Chen-Soo pulled Jai-Soo along with her, but she already knew they would be caught. Jai-Soo couldn't run fast enough, she was too heavy with the burden of those she carried, and the sword wound had cut deep into her body.

Those who pursued them ran with more vigour. They had tasted victory in the shedding of blood. Now they chased those that had survived. They had split into two groups. Some had lingered too long at the site of their victory, looting and burning the small house. They had fallen behind. The others who were closer had been more eager for the chase, they were almost on the heels of their prey. Their hurry would be their downfall.

Chen-Soo paused by a large tree. She leaned Jai-Soo against the wet trunk and moved quickly away. Jai-Soo braced herself against the tree, her legs apart. She clutched her sword in one hand, and pressed her other hand over the wound in her swollen belly. The rain washed over her, pelting her and running down her face and neck in streams.

She didn't have to wait long.

They could smell her blood, taste the difference in her. She was not right, and the seeds that grew so large in her belly reeked of mutation.

The two Outsiders who appeared from out of the shadows and the trees went straight for Jai-Soo. Such was their anger and hatred that they ran at her with their swords raised, without thinking of who else might be lurking nearby. It was their undoing.

Chen-Soo emerged from behind them and struck one of them across the back. She fell in a splash of mud and blood. Chen-Soo stabbed down, finishing her and turning instantly to the other. She turned to fight, and their swords clashed in the rain.

Jai-Soo pushed herself away from the tree and lunged with her sword, stabbing the Outsider in the back. She didn't withdraw her sword, she just left it in as her victim fell to the ground and Chen-Soo stabbed at her twice more.

Chen-Soo wanted to run on. She hurried to Jai-Soo only to see her sink down onto the mud and grass.

"Get up, Jai-Soo! The others come!" she demanded.

Jai-Soo only sank down lower, her legs wide apart, and her voice came in breathless gasps. "No....It is my seed that comes..."

"Not now! There is no time!"

"I have no strength," Jai-Soo gasped again, arching her back. "They must come....forth...I feel them dying....inside me..."

There was nothing Chen-Soo could do. Jai-Soo was at the end of her term, her wound only made it worse. She was going to give birth and there was now no stopping it. Chen-Soo pulled at her boots and leggings, the rain splashing down all around them.

It should have been an easy birth in the warmth of the house, but the Outsiders had found their den. There had been eight of them, with Vin-Ra at their head. Lai-Nan had seen Emile on the forrest trail and followed him to the house. Then she had gone for the others. Chen-Soo had been on her way there, visiting as she often did, and sharing in the comforting atmosphere of the bonded relationship. She had arrived almost too late.

They had known Emile was bonded, but Jai-Soo was an Insider while they were Outsiders. Emile had tried to reason with them, tried to claim the protection of the bond even as they fought. And when Jai-Soo had fallen, he had thrown himself upon Lai-Nan, forcing her back. It was then that Chen-Soo had arrived and dragged Jai-Soo away from the house. Two of the Outsiders had fallen then, and now two more. But Emile was dead and the bond was broken.

Jai-Soo writhed in pain. She tore at the wet grass but made no noise. Her seed came quickly one after the other, her body heaving as she pushed each one into the world. One by one they came, from the warmth of the womb to the cold and wet of the forrest.

Emile's daughters.

The first one was lifeless. Chen-Soo moved it aside and waited for the next. And when it was all over, only one of the six held a spark of life. Chen-Soo held the tiny form in her hand, feeling it's warmth and watching it wriggle and cry noiselessly.

It was wrong. She could taste it. It was a deviant, it's DNA mismatched in some way. Her instincts cried out for it's death. She knew what she was supposed to do, she should snap it's neck. Her instincts urged her to do it right then. Now! Quickly!

But it was Jai-Soo's offspring, Emile's daughter. The only survivor.

Chen-Soo looked at the five lifeless bodies and she couldn't do it. Instead she placed the tiny form on Jai-Soo's chest.

"Only one has survived, Jai-Soo. The second to be born."

Jai-Soo hardly had enough strength to reach up and touch her infant. "Bey-Jai....Tell....me....she....is....perfect..."

"She is perfect," Chen-Soo lied.

"Then....I....am....content..."

Jai-Soo breathed out and her body relaxed.

The rain pelted down, but Jai-Soo's eyes remained open and fixed as the water splashed and filled them. With the water spilling down her face she could have been crying.

Maybe she was.

Chen-Soo picked up the tiny infant, opening her jacket and body-plate and placing her inside. At least she would be warmer. She pulled her jacket closed and hugged the infant carefully to her chest. She could hear the others coming. They would find the bodies of those who had fallen, but that was all. Chen-Soo got to her feet and ran through the forrest, clutching the infant to her chest with one hand, her sword still held in the other.

There was only one place now that she could go.

The mountain air was cool and fresh. It was spring, and the snows had long since melted and swelled the waters of the many streams that meandered down the hill-sides or fell as water falls into the valleys below. Travellers had begun to venture through the mountain passes. At first there were only one or two, but with each day their number increased. Some were merchant men from Jasanta travelling to Gullain in Falonbeck to trade in wheat and flour, while others made the journey in the opposite direction to trade in fish and seafood at the coastal ports of Sintal and Danek.

There was a time when the mountain pass to Falonbeck was almost deserted. Even at the height of summer, days would go by without a single traveller. They were dark days, when merchants would only venture through the pass in caravans with men-at-arms to escort them. But even heavily guarded caravans had been known to fall victim to the brigands that made the mountains their home.

Time moves on, and with the passing of the years the attacks on the caravans diminished and finally stopped. Now those days were long forgotten, and the deeds of the brigands who once terrorized the pass had become mere legend. Some said that the brigands had all been slain, but others who had seen the Sixpack in all their ferocious glory had a more simple answer. The attacks had stopped because the perpetrators had got older, wiser, and bored.

Time is cruel to the living. While the mountains remained unchanged by the passing years, those who lived in their shadows grew older and stiffer. But one benefit the passing of time gives to the living is the benefit of wisdom. The Sixpack were not slain, nor were they retired. Their boredom had simply taken them elsewhere.

Some had gone to Falonbeck, to it's capital, Gullain. While others had gone back to Halafalon, to the coastal ports and across the vast oceans to other lands. Still more had returned to the forrest and the villages on it's fringes, like Jasanta. But while others travelled, some stayed.

The brisk and breezy cool air of the mountains echoed to the sound of swords clashing. Halfway up the mountain side, under the shelter of an outcrop of hard stone, there was a cave. That it was occupied was very apparent. The entrance was fortified, and scattered before it were the signs of a long established habitation. Bits of discarded furniture, old saddles, even the parts of an old wagon with three extra wheels lay discarded. Among this debris two figures fought.

Women.

One woman was clad in black, and her beauty was as striking as her physique was perfect. The other woman was clad in grey. She was as exceptional as her adversary. But there the similarity between them stopped. Where the first woman was fair skinned and blonde haired, the second woman had skin that was the same dark hue as her hair. Both women struck at one another with strength and determination, darting back and forth with grace and vigour. Their breath came in loud gasps, and their exertions brought the sweat to their skin, causing it to shine in the morning sun.

They had fought for some time. From the beginning the fight had been even, both warriors perfectly matched with neither one nor the other getting the upper hand. But now age and tiredness overcame one of them. It was the merest slip, but the blonde woman took immediate advantage, and her dark skinned adversary felt the sword at her throat and the fight was over.

"No! No! No!" Mai-Zen shouted in annoyance. She drew her sword away and used it to knock Blue-Tack's sword into the correct position. "Here! Not here! How many times have I told you? Never lower your sword like that! Never! Are you a fool?"

"I'm tired!" Blue-Tack snapped back.

"And if I were Kai-Tai you would be dead! Plenty of time for you to rest then!"

Blue-Tack stuck her sword in the ground and slumped down in a rickety looking three-legged chair. "I'm getting too old for all this!" she muttered, still panting.

Mai-Zen rested on her sword and wiped her brow. "I am older than you. Much older."

"Yes, but you're a Destroyer while I'm just a woman. A forty-four year old woman to boot."

Mai-Zen looked down at Blue-Tack as she sprawled in the old chair. Her expression held no sympathy, and neither did her words.

"You are not without strength. You have kept your body strong and healthy. You are not like the females of the villages who have become bent from toiling in the fields, or who have lost their strength through many birthings. Only your words are tired. They reflect your tired will, not your tired muscles. Get up."

Blue-Tack looked up at Mai-Zen. In some ways Mai-Zen was like her mother or an older sister. She cared about her and advised her, but she would also scold her if she didn't behave. In some ways she was also like a school teacher, or worst, an army sergeant-major. They had been together for a long time and they knew each other well, too well.

"I've had enough this morning," she replied. "Are you trying to kill me?"

Mai-Zen's answer was to the point. "Then give up your quest." She held out her hand. "Give me the power driver circuit."

Blue-Tack reached instinctively for the red tag that hung from a cord around her neck. She shook her head.

Mai-Zen raised her sword. "Then fight to keep it!"

Blue-Tack climbed wearily to her feet. She pulled her sword from the ground and circled Mai-Zen. "I hate Monday mornings," she sighed.

Mai-Zen pounced, and the air was filled with the ringing of metal against metal once more.

The tavern was in an uproar. Furniture and flagons of ale flew as men punched and kicked one another. The in-keeper beat at anyone near him with a brush, while another man behind him was felled by a chair. There were shouts and screams as women ran for shelter or threw plates and jugs at the men who fought. Strangely enough, not all of the men were wearing all their clothes.

All this turmoil over a wager. But what a wager.

A man flew out the window, hurled there by two others. He wore his trousers but no shirt. As soon as he had disappeared a woman popped into view in his place. She had shoulder length blonde hair and blue eyes. Although she was in her forties, she was slim and athletic looking. She shouted above the din.

"Gym-Slip! Gym-Slip! I've got it! Come on!"

At the centre of the fighting another woman emerged from under a table. Like the woman at the window, she was blonde and blue-eyed, but her hair was short and curly, and when she stood up she wasn't wearing very much. In fact she was hardly wearing anything at all. She was also quite small. Small, but agile.

With a quick glance around, Gym-Slip elbowed the nearest man in the ribs and then jumped onto the back of another, putting her hands over his eyes so that he couldn't see. The man staggered around, bumping and getting into everyone else's way, with Gym-Slip on his back laughing her head off and kicking at anyone she could reach.

Bus-Pass shouted again from the window. "Gym-Slip! Stop messing about and come on!"

The man who had been hurled through the window now appeared on his feet behind Bus-Pass. Without hardly a glance, Bus-Pass leaned on the window-sill and kicked back. The man groaned and doubled up, disappearing from view.

It was at this moment that a woman ran forward in the tavern holding a large pot over her head. She pushed her way through the fighting men and headed straight towards Gym-Slip and the man she rode upon.

"Vixen!" she shouted, and swung the pot.

At the last moment Gym-Slip leapt from the man onto the bar, ran along it to the window and jumped out. The first and last thing the man she had rode upon saw once his eyes were unobscured was the pot before it hit him. It laid him out cold.

Gym-Slip landed almost in Bus-Pass's arms. She was still laughing.

"Suckers! Works every time!"

In response another flagon flew through the window, followed by two jugs and half a chair.

Bus-Pass handed her a waist-coat and skirt. "Come on! Let's go!"

"You've got it?" Gym-Slip asked her eagerly in a slurred voice as she slipped the skirt around her hips.

"Does a rat have fleas? Of course I've got it! I said so didn't I?" Bus-Pass replied. "Come on you idiot! Before they notice it's gone!"

With the noise of the fighting still ringing in their ears, Bus-Pass and Gym-Slip ran from the tavern.

Chalk-Dust crouched over the ground in the very centre of the mountain pass. She scooped up some of the soil and rubbed it between her fingers. She sniffed at it thoughtfully. She bent closer to the ground, moving her long light brown hair out of the way as she sniffed and stared at the tracks in the soil. Her keen brown eyes missed nothing.

Behind her, sitting against the rock wall of the narrow pass beside a shallow stream was another brown haired woman. Her hair was shorter and darker and her eyes were a soft blue. She sat with a large open book in her lap. She was busy writing on the rough pages.

"You have a strange fascination for dirt," she said without looking up.

"Shit," Chalk-Dust replied, straightening up.

Buy-Row looked up. "I beg your pardon?"

Chalk-Dust came over to her, holding out her hand. "Horse shit to be precise."

Buy-Row quickly turned up her nose at Chalk-Dust's dirty fingers. "You are disgusting!"

Chalk-Dust laughed and cleaned her hand in the waters of the stream. "And you are too soft! You wouldn't know an important sign if it fell on you!"

Buy-Row put down her pen. "Alright then, clever-clogs! What's so important about horse thingy?"

"The fact that there was a lot of it and that it was well trodden in."

"Which means?"

"A lot of horses and something heavy on a wagon. Maybe two wagons. They probably passed through here last night."

Buy-Row lost her humour. She now looked a lot more serious, even a little worried.

"It's not her, is it?" she asked anxiously.

"No. She'd come on her own. Anyway, she'd be behind us and not in front."

Buy-Row relaxed a little. "Thank God for that. Could it be a caravan?"

Chalk-Dust shook her head. "There would have been more wagons and less horses."

"Then it's an army. What would an army be doing travelling the mountain pass at night?"

Chalk-Dust smiled. "Something sneaky. The sooner we get home and tell Blue-Tack, the better."

"It'll be nice to see Gustavo and Mai-Zen again," Buy-Row said as Chalk-Dust pulled her up. "He won't be happy about this, though."

"That's because he worries about Mai-Zen. But it doesn't matter, because it isn't him and Mai-Zen, or us, that these people are interested in."

"Then what are they interested in?"

Chalk-Dust shrugged. "The usual."

Slide-Rule polished her glasses while she sat at her desk in the large tent that would be her home for this campaign. She polished the glasses delicately and carefully. Time had tarnished the metal rims and both pads had long since broken away and been lost. Now as she replaced them, her glasses rested on the bridge of her nose upon a piece of leather bound to the metal. But even after cleaning them so carefully, the scratches never went away.

Slide-Rule sighed.

A Knight threw back the flap of her tent and came inside. Just visible before the flap dropped back were the two men-at-arms standing guard outside, and beyond them the army encamped. Both men-at-arms had saluted and stood to attention as the Knight passed them. Like the two men-at-arms, the crest emblazoned on the Knight's breast-plate was a bronze eagle.

Slide-Rule looked up. "You have news, Sir John?"

Sir John L'Crue was in his forties. He was a seasoned campaigner in the border wars between Ellerkan and Falonbeck. His eyes were green and his hair fair. He kept his hair short as he did his beard. His features were pleasant but deceiving. Although he appeared kind, his tendency towards cruelty in war was well renowned. He had been Slide-Rule's second in command of the Falonbeck army for over a dozen years. Both respected one another but didn't trust each other one jot. Although Slide-Rule was in command, most of the men in the Falonbeck army belonged to L'Crue and carried his livery.

L'Crue nodded and sat down in the chair on the other side of the desk.

"Aye! 'Tis as we planned. We have passed the night unnoticed. The borders are quiet and no one suspects or prepares. We have merely to descend the mountain trail and overcome the garrison in the foothills, and the plains of Halafalon will be open to us!"

"And if words were deeds, we would already be sacking the palace in Ellerkan."

L'Crue fixed his piercing eyes on Slide-Rule. "You tire of the task already?"

"No, but I won't underestimate it either. For you, the green pastures of Halafalon are a rich picking ground, for me they are a trap for the unwary and the unprepared. Many times the armies of Falonbeck have been defeated on those plains. Even the mighty Destroyers were vanquished there. Observe."

Slide-Rule sorted through the maps on her desk, pulling one to the fore. It was a map of the coastal region of Halafalon. Both she and L'Crue hunched over the map.

"See here the trap that awaits us," she went on, indicating the points on the map. "Here we lie now. To travel down the mountain and overcome the garrison will take us half a day. From there we travel down onto the plain. By another day and a half we will be here, in the jaws of the trap. Before us is the river delta, and the only crossing at Jasanta. On one side is the sea, on the other the forrest and the Dragon's Lair. And behind us lie the mountains.

"Yes, the plains have many dwellings and villages, but none are of strategic value other than the crossing at Jasanta. But before we reach it word of our advance will have reached Ellerkan, and King Carl L'Hage will have despatched his Royal Army. They will reach Jasanta before us."

L'Crue looked up. "You fear the Royal Army?"

"No, I fear the evidence of history. Do you ever wonder why the green fields of Halafalon are so prosperous and fruitful?"

L'Crue's answer was contemptuous. "I am not a farmer."

Slide-Rule smiled. But when she continued it was as if she had forgotten her own question.

"By the time we reach Jasanta, the Royal Army will block our path at the river crossing, and the garrison from the Dragon's Lair will be on our right flank. To the left is the sea, and so our only chance for retreat is back through this narrow pass to Falonbeck."

"You contemplate retreat even before a sword is raised!" L'Crue said with derision. "Ten years ago you would have led us across those pastures this very night!"

Slide-Rule sat back. "There will be no retreat. We will not be allowed that luxury. Instead we will be crushed between our enemies two forces. Think, Sir John. If we stand at the river crossing the Dragon Prince will kill us. We cannot defeat his force because they can be reinforced by way of the forrest roads. They will harry us, and snipe at us. It may take time, but encamped by the river, isolated with a long supply route back through this narrow pass, the outcome is unavoidable."

"But what if we attack him in force? Destroy the Dragon Prince and the castle garrison before they can destroy us?"

Slide-Rule held up her finger. "Good idea, but your timing is wrong." She pointed at the map again. "If we should leave the river crossing to attack the castle garrison, or to attempt to retreat, then the Royal Army will cross the river and pursue us. And like many armies from the past we will be annihilated on those green pastures you covet so greatly. And that is the answer to the question I asked you. It isn't just the mud of the rains and the floods that feeds the soil, it is the blood of those who fell because they were ill advised."

L'Crue grunted and sat back. He said nothing for a moment, just staring at Slide-Rule.

When he had first heard of this woman, he had scoffed at the stories of her prowess. But many years and battles had convinced him of her genius at war. From being a mere advisor, she was now in command of the whole army. After the defeat of the Sullenfeld at the battle of Erring Bridge, it was even said that King Thyra of Falonbeck had sought her as his wife. The story said she had turned him down. Whether it was true or not L'Crue could not say. But one thing he knew was true. When it came to the planning and preparation for war, Slide-Rule had no equal.

"You said my timing was wrong."

Slide-Rule nodded. "Yes. It is the garrison at the Dragon's Lair that will literally be the thorn in our side. If we are to win this campaign we must destroy it first."

"So what do you propose?"

"We unleash King Thyra on the garrison in the foothills as planned, but then we turn from the plains and head instead into the forrest. We ride hard and fast, ignoring all in our path. We go straight to the castle. We destroy the Dragon Prince and take his Lair. This is our goal. This is the heart of our victory."

"The Dragon's Lair?" L'Crue exclaimed in disbelief. "What value is this? To take the castle will cost us many men. And while we fight and die in the forrest the Royal Army will be marching upon us. We will be trapped as surely as we would have been on the plain. Your plan is flawed."

Slide-Rule slapped the desk in her anger. "It is not flawed! It is the only way!"

L'Crue stood up. "I will not sanction it and I will listen no more!"

"Do you want to win, or do you want to help the wheat harvest next year?"

L'Crue paused. For a moment he thought about leaving. But then he spoke.

"Why is it better to die in the forrest rather than on the plain?"

"Because the Royal Army cannot manoeuvre as easily in the forrest as it can on the open plain, because we will have a fortified position we can hold if we need to, because we can ford the river unseen on one of the many trails that criss-cross the forrest, and because it is the only place of strategic value we can reach before our presence is discovered."

L'Crue stared at her thoughtfully. What was she planning? What was she thinking? King Thyra had agreed on the raid believing that Slide-Rule could lead his army to the very gates of Ellerkan. After the victory at Erring Bridge, who could have doubted her success? But now it was clear that Slide-Rule was following her own agenda, an agenda that she had well planned.

"Why did you refuse King Thyra's offer of more men?"

"So that we could move more swiftly. Those we have are easily enough for the task in hand."

L'Crue was now openly suspicious. "You never intended to attack Ellerkan, did you? You have deceived the King and me. What is it you seek on this raid?"

"I know what lies in the lower chambers of the Dragon's Lair."

"You speak of the lost treasures of the Destroyers," L'Crue scoffed. "These are the tales of drunkards and simpletons."

L'Crue turned to leave, but Slide-Rule's words stopped him in his tracks.

"I speak not of treasure, but of a weapon. A weapon I have seen with my own eyes. A weapon that can pierce rock and bring down walls."

L'Crue looked over his shoulder. "Can it bring down the walls of Ellerkan?"

"I intend to bring down more than just the walls."

L'Crue turned to face her once more. He pulled the chair towards him and sat down.

"'Tis time that you told me your plan. And this time hide nothing from me. If I believe it will succeed, then you know you will have my full support. But will it succeed?"

Slide-Rule smiled. "Does a rat have fleas?"

Sweyn L'Neil had been the Sheriff of Jasanta for twenty years. At one time he had a fearsome reputation for quelling fights with his fists. Nowadays he left that to his Constables. At forty-eight his black hair was beginning to turn grey, and his blue eyes had lost that sparkle of youth. But at six-foot-two, his large frame still commanded respect and attention from all who had the unfortunate fate to face him.

The tavern was a complete shambles. Men lay littered about among the debris, groaning and moaning. Most of them seemed to have lost items of their clothing. The inn-keeper's wife stood among them with a large pot in her hand, waving it about and shouting angrily.

"A vixen from Hell she was! Vixen! Brazen and evil!"

Sweyn shook his head sadly. This was all too familiar. Familiar, but almost forgotten.

Over by the bar a Constable was arguing with two very battered looking men, one of whom was quite clearly the inn-keeper. From his style of dress, the other man looked like a merchant. All of their voices were raised, and it was difficult to tell what they were saying.

Sweyn knew the Constable well, far better than anyone would ever know. He was a good man, but he was making heavy going of the situation. Stepping over the men on the floor, Sweyn headed for the bar.

"Constable L'Karn, tell me this isn't happening."

L'Karn turned, but before he could say anything the merchant and the inn-keeper started shouting.

"I've been robbed!" the merchant cried in distress. "I'm in your town for less than a day and I'm robbed! What are you going to do about it? Hey?"

"Never mind that, my tavern is ruined!" the inn-keeper complained. "Who'll pay for the damage?"

Sweyn held up his hands. "One at a time!" He pointed at the merchant. "You! What did you lose?"

"A pearl! The biggest pearl you ever saw! I brought it with me from the Isle of Drass. I only arrived last night, and now it's gone! The man who sold it to me said it was cursed."

"Who knew you had it?"

"No one apart from the nun I showed it to on the boat."

Sweyn almost winced.

"Vixen!" the inn-keeper's wife shouted again. "Harlot, she was! A witch!"

Sweyn turned to L'Karn. "The fight was started by a wager?"

L'Karn looked surprised. "Yes. A woman dressed like a warrior caused it. She came into the tavern late last night. One or two of the men argued with her about their prowess at drinking and fighting. They argued that a woman was too weak, and she that she was their equal."

Sweyn then added, "So they had a wager that those that couldn't drink and win their turn at arm wrestling had to remove an item of clothing?"

L'Karn nodded. "She took them all on. The wager went on through the whole of the night. She was quite little by her description, but she held her own until the morning."

The inn-keeper then butted in angrily. "Aye! She could drink like a fish! But who'll pay for the ale? That's what I want to know!"

Sweyn ignored him. "And the fight started when she wagered her body to those among them who was still strong enough to defeat the others?"

L'Karn looked so amazed that Sweyn knew he was right. But then he hadn't doubted it for a second.

The merchant quickly said, "But what about my pearl?"

Sweyn turned to him again. "You were upstairs while this was all going on?"

The merchant nodded.

"The pearl was in your possession all this time, but you left it in your room before you came down in the night to see what all the shouting and commotion was about?"

Again the nod. "I thought it best to leave it there rather than lose it to a pick-pocket in the crowd."

"And it was gone when you went back upstairs?"

The merchant now had the same look of amazement as L'Karn. His voice was more subdued when he replied.

"Yes. It was the only time I had let it out of my sight since I bought it on Drass."

L'Karn was so intrigued at his superior's obvious understanding of what had happened that he could contain himself no longer.

"You know this woman, Sheriff L'Neil?" he almost demanded.

Sweyn nodded and smiled ruefully. "Aye, and the nun that was on the boat from Drass."

L'Karn instantly understood. "They worked together! One caused the distraction while the other stole into the room and took the pearl!"

Sweyn nodded again and then sighed heavily. "They're back."

Soo-Kai couldn't feel angry. She knew what had happened had hurt Rolf so much, but she knew also that they both shared the blame. She wished that she could talk with Rolf about it, that they could discuss it and argue it out. But the few times she had ventured to try had brought on an evil anger in Rolf and a lengthy depression. She didn't speak of it any more, mainly because Rolf had forbidden her to talk of it ever again.

But she still couldn't be angry.

Soo-Kai watched Lai-Chen and Mai-Chen as they laughed and played with Ann-Di and Tai-Zen by the stream. As usual, Ann-Di ended up being dunked in the water, her long blonde hair all wet and draped over her face. As the youngest she often came off worse in such encounters, but there was no ill will, and all four of them laughed.

As siblings, Lai-Chen and Mai-Chen were both very similar in appearance. Long jet black hair and brown eyes completed their perfect features and athletic physique. They were almost mirror images of one another, and each would often seek out the company of the other. Both had their hair tied into a single long plat.

Tai-Zen had long light brown hair and blue eyes. Apart from this her appearance was very similar to the others. An oval shaped face with perfectly proportioned features. It was as if someone had designed them all from the same source.

Like Soo-Kai, Bey-Jai also watched those playing by the stream. She was a little closer, closer but not too close. Soo-Kai now turned her attention to Bey-Jai.

Bey-Jai was the oldest. Her eyes were brown and she also had light brown hair like Tai-Zen. But unlike all the others, she kept her hair short. It hardly reached her shoulders. It seemed to be a sign of her independence and her individuality. Tall, elegant and confident, it was a long time since she had played and laughed in the stream with the others. Her confidence came from her well established position in the group. For decisions the others all looked to her, even ahead of Soo-Kai herself.

It was because Soo-Kai was bonded of course. It made her an outsider, not one of them. When they were younger it didn't matter, but as the years passed and they all grew, it did matter. Bey-Jai was now their leader, and her acceptance of this meant that she no longer splashed and laughed with the others in the waters of the stream.

But despite her perfect appearance, Bey-Jai possessed the same tiny imperfection in her DNA that the others all shared. That was what bound them together as a group. It was also what kept them apart from Soo-Kai, and what isolated them from all their sisters.

For a while, Bey-Jai had smiled as she watched the others play, but now the smile left her lips and she turned and came towards Soo-Kai.

"She approaches again," she said in a husky voice to Soo-Kai when she reached her position nearer to the small cottage.

Soo-Kai nodded as she continued to watch the others by the stream as they splashed and played. They laughed, but her expression remained neutral as always. She neither smiled nor frowned. But she had also caught the same scent on the wind as Bey-Jai. It was a scent she knew well, and it brought with it a flood of mixed emotions.

"Chen-Soo will watch and then she will leave as she always does," she said with disinterest.

"You will not venture out to question her?"

"No."

By now Mai-Chen had also caught the scent of Chen-Soo in the air. She stopped laughing and turned to stare towards the trees. Soon Lai-Chen and Tai-Zen were doing the same, and even Ann-Di had stood up in the stream and was staring.

At last Soo-Kai turned and stared in the same direction. There was nothing to be seen, and yet she said, "You see, she leaves already."

The door to the small cottage burst open and Rolf came out. His fair hair had turned to grey, and he looked older and bent. He walked using a long crooked stick that he leaned on heavily. He looked worried and annoyed. With him was Soo-El. Her hair was blonde and also tied into a long plat. She had also obviously picked up the scent and warned Rolf. Now she stood by the door while Rolf limped forward on his stick.

"Inside!" he shouted to the Destroyers by the stream, waving at them furiously. "Inside, all of you! Quickly!"

Without hesitation they all did as he asked. Even Bey-Jai obeyed. It was an often repeated ritual that had started when they were quite small. It was as if Rolf hadn't noticed that they had all grown up.

Soo-Kai waited until they had all dutifully filed through the door into the cottage, then she followed after them. Rolf waited for her at the door, and for the first time in a long time his eyes held that look.

"Go and talk to her," he said curtly. "Tell her not to come anymore."

"She does no harm, my husband."

"I won't have it!" Rolf insisted. "I tire of finding the washing line half empty, and of worrying that she may be watching! Go and tell her!"

Soo-Kai nodded. "As you wish."

Soo-Kai didn't have to travel far into the forrest to find the object of Rolf's anger. She found Chen-Soo leaning against a tree. It was as if she had sensed Soo-Kai was following her and had waited for her. She wore the usual black leggings and jacket that all the Destroyers wore. They were faded with age, but also dirty. The extent of their dirtiness was more apparent on the white vest that Chen-Soo wore under her open jacket. It was stained brown and green. Chen-Soo kept her head down as she waited, her face completely obscured by her long and unruly blonde hair. In one hand she held her rolled up body-plate, her other hand clutched at her hidden face.

Soo-Kai paused a moment before slowly walking up to her. Then she brushed away Chen-Soo's hair and raised her head. What she revealed was a rather dirty face with blue eyes reddened by tears. That and Chen-Soo's sorrowful expression did much to ruin an otherwise rather beautiful face.

Chen-Soo didn't wait for Soo-Kai to speak first, she quickly wiped at her wet face, smearing more dirt onto her cheek, and demanded the answer that always haunted her.

"Why will he not forgive me? Why does he still punish me like this? Why, my mother?"

Soo-Kai stepped even closer, trapping her daughter against the tree and brushing back her untidy hair. "Because you represent all that went wrong, Chen-Soo. Because to see you is to remember what happened, and because you will always ask for his forgiveness, forcing him to face that which his mind wishes to deny."

More tears came to Chen-Soo's eyes. "I wish I were dead! I wish I had died as they did!"

Soo-Kai now pulled her close, hugging her daughter as she cried. It was a strange experience. Part of her felt uncomfortable and uneasy, while another part of her took an immense pleasure in the feel and smell of her offspring.

Like Bey-Jai, Chen-Soo was tall and elegant. They were even of a similar age. But there the similarities ended. The efforts Soo-Kai had made in order to achieve conception with Rolf were all too clear in Chen-Soo's appearance. Gone was the red hair and green eyes of her mother, or of Kai-Tai, her grandmother. The blonde hair and blue eyes Chen-Soo had inherited from Rolf, and these and the genetic changes to her features gave her a much more individual look. The effect was rather pleasing.

Soo-Kai stroked Chen-Soo's hair and waited for her sobs to subside. Only when Chen-Soo grew quiet did she speak.

"Are you in such despair at the disadvantages of your own life that you would prefer the same fate as your sisters? Is this why you let your hair become so entangled and matted? Do you intend your life to end so soon that you have already given up washing? Even the youngest of those you brought could sense your approach. You stink."

Chen-Soo almost chuckled but quickly curbed the sound. It wasn't humorous in any case, but more despairing. In contrast, her reply was full of determination.

"I have stayed away from Kai-Tai and the others these past few days. I have lived and slept in the forrest on my own, under the trees and in the open. I have given the humans every opportunity to find and hunt me, but none have come."

Soo-Kai understood. "So it is not your sister's fate, but my own that you seek?"

"The end is the same: To be killed by humans, to let their hatred claim another of their enemies."

Soo-Kai stepped back and held Chen-Soo at arms length. She stared intently at her daughter's stubborn expression. Chen-Soo had developed an all too familiar pout that Soo-Kai could only assume must have belonged to Rolf's mother or aunt. It was very unnerving in a Destroyer.

"If you are to be killed by humans, you will at least die clean. It is time you washed."

Without a further word, Soo-Kai grabbed Chen-Soo's wrist and yanked her forward. Chen-Soo tried to resist, but her mother was in no mood to give in, or give way. Chen-Soo was dragged forward at a brisk pace.

They walked quickly through the forrest, winding in and out of the trees. On and on, with Soo-Kai keeping silent while Chen-Soo moaned and protested all the way.

"Stop it! Leave me alone! I don't want to wash! I don't want to be clean! I want to die! I want to be dead like my sisters! How can you clean their blood from my hands? You can wash my skin but not my mind! Stop this! Mother!?"

Still Soo-Kai kept silent. Chen-Soo tried to dig her heels in, but Soo-Kai merely turned and grabbed her with both hands and pulled even harder.

Chen-Soo stared at her mother in dismay. "Why do you always treat me like this?"

At last Soo-Kai spoke. "Because a child must be treated like a child."

Chen-Soo immediately gave up her resistance. She allowed Soo-Kai to pull her forward more easily, and they made better progress.

"Where do you take me?" Chen-Soo asked.

"There is a place I know. One where we can sit and talk and where you can wash unobserved. It is not far."

Soo-Kai's judgement of the distance was good, and it wasn't long before the sound of a water-fall reached their ears. The sound grew, and it quickly became a roar. Soon after and they came to the bank of a stream that flowed in a gorge. Soo-Kai led Chen-Soo up-stream towards the water that fell into the gorge. The ground here was rising steeply, and the water fell down several levels, one of which had created a shallow pool in the rock. Walking quickly up the hill, Soo-Kai brought Chen-Soo to the level of this pool. Here at last she stopped.

Chen-Soo looked around. She had travelled the forrest all her life, even followed the streams and the river that flowed through it, but she had never been here before. All around her the trees grew densely, their trunks encrusted with a green mould that glistened in the spray from the water-fall. It was as if the cool damp air had caused the trees to gather together like people around a fire. On the level above her, she could see several smaller streams meandering their way through the trees towards the pool. Here they all gathered together at the edge and the water fell into the pool in a wide curtain, filling the pool until it in turn spilled over the edge into the gorge below.

Chen-Soo turned to Soo-Kai and said, "How did you know this place? I must have passed here many times and never found it."

"I am over two thousand years older than you, how can you hope to know what I have known?" Soo-Kai replied, and pushed her in the pool.

Chen-Soo went into the pool with a large splash, causing a wave of water to spill over the edge into the gorge below. Fortunately, the pool was not too deep, and Chen-Soo ended up sitting on the bottom with the water reaching up to her chest. Her hair was draped over her face, and she pulled it away and spat out some of the water, coughing. She looked up in surprise at her mother.

Soo-Kai stared down at her from the edge of the pool. "Wash!" she said sternly.

Amy brushed her long silver blonde hair. She brushed it like this every morning. It was a ritual, a ritual that was more about the passing of time than it was about vanity. Every morning Amy would stand naked in front of her bedroom mirror and comb out her fine hair, examining each strand for signs of grey. There never were, and even if there had been, she could hardly have been able to tell the difference.

She told herself that she did it to check whether she was really getting older. The thing was, she didn't feel older. And staring at her reflection in the mirror, she saw that she didn't look older, either. The years had tumbled by. Three children who were now all older than she was when she first arrived in Ellerkan had done nothing to affect her body. Instinctively, she ran her hand over her abdomen, just checking what her eyes already told her.

Still slim and athletic, Amy felt as fit and as young as she was when she had first ran in terror through the forrest. And in her mind she also felt young. Yes, she had benefitted from Craig's success. Without him her life here could have been far harsher than it had been. Wealth brought health. That was the same in any society. But wealth alone wasn't enough.

Amy had spent years in the careful tutorlege of Anne Jenkins, her P.E. teacher at school. It was Anne who had taught her what to eat and how to look after her body. She had built the foundations of a regime that Amy had stuck to all her life. The reward was health, vigour and vitality. Amy's reflection glowed back at her from the mirror. It gave her a very satisfying feeling. Satisfying, but slightly sad.

Maybe it was about vanity after all.

From beyond the door to her bedroom, a man's voice called out.

"Are you dressed yet, or are you still posing in front of the mirror?"

Amy smiled and went over to a large ornate wardrobe. "I'll be ready in a minute," she said as she opened the wardrobe and began to search through the many gowns inside.

"You know the boy from across the courtyard has a spy-glass?"

Amy chuckled as she dressed. "The curtains are drawn, no one can see me, Craig."

"The wind blows, the curtains flap, and the boy gets an eyeful," Craig replied.

Amy went over to the door and opened it. "How do you know he has a spy-glass?"

Craig pretended to hold a cigar to his mouth and said in Groucho Marx's voice, "Who do you think gave it to him!"

Amy laughed and wrapped her arms around him. They kissed and hugged.

The years had also been kind to Craig. He had put on a little weight, his hair had receded, and grey already marked his temples. But his eyes still held that mystifying intensity that had first attracted and won Amy. She couldn't imagine what her life would have been like without him.

When they finally moved apart, Craig said, "Maybe we should go back to bed?"

"What about the boy with the spy-glass?" Amy pointed out.

"He can go blind."

"Didn't you have enough of me last night?"

"I never have enough of you."

"And what about your appointments today?"

"I'll break them."

"And throw us into destitution? What will our children think? Where will we live? What will the boy do with his spy-glass?"

Craig sighed. "I suppose I'd better go to work, then."

"Yes. But not before we have breakfast. Then you can go to work and think about me all day and come back to me tonight, overflowing with anticipation."

Craig held up his finger. "Now, that's a good idea! But don't be surprised if I'm back at lunch time!"

Amy laughed again as Craig kissed her quickly and then pulled her out the door and downstairs.

Breakfast at the Price household was always a family affair. But what was once a crowded table had been diminished slightly by Annabelle's marriage earlier in the year. She came to visit often, and Amy expected her to turn up by mid-morning. She was already over eight months into her pregnancy and would frequently seek out the company of her mother. She also liked to nap in her old room in her old bed.

Amy's two sons were different. Neither Ray nor Alan showed any inclination to marry. Both pursued an active social life, and both had established liaisons with the daughters of merchantmen and traders, but neither had sort permanent relationships. They were both very much Craig's sons. They had taken to a life of commerce in Ellerkan almost as eagerly and quickly as Craig had done.

Alan in particular was very successful. He could have moved out and bought his own house by now, but instead he chose to stay. He was the older of the two. He looked very much like his father. He had the same brown hair and that same look in his light blue eyes. His sense of humour was also his father's, as was his art of mimicry, which he would use to great effect. There wasn't a trader in Ellerkan whose mannerisms and voice he couldn't master, and the list of women who would have thankfully shared his bed far outstripped that of his brother.

Ray was the youngest of Amy's three children. Like Annabelle, he had inherited his mother's green eyes and fair hair. He was the quieter of the three, but none-the-less shrewd in business and life. Amy always thought that Ray was missing something, that he yearned for the life that his mother left behind. All of them knew and understood their heritage, but only Ray seemed to dwell on what had been lost.

The conversation at breakfast swung from business to humour, as Craig and Alan would imitate the merchantmen they were each to meet that day. Even Ray would suffer at his brother and father's artistry. As usual he would smile and nod at the gentle digs at his business acumen, or at his prowess with women. How Amy missed Annabelle's feminine support at these times.

The house emptied when breakfast was over. For a while, Amy was left to her own devices. But by ten o'clock, Annabelle arrived and manoeuvred herself into a chair in the drawing room. Amy fussed over her, and Annabelle moaned about being fat and not being able to fit into any of her favourite gowns anymore.

"I feel like a pumped up cow!" she complained.

"You are no such thing!" Amy told her.

"I am!"

"Don't be silly! It'll pass."

"I wish!" Annabelle replied. "How you managed to do it three times I'll never know!"

Amy smiled. "It's easy after the first one."

"Easy? Ha! I'm not having anymore. William can buy the next one!"

"You won't say that in a year's time," Amy said knowingly. She saw the look of disbelief on her daughter's face and laughed. "You wait and see! Once you've held your own child and watched him or her growing and smiling, you'll understand. You will!"

Annabelle still wasn't convinced. "Tell me that when it's throwing up and screaming in the night! What do you think I am, stupid? Yes, everyone loves babies when they're smiling, happy and clean. But as soon as they barf, everybody has something else to do, or somewhere else to go! Me, I'll be stuck with it!"

"But it's all worth it in the end! I've got you haven't I?"

Annabelle looked into her mother's happy face and gave in at last. "I know what you mean, it's just that I don't feel like that at the moment. Maybe I will after." She shrugged, then smiled. "You'll be a granny."

Amy sat back in her chair and sighed. "Oh, dear, I hadn't thought of that."

Her mother's obvious dismay made Annabelle laugh.

They talked for a while longer, not just about babies, but about people, events and any other tantalizing gossip. But as they talked, Amy found herself thinking of her teacher as she had done as she brushed her hair that morning. She mentioned it to her daughter.

"I was thinking about Anne Jenkins this morning," she said. "It made me feel sort of sad."

"You were lucky to know the Queen so well. I remember her smiling most of the time. She was always nice to me, but I know you meant a lot to her."

"She always had a great faith in me, an expectation that I would do well. She knew I could win, but in the end we never really got

to find out."

"You still miss her, don't you?"

Amy nodded. "I owe her a lot. She was as close to me as my own mother. I miss her too."

Her eyes grew wet, and Annabelle was quick to avert the inevitable. "Oh, stop it mother! Or we'll both end up in the river tied to large rocks!"

Amy laughed through her tears. "I'm sorry! I can't help it!"

"I know. We were all sad. The whole of Ellerkan grieved with the King. But it was three years ago. Even the King had to go on." Annabelle now leaned forward conspiratorially. "William says that the word around court is that Queen Margaret is pregnant!"

Amy looked at her in surprise. "You are joking?"

Annabelle shook her head. "The gossip among the Queen's Ladies-in-Waiting is that she is sick each morning and her eating habits are strange."

"Oh, well then, it must be true!" Amy scoffed.

"I'm serious, mum. She's pregnant. King Carl will have an heir by the new year."

Amy still wanted it to be untrue. "It's not fair!" she exclaimed. "Why couldn't Carl have children with Anne? He loved her, not this Margaret. He only married her for duty. It's not fair!"

"Well if he did, it's worked."

"I'm sure everyone in court is ecstatic!" Amy said bitterly. "I still think it's a shame. Anne wanted so much to have children with Carl."

There was a slight pause, then Annabelle said, "It must have been her after all."

Their conversation ebbed after that. When Annabelle finally went upstairs for her nap, Amy was left to her own thoughts, and they turned once again to her teacher. She remembered again what Anne Jenkins had taught her, and what she had given her. It still made her sad. Then another thought occurred to her. This year was the year of their reunion. It was a sudden realisation. Twenty-eight years had passed, and this was the year when they had all promised to meet up once again. Anne had so much looked forward to it. And now she wouldn't be there.

Mai-Zen and Blue-Tack had at last finished their morning workout, and Blue-Tack was washing away the sweat from her exertions. Mai-Zen had done the same, but now she stood in the entrance to the cave drying her blonde hair. While she rubbed at her hair, she sniffed repeatedly at the cool air of the mountains. There was an unmistakable scent in the air, a scent that she recognised and knew well.

"Someone comes," she said in a loud voice.

Gustavo came out of the cave. The years had turned his hair and beard grey, but although he was a lot less fit and sprightly than he had been in his youth, the spirit was still there. Even in his advancing years, he would rarely turn from a fight, and Mai-Zen had already begun to fear his brashness. When he spoke, his voice was still strong and his eyes never lost that mischievous humour despite his anxiousness.

"Who comes? Do we fight them or welcome them?"

"It is Chalk-Dust and Buy-Row."

Gustavo's expression instantly grew brighter. "Then it is a fond welcome they shall receive!" He turned and called back into the cave. "Blue-Tack! Blue-Tack! Come out and greet your old friends Chalk-Dust and Buy-Row!"

There was a scream of delight from inside the cave and Blue-Tack burst forth. She had changed into a skirt and tunic of blue and her hair now hung down in long braids.

"Where are they?" she asked as she looked around eagerly.

Mai-Zen indicated the trail. "They still approach. They walk the trail openly and without fear. They need a lesson in stealth."

Blue-Tack got her meaning straight away. "You would think that, wouldn't you! And after we've only just finished washing! Haven't you had enough today?"

Mai-Zen was not to be put off. "They go soft on their travels. They shun combat, and instead seek the past from the ground. They need the exercise. We will ambush them as they climb the trail."

Gustavo laughed. "You'll do them both an injury."

"Only their pride will be injured. Come, Blue-Tack. You take the book-worm while I take the sniff-dog."

Blue-Tack smiled and followed her down the trail.

Gustavo called after them, "They never did like those names!"

When Buy-Row turned the final bend that led up to the cave, Blue-Tack pounced on her, knocking her to the ground with a scream. Chalk-Dust wasn't so easily surprised by Mai-Zen, but quickly found herself at a disadvantage as they exchanged sword blows close to the edge of the trail.

Buy-Row struggled as Blue-Tack sat on her. "Will you pack it in you big bully! Can't we ever come home without all this childish nonsense?"

"It's not childish, it's good practice!" Blue-Tack replied, and twisted Buy-Row's arm for good measure.

"Ow!"

Mai-Zen struck at Chalk-Dust as if she meant every blow. Chalk-Dust parried each one, her expression as intent as that of her opponent as they danced about on the narrow trail.

"Good!" Mai-Zen declared as Chalk-Dust made her first offensive move. "You have overcome the disadvantage of the attack. You have not forgotten what I have taught you!"

"I was ready for you!" Chalk-Dust said. "You'll have to strike further down the trail to surprise me! I waited for your attack, even letting Buy-Row move ahead of me!"

Buy-Row looked up. "You sod! You're as bad as them!"

Mai-Zen struck back at Chalk-Dust even harder. "Sacrificing your friend is an error. To fight apart is to die apart. You should have warned her and prepared for us together."

Blue-Tack laughed as she still sat on the struggling Buy-Row.

"You tell her, Mai-Zen! Letting poor Buy-Row get stomped while she sneaked along at the back! Give her a good whacking!"

Mai-Zen responded by increasing the intensity of her attacks, forcing Chalk-Dust further back down the trail.

Buy-Row was by now getting well and truly fed up of being Blue-Tack's cushion. "Oh, stop pratting about, Chalk-Dust, and tell them about the army!"

Mai-Zen halted her next blow even before it was struck, her sword still raised and at the ready. Chalk-Dust stopped with her sword also raised, but in defense. They both stood facing one another, panting.

Mai-Zen fixed her blue eyes on Chalk-Dust. "Speak!"

Chalk-Dust lowered her sword. She was still out of breath when she spoke.

"I found the signs of many men and horses along the pass. The signs were hours old, so they must have travelled the pass last night. There were too many men and horses for a caravan. Their trail was plain to see. It has to be an army."

Blue-Tack got up and released Buy-Row. "Are you sure?"

Buy-Row quickly scrambled to her feet and began to dust herself off. "At last! Of course she's sure! Does a rat have fleas?"

Mai-Zen lowered her sword. "Come. We should tell Gust-Avo."

Chen-Soo had finished washing herself and her clothes. For a while she had been naked as her clothes were laid out to dry in the morning sun, but now she was dressed again as she sat by the rock pool. She had put on her leggings and boots and the vest that was now truly white. Her black jacket and body-plate still lay on the grass beside her. She sat in front of her mother, sitting almost in her lap, and resting her hands on her mother's legs on either side of her.

Soo-Kai sat quietly running her fingers through Chen-Soo's hair, combing it out so that it was long and straight. It was still very damp, but now it was clean and the matting was gone. They had sat together like this for some time before Soo-Kai spoke.

"You should take better care of your hair," she told Chen-Soo.

Chen-Soo shrugged. "Maybe I should cut it as Bey-Jai did?" she suggested.

"No. I will tie it for you the way Rolf once tied it. I will teach you how to do it for yourself. That way you can keep it long but also safe."

Soo-Kai began to plat Chen-Soo's hair. She described and repeated the steps, working slowly so that Chen-Soo understood how it was done. As Soo-Kai worked her way down her hair, Chen-Soo looked over her shoulder and watched as her long hair was being entwined. But learning the task was not difficult and her interest seemed to wane. Finally, Chen-Soo just sat patiently with her eyes closed.

It was a pleasant experience having her mother so close and feeling her fingers in her hair. Having her hair platted brought back memories for Chen-Soo, memories of Rolf doing the same when she was very little, memories of happier times when the little house was filled with the sound of tiny voices and laughter. But that was long ago, before that day.

Chen-Soo looked over her shoulder at her mother. "Do you still love me?"

Soo-Kai didn't answer at first. It was as if she hadn't heard the question. But when she did reply, it was with a question of her own.

"Did you detect the ship that landed in the night?"

Chen-Soo became annoyed by her mother's so obvious attempt to change the topic of their conversation. When she spoke, her words came quickly and harshly.

"Every Destroyer in the forrest will have sensed it's passing. Even with it's lights extinguished, it's heat source was clear. But it is not the ship I wish to speak of. You understand the meaning of my question, so why do you evade it?"

Soo-Kai sighed. "It is not an evasion, or not intentionally so. Rolf has taught me a lot in the time we have had together, but I am still a Destroyer. You are right, I understand the meaning of love, but I cannot say if I feel it."

"You held me tightly when we met, did not my tears and appearance hurt you?"

Soo-Kai nodded, but kept her attention on Chen-Soo's hair as she continued to plat it. "Yes, I feel an attraction for you, I will not deny it. You are my seed, and your well being and survival concerns me. But I am in a bond, so these feelings may be freed and enhanced by the absence of the Purpose within me. It is not usual or correct for mother and daughter to seek out one another and to pet and converse as humans do."

Soo-Kai's last words were an attempt to warn off Chen-Soo from this line of questioning. It didn't work.

"If Rolf did not hate me," Chen-Soo pressed on. "If he had allowed me to live in the house with you, would you treat me any differently than you do now?"

Soo-Kai shook her head in dismay. "How can I answer such a question? How can I know? What happened, happened and can't be undone. I cannot guess at feelings that I did not feel. You ask questions whose answers are meaningless, and yet the questions themselves are dangerous."

Chen-Soo seemed to pounce on Soo-Kai's last words. "Why are my questions dangerous?"

"Because you are a Destroyer, and you are not bonded. Questions of love, of relationships between mother and daughter, these are not questions for a Destroyer. Your interest in such questions implies a defective nature. You should not ask them or it may lead to your destruction."

"Do you fear for me?"

Soo-Kai had been getting irritated by the constant questions about love and forgiveness. She should have been used to it by now. Each time they met it was the same thing, and each time it seemed to get worse. But all her irritation left her with that last question.

Chen-Soo was right, of course. Soo-Kai did fear for her. She feared for her because she had always recognised and understood the feelings Chen-Soo felt, recognised them because they had been her own feelings when she had been younger. She had felt the very same attachment to her own mother. That was why she had stayed so close to Kai-Tai even after so many years. But she had also kept her feelings hidden from Kai-Tai, knowing that to expose them would have led to conflict.

Destroyers did not hug and greet one another as emotionally as humans did. Even the relationship between mother and daughter was unusually cold. When she was younger, Soo-Kai had known that Kai-Tai would have reacted badly to such a line of questioning from her daughter as Chen-Soo now pursued with her. And yet she had also known that if their roles had been reversed the result would have been very different.

Soo-Kai had always had feelings that surpassed those that were considered to be normal among Destroyers. How and where these feelings came from she could never tell. It was obvious to Soo-Kai from very early on in life that these feelings were not shared by her mother. Perhaps they were a dormant gene that had passed Kai-Tai by, a dormant gene that had belonged to Tai-Ann, or maybe Ann-Vin, or even El-Quan. How far back it went she also couldn't tell, nor if any of her ancestors had felt it's influence. Maybe she was the only one affected. No matter where or how she had come by these feelings, the first thing she had learned to do was to curb them and hide them. It was easy then, when conflicts were long and bloody, and war a permanent escape from introspective thought. But on Ellerkan, time had dragged on.

By the time she had met Rolf, Soo-Kai was already tired of the Purpose and of living. Time and events had weighed heavily on her mind. Rolf had changed all that. With him life had become brighter and easier. But he was already getting old, and all too soon the time she shared with him would end. Soo-Kai feared life without Rolf. For so long he had been her only reason for living. Without him her life would be empty. Empty except for the Purpose.

The arrival of Chen-Soo and her sisters had brought just as big a change to Soo-Kai's life as did her bond with Rolf. It wasn't the first time she had produced offspring of course. The last time had been many years ago. Soo-Kai could hardly remember them. What she could remember was that they had all been perfect. Perfect, aloof, and cold. They had also all perished long before Soo-Kai came to Ellerkan. But this time there was a difference.

For many years Rolf and Soo-Kai had been unable to conceive. It was because of the tolerances set in Soo-Kai's mind and body. It was an instinct she couldn't deny. Anything less than perfect would be rejected. At Rolf's insistence, Soo-Kai had fought with this instinct and had manipulated the genetic material to allow them to conceive. The result was successful. Soo-Kai had given birth, and for a while, the future had looked bright once more.

With luck, Soo-Kai knew that their children would out-live Rolf and the bond she shared with him. They would still be there when Soo-Kai was forced to return to the Purpose. They would bring an interest in the future that Soo-Kai knew would otherwise have eluded her.

But luck was not with them, and now only Chen-Soo survived.

The years had passed, and as Chen-Soo had grown older, Soo-Kai had felt those familiar feelings re-emerge within her once more. As always she tried to deny them. She told herself that it was because she was bonded, that it was because of what happened, and because Chen-Soo was her only surviving daughter. It was all just an excuse. The dormant gene she had inherited from Kai-Tai was very much active. It gave her feelings that were incorrect for a Destroyer. It mattered little that the defect was small. It still meant that she was defective. And it soon became apparent that Chen-Soo also possessed the same defective gene.

Even before that tragic day, Chen-Soo's behaviour had been unusual. But the death of her sisters had only made it worse. Chen-Soo's behaviour became even more erratic, and she quickly became obsessed with questions of love and death. She was torn by guilt and remorse, and her nature became bitter. All of these emotions proved beyond doubt that she was incorrect, a deviant. But despite all of this, Chen-Soo was still well established among the other Destroyers who ran with Kai-Tai. Even Kai-Tai herself accepted her. It seemed impossible that they hadn't noticed after all this time.

Soo-Kai knew that there were other Destroyers whose genetic integrity was far from perfect. In recent years the difficulty in finding suitable males with which to conceive made that almost commonplace. But their defects had to be acceptable, defects that didn't clash with or oppose the Purpose. And the Purpose had no place for guilt and remorse. No, the answer had to be that Chen-Soo hid her emotions when she was with the other Destroyers in a way she didn't do with Soo-Kai.

It was clear that Chen-Soo knew that Soo-Kai shared the same defect and so took advantage. Almost all the times they met, Chen-Soo would pursue the same line of questioning. It would often cause them to argue. Even Chen-Soo's pursuit of her own destruction was nothing new. It was as if she saved up all her questions and bitterness and spewed them all out as soon as they were together. It was as if she wanted to annoy her, to get a response from her. If that were true, then it revealed a psyche that Soo-Kai realised must be fatally defective, far more defective even than her own.

"Yes, I fear for you," Soo-Kai replied. The pause between question and answer had been hardly a moment.

Chen-Soo visibly brightened. "Then you do love me? Even after what I did?"

"You are my seed. I fear for you because I do not wish to see you killed. What happened is irrelevant."

Chen-Soo twisted around to face her mother, her expression filled with sadness and surprise. "How can you say that? How can what happened be irrelevant? It was my fault! I killed them!"

"Will your death bring them back? Will it dispel your guilt? No. Turn around. The plat is nearly finished."

Soo-Kai spoke without emotion and her expression gave away nothing of her thoughts. Chen-Soo turned around again and let her mother finish platting her hair.

There was a tearing sound as Soo-Kai ripped a small length of cloth from the bottom of the white vest Chen-Soo wore. Chen-Soo tried to stop her, but it was too late. She seemed hurt at the sight of the frayed edge. Soo-Kai recognised the vest as one of Rolf's.

"You took this from the line?" she asked as she tied the piece of cloth into Chen-Soo's hair, finishing the plat.

Chen-Soo nodded. "Bey-Jai chased me. She looked angry. I wonder sometimes if she remembers me."

"She remembers you." Soo-Kai handed the end of the plat to Chen-Soo.

Chen-Soo stared down at it, fingering the little bow tied into the end of her hair. She twisted the pigtail around in her hands and then looked up at her mother.

"Why can you not say it?" she asked. "You say many other things, but never the words I want to hear. You tell me you fear for my life. You argue with me and tell me to keep my questions to myself. You even advise me on how to behave and teach me to tie my hair. And yet you refuse to say the one thing I wish to hear. Why?"

"The words you wish to hear cannot be spoken by a Destroyer. Learn this truth before it kills you."

Chen-Soo twisted around to face Soo-Kai once more. "I know you!" She said the words almost as if they were an accusation. "I know what you knew when we were born! I remember what you remember! Say it!"

"Did Hai-Fam not teach you anything?" Soo-Kai countered.

Chen-Soo climbed to her knees and spoke coldly. "Hai-Fam taught me well. You would have been proud of her, my mother. I have learned all the ways of a Destroyer. She has fulfilled the role you relinquished admirably. But it is not how to be a Destroyer that I wish to learn from you!"

"You think I can teach you to be human? Is that it? You wish me to teach you of love and pain? Or of how to feel happiness and contentment? Are we both that defective that we can even talk of such nonsense?"

"It's not nonsense!" Chen-Soo cried, her face filled with emotion. "All I want is for you to treat me the way you feel. I want you to hold me as Rolf once did! I want you to tell me that you love me and that you want me to stay nearby and be close to you-"

"I cannot listen to this!" Soo-Kai interrupted in rising anger. She got quickly to her feet. "I cannot and will not do as you ask! And if you say that you know me then you will also know why!"

"Yes, I know why," Chen-Soo said. She also jumped up and now stood face to face with her mother. "It's because you're scared! Scared of admitting the truth! Scared of being accused of being a deviant!"

Soo-Kai pushed Chen-Soo away. "If Kai-Tai saw you like this she would cut off your head!"

"I don't care!" Chen-Soo replied, and her expression developed a stubborn pout once more. "I'd rather die than live a thousand years of lies!"

Soo-Kai smacked her. For a moment Chen-Soo looked stunned. She staggered back and put a hand to her reddened cheek. Soo-Kai didn't wait for her to recover. She spoke harshly and abruptly.

"I do not love you! I am a Destroyer! I love only my bond, and he tires of your visits! Do not return here! I do not want you, and Rolf does not want you! He does not want to see you! And he will not speak with you!"

Chen-Soo looked horrified. "I don't believe you!"

Soo-Kai was relentless. "Do you think I would meet with you after all these years without his permission? It was Rolf that sent me to tell you these words! Now go and do not come back!"

For a moment Chen-Soo looked as if she would cry again, but then her expression changed. It was as if all her emotions left her. She became cool and calm, and her expression became one of aloof disinterest.

"I will do as you ask, my mother. It is obvious from your words that even you do not care for me anymore, that even you blame me for what happened. I will not return here again. I will go back to Kai-Tai and the others. I will follow the Purpose as they do. I will force you from my mind and let the Purpose guide me as I fight with the Outsiders on the borders with Falonbeck, or pursue the humans who stray into our path. I will kill all I find with the hatred only a Destroyer can know."

With sudden determination she reached up and tore the ribbon of cloth from her hair and threw it aside. In another moment she had unravelled her hair and shaken it loose.

"Only humans tie their hair as you taught me. But I am not a human, I am a Destroyer. I despise humans. They are incorrect, deviant, an abomination that must be eradicated. I thank you for your words of wisdom."

Chen-Soo retrieved her jacket and body-plate, turned and fled.

Soo-Kai watched Chen-Soo as she darted away among the trees, her blonde hair flowing behind her. Her mind was filled with mixed emotions, emotions that shouldn't have been there. She bent and picked up the discarded piece of cloth, holding it to her cheek. It had been the right thing to do, she was sure of it. But she feared the consequences.

Mai-Zen led them quickly back to the cave, but not before Blue-Tack had hugged and kissed Chalk-Dust and Buy-Row in greeting. Despite the ambush, they were all as happy to see one another, and the tears came along with the joy. Buy-Row got her revenge on Blue-Tack by stamping on her foot, causing her to limp most of the way back up the trail.

Gustavo was equally joyful at their return. He stood before them with open arms and they both ran to him. His smile and happiness was almost physical. He was like a father to them, and that was how they treated him.

Mai-Zen looked on without emotion. Only Blue-Tack knew how it hurt her so to see such shows of affection between Gustavo and the women he considered to be his daughters. Although it was Mai-Zen herself who had persuaded Gustavo to accept them all those years ago, part of her was always sad. They were not hers, nor his.

When the hugs and kisses were over, Gustavo led them all back into the cave that had once been their home for over ten years, although it could hardly have appeared less like a cave than it did. From the outside it resembled no more than a lean-to shed, surrounded with abandoned debris that may have once had value. Nothing could have been more different from the truth.

It had taken many years to add all the pieces of wood to the walls, roof and floor, splitting the already large cave into several rooms. They had even extended the cave further back into the mountain. What had once been a reasonable dwelling was now almost as big as the grandest house in any town. The work had taken much effort, but constant scrounging around the trail that crossed the mountains through the narrow pass always brought dividends. There was always the odd broken wagon that would be abandoned by a caravan crossing the pass, particularly in the winter months before the pass was closed by snow. But the cave had taken more than just the odd wagon to complete and furnish it.

With ten people to house, and the winter's harsh, the ends had justified the means. It was not Gustavo's intention, but what the girls in his charge had learned they never forgot. What started as merely a necessity for survival soon became a way of life. And it was a way of life that some of the girls had embraced wholeheartedly as they became women.

The legend of the Sixpack had grown along with their deeds and many adventures. And like many legends it was based on a number of reasons. It wasn't just their greed, the fact that they were all women, or their audacity and ability to rob even the most well guarded caravan or castle that had started it, but it was their ability to make whole wagons simply disappear without trace from the mountain trail. Now the reason for this became clear. In the high reaches of the mountains, nothing was ever wasted.

Gustavo had been busy while Blue-Tack and Mai-Zen had gone down the trail on their ambush. In the largest room of the cave, he had laid out the big table with meat, boiled eggs, bread, fruit and coffee. There was even ale, butter and preserves traded from the mountain villages. Buy-Row and Chalk-Dust squealed in delight and ate heartily. And while they all ate, Gustavo and Blue-Tack interrogated them on their adventures. They had last visited over a year before, and there were many adventures to tell. What would have been a simple breakfast was now transformed into a joyous occasion.

Mai-Zen sat close to Gustavo. She stroked his hair while she listened to the conversation and waited. Why did humans waste so much time discussing unimportant things? They all knew what they needed to talk about, why delay it? Things like this always annoyed her, but she had learned to be patient.

As a Destroyer, Mai-Zen often wished that humans would behave more like she did. Life was so much easier and clear. The Purpose gave her a focus, a direction that never wavered. The questions to be answered were always the same. Are they the enemy, or are they an ally? If they are an enemy, can I kill them, or will they kill me? What can be gained by the victory? What can be lost by the defeat? In fact, it was even more simple and clear than that. Destroyers did not possess allies.

By the time the army was mentioned, most of the food had been consumed, and the table resembled the aftermath of a battle. Only the coffee had survived, but that was rapidly running out as Gustavo poured himself another mug and growled in his annoyance.

"Not again! I blame L'Crue! All he ever cares about is war! Why King Thyra of Falonbeck listens to him I can never understand! What's the point of having another border war now?"

"Someone must profit," Mai-Zen answered him.

"Only L'Crue!" Gustavo snapped.

Buy-Row put down her mug of coffee. "It might not be L'Crue," she ventured.

"Who else would lead an army across the pass in the dead of night?" Gustavo asked her.

Buy-Row didn't reply. Instead she glanced at Chalk-Dust.

Gustavo wasn't the only one in the room who sensed that they hid something. But Blue-Tack was more blunt.

"Out with it!" she demanded. "What do you know about this army?"

Buy-Row pretended to drink from her coffee, leaving Chalk-Dust to answer. Chalk-Dust looked around at them all anxiously and took a deep breath before she spoke.

"When we were last in Gullain, there was talk of a General that had led the Falonbeck army at Erring Bridge."

Gustavo nodded. "Yes, we have heard of this General. The defeat of the Sullenfeld has already reached the villages in the foothills. But a General is only a General. L'Crue owns the army."

Chalk-Dust now kicked Buy-Row under the table, causing her to yelp. Buy-Row rubbed her leg and glared at Chalk-Dust, but it was she that answered.

"The word in Gullain is that the General is a woman."

Blue-Tack's heart sank, and Gustavo sat back in his chair and sighed. It was a few moments before anyone spoke, then Gustavo turned to Blue-Tack and asked the question that was in all their minds.

"How long is it since you last saw Slide-Rule?"

Blue-Tack shrugged her shoulders. "Fifteen years?"

Buy-Row quickly said, "It must be longer than that. She never came back after that raid on the Citadel of the Holy Light."

Chalk-Dust's eyes grew wide. "Was it that long? Really?"

Buy-Row nodded, and Blue-Tack said, "That must be nearly twenty years ago. God, I feel old."

Mai-Zen then said, "This is not the year to feel old. You will need all your strength to fight Kai-Tai."

Chalk-Dust turned to Blue-Tack. "What's she on about?"

"Don't you know what year it is?" Blue-Tack said to her.

Chalk-Dust obviously didn't, so Buy-Row asked her, "How old are you numbskull?"

"Forty-four -Oh, God, it's reunion year isn't it? I forgot."

Buy-Row poked her in the ribs. "It's a good job you stick with me. You'd forget your own name if I didn't write it down and tell you each day."

"I wasn't thinking about it, that's all," Chalk-Dust said in her defense. "I didn't think the time had passed so quickly."

"Well, it has."

There was another long pause while they all stared into their coffee mugs, then Buy-Row suggested, "Maybe she came back for the reunion, too?"

"What?" Blue-Tack exclaimed. "And brought an army with her? You must be joking."

"We don't know if it is her," Buy-Row insisted. "It could be L'Crue, like Gustavo said."

Chalk-Dust shook her head vigorously. "No! She led the Falonbeck army at Erring Bridge, we know that. If L'Crue and his army are here, so is she."

"Then what's she up to?" Buy-Row asked.

It was a question that worried them all. Only Blue-Tack ventured to answer it.

"Whatever it is must be in Halafalon. She went straight passed here without stopping. She knows where we are, she could have attacked, visited, anything. Instead she rode straight passed."

Mai-Zen agreed with her. "She has a purpose. A purpose that has constraints on time and requires a secret entry to Halafalon. Only Chalk-Dust's skill in reading the trail found her out."

Gustavo rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Yes, you're both right, and this purpose of hers can only mean one thing. She goes to war with Ellerkan. It's strange that she has sided with Falonbeck, but she must have some aim other than war itself. There must be some profit in it somewhere, she wouldn't fight for anything less."

"But what?" Buy-Row asked.

Mai-Zen said, "It is of no consequence. Her purpose excludes us, this is the only thing we know as truth. For this at least we must be thankful. As to what it is she seeks, news will reach us in a short time. We have just to wait."

Mai-Zen's analysis was to the point and rather blunt. It left little room for further discussion, but left many unanswered questions. There was another lengthy pause while they all sat around the table and dwelled on thoughts of the army, Slide-Rule and what her aims could be.

Gustavo was the first to break the silence. He sipped at his coffee and said to Blue-Tack, "Do you think the others will come for the reunion?"

Blue-Tack was taken a little by surprise by his question. "You mean Bus-Pass and Gym-Slip?" she replied. "Yes, they'll come."

"They visit us even less than these two," Gustavo went on, indicating Chalk-Dust and Buy-Row. "It must be five years or more since we last saw them. They could be in jail for all you know."

"They'll be here," Blue-Tack insisted. "Bus-Pass is too smart to let anything like that happen."

Gustavo grunted. "That's if Gym-Slip hasn't gotten her into any trouble. She was a pain in the arse at the best of times, that one!"

"Bus-Pass can handle her. They'll be here."

Buy-Row suddenly said, "But they aren't supposed to be here! We agreed to meet at Rolf and Soo-Kai's house, not here. Remember?"

They all did remember. Blue-Tack looked at Mai-Zen and Gustavo. "Will you come with us?"

Gustavo nodded. "Yes, I would like that, and I'm sure Mai-Zen would like to see Soo-Kai once more." A thought occurred to him, and Gustavo now looked at both Chalk-Dust and Buy-Row more suspiciously. "If thoughts of the reunion were not in your minds when you came here, then why are you here?"

"We just came to visit," Buy-Row said far too quickly, and her face began to grow red as she lowered her head and pretended to drink lengthily from her coffee.

"You hardly ever visit!" Gustavo snapped at her.

"We come and see you as often as we can!" Buy-Row protested. "We were here last year!"

Gustavo leaned towards her. "Only because you could find no holes in the ground that contained anything of value! Or because you were caught taking away anything that did, and the owners chased you all the way home!"

"That's not true!"

"Then why is it that you two eat enough for a whole village every time you arrive? Is it because you forgot to pack enough food for the journey? Or is it because you were too busy running away to think about food anyway?"

Buy-Row opened her mouth to reply then closed it again. She took on a very sulky expression and exclaimed, "Oh, bog-rats!" and sat back, folding her arms.

Gustavo nodded and smiled wryly. "I thought so!"

Blue-Tack sighed. "What haven't you told us? Come on! Out with it!"

Buy-Row was still sulking, so Chalk-Dust was left to explain.

"We went to Sullenfeld about two months ago," she began. "We'd heard about the Sullenfeld Homunculus in Falonbeck. It was a statue of one of their ancient leaders, Edred the Mighty. It was supposed to represent his soul, and so long as they possessed it, they could never be beaten in battle. The Sullenfeld worshipped it, but kept it in the burial mound with Edred's body. It was said to be of immense value."

Blue-Tack couldn't believe what she was hearing. "You went after the Homunculus? Are you mad? People have tried to steal it before and none of them ever came back. The Sullenfeld are cannibals, you idiots, they eat their enemies. Who gave you that crazy idea?"

Chalk-Dust pointed at Buy-Row. "She did."

Buy-Row instantly sat up. "Don't blame this on me! It wasn't all my fault!"

"Yes, it was!" Chalk-Dust insisted. "You said that it was totally unguarded, that it was just sitting there in a hole in the ground! You said it would be a piece of cake! It was nearly us that was the piece of cake!" Chalk-Dust began to mimic Buy-Row's voice in an exaggerated fashion. "All we have to do is go in there and dig it up. It'll be easy, you'll see." Her voice went back to normal as she added, "Easy, my arse!"

Gustavo banged on the table to get their attention. With that done he pointed at Buy-Row. "Two months ago was before the war started between the Sullenfeld and Falonbeck. Did you steal the Homunculus?"

Buy-Row didn't answer, so Gustavo banged the table again. "Did you steal it?"

Buy-Row lowered her head sheepishly and nodded.

Gustavo growled in anger. "You idiot! Do you know what you did? You started a war that's what you did! A war over a statue!" He almost pulled his own hair out in his anger. "Oh, Rowena! I should beat you with a stick for what you've done! Are you so selfish? Are you so blind to the beliefs of others? Did I not teach you anything? You of all I thought had some sense! But no! You're just like all the others! You go off and steal! Like Bus-Pass and Gym-Slip. This I could believe of them! But not you!"

Gustavo now turned his attention to Chalk-Dust. "And what have you to say? Eh? What was your part in this?"

Chalk-Dust shrugged. "I found Edred. His burial mound was well hidden. Buy-Row had found lots of stories and writings about Edred and the Homunculus in Gullain, but nothing gave away the location of the burial mound, and the Sullenfeld themselves weren't exactly open about it either. But Buy-Row had found out about the Brethren of the Mighty. They were a religious order that tended the burial mound and performed rituals on certain dates to mark Edred's success in battle. It was said that during these rituals the Homunculus would rise and walk. The Brethren were very secretive about what they did, but you know me. All we had to do was wait for them to visit the mound."

Blue-Tack looked at her in amazement. "How long were you there?"

"The full two months."

"How could you have stayed there two months without getting eaten?"

"We were very careful, Mai-Zen would have been proud of us."

Gustavo said, "Starting a war is nothing to be proud of."

There was lengthy pause while both Chalk-Dust and Buy-Row looked down in shame. Finally, Buy-Row plucked up the courage to reach out and take Gustavo's hand.

"We didn't mean to start a war, Gustavo," she said in a soft voice. "I mean, how could we? I know it was a daft thing to do, but we only thought it was us taking the risk. We never thought it would get out of hand like that. You know me, and you're right. I'm the last person to start a fight. But I loved every minute there. The ruins in the Sullenfeld were very exciting. And the social aspects of the Sullenfeld themselves were incredible. Did you know that they have their own names for Ellerkan's twin moons? They call them Fear and Retribution. I wouldn't have missed it for the world, Gustavo, not even if they had eaten us."

Gustavo stared at her for a few seconds, then he reached out and stroked her hair. "You're a pain in the arse, but I would have missed you both if you had been eaten."

Buy-Row moved closer to Gustavo and was grateful for his hugs.

Mai-Zen wasn't surprised at his easy forgiveness. The criminal activities of the Sixpack had been born from his loose morals and his casual attitude to law. This mattered nothing to Mai-Zen, and neither did the starting of a war. For her, killing and stealing was a way of life that the Destroyers had pursued for over three thousand years.

Blue-Tack turned to Chalk-Dust. "You took a lot of risks staying in Sullenfeld that long."

Chalk-Dust nodded. "That was the most fun about it. The best parts about the Homunculus were the stories of those who had tried to steal it before and what happened to them. We thought they were just stories, but when we got inside the mound we realised it was all true. Most of the people who had tried to steal it before were still there, or at least their skins were."

Blue-Tack's eyes grew wide. "So they did eat them?"

"Oh, yeah!" Chalk-Dust replied. "Skinned then eaten. They would have done it to us, too. They caught Buy-Row red-handed. Talk about fast food, you should have seen her run! The whole of the Sullenfeld chased us all the way back to Falonbeck. They nearly caught us more than once. We thought we'd be safe once we crossed the Bridge, but they just kept coming."

"And that was when the war started?"

Chalk-Dust nodded again. "King Thyra wasn't happy when they ate the occupants of one of his villages on the way. His army caught up with them at Melsa. The Sullenfeld had no chance against his army in the open, so they retreated back to Erring Bridge. They lost the battle of course. We had the Homunculus, you see. They couldn't win without it."

"Do you still have it?" Blue-Tack asked her eagerly.

Chalk-Dust looked at Buy-Row who was now sitting on Gustavo's knee. "Show them."

Buy-Row got up and went to fetch her bag. She rummaged inside then produced the Homunculus and stood it in the middle of the table.

Gustavo, Blue-Tack and even Mai-Zen stared at the Sullenfeld Homunculus. What they saw was a very old and badly cast rendition of a man made in a dull black metal. It was no more than a foot high.

Gustavo roared with laughter.

The Dragon's Lair Castle wasn't very large, but it was impressive. Built in the shape of a pentagon, it had a tower at four of its points. One of these towers, the North Tower, was larger than the rest and housed the Royal Apartments of Prince Harold, the Dragon Prince. The East Tower held the guards and servants quarters, while the West Tower contained further apartments and storage rooms. The South Tower was smaller than the other three and had been newly rebuilt in a mixture of old and new stone. Used mainly to provide vantage points overlooking the walls, its lower chambers had once been used for the storage of food. Finally, at the fifth point of the pentagon was the large gatehouse, fortified on either side by two more towers.

The walls of the castle were large and weathered. But among the old stone blocks that made up the walls many new ones could be seen, showing a history of damage and repair. The dull black colour of these new stone blocks stood out sharply against the light tan of the older, and more weathered blocks. There were many of the new black stones. Some were gathered all together in row upon row, while still more were scattered about in ones and twos. Having been rebuilt using many of these new blocks, the South Tower resembled a cylindrical checker-board. But although its walls had been completely rebuilt, the tower was not yet finished, it still awaited the floors and roof for its interior.

The castle's name came from its dark and sinister history, but its appearance on this sunny day was bright and cheerful. Flags swirled and flapped atop each tower. Even the South Tower sported a makeshift pole above its battlements. The flags were a mixture of the Royal House and that of the family of Princess Gwendolyn, the wife of Prince Harold. Flags bearing the blue chevron and lion represented the L'Hage family while the red dragon was the standard of the Dragon Prince himself. For Princess Gwendolyn, the golden griffin was her pennant.

At the front of the gatehouse, the massive gate was open, and guards stood on either side of the gateway. They held pikes and shields, and both their shields and chests were emblazoned with the red dragon. More men-at-arms in the same livery patrolled the battlements of the gatehouse and the walls.

All was calm.

Or that was the impression Johnson Fold received as he stared at the castle through his binoculars.

"It's bloody marvellous, Sinita!" he said in excitement as he adjusted the magnification. "Absolutely perfect! Perfect, I tell you!"

Sinita wasn't impressed. She was busy patting and brushing at her trousers while she leaned against a tree. She took off one of her boots and turned it over. Water dribbled out.

"You know, I'm still wet after crossing that river!" she said in annoyance. "If you were a gentleman, you would have carried me!"

"Oh, stop moaning will you, and take a look at this castle!" Johnson replied.

Sinita developed a sullen expression. It didn't suite her.

Sinita Khan was an Asian beauty. Her dark skin, long black hair and brown eyes highlighted an angular but striking face. Like many Asian women, she was elegantly statuesque without actually being tall. Johnson always said that she had the longest fingers he had ever seen. At twenty-four, she had been with Johnson for nearly five years. She had once been a student of his, taking a degree in antiquities, and the lure of expeditions to exotic worlds had been too great for an impressionable young teenager. She had explored most of the colonised worlds with Johnson, and some that hadn't been. Student, companion, partner. At one time she had even been his lover. But that was long ago.

Sinita had grown cynical as she had grown wise. And most of that she always said she owed to Johnson. She was smart, quick witted, and no longer the gullible or easy victim she was in her youth. She had also developed a harsh tongue, and many historians, explorers and hero types who had crossed verbal swords with her had often wished they hadn't.

"It's just a fucking castle!" she replied as she put her boot back on.

"But it's so perfect!" Johnson enthused. He could hardly contain himself.

Johnson Fold was a Professor in Antiquities at the University of Heliopolis on Mars. Well, that was what it said on his official papers, anyway, and at one time it had been true. It was at the University that he and Sinita first met, after all. But for many years now, Johnson had turned his back on the academic life and spent his time and energies 'finding' artifacts that could be sold as exhibits to the museums of the colonised worlds.

'Finding' was Johnson's euphemistic term for doing anything that was necessary to get what he wanted. 'Finding' artifacts in this way was often fraught with danger, and just as often were the times that he and Sinita had to flee for their lives from over zealous military types or rather annoyed religious fanatics.

At nearly fifty, Johnson was tall and wiry. His hair had already turned grey, and his beard matched it. He had ice blue eyes that had once entranced Sinita as it had done all his female students. But Johnson Fold was not a lady-killer. Far from it, in fact. His liaison with Sinita had been at her insistence and it hadn't lasted. She had learned quickly that the only things to turn him on had to be long dead, or old, or had to be dug up.

Or preferably all of the above.

Sinita grew angry. She stepped away from the tree and prodded Johnson in the back with her finger. "You drag me halfway across the fucking galaxy for this? And I'm supposed to be happy? We could have found a bigger fucking castle at King Arthur's World on New England! And at far less cost in time and money!"

Johnson tried to fend her off while still looking through his binoculars. "But this is real!" he protested. Then added, "Pack it in, you're shaking around my field of view."

In reply, Sinita just prodded him harder, and with both hands. Johnson had to give up.

"What is the matter?" he said as he lowered the binoculars and turned to her.

Sinita put her hands on her hips and announced, "This planet's an old-fashioned dung heap and I want out!"

For the first time, Johnson looked less than ecstatic. He paused for a moment to stare at her, then he thrust the binoculars into her midriff, causing her to gasp. When she grabbed the binoculars in surprise, Johnson let go and pointed to the castle.

"Take a look out there!" he insisted. "Go on! Look!"

Begrudgingly, and still rubbing her stomach with one hand, Sinita raised the binoculars to her eyes and looked.

"What do you see?" Johnson asked her.

"People."

"Exactly! People! People who don't know about King Arthur's World, New England, computers, space travel or even electricity! Real people living in a real medieval society. Think of the possibilities!"

Sinita lowered the binoculars and turned to him. "I am thinking about the possibilities! I'm thinking about the toilet arrangements! I don't want to spend the next six months living in a real medieval society, whether it's in a castle or not! I want out! Let's go back to Tassanak 6! Or Mars! Anywhere where there's a good hotel!"

Johnson snatched the binoculars back from her. "We are not leaving! This is too good a find!"

"Too good a find?" Sinita exclaimed. "Old castles and men in tin hats and frocks?"

"Those tin hats and frocks will fetch a good price in any museum in the Earth Colonies, and you know it!"

"I hate you, Johnson! All you ever think about is ruins, old books, dirt and museums!"

Johnson held up his hand and rubbed his forefinger and thumb together in an obvious gesture. "Good exhibits cost good money. We are staying."

Sinita folded her arms and began tapping her foot in agitation. "Alright! So how do we know that this isn't someone else's King Arthur's World? For all we know they could have a couple of atomic generators stashed away in one of those towers to provide the wind for all those flags!"

Johnson looked even more exasperated. "Oh, Sinita! You said it yourself! This is an old fashioned planet! And even if there was any hidden technology it would have shown up on our sensor scans, remember? There was nothing active, no heat spots, no radiation, nothing."

"Oh, yeah? And what about that satellite?"

"It was old. Probably predates this civilization. I doubt if it was functioning."

"You could say that about our ship, too!" Sinita pointed out. "As soon as we breached the atmosphere everything started to trip out! We were lucky to get down in one piece!"

Nothing she said seemed to phase Johnson. "A bit of excitement does you good I always say," he replied. "We'll fix it later."

Sinita put her hands on her hips. "And what about that big fucking ship, then?"

"It was probably just some cruiser."

"It was not! It was heading this way and it was the size of a fucking moon!"

"Alright, so maybe it was an ore freighter or something passing by. Does it matter?"

"It does if it's still there when we take off!"

"Then we had better give it enough time to get far away before we do leave, hadn't we?"

Sinita growled and stamped her foot.

Johnson put the binoculars back to his eyes. "Oh, stop moaning! You'll love it, you'll see. A nice quiet rest on a nice peaceful and backward planet. What could go wrong?"

The garrison fort that guarded the pass to Falonbeck was much smaller than the Dragon's Lair Castle and it was usually quiet. Travellers hardly stopped there once the spring had melted away the snow. At best, the fort could cater for fifty men, and in times of war the army would be forced to encamp outside the walls. But this was not supposed to be a time of war, and the fort was garrisoned with no more than twenty-five men.

The fort was built on a rocky outcrop that allowed the trail up to the pass to be overlooked from the walls. The men who stood guard in the early morning had a full view of the fate that swept down the mountain towards them.

Sir John L'Crue led the Falonbeck army down the trail at the gallop, his men at full cry. At their head was a train of horses roped together in twos, and between them they pulled an eight-wheeled wagon upon which was mounted a large battering ram. The business end of the battering ram was carved into an effigy of King Thyra of Falonbeck.

There was mass panic as the garrison was roused, but all too soon the wagon careered into the massive wooden gate, scattering the panicked horses everywhere, and the battering ram burst through in a shower of broken wood.

In an instant the fort was filled with the shouts of men as they fought and died. L'Crue strode among them all wielding his broadsword, cutting a swathe through the men who faced him.

It was a battle of colours. The dull brown of the earth mixed with the green of the grass made the stage, and the silver of the men's armour was the lighting. But it was the vivid crests of the different liveries that the men wore on their chests and on their shields that were the stars. For the men of the garrison, all the colours of the rainbow were there, and all the animals, real or imaginary made their appearance. Gold, red, and royal blue abounded, and lions and griffins stood rampant. But for the men from Falonbeck, the bronze eagle was everywhere. And as the battle raged, the crests danced and flew, pushing against one another and competing for centre stage until they were splashed with red and fell.

It was the livery of L'Crue that triumphed. The bronze eagle swept all before it like a blanket sweeping across the stage.

The garrison was overwhelmed.

But the bronze eagle was not alone. Among the blood-spattered victors standing among the bodies in the courtyard of the fort, another crest stood out. It stood out through it's simplicity and boldness. A red circle with a cross beneath it edged in gold against a white background.

The sign of Venus.

Slide-Rule pulled off her helmet and pointed to the smashed gate with her red-stained sword.

"Get the men out of here, Sir John! We have tarried too long already! Onward!"

L'Crue nodded and shouted orders to his men. "L'Gare! Torch it! Sir Richard! Retrieve King Thyra and gather the men outside the gate! Sir James! Bring up the other wagon! Hurry!"

A short time later and smoke poured from the garrison fort as Sir John L'Crue led his army down onto the plains of Halafalon. Five hundred men on horses galloped across the green pastures, King Thyra and the second wagon thundering along between them. Then as one, they all turned and rode for the great forrest.

Deep in the forrest, Gym-Slip and Bus-Pass were watering their horses by the river. Gym-Slip also took the opportunity for a lengthy drink while Bus-Pass stared back through the trees.

Bus-Pass was sure they were being followed. She didn't know why exactly, but she just knew. She had dipped a large red handkerchief in the water and used it to wipe her face. Now she tied it in her hair, producing a pony-tail. But all the while she kept staring back the way they had came.

Gym-Slip could sense her nervousness. "You're getting paranoid," she told her, taking another big gulp of water from the river.

Bus-Pass glanced down at her. "What would you know? You're drunk."

"I am not!" Gym-Slip stood up and instantly stumbled. She grabbed Bus-Pass's arm to steady herself, giggled and added, "Well maybe a bit!"

"Maybe a lot!" Bus-Pass corrected her. "Come on, I don't want to get caught out here. It's too open." She began to climb on her horse.

Gym-Slip stood with her hands on her hips. "We're not going to get caught. No one knows us round here anymore. They've all forgotten."

"The good Sheriff hasn't."

Gym-Slip lost her smile. "L'Neil? He can't be still around after all these years!"

"He can, and he is! I had a few words around Jasanta while you were in the tavern. L'Neil is still around and he's still Sheriff."

"Shit! He knows which way we'd go!"

"That's why you had better get on your horse and get going! Come on!"

Bus-Pass didn't wait any longer. She spurred on her horse while Gym-Slip was mounting hers. In a few seconds they had both splashed across the river and galloped off into the trees.

Bus-Pass's paranoia was well founded. Sweyn L'Neil had made quick arrangements and had left Jasanta with Constable L'Karn. Even now they were not far behind as Sweyn led the way. But for all his urgency earlier, he now seemed unhurried, and the two lawmen travelled through the trees at a mere canter.

Josef L'Karn was nearly twenty years younger than Sweyn L'Neil. He had fair hair with strong features, blue eyes and a square jaw-line. It was often said that he was very similar to the Sheriff in appearance, equally well built, but slightly shorter. He had been a Constable for seven years now, and he had a great respect for the Sheriff.

L'Karn had known Sweyn L'Neil all his life. The Sheriff was a close friend of both his parents and he had been a frequent visitor to their home when he was a child. L'Karn never denied that it was Sweyn's reputation and friendship that had led him to join the Constabulary. But Sweyn had never let that friendship interfere with their working relationship. He was fair, but he would often drive L'Karn harder than the other Constables. L'Karn accepted it, he knew that to be fair, one had to be seen to be fair. And that sometimes meant that he would get leaned on just that little bit more.

L'Karn had a keen mind and he had taken every opportunity during their journey so far to question Sweyn on his knowledge of the two thieves. It had been a long story.

"So you've been chasing them for years?" he asked finally.

Sweyn nodded. "For many years they evaded me, and took great pleasure in doing so. For them it was a game. The closer I got, the more skilful was their method of escape. I had them in my grasp more than once, but they always managed to get away. Then they disappeared. Just vanished. It has been a long time, and maybe they thought I had retired and that they could get up to their old tricks again. It was a mistake, this time they won't get away so easily."

L'Karn looked across at Sweyn. "You sound like you enjoyed it almost as much as they."

Sweyn looked back at him with a stern expression. "Be warned, L'Karn. They are sneaky and treacherous. They will think nothing of using their feminine charms any more than they would use their swords. Both weapons are deadly to the unwary."

L'Karn laughed. "These two I must meet!"

"You'll wish you hadn't. The smaller of the two, the one the inn-keeper's wife called a vixen, she is the worse. She has no morals and no sense of guilt. She thinks everything is a joke to be laughed at, even someone else's pain. As for the other, she is more cunning. She is also a strong fighter. It is she that thinks of the twists and turns. It was she that always found a way to escape me."

"You admire her?"

"I respect her. She is the one we must defeat."

"You sound very calm and confident considering that they always got away in the past."

"They have run out of twists and turns. I am pre-warned by experience. I know where they go, I know where they will pause to water their horses, and I know where they will hide in ambush against us."

L'Karn now looked around at the trees more anxiously. "They will ambush us?"

"You are aggrieved that the hunters would be attacked by their prey? I told you they were treacherous."

"Maybe we should have brought more men?"

"And put them off? No. Let them attack. Are you up to the fight, or do these women frighten you?"

L'Karn wasn't about to admit to his superior that he was scared. "No, I'm ready. But I just thought more men would have made their capture more certain."

"I told you, I know these women. Too many men and they would have fled all the faster. Even three or four may have put them off. But two? They won't be able to resist."

Gym-Slip had hiccups. Too much water at the river followed by a swift gallop had brought it on and now she couldn't stop. She waited with the horses while Bus-Pass had climbed one of the trees for a look at who crossed the river after them. Gym-Slip hiccuped twice more, then Bus-Pass jumped down in a shower of leaves.

"There are only two of them!" She exclaimed as she took her horse's reins from Gym-Slip.

"Two -hic?" Gym-Slip replied. "Could you see -hic- who they were?"

"No! But I'll bet one of them was L'Neil!"

They got back on their horses. Bus-Pass climbed on hers a lot quicker than Gym-Slip, who hiccupped all the time.

"He should know better -hic. He must be getting -hic- thick in his old age."

"Then we should teach him a lesson -are you going to hiccup all day?"

"I can't help it -hic."

Bus-Pass reached across and slapped Gym-Slip on the back. Apart from nearly knocking her from her horse, it had no effect.

"Now I don't feel so good -hic- either," she complained.

Bus-Pass began to unhitch the rope from her saddle. "Oh, sober up, will you, Gym-Slip! This is serious! L'Neil's no fool! We'll set the usual trap. Even though he'll know it's a trap, he still won't be able to resist it. Then we go in quick, get their horses and get out just as quick! Right?"

"Right -hic!"

When Sweyn and L'Karn reached an area of the forrest where the trees grew more densely, they both knew that it would be a perfect place for the ambush.

Sweyn knew because he had been here before, often led here by Bus-Pass over a tortuous route through the forrest. The method may have differed a countless times, but the outcome of the ambush had always been the same. Today would be different. Sweyn came here by his own will.

L'Karn knew it would be the place for the ambush because, well, it was just too perfect. He held on to the hilt of his sword, his eyes glancing around in all directions. But the trees grew so close here, that within a few yards, all was hidden. He was as nervous as Hell, and he would have been willing to admit it. Knowing that they walked into a trap was causing an earthquake in his stomach. It was the waiting more than anything. He just wanted it to be over with.

Sweyn on the other hand appeared totally unperturbed. His appearance however was deceiving. He was as anxious as L'Karn for the ambush to commence, but for different reasons. Would they be that foolhardy to try it again?

The answer came soon enough.

Among the bushes and the leaves that covered the forrest floor, a shape began to appear. The nearer they got, the clearer the shape became. L'Karn saw it first. He squinted ahead and then knew that his eyes didn't deceive him.

"It's the body of a woman!" he exclaimed to Sweyn.

Both of them stopped their horses.

Sweyn nodded. "One of our thieves appears to have fallen from her horse. But is she abandoned to her fate, or does her accomplice hide nearby?"

L'Karn glanced around at the trees again. He still couldn't see anything. "What do we do?"

"The question answers itself. We are the Law, she is a thief. We are here to catch her, so if she offers herself so easily, how can we refuse?"

L'Karn stared at the motionless form. "Right then!" he said with renewed determination, and he urged his horse forward.

Sweyn hesitated only long enough to unhitch the girth belt of his saddle before following L'Karn. He rode on carefully, sitting straight in the saddle.

L'Karn drew his sword as he came nearer to the figure lying prone on the ground. He could see her fair hair. She wore a simple tunic and skirt, leaving her legs and arms bare. She never moved a muscle, then suddenly her body jerked, and L'Karn heard an audible 'hic!'

"She is drunk!" he exclaimed and moved closer with more confidence. He would have jumped down, but Sweyn called out to him.

"Stay on your horse, L'Karn! Or you will be walking back to Jasanta!"

Sweyn and L'Karn were now standing on either side of Gym-Slip as she still lay on the ground hiccupping. Sweyn looked down at her, doing his best to keep straight and balanced in his saddle. At the same time he carefully removed his feet from the stirrups, but kept them at the same level to hide his actions.

"Gym-Slip!" he called down to her. "Why have you returned to my jurisdiction?"

Slowly, Gym-Slip rolled over and propped herself up on her elbows. "Hello, Sheriff! Long time -hic- no see!" Her eyes turned to L'Karn and she smiled. "Hiya, sweetie!"

"Answer my question! Why have you returned to rob the good people of Jasanta?"

L'Karn said, "It's no use asking her anything, Sheriff L'Neil. She's still too drunk from this mornings brawl."

Gym-Slip nodded. "I am, too. And I fell off my -hic- horse. I don't feel well -hic- either."

Sweyn wouldn't give up. "Where is Bus-Pass? What is she up to this time, Gym-Slip?"

Gym-Slip smiled up at him but didn't reply.

There was a swish and Sweyn found himself knocked from his horse as Bus-Pass swept down on a rope. Her momentum took her straight through Sweyn and on to L'Karn. He only had a moment to twist in his saddle and raise his sword before her boots caught him in the chest. As he fell with a cry, Bus-Pass landed in his place on his horse.

"Now, Gym-Slip!" she cried and spurred the startled horse into a gallop.

Gym-Slip jumped to her feet. "About bloody time!" She leapt on to Sweyn's horse, grabbing the saddle. It immediately slid from the horse and she fell to the ground with a yelp, the saddle landing on top of her. Riderless and spooked by the noise and the turmoil, the horse bolted.

Sweyn now scrambled towards Gym-Slip and pounced on her. The two of them rolled about in the grass, but Sweyn had clamped his arms around her and all she could do was kick and scream.

Bus-Pass had galloped a good distance away before she stopped. Her mind had been filled with the triumph of another success over her old enemy, then she caught sight of the other horse galloping off in another direction and Gym-Slip's screams came to her ears. She instantly dragged her horse to a stop and looked back.

Sweyn and Gym-Slip still struggled on the ground and L'Karn now ran to help the Sheriff.

"Oh, Gym-Slip!" she exclaimed and drawing her sword, she turned and rode back.

Sweyn let L'Karn have the joy of wrestling with Gym-Slip. He got up and drew his sword.

"Don't let go of her, L'Karn!" he called to him, then he turned to face Bus-Pass.

"I've got her, Sheriff!" L'Karn called back. "Ow! She bites!"

Sweyn stepped towards the advancing Bus-Pass. He held his sword in both hands.

"Come, my old foe!" he shouted to her at the top of his voice. "Do battle with me once more!"

L'Karn and Gym-Slip stopped struggling at the sound of his shout. They both looked up at him, and Gym-Slip said, "He's a one, isn't he?" then she bit L'Karn once more and they resumed their struggles.

Bus-Pass drew her horse to a halt a short distance away. She stared at Sweyn L'Neil. He looked older, but he also looked angry.

"Let her go, L'Neil!" she called out.

"Come and take her from me!" was the obstinate reply.

"You haven't got any horses! It'll take you until tomorrow morning to get back to Jasanta on foot."

"I'm in no hurry! I have what I want! The thief whose face and body half of Jasanta will remember! It's jail for her! Aye, and maybe the noose!"

Bus-Pass bit her lip. This wasn't going to plan at all. The cunning old devil knew her too well. He also knew she wouldn't leave Gym-Slip to face the fate he had in mind for her.

"Does the Law mean that much to you, L'Neil? Would you kill me to keep it?"

"Only if you force me! Give it up, Bus-Pass! You've lost this time!"

"Never! I'd rather die! Sleep well in the night!" Bus-Pass turned her horse and galloped away.

Gustavo laughed and laughed. In fact he laughed so much that the tears ran from his eyes and he collapsed across the table. Chalk-Dust and Buy-Row stared at him in dismay. They didn't think it was funny at all.

Gustavo picked up the Homunculus and exclaimed, "It's worthless!"

Buy-Row snatched it back from him. "It's not worthless!" she cried.

"It is worthless I tell you!" Gustavo insisted, still laughing.

The more Gustavo laughed, the more Chalk-Dust and Buy-Row got upset.

Chalk-Dust leaned across the table towards him and poked him in the chest with her finger. "Then why did the Sullenfeld chase us all over the place for it?" she demanded. "It must have some value!"

Gustavo tried to fend her off, then he blurted out, "Yes! To the Sullenfeld!" and roared with laughter at his own joke, banging the table. "They have never lost a war or a battle without it! That's fine if you like wars and battles, but useless if you want to trade it for money!"

Buy-Row now looked more upset than ever. She held the Homunculus in her lap and stared at it sadly. "It's not funny, Gustavo! They did chase us all over the place! They went to war! It must have some kind of value!"

Mai-Zen shook her head sadly. "Only humans would put value on such trinkets and fight wars over them. They kill for little gain, and yet it is us they call Destroyers."

Her words seemed to calm Gustavo at last. His laughter slowly subsided and wiping the tears from his eyes he finally beckoned to Buy-Row and said, "Give it here. Let me have a closer look."

Buy-Row gave it back to him, and she and Chalk-Dust crowded around Gustavo as he looked at it more closely, turning it over in his hands.

"It's heavy," he remarked. "But the metal is not familiar, and I doubt that it's structure will hold any secret to it's value. No, it is as a religious relic that this must be sold. As it was for the Sullenfeld, so it would be for any buyer. It's true value lies as a talisman to an army that holds it before them. But who can say it's magic would work for them?"

Chalk-Dust was quick to ask the obvious question. "Can we sell it?"

Gustavo stood the statue on the table and stared at it. "Mmm, maybe. But it's value depends on it's true identity, so you can only sell it by telling the buyer exactly what it is, and I wouldn't like to admit that I started a war, would you?"

Both Chalk-Dust and Buy-Row visibly slumped.

"Well, that's it then!" Chalk-Dust exclaimed.

And Buy-Row leaned on the table and placed her head in her hands, muttering, "Oh, bog-rats!"

In the silence that followed, Mai-Zen reached across the table and picked up the statue. "This metal is familiar to me."

Gustavo watched her hold the Homunculus close to her nose and sniff at it. "You've seen it before?"

She nodded. "As you will see it if I am killed before you."

Gustavo now also nodded, but in understanding. "Ah!"

Buy-Row looked up. "What do you mean,'Ah'?"

The answer had already clicked with Chalk-Dust. "It's made from a Destroyer's sword!"

Buy-Row now sat up straight. "I didn't think you could do that."

Mai-Zen put the statue back down on the table. "Not while the Destroyer lived. The metal is black, the colour our swords turn to in death. She was an Insider, this only I can tell."

Gustavo looked surprised by her last words. "An Insider? Isn't Sullenfeld a bit far North for them? I thought they never ventured any further than the Halafalon/Falonbeck border."

"In recent generations this is true," Mai-Zen replied. "But Buy-Row said this statue comes from the time of Ed-Red the Mighty. He lived over a thousand years ago. At that time the number of Destroyers was far greater, and the Insiders could often be found in Sullenfeld. We all roamed much further then."

Buy-Row asked her, "How do you know it was an Insider?"

"The smell is disagreeable."

Gustavo slapped the table again. "There! Even Mai-Zen doesn't like it!"

With sad reluctance, Buy-Row and Chalk-dust had to accept that the find of their lives was a dud. The risks had been high and the adventure had been unforgettable, but in the end, their trophy had little value other than as a keepsake.

Buy-Row stuffed the Sullenfeld Homunculus back into her bag and the talk shifted back to that of the army and Slide-Rule.

Gustavo was sure that it would be the usual border flare up between Halafalon and Falonbeck.

"It happens all the time," he told them. "A new King, a new army, a new war. There'll be a few people killed then everyone will go home." He grunted. "It's a damn waste of time and people's lives. Do you remember the last one?"

They all did. The Sixpack had still been together, and they had used the confusion of the last raid by the Falonbeck army on the coastal villages to steal the Pay-Master General's wagon. It had been in the time of King Edmund L'Hage, and the Falonbeck army was already in retreat back to the mountains. The King's army was spread out in their pursuit, and the wood from the wagon now adorned Buy-Row's old bedroom.

Chalk-Dust asked, "But why does it happen? Why do the King's of Falonbeck keep on doing it?"

Gustavo explained. "The two Kingdoms have never settled an old dispute over the Green Fields of Halafalon. The fields used to belong to Falonbeck, then one of the King's of Halafalon annexed them. It dates back so far that I can't even remember which King it was."

Mai-Zen knew. "It was King Steff-An," she told them. "He was aggressive in establishing control following the last great war with the Destroyers. He took the land from the Kings of Falonbeck and gave them the name they now bear. His reason was simple. They were weaker, he was stronger. His hatred for us was also strong."

Buy-Row smiled and said, "So they should actually be called the Green Fields of Falonbeck!"

Gustavo laughed derisively. "Ha! Try telling that to the L'Hage family! Anyway, Every so often the question of sovereignty rears it's ugly head once again and Falonbeck tries to take them back. The thing is, despite whether or not their claim is true, the only border that can be defended effectively by either side are the mountains we live in. No army can be supported by a supply line that stretches across the mountains, it just wouldn't work. Even King Stephen must have known that, or he would have taken the whole of Falonbeck. No, the whole thing is a fools errand."

Blue-Tack said, "Slide-Rule is no fool."

"Alright," Gustavo asked her. "What do you think she's up to?"

Blue-Tack sighed. "It has to be something to do with the reunion. Her timing is too good, Gustavo."

Chalk-Dust asked, "When exactly is the reunion? I mean, I know it's this year, but when?"

Buy-Row got up and went to get her bag. "Wait a minute, I have it written down somewhere."

Before Buy-Row could retrieve her journal, Blue-Tack said, "Its in three days."

They all stared at her. Her expression held a faraway look, and she was toying with the red tag that always hung from her neck.

None of them said anything, but they all knew the reason for her exact knowledge of the date. The fact that Blue-Tack also knew that meant that she couldn't face them. The only one among them she could face was Mai-Zen. And as always, her expression was impassive.

Chalk-Dust broke the uneasy silence. "Does anyone think that's a coincidence?" she asked.

Gustavo grunted. "If Slide-Rule wanted to laugh and giggle with her old friends at a reunion, she would have come alone."

Buy-Row sat down again. "Then, what's she up to?"

Mai-Zen said, "It is a question you have asked before. The answer remains the same: Wait and the answer will come to you."

"I can't wait!" Buy-Row protested, folding her arms again. "The idea of it is driving me mad!"

Gustavo banged the table. "Then we won't wait! Action is called for here! The reunion is in three days. It will take us half that time just to get there. News will reach us faster on the road. Come, all of you, stir yourselves! We have much to do! Mai-Zen, you and Blue-Tack pack for the journey. You know what I need, Mai-Zen. Chalk-Dust, get the horses and saddle them, you know where we keep them. Buy-Row, you come with me and help me pack provisions. We leave before noon!"

Without hesitation they all scrambled from the table. Buy-Row followed Gustavo with a heavy sigh.

"And there was I thinking we had come home for a rest," she muttered.

The little cottage was completely hidden from view. The trees grew so densely here in the forrest that no one would even suspect that the little clearing by the stream existed at all, or that a small cottage might be built there. A few seconds walk from the doorway and the forrest swallowed you up.

As Soo-Kai approached the clearing, she knew even before she could see them that the other Destroyers were outside the cottage once more. She also knew that Rolf was with them. Sure enough, as she came closer and the trees blocked her view a little less, she could just see them all moving around.

Soo-Kai paused by a tree and watched. As always at this time of the morning, Rolf was bossing them about as he organised the daily chores. None of the Destroyers disobeyed him, and the work was carried out with light humour. Even so, Rolf was overly stern with them. Soo-Kai watched him as he moved about with his crooked stick. First he would point over here and shout at Tai-Zen, then he would point over there and shout at Lai-Chen and Mai-Chen. None of them minded.

How frail he looked.

Soo-Kai still remembered how he had first came to her. It was one of the few memories that still stayed with her. Her mind was well into compression now, and most of the memories of her life had all but gone. She clung on desperately to those that still remained. But soon even those would be gone.

Like Rolf.

Why did human's age so easily? Rolf should have been stronger. His body should have been harder, straighter. But it was his mind that had been broken. Soo-Kai stared at him sadly, the tears coming to her eyes as she leaned on the tree and watched her bond shouting at the other Destroyers.

It was Rolf who had taught her to cry. He had taught her many things, and the real horror of the compression was that she was forgetting them all.

Almost from the very beginning, Soo-Kai felt that she wanted to be bonded to Rolf until they both died. It had been simple then. But she didn't realise then that death came in such different guises. She was only a Destroyer, her mind didn't have the capacity or the instinct to ponder on such questions. It had needed the relationship with a human to teach her the truth.

Part of Rolf was already dead. It had died that day when he had returned to the cottage and found them. That was why he needed the stick to walk with, and why he looked so frail. His body was weakening because his mind had already given up.

Someone approached through the trees. Soo-Kai knew at once who it was. She stepped away from the tree and wiped hastily at her eyes just as Bey-Jai came into view.

"You have no chores to complete?" Soo-Kai asked her.

"Those that are urgent are done," Bey-Jai replied in her distinctly husky voice. "Those that can wait, will wait."

"Do not let Rolf hear you say this."

"Rolf understands. For a human he is very perceptive to the ways of Destroyers. Most of the tasks you speak of I have not been asked to perform for a long time, as you well know."

"Rolf has been a very good bond."

Bey-Jai nodded. She paused for a moment, watching Soo-Kai thoughtfully. Neither Destroyer made any move to return to the cottage, they just stood facing one another among the trees.

Finally, Bey-Jai said, "You are saddened by your meeting?"

Soo-Kai seemed reluctant to reply and could only nod.

"It was the wish of your bond," Bey-Jai added.

Again the nod.

"Chen-Soo is evil."

The words stirred Soo-Kai into life. She stepped quickly towards Bey-Jai, and spoke harshly.

"Chen-Soo is not evil! You should remember that if it were not for her, you and all the others would be dead!"

Bey-Jai had to back off, but other than that, she seemed undisturbed by Soo-Kai's anger.

"This is not in dispute," she replied calmly. "Her scent is familiar to all of us. Why else do you think we all recognise her presence so easily?"

"Then why call her evil?" Soo-Kai demanded.

"These are the words of your bond. Is he in error?"

Soo-Kai just stared at Bey-Jai. It was as if her mind was taking a long time to deliberate over the question. Finally she seemed to relax.

"We are Destroyers, what do we know about good that we could tell it apart from evil?"

"Good and evil means nothing to the Purpose," Bey-Jai answered. "But the Purpose means little to us as we are all defective. You and Chen-Soo are not defective. You are bonded, she is not. To us, and to you and Rolf, good and evil may have meaning, but to Chen-Soo and all the other Destroyers, you are right, it does not. Therefore Chen-Soo is evil. She is not one of us. You may dislike Rolf's command, and it's consequences may sadden you. But it was correct that she be ordered away. She has no place here. Now you have dwelled long enough in your sadness. You should return to the cottage or your bond will fret at your absence."

Soo-Kai looked at her in surprise. "You will not return with me?"

Bey-Jai shook her head. "I go to look for the ship that came in the night."

Soo-Kai spoke angrily again. "Rolf forbade us to search for it! How can you defy him?"

"I do not defy him. He forbade you and the others from searching for it, not I. As you said, he is a good bond, he understands my independence."

There was another pause as they stared at one another. Then Soo-Kai said more calmly, "You will go alone?"

Bey-Jai nodded. "He will permit no others to leave. But there will come a time when each of them will follow my path and only you will remain."

Without answering her, Soo-Kai turned and walked back to the cottage.

Bey-Jai watched her for a moment, then turned and walked quickly away through the trees.

As Soo-Kai walked into the clearing, she contemplated on the slight change in her relationship with Bey-Jai. Bey-Jai had matured fast, her instincts were strong and purposeful. Until this day, this moment, Soo-Kai had always been the highest ranked Destroyer. Even with her bond to Rolf, her age and knowledge made that certain. But now that had changed. It was Bey-Jai who was now the more assertive between them.

As she walked across the little clearing towards the cottage, Rolf and all the other Destroyers looked at her. Soo-Kai could only look at Rolf. She knew that the other Destroyers would sense immediately the change that had taken place. For some reason it hurt her. No, she couldn't face them yet. But in the end, facing Rolf hurt her more. His eyes told her that he already knew how the meeting with Chen-Soo had gone. And like Soo-Kai's before him, they were filled with tears.

"What did she mean, 'sleep well in the night'?" L'Karn asked as he and Sweyn dragged Gym-Slip through the forrest. She was in between them, and she dragged her feet every step of the way.

"I should think that was obvious," Sweyn replied. "She means to attack us in the night."

L'Karn was surprised by the idea. "But there are two of us. When one of us sleeps the other can stand guard. She can't take us by surprise."

Gym-Slip chuckled. "What makes you think you'll be getting any sleep?"

L'Karn stared at her, but Sweyn was un-troubled by her implied threat.

"You won't be keeping anyone awake tonight, Gym-Slip," he told her. "When the time comes for us to sleep, you will be bound and gagged. In fact, you will be trussed-up like the very chicken you are."

"Oh, kinky!"

Sweyn tugged harder on the handcuffs that Gym-Slip now wore. She stumbled but kept her feet.

"Ow! Not so fast! I'm not feeling so well, remember?"

Sweyn had little sympathy. "That's your own fault for consuming so much of the inn-keeper's ale, ale that you forgot to pay for before you left."

"The loser was supposed to pay!" Gym-Slip exclaimed. "It was agreed! And I didn't lose!"

"You didn't win, either!" Sweyn replied quickly. "You never do! As soon as you think Bus-Pass has stolen whatever trinket you are both after, that's when you start the fight. This time you're going to pay."

Gym-Slip stuck her tongue out at him.

L'Karn sighed. "At least that infernal hiccuping has stopped."

Gym-Slip burped noisily. "I feel sick."

They continued walking through the trees. Sweyn and L'Karn kept on either side of Gym-Slip who was always hanging back as they pulled her along. It was obvious that she was doing her best to delay them. She began to moan continuously about feeling sick, about being too tired, or about anything she could think of. She also stumbled or fell with great regularity, causing them to stop and drag her to her feet. Sometimes she would fall down again as soon as they had got her up. It began to annoy Sweyn.

"Trying to delay us will get you nowhere," he told her after she had fallen once more.

"That's the idea!" she replied, unabashed and with a bright smile.

Sweyn jerked harder on the handcuffs. "Get up!"

Gym-Slip now developed a stubborn expression. "Nuts!" was her tart reply.

She stayed where she was, sitting on the grass between them, and Sweyn and L'Karn ended up dragging her along the ground. Gym-Slip tried to dig her heels in, but Sweyn just pulled even harder. The result was to stretch her arms out and lift her bottom off the ground, and she slithered along between them on her heels.

"Pack it in, will you!" she shouted at them both. "I can't water-ski on grass!"

Sweyn didn't even look back when he replied. "Then walk!"

"But you're hurting me!" Gym-Slip complained.

"Then get up and walk!" Sweyn told her again.

"No!"

"Then suffer!"

Gym-Slip continued to call out her protests, but Sweyn just ignored her and continued dragging her along. Only L'Karn looked back. He could see that Gym-Slip was in genuine distress, not because they were succeeding in their goal to get her back to Jasanta, but because the cuffs had begun to rub her wrists raw as she was dragged along. And the more Gym-Slip moaned about the pain, the harder Sweyn seemed to jerk on the handcuffs.

It all had a negative effect on L'Karn. It wasn't that he didn't share the Sheriff's intent to get this female thief safely locked away, it was just the way he was going about it. He pulled Sweyn to a halt.

"Sheriff, stop! This isn't going to work!"

Sweyn glared at L'Karn and spoke sternly. "Don't let her feeble attempts to gain your pity deceive you! She would stab you in the night without a thought!"

"But dragging her along like this isn't going to get us back to Jasanta! There has to be another way!"

Gym-Slip looked at them both as they stood staring at one another. She smiled.

"Mutiny! You go for it, sweetie!"

Sweyn turned and growled at her. His anger was so evident that Gym-Slip winced. Then he went for her, and for a moment, L'Karn thought he was going to attack her. But instead he threw Gym-Slip over his shoulder, lifted her up, and carried her.

Gym-Slip kicked her legs and began thumping Sweyn on the back.

"Put me down, you sod!" she protested.

Sweyn smacked her on the bottom. "Quiet, you ungrateful wench!"

"Ow! You're taking unfair advantage!"

"It is your own fault! Now you have lost the advantage in delaying us." Sweyn turned to L'Karn who was walking alongside him. "And you, Constable, will take your turn at carrying this baggage!"

L'Karn smiled. "Yes, Sheriff."

Gym-Slip kicked her legs harder. "Arrrgghh!"

By the time they had reached and crossed the river, Gym-Slip seemed to have given up the fight. She just hung limply and moaned. L'Karn had taken his turn in carrying her, and now that the river was crossed, he passed Gym-Slip back to Sweyn. They had made good progress, but the hours were passing.

Sweyn was more than happy with the way things were turning out.

"Carrying this troublesome baggage has proved to be a good idea," he said to L'Karn. "If we continue at this pace we may yet get to Jasanta without having to spend the night on the trail."

L'Karn nodded. He was also pleased, but for different reasons. "I would prefer to go on. The thought of spending the night out here with her accomplice roaming around does not excite me."

"Then it is agreed. We go on."

Gym-Slip muttered, "I don't feel well."

Sweyn was unconcerned. "My heart bleeds."

Gym-Slip threw up.

Both men stopped in their tracks when they heard her retch. It was a deeply powerful retch, definitely one from the heart. Sweyn closed his eyes as he felt the wet warmth down his back.

L'Karn looked over Sweyn's shoulder and grimaced as Gym-Slip retched a second time then coughed and spat. Then she wiped her mouth.

"I feel a bit better now," she muttered.

Sweyn dumped her unceremoniously onto the ground. He just heaved her off his shoulder and she landed with a thump and a yelp.

Keeping his back very straight, Sweyn reached into his pocket and gave the key of the handcuffs to L'Karn. "Handcuff yourself to this ungrateful wretch and wait for me here. I will return to the river to wash off this....muck. And be warned, Constable, if I return and find that she has escaped you, you had better be dead. Understand?"

L'Karn took the key and nodded. "Yes, Sheriff."

The journey down the mountain was filled with chatter. Talk of the reunion had stirred their memories. Chalk-Dust and Buy-Row were eager to see Rolf and Soo-Kai once more, and they talked endlessly about the friends they had left behind in Ellerkan. Gustavo talked almost as much as them. He was in good spirits. Beside him Mai-Zen appeared not to share his good humour. At the most, she seemed merely indifferent. She ignored the chatter and kept silent. But of all of them, it was Blue-Tack that looked the more subdued as she rode her horse down the trail, toying with the red tag at her neck. She spoke now and again, but she smiled less often. For her, the reunion would bring other memories.

With their horses packed with supplies, they wound their way slowly down the trail. Surrounding them on all sides were the mountains that had been their home and their protectors. In places the trail was very narrow and the mountains overshadowed them, in others it was wide and open. Most of the way they were accompanied by a fast flowing stream that burbled down the mountain, or cascaded down short waterfalls.

As usual, the exchanges between Chalk-Dust and Buy-Row began to get more and more biting as they spoke of their old school friends, until Chalk-Dust remarked, "I bet Sophia's fat!"

Buy-Row laughed. "If she's fat, then Amy will be thin! She was always thin. Lithe, she used to call it. Lucky cow! I once saw her eat two McDonalds at lunch time and you could still play a drum roll on her stomach!"

Chalk-Dust grabbed her own stomach. "Oh, don't talk to me about McDonalds! I still dream about Big Macs and pizzas! Anyway, that's when Amy was training! She could run that off in half an hour. She was faster than Speedy Gonzalez!"

"Or the Road-Runner!" Buy-Row replied quickly. "Remember when we almost called her that?"

Gustavo shook his head when he heard the name. "There were too many syllables for Mai-Zen: 'Road-Run-Ner'. It wouldn't have worked."

Buy-Row now developed a rather devilish smile. "I still think we should have called her skid-mark!"

Chalk-Dust laughed, but Gustavo said, "Shut up, book-worm!"

Buy-Row winced. "I hated that name!"

Chalk-Dust pointed at her and laughed even louder. "Book-worm! Ha! It fits you to a tee!"

From behind them, Blue-Tack cut short her laughter by calling out, "Shut up you! You could have been called sniff-dog!"

Now it was Buy-Row's turn to laugh. Chalk-Dust stuck her tongue out at her in reprisal.

Blue-Tack shook her head sadly. She had let go of the red tag at her neck and now she sighed. "I suppose we did come up with some horrible names, didn't we? Although I think Sophia would have been happy with tuck-shop."

"Or chip-shop," Chalk-Dust suggested.

The devilish expression had returned to Buy-Row. "Or fat-arse!"

Chalk-Dust and Buy-Row both laughed, and leaning towards each other on their horses they said with great gusto, "Big-tits!" Both of them then burst into even greater laughter.

Gustavo wagged a disapproving finger at them both. "That's enough, you two! These are your friends you are talking about."

"Oh, we know!" Chalk-Dust said as they both continued to laugh. "We don't really mean it, and they won't mind!"

Up to now Mai-Zen had remained silent. But the idle chatter of the humans had begun to annoy her. They all treated the coming reunion with good spirits, even though that wouldn't be the case for all of them. What annoyed her the most was that they all knew this, but avoided talking about it. She no longer wished to avoid it.

With sudden bluntness, Mai-Zen said, "Your friends may all be dead."

The smiles left all their faces and they drew their horses to a halt on the trail.

Blue-Tack pulled on Mai-Zen's sleeve. "Don't, Mai-Zen, please. Not now."

Mai-Zen was unrepentant. She pulled her arm away, and when she spoke, her voice was harsh.

"The truth has to be said. You avoid it, Blue-Tack, but you above all know that this reunion will not be one filled with joy for everyone."

Blue-Tack knew what was coming, but she did her best to head it off. "That might be true for me, but that's no reason to ruin it for everyone else!" she begged.

"You think not? Many years have passed. We have had little or no word from Aim-E or So-Fe-A. And Jean and Paul-A never returned after they left the mountains in that first spring." She nodded towards Chalk-Dust and Buy-Row, saying, "Bus-Pass and Gym-Slip stay away longer than you. Their fate is unknown." She turned back to Blue-Tack again. "As for Slide-Rule, we know she is alive, but her intentions are still unknown. Only one thing is certain. The time of your reunion will mark the return of the ship, and that is when you and Kai-Tai must face one another, and when one of you will die. I find no joy in this."

Blue-Tack's expression became stern. "You expect me to lose, don't you?" she said bitterly. "You always have. Why do you keep coaching me if you believe that?"

"To convince you of your own frailty. Ten years ago you would have stood a better chance than now. Time weakens you but leaves Kai-Tai untouched."

"So what do you expect me to do? Run away and hide?" Blue-Tack demanded, now openly hostile.

Mai-Zen did what she always did at this point whenever she and Blue-Tack argued. She held out her hand and said, "Give up the power driver circuit."

"No!" was the stubborn reply. "And I'm going to win!"

"And what will you gain by the victory? Will Bern-E walk again at your side?"

Blue-Tack's anger boiled over. "Shut up!"

Gustavo had kept his head down while Mai-Zen and Blue-Tack had argued. Now he raised his head and turned to them both. "Enough!" he shouted. "I have heard this argument too often! It tires me!"

Mai-Zen said nothing, but Blue-Tack snapped, "She started it!"

"I don't care who started it! Stop it the both of you!" Gustavo turned first to Blue-Tack. "You could end this any time you like. Just snap it in half and it will be over with. It would be a more permanent victory than anyone's death." Next he turned to Mai-Zen. "And as for you, if you want the damned circuit, take it from her and be done with it. You have my permission."

Mai-Zen and Blue-Tack now looked at one another. Blue-Tack held on to the red tag defensively, but Mai-Zen made no move to take it from her. There was a pause and then Mai-Zen said, "I have no use for it," then she urged on her horse.

One after another they moved on again. Their mood was now decidedly sombre. Gustavo rode next to Mai-Zen at the front while Chalk-Dust and Buy-Row followed behind them. Blue-Tack came right at the back. She had fallen behind from the rest, her delay caused when she stopped to wipe away secretive tears.

At the front of the group, Mai-Zen looked across at Gustavo.

"I am sorry, my bond. I did not mean to anger you."

Gustavo smiled at her and reached across to pat and squeeze her thigh. "I am not angry with you, Mai-Zen. The fight you have with Blue-Tack is one of commonsense, but it is also very naive. People aren't as cold and logical as Destroyers. The years may have passed, but Blue-Tack's pain is still strong. You have to leave it to her to resolve. If you force her one way or the other, you will only succeed in making her bitter and resentful."

Mai-Zen nodded. "I understand."

Behind them, Buy-Row was feeling sad and depressed. "Why does everything go wrong?" she moaned to Chalk-Dust. "First we get caught in the burial chamber by you-know-who and the entire Sullenfeld chase us across the border, then the war starts, and when we finally get home we find out that the Homunculus is worthless. And now Mai-Zen and Blue-Tack are at each others throats. What else can go wrong?"

"I can smell smoke," Chalk-Dust replied. She called out to Mai-Zen. "Mai-Zen, can you smell smoke?"

Mai-Zen tilted her head back and sniffed at the air. "Yes."

Again they all stopped on the trail. Blue-Tack caught them up.

"What's the matter?" she asked.

Mai-Zen pointed down the trail. "The fort that guards the entrance to the lowlands is on fire."

Blue-Tack stared ahead. From their vantage point, the whole of the Green Fields of Halafalon were visible to them. Cultivated fields, villages and roads spread out before them. On the left they stretched all the way to the sea, and in front they went all the way to the river delta and the great walled city of Ellerkan that shimmered in the morning sun. On the right the view of the great forrest was obscured by a rising pall of grey smoke.

They would have been identical if it wasn't for their hair. The two Destroyers sat by the river in the shade of one of the great trees of the forrest. The tree was one of many that grew almost to the edge of the river bank. It was late afternoon and it was pleasantly warm. One of the Destroyers leaned forward and dipped her hand into the water and used it to cool her face and neck.

The colour of Chen-Soo's hair was the most visible thing that separated her from her mother and grandmother. Both Soo-Kai and Kai-Tai had the rich red hair that marked their shared genealogy. But it wasn't one of them that she was sitting next to by the river.

"Po-Kai, are you warm?" Chen-Soo asked her companion.

Po-Kai nodded her head, so Chen-Soo splashed the water at her.

Po-Kai held up her hands as the water showered her. She became angered by the action. "Stop!" she shouted. "I am no longer a toose! And neither are you! Your behaviour is unwarranted!"

Chen-Soo stopped splashing her and sat back against the tree. "I grow bored by inactivity. Do you not remember how we used to make our own activities when no battles ensued?"

"That was when we were immature," Po-Kai replied, running her hands through her dampened red hair. Her voice was still harsh, and she looked at Chen-Soo sternly when she spoke. "Throwing water at one another is an activity for humans. It serves no purpose and has no value. We are adult now, and the ways of immaturity are far behind us."

Chen-Soo seemed saddened by her companion's words. "So now we just sit and wait, allowing the time between battles to pass unused."

A voice behind them said, "The passing of time between battles is unimportant. It's only purpose is for the planning of the next battle."

Po-Kai and Chen-Soo both looked up to see Hai-Fam standing next to the tree behind them.

Po-Kai immediately asked, "Where is my mother?"

Hai-Fam said, "Kai-Tai is with the others. She has returned from across the river. She sends me to fetch you both."

Without a further word, Po-Kai got up and walked quickly away among the trees. Chen-Soo got up and walked back more slowly with Hai-Fam.

As they walked along, Chen-Soo turned to Hai-Fam and said, "She is the younger, and yet she has grown more harsh than I."

"She maybe the younger, but she is a generation above you. Her lineage is more pure."

Hai-Fam's final words cut Chen-Soo deeply, and she looked at Hai-Fam in dismay.

"Do you also doubt me?"

Hai-Fam shook her head. "If any of us truly doubted you, you would already be dead."

"But some of the others do doubt me!" Chen-Soo insisted. "Nan-Po looks at me often, I know she is judging me against her own code, as they all do!"

"Has she stuck you with an arrow?"

Chen-Soo calmed down a little. "No," she admitted.

"Have any of the others attacked you?"

Chen-Soo shook her head. "But I still feel their suspicion."

"Doubt and suspicion mean nothing," Hai-Fam told her. "They prove only that we have noticed your behaviour. This is the real reason for your isolation among the others. It is not the way you smell or the way you look, it is the way you act that breeds the doubt."

"And I act incorrectly?"

"There were times when you were still immature when your behaviour was....peculiar. Most peculiar, particularly around those of us who were in birthing. That has diminished as you have grown older and the number of birthings have dwindled. Do not let Po-Kai's rebuke worry you unduly. The time between battles can drag, and we have little artistry in anything else but war."

Hai-Fan seemed to be in a responsive mood, so Chen-Soo pursued her line of questioning. It wasn't often that she had the chance to be so candid with another Destroyer, and she didn't want this opportunity with Hai-Fam to slip by.

"If Kai-Tai was not my grandmother, would the others be so tolerant?"

"Kai-Tai accepts you because you are correct, it has nothing to do with your relationship. If she recognised any deficiencies in your code, she would be the first to act against you."

Chen-Soo now looked at Hai-Fam thoughtfully. "You know my grandmother quite well, better than I. I would know more about her, but I know also that to approach her like that would be incorrect. Does this not mean I am defective in some way?"

Hai-Fam almost smiled. "The fact that you recognise that these thoughts are in error does more to prove your correctness. You worry too much."

Chen-Soo sighed. "Yes, I worry. The doubts I fear most are my own. The thoughts that enter my mind often confuse me. For a while I could approach Soo-Kai, but her bond separates us. Now I see Kai-Tai so close, and watch her with Po-Kai, and I wish for the same chance to talk and know her. And yet I know that this is wrong."

Hai-Fam reached out and pulled Chen-Soo to a halt. They stood facing each other among the trees, and Chen-Soo felt the pangs of fear. They were unfounded.

Hai-Fam placed her hands on Chen-Soo's shoulders. "Listen to me, Chen-Soo. I have known you for a long time, I have schooled you and taught you the ways of a Destroyer. These things I have done even though you are not my seed, and even though only five years separates us. What I have done for you, so Kai-Tai and Nan-Po did for me. They taught me the ways of the Purpose as my own mother would have done. They were harsh teachers, but they were fair. What they taught me I taught you. Kai-Tai herself gave me this task shortly after you came to us."

Chen-Soo opened her mouth to speak, surprised by what Hai-Fam had told her. But Hai-Fam raised her hand for silence as she continued, and Chen-Soo obeyed.

"Kai-Tai recognised that you were forming an attachment and that you would mature quicker if that attachment were broken. You are the seed of her seed, what you feel for Soo-Kai, Soo-Kai feels for Kai-Tai. These memories and feelings you have inherited from Soo-Kai. They are not a sign of defectiveness on their own. To feel a connection to one's own mother is understandable, but even this will pass in time. But a similar connection to one's own grandmother is more unusual and could be deemed to be a sign of defectiveness. However, it is not often that three generations of the same line find themselves together, so you could be forgiven for being curious.

"You must also understand that what you feel, Kai-Tai must feel also. She is the oldest apart from Nan-Po. The Purpose burns strongly within her. But a pursuit of such feelings by either one of you would be a sign of defectiveness. This is why Kai-Tai gave your schooling to me, even though she is genetically linked to you. She may act harshly with you, but this is as it should be. Po-Kai is her seed, not you. You must act as she does. Push these thoughts from your mind. Speak to no others about them, least of all Kai-Tai herself. Do you understand me, Chen-Soo?"

Chen-Soo nodded meekly.

"Good. Now we must return to the others. There is news to tell and plans to be made." Hai-Fam turned away and quickened her pace.

Chen-Soo was instantly excited. "They found the ship?" she said as she trotted after Hai-Fam, her eagerness almost too apparent.

"Yes. They found it hidden in the forrest. It is small, but large enough to take all the Insiders that survive."

"And what of the occupants?"

"They have abandoned it for now, but not before inhibiting the drive system."

Chen-Soo quickly became completely engrossed in their new topic of conversation, and all thoughts of her previous mood and questions were gone.

"Can Nan-Po not bypass it?"

"No. The inhibitor utilises the circuitry of the drive system itself. Bypassing it renders the drive inoperable. These humans are clever, but also arrogant. They land in the night with their ship's lights all turned off, they then hide it and inhibit the drive, but leave it with it's doors unsealed."

"They may not be as clever as you think," Chen-Soo said. "Some humans are artful in one way and inept at another."

"Then their ineptitude will cause their death." Hai-Fam stared ahead as if she could see the events unfolding in front of her. "I can guess already at Kai-Tai's plan. We merely have to wait until they return to the ship, and once we have killed a few of them, the last one of them to die will deactivate the inhibitor for us."

Sweyn L'Neil was very angry. The smell on the trek back to the river had been extremely unpleasant. As soon as he reached the bank he threw himself into the river. It seemed the only logical solution. He made sure that he was thoroughly clean before he came out. It was on the trek back that his anger grew.

Why had he been so stupid?

It was the smell and the very idea of what slipped down his back that had done it. His only thought was to get it cleaned off. It was always the simplest of mistakes that cost the most. Once he was clean, but very wet, the truth had dawned on him.

He had left L'Karn with Gym-Slip.

But was there anything wrong with that? Of course there was! It was tantamount to leaving the sheep in the care of the wolf. And splitting up was just the incentive Bus-Pass was waiting for. By the time he got back L'Karn would probably be dead.

Oh, you fool! You incompetent bloody fool! And it had to be L'Karn of all people!

Sweyn ran back from the river. He knew it would be no use, but he ran anyway.

He was running passed a tree when something tripped him. He was running so fast that he fell head long, tumbling over and over. He landed with a thump and a gasp, and when he finally looked up, it was to find Bus-Pass smiling down at him. She held her sword in her right hand and slowly tapped the blade against the palm of her left hand.

"You're all wet, L'Neil! But at least you smell better!"

p; Sweyn jumped to his feet and drew his sword. "Is L'Karn dead?"

Bus-Pass stepped back and held her sword offensively. She shook her head. "I left him and Gym-Slip together. She likes a good wrestle with the odd toy-boy."

They began to circle around one another, their swords switching from one offensive position to another.

"Killing him would have been easier than facing me," Sweyn replied. He tapped his sword against the blade of hers.

"Yes, but not as much fun." She tapped back.

With a roar, Sweyn charged at her and their swords clashed as they both sliced and stabbed at one another. Bus-Pass struck back with as much strength as he, and they danced around in a frenzy of slashing and stabbing, each one parrying the blows of the other. The fight went on for some minutes, with neither one of them showing any signs of tiring or giving up. There seemed to be no effect to their blows, but blood flecked the blades of their swords and tears rent their garments.

Finally they seemed to tire. The pause between each blow grew longer as their wrists grew fatigued. Their breaths came in laboured gasps and they grunted with each blow. Bus-Pass held her sword in both hands and swung it at Sweyn's head. He ducked and sliced at her leg, and he was more surprised than her when her blade just missed intercepting it.

Bus-Pass staggered back and clamped a hand over the cut in her thigh.

"You bastard," she said in a subdued voice. "You meant that."

Sweyn lowered his sword. "Of course I meant it. I'm trying to kill you aren't I?"

"I know! But you don't have to try so hard!" Bus-Pass swung her sword at a tree in her annoyance, embedding the blade in it's bark. Then she looked down at the wound. It was bloody but it wasn't deep. She pulled the red handkerchief from her hair and wrapped it around her thigh. "You're no fun any more, Sweyn."

Sweyn stuck his sword in the ground. "I have just cause. You walked out with out a word in the middle of the night. Twenty years pass and you think you can just start again where you left off. If I am no fun, then it is because I'm angry. Angry and bitter!"

Bus-Pass looked up at him. "A simple 'I've missed you' would have done."

Sweyn stepped towards her and grabbed her by the scruff of the neck. His other hand went around her waist and clamped her body to his. For a moment they stared closely into one another's eyes, then Sweyn kissed her roughly and passionately on the mouth. Bus-Pass responded, and in an instant they were rolling around on the ground tearing at each others clothes.

Constable L'Karn was getting worried. The sheriff had been away far longer than he had expected, and Gym-Slip was beginning to get cocky.

"He'll be dead," she kept telling him with a delicious smile. "Bus-Pass will have got him and you'll be next, sweetie!"

L'Karn yanked on the handcuffs. "Be quiet!"

He was kneeling across her as she lay on her back. It was where they ended up after he finally managed to handcuff their wrists together. Gym-Slip looked up at him and smiled.

"Gosh, you're so masterful! Do you fancy a bit?"

L'Karn looked down at her in surprise. It took a moment for him to realise what she meant, and when he did, he said the first thing that came into his head.

"I think you are a little too old for me."

Gym-Slip looked crestfallen. "Too old?" she said in dismay. "You cruel thing!" Her features twisted in distress and she burst into tears, wailing, "He called me 'too old'!"

L'Karn didn't know what to do. Gym-Slip was bawling her eyes out.

"Look, I didn't mean that!" he said quickly.

"You called me old!" Gym-Slip wailed back.

"I just meant that I was a little bit young for you that's all!"

"That's the same thing!" Gym-Slip sobbed and cried even harder than before.

L'Karn patted her head ineffectually. "No, it isn't! You're still very attractive! Really, you are!"

"Yes, for an old person!"

"I didn't say that!"

Gym-Slip propped herself up on her elbows and said, "But you were thinking it!"

L'Karn opened his mouth to reply then realised what she had done. He quickly raised his hands and found the handcuffs around both his own wrists.

"How did you do that?" he asked in astonishment.

Gym-Slip lay back and clasped her hands together behind her head. Her tears were all gone and she was smiling again. "I'm a thief and a pick-pocket. You should have hid the key better."

L'Karn put on his most stern expression. "Unfasten these handcuffs at once!"

Gym-Slip wasn't impressed. "Make me!"

L'Karn raised his fists but had no real intention of striking her. He sighed and asked, "Where is the key?"

Gym-Slip's smile broadened. "I've hidden it. But you could try and find it if you dare."

L'Karn dared. As he fumbled and searched her two-handed, Gym-Slip giggled and wriggled around underneath him. They rolled over and Gym-Slip began her own searching. L'Karn wasn't happy with that at all. They rolled about some more, but L'Karn now spent more time fending her off than he did searching for the key.

"Hey! Get your hand out of there!" he cried.

Gym-Slip was laughing her head off, but she relented and L'Karn rolled free. He instantly sprang to his feet expecting Gym-Slip to do the same. Instead she just sat on the grass cross-legged in front of him, still laughing.

L'Karn went for his sword, but found to his shock and dismay that it wasn't there. Looking down he saw that even the belt and scabbard was gone. And when he then looked up at Gym-Slip again, he found her holding up the belt and scabbard with his sword still in it. He visibly slumped while she laughed even harder, smacking the ground in her delight.

L'Karn stared at her curiously. "Why haven't you run?"

Gym-Slip slowly stopped laughing, but the cheeky smile never left her lips. "Why should I run?" she said, putting the sword down on the ground behind her. "Especially when I can have so much fun here!"

There was something about the look in her eyes that did more to give away her intent than her words could ever have done.

L'Karn pointed at her with both his manacled hands. "Now you look here, young lady! I'm a Constable-"

Gym-Slip interrupted him. She put her hands on her hips and said in mock indignation, "Oh! It's 'Young Lady' now, is it? A moment ago it was 'Old Hag'!"

Now it was L'Karn who looked indignant. "I called you no such thing!"

"You were thinking it!"

"I was not!"

"I bet you were!" she snapped. "From the moment you saw me, I bet you were thinking 'What's this old woman doing dressed like a teenager? Why is she showing off so much flesh when she ought to be covering it all up at her age?'"

"I thought no such thing, I tell you!"

"You did!"

"No, I didn't! I thought quite the contrary! I thought you to be very attractive!"

Gym-Slip cocked her head to one side. "How so?" she said eagerly.

L'Karn remembered his first thoughts on seeing her. She had such a slim body, and the hue and smoothness of her exposed thighs had stirred feelings within him. Even before he had seen her face, he knew that it would be beautiful. As for her age, how could he tell? That she was older than him he was sure. But the amount eluded him. He had an excuse, of course. He had never set eyes on a woman like Gym-Slip before. Her mind was sharp, and she was fit and agile, with a physique that bore no resemblance to the women of the town he was more familiar with. For them, work, motherhood and time took a heavier toll.

Seeing Sweyn mistreat her, and then seeing her so graphically sick gave him mixed feelings. But the feelings he had as he had carried her, and then wrestled and sat upon her were very clear.

When L'Karn answered, his words were calmly spoken and deeply sincere.

"I thought you to be quite beautiful. And I didn't once think about your age."

The cheeky smile left Gym-Slip's face. But it was replaced by a far more intense expression, and that look had returned to her eyes.

"That'll do for me, sweetie," she said in a soft voice and began to crawl towards him.

L'Karn backed away, holding out his hands as he had done before.

"Now, look here!" he said as sternly as he could. "There'll be no more of this nonsense! You're my prisoner! Now hand over that key!"

In reply, Gym-Slip sprang to her feet and rushed him. Before L'Karn knew it she had leapt upon him and wrapped her legs around him. Even though she was far smaller than him, her weight and the strength of the impact winded him and knocked him over. And when they had finished rolling about in the grass, it was L'Karn who ended up on his back with Gym-Slip now kneeling across him.

Unfortunately for L'Karn, Gym-Slip was far from restrained now that their positions were reversed. Bending closer, she stroked his hair and began kissing him repeatedly.

L'Karn was completely flustered. This wasn't the way things were supposed to go at all.

"Will you....stop....this!" he said breathlessly whenever he could get a word in between the kisses.

"Stop fighting it, sweetie," she murmured in his ear.

L'Karn grabbed her wrists and shook her, demanding in a very loud voice, "Give me that key at once!"

Gym-Slip paused while she stared at him. He stared back. Finally, Gym-Slip shrugged and straightened up.

"Alright, if you want the key, you have to pay," she told him.

"Pay?" he said with a certain amount of unease.

"Well, it's not very often that I have the pleasure of a nice fit young hunk to entertain me."

"I intend to entertain no one!" L'Karn said with determination.

Gym-Slip placed her hands on her hips again. "Look, sweetie. If I'm not around and you're still wearing those bracelets when the good sheriff returns, you're really going to get it. So what's it to be?"

L'Karn raised his head. "You said the sheriff was dead!"

Gym-Slip cocked her head to one side. "Maybe he is," she cocked her head to the other side, "maybe he isn't. But life's a gamble. How about it, sweetie?"

Exploring a new world was always exciting to Johnson Fold. It was probably a reaction to too many years spent in a classroom or a museum archive. He seemed to thrive on the adventure. Maybe it was because everything was always new and interesting, or maybe it was because he just liked the thrill of the danger. No matter what went wrong, or how bad things got, he always kept cheerful and upbeat. This casual attitude both attracted Sinita to him, but also drove her mad. And she quickly came to realise that he was just too reckless for his own good.

Sinita was far more calm and level-headed. She knew when they were in trouble, and she knew how bad it was when it was bad -and it was often really bad. Where Johnson was upbeat and cheerful, Sinita was usually the opposite. But despite her attitude, she found their adventures just as exciting as he did. Yes, they had done it many times before, so many times in fact that they often did everything automatically. But it was still fun. If it hadn't been, she would have left him long ago. She even threatened to desert him on nearly every trip, but she never meant it. Well, not really. Anyway, who would look after Johnson if she didn't?

They had worked their way carefully through the trees, getting closer and closer to the castle. Now they were crouched down behind a tree right opposite the gatehouse, almost in the shadow of its towers. They could see the men on the walls quite clearly, and one of the guards stood by the open gate was quite obviously snoozing.

As usual, Johnson was bubbling over in anticipation of the finds they would make, while Sinita was worried about his intention to introduce themselves to the occupants of the castle.

"We're not exactly dressed for King Arthur's Court, are we?" she pointed out in a whisper, pulling on her jacket. Like Johnson, she was dressed in the usual sand coloured army style fatigues that both of them always found to be the most useful and practical for these trips. Boots finished off the outfit.

Johnson paused from staring at the open gate of the castle long enough to glance round at her. "So what do you suggest? That we waylay a couple of passers-by and pass ourselves off as locals? Be sensible, Sinita! The best way is always the honest way. We shall tell them the truth."

"Great! If I remember rightly, that's what we did on Usak. You remember Usak? It was that place where they tried to burn us at the stake as demons from Hell."

"Why do you always have to dwell on the bad things?" Johnson said in irritation.

"Because they have a habit of following us around!"

"Nonsense! You're just paranoid."

"I am not paranoid! I just know you're going to get us into trouble!"

Johnson got to his feet. "Will you stop wishing it on us!"

"I am not wishing it on us!" Sinita protested. She also got to her feet.

"You are! You never stop moaning these days! Now, come on! Everything will be fine. All we have to do is walk in there and tell the truth. What could go wrong?"

Without waiting for her to reply, Johnson turned and stepped out from behind the tree and found himself face to face with a young woman. To say that she surprised him wasn't exactly accurate. She dropped him with a knee to his groin. As he fell, doubled up in sudden pain, she grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and held him up, preventing him from collapsing completely to the ground.

Unlike Johnson, who was usually hopeless, Sinita could handle herself well in such awkward situations. She had learned through experience that the art of fighting was a necessary skill when travelling with Johnson, and she was good at both defensive and offensive moves. As Johnson fell, she would have darted forward, but found herself at the point of a sword. It was a dull black sword. The woman held it very steadily in her right hand even as she held up Johnson with her left.

Sinita paused. There was something about the way the woman was looking at her that made her think that making a fight of it wouldn't be such a good idea. So instead, Sinita just stared back at her and waited.

The woman looked young, about twenty maybe. She had long brown hair and blue eyes. She was quite pretty, but her face was set in a stern expression that gave her a far more harsh look than her years deserved. She was wearing a faded black outfit that comprised of leggings, waistcoat and jacket. It almost looked like leather. She also wore a broad belt over her jacket that looped over one shoulder and went down to her waist. Her feet were clad in calf length boots, also in black. It didn't take Sinita long to realise that this woman was just as out of place here as she and Johnson were.

Johnson spluttered, gasped, and managed to say, "Ohhh.....if that's the usual method of greeting here, I think you should do all the talking, Sinita......ohhh..."

Sinita ignored him. She put her hands on her hips and said to the woman, "Well? Are you going to stick me with that thing or should I clean my teeth with it?"

To Sinita's surprise the woman lowered her sword. "You are off-worlders," she said in a calm but aloof way.

"So are you," Sinita replied.

Her guess was proved right when the woman nodded.

Then Johnson muttered, "Would either of you two young ladies like to administer a medicinal massage?"

Both Sinita and the woman looked down at him. Sinita said, "Rub them yourself!" and the woman let go of him. Johnson fell to his knees and leaned forward with a sigh.

Sinita looked up at the woman again. "How did you know we were here?"

For a moment the woman almost smiled, but when she spoke her tone was haughty. "Because I have followed you all day. It was easy. You make such noise creeping among the trees that even the Dragon Prince himself could have heard you in his apartments."

Sinita raised her eyebrows. But it wasn't the knowledge that they had been followed that intrigued her. "Dragon Prince?" she repeated. "Who's he?"

"He is my master. He has sent me to retrieve you."

"Then he must have confidence in your abilities," Sinita said, prying gently.

"With good reason," came the disdainful reply.

"So you're good with that tooth pick, are you?"

The reply came without hesitation. "Does a rat have fleas?"

Sinita would have asked another question, but Johnson suddenly reached up and grabbed her arm, using her as leverage to pull himself up, and nearly pulling her down in the process. Sinita yelped and then grabbed him.

"Jonno! Will you behave!" she snapped at him as she helped him up. She felt suddenly embarrassed without knowing why. It was something to do with the way the woman stared at them in such an aloof way as they struggled together until Johnson was finally on his feet.

Johnson of course was blatantly unashamed. "Behave?" he declared loudly. "Am I not injured? In fact I have been seriously -no- mortally wounded! My future children all but destroyed!"

"Shut up! And it's not the first time you've been kicked in the nuts either!"

Johnson looked shocked. "Language, Sinita! We are in company." He turned to the woman and grinned his usual grin. "You must pardon my companion, she is not used to conversing with people of your station." He held out his hand. "My name is Johnson. Johnson Fold. And you are?"

Sinita all but fumed. Why did he always make it sound like it was somehow her fault? To her delight, the woman looked around Johnson and spoke to her instead.

"Is he always this annoying?"

Sinita folded her arms. "Yes! Very!"

The woman nodded. "Your patience is to be commended. I would have killed him. Please follow me."

As Johnson now blustered in mock humiliation, the woman raised her sword and placed it to the back of her neck. In a second it had disappeared and her long brown hair was shaken back into place. Only when she turned and walked towards the gatehouse was the scabbard attached to the belt over her shoulder revealed as the destination of the sword. It hung almost straight down her back, the black handle of the sword level with the nape of her neck.

Sinita followed the woman towards the gatehouse of the castle without waiting for Johnson. He quickly gave up his blustering and hurried after her. As soon as he reached Sinita he grabbed her and whispered in her ear, "Keep talking! She likes you!" Then he smacked her on the bottom and pushed her forward again.

Sinita stumbled as she was pushed forward. She regained her footing, and in annoyance, she turned and made a rude gesture to Johnson. She then had to turn around quickly again as the woman stopped and looked over her shoulder at them. Johnson and Sinita also both stopped. Almost as one they both smiled brightly. The woman sighed, then carried on towards the gatehouse.

The guards on each side of the gate were both wide awake and totally unconcerned by the approach of the three strangely dressed people. They didn't question the woman, and she didn't even acknowledge them. As Johnson and Sinita passed through the large gate they hardly even glanced at them.

Johnson of course had to stop and say, "Good morning!" to them both, even feeling the shield one of them held and whispering, "Nice armour," until Sinita went back for him and yanked him forward.

A few steps brought them into the castle courtyard. Here a wooden stables could be seen on one side. There were horses with hay scattered about. Two young boys were feeding the horses and they both stopped to stare as the trio walked by. Servants walked from the East Tower to the North Tower. Some carried food in one direction while others carried bedding or clothes in the other. And everywhere there were Knights in armour or men-at-arms all wearing the same livery. A red dragon against a white background.

Johnson loved everything he saw. "Bloody marvellous!" he kept saying, even grabbing Sinita by the waist and squeezing her. She wriggled in annoyance, but Johnson didn't care. "Bloody marvellous!"

The woman led them to the North Tower. Steps led up to the large doorway. She walked quickly up the steps and went inside. Sinita and Johnson followed. Once inside, Johnson nearly collapsed in ecstasy.

The entrance hall of the North Tower was treated as a trophy room, and it's walls were decorated with a multitude of swords, spears and weapons of all different kinds. There were flags and standards of the Dragon Prince, and those belonging to his enemies that had been taken in battle. Everywhere there were shields and suits of armour. And not just for men. There were also several suits of armour for horses, one of which appeared to be inlaid with gold in the pattern of an eagle. It was covered in a cloak of white that also bore an image of an eagle, but the colour was more bronze than gold. Plumed feathers in the same colour adorned the horse's helmet.

After only a few seconds of looking around the room, Johnson was reduced to a drivelling idiot. Sinita had to pull him moaning from the room backwards as she followed the woman through another doorway and into a corridor.

Johnson recovered quickly as they walked down the corridor. He hung on to Sinita and whispered, "We need a bigger ship!"

The next room they entered was the dining room. Inside they found the Dragon Prince waiting for them. He was sat at the large table drinking wine from an ornate glass, and before him was set a dish with a simple meal of bread, cheese and some sliced meat.

He was not at all what Sinita expected. From his title she had pictured a large and over-bearing man with flaming eyes and a temper to match. Instead she found an attractive man in his late forties with a charming but slightly sad smile.

The Prince put down his wine glass and got to his feet. "I see you found them," he said to the woman.

She lowered her head briefly. "They were loitering outside the castle walls, my Liege. They have no weapons and I believe them to be no threat."

The Prince looked at them both thoughtfully. "No weapons?" he said to them.

Johnson held out his hands and declared, "What would we need with weapons, Sire?"

Sinita's answer was more honest. "They're the first things to get taken from us, so we don't bother bringing any anymore."

The Prince nodded in understanding and came round the table to greet them. "I am Prince Harold. You have nothing to fear from me provided there is nothing I need fear from you. Now, please, be seated." He turned to the woman. "Have more food and wine brought for our guests."

The woman nodded and left without a word.

From that moment onwards, Johnson was in his element. He shook hands with the Prince. "My name is Johnson Fold. I can assure you that my assistant Sinita and I are friendly visitors to your world. We are students of history and antiquity, and we would very much like to learn what there is to learn here, and maybe trade for a few items of little cost."

They all sat down at the large table.

"And what items of little cost would those be?" the Prince asked Johnson.

Johnson tilted his head from side to side and said in as casual a manner as possible, "Oh, maybe one of those shields or spears in that first room, the odd flag or standard, horse armour maybe."

Prince Harold sat back in his chair and rested his hands on the table. "The yellow decorated horse armour?" he suggested.

Johnson couldn't contain himself. "Yes, that would be perfect, and just right for our meagre funds. Such a simple item, not very unusual or rare, but just interesting enough and large enough to make our journey here worthwhile. I commend your judgement, Sire!"

Prince Harold laughed. It was a gentle laugh, one mixed equally between mirth and irony.

Johnson looked surprised, but Sinita shook her head knowingly.

"Give it up Jonno, he's on to us."

The air around the garrison fort smelled bad. Only Mai-Zen and Chalk-Dust ventured through the smashed gate. Inside, they found the fires had taken a strong hold on the buildings and everything was burning, even the bodies heaped in the courtyard were licked with flame. They didn't stay inside for long.

Outside the fort, Buy-Row and Blue-Tack stood near to the gateway peering inside. The smoke billowed all around them, causing them to cough and splutter. Tears ran from their eyes. Gustavo was a more safer distance away. But even so, the horses whose reins he held stamped and snorted in distress. He held on firmly, or they would have soon bolted.

"Can you see them?" he called to Blue-Tack.

She coughed and shook her head then called back, "No! I can't see a bloody thing through all this smoke!"

Buy-Row was getting worried. "Mai-Zen! Chalk-Dust!" she called out. "Come on!"

Almost as if in answer, Mai-Zen and Chalk-Dust burst out of the smoke and ran from the fort. They collapsed in the arms of Blue-Tack and Buy-Row, who quickly led them away from the heat and the fire.

As soon as they came close to him, Gustavo thrust the reins into Buy-Row's hands and examined Mai-Zen and Chalk-Dust with equal intensity. Although they were both coughing and smeared in the soot of the fires, they were both unharmed.

Gustavo ran his hands though Mai-Zen's blonde but soot streaked hair. He spoke harshly, but more through concern than anger. "Why were you so long? Are you a fool to dwell in such danger for no reason? Buy-Row and I thought you were both cinders!"

Mai-Zen breathed deeply as she settled in Gustavo's arms. "I am sorry, my bond....but there were many signs to see....All inside are dead....none were spared."

Chalk-Dust had doubled up and was coughing and spitting while Blue-Tack held onto her and Buy-Row patted her back.

"It was....L'Crue....," she gasped, and held out her hand.

In her fingers she clutched a piece of tattered and singed cloth. Blue-Tack took it from her. It's colour and the partial emblem was unmistakable.

"The bronze eagle," Blue-Tack said, and handed the cloth to Gustavo.

Gustavo grunted as he turned the cloth over in his hands. "Huh! It would be just like him! Kill everyone and burn the place to the ground!"

Blue-Tack stared down the trail towards Halafalon. "That might be normal for L'Crue, but I've never known Slide-Rule not to take prisoners. I didn't think she had grown so callous."

"If she is with L'Crue, then it is the only way to be," Gustavo said and threw the cloth to the ground.

Mai-Zen then said, "They are in a hurry. They leave their own dead to burn with the others. They also took nothing. Even the horses were left to perish in the stables."

Buy-Row looked at her in shock and sadness. "Oh, no! They left them to burn? How cruel!"

Mai-Zen nodded. "They were in a hurry," she repeated. "They had no time to free horses, tie prisoners, or steal provisions. For them, time is more important than any of these things."

Although Buy-Row didn't look very satisfied after hearing Mai-Zen's answer, Gustavo and Blue-Tack already understood what she was getting at. It was Blue-Tack who explained it more simply.

"L'Crue and Slide-Rule want to get as far into Halafalon as they can before word reaches Ellerkan of their border raid. It all figures. But where are they going in such a hurry, that's the question."

And Gustavo added, "And what makes them think they can get away with it? Eh? Once word does reach King Carl in Ellerkan, or Prince Harold in the Dragon's Lair, then a force will soon be in pursuit of them. They can't hope to win a protracted campaign, so they must intend it to be a swift raid. In and out! Fast!"

Blue-Tack looked again at the distant fields. It was as if she hoped to see the disappearing army. But even from this vantage point the road to Jasanta was clear, and the fields on either side were empty.

Chalk-Dust had recovered enough to straighten up. She wiped her mouth with her hand and smeared more soot over her face. Buy-Row smiled at the sight of her.

"Come on, you!" she said, and handing the reins of the horses to Blue-Tack, she quickly led Chalk-Dust to the stream that flowed down the side of the trail.

Gustavo followed them with Mai-Zen, leaving Blue-Tack still looking down the trail. As soon as she realised that she was on her own, Blue-Tack hurried after them, bringing the horses with her.

Because the garrison fort was in the foothills, the stream was much wider here than it was higher up the mountain nearer to the pass. The trail had also begun to level out, and the water in the stream flowed much more slowly. Mai-Zen and Chalk-Dust washed and splashed in the water. While they washed, the horses drank, and it wasn't long before they all joined them in quenching their thirst.

Their respite from the heat and flame was short-lived. The fire had spread to the wooden walls of the fort and the heat began to increase. The smoke spread and burning embers began to float down all around them. But it was the smell that was the worse. It was enough for Gustavo.

"Come on, we should leave here. The smoke will bring sightseers from all around, and we don't want to be here to answer any silly questions."

They didn't need any further convincing. Mounting their horses, they galloped down the trail. Only when the fort was far behind them and the air was clear did they reduce their pace. By then they had reached the plain of Halafalon.

The trail became a road, and the stream meandered away to be joined by others. From there it became a river and wound it's way slowly towards the delta and the sea.

They rode on towards Jasanta. The road they now followed was covered in the tracks made by L'Crue's army as it had galloped into Halafalon before them. Seeing the tracks quickly returned the topic of conversation to the fort and the massacre of it's garrison.

The most confusing part of their discussion was Slide-Rule herself. They all knew her to be a clever campaigner. She was often hard and unyielding, but she had never been overly cruel. Blue-Tack still couldn't believe the change that must have come over her. Gustavo didn't agree.

"Slide-Rule will do whatever needs to be done to complete the task she has planned," he told Blue-Tack. "In that respect, she is the same as always." "Then whatever it is must be important," Blue-Tack replied.

Buy-Row voiced all their frustrations when she said, "But what is it? What's she up to?"

It was the question that burned within all their minds. What was Slide-Rule planning? Where was she going? What was her goal? Ever since they had learned of the army that came through the pass the question had begged an answer, but still it evaded them.

In the end it was Mai-Zen who pointed them in the right direction.

"You humans dwell on your own mortality," she said. "Maybe Slide-Rule mourns the passing of her years and so attempts a task that will live on long after she has died. A task such as that of King Ru-Pert or King Steff-An, or even of Ed-Red The Mighty."

Blue-Tack turned to her. "You think she intends to go out in a blaze of glory?"

Mai-Zen shook her head. "No, you humans never attempt any task without believing that you will survive, no matter how futile."

Gustavo had to laugh at that. "We are forever the optimists, aren't we? But of course we have to be. How could we poor mortals go into battle without the belief that we will survive? How could we leave our loved ones, put our very lives at stake and risk all without such a belief?"

Mai-Zen nodded. "You have much to fear and much to lose, and yet you fight, often for a cause that is not your own. We have no fear, nothing to lose and no cause except for that of our dead creators. Your cause may often be noble, while ours is always the same. The Purpose is destructive. Revenge without gain is not a good cause to die for, but it is a good cause to die fighting against.

"You cling to your beliefs and mourn the passing of the years because your life is precious to you. To us the passing of the years means nothing because life itself has no meaning other than for the execution of the Purpose. Only the onset of compression marks our antiquity. But even this brings with it a calming influence. Our minds are cleared of the many conflicting memories and images of our past. In the end only the Purpose is left, and we are as we were at the beginning. If I have learned anything in my life, it is that the passing of time does nothing other than to bring you closer to your own fate."

They rode on in silence as everyone contemplated what Mai-Zen had said. Chalk-Dust was as thoughtful as the rest, but while they were content to just think, she put her thoughts into words.

"When I was a child," she said softly. "I often wondered what I was going to do or what I was going to be when I grew up. I even fantasized about the things that would happen, like getting married, having children, that sort of thing. There were so many things I thought I might do, but none of them were right in the end." She shrugged. "I guess I never imagined that I would be here, living this kind of life all these years later."

Mai-Zen's reply was to the point. "Do you regret your life here?"

Chalk-Dust didn't hesitate. "No," she said, shaking her head very positively. "I don't think I could have had a more exciting or eventful life back on Earth. If I had the choice, I don't think I would want to change a thing, at least not anything that applied to me. But I still sometimes wonder about the things I haven't done, the things I once thought of as almost a certainty. And you're right, getting older makes us dwell on such things even more. But isn't there something that you haven't achieved, Mai-Zen? Something that you still wish you might do?"

"No."

Her answer was too quickly and harshly spoken and they all protested, none more so than Buy-Row.

"Oh, you must have some dream to fulfil, Mai-Zen! You must have!" she exclaimed.

And Blue-Tack added, "Isn't there something you want to see? A place to visit? Anything?"

Mai-Zen shook her head. "There is nothing I dream of other than to end my life with Gust-Avo, and this I will achieve with his passing."

Gustavo laughed. "Ha! I am not dead yet! And I have no intention of dying, either!" He reached across and placed his hand on Mai-Zen's thigh, squeezing her gently. "But it pleases me greatly that you have this dream. It is my dream also. With luck, maybe we can both have our dreams come true! But not for a very long time! Eh? Let the worries of tomorrow stay in tomorrow. Don't we have enough worries today?"

"My tomorrow is already here," Mai-Zen replied. "My mind is in compression. When you die and the bond between us is broken, everything that I once was will die with you. This reunion will only succeed in showing me this more clearly. Soo-Kai was older than me, she had already entered the compression phase. When I see her again she may not even remember me."

Buy-Row was beginning to get depressed by all the talk of dying. "Do you have to be so morbid?" she exclaimed. "We'll all be cutting our throats in a minute!"

Blue-Tack and Chalk-Dust both laughed, but Mai-Zen didn't look amused. Gustavo had kept his hand on her thigh and he squeezed her again.

"She'll remember you," he told her with a smile.

"I wish I shared your confidence," she answered. "But I think it is only another belief you humans use to prepare the way for your disappointment."

"She'll remember you!" Gustavo repeated more insistently. "How could she forget the only Outsider she has ever embraced?"

This time Mai-Zen had no reply, but whether she believed him or not was still uncertain.

It was at this moment that Chalk-Dust drew her horse to a stop and stared down at the road. At first, none of the others noticed and she was left behind. Fortunately their pace had been steady but slow, so when Buy-Row realised that she was missing and looked around, Chalk-Dust was still only a short distance away. Buy-Row saw her with her head down and thought the worst.

"Oh, it's not that bad, you big softy!" she called out to her with a smile and also brought her horse to a halt.

That made them all stop and look back. But Chalk-Dust didn't reply, instead she just leaned over on her horse and stared more intently at the road.

There was obviously something wrong. The smile faded from Buy-Row's lips and she turned her horse and trotted back to her. In a moment they had all done the same and gathered around Chalk-Dust in the middle of the road.

Blue-Tack asked, "What's the matter, Chalk-Dust?"

Chalk-Dust pointed at the road beneath them. "They've left the road," she said and then looked up and stared across the fields into the distance.

As one, they all looked down at the tracks on the road. All the way from the mountain trail the tracks left by L'Crue's army had preceded them. Now they suddenly veered to the right, left the road, and cut a swathe across the fields towards the distant forrest. One by one, they all looked up and followed Chalk-Dust's gaze.

Gustavo said in a subdued voice, "They aren't going to Jasanta."

And Blue-Tack added, "That means that they don't intend to cross the river."

Buy-Row suggested, "They could cross upstream."

Mai-Zen shook her head. "They would not waste time going all that way around. Why rush the attack on the garrison fort only to waste all that time here?"

Gustavo grunted. "Then it's settled, they're staying on this side of the river. In and out, fast. It figures. But what could they want on this side of the river?"

Chalk-Dust dragged her gaze away from the distant forrest and stared at Blue-Tack. "There's only one thing in the forrest on this side of the river."

Blue-Tack nodded. "The Dragon's Lair."

"That's it!" Buy-Row suddenly exclaimed. "That's what she's come back for! It is for the reunion! But not ours! It's for the Destroyer's reunion! She's here for the return of the ship!"

Sweyn L'Neil couldn't take his eyes off Bus-Pass as she lay naked on the grass beside him. Her blonde hair framed her oval face perfectly as she lay on her back with her eyes closed. It had been so long that he had almost forgotten what she looked like. When he had seen her again on her horse, shouting defiance at him, it was as if all the years had rolled away. He remembered the anger she instilled in him, his need for revenge, to be able to catch her and imprison her for the crimes she had committed. He remembered also the lust he had felt for her, a lust that was bred from equal portions of anger and respect, a lust that had grown into love only to be crushed.

As always, with the memories came the bitterness.

"Why did you leave?" he asked her in a harsh voice.

"So much for my after-glow," Bus-Pass murmured. She opened her eyes, rolled over and reached for her clothes.

Sweyn sat up. "Answer my question! Why did you leave? Why did you desert me?"

Bus-Pass sighed as she pulled on her skirt. "You know why, Sweyn."

Sweyn reached for his own clothes. "I do not! Why else would I ask?"

"Then why wait until now to ask? Why not ask me before we got down to business?"

His reply came quickly. "I did ask you!"

Hers was just as quick. "You did not!"

"I made my feelings clear!"

"Yes! Four times!"

Sweyn opened his mouth to reply then changed his mind. Instead he snatched at his breeches and began to put them on.

Bus-Pass fastened up her tunic. She was now dressed again. She sat on the ground and re-examined the cut in her thigh. "If this goes septic, I'll kill you," she said.

Sweyn paused as he pulled on one of his boots. He seemed genuinely concerned. "I was angry. I'm sorry."

Bus-Pass looked up at him. "And how do you think I felt?"

Sweyn's bitterness returned. "As you always feel! To you fighting is just a game to be played! You care nothing for those who suffer! You haven't changed at all!"

Bus-Pass looked at him in irritation. "I don't mean now! I mean then! Twenty years ago! When I left!" She leaned towards him and added with venom, "When I found out!"

Sweyn now looked at her more in surprise than anger. "Found out what?"

"You know what!"

"No I don't!"

In response to his apparent confusion, Bus-Pass became angry. "Oh, deny it do you? Typical! Just like a man!"

Her anger caused the return of his. "Deny what?" he snapped. "What did you find out?"

"The truth!" Bus-Pass said bitterly.

With rising emotion, Sweyn climbed to his knees and grabbed hold of her, demanding, "Why did you leave me that night? Answer me!"

With a look of hatred in her eyes, Bus-Pass spat out the answer he sought. "Gym-Slip told me! Yes! That night! She told me!"

Bus-Pass seemed to relish the words. They came like a stab from her sword and struck deep into Sweyn, but not in the way she expected.

Sweyn let go of her and fell back on his heels. He closed his eyes in sudden understanding and raised his head to the sky. He sighed deeply, and when he spoke, it was calmly and with sadness.

"Of course. Gym-Slip. I should have known. And you believed her, didn't you? Your trust in me was that weak." Sweyn lowered his head and opened his eyes. He looked at Bus-Pass with sadness and dismay. Shaking his head he said, "You're a fool, Jane. You threw our life away on the word of a liar and a thief. You fool, you absolute fool."

Bus-Pass felt a rising panic. But she couldn't give up a truth she had relied on for twenty years. Her voice quaked, but it was still filled with anger. "Gym-Slip wouldn't lie to me! Not about something like that!"

Sweyn was now perfectly calm. It was as if all the emotion had drained out of him. "Oh, no? And what would Gym-Slip have done if you had stayed with me in Jasanta?"

Bus-Pass snatched at straws. "You kept the child! You looked after it! I know!"

"What did you expect me to do? Tip it down a well?"

Bus-Pass bit her lip. She looked confused and she couldn't answer.

Sweyn nodded. "Yes, I kept the child, but not for long. There was a man I knew whose wife was barren. He had accepted it, but she had not. It was turning her mind and the strain was turning his. I gave the child to them. I told them that the father was unknown to me and that the mother was a thief who had given birth in a stables and then fled. In a way it was the truth. The joy in the eyes of that woman as she held the child in her arms I will remember until I die. L'Karn, too, was overjoyed. From nowhere he suddenly had a son. They named him Josef, and a boy never had more loving parents."

Bus-Pass stared at him. Tears had come to her eyes as he spoke, but now there was something else. "L'Karn?" she repeated.

Sweyn nodded. "Yes. He is the child. He knows nothing of his true origins, and it is my intention that he should never know."

Bus-Pass wasn't listening. She got to her feet. "And you left him with Gym-Slip?"

Sweyn suddenly remembered his anger on leaving the river, and his eagerness to return to L'Karn and their prisoner. He also stood up. "But you said yourself that she wouldn't kill him."

"No, but she could do a whole lot worse! You know what Gym-Slip is like! Oh, God, Sweyn! You called me the fool, but you go and leave Gym-Slip hand-cuffed to her own son! Neither of them know!"

With sudden urgency, Bus-Pass pulled her sword from the tree where she had left it and ran. Sweyn grabbed his sword and chased after her.

"I know L'Karn! He wouldn't allow it!" he called out.

"And I know Gym-Slip!" Bus-Pass called back to him. "There isn't a man on this world that she couldn't have if she set her mind to it!"

"Ha! It is that misconception that got us into this trouble in the first place!"

Bus-Pass laughed. "I'm sorry, Sweyn. How you must have hated me! How confused you must have been! And all the while I hated you just as much! You're right, I was a fool! But not any more!"

They ran through the trees together. It was a strange feeling for Sweyn. He was usually chasing after her, not running alongside her. It was a few seconds before he realised that they weren't running in the right direction, but by then he had already seen the four horses tied to a tree.

As they mounted two of the horses, Sweyn glanced across at Bus-Pass.

"What will we say to them? What will you tell Gym-Slip?"

"I'm not going to say anything to her!" Bus-Pass replied with a look of cold determination in her eyes. "When we get there I'm simply going to kill her!"

Bus-Pass grabbed the reins of one of the spare horses and galloped away, the spare horse in tow behind her. Sweyn grabbed the other horse's reins and galloped after her.

The horses shortened the distance tremendously, and they soon reached the spot where L'Karn and Gym-Slip should have been waiting for them. Unfortunately, they weren't there. But the spot wasn't empty, either.

Five hundred men on horseback stood in the forrest as if caught on a poaching trip. The emblem on their chests was clear for all to see. The bronze eagle.

Sweyn and Bus-Pass dragged their horses to a halt.

For a strange few seconds everyone stared at everyone. Then Sir John L'Crue raised his visor and pointed at the two riders.

"Kill them!" he roared.

Sweyn and Bus-Pass let go of the reins of the spare horses and galloped away at full speed. With a cry, the entire Falonbeck army surged forward and galloped after them in pursuit, the two riderless horses scattering before them.

No sooner had the sound of thundering hooves faded when Gym-Slip popped up from her hiding place inside a bush.

"Well, that's a turn up for the books!" she declared, staring after the rapidly departing riders. "A Falonbeck army in the forrest! Whatever next?"

L'Karn stood up next to her. He held his manacled hands out towards her and demanded, "Will you unlock these now?"

Gym-Slip smiled at him. "All in good time, sweetie! But first, how good are you at catching horses?"

The ship was mainly silver and yellow in colour. Part of it was stained in brown and there were the odd dents. On one side there was a square patch in dull grey. The ship was shaped like a horse-shoe and sat on three small metal legs which each had a bend in it like an elbow. Two engines were at the back, one in each limb of the horse-shoe. The cabin was at the front, bridging the two halves of the ship. There were several windows at the front and a number of fins at the back.

Bey-Jai wanted to get closer, but she could taste the others in the air and she knew that they were hiding nearby. She had found the ship easily. But she had known straight away that the other Destroyers had found it first. She should have left then, but instead she had slowly and carefully worked her way nearer to the ship. It had taken her a long time. Bit by bit she had moved closer until she could actually see it. Then she had stared and stared at it. And still she hadn't left.

She was taking a great risk. The other Destroyers would kill her in an instant if they caught her. But she wanted to get even more closer to the ship, she wanted to feel the texture of it's metal, to taste the iron compounds-

There was a slight noise to her right. It was a tiny noise, almost imperceptible. The crushing of a soft leaf.

Bey-Jai sprang to her feet and ran.

An instant later and two other figures burst from their hiding places behind the trees and sprinted after her. It was Hai-Fam and Po-Kai.

Kai-Tai and Nan-Po ran from their hiding places behind the ship. Kai-Tai called out to the others, "Cha! Sun Lak! Dat te may!"

A second later and Mai-Ra and El-Vin had rushed passed her. Zen-Wa would have done the same, but Kai-Tai pulled her back and pointed at the ship. Then she ran after the rest.

Nan-Po had paused only long enough to pull one of her arrows from the quiver over her shoulder before she disappeared among the trees. Only Zen-Wa was left behind. She hit the door control on the ship and darted inside. A moment later and the door had sealed behind her.

Bey-Jai ran with all her energy. She didn't even pause to draw her sword. Behind her one of her pursuers was close on her heels while the other one had fallen back a little. Bey-Jai ran even more faster, hoping speed itself would make her the victor.

Hai-Fam found her pace unequal to that of her quarry. She could sense the deviant was drawing away from her with every step. But her hatred for this malformed Destroyer urged her to run faster.

In front of Hai-Fam, Po-Kai ran more fluidly and swiftly. She was drawing away from Hai-Fam even as she was closing on their victim. Her sword was already drawn, and her eyes were filled with the hatred she felt for those who weren't the same. Her once beautiful features were twisted in anger, and her mind was filled with only one intention: To catch and kill this disgusting mutation.

From their positions on the other side of the ship, Mai-Ra, El-Vin and Kai-Tai were already too far back to make a difference. Even Nan-Po, ready with her bow, found too many trees and too many moving figures between them to get off an accurate shot. She had more chance of hitting one of them in the way than she did of hitting their quarry. No, if Bey-Jai was to be caught, it would be down to Po-Kai and one other.

Chen-Soo also ran with her sword drawn. Like Po-Kai she ran fast and fluidly. She was coming in from the left. She could sense the three of them running in line across her path. First was Bey-Jai, then came Po-Kai with Hai-Fam just behind. All the others were too far away. Even Di-Quan, who was running after Chen-Soo, had fallen behind.

As she ran, Chen-Soo's mind was in turmoil. She recognised the scent and taste of Bey-Jai instantly. She was too familiar. Part of her wanted to kill Bey-Jai just like the rest. The Purpose made her hate what was wrong as strongly as they. But she had held Bey-Jai in her arms as an infant, and seen her play in the stream by the cottage when she was still immature. How could she kill her now? What would Rolf think of her?

But the outcome might not be up to her.

As the three youngest Destroyers, Po-Kai, Chen-Soo and Hai-Fam were the fastest. But among them, Po-Kai was still the more flexible of the three. Her bones, tendons and muscles could still flex beyond the limits that would fix them in only a few more years. Bey-Jai was young also, younger even than Po-Kai, but her life in the cottage with Rolf had not prepared her for this race. Po-Kai was well prepared. From birth to this very moment, she had raced many times and won, while several humans and Outsiders had lost. Today would be no different.

By now, Bey-Jai herself had realised this truth. She could almost feel Po-Kai behind her, she could hear and feel her foot-falls on the ground through her own feet. They ran in perfect unison, one behind the other, a sword-length apart.

Bey-Jai needed to draw her sword, she would have to turn and fight. But to draw her sword would delay her, and this Destroyer would strike her down before her sword had cleared her back. How she wished she had complied with Rolf's wishes. How selfish and foolish she was. How strange to feel such self-recrimination. It was almost human.

Bey-Jai knew that she would be killed by this Destroyer, a Destroyer she felt she recognised in some way. There was a familiar scent about her. Or did it come from somewhere else?

Chen-Soo didn't know what to do. She was so close, so close. What should she do? What should she do? There was no time to think, no time to analyse and plan. Chen-Soo came upon Po-Kai even as she raised her sword to strike.

Bey-Jai caught sight of Chen-Soo for only an instant, and then she was gone. What happened then she couldn't tell. One thing was certain, her pursuit ended.

Hai-Fam saw it more clearly. She had sensed Chen-Soo's approach, she had seen Po-Kai raise her sword, and she had known with absolute certainty that their quarry would be struck down in the next instant.

She was wrong.

Chen-Soo ran in from the left with her sword raised and missed Bey-Jai by a hair's breadth. Instead she ran into Po-Kai. Both Destroyers were going at full speed and the clash was audible through out the forrest. The impact sent them both up in the air, and they came down in a tangle of arms and legs. Po-Kai's sword flew from her hand and spun away, while Chen-Soo's sword also leapt from her grip and shot towards Hai-Fam like a missile.

Hai-Fam had been running so fast when she saw the collision that she almost couldn't stop herself from running into it. Digging her heels into the soft earth, she slithered to a halt, lost her footing, and landed on her bottom just as Chen-Soo's sword whistled over her head and embedded itself in a tree.

Di-Quan then appeared, glanced down at the two tangled and wrecked Destroyers and then ran after the rapidly disappearing Bey-Jai.

Po-Kai struggled to a sitting position. Even her hair was entangled with Chen-Soo's hair. Her lip was split, her jaw bruised, one sleeve was torn from her shoulder, and her jacket was twisted around. Chen-Soo looked no better when she finally sat up. Her eye was already swelling, there was a large tear in her leggings, and she had lost a boot.

There was a second of silence and then Po-Kai screamed and punched Chen-Soo in her other eye. A moment later and both of them were at each others throats. The two of them writhed about in the grass in a bigger tangle than before, both of them kicking, screaming, biting and clawing at each other.

Hai-Fam sat up and screamed at them both. It made no difference. She got to her feet and went quickly over to them. But when she grabbed Po-Kai and tried to pull her clear, her grip around Chen-Soo's throat was so strong that Chen-Soo came to. And both of them continued to struggle and kick.

Only when Kai-Tai appeared with the other Destroyers were they able to pull the two of them apart. But even then, neither of them would stop blaming the other for the collision, and both kicked out at one another.

In the end it was Kai-Tai's anger that stopped it all. Without any hint of concern for either of them, she kneed Chen-Soo in the abdomen and back slapped Po-Kai across the face.

Chen-Soo found herself at Nan-Po's feet. She didn't help her up, so she decided to stay where she was.

Di-Quan now returned. Kai-Tai looked up at her. Di-Quan shook her head. Kai-Tai turned to Po-Kai, and her anger was clear in her voice.

"How did this happen? How did the deviant evade you?"

"I would have caught her but for this idiot!" Po-Kai snarled in equal anger.

Chen-Soo looked up and shouted, "You ran into me!"

"I did not!" Po-Kai shouted back and then went for her. Mai-Ra and Hai-Fam had to hold her back as she kicked out at Chen-Soo on the ground.

Chen-Soo didn't stay still either. She leapt to her feet and rushed at Po-Kai, only Nan-Po and Di-Quan grabbing her at the last minute preventing the fight from resuming.

Kai-Tai had had enough. But it was Chen-Soo she admonished first. Grabbing her by the throat with one hand, she began to squeeze and squeeze. Chen-Soo struggled but was unable to fight back because Nan-Po and Di-Quan still held on to her firmly. Unable to breathe at all, she began to weaken quickly. Kai-Tai didn't relax her grip for a moment. Chen-Soo's legs gave way underneath her and she sank to her knees. Even then Kai-Tai didn't release her.

Chen-Soo's vision was beginning to blur. She could just see Hai-Fam holding on to Po-Kai. She seemed upset, but she didn't act. And Po-Kai stared at her as if she wished it was her hand around her throat. Chen-Soo realised that there was nothing she could do, and that no one was going to intervene on her behalf. If Kai-Tai had decided to kill her, it would all be over soon.

Just as her brain was about to explode and she was slipping into unconsciousness, Kai-Tai eased her grip. Air flowed into Chen-Soo's tortured lungs and she breathed. With each breath her vision and awareness returned, and she found herself staring in to Kai-Tai's eyes.

"Did you do this on purpose?" Kai-Tai asked her in an angry whisper.

Chen-Soo's reply was cracked and hoarse. "No....it was an error...."

"Did you know that deviant?"

"No."

Kai-Tai tightened her grip on Chen-Soo's throat once more. "Have you learned to lie like humans, Chen-Soo? Have you taught your body to hide the signs from me?"

"Destroyers do.....not....lie...," Chen-Soo gasped.

Kai-Tai released her and turned her back on her. At the same time, Nan-Po and Di-Quan let go of her, and Chen-Soo collapsed to the ground clutching at her throat. She lay there ignored, coughing and gasping for breath.

Kai-Tai now approached Po-Kai and stood before her. Po-Kai waited impassively. Kai-Tai's question was to the point.

"What caused the collision?"

"She ran into me!" Po-Kai answered far too eagerly. "It was her fault! She did it on purpose! Kill her, my mother! Kill-"

Kai-Tai cut her off by raising her hand before Po-Kai's eyes and suddenly making a fist. Po-Kai shut up. Kai-Tai lowered her hand.

"Could you have avoided the collision?"

Po-Kai paused, then shook her head. She seemed to slump.

"Did you not see Chen-Soo?"

"I sensed her approach, but I did not see her until we struck."

"Why?"

"There was a tree. She came from behind it."

"Then you are as much at fault as she is."

"But, my mother-

"Quiet! Yes, you are my seed, but your behaviour is as bad as hers! Get out of my sight until your skin heals!"

Kai-Tai turned her back on Po-Kai and walked away. "Cha!" she shouted to the others, and one by one all the Destroyers followed her. El-Vin thrust Po-Kai's sword into her hands before she left.

Chen-Soo looked up from her position on the ground and saw Po-Kai standing over her with her sword in her hand. They were both now alone.

"Will you kill me, Po-Kai?" she asked in a hoarse voice. "We are alone, my sword is still in the tree behind you. It would be easy."

Po-Kai raised her sword a little higher. It was as if she was working out in her mind whether it was a good idea or not. She decided it wasn't, and lowered her sword.

"You did it on purpose," she said, her voice giving away her still present anger.

Chen-Soo got to her feet. "Look at me!" she said defiantly. "Study my code! Am I a deviant? Am I?"

Po-Kai didn't reply at first. She stepped back, moving away from Chen-Soo as if she had some kind of contagious disease. When she spoke, her anger had left her. But it had been replaced by a cold determination.

"I can sense no deviation in you code, but I know you lied. You collided with me on purpose. It is the truth and I know it. You engineered the escape of that abomination. You knew it somehow, you wanted it to escape. This time you got away with it. Your body conceals the lies of your mind. But you won't deceive my mother for long. And now I know I'll be watching you too. And when you show yourself again, I'll be ready."

Po-Kai turned away without another word. She placed her sword in her back as she walked briskly away.

Chen-Soo sighed and went slowly to retrieve her sword from the tree. Her arms, legs and body ached and her head throbbed, and she couldn't tell whether any of it was from the collision, the fight, or Kai-Tai's attempt to strangle her. She pulled her sword from the tree, turned and leaned against it.

Why could she never decide who she belonged with? Why was life so complicated?

Far from being put off by their host's obvious understanding of his intentions, Johnson Fold was even more pressing in his attempts to strike a deal. Sinita should have been embarrassed. She should have squirmed at the way Johnson blatantly took every opportunity the conversation gave him to make another offer for the horse armour. She wasn't, and she didn't. She had seen it so often that she had grown used to it. It was the Dragon Prince that she marvelled at. He never once grew angry or even suggested that Johnson should stop. In a way, he seemed to enjoy the verbal sparring more than Johnson did himself. And to his credit, he scored a little better than Johnson.

Food and wine had been consumed with the conversation and an hour had gone before they had noticed it's passing. By then, Johnson was ready to pledge their ship in return for the armour. Sinita tried to stop him, but he just kicked her under the table.

"It is a good ship, My Liege," he said with his usual grin. "Small but sturdy. The bargain you force from me is a harsh one."

Prince Harold smiled. "But how could you take the armour with you if I have your ship?"

It was almost impossible, but Johnson's smile grew even wider than before. "I will take it then return with a second ship."

"Even better if you went away and returned with the second ship first. That way I could keep the armour in my trophy room and have it polished for you while you were away."

"Ah! You are too kind! But may I suggest a compromise? You keep the armour until I return, but let me take the liveried cloak that adorns it. It will be proof to my creditors that we trade in good faith."

The Prince seemed thoughtful. "I think that could be arranged."

Sinita allowed her head to fall to the table with a sigh and a thud.

The Prince looked at her with some concern. "My apologies to the young lady. Our haggling has obviously tired her."

Johnson looked down on Sinita sadly. "She always was a little weak, Sire. Don't worry about her at all, a rest will do her good." He patted her on the back.

Prince Harold got to his feet. "Then a rest she shall have. Please, follow me." He paused by the door and added, "Provided that is that the wench has enough strength to stand?"

"Oh, I'm sure she has, Sire!" Johnson said and kicked Sinita under the table again.

Sinita raised her head and muttered, "Yes, Oh, master." She and Johnson got to their feet.

Prince Harold smiled. "Good!"

Servants were summoned to clear away the remains of their meal while the Prince led them both further into his Royal Apartments. It was a brief tour that took them through many ornate and richly decorated rooms and finally led them to the Princess Gwendolyn.

She was in her boudoir, and she smiled warmly when Prince Harold introduced her to his guests.

Johnson bowed gracefully. "I am honoured, My Lady. Your beauty out-shines even the sun."

Gwendolyn was briefly embarrassed, but her smile never wavered. "You are too generous in your description."

Johnson bowed even lower. "Not at all, Ma'am. Not at all."

When they left the Princess, Sinita was sure that she hadn't even noticed her. But that was usual with Johnson.

The Prince next led them to another bedroom that was as richly decorated as any of the others they had seen. As soon as they were inside, Sinita collapsed on the large four-poster bed.

Johnson shook his head sadly. "You must forgive her, My Liege. Her constitution is not as strong as ours. They are the weaker sex of course."

Prince Harold nodded in agreement. "I hope she recovers quickly. In the meantime, please make use of this room and treat it as your own. If you need anything, just pull the cord and my servants will attend you."

Johnson bowed once more. "You have been very gracious in your hospitality, My Liege!"

The Prince briefly lowered his head in acknowledgement. "When you are rested we will talk again."

"I look forward to it!"

At last the Prince left them.

As soon as he was gone, Sinita sat up on the bed and said, "What are you trying to do? Offering him our ship like that! Are you fucking nuts?"

Johnson was busy examining all the wall hangings, ornaments and paintings in the room.

"Nonsense! I told you we needed a bigger ship. This place is a gold mine, Sinita. All we have to do is persuade the good Prince to give us a few trinkets to take back with us in good faith and we're in. Once we've sold them back on Mars-" he paused and held up his finger, "No! Make that Klearion! They won't ask as many questions there. Yes, Klearion. Or maybe Tassanak 6?"

"Johnson!" Sinita snapped.

"Yes, well, you know what I mean. Once we've got a good price we can come back with a freighter. The Prince is welcome to our ship. It's an old model anyway."

Sinita shook her head. "I don't know who's more fucking stupid. You for thinking that you're going to get away with any of this, that Dragon Prince who obviously went to the same sting school as you, or me for being stupid enough not to have already run back to our ship screaming."

Johnson laughed as he examined one of the statues. "You always exaggerate, don't you, Sinita? Not that I'm saying that you may not be right. The Prince maybe a shrewd business man on his world, but he knows nothing of the market we trade in, does he? For example, how could he know that the horse armour isn't as valuable as the cloak that goes with it? Not that the horse armour wouldn't fetch a good price. The craftsmanship is remarkable, but gold we can find on any world. The same can't be said for the liveried cloak though, can it?"

Johnson quickly stepped towards her and unceremoniously yanked Sinita from the bed. And while she stared at him in annoyance he pulled one of the rich blue sheets from the bed and draped it around himself.

"Ah! The honourable silk worm. May he rest in peace."

Sinita folded her arms and sulked. She hated it when he was right.

After leaving Johnson and Sinita, Prince Harold walked quickly and purposefully down the corridor to the drawing room. Entering swiftly, he closed the door behind him. Two people were waiting for him inside. One was the same woman who had brought Johnson and Sinita to the castle. She stood straight and impassive on the far side of the room. The other was a man in his forties who was sat casually in an armchair.

The man was probably only a little younger than the Prince himself. He had brown hair that was cut short, sharp angular features, and a moustache that was tinged in grey. His blue eyes looked almost tearful, but his smile on seeing the Prince was wide and genuine.

"What did you think of them?" he said to the Prince. And when he spoke his voice held an unusual accent.

Prince Harold smiled back at him. "They are as you thought, Jean. Tricksters and liars." He came and sat down in a chair next to Jean. "Even now they think to deceive me."

Jean nodded. "It was simple to deduce. Why else would they be here if it was not to trade? The times may have changed, but my people haven't."

"They could have been genuine explorers."

"Then what gave them away?"

"His incessant bargaining for the Falonbeck horse armour." The Prince laughed and shook his head. "I think Mr Johnson Fold would sell anything, even his companion, to take that armour away with him."

The woman now spoke for the first time. "Then it is not the armour that he wants."

Both the men looked at her, and Jean said, "What are you thinking, my child?"

She moved closer. "Il est trop ouvert, trop clair dans son objectif. Un commerçant qui négocie de cette façon ne pourrait pas espérer faire un bénéfice. Ceux qu'il a achetés de gonfleraient rapidement le prix."

Jean nodded in understanding while the Prince leaned forward and said, "Well?"

Jean explained. "Helene thinks that this Mr Fold is trying to distract you from his real goal by concentrating your thoughts on the horse armour. Did he mention any other item?"

Prince Harold thought for a moment. "Only the jacket that adorns the armour. He asked that he might take it in place of the armour to show to his creditors."

Jean pounced on his words. "Then that is what he truly wants!" he exclaimed.

"But I don't understand it," Prince Harold replied. He was now more confused than before. "The jacket has no value. Yes, it is made of silk, and the fabric is difficult to obtain here, but not impossible. The Sullenfeld have always used it as their most valuable commodity. Even with the war with Falonbeck, silk will

continue to be bought and sold, maybe more so than before. Why would he leave behind the armour in favour of the silk? Was it rare on your world?"

"Not when I left, but ecology was never one of my people's strong points." Jean now leaned forwards in his chair. "Let us imagine, just for a moment, that some disaster may have occurred on my world. Whether it was natural or not is of little concern, but let us say that it's effect, among others, was to wipe out the worm that produced silk. If this was to happen, wouldn't the value of real silk increase?"

Prince Harold sighed. "I am a fool. I forgot one of Craig's most important rules of business: Know your market."

Jean laughed, but the Prince was not amused. His expression hardened.

"I think it is time we turned the tables on Mr Fold!" he said with determination. He looked up at Helene. "Find his ship! Find it and take something from it, something that will prevent it from functioning. Then we will see how good a haggler Mr Fold really is!"

Without hesitation, Helene nodded and moved towards the door. She only paused when Jean called out to her.

"Soin de prise, mon enfant. Je pas goût la pensée de vous détruire également."

"Je toujours reviens, engendre," Helene replied, then she had opened the door and was gone.

The water still bubbled and gurgled as it flowed quickly down the mountain stream, but that was the only noise that could be heard. The mountains were filled with a strange stillness and silence that magnified the sound of the water until it seemed somehow un-natural. The reason for this phenomena could only be attributed to the two figures that now travelled the mountain pass with only a pack horse for a companion. One was the figure of a man, while the other bore a strong resemblance to a woman.

The man who led the pack horse was unusual in two ways. For one, he was dressed very poorly for someone travelling the trail. He was certainly no merchant or trader. He wore a plain garment that must have been white at one time. Now it was grey and ragged as it draped his rather thin and dirty frame leaving his arms bare. A rough belt kept the garment in place, and was also the home for a long curved sword with a carved wooden handle. And even more unusual than his style of dress was his physique. Not only was he thin and bony, but his dirt streaked skin was yellow in hue and he was totally without hair of any kind.

If the man was unusual, the woman was more so. She shared his style of dress, her garment could even have been cut from the same cloth. She was also dirty, thin and bony. But there the similarity stopped. Instead of a sword, she held a long crooked staff. It seemed to be hewn from some ancient knarled branch that was as tall as she, and she leaned on it as she walked. Unlike the man, her skin was a pale white, coloured only by the dirt that smeared it. Her head was framed by a mane of thick hair, hair that was tangled and matted. At one time it must have been washed and cared for, because it's colour was far from natural. Streaked alternatively in the red of fire, the black of night and the silver of the moon, it stood out so starkly against the otherwise greyness of her appearance that it seemed to have a very life of it's own.

If there was to be a choice as to which one of them had killed the breeze and brought the uneasy silence to the mountains, it would have to be her. As for their ages, it could not be guessed at. That they were both past the flush of youth was certain. But a harsh and violent life could add years.

The woman paused to kneel down over the tracks in the ground in the very centre of the mountain pass. She bent until her face almost touched the ground. In that position she stopped, sniffing. Then she stuck out a blackened tongue and licked the soil.

Behind her the man stood watching impassively. Only the pack horse whose reins he held broke the silence by stamping it's hooves and snorting.

The woman raised her head from the ground. "They pass here a short time ago. I recognise the smell and taste of their blood."

Her voice was cracked and hoarse. It could almost have been that of a man. But what she said sparked life and an instant interest into her companion.

"Do they still hold the sacred statue?" he asked quickly. In contrast to hers, his voice was high pitched and almost feminine.

"Yes, I feel the passage of it's power in the ground."

The man's expression grew intense and his dark eyes seemed to glow with a hidden pain. "Then we must hurry, Tesambala. My body aches for the feel of the Homunculus in my hands, and my spirit yearns for vengeance."

Tesambala drew herself up to her full height and leaned on her crooked staff. "Vengeance will be ours, Brother Asensouso, do not worry. The unbelievers think they are safe in their own lands. They think that the Sullenfeld are defeated and without teeth. Like all unbelievers they think only of armies and victories. Their arrogance will be their downfall."

Asensouso wasn't impressed by Tesambala's proud words. They only seemed to make him more angry. "The Falonbeck hordes defile our lands and subjugate our people. If this is not a defeat, tell me that which is?"

Tesambala's reply was calm but cutting. "The theft of the Homunculus from the tomb of our Mighty Edred."

Instantly chastised, Asensouso bowed his head. "The failure was indeed mine. I led the Brethren at the rite of Oarmensalo. I led the defilers to the tomb. I should be disembowelled for my penance and my hide used to line the tomb of our sacred Lord."

Tesambala placed her hand upon his shoulder. "Your penance, like mine, is to walk the lands of the unbelievers for all eternity, or until the Homunculus is returned to the tomb and the care of the Brethren. Do not wallow in your own selfishness. The loss of the Homunculus to the Sullenfeld is far greater than it is to your own trivial existence."

Asensouso nodded gravely. "I am shamed by my own thoughts and words. I thank you for your timely reminder."

Tesambala released her hold on him and leaned on her staff with both hands. "Not all your words were in error. We will hurry as you said. But though we walk while they ride, we have the advantage of patience."

Tesambala now turned to stare down the trail at the pall of smoke rising in the distance from the fort. Her face took on an almost manic expression, and her staff seemed to shimmer as if it's very substance moved and flowed. Her eyes opened wide, revealing tattooed runes around the iris of each eye-ball, and her voice grew stern and powerful as she continued.

"Fortune, toil and greed will turn their heads from the past while ours will remain focused. And while they look to the new and are distracted, a time will come when we are among them. It is then, Asensouso, that vengeance will be ours. We will hold again the Homunculus of our Mighty Lord Edred, and we will drink the blood of the defilers of his sacred tomb."

Chalk-Dust led the way across the fields towards the forrest. Buy-Row and Blue-Tack rode on either side of her, and Gustavo and Mai-Zen followed along behind them. Knowing that Slide-Rule was heading for the Dragon's Lair Castle had changed their plans. Instead of continuing on to Jasanta, they had all agreed that the best thing to do was to follow the army. Only Buy-Row was less convinced.

"It would be a lot safer going on to Jasanta like we planned," she said to Chalk-Dust as they rode along.

"I doubt it," Chalk-Dust replied. "You know Slide-Rule, whatever it is she's planning to do at the Dragon's Lair is bound to be a whoosy."

"But, surely we should be safe at Jasanta!" Buy-Row insisted.

Blue-Tack agreed with Chalk-Dust. "The wreck of the ship that brought the Destroyers is under that castle. We know it, and she knows it." She looked up at the sky. "That other ship must be close by, and you can bet your arse that Slide-Rule has worked out something monstrous involving one or the other of them, or both."

Buy-Row shivered. "And you think it could be that bad?"

Blue-Tack smiled at her. "Does a rat have fleas?"

Buy-Row became annoyed. "Oh, bollocks!" she exclaimed. "This is almost as bad as those two-headed serpents the Magyar used to guard the Crystal Crescent!"

Chalk-Dust shook her head. "Nah! There were only four of them."

"That's alright for you to say! They weren't trying to bite your bum!"

Blue-Tack and Chalk-Dust both laughed as they remembered the frantic fight in the maze. Buy-Row just sulked.

Behind them, Gustavo looked across at Mai-Zen and said, "Blue-Tack said that the Insiders could sense the ship above when it came close. Can you sense it, my bond?"

Mai-Zen tilted her head up to the sky and closed her eyes. They all stared at her as she concentrated. Finally she opened her eyes and turned to Gustavo.

"Yes, there is a power I sense. It is still distant, but I can feel it's approach."

Gustavo nodded. "That would be about right. The reunion is in three days, and by then that ship will be a lot nearer."

Blue-Tack added, "And if we don't stop Slide-Rule before then, you can bet that the reunion will be cancelled."

Buy-Row chose that moment to emerge from her sulk. "And what makes you think that we can stop her?" she said to Blue-Tack. "Answer me that, clever-clogs!"

Blue-Tack looked across at her. "Because we have to, don't we?"

It was to the point, but not what Buy-Row wanted to hear. "Can't someone else do it?"

Gustavo grunted. "Huh! That we will find out at the Dragon's Lair. If it is still standing."

"What if it isn't?" Buy-Row said, leaning towards him.

"Then we continue to follow Slide-Rule until we know what she's doing and can find the power to stop her."

Buy-Row seemed satisfied by Gustavo's answer. It at least gave her some breathing space.

"Alright," she said, sitting back on her horse and nodding. "Following I can do. But I have to tell you that fighting hundreds of men who are intent on butchering the garrisons at half the castles in the realm might be a problem."

Chalk-Dust shrugged her shoulders. "Oh, well. If we can start a war in Sullenfeld, I suppose we should be able to stop another one here."

Bus-Pass and Sweyn L'Neil urged their horses on faster as they leapt and splashed across the river. It was far too deep to ride across, and the horses swam more than they could tread. It seemed to take forever, but they had reached the bank and climbed onto hard ground before the pursuing Falonbeck army plunged into the water on the far side.

Several hundred men and horses dived into the river, and the eight-wheeled wagon with the battering ram looked ready to follow them before Slide-Rule raised her visor and yelled at L'Crue.

"Hold! Hold! This is madness, Sir John!"

"They have seen us!" L'Crue roared in anger.

"And who will they tell?" Slide-Rule shouted back just as angrily. "Ellerkan is nearly a day's ride from here! Only the Dragon's Lair is nearby, and King Thyra will be no good to us at the bottom of the river! Enough time has been wasted by this distraction! We should go on!"

L'Crue hesitated. Slide-Rule's arguments were true, but to let the two riders go free irked him. He turned his back on her and shouted to one of his men on the edge of the river.

"Sir Richard! Turn the men back! Pick four to pursue our quarry! Tell them not to return until those two riders are dead! We go on to the castle!"

Sir Richard smacked his chest with his fist and began to shout orders at the men. In a few seconds they had all turned back, leaving only four to continue across the river. And by the time these four riders had reached the far bank, the Falonbeck army had galloped away into the trees.

The horse stood by a tree with it's head down. It was biting at the grass and seemed unconcerned by the man who crept up on it. But just when it looked like the man would seize the reins that hung down, the horse raised it's head, snorted and trotted away. L'Karn dived at the reins in a last desperate effort, missed, and landed on the ground with a thump.

As the horse trotted away, L'Karn raised his head and shouted, "Blast you! You're doing this on purpose!"

In reply, the horse came to a halt and looked back at him, as if waiting for him to follow.

Reluctantly, L'Karn got to his feet and went after it.

This game had been going on ever since Gym-Slip had removed the handcuffs from his wrists. So far, L'Karn had made three lunges, two dives and four out and out chases. The horse had won each time, and it seemed never to tire of the game, either. It only came to an end when Gym-Slip appeared on the other horse and whistled. The horse trotted over to her without hesitation and she leaned over and grabbed it's reins.

L'Karn stared at her in amazement. "That's not fair!" he cried. "I've been chasing that damned horse all round the forrest! And then you whistle and it just comes right to you! It's not fair!"

Gym-Slip laughed. "Well, it is my horse!" she said, and swopped from one horse to the other as she spoke.

L'Karn sighed and stepped wearily towards her. Gym-Slip pulled on the reins and backed away.

"Who said you could ride?" she told him.

L'Karn looked distraught. "You can't be serious?"

Gym-Slip laughed again. "I caught them both!"

"But-" It was at that point that L'Karn finally gave up and sank to the ground. "I've had enough," he said.

"Oh, come on, sweetie!" Gym-Slip called out to him. "What will the good Sheriff think?"

"He will think I am an incompetent fool, and he will probably throw me out of the Constabulary," L'Karn replied in dismay.

For the first time since he had seen her, Gym-Slip lost her smile and looked more serious. "I think he and Bus-Pass have more pressing thoughts on their minds at the moment." She held out the reins to him. "Come on, sweetie. Let's call a truce."

L'Karn got to his feet. He walked towards her then stopped. "How do I know I can trust you?"

"You don't," Gym-Slip replied. "But remember that I'm taking all the chances, not you. After all, you're the policeman and me the robber. You could lock me up again."

"I think I have little chance of locking you up, even if I had that army we saw on my side."

Gym-Slip laughed. "Come on. We better get going before they do come back."

L'Karn took the reins gratefully and climbed on to the horse. When he was safely mounted, Gym-Slip held out his sword and belt. L'Karn took them, his confusion clear.

"Why are you doing this?" he asked her as he fastened his belt around his waist. "Why don't you just ride away?"

"What? And miss all the fun? Not likely!"

Gym-Slip dug in her heels and galloped away. L'Karn was forced to chase after her or be left behind. When he drew level with her he called across to her.

"Where are we going?"

"The Dragon's Lair castle!"

L'Karn looked at her in surprise. "Shouldn't we be going after the Sheriff and your companion?"

"Bus-Pass can look after herself! And Sweyn's no fool, either! No, we'd be better off going to the castle!"

"But why?"

"To warn them, of course! Where else do you think an army would be going in the forrest?"

Bey-Jai was in confusion. She had left the other Destroyers far behind, but she still couldn't sort out in her mind exactly what had happened. She had recognised Chen-Soo in the second that she had seen her. It had been her scent that had been familiar. For a while Bey-Jai had thought that it had belonged to the one that pursued her. But no, it must have been Chen-Soo.

So why did Chen-Soo and this other Destroyer collide?

The thought that Chen-Soo had done it on purpose came easily to her. But this created many other confusing thoughts. If Chen-Soo felt an attachment to those she had brought to Rolf and Soo-Kai all those years ago, an attachment strong enough to cause her to interfere in the killing of one of them, why then did she run with the other Destroyers? And why would they tolerate someone so obviously defective?

Although Chen-Soo had often visited the cottage and watched them from afar, she had never approached them or attacked them. Bey-Jai had never even laid eyes on her before, nor had she ever spoken to her. To Bey-Jai, Chen-Soo was only a distant memory, a memory so fleeting that she hardly knew her at all. But Rolf's views about her were clear, and Bey-Jai was confident that he was right. She had said so herself to Soo-Kai this very day. Chen-Soo was not one of them. She was a Destroyer who killed. She was not defective. And yet, Chen-Soo had collided with the other Destroyer on purpose, Bey-Jai was sure of it.

No matter which way she turned the pieces around in her head, she still couldn't make them fit together. She would have gone on thinking about it until she reached the cottage, but she never got there.

As Bey-Jai walked through the trees a scent came to her on the breeze that instantly broke into her thoughts. It was a human. Female. But there was something else, too. It was another scent, very faint, but it brought an instant recognition that turned Bey-Jai's expression to one of anger and she drew her sword.

Helene was on her way to the ship. Although she hadn't seen it yet, she had no fear that she would find it. Following the tracks left by Johnson Fold and Sinita was child's play. And since she had followed them half the day already, going straight back to the spot where she had first seen them cross the river had saved her a lot of time.

Crossing the river, she hurried on.

The trail left by Johnson and Sinita was clear but haphazard. They crossed their own path often, and sometimes doubled back on themselves. Helene was sure that this was due more to the ease with which they got lost rather than to any cunning.

If she had had a horse, Helene would have been able to reach the ship far quicker. But she preferred to travel on foot. She felt safer nearer to the ground where she could read the signs. It was also easier to hide without a horse. But even though she hurried, she still kept her wits about her, and the sound that reached her ears was unmistakable.

It was the sound of a Destroyer drawing her sword.

Helene reached up and drew her own sword just as Bey-Jai ran at her from out of the trees. She was just in time as Bey-Jai struck at her straight away and their swords clashed. There was a quick flurry of blows as both women struck and parried, but then Helene stepped back.

"Wait!" she called out. "I will know one thing, Destroyer! Are you an Outsider, or an Insider?"

Bey-Jai seemed to ignore her. She advanced on Helene, as eager and as angry as before, and struck again. Helene defended the blow but then darted aside. It was as if she was reluctant to fight.

"I must know!" she demanded. "Answer!"

At last Bey-Jai replied, but she spoke with anger, and she still advanced on Helene. "Why is a human interested in the difference between Destroyers?"

Helene continued to back away. "Because to kill an Insider will bring little satisfaction to me! The vengeance for my mother's death I can gain only from the death of an Outsider!"

Bey-Jai raised her sword. "I know little about vengeance! But I know I will not be content until I kill the human who holds my own mother's sword in her hands!"

Helene looked at Bey-Jai in sudden shock and lowered her sword. Bey-Jai seized the advantage and stepped forward, ready to kill Helene on the spot. But when Helene spoke, Bey-Jai froze as if hit by an unseen force, and the anger left her in an instant.

"Vous êtes fille d'Emile et de Jai-Soo."

Seconds passed and nothing happened. Bey-Jai could have easily killed Helene, but instead she just stared at her, her sword still raised. Helene just stared back. She seemed unafraid, and her sword pointed at the ground.

Bey-Jai broke the silence. "Comment vous savez ce langage?" she said in a soft voice.

"Mon père m'a enseigné," Helene replied. Her voice was equally subdued. "Comment vous l'avez appris?"

"Je me rappelle ce que ma mère a su. Elle a parlé ce langage avec E-Mile." There was a pause, and then Bey-Jai added, "Your mother was Paul-A."

Helene nodded.

"Why do you carry my mother's sword?"

"Because my mother carried it before me."

Bey-Jai lowered her sword at last. "Tell me what you know."

Helene spoke with tears growing in her eyes. "My mother loved your mother. When she was killed by Outsiders she went mad. She would hunt them out and fight with them whenever she could. The sword was the only thing left, and she kept it and used it to kill many Outsiders. Jai-Soo would have been proud of her. Of course, she didn't fight all the time. Jean was always trying to stop her, and she would for a while. Like when I was born, and when I was young. But her anger never left her. I think Jean understood. Emile had been his friend, and he had been killed too. I learned to fight alongside my mother when I was fourteen. Then, one day they killed her. It was when she was on her own. When she wasn't looking for them."

When Helene had finished, the tears ran unchecked down her cheeks.

Bey-Jai stuck her sword into the ground and stepped closer to her. She was taller than Helene, and Helene was forced to look up at her now that they were standing so close together. Bey-Jai then reached out with both hands and held Helene's face, feeling her cheeks and allowing the tears to wet her fingers.

"Yes," she said, nodding. "I recognise the scent and taste of your mother within you. To me it is a distant memory, a memory that belongs to my mother. She had no knowledge of you."

Helene put her arms around Bey-Jai and embraced her, resting her head against Bey-Jai's chest. "She was killed before I was born."

Bey-Jai moved her hands over Helene's head, stroking her hair and then her back. "It is strange. Until this moment I did not know that you existed, nor how strong my mother's feelings were towards Paul-A. But now I feel a contentment being close to you, a recognition that I did not know I possessed."

Helene sniffled and then smiled. Turning her head she looked up at Bey-Jai. "I know what you mean. I feel like I've suddenly found a long lost sister. And to think, we could have killed one another."

Bey-Jai broke the embrace and stepped back. "I am not your sister. And the pursuit and killing of Outsiders is not a pass time humans should waste their lives on."

Helene became offended by Bey-Jai's words, and her reply was spoken angrily. "My mother did not waste her life! You don't understand how she felt!"

"What I understand about your mother is of no consequence. It is not of her life that I speak, but of yours. If I were not defective, then we would have killed one another. You should never have dropped your defence. It was foolish."

Helene's brief anger dissipated and she smiled wryly. "You deny it, but the advice you just gave me couldn't have come better if it had been spoken by a big sister."

Bey-Jai sighed and held out her hand. "Give me the sword."

Helene held it out to her. Bey-Jai took it and held it in both hands. She ran her fingers along the blade and then held it in an offensive position.

"The last thing my mother did with this sword was kill an Outsider," she said, staring at it. Then she reached out and placed the point of the sword into the scabbard behind Helene's head and slid it home. "It is right that you should keep it."

Bey-Jai went to retrieve her own sword and quickly placed it in her back. "Does your father still live?" she asked.

"Yes. He lives at the castle of the Dragon Prince."

"You were not on your way to the castle when I found you."

"No. I was on my way to the ship that landed. Did you see it land? You could come with me."

"That would not be a good idea."

Bey-Jai went on to explain what had happened at the ship. The news didn't please Helene. She in turn explained about Johnson Fold and Sinita, and their attempt to trick Prince Harold.

"Prince Harold had asked me to obtain a piece from the ship that he could use as a bargaining tool against them," she added. "It was upon his errand that I travelled to the ship. Now that won't be possible."

Bey-Jai looked at her for a moment as they both stood facing one another among the trees. "You dress like one of us, and you speak like one of us. But your emotions occasionally over come you. Why do you behave like this?"

Helene looked back at Bey-Jai defiantly. "Know your enemy."

"Before you know your enemy, you should know yourself," Bey-Jai countered.

Helene developed her more usual aloof expression. "I know who I am. I am Helene Lambrun. Daughter of Jean and Paula Lambrun. But do you know who you are?"

Bey-Jai's reply was also haughty. "I am Bey-Jai, seed of Jai-Soo and her bond E-Mile."

Helene shook her head and stepped closer to her. "No! No, you are not!" she said firmly.

Now it was Bay-Jai's turn to become offended. "And who are you to deny my genealogy?" she said in a raised voice.

"I don't deny your genealogy, only your name!" Helene replied.

"My name is my genealogy!" Bey-Jai insisted.

"But it isn't your only name!" Helene said just as forcefully.

Bey-Jai paused to stare at Helene's intense expression. The false Destroyer image had slipped from her again, and her human emotions had broken through. But Helene didn't seem to care. The knowledge she possessed and obviously wished to impart was much more important to her. Bey-Jai could taste the urgency in her body, and she suddenly wanted to know.

"Explain."

Helene calmed herself before she continued. "My mother and father visited Jai-Soo and Emile regularly. They knew when your mother was pregnant, and the choice of all your names was a frequent topic of conversation during their visits. Jai-Soo gave you all your Destroyer names, these were fixed. But Emile wanted to give you his family names, names that he would discuss and argue with Jean and my mother.

"The choice was made before you were born, but the next time my mother and father came to visit they found the house burned. They believed that you had all been killed. They found Emile at the house, but Jai-Soo they found elsewhere, mutilated and with her dead babies next to her. So bad was the scene that they never knew that one of you had escaped. Maybe now you can understand why my mother hated the Outsiders so much.

"Yes, you are Bey-Jai, second daughter of Jai-Soo and Emile. But you are also Dominique Collivot, the second eldest daughter of Emile and Jai-Soo Collivot. This is who you truly are."

When she had finished, Bey-Jai just stared at her. Helene stared back with her more familiar aloof expression. She seemed to know she had won.

Bey-Jai nodded. "I am defective, a mutation. I lack the urgency of the Purpose to drive me to kill like my sisters. If they should find me they would kill me as they would kill you. You are correct, I am as you are, a false Destroyer who shares only their uniform."

Helene smiled. "You see, we are sisters after all. Sisters in arms." A sudden thought occurred to her. "Come back to the castle with me! My father will be so surprised to see you!"

Bey-Jai made up her mind quickly. "Yes, I will go with you. I will meet with your father, and I will talk with him about my mother and my father. And then I will see these humans who seek to trick your Prince, and together we will trick them instead."

Sweyn and Bus-Pass had a lengthy lead over the four men who pursued them, but to maintain it they had to ride at a fast pace, a pace that they couldn't keep up for much longer. As the horses tired, the gap began to decrease.

Sweyn racked his brain for an idea, for some means of escape. To turn and fight would be foolhardy. And yet... He glanced across at Bus-Pass. If there was a method of escape, she would know it.

"If there are any places that you know to hide from a pursuing force, now might be a time to share it!" he shouted across to her.

"I know of one!" she shouted back. "But it's too far!"

It looked almost certain that they would have to fight, when all of a sudden a huge yellow and silver shape loomed up out of the trees before them causing their horses to slither to a halt and rear in panic.

Sweyn stared at it in shock. "What strange thing is this?"

"It's a spaceship!" Bus-Pass exclaimed, then an arrow hit her above the right breast and she cried out and almost fell from her horse. She leaned forward in obvious pain and had to hold on with both hands to steady herself.

Sweyn acted instantly. Grabbing her reins he shouted, "Hang on!" and led her horse at the gallop.

The Destroyers appeared from their hiding places, running from all sides. One was Nan-Po. She fitted another arrow to her bow and aimed at Sweyn and Bus-Pass as they rode away. She was about to loose her arrow when the four men chasing Sweyn and Bus-Pass appeared. Nan-Po spun round and fired her arrow at one of them instead. A man fell from his horse to be instantly pounced on by El-Vin.

The remaining three men found themselves in the middle of the trap sprung by Sweyn and Bus-Pass. They were quickly surrounded, and Hai-Fam sliced at the legs of one horse, bringing it down in a splatter of blood.

The men fought for their lives with the Destroyers now on all sides of them. One by one the horses were mutilated and brought down. One of the men was trapped as his horse fell, and was instantly killed by Kai-Tai and Mai-Ra. The remaining two men fared no better.

Standing back to back and using their shields in defence, the men exchanged blows with Po-Kai, Di-Quan, Chen-Soo, Hai-Fam and Zen-Wa. Kai-Tai and Mai-Ra quickly joined them. There was no doubt as to the outcome, but the men didn't die easily.

Mai-Ra was the first to fall back with a stab to her hip, and Di-Quan took a blow across the head from one of the shields that dropped her. It was then that one of the men broke free, pushing at Po-Kai with his shield, and causing her to step back. Straight away she fell over Di-Quan and the man raised his sword to stab down at her as she lay exposed at his feet. But before he could deliver the blow, Chen-Soo ran him through the back, and the man landed alongside Po-Kai, his sword plunging into the ground right next to her. The last man hit the ground almost at the same time as his companion, killed by a sword thrust to his chest delivered by Zen-Wa.

Chen-Soo stood above Po-Kai with her sword raised. Blood dripped from it. Po-Kai glared up at her almost in anger. Chen-Soo just stared back at her with a haughty expression. Then she shook her sword, scattering the blood from it in one swift slice.

Kai-Tai came over to them and went first to Chen-Soo. Grabbing her by the scruff of her neck, she pulled her close and rubbed cheeks with her.

"Good!" she said simply, and then moved on to Po-Kai.

The smile on Chen-Soo's face caused Po-Kai to become annoyed as Kai-Tai helped her to her feet. "I could have killed him without your help!" she said in irritation to Chen-Soo.

Kai-Tai held Po-Kai by the chin and turned her head so that they were now face to face. "Your prowess is not in doubt, but you are both still young, and you should each learn to depend on your sisters for support." Kai-Tai stroked Po-Kai's face. "Each day brings a new lesson, my daughter. Today you learned to beware of their shields. The humans use them well."

As Kai-Tai now rubbed cheeks with Po-Kai and caressed her and stroked her, the smile left Chen-Soo and she turned away.

Nan-Po watched Chen-Soo, but said nothing.

By now, El-Vin and Zen-Wa had managed to get Di-Quan into a sitting position. She looked very dazed, and there was a large bruise and cut on her forehead that bled, but she was awake at least.

Mai-Ra's wound was more severe. She clutched at her bloody hip and limped along with the help of Hai-Fam. Chen-Soo went to join them.

"We killed four without loss," she said to Hai-Fam as she helped her with Mai-Ra.

Hai-Fam nodded. "Yes, but two escaped us, and Mai-Ra cannot run."

Mai-Ra gasped and said, "I can still guard the ship. I do not need to run for that."

It was the most sensible idea. Kai-Tai sent Nan-Po and Zen-Wa to scout around for any more riders that might be nearby while the rest of them returned to the ship. The first aid box was quickly looted, and Mai-Ra was then left to rest on the bed in Sinita's cabin.

Kai-Tai told them all that they would wait until Nan-Po and Zen-Wa had returned before taking up their hiding places once more. Only Chen-Soo questioned her order.

"What if the two who evaded us were the owners?" she asked. "They will now know that we wait for them. They could stay away."

Kai-Tai turned to her, but not in any anger. "They were not the owners of this ship. Their surprise on seeing it was as great as the surprise of the men when they came among us. No, these humans were about some other business. It is of no concern to us while we hold this ship."

"But what if the owners do not return?" Chen-Soo insisted.

Po-Kai glared at Chen-Soo. "Why do you challenge my mother's leadership? Are you better than her?"

Kai-Tai reached out and stroked Po-Kai's hair. "Questions are not a challenge, my daughter. Chen-Soo's doubt is fuelled by the knowledge she has gained from her own mother. I understand what she asks. The humans often fight and kill one another for the slightest reasons. It is possible that the owners of this ship are caught up in the same conflict that brought the riders to us."

"The riders were in conflict?" Po-Kai asked.

It was Hai-Fam who answered her. "The first two riders did not share the colours or style of dress of the four that followed them. They were not of the same camp."

Po-Kai turned back to her mother. "Then the owners could be dead?"

Kai-Tai nodded. "If the owners are indeed dead or captured, then those who have killed or taken them will seek out the ship in their place. To use it, they must have what we seek." Kai-Tai now turned to Chen-Soo, but when she spoke it was to all of them. "We will wait the remainder of this day and night. If none return during that time, then we will render the ship inoperable in our own way before we abandon it."

By the time Nan-Po and Zen-Wa had returned, Mai-Ra was sitting up on the bed and eager to be active. Her eagerness did not match her fitness, however, and Di-Quan shared the guard position inside the ship with her while the rest of them went back to their hiding places.

Chen-Soo walked away from the ship with Hai-Fam. "Was I wrong to question Kai-Tai?"

"No. Your questions were valid," Hai-Fam told her. "The ship is of value whether the owners return for it or not. But it's value depends on the ship above. Nothing can leave here unless the ship above permits it. It is possible that we could communicate with the Nakora Tabek from this ship, but Kai-Tai knows that she has a limited time. If the owners do not return in the time she has allowed, then she must pursue an alternative."

Chen-Soo glanced at her. "An alternative?"

"She must retrieve the power driver circuit and gain entry to the Althon Gerail."

Chen-Soo asked no more questions, and she and Hai-Fam each went off to their own hiding places. The place Chen-Soo had chosen was a group of bushes that gathered around the base of a large tree. Getting down on all fours, she climbed into the bushes and settled herself into a sitting position with her back against the tree. From here she could see the ship while remaining entirely hidden from view.

Time moved on, and Chen-Soo found herself thinking about what Hai-Fam had told her, or more specifically, about the Althon Gerail.

The ship that lay broken and buried under the Dragon's Lair castle was familiar to all the Insiders, even those who had never seen it. They or their mothers had arrived on that ship, and it's importance to them meant that every detail of it was forever etched in their minds. From mother to daughter to grand-daughter, the layout of the ship, it's electrical schematics, command codes and specifications, everything was passed on and remembered.

Chen-Soo could close her eyes and picture the bridge as her mother had last seen it. It was as if she had been there herself. She could see the control consoles quite clearly. Tactical, weapons, engineering, communications and helm. Home for Soo-Kai had been the weapons console, while Kai-Tai had been in charge of helm. It was all so familiar, as was the smoke and the fire.

The bridge of the Althon Gerail had been long abandoned before the ship ever landed on Ellerkan. A running battle over several years had reduced the ship to a flying wreck, and the last of the auxiliary command centres was used to operate the vast ship on it's final journey.

Chen-Soo knew her way to that auxiliary command centre. She knew which motherboard to remove in the communications console. She even knew which socket the missing power driver circuit fitted into. And what's more, she even knew where that power driver circuit was. What she didn't know, was where Vanessa was.

Sweyn didn't slow the pace of their horses until he was sure they were as far away as possible from the ship and the Destroyers who guarded it. By then he was also certain that the four men who had pursued them weren't pursuing them anymore. It was very obvious why. But all of this was meaningless when compared to the plight of Bus-Pass.

Bus-Pass sat slumped forward on her horse with her head down. She held onto the horse's mane with one hand, while the other hand gripped the arrow in her chest. Drips of blood had stained the horse's neck.

Sweyn jumped off his horse and ran to her. Carefully helping her down from her horse, he sat her on the ground. He sat behind her, letting her lean back against his chest and keeping one arm around her. While he steadied her in this way, he carefully prized her fingers from the arrow and examined the wound in her chest.

The arrow had gone in above her right breast but below the collar bone. She seemed to be breathing easily, but there was no doubt as to her pain.

"I think I can get it out," he told her.

Bus-Pass let her head fall back on to Sweyn's shoulder. "Oh, bog-rats....," she said with a sigh. "Why didn't they shoot you?"

"Destroyers always strike at women first," Sweyn replied as he pulled at the torn edges of her tunic.

"They don't like us, do they?" Bus-Pass smiled weakly. "It's because we're better than them, and they know it. Bitches-"

Bus-Pass was cut off from saying any more when Sweyn clamped his hand over her mouth. At the same time he yanked on the arrow. It came out with a red splatter. Bus-Pass's muffled scream was still quite audible, and her body writhed and arched. But very quickly she fell back and slumped in Sweyn's arms.

As Bus-Pass lay unconscious, Sweyn stemmed the flow of blood with a makeshift bandage he tore from his shirt. At first it didn't seem to work, and Sweyn grew more and more anxious as the blood continued to flow. He kept tearing more of his shirt, until in the end he just took it off and used it all, wrapping it tightly around her shoulder and under her armpit. Finally, the bleeding stopped.

Sweyn gradually began to relax as he held Bus-Pass in his arms and listened to her even breathing.

It would be just like fate, he thought to himself. Finding her again after all these years apart, only to lose her forever a few hours later. And the strangest thing of all, was that all he had wanted to do when he first saw her again was kill her. That thought led him to another.

"Oh, God!" he muttered. "L'Karn!"

At that moment, Gym-Slip and L'Karn were still arguing with the guards at the gate of the Dragon's Lair. They had reached the castle well ahead of the Falonbeck army, but the guards refused to give them entry. Then a man on one of the towers called out a warning. Everyone looked up at him and then in the direction in which he was pointing.

Emerging from among the trees at a gallop was a team of horses. Between them was King Thyra on his eight-wheeled wagon. It was no more than a minute away, but such was the size of the battering ram that it could be clearly seen. Almost at the same time as they saw it, they all heard the creaking of the wagon and the noise it made as it crashed through the undergrowth between the trees and rumbled towards them. But the noise was accompanied by another. It was the cries of the men of the Falonbeck army as they charged along on all sides of the wagon, their swords raised high.

Gym-Slip turned to the guards. "Now do you believe me?"

One of the guards spun round and ran through the gatehouse. "Rouse the garrison!" he yelled. "We are attacked!"

Gym-Slip seized her chance, and urging on her horse she rode through the gate. L'Karn chased after her, and the remaining guards quickly closed the large gate and barred it.

The previous peace and normality of the castle was smashed in seconds as men ran from the East Tower. They ran to the gatehouse and the walls. They scrambled up narrow stone steps and ran along the battlements to the towers. Everywhere men rushed about and the air was filled with their shouts.

Prince Harold ran down the steps of the North Tower. He was still fastening up his breast-plate, the red dragon emblazoned across it.

"Sir Andrew! Who attacks us?" he yelled to one of his men.

"'Tis a raiding party from Falonbeck, my Liege! They bring a battering ram!"

"Can it bring down the gate?"

Sir Andrew nodded grimly. "Aye, my Liege!"

Jean now came out of the North Tower. Prince Harold saw him and waved him back. "No, Jean! This fight is not for you! Stay with my Lady Gwendolyn! See that she remains safe! If the day is not ours, take her with you through the siege gate!"

Jean nodded and went back into the North Tower. Inside he closed the door and barred it. He didn't feel any safer. Glancing back, he caught sight of Princess Gwendolyn standing in the doorway to the main apartments. Her expression was filled with dread.

Among all the turmoil in the courtyard, Gym-Slip and L'Karn went unnoticed. They left their horses by the stables and Gym-Slip ran to the West Tower. L'Karn ran after her. He no longer knew what was going on anymore. The day had started simply enough, but now he seemed to be in the middle of a war. At least Gym-Slip seemed to know where she was going.

Gym-Slip had been here before. It was all so familiar, but somehow smaller than she remembered it. Had it been that long ago? Had she been that much younger?

No one barred their way at the entrance to the West Tower. Gym-Slip barged through the door and ran down the corridor. L'Karn entered the corridor just in time to see her run through another doorway. He quickly chased after her, and nearly collided with her when he ran through the doorway and found her still standing there on the other side.

"What is it?" he said. "Where are we going?"

Gym-Slip just stared into the room. It was filled with shelves stocked with jars, cheeses and bread. Everywhere were sacks of flour and vegetables. It was obviously a food store, a larder stacked to the ceiling with provisions. It wasn't what she was expecting to see.

"We aren't going anywhere," she muttered. "They've fixed the floor."

High up in the North Tower, Sinita stared out of the window of their apartment while Johnson lay stretched out on the bed still wrapped up in the blue silk sheets. Like him, she had been resting, but the noise from outside had led her to the window. Now she watched as the men ran about shouting. She wondered what was going on, then she caught sight of King Thyra.

Her eyes grew wide as she saw the battering ram rolling towards the gates, men on horses on all sides of it. While she watched, a dark cloud seemed to rise up from the gatehouse and the walls and towers on each side of it. The cloud arched upward and then down, meeting the on-rushing men. It was only when she saw the men and horses tumbling that she realised that the cloud had been arrows.

"Johnson," she said in a calm voice without turning round. "Get up and take a look at this, will you?"

Johnson looked up at her, pulling the silk sheets closer to his chin. "What's the matter now? Can't you see that I'm enjoying myself?"

"Do you remember the end of the civil war on Jesulatima?" she asked him, her eyes still fixed on the spectacle unfolding in front of her. Another dark cloud had descended on to the men and horses, sending more of them tumbling. But the battering ram had now disappeared from view as it approached the outer gate.

Johnson thought for a moment. "You mean when we were stuck among the prisoners on the losing side? And the guards started to hack off everyone's limbs and then their heads? Just for spite?"

Sinita nodded. "Ah-ha. Yeah, well, I think we're right back there again."

Johnson now got up and went over to the window next to her. He brought the sheet with him, dragging it from the bed. When he looked out, his eyes grew as wide as hers.

He had arrived just in time to see the battering ram burst through the gatehouse and into the courtyard. Fragments of the gate were still attached to it. It must have been a heavy gate, because the front set of wheels on the wagon came away, and King Thyra nose dived into the ground. Men on horses poured into the courtyard, riding around the stricken wagon, and running down any men in their path. Then they jumped from their horses and ran to the walls and towers. Arrows sailed down on them from above. More of them fell, some even before they could dismount. But the arrows now flew in both directions, and men tumbled from the walls, too. The fight was now started in earnest.

"Oh, Lord," Johnson muttered.

War has no enemies or friends. Nor has it winners or losers. All men fight for a cause, either in offense or defence, and the cause maybe just to some, and unjust to others. Each side may call upon the same gods to support them. They may even honour those gods in their victory, or curse them in their defeat. But the outcome is always the same. The only true product of war is the dead. They are the only guarantee. The profit is the loss.

The air around the castle was filled with screams and shouts and the clash of metal. Men fell from the battlements and towers. It was the war of the red dragon and the bronze eagle, and the deposits being made by both sides were equal. But it didn't stay that way for long.

When Slide-Rule had put forward the idea of a raid on Ellerkan to King Thyra, both the King and L'Crue had been confused by her refusal to take the whole of the Falonbeck army. King Thyra had doubted the success of the enterprise without such a large force, but Slide-Rule had insisted that speed was the essence to their success, and that a smaller, more well trained and well knit force was what was required. Such was Slide-Rule's reputation as a general, that her plan was accepted.

Only L'Crue had remained doubtful of their success. And the plan that Slide-Rule had explained in outline to both him and the King had given him little confidence. He would have argued against it, but the chance to attack the old foe was almost too tempting. And the opportunity to wreak vengeance on the Dragon Prince who had defeated his father on the last raid into Halafalon had eclipsed any doubts in his mind. None-the-less, L'Crue had taken Slide-Rule at her word and chosen his men well.

The five hundred who rode into Halafalon that morning were the best that the Falonbeck army could provide, and they were being asked to give their all for a cause that they all understood and believed in. The cause they fought for was the sovereign rights of Falonbeck, the rights to land stolen from them by the Kings of Ellerkan. It was a good cause, and because of this, few of them questioned the path they followed. Even now, only L'Crue himself knew Slide-Rule's real plan, and its brilliance and enormity had won him over the instant he had heard it. From that moment on, his commitment was assured.

This renewed confidence and energy he had transferred to his men that very morning, urging them to fight and die for Falonbeck, telling them that all their lives were as nothing, and that only the victory would count. It was a speech and a performance that deserved recognition and retelling in history, but the moment would only be memorable to those who heard it on the day. His men now responded to his words, giving their all as requested, and never shying away from their task.

It took two hours of blood, courage and agony on both sides before the red dragon was finally put to the sword, but the bronze eagle was also left tattered and broken in the process. There had been over a hundred men garrisoned at the Dragon's Lair, and when the battle was over, nearly four hundred men lay dead or dying. Prince Harold, the Dragon Prince of Halafalon, survived almost to the end.

Ever since his older brother had given him the title, Prince Harold had strived to live up to it. There was no one more braver in battle, no one more honourable or more respected. And so it was this day. He had fought long and hard, and his efforts proved the accuracy of his reputation and his title, and gave an added strength and spirit to the men who fought at his side. But the wounds he received eventually wore him down, and splattered in blood, sweat and dirt, he was carried back to the steps of the North Tower by Sir Andrew. It was there, on the steps, that Sir John L'Crue and three of his men finally killed him. Out numbered and with his strength failing him, the Prince's last words were to Sir Andrew as he fell under their swords.

"Flee! Save yourself! Save my Lady!"

Sir Andrew ran up the steps and pounded on the door. It was barred, and when he turned to fight he found four more men facing him who wore the bronze eagle on their chests. One eagle he was able to fell before he, too, was ran through and fell to the steps.

It was almost over.

L'Crue pointed his bloody sword at the door to the North Tower. "Break it down!" he roared.

Men rushed forward and began battering on the door with their swords and fists. It began to creak and split under the weight of their attack. Then it burst inward. The men rushed inside, and L'Crue followed them.

Inside the trophy room of the North Tower, Jean Lambrun stood before Princess Gwendolyn, a sword held in his hand. As the men of Falonbeck burst in, he raised his sword and yelled at them.

"Hold! Hold! I seek not to spare my own life, but that of the Lady! Spare her! Treat her well! This alone I ask!"

The men of the bronze eagle stopped and stared. L'Crue pushed through them all and stood before Jean. His sword was in his hand, and blood dripped from it onto the stone floor.

Jean prepared to defend himself but L'Crue made no move against him. It seemed that he was ignoring him. Indeed he was. L'Crue's eyes had turned to the many suits of armour that stood in the room, at the flags and standards, and at the swords and shields that lined the walls. And among them all, right behind Jean, was the horse armour with it's liveried cloak.

Although he had never seen the items before, L'Crue recognised them both immediately. He knew every detail on the armour, every stitch of the cloak.

The room became silent, and Jean noticed the direction of L'Crue's stare and glanced behind him. It was a brief glance, but when he saw the bronze eagle on the liveried cloak, his heart fell.

The face of Sir John L'Crue twisted in anger and he suddenly and swiftly raised his sword and struck down at Jean. The blow caught Jean at the joint of neck and shoulder, and he was dead before he reached the floor. His blood splashed Princess Gwendolyn, causing her to flinch. It was her only movement.

L'Crue stepped over Jean's crumpled body and stood before Princess Gwendolyn. He stared into her eyes, but instead of fear, he saw only distaste as the Princess raised her head and stared back at him.

L'Crue spun round to face his men. And when he spoke, his voice was filled with an anger that matched his expression.

"L'Gare! Fetch me a man with a dragon on his chest who still lives! I care not whether he has all his limbs so long as he has his tongue and his eyes! Bring him to the steps and wait for my call!"

L'Gare struck his chest and ran from the room. The rest of the men stood idly by. L'Crue glared at them.

"Get out!" he shouted. "Get out, all of you! This moment is mine alone! Leave us!"

His men obeyed, filing out the door one by one. They seemed tired, drained.

L'Crue turned back to face Princess Gwendolyn.

"Your cursed husband is dead!" he snarled at her.

Princess Gwendolyn replied with spirit, "If he was cursed, then it was by cowards and not by his enemies, for he had killed all of them."

L'Crue's face broke from it's anger and he suddenly laughed, and when he spoke it was calmly and with humour. "You are indeed a fitting wife for the Dragon Prince!" He returned his sword to the scabbard at his belt and bowed gracefully before her. "I salute you!"

Princess Gwendolyn remained silent and aloof. She just stared at him in continued distaste.

L'Crue seemed unconcerned and unusually talkative. "I beg your pardon for my insults and behaviour. I do not normally wage war on women or innocents, but this is not an ordinary day, and my emotions are still high."

The Princess's gaze remained haughty. "I will not grant you forgiveness anymore than you granted the men of this castle quarter."

L'Crue bowed once more. "As you wish. But I won't allow this opportunity to pass without explaining the reasons for my deeds."

Princess Gwendolyn showed the first signs of emotion. "What reason can there be for treachery and murder? This was not war, it was the raid of a brigand!"

L'Crue nodded. "I can't deny it, everything you say is true, so it is important that you understand why."

L'Crue moved closer to the horse armour and took the hem of the liveried cloak in his hands. He pulled on it, raising it up so that the bronze eagle was more clearly seen.

"This armour and cloak once adorned the horse of my father, Sir Edward. He led the Falonbeck army to war with Ellerkan twenty-two years ago. Your husband and his elder brother led the forces of King Edmund against him. In the battles that took place on the fields of Halafalon, the Falonbeck army was split in two. Part of the army began the retreat back to Falonbeck, but my father turned to the coast, determined to continue the fight. While it was Prince Carl who pursued the force that retreated to the pass, it was your husband that defeated my father. The Dragon Prince killed him and placed his head on a pike. Was this a just reward for an honourable man?"

"If I remember rightly, he was trying to burn Sintal," Princess Gwendolyn replied with disdain.

L'Crue lost his good humour. "It was war!" he snarled.

Princess Gwendolyn smiled, and she spoke with a voice that was calm and clear.

"Yes, war. In war men may commit evil deeds and hide them behind an honourable cause. But you cannot even claim the protection of war. Did my husband pursue your father in his castle? Did he fall on him unprepared and butcher all he found? No. Your father had invaded our lands, sacked our villages and killed our people. He was the aggressor, and his fate was his own doing."

L'Crue's anger increased. "Our claim to the lands of Halafalon are rightful! My father sought to return them to the people of Falonbeck!"

"And what is your reason? Can you claim a similar cause? Are you so noble? Or is your real purpose here simply revenge?"

There was a brief silence. L'Crue turned and pulled the liveried cloak from the horse armour and stepped closer to Princess Gwendolyn. For a moment he had to pause as the cloak caught on one of the suits of armour. He carefully unhitched it and pulled it to him. Now he stood before the Princess with the cloak in his hands.

"I will not lie to you," he said softly, and draped the cloak around her, throwing it over her shoulders and pulling it tight. She made no move to stop him. "I have never married," L'Crue continued. "If I had, I could wish for no better wife than you. Your strength of spirit and courage at this time overwhelms me. I have never envied the Dragon Prince, only hated him. Now I find both emotions to haunt me. But your words were as truthful as ever. There is a cause I follow, one that will bring retribution to the Kings of Ellerkan for the theft of our lands. But you are right, my purpose here is revenge. A revenge that I must complete to the end."

Realising that her time had come, Princess Gwendolyn held her head high and spoke with pride. "This day is not the end. My son rides with his uncle, the King. He is the Dragon Prince now, and it will be his vengeance that triumphs."

"You will not see that day."

They stared at one another for a moment, then L'Crue reached out and gripped the back of her neck and pulled her forward. It was almost an embrace. But then he pulled a dagger from his belt and plunged it into her abdomen. She opened her mouth and gasped, her head resting on his shoulder. L'Crue withdrew the knife and stabbed her again. And then again.

Unable to struggle because of the cloak that was wrapped about her, Princess Gwendolyn gasped and moaned with each blow and went slowly to her death. L'Crue stabbed her several more times until her legs wobbled and gave way. By then a large patch of blood had stained the rich cloak, partly obscuring the bronze eagle. More of it pooled at her feet. As the Princess sagged in his arms, L'Crue lowered her down and lay her gently on her back.

Princess Gwendolyn coughed and spat blood. It ran from both corners of her mouth. L'Crue knelt beside her. He held her head almost gingerly. And raising her up, he bent over her, drawing his face closer to hers until their lips met, and he kissed her. And as he kissed her, he sank the bloody dagger into her body once more. Princess Gwendolyn stiffened and then relaxed.

The kiss was over, and L'Crue lowered Princess Gwendolyn to the floor. Her head turned and blood spilled from her mouth. Her eyes were half open, lazy, as if she were falling asleep.

L'Crue gently stroked her hair. "Sleep well, my Lady, and I will wait eagerly for your son."

Cleaning his dagger and his bloody hand on the liveried cloak, L'Crue got to his feet and walked to the door. Once there he bellowed to his men.

"L'Gare! Bring in that wretch I ordered!"

L'Gare entered the trophy room with another man. Between them they dragged a third man. Blood stained his clothes, matching the red of the dragon on his chest. They threw him to the floor and L'Gare stepped forward.

"He was the only one, my Liege. The others were all dead or too weak."

"Have you despatched them?" L'Crue replied callously.

L'Gare nodded. "Aye."

"Good!" L'Crue now grabbed the man by the scruff of the neck and dragged him towards the body of Princess Gwendolyn. "Look well!" he snarled. "Tell me what you see!"

The man stared at the body. "I see murder..." he whispered weakly.

"Aye! Murder!" L'Crue turned the man's face towards his own, and stared into his eyes. "Remember this day well! Remember what you see! The Princess died at my hands! I, Sir John L'Crue, tell you this! Carry this message to her son and his uncle! Tell them to ride hard and fast, for I will not wait for them for long! Now go!"

L'Crue threw the man aside. "Fetch this wretch a horse and throw him upon it! See that he rides clear and unhindered!"

L'Gare and his companion dragged the man to his feet and rushed him out of the room. As soon as they had disappeared, another figure entered through the battered door. Like those who had left, the figure was engrimed with the dirt and blood of battle.

"Was that truly necessary?" Slide-Rule asked L'Crue.

L'Crue waved aside her protest. "Don't interfere! This is of no concern to you!"

"And since when is sending messages to the enemy of no concern?" Slide-Rule replied, her voice acid. "Why don't you tell them our whole plan? Maybe you could set a date and a time for the final battle?"

L'Crue's anger didn't require much provocation to return. "Don't mock me!" he snarled at her.

Slide-Rule's voice also became angry. "Then don't put our plan at risk for your own personal gain!"

In a moment, both their voices became raised.

"It is not at risk!" L'Crue insisted.

"It is if the Royal Army reaches us before we cross the pass!" Slide-Rule pointed out.

L'Crue turned his back on her and leaned against the wall. "You don't understand," he whispered.

Slide-Rule sighed. "Oh, Hell, Sir John! If all we wanted to do was kill a few people and lay a few ghosts, we could go home right now! Surely you have enough to write songs about, haven't you?"

L'Crue spoke grimly. "There will be no songs until they are all dead."

Slide-Rule stared at him in dismay. She didn't speak because she knew it would be fruitless to argue with him any further. Turning her attention elsewhere, she looked down at the two bodies sadly, then recognition overcame her and her sadness increased. Moving quickly to the side of Jean's body, she knelt down beside him and touched his face. It was already growing cold.

She shook her head, her sadness turning to despair. "Oh, Jean, what were you doing here?" she said, then she took a deep breath and sighed once more. Why did fate always conspire to cause her more pain? Why did things never go smoothly?

L'Crue turned and looked down at her. "You knew this man?" he said in surprise.

Slide-Rule nodded. "Yes, I knew him well. But I haven't seen him for a long time. It would have been a joyous occasion."

L'Crue's expression and manner took on a superior air. "You have always had a foot in both camps. I have always found it a reason to distrust you. Now you suffer the pain of that dual allegiance. I pity you."

Slide-Rule got to her feet. "My allegiance is to myself, but it is also myself that I blame for this. I knew well your hatred of the Dragon Prince, and I knew well it would get you here despite the poorness of the plan I told King Thyra. Now I am paying the price for my deceit. So be it. If it is vengeance you seek, then I will not stand in your way so long as it does not interfere with our task. Our plan comes first, agreed, Sir John? Or is your allegiance to Falonbeck more in doubt than mine?"

"My allegiance is clear."

"Then we are agreed?"

L'Crue nodded, but his voice was filled with menace when he spoke. "Aye, 'tis agreed. But you have yet to show me the treasure of the Destroyers that we came here to retrieve. If it fails to impress me, then vengeance will again be the task I pursue."

Slide-Rule answered confidently. "Then I will prove it's worth to you on the towers of this castle."

"When can I see this demonstration?"

Slide-Rule took off her glasses and began to clean them on a handkerchief she pulled from inside her tunic. "By the morning."

L'Crue didn't look pleased. "No sooner?"

Slide-Rule shrugged. "It depends on how quickly we prepare." She began to walk towards the door as she continued. "Sir Richard is clearing the way as we speak."

L'Crue nodded. He followed her to the door. "I'll have L'Gare retrieve a set of wheels from King Thyra."

"Get him to bring the wagon to the West Tower, too. I need the chemicals and metals for my work." Slide-Rule replaced her glasses and paused by the door to stare disapprovingly at L'Crue. "Maybe now you're wishing that the horse you gave that man was lame?"

L'Crue was unrepentant. "We will reach the pass before the Royal Army, that you can be assured. It seems that my vengeance will have to wait until after Erring Bridge."

They disappeared through the doorway and their voices faded as they walked down the steps and crossed the courtyard. The trophy room was now left in silence. A minute passed, and then one of the suits of armour reached up and removed it's helmet.

Johnson Fold turned to look down at the body of Princess Gwendolyn, and in a moment he had gone to kneel by her side. Behind him, a second suit of armour removed it's helmet, and Sinita went quickly to the door and looked out.

"Shit!" she exclaimed. "I thought they'd never leave!"

Johnson wasn't listening to her. He was too busy using the cloak to wipe the blood from Princess Gwendolyn's face.

"She was such a charming woman," he was muttering. "Charming, beautiful, and so brave. Never once did I see a hint of fear in her eyes. Even when the other man urged her to escape with him, she was adamant that she would stay with her husband to the last. And how she stood up to the rogue who took her life so cruelly." He shook his head sadly. "I wish I could have known her longer. To speak to her for so brief a time in my life is a crime. And I stood by like a coward and watched her murdered. I am ashamed."

Sinita came back over to him and began taking off her armour, putting it all on the floor by her feet.

"And what did you think you could do?" she said in irritation. "Talk him to fucking death? Get real, Jonno!" She pointed at Jean's body. "That guy had a sword, and look what good it did him!"

"At least he died with honour!" Johnson said with bitterness.

"But he's still fucking dead!"

"Sometimes it is better to be dead than to feel such shame."

Sinita put down the last of the discarded armour, then she straightened up and put her hands on her hips. "What's the matter with you? It's not the first time we've had to hide while the indigenous population murdered one another."

Johnson looked back at her with tears in his eyes, and when he spoke it was with pain and emotion. "But those times we didn't stand in the same room while the murders took place! And I hadn't shaken the hand of the victim! This was different, Sinita! You have to realise that. I knew I should help her, I knew I should have tried to do something. But I couldn't. Like a fool I just stood there and watched."

Johnson turned away and stared again at the Princess's body, then he slumped on his knees.

Sinita finally understood. She put her hand on his shoulder.

"There's nothing wrong with being scared, Jonno," she told him in a calmer voice. "I nearly peed in my knickers when that cloak got caught on my armour! God, we aren't soldiers! Yes, we get by in some tough spots, but not by any ingenuity. We're just lucky, that's all. You could have tried to stand up to that killer and ended up killing us all. His men were outside, remember?"

Johnson nodded at last. "Yes," he said with a sigh. "You talk realistically, but I am still ashamed." He held up the edge of the liveried cloak. "It's strange, but I find the appeal of this cloak diminishing in my mind. I could still fetch a good price for it on Tassanak 6, the tear and the stain and the tale that goes with it would probably only increase it's value. But somehow it seems unimportant now."

Sinita watched as Johnson carefully covered Princess Gwendolyn in the cloak. He folded it over her and tucked it in, so that the red stain was covered and only a white silk shape was left on the floor.

It was while she was watching him that two more figures entered the trophy room behind her. By the time she turned and saw them, it was too late.

On their way to the river, Bey-Jai made sure they took a wide detour around the ship.

"It would not be wise to cross the path of the Destroyers again," she told Helene.

Helene would have liked to see the ship. She had never seen a spaceship, or any of the sights her mother and father had seen. But she knew the wisdom of Bey-Jai's words. Her life wouldn't be worth the price of such a sight.

They walked through the trees in silence for awhile. Even though they avoided the ship, they both knew the strength of the hearing and eye-sight of Destroyers. Their silence gave Helene a time to ponder.

The first thought that struck her was the surprises life could spring on you. She had always known about Jai-Soo and Emile, how could she not? Their death had been her mother's driving force in life. But that one of their daughters had survived she could never have dreamed possible. It would have meant everything to Paula. Why couldn't her mother have met Bey-Jai sooner? At least Jean would be pleased.

Life was never fair.

The second thought that occurred to her was how convoluted a path Johnson Fold and Sinita had taken from their ship to the castle. It had become clear to Helene as she and Bey-Jai walked along that they must have spent half the morning wondering around the forrest in aimless directions. They had gone all the way around their ship at least once, crossed their own paths several times, and never been more than an hour away from their ship most of the time. How they managed to survive as explorers she found it hard to understand. That brought her to her final thoughts.

How had she and Bey-Jai existed alongside one another all these years without once crossing paths?

"Where have you been living?" Helene asked Bey-Jai. "You never returned to your mother's den. You do call them dens, don't you?"

Bey-Jai nodded. "Each of us has a den and our own territory. It is a style of life we are unused to, but we have learned to adapt and accept it. Normally we would gather together as an army and wage war on those who are not correct. But our numbers dwindle, and our time here has grown too long. A prolonged time of peace is not to our liking or understanding. We drifted apart."

"Your mother's den was closer to the border with Falonbeck. Emile made it into a house."

Again, Bey-Jai nodded. "I never saw the house, although every detail of it and every article inside it are familiar to me." She stared into the distance as if visualizing it in her mind. Then she seemed to snap out of it and said abruptly. "I never visited it."

"So?" Helene pressed her. "Where have you been living?"

"I have lived all my life in the house of Rolf and Soo-Kai."

Helene took a deep breath and exclaimed in frustration, "Well, that's just typical! That was the one place my mother didn't want to visit!"

Bey-Jai glanced across at Helene. "Soo-Kai would sometimes talk of the young females that came from off world. It was usually after a visit by one or other of them."

Helene was surprised. "You've met some of them?"

"Yes. Aim-E came once from Ellerkan, and Jane and Jem-Ma came another time. Kar-An and Row-E-Na visited more than once. They had all grown since my mother had seen them. My memories of them were when they were all immature." She paused for a moment before asking, "Why did your mother never visit?"

Helene looked upset and more than a little embarrassed. "She was bitter. You have to remember that she thought you were all dead, and the idea of seeing Soo-Kai and Rolf with all their daughters around them would have been too much to bear. I know it's silly, but my mother couldn't face it."

Bey-Jai didn't reply at first, and for awhile they walked on in silence. Finally, Bey-Jai did reply.

"I am not used to the company of humans," she said. "Only Rolf is present in the cottage by the river. I tell you now that this was not Rolf and Soo-Kai's original dwelling. It shares the same stream, but it is further away from the villages on the edge of the forrest. This cottage is now Soo-Kai's den, and the territory around it that we mark as our own is limited. Rolf does not like us to travel far, and I am the first to leave on my own. Only Soo-Kai has travelled further."

There was something about the way that Bey-Jai was talking that made Helene listen intently. She was obviously going to tell her something important, and like all Destroyers, she was going to drag out the explanation rather than getting to the point. Helene was well used to the trait, even though she spoke very little with Destroyers herself. She knew of it because her mother had often expressed her annoyance at this very same characteristic when talking of Jai-Soo. Helene waited patiently for Bey-Jai to get to the point. She didn't have long to wait.

"Your mother must have been very similar to Rolf," Bey-Jai continued. "Like her, he could not face truths that caused him pain. Humans seem to be weak in this way. The death of a friend in a battle seems to harm them more than a wound sustained in that same battle. I often wonder why we do not feel the same, why we do not suffer the loss of siblings as you do. My own mother and father and siblings were all killed on the same night. Only I survived, and yet I can feel no pain for them. I learned from you that Paula grieved for them more greatly than I. I cannot feel the pain she felt, but I understand and I try. Rolf is a good teacher.

"Your mother and I share a common loss. It is a loss that Rolf and Soo-Kai also share. The daughters you spoke of are all dead, killed in that house by the stream that was their first den. It is the reason why they moved to the cottage. I say that they are all dead, but this is not really true. It is a truth that Rolf insists upon. One daughter survives, but she is not welcome in their new den. She has never once entered, and when she came too close, Rolf struck at her and chased her away.

"It is strange, but I have knowingly met Chen-Soo only once. She causes me confusion. Rolf blames her for the death of their other daughters, she was caught with the knife in her hand. And yet I am sure she engineered my escape today."

It was now Helene's turn to be silent. The news that tragedy had overtaken Soo-Kai and Rolf almost as completely as it had Jai-Soo and Emile had shocked her. It suddenly made her realise how stupid they had all been. All these years had past with everybody suffering in isolation, and it had all been for nothing. All they had needed to do was get together and things could have turned out quite differently. And one person could have made that difference.

Helene came to an abrupt halt. "The name of Chen-Soo is familiar to me," she said in her aloof style. "My mother spoke of her often. She said that Chen-Soo used to visit Jai-Soo and Emile almost as often as she and Jean did, but that they never met. She seemed to avoid them. My mother chased her once, but she fled."

Bey-Jai stopped walking and turned to face Helene. "My mother's memories of her are as confused as my own," she replied. "She would visit and ask questions that only a human could answer, but she would speak very little about Soo-Kai and Rolf."

Helene now spoke with a hint of anger in her voice. "It was because of her that my mother refused to go and visit them. How was she to know that Chen-Soo was the only one left? Why didn't she tell Jai-Soo what had happened? Why did she avoid my mother?"

"The answers you seek are not mine to give, but remember that Chen-Soo is a Destroyer. She is not bonded, and not defective, or at least not as defective as I. This may also be the reason why she avoided and then fled from your mother."

Helene realised the sense in Bey-Jai's words. Jai-Soo and Emile were bonded, so Chen-Soo could visit them without any risk of conflict. That wouldn't have been the case for Jean and Paula. It meant that Chen-Soo was doing the right thing by avoiding them. Her brief anger quickly ebbed.

"Does she know what happened?"

Bey-Jai nodded. "Yes. She was there the night that they were all killed. She fought at their side against the Outsiders, and is the reason why I survived. It was she that sat in attendance when Jai-Soo gave birth, and it was she that brought me to Soo-Kai and Rolf."

The news stunned Helene. She just stared at Bey-Jai, and all she could say was, "And you never saw her again until today?"

"Rolf would not allow us to meet," came the simple reply.

Helene resumed walking, her head down. She had been there that day. She had fought with the Outsiders and been the last to see Jai-Soo alive. How Paula would have wished to swop places with her.

"I need to talk to her," she said in a whisper.

Bey-Jai took her place alongside her again. "It would not be wise, her purpose is unclear. Remember, I am defective, she is not."

">Helene looked up at her. "But, if that's true, why did she save you all those years ago? And why didn't she kill you today?"

"I told you that she confuses me."

"I still want to meet her."

"Why?"

Helene gave the obvious answer. "She knew your mother and father, she was there that night. Don't you want to meet her?"

Bey-Jai was suddenly stumped for an answer. She had always known about Chen-Soo, and yet she had never considered the possibility of meeting her and discussing with her what had happened that night. Today's events only gave her another reason for wanting to do exactly what Helene was suggesting.

Bey-Jai finally nodded. "I have never considered it, but yes, I would. If it is possible, and the situation arises, then we will talk with her."

The conversation during the rest of their journey through the forrest drifted from topic to topic. Helene talked about Jean, and how they had met Prince Harold. She explained how Jean had become an envoy for the Prince, and how he had dealt with many domestic problems with the villages in the forrest. Bey-Jai talked about Rolf and Soo-Kai, and about the other Destroyers that lived with them.

While Helene talked, Bey-Jai had been content to listen. Helene, however, asked questions at every opportunity.

"Where did all these other Destroyers come from?" she asked.

"Chen-Soo brought them in the night as she had brought me," Bey-Jai replied.

Helene stared at her in surprise. "Chen-Soo brought them all?" she exclaimed.

As usual, Bey-Jai nodded. "Yes, mainly one by one. But Lai-Chen and Mai-Chen she brought together."

Helene now looked thoroughly perplexed. "She's definitely a strange one. The more you tell me about her, the more I want to meet her."

Bey-Jai raised her head and sniffed the air. "I smell blood."

It was an abrupt change of conversation, and it stirred the appropriate response from Helene.

"Where?" she whispered, and drew her sword.

In reply, Bey-Jai walked away to the left. "They are human, not far away. I recognise the scent one of them. She is Jane, one of the off-worlder females we spoke of. But she is not alone."

Helene hurried to catch up with her. "This can't be happening," she muttered. "I've spent half my life in this forrest and I've never met anyone my mother knew before. Now I seem to be at a reunion."

They walked on together, Helene with her sword drawn, while Bey-Jai was content to continue unarmed. At first, Helene couldn't see anything, but then she made out the shapes of two horses standing among the trees. A moment later and the two people on the ground were clearly visible.

As soon as Sweyn saw them, he sprang to his feet and drew his sword. "Destroyers in the forrest!" he called out, and rushed forward to meet them.

Behind him on the ground, Bus-Pass coughed and muttered, "I already know."

Sweyn raised his sword ready for the inevitable fight. But then Helene lowered her sword and spoke in her usual Destroyer-like aloof manner.

"What is the Sheriff of Jasanta doing alone in the middle of the forrest?"

Sweyn stopped and stared at Helene in confusion. "Aren't you a Destroyer?"

Helene put away her sword. "No, but she is."

Without waiting to explain any further, Helene walked passed Sweyn, ignoring his raised sword. She went straight to Bus-Pass and knelt down beside her. Sweyn watched her walk by in surprise, then he turned back to Bey-Jai. She had made no move to draw her sword or attack him, and she stared at him in a most curious way. It unnerved Sweyn.

"Why do you stare at me that way? Haven't you seen a man before?"

Bey-Jai shook her head. "None apart from Rolf Le-Pine."

Recognition hit Sweyn. "I know that name! He's the tailor that lives alone in the forrest and-" He suddenly sighed and lowered his sword. "Are you his wife?"

Bey-Jai shook her head again. "I am neither his wife, nor his child, but I have lived with him and Soo-Kai since my birth. I will not harm you if you do not threaten me."

Sweyn put away his sword. "That suits me fine. I've had enough trouble today as it is." He turned and went back to Bus-Pass.

Bey-Jai followed him. And when they both got to Bus-Pass, they found Helene already checking the makeshift bandage around her shoulder.

"The wound is not too serious, but it requires stitching," Helene remarked when they both knelt down beside her.

Sweyn was blunt in his questioning. "How did you recognise me?"

Helene looked up at him. "I saw you when I was with my father on one of his visits."

"And you are?"

"Helene Lambrun."

Sweyn nodded. "Ah! Now I know you. Your father works for the Prince. Well, he'll have his work cut out for him this day."

Helene looked concerned. "What do you mean?"

"Before we were ambushed by Destroyers, we were fleeing from a Falonbeck raiding party. There must have been hundreds of them, and they had a battering ram with them."

Sinita turned and found herself face to face with a small blonde woman. She was just considering where to kick her when the woman grinned mischievously and put a finger to her lips in an obvious gesture.

"Don't let us bother you, princess. I'm sure that there's more than enough for all of us in here!" She stepped closer and added eagerly, "What've you found?"

Behind the woman, crouching by the broken door, was a young man.

"Thank the Gods," L'Karn gasped. "No one's seen us." He turned and looked at Sinita. "Don't listen to her, no matter what she tells you! She's completely mad!"

Gym-Slip laughed. "Hark at him! You'd think it was me who spent all day in handcuffs chasing after a horse!"

L'Karn stood up and turned to her. "I was not in handcuffs all day!"

"You were wearing them longer than I was!" Gym-Slip replied tartly.

"Only because you hid the key!"

"You were trying to rape me!"

L'Karn looked astonished. "You liar!"

"Rapist!"

"Thief!"

By now, Johnson had got to his feet and joined Sinita in staring in bewilderment at the two new arrivals. But the noise they were making quickly began to worry him.

"Quiet!" he hissed at them. "You'll have the whole army down on our heads! Who the blazes are you two, anyway?"

Gym-Slip said, "Sorry!" grinned, then put a finger to her cleavage and added, "I'm Gym-Slip, and this is Josef. And who might you be, sweetie?"

She moved closer to Johnson as she spoke. As he was quite tall while she was short, she ended up face to chest with him, and seized her chance to rest her upturned head on his chest and gaze up at him with her best come-hither smile.

Johnson stared down at her in amazement while Sinita put her hands on her hips and spoke with obvious irritation.

"She's another off-worlder- I mean alien- I mean- Oh, God! I don't know what I mean anymore! So much for this being a nice peaceful backward planet! It's busier than Kennedy Spaceport on fucking bank-holidays!"

Johnson continued to stare down at Gym-Slip's smiling face in utter surprise. But it wasn't her smile that was worrying him, it was where she was putting her hands. "Well, how was I to know?" he said, not thinking clearly about what he was saying. "They said no one came here."

Sinita stared at Johnson in sudden suspicion. "Who said?"

Johnson suddenly realised that he had said something he shouldn't and he quickly pushed Gym-Slip away and tried to back-track. "Oh, nobody. Somebody, ah, a guy at Kennedy."

Sinita folded her arms and began tapping her foot. "Jonno!"

Johnson gave in. "Alright! So I heard this story about that big ore freighter from a guy at Kennedy. He said it travelled passed a lot of uncharted worlds, that it might have been built by some lost civilization. Well, you know me. I thought if we just tagged along behind it-"

Sinita stamped her foot. "Oh, Jonno! You've done it to me again, haven't you!" She smacked him on the shoulder. "It's going to be Usak all over again! That was a guy at St Pauls!" She smacked him again. "Oh, Jonno!" And again.

Gym-Slip and L'Karn watched Johnson as he cowered under the blows being delivered by Sinita.

"She's got a wicked temper, hasn't she?" Gym-Slip said.

"Yes, a temper," L'Karn replied in a soft voice. "But such beauty."

Gym-Slip looked across at him and saw how intently he was staring at Sinita. She grinned brightly. "Fancy her do you?"

L'Karn turned to her in annoyance. "You delight in embarrassing me, don't you?"

Gym-Slip put a hand to her chest in mock indignation. "Me?"

L'Karn wagged his finger at her. "If you say one word, just one word, I'll forget I'm a constable and kill you!"

Sinita stopped smacking Johnson and the two of them both looked at L'Karn. It was like a frozen tableau. Sinita still had her fist raised.

"Did you say you were a constable?" she said in a meek voice.

L'Karn nodded and spoke with his most official voice. "Yes. Constable L'Karn. I work for the Sheriff of Jasanta."

Johnson coughed and stood up straight while Sinita hid behind him. Johnson's speech was well rehearsed and often spoken.

"My name is Johnson Fold, this is my assistant, Sinita Khan. We are law-abiding visitors to your world -ah, just passing through, you might say- and the unfortunate victims of unforseen events that we have no control over. We were unaware of the state of political unrest -no, upheaval- here on your world, and we are anxious to depart before we suffer an injury. As a representative of your government, I am sure you would be happy to aid us in our speedy departure. You find us here amid a bloodbath that we were witness to, but no part of. We were guests of the Prince, mere traders and explorers-"

Gym-Slip grew tired of the speech before it was finished.

"They're tomb raiders, Josef!" she exclaimed with a malicious grin. "All she needs is a pair of shorts and little brown sun-glasses and she'd be it!"

"Shut up!" L'Karn snapped at her.

Johnson looked shocked at her accusation. "Tomb raiders? Us?" He put his hands on his chest in supplication. "We are mere innocents, I assure you! A tomb would leave us with little interest! Potatoes, maze, corn, however, these are the goods of our honest trade."

"Book 'em, Danno!"

L'Karn looked at Gym-Slip in annoyance. "Will you shut up!"

"You're not going to be taken in by any of that guff, are you?" she argued.

"Whether I am or not is of no concern to you!" L'Karn pointed out. "You're my prisoner, remember? Anyway, I'm not in much of a position to lay down the law with a Falonbeck raiding party outside!"

"You could arrest them!" Gym-Slip insisted.

"What for?"

"You arrested me!"

"I had good cause!" L'Karn counted off the reasons on his fingers. "A stolen pearl, a riot, a village full of witnesses, evading capture, biting an officer of the law, drunkenness, soiling the Sheriff's clothes! And what horrendous crimes have they committed? Eh?"

Gym-Slip put on a pout and decided to sit down and sulk. "No one ever listens to me," she muttered as she sat down next to one of the bodies on the floor. "Just because I'm short." She looked across and noticed who she was sitting next to. "Oh, look, it's Jean Lambrun."

L'Karn looked down. "It's the Prince's envoy. You knew him?"

"Yes. You could say he was an old school friend. Oh, well, never mind."

Johnson was horrified by her callousness. "Is that it? Grieving over?"

"I haven't seen him in ten years! What do you want me to do? Build a bomb-fire and throw myself on it?"

L'Karn muttered, "Please."

Gym-Slip turned to him. "I heard that! Now you've gone too far! Wishing me dead like that after we've been together so long!" The tears began to flow, and in a second she was bawling her eyes out.

Sinita looked at her in embarrassment, while Johnson took a step closer as if he was going to comfort her. But L'Karn ruined the spell.

"Oh, stop that nonsense!" he said harshly and went over to the broken door and stared out. "You aren't fooling anybody with those false tears!"

To Sinita and Johnson's amazement, Gym-Slip stopped crying and shrugged her shoulders. "Oh, well. It was worth a try." She gave Johnson the eye. "I thought handsome here might be interested, though!"

Johnson shook his head in wry amusement. "You are evil," he said to her.

Gym-Slip grinned up at him. "You should see me drunk!"

Johnson pointed his finger at her. "Behave!" he said sternly.

She grinned but nodded and patted the floor next to her. Johnson gave Sinita a push in L'Karn's direction and went over to join Gym-Slip. Sinita seemed reluctant to go, but Johnson waved her on with his hand behind his back. Sinita sighed in irritation and went to join L'Karn by the door.

Johnson made himself comfortable on the floor next to Gym-Slip. "How did you get here?" he asked her.

"We saw the army in the forrest and came to warn them. You could say we were a bit late."

Johnson decided to come clean. "You were right about us." He gazed around at the contents of the trophy room. "We were hoping to trade with the Prince for some of these artifacts."

"Steal them, you mean!"

"On the contrary. I may be devious, but I am no cheat. I would have left the Prince a happy man."

"Yeah, so long as he didn't find out!"

Johnson smiled at her. "I'm glad you're here. Events were beginning to drag me down. I was in danger of becoming overly morose. Someone like you will do me good."

Gym-Slip grinned her mischievous grin. "That's just what I was thinking!"

Over by the door, Sinita was staring out at the courtyard. The ground was still littered with bodies. Nobody seemed to care about them. Most of the activity seemed to be centred around two of the towers. Men and horses had gathered in great number around one, while a covered wagon and bits of the broken wagon that had carried the battering ram were near the other. Men seemed to be fixing it. It was beginning to get dark, and light could be seen within the towers.

"What's in that tower?" she asked L'Karn, pointing to one of them.

L'Karn's eyes had been fixed on Sinita from the moment she came to stand next to him by the door, and he didn't break his stare for one second as he replied.

"That's the East Tower. It holds the servants quarters."

Sinita's expression grew stern. "They went to find the women. Poor cows." She turned her gaze to the other tower. "And that one?"

"The West Tower. It holds only food and provisions, but Gym-Slip spent time searching for some hidden chamber she said lay beneath the floor."

"Did you find it?"

"No."

Sinita stared at the shadows in the open doorway. "They must have found it. It must have been what they were talking about."

L'Karn continued staring at her face, and couldn't help himself any longer. "You are stunning."

Sinita turned to face him. "What?"

"You are absolutely stunning."

Sinita's eyes grew wide. "Are you making a pass at me?"

L'Karn looked momentarily embarrassed. "I apologise. I'm not usually like this. But so much has happened to me this day, that I no longer seem to know myself anymore. But one thing I do know, I have never seen a woman with such beauty as you. The colour of your skin, those eyes, the jet black of your hair, the elegance of your limbs-"

Sinita held up her hand. "Alright! That's it! Stop right there! This is not the time, nor the place!"

L'Karn sighed and nodded sadly. "Aye, 'tis true. I find the woman of my dreams at the time of my imminent death. Life has thrown me a cruel fate."

Sinita leaned against the wall and folded her arms. "Oh, God, you're worse than Jonno!"

L'Karn was offended. "You think I try to deceive you? That I am playing with words in order to seduce you?"

"If you try to seduce me, I'll knee you in the balls!"

L'Karn was unconcerned by her threat, he just seemed to grow more sad. "You speak like an off-worlder. It matters little. By morning we will all be dead."

"Speak for yourself! Jonno and I are getting out of here."

L'Karn laughed, but it was without humour. "You speak of dreams. Gym-Slip and I were lucky to escape detection. We crossed the courtyard when all was in turmoil, and we only just got out of the West Tower before the army descended upon it. To reach here we had to keep close to the walls and crawl most of the way. Gym-Slip maybe a thief and a brigand, but she is well versed in her art. If you or I tried to emulate her without her support, we would be killed in seconds."

"That settles it then, you'll have to come with us."

L'Karn stared at her. And for the first time he wasn't thinking about her eyes, but about what was going on behind them. "You really think you can escape from here?"

Sinita smiled. "That envoy guy, Jean Lambrun, he was trying to persuade the Princess to leave by some secret gate or other. She didn't want to go. But there's no reason why we couldn't leave that way."

Her words were meant to excite L'Karn with the prospect of their escape, but instead it caused a shocked expression to cross his face.

L'Karn looked back at the white shape that lay near the far wall. "The Princess Gwendolyn," he whispered, and visibly sagged.

His obvious and genuine grief endeared him to Sinita. Like Johnson, he must have known her. She had to ask. "When did you meet her?"

L'Karn sighed. "She presided over the ceremony when I became a Constable. She spoke to me when I received my badge. I saw her many times after that, but never spoke to her again. She would visit the villages on the days that marked the coming of Spring, or the harvest. Everyone knew her. She was well liked." L'Karn leaned back against the wall and lowered his head. "This day is evil," he whispered. "All the horrors of my life have congregated and appeared to haunt me at once."

Sinita stood in front of him with her hands on her hips. "Do you want to live or die?" she demanded.

L'Karn looked up at her. "The siege gate will be locked."

"Then he must have the key. Are you going to help me find it?"

There was a brief pause then L'Karn nodded. "To gain revenge, one must first live."

Thoughts of Anne Jenkins and the reunion had filled Amy's mind all day. And with Anne came visions of each one of her team mates from the school hockey team. She had taken time to remember all their names. Some had come to mind as quickly as their faces, like Becky and Jane. Becky was always the smart arse, while Jane was strong and purposeful. Then there was Jemma, who always made everyone laugh, and Rowena who was shy, Karen who was quiet. And, of course, the twins! How could she forget Vanessa and Berni?

Poor Berni.

Thinking of those who had died made her sad again. Christine, Jo, Linda, Sam and Debbie. What a shame.

Then there was Sophia. Of course she had known Sophia for many years. She was now Annabelle's mother-in-law. William was a fine young man, but he had inherited the family trait of the L'Barr's. Like all his family he had a hefty appetite. It wasn't surprising really, Sophia shared that trait, and just like Becky had said all those years ago, she had grown fat.

That at last made Amy smile. Sophia was still as loud and glorious as ever, it was just that there was more of her than ever. The L'Barr household was always noisy, boisterous and filled with food. No wonder Annabelle returned home for a little peace each day.

Thinking of Anne and her school friends brought Amy to Rolf and Soo-Kai. She had seen them only once after that time. It was when Annabelle was two and Alan was only a few months old. Craig had taken her to see them in their little house in the forrest. It had been a strange visit. A visit filled with incredibly bad news.

The tragedy that had overcame them had had a visible effect on Rolf. It was as if his spirit had broken and taken the strength of his body with it. He seemed bent, weaker. He spoke to her politely, but curtly. His lips had smiled, but his eyes hadn't.

Soo-Kai had been more as Amy had remembered her. She seemed genuinely pleased to see her. That also pleased Amy. She had good memories of Soo-Kai. She owed her so much. It had been Soo-Kai that had rescued her and Craig in the forrest. Amy remembered how badly the two of them had got on together, until it became obvious that Craig's interest was more for Amy than Soo-Kai.

But even Soo-Kai wouldn't talk of the pain they both felt. She would look to Rolf and keep silent. And the young Destroyer who was living with them had been so quiet, almost shy.

It had been a sad visit.

That had been over twenty-five years ago.

Amy suddenly had a burning desire to see Rolf and Soo-Kai again, to see her school friends, and find out how they had grown up. Did they look the same? Would they all be different? Had any of them had any children? Oh, what had they all been doing all those years?

When Craig returned home that evening, Amy almost pounced on him in her urgency.

"Oh, Craig! At last! I don't think I could have waited a moment longer!"

Craig hung up his coat, declared, "Me neither!" and threw Amy over his shoulder.

Amy kicked her legs as Craig carried her up the stairs. "No, dim-wit! I didn't mean that!"

"Well, I bloody do!" Craig replied. "I've been thinking about what you said all day!"

"Not now! Craig!"

They were in the bedroom and Craig threw her down on the large bed. Amy bounced twice before Craig landed on top of her.

"Give us a kiss!"

"It's reunion year!" Amy blurted out.

"What?" At last Craig was side-tracked.

"Reunion year? Remember? Twenty-eight years? We all meet at Rolf and Soo-Kai's house?"

Craig sighed and dropped his head down on the bed next to her. His voice sounded muffled. "All day I've been working that up, and you've flattened it."

Amy patted him on the back. "Never mind tiger, maybe later."

He rolled off her and lay on the bed next to her. "What ever made you think about the reunion?"

Amy turned on to her side to face him and propped herself up on one elbow. "Oh, I don't know really. Lots of things. I was thinking about Anne this morning, and Annabelle was telling me about Queen Margaret being pregnant-"

"Never?"

Amy smacked him. "You probably knew, didn't you?"

Craig smiled. "Belle never could keep a secret."

"I thought so! You're wicked, you are. Why didn't you tell me?"

"I knew it would upset you. I'm sorry."

He gave her that look, the sad puppy look that he knew she couldn't resist. She smacked him again anyway.

"I want to go to the reunion."

"You cannot be serious!" Craig said in John McEnroe's voice.

"Don't joke with me, Craig!" Amy said a little too sharply.

Craig now looked worried. "You are serious, aren't you?"

"I want to go."

Craig sat up on the bed. "But how do you know it's the right time? Are you sure twenty-eight years has passed already?"

"Of course I'm sure. I'm forty-four."

Craig stared into her face. "You can't be forty-four."

"Yes, I am."

"No you're not. You're sixteen. I remember."

"Yes, twenty-eight years ago!" Amy said in exasperation.

Craig leaned towards her. "You'll always be sixteen to me," he said in an earnest voice. "Even when I die you will still be sixteen. I remember you exactly as you were that day. I remember your skimpy red underwear. I remember the way you smelt, and the way your skin felt like fine silk. I'll never forget that day, I'll never forget the way you looked, dressed in that school uniform. And in all those years you haven't changed one single bit."

All thought of the reunion left Amy's mind as she stared up at him with wet eyes. "Now you've got me going," she breathed softly.

"Good!"

Craig pounced on her.

"You devious sod!" Amy squealed and struggled as they rolled about on the bed. But she didn't struggle too hard.

It wasn't until later that Amy could talk to Craig seriously about the reunion. They had changed and gone back downstairs. Ray had also returned and sat with them. Alan was out on one of his usual liaisons, probably with a Lady-in-Waiting from the Court. But the discussion didn't go as Amy had planned. Craig didn't want to go.

Of course, he didn't just say that, and at first she thought he was joking with her. But he kept going on about the new season starting and how the markets would be busy. And if he couldn't go, he didn't want her to go without him either. Finally, she had asked him directly.

"What is it Craig? Why are you against it?"

Craig sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "I suppose it was all so different then. It seemed right to want to meet again. But now I'm not so sure."

"Why?" Amy insisted.

Craig looked at her for a moment. "Alright," he said. "What if they're dead?"

Amy stared at him in surprise, and Ray said, "That's a bit harsh, isn't it dad?"

"The truth often is," Craig replied.

Amy was still stunned. It had been a blunt question, but it was such an obvious one too. She swallowed and shook her head determinedly.

"They won't be dead," she said firmly.

"Are you so sure?" he pressed her.

"Yes, I'm sure! How could you ask such a question?"

"Because Anne Jenkins is dead, and she was Queen."

Now Amy was appalled. She opened her mouth to reply, but Craig just talked over her. It was as if he had been bottling it all up and now that the cork was out he couldn't stop.

"Anne lived in the Palace of Ellerkan, she had the best chance of life than any of us, and she's still dead. What chance have the others got? When we last saw Rolf and Soo-Kai they told us they thought the others were all living as robbers and thieves in the mountains. What kind of a life is that? And even Rolf and Soo-Kai weren't safe from tragedy. Their children were already dead. No. I don't want to go. What kind of a reunion would it be anyway? And I forbid you to go. It's not safe."

It was his final statement that gave away his real fear. But nothing he had said wasn't true. In her heart, Amy wished that they were all alive, that they would all be there at the reunion. But Craig was right, she couldn't be sure, and there would be sadness. Anne was dead.

Amy cried.

Ray quickly went to his mother and comforted her. Craig wasn't far behind, but the damage was done. Amy bawled and wailed, and no amount of hugging and petting would stop her.

Ray glared at his father with a 'Now look what you've done' expression, and said to his mother, "Don't worry, mum! If dad won't take you, I will!"

Craig looked up at Ray in annoyance. "You will not!"

"I have the time even if you don't."

"That's besides the point. I have forbidden her to go."

Craig was now getting angry, but Ray was as stubborn as he was.

"And when did that ever stop mum?"

"You're not helping, Ray!"

"And you're forgetting what these people meant to mum. She left them all to be with you, the least you can do is let her see them all one more time."

Craig's anger was suddenly deflated. But he still wouldn't give up. "And what if I'm right? What if they're dead?"

"Then she'll know."

Craig had no other reply and that was the end of it. He moaned and complained for another hour, pointing out that he couldn't get away, that he was genuinely prevented from going, and yes, he was frightened for her safety and he didn't want her to go, but even he knew it had been settled.

Amy was just as determined. Her answer was always the same. Ray would take her and they would both be fine.

By the time Alan had returned, Amy was back in the arms of Craig and her tears had long dried, but he knew straight away from their expressions that something had happened.

"What's going on?" he asked.