti-toxins or vaccines. They even think it might work against some cancers."

Soo-Kai seemed uninterested in Susan's information. "I know nothing of it's other purposes, only it's affect on us. These small components, or mechanisms as you call them, have been incorporated into our genetic structure. It gives us the power and the ability to complete the Purpose the Tun-Sho-Lok gave us: To hunt down and kill all other sentient beings who do not match the genetic structure of the Tun-Sho-Lok themselves. It is an evil Purpose, a revenge against those that exterminated the Tun- Sho-Lok in a race war many years ago. Because of this, they made us evil and unforgiving."

Soo-Kai lowered her head when she had finished speaking. Susan looked at her, and somehow she knew what she was feeling. Soo-Kai was ashamed of what she was.

Soo-Kai suddenly raised her head. "Do I frighten you?" she asked, and reached out to take Susan's hand. "I do not want you to be frightened of me. I will not hurt you. Please do not be frightened of me."

She spoke eagerly, pleadingly, and Susan couldn't feel frightened of her. Something about Soo-Kai was disarming and attractive. She was a little like a small child wanting to make new friends and learn new things. She was full of curiosity, and eager to please.

"No, you don't frighten me," Susan said. "It's just that I find it difficult to understand everything. I'm not used to this."

"With my mind in compression, you must understand that I am not used to this either. I do not remember everything, Soo-Zan, only that which is tactically advantageous. But what I do remember I will tell you. You have only to ask."

Susan didn't need a second invitation. "If part of you is nano- technology, which bit of you is which?"

Soo-Kai let go of Susan's hand and reached up, behind her head. She tilted her head to one side and reached for something behind her back. Susan thought she was reaching for her long plat of red hair. Instead Soo-Kai drew a large silver broadsword apparently out of the back of her neck. She held it up for a moment. It glinted in the sun. Then she turned it to point downwards and stuck it into the ground in between them.

Susan swallowed. She stared at the sword warily, then she pointed at it. "That came out of your back, didn't it? You haven't got a secret pocket in your jacket, have you? That actually did come out of your back!"

"Yes. It contains part of my nervous system, taken from my spinal column. The handle contains part of the cerebral-cortex from my brain. The rest is mainly micro-biotic technology, or nano-technology as you called it."

"You mean it thinks?"

"Only what I want it to think. It is part of me. When the power is on, I can manipulate it to take any shape or form. When the power is off, it reverts to this standard form. It must be in this standard form when removed or re-inserted in my back."

Susan remembered the silver rifles from the night before. "Are all the other women the same?"

"Yes and no. All of us were designed with the Purpose. To seek out and destroy the enemy. Each of us carries the genetic code of those who are the same as us, and so must be protected. All those who do not match this genetic code must be destroyed."

"But how can you do that? We have computers working day and night just cataloguing the gene sequences in human DNA. How can you do a comparison quick enough to have any effect?"

Soo-Kai pointed at her head. "This is more powerful than any machine or computer. My instincts are programmed in genetically. At my birth I awake for the first time with the knowledge of the Purpose already established in my mind. I inherit my mother's memories. I know instantly who I am, where I am, the out come of the last battle, where the enemy lies, and the disposition of their forces. My first act is to taste and smell my siblings, analysing their genetic code and comparing it with my own. I repeat the process with everyone I meet.

"Even as you sit before me on the grass, I know every gene sequence in your chromosomes. I know which ones are dormant, and which ones are active. I know the extent of your failure to match the code of the Tun-Sho-Lok. If I were not bonded to Rolf, I would kill you with out further thought. Only through the bond am I free of the Purpose. But it was not always so."

Susan watched Soo-Kai as she spoke. She had become almost withdrawn. She spoke dispassionately, a far away look in her eyes. And what she said was deeply enthralling.

"For most of my life I followed the Purpose with my sisters. Constantly seeking out and destroying those that did not match the code of the Tun-Sho-Lok, spreading throughout the galaxy, and killing all that we found. And so it had always been. Some of us had stayed in the centre, consolidating territory won in battle, while others moved out to the edges of the galaxy, pushing the frontiers of our sphere of influence forward, always expanding.

"Then, during the Navak revolt, when the forces from the frontiers returned to give support to those at the centre, we found that those from the Outside no longer genetically matched those from the Inside. Because we are genetically different, we fight, and can never be reconciled.

"My mind forgets many things, Soo-Zan. But the sight of our own battle fleets destroying one another will stay with me forever. They tore into each other without thought. Ships blew each other to pieces. Others even rammed one another. Whole fleets were completely destroyed. The fire and debris in space was so dense with the fragments and burning hulks of dying ships, that intact ships could not fly through, and collided with them and exploded.

"Many of us did not yet understand what was happening, and tried to intervene, to stop the disaster. Some of our ships even flew between those that fought, but they were fired upon, and smashed to pieces.

"For a while, even the Navak could not understand or believe what was happening. The ship I was on flew close to a ship from one of the Navak fleets, without either side firing a shot, so transfixed were the gunners by what they saw. But then the Navak fleets did begin to move. They had finally realised what was happening, and seized their opportunity. Our fleets were all destroyed. And millions of us perished in the time that followed as the Navak hunted us down, chasing us from planet to planet."

"What happened to you?" Susan asked, entranced by her story.

"The ship I was on survived and eventually came here, to a planet far out on the periphery that was still under the control of Destroyers. But they were Outsiders, so when we arrived we bombarded it, destroying the city of Ellerkan, and everything else that stood before we landed. Many of the humans died in the bombardment along with the Outsiders who had enslaved them.

"The ship above came soon after. The Navak had been pursuing our ship across space, and as soon as they arrived, the ships fired at one another. Our ship was destroyed, and now lies broken and buried under the castle. But the ship above was also damaged, and it's Navak crew had to descend in an assault craft. It's wreckage can still be seen poking up through the ground where it landed in the forrest.

"After this, the story is as I told you before. The survivors from the Navak ship settled and interbred with the people here, and everything for the humans is now history. But for us, the Inside, Outside war still continues. Vin-Ra and those with her are Outsiders, while Chen-Soo, Kai-Tai and those with her, are Insiders. I and those Rolf calls his children, are also Insiders, although Bey-Jai, Ann-Di, Lai-Chen and Tai-Zen are genetically flawed, as Bey-Jai explained to you."

There was a slight pause after Soo-Kai had finished speaking while Susan absorbed it all. Soo-Kai just sat and watched her, as if waiting for her next question. She didn't have to wait long.

"Who were the Navak?"

"They were the race that gave us the name the Gest Hroya. They were compatible to us, as you are. Because we could breed with them, we kept some of them alive. They were very clever, and secretly invented a weapon that prevented the operation of the micro-biotic technology in our bodies. We could still remove and replace our swords, but we could no longer manipulate them. Until then, we had no use for the weapons of other races, but now we were virtually defenceless. Only in space, with vast fleets at our disposal, were we still in command. But the Navak rallied together all the other surviving races against us, and the war began."

"What happened to them?" Susan asked.

"I cannot say if they still exist in other parts of the galaxy, but their descendants live here, on Ellerkan. Rolf's blue eyes and fair hair came from them."

"And what happened to the Tun-Sho-Lok?"

"They are all dead."

It was a cold and unemotional answer. Susan wasn't surprised. Soo-Kai had said that she would answer her questions, and she had been as good as her word. But only when she had described the space battles of the Inside, Outside war had she shown any real emotion. Susan never doubted that she had actually been there and experienced it. But the Tun-Sho-Lok were a distant legend to Soo- Kai. They had given her an evil purpose in life, a purpose Susan now knew Soo-Kai despised. So it came as no surprise that Soo-Kai had no love for them. And, anyway, they were probably all dead long before she was born.

"You said before that Bey-Jai and the others were 'genetically flawed'. What does that actually mean?"

Soo-Kai pointed to her head again. "Something is not correct in their brains. All our instincts are programmed in genetically. This ensures that we all behave correctly. But with them, one of these instincts is not there. They cannot compare the DNA of others, and so they have no instinct to kill."

Susan thought about that for a moment before asking a question that interested her greatly.

"Tell me what being bonded means," she now asked.

"We are a single sex race, so we need the males of other races to reproduce. Liaisons can be both casual and permanent. Casual liaisons are the most usual, while permanent bonds are rare, but very fruitful. A bond with a single male brings a rare stability to our lives, and with it the ability to produce many off-spring. Because of this they are very desirable. However, they can only be initiated by a human male who must willingly choose one of us first, and there are several steps to be taken that must all be passed correctly before the bond is complete.

"Because permanent bonds are built on trust and loyalty between both partners to the exclusion of all else, it is the only time when one of us can be turned from the Purpose. This separates us from our sisters, and can sometimes lead to conflict. But the same genetic instincts in our brains that make us accept the bond, also prevents us from interfering in the bonds of others. These instincts are so powerful, that only an imminent threat to our racial survival can overturn them. Because of this, Kai-Tai or Chen-Soo may kill you, but they would not harm Rolf."

"How did you and Rolf become bonded?"

"I became bonded to Rolf because he cared for me and protected me when I was most vulnerable. He completed all the steps that were required. I will never harm him, or leave him. And I will always obey him."

"No matter what he asks?"

"There is nothing I will refuse him."

"You've been with Rolf a long time, Soo-Kai, so why didn't you have any actual children of your own? You said that was one of the reasons why a bond was desirable."

"Rolf and I are not genetically compatible," Soo-Kai replied, almost too casually. "We tried to produce off-spring, but the results were not good, and they died. This hurt Rolf very much, and we did not try again."

"I'm sorry," Susan replied. She meant it, too. But she still had to ask. "Why was that? Why couldn't you have children?"

"When I and my sisters first came here, we found that we could not breed with the native population of this planet, although the Outsiders could. This was why we cared nothing for them, and treated them so badly. We killed them in great numbers, without remorse or conscience, so maybe now you can understand why they hate us, Soo-Zan.

"However, the Navak people who pursued us here could breed with them, and have done so over the many generations since they came here. We could always breed with the Navak, so for a while we could also breed successfully, because the genes of the Navak people were still strong.

"In those days it was not difficult for either an Insider or an Outsider to find a compatible male. But that was many years ago. Now the genes of the Navak people has spread throughout the population. The mix is so equal that neither Insider nor Outsider can breed successfully. That is why there are very few of us left now. And as those of us that are killed are not replaced, our numbers fall even lower. Soon we will all be gone."

Susan paused to think again before asking, "Is that also how Bey-Jai and the others became 'genetically flawed'?"

"Yes. As the genes of the Navak people diminished, it became harder to reproduce while still maintaining genetic purity. Normally, those born with genetic flaws are terminated, but as our numbers fell, this did not always happen. Even so, those that are genetically flawed are unacceptable to those that remain genetically pure, and most are killed before they reach maturity. Bey-Jai and the others would all have been killed if they had not been brought to Rolf and I. Even I would have despised them, but Rolf asked me to care for them, and together we grew them up. Now Rolf is saddened by those that are gone. But his mind grows weak, and he forgets, and I am unsure of his sanity if I, too, were to be killed. But whatever I think, I will still abide by Rolf's decision."

Susan was about to ask her another question when she saw Soo-Kai staring passed her. Susan turned to look at the little cottage, and saw that Cameron was coming back with the other four women.

Even before Susan could see his expression, Soo-Kai knew what Rolf's answer had been, and she sighed forlornly.

"For good, or bad, we go with you Soo-Zan."

Michael was lost for words. For a while he didn't even understand what she had meant, but when he did, he went bright red. He just couldn't help it.

She stared at him, tilting her head to one side, curious at his strange and unexpected response. But she waited patiently for him to answer.

Finally, Michael burst out, "But I can't!"

"You do not wish to copulate?" she asked him, even more curious now.

"Yes!"

"Then we will copulate."

"No! I mean I want to, but I can't!"

"Why? You are not incapable." She looked at him more closely. "When we stood together I felt your excitement, so why do you refuse me?"

Even though it wasn't physically possible, Michael's face was going a deeper shade of red as the conversation went on.

"I don't! I mean I'm not! I want to, but- Oh, bother!" Michael was getting himself all confused. "I do want to, but I can't because I'm not supposed to," he finally managed to explain.

"Do you belong to some religious order?"

Now Michael looked puzzled. "No."

"Do the males in your race practice celibacy?"

"What? Oh, no. I mean some might, but not me. No, it's because I'm not old enough, that's all."

She looked curious again, but now her eyes narrowed. "How old must you be?"

"Sixteen."

"Is this when you will be considered an adult, and so fully responsible?"

"Nah, I have to wait until I'm eighteen before they stop calling me a kid. Only after that can I do what I want. But sex is okay at sixteen."

That seemed to puzzle her even more. "How old are you?"

"Fifteen." Then Michael quickly added, "And five months!"

She was silent now, staring at him closely, her eyes still narrow. Then she asked, "Can both males and females copulate above this age?"

"Yes, but until then, it's not allowed for girls or boys. I'd like to! Honest, I really would! Strewth, I think you're gorgeous! But if I did, and my mum found out, she'd kill me!"

Her eyes opened wide again as understanding dawned on her at last and she nodded. "You are sexually mature and capable, but the dictates of your society does not permit its young to copulate until they are older than sixteen years of age. And they are not considered to be an adult, and so fully responsible, until they are eighteen years of age. This I understand. Come with me."

She grabbed Michael's hand and he was suddenly dragged away. She walked very fast, and he had to trot to keep up.

"Where are we going?" he asked her.

"Somewhere safe," she replied. She recovered her corset-thing and then her sword, placing it in her back as she walked along.

Michael stared in fascination. "How do you do that?"

"I will explain everything to you later. But first we must be safe, and then I must know who you are."

Michael had no option but to go with her, and in a few moments they had left the rock pool, and the sound of the water began to fade behind them. They walked up a small slope, the trees growing more densely all around them. Soon they reached a small stream, and Michael guessed that it must be one of the streams he had seen emptying into the rock pool. She led him along the edge of the stream, still walking fast. The leaves and foliage were much more dense here, and without the stream, Michael would have soon been hopelessly lost. That thought worried him.

"You aren't going to leave me out here, are you?" he asked her.

She immediately stopped and stared down at him. "I would not does this to you. You must drive all these wild thoughts from your mind. You and I are as one now, so you must learn to trust me. Come, I take you to the place where I live and sleep, I take you to my home in the forrest. There we can talk and learn more about one another."

Her home comprised of a little shelter that led to a small cave in the side of a hill. The shelter was skilfully constructed, and almost invisible to the eye in it's position between the trees, so dense was the foliage and the leaves. Saplings, branches, and long grass had all been twisted and woven together to make a small door and entrance way that completely hid the cave behind it. Inside, more grass had been woven into matting that covered the floor. The cave was long, but not very high. There was just enough room for one or two people to sit or sleep in comfort. Part of the floor was raised, and was covered in more matting and even some blankets. It was obviously her bed. It all looked very harsh and spartan.

She led him inside, and Michael looked around with great interest. It was her private place, where she slept and stayed most days. And inside were gathered all of her belongings. Michael managed to see a small wooden bowl and spoon, some bracelets and other trinkets, and something that looked like a red plastic lolly-stick. And, most strangely, a very tattered looking little girl's dress. Michael hardly had the time to take it all in before she had urged him away, pushing him outside again. There was a brief pause before she followed him out.

"I didn't disturb anything," Michael said. "I was only looking."

"You may look as much as you wish," she told him. "I will hide nothing from you. But first we must talk. You must tell me who you are, where you have come from, and why you are here."

And that's what they did.

It took a while for Michael to explain everything to her, but she listened patiently, watching him intently as the two of them lay on the grass outside the little shelter together.

It was quiet and peaceful, and the few sunbeams that managed to penetrate the tree canopy above them played patterns on the grass and their bodies, gently warming them. Nearby, the small stream gurgled quietly to itself as it rushed by.

When Michael described his mother and sister, she wanted to know what they looked like. Michael quickly rummaged in his mother's handbag and took out her driving licence and some photographs. But they weren't the only things to come out of the bag. Before he could stop her, she had taken the bag from him and emptied it out on the grass. She carefully examined every single item.

Near the end, when Michael had almost finished his story, she took off her jacket and boots and cast them aside. She lay on the grass on her back, her right leg, nearest to Michael, flat out, whilst her left leg was drawn up, knee bent. The contents of the handbag ended up strewn around her head as she examined them once more. The bag itself lay open nearby. One by one, she picked up each item, examined it, and placed it carefully back inside the handbag. Finally, there was only the photographs and the driving licence left.

When he finished his story, Michael lay on his side next to her, propping his head up with his left hand. She asked no questions, so now neither of them spoke. She was now concentrating on the photographs she had found, and Michael was happy to just be close to her. The white top she wore hardly covered her, and he kept looking at her body, seeing the texture of her skin on her stomach and abdomen, and on her chest and throat. He watched her breathe, and all he could think about was touching her again.

As they lay there in silence together, Michael grew bold once more. He glanced up at her face and slowly reached out his hand to touch her. He lay his right hand over her abdomen, feeling the softness and the warmth of her skin. As before, she made no move to stop him. She was far too busy looking at the photographs. She kept picking one up and comparing it with the picture on his mother's driving licence, staring at it closely, then putting it down again.

Michael felt marvellous. He still couldn't believe that he was actually lying here next to her. He couldn't believe that she was real. He stared at her face, watching her look at the picture of his mother on the driving licence again. She held the licence above her head in one hand, and in her other hand she held another picture. This was a picture of the three of them that his mother always kept in her handbag. It had been taken a couple of years ago. Michael watched her blue eyes flick from one picture to the other, and back again.

She was so beautiful. And she was so relaxed, and straight forward. She didn't act or treat him like the other girls at school did. He always felt so embarrassed around them, especially near a girl he liked. He never knew what to say, or do. He felt the urge to talk to them, to say something, anything. But he never knew what. And when he did say something, he would always get it wrong. And they always seemed to have a much more clever reply.

Sometimes he would see a girl he had tried to talk to, talking and laughing together with her friends. He was sure they were laughing at him. Or he would see a girl he liked with another boy. They would be going out together, an item. Why were the other boys his age better at talking to girls than he was?

Michael sighed.

He turned to look at her body again, running his hand over her abdomen and stomach. She was slightly muscular, and definitely athletic looking, but she wasn't overly big. In fact her muscle tone only served to increase the appeal of her body and figure. Michael ran his hand slowly back over her abdomen again, his fingers pulling gently at her navel. As his hand rested there for a while, he could feel her breathing, her abdomen slowly rising and falling.

Michael remembered how she had looked standing by the rock pool. He remembered how he had wanted so much to be able to touch her. And now here he was, lying right next to her, and doing exactly that. He couldn't think about anything else except her. All he could think about was how beautiful she was, and how she didn't seem to mind him touching her like this. And her skin felt so smooth and silky, he just loved touching her.

Michael was falling in love.

He had never seen or met anyone like her before in his entire life, and now that he had found her, he couldn't imagine living his life without her. She had to be his friend, she had to stay with him. He definitely wanted to stay with her.

"You like my abdomen?" she asked, casually. "You caress it many times."

"Yes, I like your tummy. I like the way it has a little sort of hill, with your tummy-button on top." He lay his head against her side, bringing his eyes level with her abdomen, and ran his hand over her again, feeling the outline of the now gentle contours.

"But now that you're lying down, it's almost flat. But it's still there. And I like the way it feels, sort of soft and silky. I like the way all your skin feels. And I like your body and your shape."

He moved his hand from her abdomen to her waist, moving his hand back and forth along her side, feeling her narrow shape. Then he moved his hand further along her side to her armpit, feeling the way her chest grew wider as his hand moved higher. Then he moved his hand back down again, passing her waist and going over the curve of her hips as he traced her shape. Finally his hand came to rest back over her abdomen again, his thumb in her navel and his fingers pushing a little way under the top of her leggings.

"We can still copulate if you wish," she said.

Michael was briefly undecided. But his mother would kill him, or worse. "No, I better not. At least not until you've met my mum. If she says it's okay, then it's okay."

"Will she say it is okay before you are sixteen?"

Michael shook his head and sighed. "Probably not."

"Tell me their names."

"My mother is called Susan. She's the one in both pictures. The other girl is my sister, Jennifer. And the other one is me, but I was a bit younger then."

"Soo-Zan, Jen-Four and Mike-El," she said, still looking at the pictures. "You are alone here?"

"Yes. Apart from that man I told you about, but I don't know who he was. And I hardly saw him before he ran off with mum and Jennifer."

"Then you ran into me, and stopped the troopers from killing me."

She put the licence and the photographs back in the handbag, and propped herself up on her elbows, watching him intently. "Why did you follow me, and not the path I gave you? Why did you not leave me when I asked you? And why did you release me from your trap, and offer me food?"

Her questions came quickly and calmly. Now she waited for him to answer, her head tilted to one side.

Michael looked at her. Why did she look so marvellous sitting here in front of him? Her long plat reached the ground beneath her, coiled in the grass like a bright, straw coloured snake. And strands of her hair near her forehead, that were not long enough to be caught up in the plat, hung down on either side of her face as she sat and waited patiently for him to answer.

"Because I like you," he said slowly. "I suppose I liked you from the moment I first saw you last night, lying on the ground, after we'd bumped into each other. You looked sort of....cute. And this morning, when I woke up and you weren't there, I was sad. I didn't even know if you were alright, I thought you'd been shot, remember? I wanted to see you again, and talk to you. I saw the arrows you left and I followed them. And when I saw you with those other women, I followed you."

Michael felt a little embarrassed, talking to her about his feelings, and even more so when he thought about how he had sat and watched her washing in the pool. But, so far, everything about her had made him feel more confident. She had told him to trust her, and he did. He felt that he could talk to her about anything.

His hand was still on her abdomen and her skin felt hot. Or was it him? He removed his hand and sat up.

"You don't mind that I watched you in the water?" he asked her.

"No. Your look did not hurt me. What is 'cute'?" She looked puzzled as she asked the question.

"It means sort of sweet." Still the puzzled look. "You looked nice, you know? Appealing?"

"I looked nice and appealing when I was lying on the ground unconscious?"

Michael felt his face going red. "I didn't mean it like that," he said.

"I know what you meant. Do not worry, Mike-El. And do not be frightened of me. Say what is in your mind and what you feel. Do not be shy, I will understand, and I will not be angry with you. Now continue. You followed me because you liked the way I looked, this I can understand and accept. But why did you not leave when I asked you to?"

Michael's embarrassment quickly subsided. There was something about her, the way she looked at him, and the way she spoke to him, that immediately made him feel more relaxed and at ease. Somehow he knew that she wouldn't be upset by anything he told her. He looked at her face as she waited for his next answer. She had such a soft and gentle expression, her bright blue eyes friendly but sad. Her head was now tilted even more to one side, and one of the loose strands of hair now lay across her cheek, near her mouth. She shifted her weight onto one elbow, and reached up with her other hand to sweep the strand of hair back behind her ear. Then she went back to leaning on both elbows.

Michael took the plunge. "I didn't want to leave you because I think I love you -no, I do love you!" he added quickly. "I know some people might say that I'm being silly, that I'm too young to know about love. But I do. I love you and I want to stay with you."

"Are you sure?"

Michael nodded. "I'm sure."

There was a pause. Then she tilted her head the opposite way and said, softly, "Do you know what you do with me?"

"What do you mean?"

"Why did you not approach me when I was in the water?"

"Because I didn't want to frighten you."

She nodded. "You watched me naked and wet, but did not approach. This was correct. It would not have been acceptable for you to come to me in that way." She spoke in such a matter of fact sort of way that any implied danger didn't register with Michael. "But when you did approach, and I was driven to the edge of the gorge, why did you then move back and sit down?"

"I didn't realise that I was still frightening you," Michael answered. "It wasn't intentional. I mean, how was I to know? You had the sword. But when you told me, I thought it was the best thing to do to make you feel more relaxed."

"And the sweet tasting food?"

Michael smiled, remembering her chocolate stained face before she had washed it in the stream. "You liked the chocolate, didn't you?"

"I have never tasted such a thing before. But please, answer."

Michael shrugged his shoulders. "My mum always says that eating together is a sign of friendship. It brings people together. I guess it was the best thing I could think of to try and make friends with you." Michael still couldn't believe how successful that had been.

She nodded slowly, thoughtfully. "Your thinking was correct, you do know what you do." She laid her head and shoulders back down on the grass again. She drew up her right leg, knee bent like her left, and arching her back, she reached with her hand to pull free her plat which had got pinned underneath her. Finally, she lay her arms straight out on either side of her, and closed her eyes.

"Now, Mike-El, it is your turn. Ask me what you wish, and I will answer."

"What's your name?" The question shot into Michael's mind.

"My name is Chen-Soo."

"Chen-Soo. I like that!" Michael then asked the question that had annoyed him all morning. "Why did you leave me last night? You covered me up with your jacket and you just went! Why did you do that?"

"It was not my choice," she said, her eyes still closed. "After the troopers hit you on the head, they would have killed me. But Kai-Tai and three others of those you saw me with by the river today came upon them, and the troopers ran. I had to go with Kai- Tai. She would have killed you, but I told her what you did, that you tried to bond with me, and she relented. But she would not let me stay with you. So instead I covered you with my jacket, and marked the trail as I went. I knew that you would be safe where you were in the forrest, and that when you awoke, you would find my marks."

Michael looked at her laid out in front of him. She kept her eyes closed as she lay on her back on the grass. He felt so relaxed and safe with her, he would have been happy to talk and sit here like this all day.

"Who is this Kai-Tai? Why was she going to kill me? And why wouldn't she let you stay with me?" he asked her.

"Kai-Tai is the one who leads us. She would have killed you because you are not one of us. I told her that you had chosen me, and that you had completed the first two steps in forming the bond between us. She cannot interfere in the bonding process of another, so she had to let you live. But she still made me leave you, hoping that this would prevent you from completing the bond."

"What does this bond thing mean, then?"

"A bond is formed when a male like you chooses to be with one of us. The bond is permanent, and once formed the couple must stay together until one or both of them is dead. A bond with a male is desirable because of the stability it provides for long term reproduction."

Michael liked the sound of that. He was in favour of anything that might keep them together from now on. He reached out his hands to hold her right leg, feeling the muscles in her thigh. "That all sounds a bit like being married. So why was she against it?"

"Because if I am bonded to you, I will no longer follow the same path as her. Kai-Tai does not want this, so it still may not be safe for you to approach her, or any of the others who run with her. When one of the others found the marks I had been leaving for you to follow, she argued with me, and soon all of them turned against me."

"So that's what you were fighting about! I was frightened they were going to hurt you. I nearly shouted out when all the swords came out, but that other woman stopped it. And then I thought she was going to hurt you, too. I was pretty happy when they all went away."

"She was Kai-Tai. She warned me again not to complete the bond."

Michael hugged her thigh. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get you into trouble."

Chen-Soo opened her eyes and propped herself up on her elbows again. Her eyes were as sad as ever she looked at him. "There is no need to be sorry, Mike-El," she said. "I told you, a bond is desirable. But it brings with it many complications, and I was unsure of it's benefit at this time. I knew when I left you that if you were genuine you would find me, and when you did, I tried to make you leave, but you were more determined than I. Now I am content with the outcome. If there is any trouble to face, we will share it together."

Michael smiled at her. He continued to hug her thigh with his right arm, but now he put his left hand on her abdomen again. And after a slight pause he asked her, eagerly, "Tell me what I did right!"

"When I was unconscious, and looking 'cute', you chose to stay by my side," she said. "But you did not harm me or take advantage of me, even though I was vulnerable to you. This was the first correct step you took in forming the bond between us. And when the troopers came to kill me, you tried to protect me even though this could have led to your own death. This was the second step."

Michael watched her intently as she lay back down on the grass again. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, yawned, and stretched luxuriously in the warmth of the sun, her arms moving above her head, and her legs straightening out on the grass, her toes pointing. Michael had to let go of her thigh, but he kept his hand on her abdomen, feeling the muscles going taut as she arched her back. He watched as the raggedy white top she wore rode up a little before she finally relaxed. She kept her arms behind her head, as she now toyed with her plat, pulling at it and waving it about.

Michael removed his hand from her abdomen and lay down next to her again. "How many steps are there?" he asked her as he began to caress her bruised midriff with his fingers.

"There are five steps," Chen-Soo said, reaching out her hand to gently stroke his head, ruffling his hair. "First, you must approach me in a way that does not threaten me, but does leave you exposed to attack. You must offer me nourishment. You must not harm me when I am vulnerable. And you must protect me if my life is threatened, even if your own life might be lost by doing so. And finally, you must make sexual advances that leads to copulation."

Michael thought for a moment. He didn't remember making sexual advances to her. Then he remembered how he had touched her when she was eating the chocolate. "Oh, I've done them all, then?" he said. "Apart from the actual copulating bit."

"Yes, that is correct," she replied casually, still caressing his hair. "You have attempted all five of the requirements necessary to complete a true bond. But you have only fulfilled four of them. I have taken into account your age and the limits imposed upon you by your society, and I have accepted them. This means that you and I are now bonded, Mike-El. But the bond is not yet fixed. After seven months have passed, and you reach the age of sixteen, we must copulate, or the bond will be broken and I will kill you."

Jennifer was still exhausted. At least she was breathing more easily now. But she was so tired after all that running through the forrest that she just had to put her head down for a few minutes.

"I'm knackered," she told Stephanie.

"You're not the only one," Stephanie replied in a lazy voice. Her eyes were already half closed as she lay with her back propped up against the bars of the cage.

Maybe it was a combination of their long run and the warmth of the sun which was high in the sky above them, because all the children were slumped about, breathing softly. Mia was asleep in Anolt's arms, Cary nearby. They must all have been exhausted. Exhausted and depressed. One minute they were rescued and free, and the next minute....

Jennifer sighed and looked down at what remained of her tattered tights. One of the legs had become completely detached and was all rucked up around her ankle. She removed them and tossed them aside. She looked up to tell Stephanie that she was going to take a nap, but the younger girl was already sleeping. Jennifer lay down on her side, and the minute she put her head down, she too was asleep.

Their short nap had lengthened to over half an hour before Cary opened his eyes. He could hear voices. He looked up to see Thewel talking to another man. Amazingly, the other man was dressed in the livery of Prince Frederick, the red dragon emblem clearly visible on his chest. They were talking in that other language, the one Cary couldn't understand, the one Stephanie and Jennifer spoke. He looked across at Jennifer, intending to wake her, but then he saw her lying there on her side, her lower leg straight out, the other bent at the knee, propping her up. Her head was resting on her hands. She was sleeping so peacefully.

Cary moved closer to her, until he was sitting right behind her. He watched her sleeping for a while, before reaching down to move her hair from the side of her face. He looked at her face as she slept, stroking her hair. Slowly his eyes moved down to her chest, and he watched her breathing. Finally, his eyes moved down to stare at her long bare legs, protruding so invitingly from that short skirt she wore.

Cary glanced around quickly. Everyone was still asleep. And there were no soldiers in sight. He looked down at Jennifer's legs again. He couldn't resist this opportunity. Hesitantly, he placed his hand on her thigh and squeezed gently. She didn't stir. Cary softly moved his hand up her thigh, going under her skirt. Now his hand was on her hip. He squeezed her again, and still Jennifer didn't stir. Cary could feel something on her hip. It was very thin. He traced it around the front of her hip with his finger, and gently eased his finger underneath it. It seemed to give very easily as he pulled it away from her skin. Then it slipped off his finger and there was a noticeable snap!

Jennifer twitched and woke up. Cary quickly pulled his hand away as Jennifer reached back to rub her hip. Her eyes were still sleepy as she turned to look at him. Cary poked her hip with his finger as if he was waking her and pointed towards Thewel and the other man. Jennifer turned to look. She heard them talking, and suddenly she was wide awake.

Jennifer reached across to Stephanie and shook her. "Wake up, Steff!" she said in a loud whisper, and she went to kneel close to the bars next to her.

Stephanie was startled into awareness. "Wha...what?"

"Keep quiet and look over there and listen!" Jennifer told her. "There's something going on!"

Stephanie looked and listened. She could see Thewel and the other man, and she could just hear what they were saying. She sat up, quickly.

"Don't argue with me, L'Maine!" Thewel said. "You haven't got the firepower to take them back, and you know it! I think we proved that this morning."

"But we will have the firepower tonight!" L'Maine replied, his voice emotional. "And this time it will be the turn of your men to lie in their own blood!"

Jennifer and Stephanie were instantly captivated. They stared at the two men. And slowly, all the other children woke up and gathered around, staring silently through the bars with them.

"He must be from the castle," Stephanie said.

"I wonder what he's doing here?" Jennifer muttered. "And why is Thewel talking to him?"

The debate continued outside.

"Yeah, yeah." Thewel was saying, his tone dismissive. "That doesn't worry me for two good reasons. First, you and I both know that when that ship broadcasts, you won't have the time to mess around out here. And second, if we haven't got a deal, as soon as that ship starts to broadcast, I'm going to shoot them. You got that? I'm going to shoot every last Goddamn one of them."

Stephanie was horrified. "He's going to kill us!" she whispered nervously.

"He's going to sell us out!" Jennifer replied. "Thewel never intended to rescue us, he just needed us to trade for something. The heartless bastard!"

"Well I hope he gets it, or we're all dead tonight!" Stephanie's voice shook. She didn't even notice Jennifer's use of bad language, she was too scared. She knew that Thewel would keep his word, she had seen him kill that other man without a thought. She held her breath, waiting for L'Maine to answer.

L'Maine stared at Thewel intently, as if trying to read his mind, to see if he was telling the truth. Maybe he could read his mind, because a moment later L'Maine replied, "My Prince has asked me to acquire the children. This I must do. So I yield to your demands, Commander. You have your deal."

Stephanie breathed out. "Thank God for that!" Her relief was short lived.

"Not so easy, L'Maine. I need collateral if I'm to hand over these kids."

"The word of my Prince is not to be questioned!" L'Maine sounded insulted. "In return for the children you will have access to the underground chambers tonight. From there you can reach the data link machine you seek. This is his word!"

Thewel stepped closer to L'Maine. "Yeah, but I haven't got his word, have I?" he said, and he pointed at L'Maine and added, "I've got yours!"

"I am the agent of the Prince! My word is his word!" L'Maine insisted. He sounded agitated.

"Nothing doing! You must think I was born yesterday, L'Maine! I want access to that data link now! Not tonight, when Vin-Ra can blow my arse off, but right now! You got that?" Thewel's voice was raised.

Jennifer remembered that name. She glanced at Stephanie. "Vin-Ra? Wasn't she the woman who came into the cave to take a look at us?"

Stephanie just nodded, still fearful as she listened to the men argue.

"This was not stated in your demands!" L'Maine was saying, his voice also raised now. "What you are asking is not reasonable!" He was even more agitated than before. He obviously wasn't used to being treated like this, Jennifer thought.

Thewel just fed the flames by raising his voice even higher. "Not reasonable! What isn't reasonable is me handing over all these kids and then sitting here twiddling my thumbs until it gets dark! And then I'm supposed to march into that castle of yours without a care in the world, and expect to be greeted with open arms! If I did that, I'd deserve to get my arse blown off!"

"I protest-"

"You protest nothing!" Thewel shouted back at him. "I want access to that data link now, L'Maine! Before I hand over these kids! Once I'm in there, you can have them, but not before!"

"This is outrageous! My Prince cannot hand over the heart of his castle to an enemy!"

"Then at nightfall, the kids die! And I challenge you to get them back before then! Go on, L'Maine! Try it!"

L'Maine was so worked up, he almost threw himself at Thewel, only managing to hold himself back at the last instant. Jennifer could see him almost twitching, his hands balled into fists. With great effort he restrained himself, and managed to say, "I will pass these new demands on to my Prince."

"Yeah, you do that!" Thewel watched as L'Maine turned and slowly walked away. Then he called after him, "And don't take all day!"

"I will return in one hour." L'Maine called back.

Thewel waited until L'Maine had disappeared into the trees. As soon as he was gone, Thewel snapped his fingers and Beltran and all the other soldiers appeared from out of nowhere. They just stood up in the clearing, bits of grass and leaves attached to their uniforms. Jennifer was stunned. It was like magic.

Beltran went straight to Thewel. "Do you think they'll try anything, Commander?"

"Nah! But just in case, rig the cage now, leave one man in sight, and stake the place out."

Beltran nodded and turned quickly, barking orders at the men. "Ross! Arm the door! You're on guard! Scott! Stake out!"

One of the men ran towards the cage, while another pointed in different directions, calling out names as he did so. He and all the men scattered. Soon there was only one man in sight. He must have been Ross, Jennifer thought. He ran straight up to the entrance to the cage, pressed some buttons on a large black box built into the door, and then went to stand nearby, his machine pistol at the ready.

There was nothing more to see, so Jennifer turned to Stephanie, and found the girl staring at her, her eyes tearful.

"They didn't make a deal!" Stephanie said with rising panic. "He's going to kill us!"

"No, he's not!" Jennifer grabbed hold of Stephanie and shook her. "Thewel is not going to kill us! Alright? He's going to get what he wants! You saw how he played it with that other man, treating him bad and getting him angry. He did it on purpose. We aren't going to get killed! Do you hear me?"

Stephanie began to calm down. "Okay. I'm sorry, Jennifer. I'm not as tough as you, that's all." She quickly wiped the tears from her eyes and sniffed loudly.

Jennifer didn't think of herself as being tough. Resilient, maybe. But not tough. She smiled at Stephanie. She was only fourteen, after all. "It's going to be alright, Steff. Try not to worry." She smiled at her, and Stephanie managed to smile back.

By now, Anolt, Cary, and a number of the other children were bursting to know what was going on. Cary had put his hand on Jennifer's shoulder, and kept squeezing and shaking her. Anolt was doing the same to Stephanie, and soon everyone started to talk at once. Even Mia and the other little girl kept jumping up and down.

The next hour went by very quickly as Jennifer and Stephanie did their best to explain to the other children what was happening. They used everything from sign language to pictograms to get the message across, even acting out some parts. All of the children had to draw on what little knowledge they had gained from their family discussions back at the cave, building on it and expanding it as they tried to understand. They all joined in, so eager were they to know what was going on, and sometimes it became chaotic. But by the time L'Maine returned, not only did all the children know what he was there for, but most of them, including Jennifer and Stephanie, had managed to pick up a few words in another language.

L'Maine didn't return alone. He came with two more knights who each carried large coils of rope. Also with him was a woman Jennifer instantly recognised. Kaser recognised her too.

"Lai-Nan," he said. It was the woman who had nearly killed him in the cave, the one he had dared to hit with the tray. The woman Jennifer was sure would try and kill her if she could. She had forgotten about Lai-Nan.

All the children started to mutter and moan as soon as they saw her. Some of the girls even moved away, going to the back of the cage. Jennifer couldn't blame them. Lai-Nan had done something that really scared them, and it had something to do with Kaser's sister, Cheyan. And Cheyan wasn't around anymore. Jennifer felt cold all over, and her legs came up in goose-pimples.

Cary put his arm around her. It startled her, but it was somehow comforting.

"Jennifer no hurt," he said falteringly, desperately searching through the few words he had picked up to say what he felt. He let go of her, pointed at himself and said, "Cary." Then he made a circle around her with his arms and added, "Jennifer." Then he nodded his head, hopefully.

"Protect," Jennifer said, staring at him in surprise.

Cary nodded and smiled at her. "Cary protect Jennifer," he said, and he put his arm around her again and hugged her.

Stephanie and Anolt had concentrated on what was going on outside. Now Stephanie announced, "They've done the deal!"

"Deal!" Anolt repeated, nodding his head.

Jennifer turned to see Thewel walking away from L'Maine. She had missed it all. Without turning, Thewel raised his arm, gave a thumbs up sign, and then waved. Ross, the man left on guard in front of the cage, suddenly darted forward. In an instant, all the other soldiers appeared as before. They all trotted after Thewel.

As the soldiers moved away, L'Maine, Lai-Nan and the two knights with them came forward. Lai-Nan kept walking after the others had stopped. She came right up to the side of the cage, staring down through the bars at the children, who all instinctively moved back. Jennifer resisted the urge to do the same, and thankfully, Cary stayed by her side. Jennifer stared back up at Lai-Nan, and their eyes met.

Lai-Nan came to crouch in front of Jennifer and smiled at her through the bars. She looked quite beautiful, and even friendly as she pointed up at the black box attached to the door.

"Do you see this?" she said in a silky voice.

Jennifer hardly glanced at the box. She kept her eyes on Lai-Nan.

"This box is your life," Lai-Nan continued. "Do you know why? Because when Thew-El reaches the data link in the Althon Gerail, he will send a signal which will disarm the charge and we can open the door. You and the other girl are not children of the colonists. You are not included in our deal with Thew-El. At the same moment the door is opened, you will both die."

Susan was in a dilemma. It wasn't just that she was worried to death about what was happening to her children, she also felt guilty about asking Rolf to get Soo-Kai and his 'children' to help them.

Susan looked closely at the five women. They were all sat next to the river together. It was a while since Cameron had returned with Rolf's decision, and now that all the women were here with them, Susan couldn't help feeling guilty. Soo-Kai still looked so sad.

But the decision had been made, and now all Susan could think about was what Soo-Kai had said to her about Rolf, and about how he could be left all on his own. And the memory of the woman running alongside her the night before, the one blown against the tree, kept coming back to haunt Susan. She remembered the sight of the blood. Had it been Mai-Chen, or Soo-El?

Were they being fair asking these women for their help in the first place? Two had died already. Susan didn't think about herself. If she had to, she would run into that castle and try and rescue her children all on her own. And Cameron would probably do the same for his daughter. But asking these women to help them, and to risk dying for them, that was another thing.

Susan's dilemma was that she was being selfish. Selfish because being separated from her children was driving her crazy, and selfish because getting them back was more important to her than anything else. And that was what made her feel guilty, because Susan knew that she was being selfish. She didn't just need the help of these women to get her children back, she wanted their help, even if they died giving it, because without it, Susan feared that she would never see her children again. And that was what mattered to her the most. It was just about priorities. To Susan, her children were the most important things in her life. She hated herself for thinking like that, but she couldn't help it, none-the-less. But she still felt guilty.

Susan wanted to explain how she felt, to make them understand, but Soo-Kai and the other women were talking together in their own language, so she had to wait. So instead she watched Cameron while he was watching them. Susan noticed that he wore a wedding ring. Somehow it disturbed her. But, of course, he had a daughter. And where there was a daughter, there had to be a mother.

Susan leaned across to Cameron and whispered, "Cameron, what did you say to Rolf to make him agree?"

"I just told him that getting our children back was bound to cause a problem or two for Frederick, and anything that causes problems for the Dragon Prince has got to be of benefit to his brother. And Rolf is in favour of anything that helps Prince Rupert, so getting him to agree was easy, really."

That just made Susan feel worse.

When Soo-Kai and the other women stopped talking together, Susan took her chance to dive straight in.

"There's something I have to ask you, and something I have to explain," she said. They all looked at her, and even Cameron looked a little puzzled.

"We have to get our children back," Susan went on. "Being separated from them is tearing me, us, apart. And we need to get back to where we came from, to get back home. We can't stay here. I know it's difficult and dangerous, and that we have no right to ask you. But we can't stay here for another twenty-eight years! We've got to get away, and we won't be able to do it with out your help. I know that Rolf has already said that you'll help us, but now I need to ask you, for me. Will you help us? Please?" Susan's tone was urgent, desperate, but above all it was sincere.

The five of them glanced at one another before Bey-Jai answered with her own question. "Soo-Kai has already said that we will help you, and this we will do. So why do you need to ask us again?"

Susan glanced at Cameron before replying. "Because it's important to both me and Cameron that you're all willing to help us, and that you're not just doing it because you have to, or because someone has ordered you too. Do you understand?"

Slowly, Bey-Jai nodded. "Yes, I understand," she said. "And it pleases us that you ask."

"I like helping you," Ann-Di remarked. "I have no other purpose or objective. But we are few. It will not be easy helping you, and Vin-Ra may kill us all."

Then Soo-Kai spoke, her voice low and calm. "I, too, take pleasure in helping you. The pressure is stimulating. But I worry for Rolf. He is old and I must put his needs above my own."

"One of you could stay behind," Cameron suggested.

Soo-Kai nodded, slowly. "That would ease my concern."

"You're willing to help us, then?" Susan asked.

Ann-Di, Tai-Zen and Lai-Chen all turned to look at Bey-Jai, who shrugged her shoulders. "We must be badly flawed, you and I, that we choose to help humans against our own kind," Bey-Jai said to them before turning to Susan. "Those like us diminish in numbers day by day, and we will not be here at the next return of the ship. And as Ann-Di says, we four have no objective or purpose to our existence. Unlike our sisters, who strive to escape and search out their enemies, our lives have no meaning. Maybe the time has come when it is better to die with purpose than to continue without it. We will help you, not just because Rolf and Soo-Kai ask us to do so, but also because we wish to do so."

Soo-Kai then spoke up. "I will also help you, Soo-Zan. Not just because Rolf asks me to, but because you understand my concerns for him, and have sought to reduce them. You did not need to do this, but because you have, I am content."

"Thank you," Susan said to her. "Thank you all. That really means a lot to us, to me."

There was a pause, and then Cameron said, "Alright, what we need now is a plan of action."

They started to talk about what they should do next, spending time that Susan thought was being wasted. Instead of talking, Susan wanted to get going, to be actually doing something at last. They had wasted enough time already. She told them just that, but Cameron insisted that planning was important.

"We will only have one chance at this, Susan," he said. "We cannae afford to get things wrong."

He was right of course. Then, all of a sudden, everything was cut and dried. Tai-Zen would stay behind with Rolf, and Soo-Kai, Bey-Jai, Ann-Di and Lai-Chen would go with Cameron and Susan to try and get help from the colonists. It seemed to be the logical thing to do. The colonist's children had also been taken by Prince Frederick, they were friendly according to Lai-Chen and Bey-Jai who had met them, and they might also have guns. It had to be the right thing to do, because the more friends they had, the better would be their chances of getting back their children. But getting to the colonist's ship wouldn't be easy. It was some distance away, and Prince Frederick's men-at-arms still guarded it.

Soo-Kai returned to the cottage to tell Rolf of their plans. But Susan still wasn't happy.

"I feel like we're going in the wrong direction," she said to Cameron. "We should be heading for the castle, not this colony ship."

"They can help us, Susan," Cameron said trying to encourage her. "We need their help. They're people just like us. Donnae worry, hen, it's going to be okay."

Cameron could see that Susan was in a great hurry. Being separated from her two children was driving her mad even though she was doing her best to control it. Cameron admired her for that. She had taken all this quite well in the circumstances. Others would have thrown a fit at just arriving here. But she wanted to get things moving, to get back in control. Cameron liked her hard headedness. But Susan also had compassion. A lot of people wouldn't have cared for a moment about the feelings of Soo-Kai and the others, but Susan had. Cameron liked that about her, too. In fact, there was a lot of things Cameron liked about Susan, and he realised that for the first time in a long time, he had met a woman he was attracted to, attracted to rather a lot.

But, as with Susan, Cameron was also worried about his daughter, Stephanie. After all, she was all he had left. But he had to keep calm. They had to do this in a logical way, or they would mess up. And they would not be getting a second chance.

Soo-Kai came back with Rolf. She held his hand, steadying him while he hobbled along, his crooked stick in his other hand.

"I come to bid you farewell!" he said in his cracked voice. "Do not worry about me on your travels, Tai-Zen will look after me!"

Susan went forward to meet him. "Thank you for your help, Rolf," she said as she took his hand. "I don't know what I would have done if I had ended up here all on my own."

Rolf squeezed her hand with unexpected vigour. "Not to worry, Susan! I can see in your eyes that you are an intelligent and resourceful woman. I am sure you would have prevailed even without my help. Now, off you go! You have an honourable task ahead of you, and if only I was a little younger, I would be going with you!"

Susan smiled at him as Cameron came to stand by her side and was next to take Rolf's hand and say his farewell. "Thank you again, Rolf, I'll no' forget you. We may have only known each other for a couple of days, but your friendship has meant a lot to me. If we can, we'll come back before we leave."

"Not necessary, not necessary! Your first priority is to free your children and escape! This alone will cause you enough problems! Just pass your messages to Soo-Kai and she will tell me! But promise me this, Cameron from Scot Land, do not let this woman escape you, or you will be the fool!" And Rolf winked with such a flourish that both Susan and Cameron's faces grew red with embarrassment. Rolf laughed with that cackle of his, satisfied at the effect of his words. After a pause, Cameron also laughed, and for a while Susan couldn't face him.

Bey-Jai, Lai-Chen and Ann-Di now each went to Rolf in turn, each of them embracing him. He kissed them all on the forehead. "Come back to me soon," he told them all.

Tai-Zen went to stand next to Rolf and Soo-Kai, but before Soo-Kai relinquished her hold on Rolf's arm to her, she leaned forward and embraced him. They kissed, and Soo-Kai said, "Keep safe, my husband. I will try to return to you before the morning."

"I will wait for you, my wife, as I have always done, knowing that you will return. So do not worry, Tai-Zen will keep me safe until you are in my arms again." They kissed once more, before Soo-Kai finally, and reluctantly, moved away from him, leaving Tai-Zen in her place by his side.

Soo-Kai paused in front of Cameron and Susan. "Come, we go now. There is far to walk." And without any further hesitation, she walked straight across the clearing and past the little cottage, Bey-Jai and the others following after her. Cameron and Susan had to quickly catch up with them.

Only when they had reached the trees did Soo-Kai pause and turn to wave to Rolf and Tai-Zen, who were still standing together by the river. They waved back, and Bey-Jai and the other women also waved. And Susan and Cameron found themselves waving with them. It was an emotional moment, and Susan suddenly realised that she would probably never see Rolf L'Epine ever again. The thought made her feel sad.

Soo-Kai led them away, and soon the little cottage and the clearing were lost from view, hidden behind the trees.

Susan walked alongside Cameron. "Promise me one thing, will you, Cameron?" she asked the Scotsman as they followed Soo-Kai and the others.

"Aye, Susan. Just say the word, and you'll have it!"

"Stop calling me 'hen' will you?"

Michael was extremely happy with himself. Four out of five must be the highest score out of any exam he had taken so far. Strewth, it was eighty percent! But the penalty for failure was a bit of a downer. Michael looked at her face. She had such a soft expression, and her eyes were so kind, that he wasn't worried about what she had said at all. And he was sure that in seven months time he would be able to fulfil the fifth and last requirement. In fact, the more he got to know her, the more he was looking forward to it -if that were possible. Then another thought occurred to him.

"I've never done it before," he told her nervously. "You won't kill me if I get it wrong will you?"

"I will never harm you as long as we are bonded, Mike-El," she replied. She continued to caress his hair as she had done before while she spoke. "And as for your expertise, I understand that you lack experience because of your age and the limitations imposed on you by your society. This is not a problem. It is my ability to conceive with your seed that is important, not your prowess in the art of copulation. You must remember that for the bond to be complete, it is only your intent that is in question here, not your ability. But if you wish, when the time comes, I will teach you all that is required. And I will not force you to copulate, the decision must be yours alone."

"But you'll kill me if I don't?"

"Yes."

"Why is that, then?" Michael asked her as he made himself comfortable lying next to her in the grass. He kept his hand on her stomach, feeling her muscles move as she breathed, and when she spoke.

"It is necessary for my own protection. If I am to bond with a male, I must be sure of his intent. And for his intent to be genuine, he must know the risk he takes in approaching me. The penalty for failure is high, but the benefits are high also. Now that we are bonded, Mike-El, I belong to you, and I will always obey you."

Michael gently squeezed her stomach. "You don't mind me touching you like this?"

"No. You may touch me wherever and whenever you wish. My body is yours."

Michael quickly sat up and leaned over her. He reached out to her face with both hands, stroking her cheek and her jaw. She watched him quietly as his hands moved down her neck. One hand stayed cupped around her throat while the other moved down onto her chest and across to her shoulder, his fingers tracing the outline of her collar bone.

Michael stared at her. "Can I kiss you?" he asked her.

"Kissing is permitted by your society at your age?"

Michael nodded.

"Then we can kiss. It is you that decides, not I."

Michael didn't need another invitation. He moved even closer, almost climbing on top of her. He kissed her gently on the cheek and on her lips. He stared into her face, watching her as she stared back into his eyes. Then she suddenly grabbed his head and kissed him properly. It took him by surprise and his eyes opened wide. It was a very long and luxurious kiss. She pulled him down and they rolled over, and she ended up on top of him. He wrapped his arms around her, his hands going under her white top. Finally the kiss ended and their lips parted.

Chen-Soo looked down at him. "You are definitely capable of copulation," she said. "I can feel and taste the desire in your body. You have spoken the truth and I am content to wait the seven months."

Michael was busy trying to get his breath back. His hands were now on her sides as she knelt across him. He slid his right hand around her, pulling her closer. His left hand moved up under her white top, and in an instant it was over her right breast.

She kissed him again, on the mouth and on the cheek. Then she began to nuzzle his face with hers. Her movements were eager, and she was breathing more quickly.

"If you persist," she whispered in his ear, "your seven months will come early...."

Michael already knew that she was right. Things were rapidly getting out of control, both for him, and for her. But he thought of a novel solution.

"Are you ticklish?"

"Ticklish? What is ticklish?" she murmured as she kissed his neck.

Michael answered her by demonstrating. The result was instant.

Chen-Soo yelped and tried to get away, but Michael kept hold of her, and they began to wrestle about on the grass. She struggled and squealed while Michael laughed and kept tickling her. She was ticklish everywhere. On her neck, on her ribs, under her arms, and on her stomach. Michael found a spot wherever he searched. But when he reached her feet, her squeals turned to screams, and she finally broke away. She crawled quickly to one of the nearby trees and sat against it, wriggling about and rubbing her body and her feet vigorously. She developed a pout, and didn't look impressed by the experience at all.

"You attacked me!" she exclaimed.

Michael rolled about on the grass. He was laughing so much he was almost in tears. He couldn't speak.

Chen-Soo continued to rub her body. She watched him laughing. Her pout faded and she smiled weakly, hiding the smile behind her hand almost in embarrassment.

Although she understood that it hadn't been a real attack, it was still some time before Chen-Soo would let Michael anywhere near her again. He had to keep promising her that he wouldn't tickle her anymore. Even then, she was still nervous when he finally came to sit next to her, both of them leaning against the tree Chen-Soo had previously fled to.

"But did you like it?" Michael asked her.

She thought about it. "The feeling was not unpleasant. It was a little like being caressed, but more harshly and quickly. And the knowledge that I was not in control of it, and that I could not stop it, made me...," she thought for a moment, "...panic."

"It made you smile, though, didn't it? After you stopped screaming, that is!"

Chen-Soo looked embarrassed again. "It is strange how such a slight touch can cause such panic. I had not experienced this before. Do you humans do this to one another often?"

"Not as much as we should." Michael's spirits were dampened by her remark. It reminded him of what she was, that she wasn't human.

She saw his smile fade, and knew the reason why. "Are you ticklish, Mike-El?"

"A bit."

Chen-Soo tickled him on the ribs as he had done to her. Michael squirmed and laughed. She persisted, so he retaliated. Chen-Soo squealed in response, and started to beat him off.

"Stop! Stop!" she cried. "Enough!"

"You started it!" Michael replied. He was laughing again, but he quickly stopped tickling her.

Chen-Soo rubbed at her aching ribs. "I only experiment, you are an expert. The match is unfair."

Michael smiled at her. "You'll get better at it. I'll teach you."

"Yes, you must teach me many things." Chen-Soo put her arm around him and held him close. "I want to learn about you humans. I know the thought that I am not human worries you, I can see it in your face. But this is how it is. I am different to you, and you must accept this. But I want to know how you behave and how you think. Will you teach me?"

Michael nodded. "I want to know about you too, Chen-Soo. I want to know all about you."

"You have only to ask, and I will answer."

"Where do you keep that sword? It can't actually be in your back!"

"Yes, it lives in my back," she replied. And tilting her head to one side, she reached behind her neck with her free hand and pulled the sword out.

Michael stared at it as it emerged, watching it glint in the sun as the light shone against it's silvery surface.

"How do you do that?"

Chen-Soo held it up. "I just reach for it. It is part of me."

"And it goes back just as easily?"

"Yes."

She turned so he could have a better view, and as he watched, she placed the point of the sword at the nape of her neck and it just went right in. There was no blood, no scratch, nothing. It just slid into her back. It was as if her spine was hollow, and it had gone into a hole at the top of her neck. Michael quickly put his hand on her back to try and feel it as it went in. But he couldn't feel anything. And even more strange, when it was all the way in, the handle just seemed to flow into the back of her neck. As soon as she let go of it, it changed colour from silver into the colour of her skin, and just.....disappeared.

"That's really weird!" Michael said.

"You try."

"Me?" Michael was terrified by the thought, but he was also immensely curious

"Yes." She took his hand and placed it on the back of her neck. "Because you are bonded with me, you will be able to feel it. Go on, try."

Hesitantly, Michael rested his hand on the back of her neck, but all he could feel was her neck.

"You must feel it with your mind aswell," she told him. "Close your eyes and imagine you are reaching for the sword. Pretend that it is just sticking in the ground on it's own. Just reach for it and grasp the handle."

Michael took his hand away and got on his knees behind her. He closed his eyes and did as she said. He imagined the sword stuck in the ground and placed his hand back on her neck and squeezed. Instantly, he felt her neck move and the handle of the sword oozed into shape in his hand. It startled him, and he almost let go. It really did feel weird.

"Can you feel it?" Chen-Soo asked. Her head was tilted to the left and she held her plat in her left hand to keep it out of the way.

"Yes," Michael replied nervously, staring at the sword handle in his hand. "I've got it. How does it do that?"

"Pull it all the way out, and I will explain. Go on."

Michael did as she asked. He pulled slowly, gently. The silver sword emerged almost fluidly. "Does it hurt?" he asked her.

"No, Mike-El, it does not hurt me."

"How does it feel? Can you feel it moving?"

She turned when the sword was all the way out, and took it from him. "Yes, I can feel it moving," she said. "It is a sort of slippery, sliding feeling."

Chen-Soo held the sword in front of him, holding it level so that he could see it clearly. Although it was bright, being all silver, it was actually quite plain. There were no engravings, no decorations, nothing. It was a silver handle that felt soft when you squeezed it, a silver guard, and the long silver blade. It was double edged, and about a metre long. Or, as Michael thought, at least as long as her back.

"The sword is part of me," Chen-Soo said. She pointed to the handle. "This contains part of my brain and nervous system. It detaches itself when I reach for the sword. Like it did for you. My nervous system also extends all the way down the blade. It is as if the sword was my arm, or leg, only it is separated from me. When the power is on, I can change the sword into any weapon I wish."

Michael remembered her silver rifle changing into a sword the night before. "What power?" he asked. "And how do you make it change?"

"The power is the power inside me, my physical energy. Like when you eat, and it gives you energy for your muscles? So you can run and move? So it is with the sword, only it takes more energy, more power. A different kind of power than for the rest of my body. With this power I can make the sword change by merely thinking about what I want. I only have to remember the weapon, and the sword changes into it."

"So, why is it a sword now?" he asked.

"Because when the power is suppressed, like now, this is it's dormant state." She handed the sword to Michael before leaning her back against the tree as she sat in the grass, her long legs drawn up slightly. "Even with no power, as a sword it can still be used as a weapon. And it must always be a sword before I can take it from, or return it to, my body."

"So there's no power in it now?" Michael asked, as he held the sword in both hands. It was quite heavy.

"No, it is suppressed during the day."

"By what? How?"

Chen-Soo stared at him. He was full of questions. So young and curious, she thought. There was bound to be more questions. She answered him without any hesitation.

"There is a small satellite that circles this world. It emits a field which suppresses the power inside us. I do not know how it works. It was invented by the Navak people. They were a people we fought against a long time ago."

"You sound like a soldier."

"I am." Chen-Soo waited expectantly.

Michael paused a moment before asking, "Have you tried to break the satellite?"

"Yes, many times. But the satellite has a shield that hides it, so even when the suppressing field is switched off, and our power returns, it is hidden from us, so we cannot see it to destroy it. Even so we still tried, shooting and missing many times before we finally gave up. And when the satellite is switched on, then we have no power, and even if we could see it, it is beyond our reach."

Michael finally asked all the questions that had been boiling up inside him, the questions that Chen-Soo had been expecting.

"What are you doing here, Chen-Soo?" he blurted out. "Why are you a soldier? Why do you have to do all this killing? And why is there a satellite up in space? Where are we? And how did mum and Jennifer and me get here in the first place? Explain things to me, Chen-Soo, I want to know everything!"

Chen-Soo nodded. "Sit, be comfortable, and I will explain."

He did as she asked, placing the sword on the grass beside him as he sat next to her again by the tree. He put his arm around her waist, and his other hand on her abdomen, and snuggled against her as she began to answer his questions.

"We were designed genetically for a specific Purpose. To identify and destroy all sentient beings which do not match the genetic code we carry in our minds. We have to kill everything that does not match. The only exception is for reproduction. It is the only instinct more powerful than the urge to kill."

Michael quickly interrupted. "Would you have killed me if I hadn't made the right moves?"

"Yes, I would have killed you. But you must not think of that, Mike-El. You must not be frightened of me. You and I are bonded now. I will never hurt you, and I will always obey you. I belong to you."

Michael gently caressed her abdomen as he listened to her. He didn't feel in the slightest bit frightened of her. In fact he felt completely safe and at peace sitting here with her like this in the forrest.

"Why did they make you like that?" he asked her.

Chen-Soo stroked his forehead as she began to explain the history of her race, and the race that created them.

"It was because of a war between two races on different worlds a very long time ago. The people who created us were called the Tun-Sho-Lok. They were a peaceful race who had long over come war and strife. They had conquered the heavens and had travelled to the stars. They had colonised many worlds. But they were always inquisitive for more knowledge, and their search took them to the Keruh Empire. The Keruh were the exact opposite to the Tun-Sho-Lok. They were warlike, primitive, and barbaric. They sought only to conquer and increase their empire. It was they who first started the war against the Tun-Sho-Lok."

"You fought in a war?" he asked, looking up at her.

"No, it was a long time ago, and I am too young. But my mother fought, and through her I remember what it was like."

"Tell me."

"The Tun-Sho-Lok were unprepared and ill-equipped. One by one, their colony worlds were lost to the Keruh battle fleets. The Tun-Sho-Lok were a beautiful and elegant race. The Keruh took great pleasure in killing them. They took no prisoners, murdering whole populations. The death toll was tremendous and the war was soon lost. In the end, invasion of the Tun-Sho-Lok home world was unavoidable.

"The Tun-Sho-Lok had many sciences and skills. One of them was in bio-engineering. They devised a clone of themselves, one able to manipulate the genes of alien DNA in it's own body, so that it could reproduce itself forever. And they combined it's DNA with micro-biotic technology, providing the clone with the ability to manipulate it's own molecular structure at will. They programmed it with basic instincts, genetically storing those instincts in the neural pathways of it's brain at birth. They mass produced the clone in vast numbers even as the Keruh battle fleets descended on their home world."

"Is that what you are, then? A clone?" Michael asked her.

"Yes. I am a clone of the Tun-Sho-Lok, I live only to kill and to procreate. This is my Purpose."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that I am basically human like you, but that I have certain.......improvements. Like taking the sword from my back, and the way I see, hear, and smell. My senses are more powerful than yours, and the chemical and biological agents in my body are much stronger."

Michael remembered her sword, and the way it felt in his hand, how it had moved and flowed into shape, and he understood for the first time what she had meant about not being at all how she looked. Chen-Soo was a genetically produced soldier, not a real person at all. It was exactly how she always described herself.

"And you always have to kill?"

"Yes. The Purpose is my only reason for living. To search out all sentient life-forms, compare their DNA with that of the Tun- Sho-Lok, and to kill all those that do not match. Only when we are bonded, like I am with you, is the Purpose absent from my mind. This is how the Tun-Sho-Lok created us."

"What happened to them?"

"We could not stop their extinction, we came too late for that. But we gave the Keruh a surprise they had not expected. The Keruh were vicious and barbaric. But we were without remorse. We had no fear of death, and no care for our own lives. We strived only to kill, and we soon overcame the crews of the ships that had landed, and turned them against the rest of the battle fleet.

"Too late the Keruh realised that the Tun-Sho-Lok had left behind a powerful revenge. We had no other purpose or motivation in life other than to kill. We were relentless. We pursued the Keruh back across the star systems that they had only just recently conquered. We killed everything in our path. We were like a plague of insects, killing without mercy and without thought. Even other life forms not involved in the war were destroyed when ever they were found."

"You talk like you were there, and did all this yourself."

Chen-Soo looked down at him. "I am the same as them, Mike-El. I am a Destroyer. Even though I was not there, what they did, I can do also."

"What happened next?" Michael asked.

"The wars went on for years and years. One by one the planets of the Keruh Empire fell to our forces, their populations exterminated. Then the Keruh themselves were extinguished. But even then the killing did not stop. The Tun-Sho-Lok could have given us the genetic code of the Keruh, and told us to kill only them. But they did not. In their hurry, or by design, they had programmed us to kill everything that did not match their own genetic code. The Tun-Sho-Lok were now extinct, and there was no other life form that shared their exact genetic code other than for ourselves.

"With the combined technology of the Tun-Sho-Lok and the Keruh Empire at our control, we swept through the galaxy destroying all in our path. Only those races whose DNA was compatible were spared. Small numbers of each race were kept alive on isolated planets as breeding stock. All others were annihilated. As our empire increased, so did the technology at our command. We stole more technology from those we defeated, and soon we became invincible. No race, no empire could stand before us, all were consumed. In time, only the life forms that were similar to the Tun-Sho-Lok were left alive, all others were extinguished. The galaxy was almost empty.

"To maintain our numbers, we stole the males we needed for procreation. If they did not willingly bond with us, we coerced them to copulate with us. We have complete control over the chemical and biological agents in our bodies, so we can produce any hormones or pheromones that we need whenever we need them. This and the way we look, makes it very difficult for any male to deny us copulation when we seek it."

"But you didn't do that with me!" Michael said quickly.

"No, Mike-El, I did not. Even before I awoke from our collision you had taken the first step to forming the bond between us. That set in motion powerful instincts in my brain. Even though Kai-Tai told me not to allow the bond to be completed, I was no longer in control. And at the rock pool, although I tried to resist you, you completed the bond. No, Mike-El. In our case, it was you that caught me."

Michael smiled. He had sort of known that he wanted to make friends with Chen-Soo from the moment he had first seen her lying in the grass last night. She had looked so pretty and harmless. True, he had been a little suspicious of her at first, but that was understandable in the circumstances, what with him being lost, and all the explosions and confusion that was going on. And after all, at the time he didn't even know who she was. But when she spoke to him, and they had ran together through the trees in the darkness, that feeling had grown into a yearning, and he was suddenly sure of his feelings. And today, at the rock pool, that yearning had finally forced him to approach her, to go beyond the limits of the shyness that had always kept him back. He had wanted Chen-Soo, and he had got her. That somehow made Michael feel proud.

"Go on," he said, eagerly. "Tell me what happened after that."

Chen-Soo continued as he asked. "One of the races kept alive were the Navak. It was they that first gave us the name the Gest Hroya. It means 'Wind of Death'. Over the years the words have changed, and now we are simply called Destroyers. The Navak hated us with the same ferocity and passion as we hated them. But their genetic structure was so compatible with our own, that their hatred of us was ignored. Although defeated and enslaved, the Navak were still very clever and resourceful. They secretly devised a weapon that neutralized our ability to manipulate our molecular structure. Overnight, the balance of power swung away from us. It started as an up-rising on one distant planet, then it was a revolution, and finally, all out war.

"The Navak banded together the surviving humanoids and led them against us. Without the ability to alter our molecular structure, we were almost powerless on the ground. We were killed in the thousands. Only in space was the war more equal. Massed fleets tore each other to shreds in a war of survival. Smashed wrecks and burning hulks filled stellar systems and spiralled into stars.

"The Navak re-took their own home world and built twelve vast, planet destroying ships. One by one these great ships reduced to ashes the worlds that we still inhabited. What little that had survived from the original wars now succumbed to this new one. Everywhere there was death and fire. But we were not yet beaten. From the heart of our lost empire, we called out to our sisters, still pursuing war and other races on the far periphery of the galaxy. Soon vast fleets, far superior in number and power to those left smashed and reduced at the centre, were returning in great numbers. The Battle of the Black Cross Nebula should have been the end of the Navak uprising, but none could have foreseen the outcome."

"So who won, in the end?"

"The end only comes," she said, "when there are none left to fight."

"You mean it's still going on today?"

"Yes, even now we still fight. But now it is amongst ourselves. As I told you, to reproduce, we must seek out the males of races whose genetic code is compatible to that of our own, to that of the Tun-Sho-Lok. But even then, we manipulate the DNA we receive during copulation and keep only what we need, discarding the rest. To do this successfully and repeatedly, we are allowed a certain amount of tolerance in the outcome of the manipulation. But if this limit of tolerance is exceeded in any way, then the results of the manipulation are discarded. For generations this process had been successful, but now nature and the law of averages caught us out.

"When the clones returning from the periphery made contact with those at the centre, it was to find that their DNA no longer matched. Generation after generation of tiny imperfections, unnoticed because of the differences in time and the distances across space, were suddenly plain and obvious. The clones on the outside of the empire, who had bred with new races found only on the periphery of the galaxy, differed with those at the centre, those at the inside of the empire, who had continued to breed from captive populations. The result was instant hatred. The Gest Hroya called it the Inside, Outside War. The Navak called it deliverance.

"Millions of clones perished at the Battle of the Black Cross Nebula, even before the humanoids entered the fray. Clone ships blasted and rammed one another, flying passed Navak ships to do so. Soon, the space around the nebula was so thick with the drifting wrecks of dying ships, that others could hardly fit through, and collided with them. Great fragments of ships would cart-wheel through the gas of the nebula, shedding more fiery fragments on the way, until finally they collided with other ships, and erupted like tiny stars. Everywhere was smashed and twisted metal, and inside them, the dead and dying. And through it all flew the Navak's planet destroying ships, blowing away and smashing everything in their path. So large were they, that other ships that crashed into them were shrugged off as if they were nothing, and it would take half a fleet of clone ships to destroy one of them.

"When it was over, there was almost nothing left. Isolated clone ships that were damaged were picked off by the humanoids, and those that made planet-fall were hunted out and exterminated using the surviving planet destroying ships. But the Navak themselves did not escape the doom and destruction. We had captured one of the planet destroying ships before the Battle of the Black Cross Nebula. Now the last of the surviving clones used it against the Navak's home world, destroying it forever. The Navak chased them in their anger. The chase took them across half the galaxy. World after world was destroyed, ship after ship lost in the pursuit, until finally, all ended here, on the planet Ellerkan.

"Ellerkan had been colonised by a race of humans many years before. Outsider clones, pursuing war and conquest on the periphery, had enslaved them. They were still here when we arrived and attacked them. We bombarded the planet, destroying the city of Ellerkan. But no sooner had our ship landed, and the war between the clones recommenced, when the Navak arrived in pursuit.

"The Navak came in the last of the great planet destroying ships. The two great ships fired at one another, one from space, the other from the ground. The engagement between them was short, but such was their power, that both were soon lost. The Navak left their doomed ship, their army making planet-fall not far from here in the forrest, and the war was continued in earnest. Although their numbers were few, the Navak had brought their weapon with them, the satellite that still circles this world, and we were defeated. But no one could leave this world. All the ships were lost, and none came close by. The galaxy was now a very empty place.

"The surviving Navak learned to live here, on Ellerkan. They interbred with the humans who were already here, and lived peacefully. But they never forgot their hatred of us, and for generations they hunted down and killed those of us that had survived.

"All this is in the distant past. The humans here have forgotten the war and the clones of the Tun-Sho-Lok. Like them, everything I told you I did not see. I only remember what my mother, and my mother's mother saw. Through their memories, I remember, and I know what they knew."

Michael had sat watching her in complete fascination as he listened to her story, taking in every word she said. He was completely mesmerised. The story she told him filled his head with wondrous pictures of spaceships, distant worlds, and lost alien races. It was magical, horrible and utterly fascinating.

Michael finally understood why she had been so wary of him at the rock pool. It was because she was a soldier, a Destroyer, and being bonded made her vulnerable. She had said that people had hunted her kind and killed them after the war. She must have been scared of him because she thought that he might be trying to do the same, that he was trying to deceive her, so that he could get close to her, and hurt her.

Michael definitely did not want to hurt her. He knew that for sure. And the more time he spent with her, the more he was sure that he was in love with her. In love with her more than anything else in the whole world. Oh yes, he had fancied other girls at school. Lots of times. Sometimes he had thought about them so much it had almost made him feel ill. He would try and talk to them, or just be close by. He would even arrange to accidently meet them on the way to school. Or he would chase after them on the way home. No matter what he did, he always ended up making a fool of himself. But no matter how much he had liked any of those girls at the time, he had never felt like this. Never. No, this was different.

He felt different. She made him feel different. Somehow he already knew that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. He liked watching her, and touching her, or just being near her. He even liked the way she smelled. And he liked hearing her voice. How soft and clear it was as she had sat and explained everything to him. She talked to him and listened to him in a way that made him feel important. She didn't ignore anything, or belittle anything he said or asked. Being with her made him feel like the most important person in the world.

Michael listened carefully as Chen-Soo went on to explain about the wrecked planet destroying ship that now lay under the castle called the Dragon's Lair, about the Window that brought him here, and about the last surviving planet destroying ship that returned periodically and operated it. He listened as she explained about Vin-Ra and Prince Frederick, and about the other Destroyers like Kai-Tai. If he asked a question, she answered it. If he asked her to repeat anything, she did so. And gradually, in that beautiful soft voice of hers, she explained everything to him clearly and patiently so that he understood.

"So the other ship only comes once every twenty-eight years? For four days?" he asked her when she had finished explaining about the ship and the Window.

"Yes, Mike-El," she said.

"And the Window can only be opened one more time tonight?" he added, quickly.

"Yes, that is also correct."

Chen-Soo waited, watching him. He remained silent, thinking, so she asked him, "What do you want to do now, Mike-El?"

He let go of her and moved on to his knees. He picked up her sword and looked down at it, then he looked up at her. She watched him, waiting patiently for him to answer. He wished that he could stay here with her forever. But he knew that he would have to try and find his mother and his sister. They might be in trouble.

"I suppose," he began, "that I should try and find Jennifer and my mum, and try to get home."

"Yes," she said, simply. "That would be the right thing to do."

"If we could get home," he went on slowly. "Would you come back with us?"

Chen-Soo sat and thought about it for a moment, her head tilted to one side. "It would not be a good idea," she said finally.

"But I want you to come back with us!"

"If you wish it, then it would be possible for me to go with you."

"Okay!" Michael got up, satisfied. That was all he wanted to know. Now that he had found her, there was no way that he was going to leave her behind. "We better get going, then!"

"I will take you to the house of Rolf Le-Pine," Chen-Soo said as she reached for her boots. "This is where the arrows I made would have taken you in the first place. Your mother and Jen-Four will be there."

Michael put the sword down carefully and went to help her with her boots. "I know, I know, Chen-Soo. But I'm glad I came to your house first!"

Chen-Soo sat back on her outstretched arms and watched him as he took her foot and her boot. He carefully rubbed the sole of her foot and felt her toes before putting her boot on. Then he took her other foot and boot, and did the same.

He was very attentive, she thought. Very tactile and gentle. This was a good sign. Maybe the bond would be a good one. And his reasons for choosing her were true, at least. Even at his young age, he had been aware of what he was doing, and his motives were genuine. And whether by intent or not, he had taken the correct steps to reach his goal.

Last night Kai-Tai had warned her to take care, warned her to be on her guard. She had not taken that advice. She had left the arrow marks and faced Kai-Tai's anger. But both she and Kai-Tai had underestimated the boy's determination, and now the bond was complete, and she was his. His for seven months.

When Chen-Soo had finally accepted the bond with Michael at the rock pool, something in her mind had flipped and locked with the same permanence as the clang of a prison door. Other instincts, genetically programmed into her brain since birth, also flipped and locked. It was like a cascade, an avalanche of intent and purpose that she couldn't control, or resist. From that moment on, the bond was set. Her fate, her destiny, all lay with him now. He would be in control. If he completed the fifth step in seven months time she would be his for life. This was how it always was, how it had to be. But a true bond brought with it it's own kind of pain.

In other times, being chosen by a male during all the death and destruction of war was a good thing. It meant a respite from the killing. It meant a temporary escape from all the bad things in their lives. There would be a time of tenderness and love that would last all too briefly, and always ended in pain when the bond was finally broken.

She hoped that her time with Michael would be good, and that he wouldn't want to manipulate her, or abuse her. He was genuine, and he was young. But in time he could change. In the end, whatever path he chose for her, she knew that she would have no say in the matter.

Did she wish that he would complete the bond in seven months? Or would she prefer the bond to be broken? She could kill him then, and go on killing. The prospect didn't excite her. That was not how it should be for a clone of the Tun-Sho-Lok. If Kai-Tai knew what went on in her deranged mind, she would strike off her head in an instant.

Chen-Soo got up, and Michael quickly went to help her with her jacket.

"The body-plate first," she said, pointing to the thing that looked like a corset. He picked it up and handed it to her.

"Is that what you call it?" Michael asked her.

"Yes, a body-plate. It protects my body from the blows of other weapons, but not from the blows of our own swords."

"I thought it must be bullet proof," he said as he watched her wrap it around her body.

She pulled it tight, and closing the edges of her body-plate together, she ran her fingers along the join. It was like velcro, and the edges just stuck together, as if the opening was never there. She squeezed herself, and pulled on the top, and then the bottom of the body-plate, getting it comfortable.

Michael watched her. The body-plate went down as far as her hips. But it only went up to her chest, stopping just under her armpits. It covered most of her breasts, but not the top of her chest, or her neck and shoulders. It was just like a corset.

"Why doesn't it cover the top of your chest and neck?" he asked her as he held out her jacket.

"It is only necessary to cover the areas that are vital to our survival." She took the jacket he handed to her. "At one time we all wore the same uniform, but they are all lost now, or worn out. Even these body-plates wear out and are lost to some of us. We are forced to steal them from those that are killed. But there is also a store room in the broken ship from where another Destroyer stole this body-plate many years ago, when she was last able to get inside the ship."

Michael watched her put on her jacket, reaching back to pull her long plat out from underneath. "Won't you be a bit hot like that?" he said to her, rather hopefully.

She thought about it. "Maybe you prefer to see more of my skin," she said. "I know that you like my body, you touch me often, and you watched me while I washed in the pool. Learn to ask me for what you want, Mike-El. I will not deny you. Do you wish me to remove the body-plate?"

Michael was a bright shade of red. All he could do was nod and smile, sheepishly. She quickly hooked a finger over the edge of the body-plate at her cleavage and pulled down. The body-plate fell open and she quickly pulled it from under her jacket and rolled it up.

"Thank you," Michael said.

Chen-Soo looked at him in puzzlement. "'Thank you?' Why did you say that?" she asked him. "You only have to say, and I will act. There is no need to thank me."

"But it's polite," he replied. "You say 'please' when you want something, and 'thank you' when you receive it. That's the way I was brought up." His mother would have been proud of him.

"I understand," she said. "Now, Mike-El, will you please pass me my sword?"

Michael went to pick up the sword as she asked, holding the blade very carefully.

"It will not cut you," she told him. "You can touch the edge. I told you that we are bonded. I will not harm you, so my sword will not cut you."

Michael ran his thumb along the edge of the sword. She was right. "It feels sort of rounded," he said, as he handed it to her.

She took the sword from him. "Thank you," she said, and she replaced it in her back.

Michael smiled at her again. He liked her even more when he heard her being polite. She learned quickly. Michael bent down to pick up his mother's handbag, all it's contents now neatly returned inside, and turning back to Chen-Soo, he said, "I'm ready! Let's go!"

They walked among the trees, retracing the route Chen-Soo had taken when Michael had followed her, but now heading back down stream. Michael looped his arm around her waist as they walked, hugging her close. He felt so happy.

"Who is this Rolf person?" he asked her.

"He is another like you, who is bonded to one of us," Chen-Soo replied.

"What's he like?"

"He is a good man, Mike-El. He is older than you, but you will like him."

"And the woman he's bonded to, I mean the Destroyer, what's she like?" Michael asked.

"She is very similar to me. But her eyes are green, and her hair is red. Her name is Soo-Kai. You will like her also."

"Does she look a lot like you, then? With her hair in a pigtail, too?"

"Yes, her hair is platted like mine, though I have never heard it described as a 'pigs tail.' And yes, we are genetically very similar, and we do look very much alike, but I am different to her."

"And she's friendly like you?" Michael was full of questions again.

"Yes, she is friendly, Mike-El. But remember, we are bonded, so it is different between us. I am not friendly to others, only to you. And Soo-Kai is only friendly to others because she is bonded to Rolf, and he has asked her to be like this."

"But I can ask you to be friendly to other people too, can't I?"

"Yes, you can."

"Good! I already think that you're the friendliest, nicest person I have ever met!" he smiled at her.

"Only with you," she repeated, and then she smiled too. It was beautifully radiant, and totally unexpected. And Michael suddenly realised that this was the first time he had seen her smile properly since he had met her.

"Wow! What a beautiful smile!" he exclaimed.

His delight seemed to embarrass her, and her smile quickly faded, and she stopped walking and hid her mouth behind her raised hand.

Michael quickly moved to stand in front of her. "Don't do that," he told her, reaching up to pull her hand away. "You have a beautiful smile, don't hide it! It's alright to smile, Chen-Soo. You can smile whenever you like. I do, but usually only when I'm happy. Maybe you're happy. Are you happy, Chen-Soo?"

"Maybe I am," she replied. She seemed unsure. "The clones of the Tun-Sho-Lok do not smile."

Michael held her in his arms, concerned at her anxiety. "Earlier on, you told me not to be frightened of you, or to be worried about asking for what I want. You wanted me to feel comfortable with you. Well, I want you to feel just as comfortable with me. You can ask me questions whenever you like. And don't be frightened to smile and be happy whenever you want to be, either. How you used to be doesn't matter anymore. Now you're with me you can do whatever you like. Alright?"

She nodded, and Michael smiled at her. He put his arm around her waist again, and hugging her tightly, they slowly began to walk through the forrest once more, following the path of the river.

When the black box on the door to the cage gave a high pitched bleep, Jennifer almost jumped out of her skin. She was right at the back of the cage, shielded by all the rest of the children, but she could still hear it, and the sound terrified her. Cary had kept his arm around her, and now he hugged her and smiled at her, giving her encouragement for what they were about to do. Stephanie and Anolt were also close by. Stephanie gave a thumbs up sign.

Jennifer and Stephanie had talked about what they should do when the door was released, and it hadn't taken much effort to get the message across to the other children. It was risky, but all the children hadn't hesitated in giving their approval. Even so, Jennifer was still scared. She knew that Lai-Nan wanted to kill her and Stephanie. She had told her so, and as soon as the door was opened, Jennifer knew that Lai-Nan was going to come for her first. Like she must have come for Cheyan in the cave.

Jennifer had watched the black box and waited for what seemed like hours, terrified of what was to come. Now her time was up.

L'Maine and the other two knights with him had sat and talked together while they waited. Now they stood up and began to walk towards the cage, carrying their ropes with them. Lai-Nan had stayed apart from them, sitting much closer to the cage. She also got up, and because she was nearer, she reached the cage first.

Lai-Nan was almost triumphant as she released the lock and opened the door. All the children quickly backed away from her. Unafraid, Lai-Nan crawled inside, moving directly towards Jennifer, staring right at her. Jennifer couldn't move, all she could do was stare back as Lai-Nan crawled towards her on all fours. The children kept backing away from her, and Lai-Nan's smile widened as she moved closer and closer. She was almost in the middle of the cage, the children crammed against the sides of the cage all around her, when Kaser finally gave the shout.

With a scream of delight, all the children surged forward and pounced on Lai-Nan. Far too late she realised the advantage the restricted height of the cage gave to her attackers. She couldn't stand up, and she couldn't manoeuvre. And with the children climbing all over her, kicking, punching and scratching, she couldn't even pull the sword from her back. But the cramped environment also hindered the children in their attack, and despite all their efforts, Lai-Nan still managed to crawl forward and reach Jennifer, grabbing her by the throat.

Jennifer was surprised by Lai-Nan's strength. She wasn't much taller than her, but she was definitely stronger. In an instant Jennifer felt her windpipe being closed off, cutting off her air. She kicked at Lai-Nan, striking her body, and scratched at her face. Cary and the other children punched at her repeatedly. And more children climbed on top of her, all of them eager to take this chance for revenge on Lai-Nan. It was as if all their pent up emotion was suddenly unleashed.

Screaming and shouting at the top of their voices, boys and girls together, they all attacked Lai-Nan like wild animals. Some pulled at her hair, others punched her in the face, and on the head. Still more punched and kicked at her body. Little fists and feet lashed out at her from all sides in increasing fury. And finally, Jennifer felt the grip on her throat relax as Lai-Nan gave up, and started to back away, trying desperately to get out of the cage before the children tore her to pieces.

L'Maine had heard the shouts and screams, and he and the other two knights had dropped their ropes and rushed towards the cage. L'Maine now looked at the cage in shock. It lurched and moved as Lai-Nan fought with the children inside. L'Maine began to panic, running back and forth in front of the entrance, shouting at them to stop. Meanwhile, the two knights had drawn their swords, and began poking at the children through the bars.

"Stop that! You'll injure the children!" L'Maine shouted at them in despair. "My Prince wants them alive! Not full of holes!"

The two men stepped back, unsure of what to do next. L'Maine crouched down by the entrance. He could see Lai-Nan inside. She was crawling backwards towards him, the children all piled on top of her in a mad scramble of arms and legs, their faces a mixture of anger and delight as they struck at her.

"Stop this nonsense, Lai-Nan!" L'Maine demanded. "Come out of there immediately! Immediately I say!"

Lai-Nan managed to reach the entrance, still crawling backwards on all fours, and L'Maine grabbed her, and began to pull her out. The children hung on to her, and a tug of war developed. L'Maine found himself in danger of being pulled inside, but one of the knights ran to his aid, grabbing him and pulling him back.

Slowly, amid the shouts and the screams, Lai-Nan began to emerge feet first through the doorway. All the children began to let go, all except Kaser. He had a firm grip on her hair, and he had no intention of letting go. He was pulling really hard, and Shanner and another girl reached out and grabbed Lai-Nan's hair too, and together they almost pulled her back in. But the other knight quickly stepped forward, and raising his sword, he sliced down through Lai-Nan's hair, putting an end to the tug of war. Lai-Nan, L'Maine, and the knight who had been helping them, all fell backwards, ending up in an undignified heap outside the cage.

Inside the cage, all the children were shouting and shaking their fists. Kaser even waved Lai-Nan's hair like a trophy. The knight who had cut it off quickly slammed the door shut, and began to smack the bars with his sword, shouting at them to be quiet. They ignored him.

Jennifer gasped for breath as she crawled forward through the crush of children, Cary by her side. The children all seemed so happy, and they smiled at her as she passed. She saw Kaser, he made a fist and waved Lai-Nan's hair again. He looked victorious.

Stephanie was waiting for her by the wall of the cage. Anolt was with her. He and Cary slapped each other in delight. Stephanie beamed at Jennifer.

"That worked a treat!" she exclaimed. She was out of breath from her exertion. At first she had been too scared to join in the fight. But the sight and the sound of it all had thrilled her, and to her own surprise she had joined in, kicking and punching at Lai-Nan's body. Stephanie felt exhilarated. "Did you manage to get a piece of her?" she asked Jennifer.

Jennifer looked down at her bloody nails. "I must have got somebody," she muttered. "What about you? Did you get her?"

"I'll say! She won't be in a hurry to come back in here again! Take a look at her!"

Jennifer turned and saw Lai-Nan standing nearby. She was arguing with L'Maine and the two men. They seemed to be trying to calm her down. What was left of her once long brown hair was all tangled and frayed looking and ended in a sharp cut. Her nose was bleeding and both her eyes were blacked. One of the bruises was really evil looking. There were also lots of scratches on her face. One was a really fine claw mark, starting on her forehead, it missed the eye, and went right down her left cheek to her chin. It bled really well. The rest of her body hadn't fared much better, either.

There were many rips in her clothes. The sleeve of her left arm had been torn from her shoulder, and part of her leggings had been torn completely away. Any exposed skin was peppered with rising bruises, and streaked with the blood from a multitude of scratches. She was obviously not used to a good old fashioned school yard scrap, and this one had been a cracker. Jennifer couldn't resist the urge that over came her.

"Hey! Lai-Nan!" she called out to her, grinning. "The door's unlocked and I'm still here!"

Lai-Nan was enraged. She surged forward again, snarling and shouting, trying to reach for Jennifer through the bars. L'Maine and the two men had to restrain her, pulling her away from the cage, and shoving her back.

"Leave it!" L'Maine shouted at her. "Leave it I say!"

"I want that female!" Lai-Nan snarled, her voice hoarse. "I want her now! Out of my way!" She kept trying to push forward, but the three men held her back. Their voices were raised, and Jennifer and Stephanie could clearly hear them.

"You know my Prince's orders!" L'Maine told her. "You are not to harm the children!"

"She is not one of them!" Lai-Nan snapped. "She and the female with her should be killed! Now!"

"My Prince's orders covered all the children! He did not say we could kill a few and keep the rest!"

"I do not answer to your Prince!" Lai-Nan almost snarled, and she pushed forward again.

"But you answer to Vin-Ra, and she answers to the Prince!"

Lai-Nan stopped pushing. She glared at L'Maine before finally she snarled and turned away. The three men stood their ground and watched her warily as she walked across the clearing to the far side, the children jeering at her all the way. She went to sit by a tree, and literally started to lick her wounds.

Once she had sat down, L'Maine turned and came towards the cage. He crouched down in front of Jennifer, looking at her.

Jennifer stared back, smiling. Stephanie, Anolt and Cary were sat next to her. Cary had his arm around her. All the other children were also gathered around, many of them bruised and scratched from the fight with Lai-Nan. Mia sat in Jennifer's lap. She and the other little girl had returned from the corners of the cage they had crammed themselves into while the fighting was going on.

L'Maine looked at all the children, his gaze finally coming back to rest on Jennifer. She was the one who had taunted Lai-Nan. He could tell from her manner that she was obviously the ringleader. He sighed.

"You have caused enough trouble for one day. Now come out of there. I have spoken to Lai-Nan. There is nothing to fear from her now. She won't harm you or any of the children."

"We have no intention of coming out," Jennifer replied. "We're quite happy in here."

"But you must come out!"

"Why? So you can take us back to the castle and lock us in that dungeon again? Not bloody likely! What do you think I am? Thick?"

Jennifer's rebellious manner irritated L'Maine. "We'll force you out!" he snapped.

"How? What are you going to do?" Jennifer demanded quickly, and smiling at him brightly, she waited eagerly for his answer.

L'Maine looked around, searching for an idea, and quickly found one. "I'll have these men-at-arms set fire to the bushes that lie on top of the cage!" he said in triumph. "The fire and the smoke will soon drive you out!"

"That's a good idea! But it's very cramped in here, L'Maine, and the entrance to this cage is pretty small. What do you think would happen if we all got stuck in it in our panic to get out? It could happen you know, what with all the smoke and the flames. What would you say to your Prince then? How about, 'Sorry Prince, old chap, but I accidently burned half your prisoners, I hope you don't mind?'"

L'Maine was surprised by Jennifer's unexpected guile. He stared at her, and she just smiled back at him sweetly.

"You are a trouble maker," L'Maine said. "You will be punished for your misbehaviour."

"Come in here and say that," Jennifer replied defiantly. She knew she had the advantage now. "L'Maine, you're under strict orders to bring us all back alive, and we know that. But even if you are willing to risk hurting us, now that we're in this cage, getting us out is going to be one big problem. Thewel and his soldiers used guns to get us in here. You don't have any guns, L'Maine, and if we all keep near the middle of the cage, your swords won't reach us either. And after what happened to Lai-Nan, I don't think any of you will be coming into this cage after us, will you?"

L'Maine fell back into a sitting position, completely stunned. Now he didn't just stare at Jennifer, he looked at her closely.

"Lai-Nan was right," he muttered. "You are not like these other children. What is your name, girl? Where are you from?"

"My name is Jennifer. And I come from a place where girls my age are a lot smarter than they are here!"

"This I believe." For a moment he almost smiled. "My name is Harold L'Maine. I am the warden and gatekeeper of the Dragon's Lair, which is the name of my Prince's castle. I am responsible for these children, and for the debacle of their taking from the castle by Thewel and his men. For this I know I will pay the ultimate price. But the mistakes were all mine.

"When you were brought to me during the night, the man who had captured you said you spoke our language and that you must be one of us. He tried to convince me that you were merely a whore lost in the forrest, and that I should let him take you to the guard tower to entertain the men. I must confess, your style of dress did much to make me believe him, and I almost let him take you. But you looked too different for him to be right. So I put you with these children instead. I know now that that was a mistake. And when Thewel came to the castle and demanded entry, I dismissed his threats as idle nonsense. This was also a mistake, and my men paid the price of my folly. Now I must retrieve the situation at all costs. I must take you and the children back, Jennifer."

He spoke so earnestly that Jennifer almost felt sorry for him. But she had no intention of giving up. "Why must you take us back? Why don't you just let us go? They're just children, L'Maine! Say Thewel tricked you, anything. Your Prince won't know the difference."

L'Maine shook his head, sadly. "I am sorry for you, Jennifer. You are a handsome young woman, you have much spirit, and you would make a fine wife. But you cannot win today. I would dearly love to spare you, and these other children, but I too am trapped by events. My Prince is in the field with his army somewhere between here and Ellerkan. He is unaware that his prisoners have been taken, or of the deal with Thewel made in his name by his consort, Vin-Ra. Therefore, if I am to hide my errors and my deceit, I must return you all to the castle before my Prince arrives. If I fail in this my life will be forfeit."

"You lied to Thewel!" Jennifer accused him in surprise. "You said your word was the word of the Prince!"

L'Maine shrugged his shoulders. "Yes, I lied," he said without regret. "I did what I had to do then, as I will do what I have to do now."

"But what about Thewel?" Jennifer had visions of him and his men tricked and ambushed somewhere in the castle.

"Vin-Ra will honour the deal. Thewel will be inside the underground chambers of the castle by now. Vin-Ra is not concerned by his presence there tonight, and she will not speak of him to the Prince. You know I speak the truth, because the bomb on the door of the cage has been switched off. Only Thewel could have done this. Now, enough talking. Will you come out?"

Jennifer shook her head. "We're not coming out, L'Maine. I'm sorry you're going to get into trouble for all this. But it's not my problem, and there's no way we're going to give up. I know you have a deadline tonight, and that it's something to do with a broadcast from a ship, so all we have to do is hold out, and we win."

"This is correct. By nightfall, whether I succeed or fail, the importance of these children to my Prince will cease. Therefore I must try to take you back before then, no matter how hard you fight. We are opposed Jennifer, and although it saddens me, one of us must lose. So be it."

L'Maine stood up and turned to one of his men. "Return to the castle," he told him. "Bring more men with ropes and nets. And bring horses and chains. If the children will not come out of the cage, we must pull it apart from around them."

They had been walking through the forrest for some time. Bey- Jai was in the lead, with Cameron and Susan behind her. Soo-Kai had gone off to the left somewhere with Ann-Di. "To scout," she had said. The sun was high in the sky and it grew warm.

Susan looked around at the trees. It was the first time she had seen the forrest properly in the daylight. The trees were really huge. Not just tall, but the trunks were big, too. At least as big as a car. She looked up at them, craning her neck. Most of the branches were right at the top, with only a few smaller branches coming out of the long straight trunks on the way up. Up at the top was a rich canopy of foliage that was thick, but not quite thick enough to provide complete cover, and the sun broke through in many places. Birds flew about in abundance here, too high to see in detail.

Cameron looked at Susan as he walked beside her. She was wearing her leather jacket, and she looked quite hot. "Why do you no' get rid of it?" he asked her.

"What?" she said.

"The jacket. You're too hot. Why carry it around when you donnae need it here. Get rid of it."

"I'll have you know that this jacket cost me a hundred and seventy New Zealand dollars. I'm not going to just throw it away!"

"How much did your car cost? Do you want to take that back with you aswell?" He smiled at her, and she got the point.

First the car had been crushed, then she had lost her handbag with all her money and credit cards in it. So what was a leather jacket? Getting home, all in one piece, her and the children, that was what counted. She sighed, and taking her jacket off, she dropped it casually on the ground.

Lai-Chen, walking behind them, stared down at the jacket as she walked around it. Soon it was left behind.

"It takes a bit of getting used to," Cameron said, with a smile. "This morning, I used the last of my paper money on the fire. I hope you enjoyed breakfast!"

The sound of loud bangs in the distance made them all stop.

"What was that?" Susan asked. As if in reply there were more loud bangs.

Bey-Jai stood on tip-toes, turning her head from side to side, listening intently. "It comes from further away," she said. "Somewhere on the other side of the valley. The sound carries well."

Soo-Kai came running back from out of the trees with Ann-Di. "Did you hear?" she asked.

"Aye," Cameron said. "It's coming from somewhere over there." He pointed in the direction Bey-Jai had indicated.

Lai-Chen added, "It comes from the ship with the people in it. They shoot at something."

"Then they have got guns!" Susan exclaimed. "You were right, Cameron!"

"Aye, hen -I mean Susan," Cameron replied, correcting himself quickly. "But what are they shooting at?"

Bey-Jai suggested an answer. "It is likely that they kill the men Prince Fred-Rick leaves to guard them."

"But why wait until now?" Susan asked. "If they've had guns all this time, why haven't they used them?"

"Maybe the number is less than before, so the people have become more bold, and have despatched them," Bey-Jai replied.

"Aye, maybe," Cameron said. "But whatever the reason, those people on the ship are free now. And they have guns. They'll no stay put. They'll want to come looking for their children, too."

"Then we must hurry to intercept them," Soo-Kai pointed out. "We should continue."

Bey-Jai led them forward again, walking faster now. Ann-Di moved off to the left on her own, while Soo-Kai went to the right. Lai- Chen walked behind Cameron and Susan.

They walked through the trees in silence for a while, before Susan turned to Cameron and asked him, "These people from the colony ship, they will help us, won't they?"

"Aye! I'm sure they will, Susan! Ask Lai-Chen, she's seen them."

Lai-Chen didn't wait to be asked. "They are not bad people, Soo- Zan," she told her. "So I can see no reason for them to refuse to help us."

They heard shouting, and all of them stopped in their tracks once more. Someone was shouting in the distance. Maybe not too far away. A young woman's voice. And then more shouts, people arguing, their voices angry.

Susan recognised that voice. "Jennifer?" she said slowly. Then louder. "That was my daughter's voice! I'm sure of it!"

Cameron almost jumped on her. "Quiet! Donnae tell them we're here!" he said in a harsh whisper. "They have ears, too!"

Susan was excited, but now she kept her voice low as she went on, "That was Jennifer's voice! I heard it clearly! She can't be too far away! She must be lost! Wandering about in the forrest on her own! She isn't a hostage at all! All we have to do is go and get her, Cameron!" She began to walk in the direction of the voices, but Cameron quickly grabbed her.

"Hang on, woman!" he said. "Think! How could she be on her own all this time? And we heard other voices! They must have her with the rest of the children!"

Bey-Jai came to stand next to them. "Then what are they doing out of the castle?" she said.

And Lai-Chen suggested, "Maybe it is someone else."

Susan was adamant. "No! It was her voice I tell you! I'd know my own daughter's voice wouldn't I?"

Susan wanted to go after her daughter right now, but Cameron kept hold of her, and she began to struggle with him.

"Let go of me, Cameron!" she snapped. "I want to get my daughter!"

Bey-Jai put a stop to their argument. "Wait!" she said, grabbing them both. "We must be calm! If the other children are with her, then there will be guards. And something must be wrong for the children to be out of the castle. Ann-Di will be closer, we will go to her, and see what she sees." She turned to Lai-Chen. "Go and bring Soo-Kai and follow. We go towards the sound of voices."

Ann-Di moved carefully from tree to tree. She had also heard the shouts, and had moved closer. Now she hid behind a tree at the edge of a clearing, and carefully watched from behind it. She could see only four guards, three men and one Destroyer. The Destroyer must be an Outsider like Vin-Ra. In front of them, almost in the middle of the clearing, was a low, wide cage that was half covered in bushes. Ann-Di peered at it closely. Children appeared to be inside.

Why were the children here and not still in the castle? Why bring them out into the open with only four to guard them? And why were the guards fighting amongst themselves?

Ann-Di watched as the three men pushed the Destroyer away from the cage. She wanted to kill someone and they wouldn't let her. Now she stomped off to the other side of the clearing. Ann-Di could clearly hear the children jeering at her from inside the cage.

Now things were better. Ann-Di had been worried that the other Destroyer would smell her before she could get close. But now she was much further away. She had gone to sit by one of the trees on the far side of the clearing, and seemed disinterested. One of the guards went to sit in front of the cage, and began talking to someone inside, their voices low. Ann-Di couldn't hear what they were saying. But then she heard other sounds, and turned to see Bey-Jai, Cameron and Susan creeping towards her.

"Keep low," she told them in a whisper. "There is a Destroyer with them, but the wind is towards us, so she cannot smell us, or hear us. Three more male humans are with her."

"Can you see the children?" Susan asked her anxiously.

"Not clearly, they are in a cage."

Cameron was appalled. He and Susan knelt behind the tree with Ann-Di and stared at the cage in the middle of the clearing. Cameron shook his head in dismay. "How can they do that to the poor wee children? Are they all mad?"

Susan stared at the cage, desperately trying to recognise her children. "Can you see your daughter?" she asked Cameron.

He shook his head. "No, all I can see is lots of legs and bodies in blue outfits through the bars, but that's all. There's too many bushes piled around the cage, and up on top of it."

Susan squinted as she stared at the cage. "I can't make any of them out, either," she said. "The whole thing looks like it's covered in some kind of a net."

"Aye! Like an army camouflage net, to hide it from prying eyes."

As they watched, there was a quick discussion between the guards in front of the cage, and one of the men suddenly hurried away. The remaining guards then sat down.

"Now there's only two," Cameron said.

Ann-Di looked across at him. "And the Destroyer," she said. "Do not forget her."

"That still makes one less to deal with."

Susan was impatient. "Cameron's right! What are we going to do?"

As always when Soo-Kai wasn't around, Bey-Jai was the one to make the final decision. "We will wait," she said from her position behind another tree. "When Soo-Kai and Lai-Chen arrive, then we will move. Two of us will take the other Destroyer on the far side of the clearing, and two more will take the guards by the cage. You and Cam-Ron will go with the two who take the guards, while they fight, you will release the children."

Inside the cage, Jennifer was worrying about L'Maine's idea to pull the cage apart. He was even making arrangements to catch them all as the cage broke, so even if they scattered at the last moment, it wouldn't matter. No, if they sat back and let him get on with it, she had no doubt he would succeed in re-capturing them all. But then she remembered something she had seen as she had escaped from the castle with the soldiers.

"You're bluffing, L'Maine!" she called out to him, as he sat with his back to her, talking with the remaining knight.

"I don't understand you," he called, looking over his shoulder at her.

"I mean it's a trick. I saw Thewel's men shoot your horses."

"Yes, they did," L'Maine replied. "Horses run faster than men and children, and I suspect he did not wish to be overtaken in the forrest. But I have many more horses available to me. And I think two will be sufficient for this purpose."

L'Maine turned his back on her again, and resumed talking with the other man.

Damn! Jennifer thought, and she quickly began to whisper to Stephanie. "We have to make a run for it!" she said.

Stephanie was terrified. "What? We'll never all get out of the cage in time! They're bound to catch us before we can get away!"

"No they won't! There's only two of them now. Lai-Nan is too far away to stop us all getting out. All we need to do is bowl over L'Maine and that other man, and run for it in the forrest!"

Cary and Anolt wanted to know what they were talking about, and Jennifer quickly started trying to explain it to them, gesturing to the door and making running motions with her fingers on the ground. She was still explaining it to them when there was a yell that made Jennifer and all the children jump.

The sound of Jennifer's voice as she had called to L'Maine had made the hairs on the back of Susan's neck stand on end. It was fortunate that Soo-Kai and Lai-Chen had already arrived, or Susan would have rushed towards the cage on her own, straight away. But as it was, she hardly had to wait for a few more seconds before Bey-Jai and Soo-Kai agreed the plan, and off they went.

Lai-Nan had been the first to see them. Even from right across the clearing. She had stood up and shouted at the top of her voice, "Le-Maine! We are attacked!" And drawing her sword from her back, she ran forward.

L'Maine and the knight jumped to their feet and quickly drew their swords. They turned to see Soo-Kai and Lai-Chen bearing down on them, Cameron and Susan behind them. Bey-Jai and Ann-Di were running across the clearing towards Lai-Nan, who now ran to meet them.

All the children were startled, and stared out through the bars of the cage at the new arrivals, Jennifer and Stephanie just as eager as the rest. They could see six people running towards them from out of the forrest. Four of them were women dressed like Lai-Nan, who held swords aloft as they ran, and the other two were....

"Mum! Mum!" Jennifer screamed her lungs out. It was her mother! And the man from the night before!

"Daddy!" Stephanie called out.

Cameron and Susan heard their voices and dived at the side of the cage as the two girls reached out to them, and they grabbed one another through the bars.

Soo-Kai and Lai-Chen had reached L'Maine and the other knight, and now the four of them struck at one another with their swords. Bey-Jai and Ann-Di were still running towards Lai-Nan, who had abruptly skidded to a halt.

Lai-Nan stared at her attackers for no more than a second before she decided that the odds were against her, and turning she ran the other way. Bey-Jai and Ann-Di chased after her.

Susan was in ecstasy as she hugged her daughter through the bars of the cage. "Jennifer, darling! I'm so sorry I lost you last night! Where have you been? Are you alright? How I have missed you! Oh, I love you so much!" She kissed her daughter's head and face through the bars. They hugged, and cried. And Susan ran her hands through Jennifer's hair.

"I love you too, mum!" Jennifer hugged her mother so tight, it was as if she never wanted to be separated from her ever again.

Beside them, Cameron and Stephanie were also embracing through the bars.

"Where've you been, Daddy! I've been so scared! Oh, Daddy, I love you lots!" Stephanie was in tears.

"I love you too, ma wee haggis!" Cameron told her, and they kissed and hugged through the bars, too.

Susan continued to hug Jennifer while she stared into the cage at the faces of all the children. She couldn't see Michael. She had seen Jennifer right away, but where was Michael? She turned to Jennifer.

"Where's your brother?" she asked her.

Jennifer looked back at her, her face puzzled. "I thought he was with you," she said.

"But I thought he was with you!" Susan exclaimed. "He must be with you! He has to be!" Susan almost begged her to agree.

"But he's not, mum! He's not!" Jennifer replied tearfully.

Susan ignored her and shouted into the cage. "Michael? Michael!"

Cameron and Stephanie stopped hugging one another and looked at Susan. But before Cameron could say anything to her, someone tapped him on the shoulder, and he looked up in surprise to see one of the boys standing outside the cage next to him. It was Kaser, and he pointed at the open door to the cage and nodded his head, hopefully.

Cameron took one look at the open door and shouted, "Everybody out!"

Lai-Nan flew through the forrest, dodging in and out between the trees, Bey-Jai and Ann-Di tearing after her. They ran on and on, until eventually, Bey-Jai came to a halt.

"Stop!" she shouted to Ann-Di, who was still running after Lai- Nan.

Ann-Di stopped running and watched as her quarry disappeared in the distance. "We could catch her!" she said, still eager for the chase.

"No! We have already come too far. We did not come to kill Outsiders. Leave her. We go back to the others." Bey-Jai waved her back, and together they turned and ran back to the clearing.

The children were streaming out of the cage. It hadn't taken them more than an instant to realise that these two people were Jennifer and Stephanie's parents, and that those with them, now fighting with the guards outside the cage, must be their friends. Soon they were all out, standing around and happy, but wondering what to do next. And while they waited, they watched as Soo-Kai and Lai-Chen fought with the two men who were once their guards.

Jennifer and Susan were by the door of the cage, they were still arguing about Michael's whereabouts, both of them oblivious to everything else going on around them. Cameron was there, too, trying to calm Susan down. And Stephanie kept agreeing with Jennifer, saying that she hadn't seen another boy apart from the colonist's children.

Susan wasn't having any of it. She was in such despair at not finding her son, that she kept trying to go into the cage to look for him herself. Cameron and Jennifer had to hold her back.

"He's not in there, mum! I told you!" Jennifer said.

"But he must be with you!" Susan pleaded with her. "Where else could he be?"

Cameron was conscious of the time they were wasting. "We'll find him, Susan! Donnae worry! But not here, and not now!" he told her.

"He should have been here!" Susan was crying now, and she stamped her foot in desperation.

"But he's not, mum! I told you, he was never with me!" Jennifer replied. Then a blood-stained body hit the ground near the cage, and it's impact startled her, and Jennifer looked up in shock to see L'Maine on his own now, still fighting with Soo-Kai and Lai-Chen.

L'Maine fought desperately, as the two of them drove him back, their swords beating harder against his. L'Maine's face was red and glistened with sweat, he was breathing hard, and as he stepped back, he stumbled and fell onto one knee. It would soon be all over, and Jennifer hadn't even heard or noticed them fighting until this moment. She acted on an impulse.

"Don't kill him!" she suddenly shouted, and breaking away from her surprised mother, she ran towards the fight.

It was almost too late. Even as she shouted, Soo-Kai ran L'Maine through the shoulder, and he fell. Jennifer went to kneel by his side as Soo-Kai and Lai-Chen stood over him.

"I did as you asked," Soo-Kai said to her. "I did not kill him, but I do not know why."

"Because he's not all bad! Just on the wrong side, that's all," Jennifer replied.

L'Maine still held his sword, and Susan was roused out of her pit of despair when she saw how close Jennifer was to him. "Come away from him, Jennifer!" she called out. "You're too close!"

"He won't hurt me, mum. Not now, anyway," Jennifer told her mother. Then she turned to L'Maine and said, anxiously, "Are you alright?"

L'Maine wheezed and clutched at his shoulder. He looked up at Jennifer and his two attackers, and said, "I thank you for your kindness, Jennifer, but I told you that one of us must lose. Fate has decreed that today it should be me. But I will not yield to these Destroyers. They are the enemies of my Prince!"

Soo-Kai turned to Cameron. "Do you want him?" she asked him.

Cameron shrugged his shoulders, and turning to Jennifer he asked her, "Who is he?"

"His name is Harold. Harold L'Maine. And he's the warden and gatekeeper of the castle," Jennifer replied, remembering what L'Maine had said.

"The Dragon's Lair castle?" Cameron said, his eyes wide.

"Yes, that's it!" Jennifer said, nodding.

"We want him!" Cameron said to Soo-Kai straight away. Soo-Kai nodded to Lai-Chen, who then smacked L'Maine on his wounded shoulder with the handle of her sword. L'Maine cried out, and dropped his own sword. Soo-Kai kicked it away.

Bey-Jai and Ann-Di now came running up, and Soo-Kai immediately asked them, "Did you kill her?"

"No, she ran fast and far," Bey-Jai replied. "I thought it best that we return."

Soo-Kai nodded. "We should go before she summons help," she said to everyone.

Jennifer remembered the man L'Maine had sent to the castle. "A man has already gone back to the castle!" she said quickly. "L'Maine sent him to fetch more men and horses!"

L'Maine nodded. "He will return shortly. And with horses, you will soon be out run."

That was enough for Soo-Kai. "We go now!" she said. "Lai-Chen, lead the children. Cam-Ron, Soo-Zan you help her. Ann-Di help me with Le-Maine. Bey-Jai, you follow and watch our back."

Lai-Chen went to the children and spoke to them in their own language. They all gathered around her excitedly, talking and asking questions. But in only a few seconds they were running out of the clearing together, hand in hand in an orderly group of twos. Lai-Chen led them along at the front, Kaser holding on to her hand.

Jennifer and Susan ran after the children, with Cameron and Stephanie right behind them. Then came Soo-Kai and Ann-Di, bullying L'Maine between them. Soo-Kai pulled him along, while Ann-Di encouraged him to run with the occasional prod from her sword. Behind them came Bey-Jai, always looking around and behind them as she ran.

They soon left the clearing far behind them. Lai-Chen was taking them in the same direction as before, towards the colony ship, hoping to intercept any party that might be heading from there to the castle. As they ran, some of the children looked back and smiled, and shouted at Jennifer and Stephanie, Cary and Anolt among them. As usual, Mia and the other little girl were being carried. All the children looked happy. This time they knew that they were with people they could trust. This time they knew that they had actually escaped.

Cameron squeezed Stephanie's hand as he ran. He felt so happy. They had done it! They had actually done it! They had found the children and rescued them! And it had been almost easy. He looked down at Stephanie, running along beside him. He wanted so much to pick her up, and hug her and squeeze her, but he was already feeling out of breath. He looked at Susan, running ahead of him, and at the girl running at her side. She was the same height as Susan, with the same long brown hair. He was so happy he couldn't resist calling out to them.

"This is ma daughter, Stephanie!" he shouted to Susan, smiling broadly even though he was breathing hard. "We were in such a rush before.....I forgot to introduce you.....Is this Jennifer?"

Susan looked over her shoulder as she ran, and glanced at the young girl with curly hair behind her.

Stephanie was still wearing her blue denim jacket. She smiled at Susan as she ran along, hand in hand with her father, and managed to say between deep breaths, "Pleased to meet you....Mrs Hunter!"

Susan gave her a weak smile, and said, "Hello....Stephanie," before quickly looking away. "This is Jennifer," she then called back to Cameron. She didn't turn to look at him. She couldn't.

Cameron and Jennifer exchanged hellos as they ran along, and Cameron even managed to reach out and squeeze her shoulder.

"Sorry I lost you.....the other night!" he told her.

"It's okay, Mr Vitalini.....Everything worked out fine.....in the end!" Jennifer said over her shoulder.

"Oh.....donnae be so formal....Call me Cameron....Please!"

Stephanie smiled at Jennifer. "I told you you'd like my daddy," she said in one quick breath.

Jennifer smiled back at them both, and asked, "Who are all these women?"

"They're friends!" was all Cameron could say. He was beginning to pant quite loudly, and was finding it difficult to talk.

Stephanie said, "I remember the one.....with the red, platted hair! She helped us that night.....when we first came here!"

Jennifer wanted to know more, but she could see that Cameron was in no condition for a long conversation, and she and Stephanie were also feeling out of breath. As she ran along, Jennifer felt her legs beginning to ache again. She looked across at her mother, to see how she was bearing up, and was shocked when she saw her face. Her mother looked so sad, that it instantly brought tears to Jennifer's eyes.

"I'm sorry, mum," she said. "I know Michael's younger....than me.....and you always worry about him more.....But he was never with me.....honestly he wasn't.....It's not my fault, mum....You do believe me....don't you?"

Susan pulled her daughter closer to her side as they ran along together, and putting her arm around her, she said between snatched breaths, "It's alright....It's alright, darling.....Of course it's not your fault...And I don't blame you at all....It's just me, that's all.....Your old mother isn't used to......having all these shocks in one day....I'm sure Michael's alright....It's just a matter of finding him....that's all!"

Behind her, Cameron wished he had kept his big fat smiles to himself. Why did he always act like a big Scottish pratt? But he was so happy with himself that he kept forgetting that Susan was still missing one son. And he wanted so much for her to like him. Oh, Cameron! Didn't your father teach you anything?

Susan smiled at Jennifer as they ran on together, putting a brave face on for her. But inside Susan felt sick. It had been a moment of extreme happiness for her when she had seen Jennifer again. But knowing that Michael was still lost, or worse, still under the tree with her crushed Ford, tore her heart out. She couldn't help it, she cried as she ran, looking straight ahead, and hoping that nobody would notice.

Michael kept his arm around Chen-Soo's waist as they walked through the forrest together, and she kept her arm around his shoulder. It made them walk very close together. Her jacket was open and she held her body-plate rolled up in her hand much as she had done when Michael had first seen her by the river.

They had just passed the point in the river where Michael had stopped to wash and drink when Chen-Soo began to lead him further into the forrest. Michael wondered why she was doing that, and so he asked her.

"Why don't we just follow the river? You did say that Rolf's house was by the river, didn't you?"

"Yes, it is," Chen-Soo replied as they walked along. "But I do not wish to engage Rolf and the others by walking openly towards them. I would prefer to approach them from the trees and observe them first, before we make contact."

"Why?"

It was a reasonable and innocent enough question, but Chen-Soo paused noticeably before replying. "I did a bad thing once, Mike- El, and Rolf has not forgiven me. So although Rolf will accept you into his house, he may not wish to see me."

Michael looked up at her, waiting for her to explain why, but she didn't. Even though he had only known her for a very short time, Michael felt that it was unusual for her not to volunteer an explanation like this. So far she had always been very open with him. Whatever it was that she had done to upset Rolf, it must have been really bad. But Michael knew that if he made a point of asking her to tell him, she would. She always did. Somehow he felt that that was a little unfair. He looked up at her again. She was so quiet, looking straight ahead as they walked along together, it was like she was just waiting for him to ask her. Michael squeezed her waist, hugging her tightly.

"You know, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to," he told her. "Not if it's really bad. I won't mind."

"But if you ask, I must tell you, no matter how bad."

"Not if you don't want to," Michael insisted.

"If you ask, I must tell you," she repeated. "We are bonded now, Mike-El. This means that I belong to you. I cannot refuse what you ask." She ruffled his hair again.

"But everybody has the right to keep some secrets."

"What are 'secrets?'" Chen-Soo asked. She looked down at him, puzzled.

"They're sort of private things, things that you know that you don't want anybody else to know."

"Even if they are bad secrets?"

"Yes, sometimes," he said.

"Do you have any bad secrets?"

"One or two," he replied.

"They will not be as bad as my secret," she said rather sadly, shaking her head.

Michael was thoughtful for a moment. "Oh, I don't know. There was the time I was going fishing with my friend Bill last year. And he wanted to see in Jennifer's room while she was out. Well, while we were looking through Jennifer's knicker drawer, Bill accidently dropped his bait tin inside, and all the worms got out. We were laughing so much it took us ages to pick them all out and put them back in the tin."

"And that was bad?"

"Only if Jennifer finds out!" Michael said with a smile.

Chen-Soo shook her head. "No, that was not as bad as my secret." She looked down at him sadly. "Do you wish me to tell you my secret now?"

"Not if you don't want to," Michael repeated.

"I do not want to, but I will if you ask me."

"Will you always do what I say, Chen-Soo, even when you don't want to?" he asked her.

She looked down at him again. "Yes. I told you, I belong to you, Mike-El. I cannot refuse you. Even if I do not like what you want me to do, I will still obey you."

"Don't!" He spoke the word so strongly he wondered if it had confused her. It certainly made her pause. Chen-Soo stopped walking and stared at him for a while.

"What do you mean?" she eventually asked him, her face plainly puzzled. "You want me to not obey you?"

"Sometimes."

He could see from her expression that his answer obviously confused her even more. He tried to explain. "What I mean is that I don't always say, or do, the right thing. Mum's always telling me off for that. I suppose it's because I'm only fifteen. If I try and do something, or if I ask you to do something, and you don't want to do it, or you think it's not right, then say so. And tell me why. I'll understand. Okay, Chen-Soo?" Michael squeezed her waist again. "Okay?" he repeated as she hadn't yet replied.

Eventually, she nodded. "I understand," she said slowly. She didn't sound very convinced. "But I belong to you...."

"I know, I know. So you keep telling me. But I don't want to be your boss. I'm not in charge, you know. I want us to be equal." Michael spoke quickly and eagerly. "I want you to stay with me because you want to, not just because you have to. I want you to like being with me. I like being with you because I love you, not because I have to stay with you. I want you to feel the same way. Do you understand?"

Chen-Soo was amazed. Why did this young male have the knack for surprising her like this? To be offered this kind of equality in a bond was just unheard of. She knew of no examples. For him to offer her this gift at all, and so soon, was truly amazing. She stared at him intently. "You wish to share responsibility? And decision making? Equally?" she asked him, her eyes big and round.

"Yes, of course! Is that alright?"

"Yes....it is good, for me. But not so good for you." Maybe he didn't understand what he was doing, that was it. "Are you sure about this, Mike-El? Because if I do what you say, now, you will not be able to force me to do something that I do not wish to do in the future. You do understand this?"

Michael thought about it and suddenly felt hot and bothered. He loved Chen-Soo, and he enjoyed touching her and being close to her. But would she still let him touch her after this? Or worse, would she just go off and leave him? But he had no choice, really. If she obeyed him all the time like she said, it would be far too easy for him to get into trouble. He often said the wrong things at the best of times, but with Chen-Soo involved, the slightest slip could be dreadful. He took a deep breath.

"Yes, and I still want you to do it. But I have one exception."

"What is that?" She waited expectantly. She was sure of his answer before he spoke.

"Whenever I tell you not to kill, I want you to obey me. Always. Do you understand?"

She stared at him in surprise again. It was not the reply she had expected. She had been sure that he would request copulation on demand. It would have been the obvious thing a male would ask. The fact that he didn't ask for that said more about him, and his feelings towards her, than anything else. It meant that she was totally free, and yet, it also locked her to him more strongly than ever. All of a sudden she wished that he was seven months older and that the bond had already been sealed. She wished she could be bonded to him forever.

Michael was worried when she didn't reply. "Are you alright?" he asked her. He squeezed her waist once again, resting his other hand on her stomach. "I haven't said the wrong thing, have I?"

She shook her head. "No, Mike-El," she said, and taking his head in her hands, she kissed him on the forehead. Then she kissed him all over his face, and finally she just hugged him, resting her head on top of his. Her eyes became tearful, and she quickly wiped the tears away before he could notice.

"Does this mean that you agree?" Michael said in a muffled voice from somewhere near her chest.

"Yes, I agree. It is done."

He moved his head so that he could look up into her face. "And you're not going to run off and leave me?"

"No," she said in a soft voice. "I will never leave you. And I will still obey you, Mike-El, unless I think that what you ask is wrong." She smiled weakly, and began to stroke his hair.

Michael was so happy. She was going to stay with him! But now it was because she wanted to, and not just because she had to. She had the choice now, he had given her that. And she had chosen to stay with him. That meant that she liked him. And that made Michael happier than ever.

Michael shifted the strap of his mother's handbag further up his shoulder and slipped his hands further around Chen-Soo's waist. He reached up her back under her jacket, his hands finally coming to rest on her shoulder blades. Then he hugged her as tightly as he could.

Staring up at her face, Michael said, "Chen-Soo, I don't care what you've done, or where you've been in the past. And no matter what bad secrets you might have, I'll always believe that you're a good person. I love you, Chen-Soo, and I want to be with you forever."

Chen-Soo looked down at him. His expression was so earnest, that she almost cried again. She stroked his face tenderly. Her face was close to his, and she spoke to him in almost a whisper.

"Your thoughts mirror my own, Mike-El, and I am glad that you and I are bonded. I am sure that I could not have found anyone better. But you must understand that there is something inherently evil inside me. It is an instinct to kill which I cannot deny. My instinct forces me to kill even if I would rather not kill. This is how I am. You must understand and accept this.

"I have done many bad things in my life, Mike-El, and if I had not become bonded to you, I would have continued to do bad things until I was killed. Even now, while I am friendly with you, my instinct to kill is still the same, and those we go to meet are in danger from me. Only with your guidance can I ever become good, Mike-El. And even then, only so long as you remain with me."

"I'll always stay with you!" Michael quickly promised her. "I'll stay with you and help you, Chen-Soo! I promise I will! But I know that whatever you did, it wasn't your fault! You're not evil, Chen-Soo! I know you're not!"

"If I told you my secret, you would think of me differently, Mike-El. You would not 'love' me anymore."

"No! I don't believe you! Whatever you did, it wasn't your fault!" Michael was adamant. "I still love you, and I'll always love you! And you're not evil! It was the people that made you that were evil! They did it on purpose! That's why you're always sad, isn't it? Because you keep thinking that it's all your fault? What you did makes you feel bad, doesn't it?"

Her reply was logically clear. "I did the killing. It is right that the fault should be mine."

"But it wasn't your choice!" Michael felt frustrated. How could he explain it to her? "If you didn't have the choice, then it wasn't your fault! You have to believe that. I do."

"I understand what you say. I did not have the choice to kill or not to kill. But even so, I have still killed, many times."

Michael tried to protest, but she gently put her hand over his mouth to stop him from arguing anymore.

"Understand me, Mike-El. I know that you wish to think of me as good, but I cannot change that which I am. For the time that we are together, at least, I will be as good as you want me to be. But even if our bond is completed in seven months, my life will not stop with yours, so unless someone kills me, when you are gone I will return to my old ways. This is how it is. And no matter what you wish, it cannot be changed."

She took her hand from over his mouth and gently stroked his face again, ruffling his hair. She was always gentle with him, and very affectionate.

"I love you," was all Michael could say, his eyes filled with tears.

"You use this word often, and I am unsure of it's meaning. But if 'love' means that one person wishes to share their life with another, then I, too, love you, Mike-El. Now come, we are not far from Rolf's house." She hugged him before gently unwrapping his arms from her body, and taking his hand, she began to walk with him through the forrest again.

They both became silent as they walked along together.

Michael was thoughtful. What she had told him made him feel sad, and it made him think. But he had to hold on to the belief that whatever she had done, it was not her own choice. She had been programmed, brainwashed to do it. It was all so confusing that Michael was never quite sure whether any of this was real, or whether he was just in a very vivid dream.

Here he was, walking along hand in hand with a woman from another world, whose life must have been totally different from his own. Her race had been to other worlds and had fought wars and battles on many of them. Even this was another world. He looked around at the trees and the grass. It was all so very normal looking. It was not at all how he expected another world to look like. But why should it be? How would he know what another world should look like?

All he knew was that he loved her. Even after she had explained things to him, he was still sure about that. Michael didn't know what to think when he heard her answers. He didn't know how to take it. He had mixed emotions. He loved her, but some of the things she must have done.....

There were several loud bangs. Chen-Soo immediately stopped walking and turned her head, listening. There were more bangs, then silence.

Michael looked up at her. "Were those gunshots?" he asked her.

She nodded slowly. "Yes, they come from across the valley."

Chen-Soo then quickly explained to him about the colony ship and the children that had been abducted.

Michael was excited by the prospect of seeing a real spaceship. "Can we go and see it?" he quickly asked her.

"I will take you if you wish," she replied. "But it would be wiser to reunite you with your mother and sister first."

Michael smiled at her. How quickly he had forgotten about his mother and Jennifer in his excitement to see the spaceship.

"You're absolutely right!" he said. "I told you I get things wrong. If things were left up to me, we'd have been going in the wrong direction again!"

"Then we must hurry in the right direction. Rolf and those with him will also have heard the sound of guns. We must reach them before they go to investigate."

Chen-Soo led him through the trees at a trot. But it seemed like only seconds before she came to a halt once again. This time when Michael looked up at her face he saw that she was worried.

"What's the matter?" he asked her.

"Something is wrong. I smell smoke far too early for the fire that Rolf builds." And with that she began to run, almost dragging Michael along behind her.

At first he couldn't smell anything, but as they ran, the smell of wood smoke became more noticeable, until finally it filled the air, and caught at the back of his throat. Michael could now see the smoke swirling about through the trees as they ran, he could hear the crackle of the flames up ahead. A moment later and they burst into a little clearing by the river, and the heat of the flames hit him. Chen-Soo stopped in her tracks and stared in horror, Michael by her side.

The house of Rolf L'Epine was on fire. The flames completely engulfed it. And lying by the side of the river, there were two bodies.

Chen-Soo screamed and rushed towards them. Michael almost fell over as she pulled him along, even though he ran as fast as he could. Chen-Soo finally let go of him when they reached the first body. She dropped to her knees and scooped up the body of an old man with grey hair, hugging him close. Michael could feel the heat of the fire on his back as he looked down at her, the tears streaming down her face as she sobbed loudly. The old man was limp in her arms. There was blood on chest, and on his mouth.

Michael didn't know what to do. He looked at the burning house, wondering if his mother and sister were inside, and he began to cry too. He turned to look at the other body. It was a young woman like Chen-Soo. She even had a pigtail. She was lying on her stomach with her head turned towards him. Her eyes were open and staring back at him. There was an arrow sticking out of the side of her head just above her ear.

Michael looked down again at Chen-Soo. He put his hand on her head as she rocked back and forth on her knees, crying her eyes out, still clutching the body of the old man while all around them ash and bits of smoking debris rained down.

They marched for nearly an hour. Running at first, then trotting, and finally just walking fast. But always they kept moving. Lai- Chen and Bey-Jai urged the children to go faster all the time, and Soo-Kai was just as hard on Susan and Cameron.

"We must put distance between us and any that may follow," she told them.

She was right, of course. Now that they had the children, Susan knew that they couldn't just sit back and relax. L'Maine's men would have horses, so they had to move fast to put as much distance between them as they could, and to try to lose them in the forrest. If not, the horses would soon overtake them. No, they had to run, so run they all did, even L'Maine himself, continually prodded and badgered by Soo-Kai and Ann-Di.

By the time Lai-Chen finally brought them to a halt in a small clearing in the forrest, all of them were absolutely exhausted, adults and children alike. They all collapsed on the grass, their lungs bursting.

The clearing was by a river. It had been made when one of the trees that crowded so densely near the river bank had fallen many years before. Now it lay on it's side, it's huge roots exposed to the air. Saplings and young trees had sprung up all around the clearing, growing as fast as they could in the race to fill the gap on the bank provided by their fallen ancestor. Now everyone had spoiled the race by trampling down some of the saplings.

Lai-Chen had chosen to stop here with good reason. The small clearing was on the route that the colonists would have to take on their way from their ship to the castle. Their ship was on the wrong side of the river, and much further down stream from the house of Rolf L'Epine. But the narrow river that flowed past his house was only a tributary that eventually flowed into this river like many others. As a result, the colonists would have to cross a much wider river to get to the castle. But although wide, the river was shallow here, and the waters moved slower.

It would be an ideal place to cross for the colonists. And from the small clearing, anyone that did cross could be easily seen. But just in case the colonists crossed further up, or down stream, Soo-Kai despatched Bey-Jai to scout for them, and to intercept them when they came close. She waded across the river, the waters reaching up to her thighs. Once on the other side, she quickly disappeared among the trees.

Now all they had to do was wait, and rest. And hope that any pursuers had lost them in their mad dash through the forrest.

The children all sat around the clearing, some in twos and threes, some on their own. Most rested in the sun, tired out and still breathing hard after another long run. A few sat on the river bank, and dipped their feet into the cool waters of the river.

Stephanie was in the arms of her father, and Anolt sat next to Stephanie. She was doing her best to introduce them to one another. Cameron just nodded, hugging his daughter and smiling. He had been separated from her for far too long, but he was so out of breath from the long run Lai-Chen had forced upon them, that all he could do was smile.

Jennifer was also in the arms of her mother. And Cary was sat close to Jennifer, Mia in his lap. She, and the other little girl who was now in the arms of Shanner, were the only two among them who were not tired. During all the running, they had always been carried.

Kaser went to sit on top of the fallen tree next to Lai-Chen. She was keeping a look out for the colonists, and making sure that no one else approached their resting place. Her head turned all the time as she glanced around at the trees, and across the river, watching for any movement. Occasionally she would also raise her head and take quick breaths of the air through her nose. Kaser looked around aswell, keeping a look out with her. But mainly he looked at Lai-Chen.

Everyone grew quiet, relaxing after the shock of it all. They were all still out of breath, their muscles aching. They listened to the bird-cries in the trees above them, and gazed out at the slowly moving waters of the river. And gradually, the sounds of panting and heavy breathing began to diminish.

L'Maine was sat between Soo-Kai and Ann-Di. He didn't look too good, and he had suffered the most during the run.

Susan stared at him for a while before she finally let go of Jennifer and moved closer to him. "We'd better have a look at that wound," she said.

Soo-Kai helped Susan remove L'Maine's breastplate and open his tunic. The sword had gone clean through his left shoulder without hitting any bones. It had left two narrow slits in his skin, one at the front, and one at the back. Both oozed blood.

"You're a lucky man," Susan told him as she looked around for something to cover the wounds.

"I am not lucky, my Lady," he replied with a certain amount of irony. "If a Destroyer wishes to kill you, then you are dead. But if she wishes to spare you, then you live. No, I am not lucky, but merely spared for later use."

"Well, you won't be spared for long if I don't find some kind of bandage or dressing to cover your wounds," she said.

Jennifer had come to sit next to her mother and watch her as she checked L'Maine's wounds. Discussion of a bandage caused her to quickly suggest, "You can use my sleeves." She held out her arm, and pulled on the white cotton.

"But you'll ruin your blouse!" Susan exclaimed, then she looked at Jennifer's raised eyebrows and sighed. "Okay, let me see if I can rip it without you having to take it off."

Together they managed to tear Jennifer's right sleeve from her blouse, and Susan quickly wrapped it around L'Maine's wounds, going under his armpit and over his shoulder.

"I hope this will do," Susan remarked as she tied it tight. It was very make-shift, but it seemed to do the trick.

"I thank you, my Lady. Your ministrations are appreciated."

L'Maine was so polite, Susan almost found herself feeling sorry for him. "Don't thank me," she told him. "If Cameron didn't think you might be able to help us into the castle, I wouldn't be doing this. And why my daughter thinks you're worth saving after what you've done, I'll never know."

"Your daughter is a fine young woman, my Lady. And I can see from your eyes that she takes much of her spirit from you. You must be very proud of her."

Susan wasn't sure if it was intentional or not, but L'Maine was definitely a charmer. And even though she knew it, his words were still disarming. She looked at him. He was well built, bigger than Cameron, and his face and features were more rugged. He had brown eyes, dark hair, and a neatly cropped beard, and Susan guessed that he was probably in his late forties.

Jennifer looked at her mother and asked, "He will be alright, won't he?"

"I don't know, Jennifer," Susan replied. "If I could get him home, then I could do something. But here?"

Susan thought about the surgery attached to her house back in Coopersville, with it's fully equipped clinic for emergencies just sitting there, waiting to be used.

Her greatest claim to fame had been the removal of a burst appendix in that clinic last year. She had never expected to have to use it. The nearest hospital was in the city, about forty miles away. But it had been an emergency. He had been a farm hand who had kept the pain to himself until he could stand it no longer. They didn't have the time to move him. It had been the talk of the town for, oh, three or four days. Then John Reynold's horse had come up, and he had stood for drinks for a day and a night in the bar, and Dr Susan Hunter's Appendix was history.

Thinking about all that reminded her how much she wanted to get home. She looked at her watch. It said nine twenty-five. That couldn't be right. She wished she had adjusted it when Cameron had first explained to her about the time differences. She called to him.

"Cameron! What time is it?"

He looked at his watch. "It's about three, just after," he said in a rather hoarse voice.

"How long have we got?" Susan asked him, even though she already knew.

"We'll find him," Cameron said, encouragingly. "There's still plenty of time left. Donnae worry Susan, we have all day to find your son."

He could imagine what Susan was feeling. Where had her boy got to? Why was he not with the other children? If they had caught him, he would have been with the others, like his sister. So they hadn't caught him. So where was he? A thought entered Cameron's head that he realised may also have entered Susan's head. Maybe the lad was still back there, where they had last seen him, under the car, crushed flat under the tree.

"I wish I had your confidence," Susan replied with a harsh tone to her voice. "But then it's not your son that's missing is it?"

Cameron could see that Susan's frustration was making her ratty. But he couldn't help trying to encourage her. "We havenae done too badly, so far," he suggested, hopefully.

"We were lucky!" Susan snapped at him.

Soo-Kai agreed with her. "Soo-Zan is right, Cam-Ron. It is purely fortune that brought us to the children today. Why they were out of the castle I cannot understand."

Her words brought any arguments to an abrupt end as they all turned to stare at Jennifer.

"Oh!" she said in surprise. "I guess I missed the nominations for storyteller? What about Stephanie? She was there too!"

Stephanie smiled coyly as Jennifer pointed at her. "You can tell it better than me," she said, obviously used to getting her own way with that smile. "Anyway, you're the oldest."

"You rotter!" Jennifer exclaimed, but it was no good protesting.

Susan prodded Jennifer with her finger. "Out with it! And I don't want you to miss out anything -particularly the bit where you lost your tights!" Susan eyed Cary at that point. She had noticed the way he kept reaching out to Jennifer every so often. If he and her daughter had been up to anything, Susan wanted to know about it.

"Mum!" Jennifer was indignant at the insinuation, but L'Maine spared her blushes.

"It is right that you should be the one to tell the tale," he said. "Think of it as punishment for being the cause of my failure."

"Oh, alright!" Jennifer sighed, and slowly, with Stephanie's help now and again, she told them everything that had happened.

Susan hadn't realised how close she had come to losing her daughter until Jennifer began to tell her story. And Jennifer herself became emotional and tearful. When she came to the part where she had almost been caught and raped by Thewel's men, she had to stop for a while. Susan had hugged her and kissed her, and eventually she had gone on. And soon the whole story was out.

To everyone's surprise, L'Maine was the one to show the most indignation at Jennifer's story.

"Thewel lied to me!" he exclaimed. "He gave me his word that he had not harmed the children! He lied!"

"You're in no position to accuse him," Cameron said. "What about the young girl that was killed in your care!"

"The death of the boy I accept as truth, but not the girl! Her death could not have happened in the castle! When Vin-Ra brought the children to the castle, she did so on the behalf of my Prince. They were taken merely to prevent the ship from the sky from flying away. The children were not to be harmed while they were in my care.

"I admit that the sexual practices of my Prince are well known, and that Vin-Ra shares in his excesses. But these children were not for this purpose. Vin-Ra assured me of this! And she is the consort of my Prince, she would not lie to me!"

"Are you saying that I'm lying?" Jennifer asked him.

"Did you see it happen? Were you there?" L'Maine asked her quickly. "No! You have only the word of these children that it ever happened! I don't believe it!"

Cameron stood up. "Then lets ask them." He turned to Lai-Chen on the tree behind them and called out to her. "Lai-Chen! Ask the children about the girl that was killed in the castle!"

Lai-Chen did as he asked, and as soon as she started to speak, Kaser stood up on the tree next to her and started to shout. In an instant, all the children were on their feet, crowding around L'Maine and shouting at him. They all looked terribly upset and angry. Soo-Kai and Ann-Di had to stand up and keep them away from L'Maine as they crowded close to him, and one of them actually kicked at him.

"Calm them!" Soo-Kai shouted to Lai-Chen, who was standing on top of the tree holding Kaser around the waist, lifting him up, his legs kicking behind him as he tried to get to L'Maine. He kept shouting Cheyan's name.

To Susan, the worst sight was the little girl, Mia. She had turned from a cute little blonde haired doll into a snarling spitting animal. If Cary hadn't held on to her, Susan was sure that she would have leapt upon L'Maine and bit him.

L'Maine himself was shocked. His eyes were wide and filled with tears as he stared at all the children around him, screaming at him.

Slowly, with a lot of shouting on Lai-Chen's part, the children began to calm down and move back. Finally they all sat down again, muttering among themselves and shaking their fists at L'Maine. Jennifer took Mia from Cary, as the little girl had begun to cry, and held her in her arms. Susan looked at her daughter, surprised by such unexpected motherly tendencies.

Finally, when everyone had settled down again, Cameron asked Lai-Chen, "What did they say?"

Lai-Chen sat down on the tree with her arm around Kaser. He was sat right next to her, hugging her tightly, his head on her chest. He never looked up while she spoke.

"They said that two Destroyers came on the first night and took Chey-An who was the oldest female. One of the Destroyers was Lai-Nan. From their description, the other was Soo-Quan. They tried to stop them, but they had all been sleeping, and it was too late. They heard Chey-An scream as she was taken in the night, and they never saw her again.

"The next day, Steff-Nee was brought in. And during the day the same two Destroyers came and looked at her. The children decided to keep awake during the night, but no-one came. Then on the next day, Jen-Four was brought in. She looked the same age as Chey-An, and when Lai-Nan came that day, she went straight to her. The boy children tried to fight her off, but it was Vin-Ra herself who stopped Lai-Nan. Even so, the children knew that this time, the Destroyers would come for Jen-Four in the night. But after this, Thew-El came and they were taken from the castle."

Everyone sat in shock. Lai-Chen had described it all so flatly, that she could have been talking about gardening. But the truth of it was horrifying. They had dragged a young girl away in the dead of night and had possibly murdered her. L'Maine covered his face with his hands.

"It can't be true..." he muttered.

Jennifer reached out and pulled one of his hands away. He looked so startled.

"It is true!" she almost shouted at him. "Those two Destroyers, or whatever they're called, were Vin-Ra and Lai-Nan! I saw them! And one of your own guards called them by name! How else do you think we'd know who they were? They killed Cheyan, and they would have killed me! You saw what Lai-Nan was like at the cage! She still wanted to kill me even then!"

"No!" L'Maine almost pleaded. "I could believe this of Lai-Nan and Soo-Quan! But Vin-Ra is the consort of my Prince! She would not lie to me! She wouldn't!"

Cameron joined in the attack, his voice raised. "Believe it, L'Maine! Two of these children have already been killed! How many more will need to be killed before this madness stops? What kind of a man are you, that you would agree to be a part of such a thing? Even you think he's a sexual pervert!"

L'Maine's voice trembled as he said desperately, "He is my Prince! I cannot question his morals! And if Vin-Ra has lied to me, then she is the one who must be removed! She is the one who has committed this atrocity!"

A calm voice suddenly announced, "We do not lie."

It was Soo-Kai. Her voice sounded so noble that they all turned to stare at her as she continued.

"We do not lie and we do not kill for pleasure. We kill coldly. Only humans reap ecstasy from pain. Vin-Ra and Fred-Rick are bonded together, and while that bond gives the other Outsiders access to the broken ship, they will do as Vin-Ra commands. If Destroyers have carried out these activities, then it will be at the will of your Prince. And any lies that Vin-Ra tells will be his also.

"Le-Maine, you follow a man who takes your people on a path of pain and misery. Your loyalty to him is misplaced and in error. I, a Destroyer, have strode down this same path without remorse. Only now, with the guidance of a wiser man, do I know the true penalties and shame of such a path. Turn from this path, Le- Maine, before it is too late to reverse your steps, and you, and your people, all perish."

L'Maine stared at her in amazement. "But I am the agent of my Prince...." he muttered weakly.

Cameron sighed. "For God's sake, L'Maine! Your Prince is a madman!" he snapped. "Give him up!"

"He is the son of the King!"

Soo-Kai was quick to counter his noble argument. "So is Prince Ru-Pert," she pointed out. "And if you side with his brother against him, you will be siding against the King and his rightful heir. To side with Fred-Rick is the easier path of evil, and not the harder path of nobility or honour that his brother and father walk, and which you seek."

L'Maine looked at Soo-Kai and Cameron, his eyes going from one to the other. And with a sigh, he visibly sagged. He shook his head sadly and looked up at Soo-Kai, his eyes filled with tears.

"Your words strike at my heart," he said to her, his voice calm now. "Where did you learn them?"

"I have spent many nights with Rolf Le-Pine, who once rode with the King. His views on your Prince are strong, and I am well versed."

"It would take a much stronger man than I to hold such noble convictions when faced with the reality of evil," L'Maine said to her in despair. "The shame of it is that I know that your words are true, but I am guilty through fear, and the knowledge of this sickens my heart. But as the agent of the Prince I am close to him nearly everyday that he is in residence at the castle, and I am party to many of his unpleasant pastimes. I have to carry out my duties as his servant and agent, or I too would face death."

Cameron shook his head. "Where have we heard that before I wonder....," he remarked to Susan.

L'Maine picked up on his meaning. "You cannot understand the fear of him until you have stood before him and seen his evil in practice. I doubt that even Rolf L'Epine would have acted any differently than I in my situation."

Soo-Kai spoke again. "Rolf was party to evil. But when he saw it, he faced it, and turned away. He never returned to Ellerkan, or the court of King Le-Hage. Your shame is that you see evil but do not face it."

L'Maine looked up at her and nodded slowly, closing his eyes in shame. With his eyes still shut, he said, "The children's story is true, I can deny it no longer. The child's blood is on my hands." He opened his eyes again, and looked at them all watching him. He was completely crestfallen.

"On the first night, when the girl was killed, my Prince was in the castle. He must have told Vin-Ra to fetch her for him, and she would have passed his command to Lai-Nan and Soo-Quan. There is a passage that goes from his bedchamber to the dungeons, so I would have known nothing of this."

He paused to wipe his eyes before continuing. "Since then, the Prince has been away searching for his brother." L'Maine then turned to Stephanie. "You were saved by the Prince's absence, my child," he said to her. "Only tonight will he return from the field. And it would have been tonight that you, or Jennifer, would have met your fate."

L'Maine looked up at them all and shook his head in despair. "I am a fool and a coward! And I know it!" he said in anger. "But nothing you can say to me can be worse than the knowledge of my own guilt! Everyone knows what the Prince is like! And I have not totally closed my eyes to his deeds! Many times I have tried to curb his excesses, but even as a youth in the Palace in Ellerkan, his activities were the subject of gossip. And later, when the serving girls began to disappear from the castle, and none would come to work there for fear of him, he began to look to the neighbouring fields and farms for his victims.

"With the arrival of Vin-Ra as his consort, I had hoped that she would satisfy his desires. But even in this I am wrong. Now at last it is over, and I accept my fate gladly. Do with me what you will."

His last words were muffled as he lowered his head into his hands and leaned forward on his knees. He looked a very sad and lonely figure.

"Someone comes," Lai-Chen said.

Soo-Kai sprang up. "Who comes? How many? From where?" she said quickly to Lai-Chen.

Cameron and Susan got to their feet. Kaser stood up on the tree.

"It is Bey-Jai," Lai-Chen said. "She brings three others."

Kaser suddenly started to jump up and down. He shouted and waved his hands. Then he pointed across the river and started to shout at the children. They all got up and began to stare at the trees on the other side of the river. And soon, they were all shouting and waving aswell.

Susan turned to see Bey-Jai already wading towards them through the water. She had three other people with her. Two men and a woman. They all wore the same blue coloured jump-suits that the children wore, and they all carried handguns. Short barrelled, heavy looking black automatics. As they drew close, the children rushed out to meet them, splashing into the water.

There were hugs and screams. Three of the children went nuts. The two men were obviously their parents. All the children gathered around them. The men smiled and hugged as many of the children as they could reach.

Cameron and Stephanie came to stand next to Susan and Jennifer. They all felt strangely left out.

"They can go home," Susan said. She felt jealous. "They just have to go back to their ship and close the door, and they're home."

"Not all of them," Jennifer said. "Two of them are dead, remember."