 
DAVID GEORGE RICHARDS is married and lives in Manchester, England. He has been writing for several years on a regular basis. He writes science fiction, thrillers and romance stories with particular emphasis on leading female characters. Visit his website at www.booksandstories.com.

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### Also available by David George Richards:

Romance

An Affair of the Heart

The Look of Love

The Dreamer

A Fine Woman

Mind Games

The Friendly Ambassador Series

The Beginning of the End

A Gathering of Angels

Changes

Walking with the Enemy

The Twelve Ships

In the Shadow of Mountains

The Lost Girls

The Return of the Sixpack

The Tale of the Comet

The Dragon King

The Althon Gerail

The Sullenfeld Oracle

###

### In the Shadow of Mountains:

### The Lost Girls

### by

### David George Richards

Copyright 2012 David George Richards

Smashwords Edition

Licence Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

All rights reserved.

When life throws you an unexpected chance –grab it fast, because you never know when a dragon might eat you.

###  Prologue

### Sowing the Seed

The Twelve Great Ships had once ruled the heavens.

Amidst the greatest battles they triumphed. Mighty fleets fell to their power and whole worlds were turned to ash. Together, there was no force to equal them, but even when apart, the sight of one of them approaching, or the mere knowledge that one of them came, was enough to cause instant terror.

Civilisations fell in turmoil and panic as populations rioted and fought for ships, killing each other before the fire descended from the skies. Planetary defences were left unmanned as soldiers deserted to join the rest in pursuit of escape. But for those that did escape, space brought little safety. The Great Ships picked off mercilessly any vessels that fled the doomed worlds they visited. And they visited many.

But this was not how it had always been.

Built by the Navak in their vengeance, the Twelve Great Ships were at first the vessels that brought freedom to conquered and enslaved populations. But those who had held sway before them did not give up their control without effort. At the Battle of the Black Cross Nebula, the Androktones, the Clones of the Tun-Sho-Lok, amassed the greatest space fleet ever seen. From far and wide the ships of the Androktones came, but at the moment of their victory each then saw a genetic flaw in the other, and disaster struck. The carnage that took place during the battle was indescribable, and once again it was the Great Ships that held sway and the Androktones were defeated.

But although defeated, the Androktones were not vanquished.

Amongst the confusion and the immense loss of life, three of the Great Ships were boarded. The fighting inside the ships was vicious and horrific, with no quarter given or expected. On two of the Great Ships the Androktones were victorious, fleeing the lost battle with their prizes. On the third, all perished in blood and fire, the Great Ship ripped apart in successive and violent explosions.

In the years that followed, the two stolen Great Ships were a scourge to all in the galaxy. They went separate ways, visiting world after world, bringing death to all they visited and fear to those who waited. But it was to the Navak homeworld that they went to first.

Vengeance and hatred was all that now fed those who survived. The remaining Great Ships still in the control of the Navak hunted those now in the possession of the enemy. And when hunter and prey met, the engagements were colossal. One of the stolen ships was finally caught and destroyed in this way. But one Great Ship always stayed ahead of the chasing pack. One always reached another world and brought death and disaster before help could arrive. One always triumphed in battle no matter what the odds. One had a charmed life that defied logic.

Soon the odds became even and only two Great Ships survived. The Navak had named their ships after celestial events or legendary beasts. These were names that befitted such military might. The two that now survived were the _Dragonfire_ and the _Tail of the Comet_. The Androktones cared nothing for such names, they cared only that they stayed ahead of those who pursued them and that they could continue to rain fire and death on the incorrect; those who did not match the genetic code stored in their brains. That meant everyone. But the many battles and skirmishes had taken their toll, and the once Great Ship in their possession was now cracked and bleeding. The hound was on their heels, equally wounded, but eager as ever; and the fox needed a bolt hole.

The men had been cruel, vicious, and evil. They had pursued her for days. She had killed some of them, but it didn't seem to matter. The arrow had been the end. She had fallen from her horse, and they had pounced on her before she could recover, stabbing her, and throwing her on her back.

But it wasn't her life they had wanted, not yet anyway.

She had closed herself off against the pain and the barbarism of their assault, as first one took her and then the next, and the next...

The blood had run freely from her wounds and she had become weaker and weaker as the weight of their bodies thrusting down on her drove the air from her lungs. It seemed to take forever, and yet it was over so soon.

When she opened her eyes it was dark. Blood quickly got in her eyes and made her blink. She could hardly see, she could hardly move. Her vision blurred and finally focused, and she looked up to see a man with a sword in his hand. He held it over his head, and as she watched, he chopped down at her.

Everything went black, but the lights stayed on. She should have been dead, but instead she lived.

They had left her soon after. Abandoning her broken and bleeding body, leaving her in pain, not yet dead, but not really living. They must have thought she was dead. She _was_ dead. Dead, but still alive. She lay there, alone now, waiting, thinking.

For a while she had enjoyed the chase. She wanted them to catch her; she wanted the chance to kill them. She had fought well and they were stupid enough to come close. And once she had turned the tables on them and hunted them in the night, killing two as they slept by their fire. It was like a game, and she had revelled in it.

And why not? It was her life, her Purpose, and if they should offer themselves to her, why should she not kill them? And what had they gained? If she should die now, she had still killed many while they had only killed her. And she had lived a long life while their lives were short. They were the losers.

But she was not content to die now.

The numbers killed didn't matter. It was the man with the sword and those with him that angered her. They still lived, they had escaped, and deep down inside her she still wanted to kill them. There was still a Purpose within her.

You are dying! They will escape you!

There has to be a way to pursue them!

There is a way!

When she had fallen from her horse they had torn her sword from her grasp and thrown it aside. She could still feel it nearby. Not with her hand, but with her mind. And as she began to fade, and the cognisant side of her mind finally slept and became still, the dark side of her mind came awake and took form...

### Chapter One

### The Hunt

The horses thundered through the trees. Like their riders they were richly decorated with feathered plumes and embroidered coats. The coats and feathered plumes were blue, like the royal crest on the riders' chests and on their shields. A rampant blue lion below a blue chevron against a white background.

A rampant lion.

Prince Carl L'Hage led his Knights at the gallop. Their quarry was in sight. But it was no enemy with his army, no dangerous foe who must be vanquished.

She ran in panic now, bounding through the trees, her long red hair trailing behind her. She held a long sword in her right hand. She was tired, exhausted. Her own horse had been shot from beneath her, and now the Hunt was nearly over. The horses soon over took her, and she turned to fight. The riders jumped from the saddle. She struck at the first Knight, running him through the body even before he had let go of the reins of his horse.

She wasn't to be taken easily.

The Prince and his men surrounded her, and swords clashed in the early evening darkness of the forest. But two of the men had held back. One watched, holding the reins of the horses as they stamped and snorted, while the other fitted an arrow to his long bow and watched and waited for the right moment.

The man who held the horses watched in wonder. The woman was holding them off. One woman against five men. She fought bravely, valiantly. She was the hero; she was the one who should have the songs written about her deeds in battle. She was wonderful, she was glorious, and she was beautiful.

The arrow hit her in the chest above her right breast and she staggered back. Almost instantly one of the Knights stabbed her in the same side with his sword. She collapsed down on one knee and the men rushed her. Her sword was torn from her grasp and tossed away among the trees. She was thrown on to her back, the men tearing at her tunic and leggings.

She made no sound. No screams, no shouts for mercy. Instead she still fought, kicking, scratching, and biting. In reply the noblemen from the court of King Edmund L'Hage beat her viciously. They punched her in the head and body, again and again. And when her resistance ebbed, they tore off her tattered and bloodstained clothes. Then they held her down, pinning her wrists against the grass while their Prince took the first turn...

Rolf L'Epine was horrified. He stood by the horses and watched as if in a trance. He knew all the men who were here, knew them all to be good and honourable. And yet, what they were doing was barbaric.

How could this be?

Rolf had always known about the Hunts. They had gone on for years, for generations in fact. Ever since the Destroyers had been finally defeated at the Battle of the Black Cross, the hunting down of the survivors had become a tradition. But this was the first time he had taken part. This was his first Hunt. And as a novice he would have to watch and hold the horses. Not for him would come the taste of Destroyer flesh. Not this time. But he still had a task to perform.

When the last of them had finished, and they all stood laughing and talking, Rolf knew his moment had come.

The Prince wiped the blood from his breastplate with a silken handkerchief as he and his men came forward.

"How is Sir Edwin?" he asked.

"Slain, sire," the man with the long bow replied. "She ran him through even before his foot had left the stirrup!"

"'Tis a fitting end for a man on his thirteenth Hunt!" the Prince replied. Then he turned to the other Knights and said in a raised voice, "Well, my fine friends! The chase is over, and the spoils have been equally divided!"

One of the other Knights shouted, "Aye, my Liege! But some were more energetically received than others!"

The rest of the Knights all laughed.

Prince Carl smiled and quickly gestured to them all to be silent. "Quiet, you heathens! There is still work to be done! Young Rolf here has yet to be bloodied! Sir Anthony! Give him the knife!"

There was a cheer, and the reins were snatched from Rolf's hands and he was pushed forward. Sir Anthony held out the long dagger in its jewel-encrusted scabbard. Rolf stared at it. He hesitated and glanced at Prince Carl.

"Take it, man!" the Prince said. "Pay the price! And next time you will take a share in the spoils!"

Rolf slowly drew the curved blade from the scabbard and walked slowly towards the woman. The Prince and his Knights watched him, shouting encouragement from afar.

"If you feel charitable, do it swiftly!" one of them shouted.

"No! Do it slow and make her cry out!" another called.

Then the Prince said, "Destroyers never cry out. They just die."

All became silent as Rolf stood over the woman. He could hear her rasping breath. She was practically naked, and the sight of her exposed skin should have stirred him. But instead all he could see was the broken arrow still in her chest, and the blood from this wound and from the one in her side that was smeared over her body, mixing in with the dirt and the sweat. He knelt down next to her.

Her beautiful face was all battered and bruised and her red hair was all tangled with the grass and the dead leaves from the forest floor. He leaned over her with the knife. Her eyes were open. They were green and wondrous. She could see him, but she made no effort to fight him off. She just lay there on her back, her arms flung out at her sides.

Rolf moved closer and closer. He held the knife at her throat, but at the last moment he hesitated. He called over his shoulder, "My Liege! May I steal a kiss before her life?"

"Aye! I think we can grant you that!" the Prince called back. "Kill her with love, L'Epine! Then maybe her soul will forgive you and grant you luck!"

As the Knights laughed once more, Rolf moved his head closer to the woman. His lips brushed her face, but instead of kissing her, he quickly whispered into her ear, "When the knife bites into the grass, relax and don't move. Be very quiet and still. I will return and help you later. If you fail me in this, they will kill us both."

He could see the look in her eyes. She had heard him and had understood his meaning, but she hadn't understood why. She looked up at him in confusion even as he thrust the dagger into the grass by her throat in an exaggerated motion. For a moment, Rolf thought she wasn't going to react, but then she closed her eyes and lay still, and her rasping breath ceased.

Rolf quickly smeared the blade in blood from the wound at her side before standing up and returning to the Prince. He held out the knife. Everyone cheered when they saw the blood.

Prince Carl L'Hage smiled as he looked at Rolf's bloodstained tunic and the bloody knife. "Was she not a worthy quarry, Rolf?"

"Aye, my Prince. She was magnificent."

"And you took her life! Now you are truly a Huntsman!" The Prince slapped Rolf on the back and quickly turned and shouted to his men. "Pick up Sir Edwin! Throw him over his horse! Tonight we drink to his memory and celebrate young Rolf's first Hunt!"

### Chapter Two

### A Promise Kept

She was too old.

Her body was as strong as when she was born, her muscles hard, her heart and respiratory system at full capacity. And the Purpose still had the desire to kill.

But she was so tired.

Energy levels were high, she had eaten and drank, and even after three days she was still more than capable of further conflict.

She was wounded, both wounds deep.

Her blood vessels shrank around the wounds, preventing excessive blood loss. Nerve endings were desensitised allowing free movement despite the arrow still in her chest. She could get up at anytime, she could still fight.

She just wanted to lay there and die.

Your thoughts are incorrect! You are flawed! Mutated!

I am tired.

You still live! Get up! Fight! Kill them!

Have I not killed enough?

Never! This one is alone! He only has a knife! Take it from him! Plunge it in his chest! Kill him! Stand up and fight! Kill them all! Kill as many as you can before they kill you!

I don't want to! I don't care! I want to die! I am tired! I am tired of all of it! I am tired of the Purpose!

Then die! You are flawed! Your integrity smashed! You deserve to die! You are of no use to the Purpose! Incorrect! Mutated! Disgusting! Die! Die! Die!

The familiar intense pain sprang up in her head. It was as if her skull was shrinking in size and crushing her brain. It was actually very close to what was happening. The turmoil in her mind caused enzymes to be released that made the membrane that lined her skull become taut, causing it to contract. It was a pain like no other. It was a pain that broke the mind and left the victim a catatonic wreck, easy victim for man or beast. It was a pain she could not outlast. It always won. Then the man had spoken and the pain eased. But the confusion and anger remained.

He cannot initiate a bond! He attacked you!

He did not. He was the only one who has remained passive.

He holds a weapon!

It is not for me.

He faces no risk!

He said they would kill us both.

If he leaves he will not return!

You do not believe that or you would still be hurting me.

The pain went completely. The blade bit the grass and her eyes closed and her body finally relaxed from the conflict in her mind. She was so tired she even slept.

Rolf L'Epine didn't celebrate for long. From the moment they had ridden away from the forest, he had made up his mind what he was going to do, and he had already begun to plan.

These people were not who he thought they were. The Hunt was not a tradition to be celebrated; it was an abomination, an excuse to commit evil on those who could not reply. Yes, the woman was armed; she had fought back, and had even killed Sir Edwin. But she had not sought the conflict. She had been the one who had been searched for, and chased.

The Hunt had lasted three days. During that time they had chased her from her den in the mountains, across the valleys and fields of Halafalon, to the darkness of the forest. Only when her horse had fallen to an arrow was she finally overtaken. She had done her best to flee, to escape. No, there was no honour in the Hunt, only bestiality, rape and murder. The murder of women. Rolf wanted no part of it, and he wanted no part of a society that condoned it.

As soon as he could get away, Rolf returned to his quarters in the Royal Palace in Ellerkan and packed all his belongings. He took only the things that were most important. Then he went to the kitchens and took food and wine. After that he went to the surgeon's quarters and stole bandages and ointments. He took his horse and left in the middle of the night, the sound of the cheering and carousing from the Great Hall still ringing in his ears as he left through the great gates.

All the way back to the forest he was filled with foreboding. What if she had already died? What if he couldn't even find the place where he had left her? Then another thought had occurred to him. What if she attacked him? She could be forgiven for doing so.

As it was, he found the place easily enough. The first thing he came across was her fallen horse. From there on it was easy. But when he finally got to the place where she lay, it was to find her gone. He got off his horse and led it to the spot where the grass was all trampled down. He knelt down and felt the dried blood and picked up a piece of torn clothing. He looked around at the trees and the shadows. Even in the early evening it had been dark, but now he could see no further than the next tree.

Where had she gone? Had wolves dragged her off? He looked down at the grass again. No, wolves would have left more of a mess. She had left on her own, and she had taken what was left of her clothes. Then he noticed more blood. Yes, there was some more further on, a trail on the grass. Rolf followed it, pulling on the reins of his horse, which obediently followed after him.

He followed the trail of blood through the trees. He was just passing another tree when he suddenly saw her. In fact it was his horse that saw her first. It snorted and raised its head. Rolf looked up, and there she was. She was sat with her back to a tree. She had replaced her torn leggings and had recovered her sword. Now she held it pointing towards him in obvious defence. She held it in her left hand, her right hand clutched at her side. The tattered remains of her tunic were draped over her shoulders. There was hardly anything left of it. She was stained in blood, dirt and sweat. But the point of her sword never wavered.

Rolf held out his hands in supplication. "It's alright. I told you I would come back for you. But I haven't come here to hurt you."

She was uncompromising and fearless. "Come any closer and I will kill you!" she whispered hoarsely, spitting blood.

There was an accent to her voice, but it was one he couldn't place. Rolf was equally stubborn. "Then kill me," he said.

He stood up, took the water bottle from his well-packed saddle, and walked towards her. She raised her sword to strike at him. He ignored it and knelt down right in front of her. The blow never came, and instead she placed the edge of the sword to the side of his throat; he could feel it as he held the water bottle up to her lips. She didn't drink, and they stayed like that, as if frozen in time, until she finally lowered her sword and drank from the bottle. She coughed and spluttered, and then she drank some more.

She finally put down her sword next to her and took the bottle in her hand and stared at him. "You are either very foolish, or you want more from me than those others took."

Rolf was immediately angered. "I'm not like them!" he said in a raised voice. "I would never do anything like that to you, or to anyone! I told you, I came here to help you!" He stood up and went back to his horse, and began to pull things from his saddlebags. "Look!" he said. "I've brought bandages, ointments, food, and clothing! I want to help you, not hurt you!"

"I believe you," she said weakly. "But while you speak of help, I bleed."

Rolf's indignation evaporated. He took the bandages and ointment and quickly knelt down beside her again. He washed the wound in her right side with water from the bottle and put on some of the ointment. Then he wrapped a bandage over the wound and around her midriff, pulling it tight. She kept silent while he worked, her breath coming in laboured rasps as she held her torn tunic out of the way.

Next came the arrow. Rolf slipped the tunic off her shoulder to reveal the broken arrow still embedded in her skin under her collar bone. It was strange how he was already almost used to seeing her exposed body. But there was no time to think of anything other than her injuries. With the arrow still in, the wound hadn't bled as much as the one in her side, but the arrow was in deep, and the barbed head was too well lodged in her chest. She closed her eyes and made no sound as Rolf tried to pull it out, but it was no use.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I can't move it."

"Then you must complete its passage," she wheezed.

Rolf knew what she meant. The only way the arrow was going to come out was if he pushed it all the way through her and pulled it out of her back. He picked up a flat stone that lay on the grass nearby. He pointed upwards at the branches of the tree.

"Look up there."

She raised her head and looked without hesitation, and Rolf slammed the flat stone against the end of the arrow. The arrowhead burst from her back in a red splatter, and she cried out for the first time. Rolf pulled her close, so that she was leaning into him, and then he pulled the broken arrow the rest of the way out. She held on to him as he went on to bathe the wounds in her chest and back, put on the ointment, and then carefully wrapped another bandage around her chest and shoulder.

When he was done, Rolf washed her face and neck with the water. Then he wrapped her with his own cloak.

"Now you must stand," he told her. "I will put you on my horse and take you to my uncle's house on the edge of the forest. It is long abandoned, but its roof is sound and there is plenty of wood for a fire. You will be safe there."

She looked up at him with tired eyes. "You said you had food?"

Rolf nodded, and hurried back to retrieve some cheese and bread from his saddlebags and a bottle of wine. "I have meat," he said as he came back to sit next to her. "But it would be better if it were roasted over a fire. Here, eat this for now." He slowly fed her the cheese and bread, and held up the bottle for her to drink again. She ate slowly, but drank quickly. Rolf could tell that she was getting weaker. When she had finished eating he packed everything back in his saddlebags and began to lift her up, anxious to get her on his horse. His urgency brought the first protests from her and she refused to get up.

"I hurt!" she moaned as he pulled at her. "My chest, my insides, they all burn with fire. And I hurt between my legs, and inside. Let me lie here."

"No. It's cold here. And it will get colder as the hours pass. You need a fire. You need to be warm. Get up. You can rest on the horse as we travel."

He managed to get her on her feet. She was very shaky, and if he hadn't been holding her up, she would have fallen down. But just as he got her to the side of his horse, she began to struggle.

"My sword!" she cried out. "Bring me my sword! I need my sword!"

Rolf glanced at the sword that still lay by the tree. "You can get another," he said.

"No! I am an Androktone! A Destroyer! The sword is part of me! I need it!"

She began to struggle harder. Rolf quickly gave up. "Alright! I'll get it for you. Hold on to the saddle."

He left her leaning against his horse as he went to retrieve her sword. She looked on anxiously until he returned and held it out to her.

"Satisfied?"

She nodded and took the sword from him eagerly. She raised it above her head, placed the point of the sword at the nape of her neck, and pushed it in. For a moment the sword was above her head like a silver cross, and then it sank into her back. Rolf watched in awe as the sword seemed to flow down her spine, until the handle melted into the back of her head and neck, and it disappeared.

"Sorcery!" he exclaimed.

"No. Genetic mutation and molecular manipulation," she replied. She saw his puzzled expression and added, "The sword is mine. It is as much a part of me as I am a part of it. Apart we are nothing, together we are everything. I would rather leave behind an arm than my sword."

She stared into his eyes, searching for some indication of revulsion or distaste, anything. Instead all she saw was a continued lack of comprehension. She shook her head sadly. "You hunt and kill us, and yet you have forgotten why."

"I'm sorry," was all Rolf could think of to say.

"If you had not forgotten your own history, you would not be so sorry. Now, help me on this horse before my strength leaves me."

He did as she asked, hardly conscious of the subtle change in their relationship. He climbed on his horse behind her. She sat side-saddle in front of him, it was the only way she could sit on the horse. She wrapped her left arm around his waist, and rested her head on his shoulder. He kept his right arm around her as he held on to the reins of his horse, urging it on at a trot.

They rode through the forest in silence. Rolf's head was filled with ideas and emotions. He had rescued her as he had planned to do, but she was neither grateful, nor angry. Instead she seemed sad. But not for herself. Somehow he felt that she was sad for him, and for the Prince and his Knights who had attacked her. Why was that? And what part of their history had they forgotten? He glanced down at her. She seemed to be sleeping; he could hear her wheezing as she breathed. Did she remember more than him? And how had she done that trick with her sword?

Rolf carefully moved aside her long red hair and gently touched the back of her neck. There was no sign of the sword. He sighed and rearranged her hair. This was all a mystery to him. What had they forgotten? She was a Destroyer, but who or what were the Destroyers? Did he truly know? She had called herself an Androktone. It was a name that was unfamiliar. And whatever they were called, why did they live alone in the mountains and the hills? And why was killing them thought to be acceptable to people who were otherwise good?

All these thoughts ran wild in Rolf's head. But he could find no answers, and soon, his head began to ache.

Fool!

He did what was required.

He knows nothing! His intentions are false!

His intentions are true and genuine.

He knows nothing! Strike him down! Steal his horse!

I am tired!

You feign weakness!

And your denial of the initiation of the bond is a sign of a flawed integrity!

Silence. She pressed on.

I am tired! Tired of killing! Tired of death! Tired of life! I will have this bond!

When he knows he may not want you!

Panic. Fear. Then final realisation.

He will want me.

### Chapter Three

###  Introductions

She woke to the smell of roasting meat and coffee. She recognised the smell of the meat, but the coffee intrigued her. She opened her eyes. In front of her was a stone built fireplace and chimney. The fire was lit, and she was bathed in its heat and its glow. Over the fire was a spit with a large piece of meat skewered on it. The meat spat and sizzled. Also over the fire was a large black coffee pot. It steamed. There was wood by the fire.

She stretched out her neck and sniffed. She sniffed at the coffee pot several times, stretching her neck out further. She started to move closer when she suddenly realised that she was lying on her left side on something soft. She looked down and felt it carefully. It was a stuffed mattress of some kind, and she was covered with a blanket.

She propped herself up on her left arm and looked around. She was inside a small house or cottage. It was made of wood, and above her the roof was thatched. There were rough looking wooden tables and chairs against one wall. On shelves above the table were many provisions all stacked up. Some more were still on the table. Two saddlebags were slung over one of the chairs. Behind her there was a door. It was closed. There were two windows in the walls on either side of the door. The shutters on one were closed, but the other was open, and light streamed in.

She sat up. Her face immediately creased in pain and she quickly clutched at her side. Moving her right arm so quickly gave her more pain, and she reached up more slowly to her chest. She was surprised at the unfamiliar feel of the material of what she wore. She pulled the blanket away and found herself dressed in a long white shirt. It was slightly too big for her. She felt the material again. It was richly embroidered and very soft.

"It's silk."

She was startled by the voice and reached instinctively for the back of her neck. But then she saw that it was Rolf, peering at her through the open window, and she relaxed again. He smiled wryly.

"I didn't mean to scare you." He disappeared for a moment, and then the door opened and he came inside. He was carrying a large bucket of water, which he put down on the table. He sat down on one of the chairs and smiled at her. It was a proper smile this time. "I'm glad to see you awake at last. You slept for one whole day and night. And now it is almost midday."

She lifted the blanket slightly, reaching down to feel the skin on her body and on her legs. She pulled the end of the shirt up as she did so. "You have washed me and dressed me," she said, finally pulling the shirt down and tucking the blanket back around her again. "When did you do this?"

"You were fast asleep the night we arrived here. So I carried you in, sorted the place out a bit, then I washed you, and dressed you. I also used needle and thread to close your wounds, like I once saw the surgeon do for a wounded man at the Palace. Then I put some more ointment on your wounds, and re-bandaged them. I also put some ointment on the cuts and gashes on your legs, back, and stomach. After that I put you to bed in front of the fire."

She felt her side and chest with her left hand, as if feeling the wounds under the bandages. "You have done well," she said. "I lose no more blood and I feel less weak."

"You look better," he replied with a smile. "There is more colour in your skin. And even after so short a time, I am sure the bruises begin to diminish."

It was true. Her skin had a healthy tan from her life in the forest and in the open air, but it was marred by the bruises and cuts. Many had faded, and they were all less angry now.

"I will heal quickly." She looked down at the mattress and the blanket. They were both far wider than was necessary for just one person. And there was no other bedding visible in the small house.

"Did you sleep here?" she asked.

He nodded.

"And you did nothing with me?"

"I held you, that's all. I wanted to keep you warm, and I wanted to hear and feel you breathing." He remembered each night as he spoke, remembering how her body had felt as he hugged her so close. He remembered how comfortable he had felt with her next to him, and how he had yearned for her. "You're not angry, are you?"

She looked at him as if unsure of her answer. Then she shook her head. "No, I am not angered by your actions. But I am confused as to why you did not pursue copulation."

Rolf was immediately embarrassed. "I didn't want to hurt you. And that's not why I came back for you. Anyway, you were hurt, and asleep. I wouldn't do anything like that to you. It wouldn't be right. I wouldn't feel right."

"You are not sexually attracted to me?"

"Yes, of course I am– I mean, I mean– Oh, I don't know what I mean. You say the strangest of things." Rolf was going bright red.

He is a fool!

No, he is an innocent. His answers are genuine.

He knows nothing! His answers are irrelevant!

Then I must tell him and then his answers will have meaning.

She tilted her head to one side and stared at him curiously. "You also say strange things. But you must answer my questions truthfully. I must know your intent. Tell me why you did not kill me in the forest. Tell me why you came back for me, tended to my wounds, and fed me. Tell me what it is in the pot that smells so exciting."

Rolf opened his mouth to answer then closed it again. Her last question had confused him, and then he blurted out, "Oh! The coffee!"

He quickly got up, retrieved a cup from a shelf, and went to the fire. He took a cloth and poured some coffee from the steaming pot, and then he knelt down beside her on the mattress and held the cup towards her. "Be careful," he told her. "It's hot."

Before taking the cup, she moved closer, sniffing repeatedly. Her nose was over the liquid, her eyes closed as she smelt the hot coffee. Opening her eyes again, she took the cup in both hands and sipped from it. Her eyes grew wide as she held the coffee in her mouth before she swallowed.

Rolf chuckled. "Have you never tasted coffee before?"

She shook her head and took another sip.

"How does it taste?"

"Rich and nutty. I have eaten nuts and beans from trees before, but never like this. It warms me inside. It is soothing, and yet stimulating."

She drew her legs up under the blanket and rested her hands on her knees as she drank some more. Her green eyes reflected the glow from the fire, causing them to sparkle. Rolf stared at her.

Her face was oval, with high cheekbones and well proportioned features. Her bright green eyes were slightly slanted, with well-defined eyebrows that were a rich luminous red like her hair. She was quite striking. Rolf couldn't resist. He reached out and stroked her hair.

"You're so beautiful," he muttered. "What's your name?"

"My name is Soo-Kai."

"Soo-Kai," he repeated with a smile. "That's nice, I like that. My name is Rolf. Rolf L'Epine."

She watched him over the rim of her cup. He was a young male, fit and healthy, with fair hair and blue eyes. Although his features were pleasing to the eye, they gave away his ancestry. But if his intentions were true, then she would be content. She swallowed the last of the coffee and held out the empty cup for more. As he refilled it, she said, "You have not answered my questions."

He nodded. "I will answer as best I can. But even I was unsure of my actions. And I still am." He turned and took the spit from the fire. He used the cloth to hold the skewer and handed it to her. "Here, eat as I talk. I ate while you slept."

She took the skewer by the cloth in one hand, holding the cup of coffee in the other. Rolf could see how hungry she must have been by the way she tore at the meat with her teeth. But even the way she did that was attractive.

Rolf took a deep breath. "I think I knew from the moment I saw you standing alone against the Prince and his men that I wanted you. You were magnificent. Yes, I wanted you. But not like them. I wanted to hold you, to touch you tenderly with love, not tear at you like an animal. When they struck you down, when they did what they did to you, I felt so, so useless. If I had been a Knight such as they, I would have fought for you. But I am naught but a tailor to the King's court. I have no knowledge of the art of fighting." Rolf's expression was tortured. "I could do nothing to stop what happened, and I am sorry. If you cannot forgive me, then I ask only that you stay until you are well. If then you wish to leave, I will not stop you."

She chewed on the meat. Her expression gave away nothing. "Continue," was all she said.

Rolf nodded. "As a Hunt novice, I knew that the task of killing you would be given to me. I vowed that I would not kill you, that instead I would tell you to feign death, trick the others, and then return to help you. This is what I did, although for a while I feared that you had misunderstood me, and that I would be found out."

Now her question was quickly asked. "What would they have done to you if you had been found out?"

Rolf sneered. "Ha! They would have ran me through and thrown me aside without a thought! I am not a nobleman, and even the death of Sir Edwin, the Knight you killed, was nothing more than an excuse for more revelry to them."

She stared at him a moment, her head tilted to one side in that inquisitive fashion. "Why did you go with them? Why did you wish to take part?"

"Because I am a fool," Rolf said sadly. "I work in the King's Court because I am a good tailor. Yes, a very good tailor, even though I say so myself. The shirt you wear is designed for Prince Harold, the King's youngest son. Is it not fine and pleasing to the eye?"

She looked down at it. "It's a bit big."

"I will make it fit. It suits you better than he, and he will not miss it. Anyway, the art of a tailor, no matter how good or sought after, is no match for the exploits of war and battle. My youth and inexperience made me the butt of many jibes and jokes from the Knights who are kinsmen and friends to the King and his two sons. I longed to be accepted, and for the jibes to stop.

"When Prince Carl suggested that I take part in one of the Hunts, that it would make a man of me, I agreed. I was foolish, I know that now, but I had never been on a Hunt before. I didn't know what it would be like. I had heard about them, but hearing tales and then seeing the truth are very different things. What I saw disgusted me. And I am glad only that it gave me the chance to meet and rescue you."

She had finished the meat and was gnawing on the bone. The cup was empty by her side, and the skewer still in her hand. "What will you do now?" she asked.

Rolf took the skewer from her and put it down near the fire. He recovered the empty cup and stood up. "I shall not return to Court, never," he said with determination as he put the cup down on the table. "How can I make garments for people I now detest? No, I shall never return to Ellerkan. I shall live the rest of my life here, in the forest."

There was a crunch. Rolf stared as she cracked and ate the bone. The large haunch of meat was no more and in a few seconds the bone was also gone, and she sat by the fire licking her fingers.

"Are you still hungry?" he asked.

She shook her head.

"More coffee?"

She shook her head again. Then she stood up. The blanket fell away, revealing her beautiful, long, bare legs and perfect feet. The shirt reached down passed her hips and only just covered her vanity. She seemed unconcerned, and came towards him waving her greasy fingers. Rolf hurriedly poured some water from the bucket into a large bowl. As she washed her hands and face, he took a towel from one of his saddlebags.

"Here, use this," he said. "The other towel I used on you is washed and dries on the line outside."

She dried her hands and face. "You are very domesticated," she said.

He nodded sadly. "I am, so you can understand why I was treated so poorly by the King's men."

Rolf took the bowl of water and went outside to empty it. When he came back, Soo-Kai was still standing by the table waiting for him.

"Do you wish me to stay with you?" she asked.

It was a direct question he wasn't expecting. He suddenly felt very nervous. He put the bowl down on the table and swallowed.

"Yes, of course I want you to stay with me," he replied. "I want that more than anything else in the world."

She tilted her head to one side again. "Yes, I think you do. But you must understand what step you take. There are things you must know. I am not what I seem, and once the step is taken, there will be no escape for either of us."

### Chapter Four

### A History of Legend and Romance

"What do you mean by that?" Rolf asked, puzzled.

"I mean that there are many things you must know about me."

"Good!" Rolf was suddenly eager. "I want to know more about you. Like where you came from, where you've been living, and how you did that trick with your sword."

She almost smiled, but it was as if her face couldn't quite manage the task. It was a slight change in her facial muscles, a brief hint of something glorious that never came. "Then I will tell you." She sat down again on the mattress. She didn't bother with the blanket. She just sat in front of the fire, her legs drawn up as before. "Come, sit next to me," she said, patting the mattress.

He did as she asked. He sat close to her, admiring the curve of her thighs as she hugged her legs and stared into the fire, as if basking in its warmth. She was thoughtful, and he waited patiently for her to speak. Finally, Soo-Kai took a deep breath and sighed.

"The Navak called us the Gest Hroya," she said. "It means the Wind of Death. It is not our true name. You call us Destroyers. This is also not our true name. The passage of time has moulded the words, but the meaning is the same. The Navak were your people. Not those that originally colonised this world, but those who fought against us, and pursued us here, those whose blood still courses through your veins." She turned her head to look at him. "But before I tell you my history, what does your history tell you about this world, Rolf Le-Pine? And about the Destroyers who fought against you?"

Rolf had been instantly intrigued by what she said. He wanted to know more, to ask many questions, but her questioning of him had put him on the spot.

He scratched his head. "I've been thinking about nothing else," he said. "After what you said that night, about how we had forgotten things, I wanted so much to remember, that in the end, my head ached. I tried to remember what I was taught as a youth. I remember all the names of the Kings and Queens, about who ruled fairly, who won what battle, and who stole the crown from whom. But apart from that, everything else is all a little vague."

"Tell me what you remember, and then I will tell you what you have forgotten."

"Our history is a bit one-sided," Rolf warned her. "I don't want to anger or insult you, but you may not like what it says about your people."

"Do not fear for my feelings. What you tell me will not hurt me." She turned back to the fire.

Rolf nodded. "Alright. Well, at first, we were taught that Ellerkan was once a tremendous city, where light shone even in the dead of night. The ancestors of our people lived there. They were a powerful race. It is said that they came from the stars, and that they could fly across the fields and mountains like the birds. They lived in peace and happiness for many years in the city of Ellerkan.

"Then one day, another race came from the heavens. Our people welcomed them, and allowed them to share the city. These were your people. They were arrogant, and selfish, and they wished to possess the city for themselves. They fought with our people for control of the city. But so powerful were both sides, that the city they fought to possess was soon destroyed. It is said that fire rained down from the heavens above, and the whole city was engulfed. By the end of the battle, the city was left in ruins, and many were killed. The survivors fled to the forests and the hills outside.

"But the war was not yet over. Each side blamed the other for the destruction of the city, and so angry were they, that they continued the war for many years after. As the years passed, the weapons used grew less powerful, but each side continued to kill the other without mercy, until finally, the war was ended at the Battle of the Black Cross. It was at that battle that Rupert, the first King of Halafalon, led our army to victory. It was known as the Year Zero, and our calendar dates from this time. A castle built on a hill deep in the forest still marks the spot to this day.

"It was a tremendous battle. Thousands were killed, but at the end of it, your armies were vanquished forever. Rupert pulled our surviving people together and re-entered the ruined city. He vowed that Ellerkan would be re-built, and that our people would be strong again. And so it was. The city was rebuilt, not as grand as before, but still beautiful. Many palaces and buildings rose from the ruins, and soon life filled its streets once more.

"It remained like this for many years, until the survivors of your army rose up once more, and began to attack the villages and settlements on the plains of Halafalon, killing many people. At first, Stephen, King Rupert's grandson, sent a small force to hunt for your people, his own son at its head. But they were overcome, and all were killed. Stephen mourned the loss of his son. But while he mourned, more villages were attacked, and the people massacred. Soon even Ellerkan itself was threatened.

"It was at this time that my people began to call your people Destroyers, and everyone feared you. Finally, Stephen led his Royal Army against your people, winning another great battle. But his anger at the loss of his son had not abated, and after the battle he continued hunting the survivors over a campaign lasting many years, killing them wherever he found them. It was he that started the Hunts, saying that it was the only way to keep your numbers down, to prevent you from rising up and attacking us once more.

"Generations have passed since that time. Kings and Queens have come and gone. We have grown stronger, the city more populous. We have art, and writing, and music and laughter. But at night, only candlelight and torches light the city, and in the day, only birds fly across the valleys and fields. But the young men from the King's Court still Hunt."

Rolf had glanced at her face from time to time as he spoke, still anxious that his view of their history would antagonise her. And now that he was finished, he searched again for some sign of anger or hatred in her eyes. There was none to be found. Instead she merely nodded as she stared at the fire.

"It is a fine history," she said softly. "Filled with honour and good deeds, treachery and murder. Yes, a fine history, but one that is incomplete."

"Do you hate us?" Rolf couldn't help asking.

She turned to look at him. "Yes. With a ferocity you can never imagine."

He was shocked. Even though he had feared that she would answer this way, he had never really expected that she would.

Soo-Kai saw his saddened expression and reached out to stroke his face. "Do not be upset, Rolf. I have no hatred for you now, not anymore. You do not yet understand, but you will. Listen now to my history, and learn the truth. At the end of it, it is you who may hate me, and you may wish for me to leave."

He was about to protest, but she quickly hushed him, her fingers brushing his lips.

"Do not judge me until you have heard my history," she told him. "It is a long story, a dark story. A story with words you may not understand. But listen to its message, and listen to its dark spirit, and you will understand."

### Chapter Five

### A History of Evil and Death

"My people were called the Tun-Sho-Lok. They were a peaceful race who had long overcome war and strife. They had conquered the heavens and had travelled to the stars. They visited many worlds. But they were always inquisitive for more knowledge, and their search took them to the Keruh homeworld.

"The Keruh were the exact opposite to the Tun-Sho-Lok. They were warlike, primitive, and barbaric. They sought only to conquer and increase their empire. War was inevitable.

"Inter-stellar war is not for the faint-hearted. The Tun-Sho-Lok were unprepared and ill-equipped. And only two other races they had visited came to their aid. The death toll was tremendous. One by one, the worlds of the Tun-Sho-Lok and their allies were lost to the Keruh Host. The Tun-Sho-Lok were a beautiful and elegant race. The Keruh killed them easily. They took no prisoners, murdering whole populations. The war was soon lost. Invasion of the Tun-Sho-Lok homeworld was unavoidable.

"The Tun-Sho-Lok had many sciences and skills. One of them was in bioengineering. They devised a clone comprised of the genetic material of their two allies, one that was able to manipulate the genes of alien DNA in its own body, so that it could reproduce itself forever by hunting out and acquiring the males of other races. And they combined its DNA with micro-biotic technology, providing the clone with the ability to manipulate its own molecular structure at will. They programmed it with basic instincts, genetically storing those instincts in the neural pathways of its brain at birth. And the most powerful instinct was the instinct to kill. It was the clone's only true purpose in life. The Tun-Sho-Lok gave their creation the name Androktones, and they mass-produced them in vast numbers even after their world had fallen and the Keruh were nearing victory.

"The Androktones did not stop the extinction of the Tun-Sho-Lok; they came too late for that. But they gave the Keruh a surprise they had not expected. The Keruh were vicious and barbaric. But they still pursued war for gain. For them it was about food and resources, things that were long drained on their own world. They fought to survive, to grow stronger and to go on. The Androktones were without this weakness. They had no other purpose or need other than to kill. This was the only reason for their existence. They had no remorse, no fear of death, and no care for their own lives. They strived only to kill, and they soon overcame the massed armies of the Keruh on the ground, slaughtering them and devouring them.

"Too late the Keruh realised that the Tun-Sho-Lok had left behind a powerful revenge. The Androktones were relentless. They were like a plague of insects, killing without mercy and without thought. They pursued the Keruh back to their homeworld, and they soon followed the Tun-Sho-Lok into extinction. But the killing didn't stop.

"In their hurry, or by design, the Tun-Sho-Lok had programmed the Androktones to kill everything that didn't match their own genetic code. But the Tun-Sho-Lok and their allies were now extinct, and there was no other life form that shared their exact genetic code other than the Androktones themselves. That meant that none were to be spared.

"With the combined technology of both the Tun-Sho-Lok and their allies and the Keruh at their control, the Androktones swept through the galaxy destroying all in their path. Even other life forms not involved in the previous war were destroyed whenever they were found. Only those races whose DNA was compatible were spared. Small numbers of each race were kept alive on isolated planets as breeding stock. All others were annihilated. As the Androktones empire increased, so did the technology at their command, and soon they became invincible. No race, no empire could stand before them, all were consumed. In time, only the life forms that were similar to the Tun-Sho-Lok were left alive, all others were extinguished. The galaxy was almost empty. Then came disaster.

"One of the races kept alive were the Navak, those who gave us the name the Gest Hroya. They hated us with the same ferocity and passion as we hated them. But their genetic structure was so compatible with our own, that their hatred of us was ignored. Although defeated and enslaved, the Navak were still very clever and resourceful. They secretly devised a weapon that neutralized the ability of the Androktones to manipulate their molecular structure. Overnight, the balance of power swung away from the Androktones. It started as an uprising on one distant planet, and then it was a revolution, and finally, all out war.

"The Navak banded together the surviving humanoids and led them against the Androktones. Without the ability to alter their molecular structure, the Androktones were almost powerless on the ground. They were killed in the thousands. Only in space was the war more equal. Massed fleets tore each other to shreds in a war of survival. Smashed wrecks and burning hulks filled stellar systems and spiralled into stars.

"The Navak re-took their own homeworld and built vast planet destroying ships. One by one the Great Ships reduced to ashes the worlds that the Androktones still inhabited. What little that had survived from the original wars now succumbed to this new one. Everywhere there was death and fire. But the Androktones were not yet beaten. From the heart of their lost empire, they called out to their sisters, still pursuing war and other races on the far periphery of the galaxy. Soon vast fleets, far superior in number and power to those left smashed and reduced at the centre, were returning in great numbers. This would be the moment of truth. This was Year Zero. The Battle of the Black Cross Nebula.

"Fate and nature are things humans discuss. The game of chance is also familiar to you. The Gest Hroya thought nothing of these things. But it was fate, nature, and the law of averages that finally destroyed us.

"In order to reproduce, we must seek out the males of races whose genetic code is compatible to that of our own, to that of the Tun-Sho-Lok. But even then, we manipulate the DNA we receive during copulation and keep only what we need, discarding the rest. To do this successfully and repeatedly, we are allowed a certain amount of tolerance in the outcome of the manipulation. But if this limit of tolerance is exceeded in any way, then the results of the manipulation are discarded. For generations this process had been successful, but now nature and the law of averages caught us out.

"When the Androktones returning from the periphery made contact with those at the centre, it was to find that their DNA no longer matched. Generation after generation of tiny imperfections, unnoticed because of the differences in time and the distances across space, were suddenly plain and obvious. The Androktones on the outside of the empire, who had bred with new races found only on the periphery of the galaxy, differed with those at the centre, those at the inside of the empire, who had continued to breed from captive populations. The result was instant hatred. The Gest Hroya called it the Inside, Outside War. The Navak called it deliverance.

"Millions of Androktones perished at the Battle of the Black Cross Nebula, even before the humanoids entered the fray. Androktone ships blasted and rammed one another, flying passed Navak ships to do so. Soon, the space around the nebula was so thick with the drifting wrecks of dying ships that others could hardly fit through, and collided with them. Great fragments of ships would cartwheel through the gas of the nebula, shedding more fiery fragments on the way, until finally they collided with other ships, and erupted like tiny stars. Everywhere was smashed and twisted metal, and inside them, the dead and dying.

"When it was over, there was almost nothing left. Isolated Androktone ships that were damaged were picked off by the humanoids, and those that made planet-fall were hunted out and exterminated using the Navak planet destroying ships. But the Navak themselves did not escape the doom and destruction. Two of the planet destroying ships had been captured by the Androktones during the Battle of the Black Cross Nebula. Now the last of the surviving Androktones used them against the Navak's homeworld, destroying it forever. The Navak chased them in their anger. The chase took them across half the galaxy. World after world was destroyed, ship after ship lost in the pursuit, until finally, all ended here, at Ellerkan.

"Ellerkan had been colonised by a race of humans many years before. Outsider Androktones, pursuing war and conquest on the periphery, had attacked them and enslaved them. They were still here when one of the planet destroying ships carrying the Insider Androktones arrived and attacked them. It bombarded the planet, destroying the city of Ellerkan along with many others. But no sooner had the ship landed, and the war between the Androktones recommenced, when the Navak arrived in pursuit.

"The Navak came in the last of the great planet destroying ships. The two Great Ships fired at one another, one from space, and the other from the ground. The engagement between them was short, but such was their power, that both were soon lost. The Navak left their doomed ship, their army making planet-fall not far from here in the forest, and the war was continued in earnest.

"Although their numbers were few, the Navak had brought their weapon with them, the one that negated the Androktones power. Without our power we were defeated. But no one could leave this world. All the ships were lost, and none came close by. The galaxy was now a very empty place.

"The surviving Navak learned to live here, on Ellerkan. They interbred with the humans who were already here, and lived peacefully. But they never forgot their hatred of us, and for generations they hunted down and killed those of us who had survived.

"All this is in the distant past. You remember little of what really happened. Only recent history, combined and intermixed with fragments of the truth are remembered. There were many battles between your people and mine. Like the one you described with King Ru-Pert, and later with King Steff-An. But the exact nature of the battles are now blurred and mixed with legend. The castle you speak of marks the resting place of the _Althon Gerail_ , the Great Ship stolen from the Navak, a ship once capable of destroying whole planets. At one time, to possess it was to escape. But the Navak knew this, and forever kept us at bay. The castle was the last of many fortifications built to guard and keep it from us. Now the ship lies broken and buried beneath the hill upon which the castle stands. It is crushed by the weight of the earth, and its secrets and its importance have waned. We failed to enter the ship when it still could have helped us, and now the passing of time has overtaken us. We are defeated, and the Navak have triumphed.

"I believe that on this planet live the last of the Gest Hroya. That no Androktones exist anywhere else in the galaxy except for here, on Ellerkan, trapped with our ancient enemies. We hate you with a passion, and do our utmost to destroy you, but our numbers are now too few, and we live only to be hunted like animals by those who have forgotten the real reason why they hate us. But we have not forgotten. I have not forgotten.

"I took part in the Battle of the Black Cross Nebula. I watched the disaster unfold and spat hatred and maser blasts at the Outsiders even as they did the same to me. Later I boarded and fought my way onto the bridge of the _Althon Gerail,_ bathed in the blood of those I killed on the way. And later still I saw the destruction of the Navak homeworld. I watched as it burned, and its seas boiled. And afterwards I travelled here, to Ellerkan, and watched as the ship rained death down on to your great city. I have fought in the ruins of that city, killing all who I could find. Men, women, children. And I fought for the possession of the broken ship many times. And still later, I fought against the armies of King Ru-Pert, and King Steff-An. Now I live alone in the forest and the wilderness. If I meet a human, I kill them. And if I meet another Androktone, it is often an Outsider whom I must fight and also kill. For this reason, I live in isolation, avoiding all who pass near. I am tired, bitter, and old. And now I have come to you, and you have a choice that must be made."

Soo-Kai had continued to stare into the fire as she had told her story. Now she turned and stared directly into Rolf's eyes, seeing no hatred or fear there, but only sadness and horror. Rolf had sat transfixed by what she had told him, the tears still running un-wiped down his face. He had no words to say, and even if he had, his emotion would have overcome him. But Soo-Kai was not finished yet. She spoke relentlessly, her eyes remaining fixed on his.

"Know this, Rolf Le-Pine: I am an Androktone, a clone of the Tun-Sho-Lok, known to the Navak as the Gest Hroya, and to you as a Destroyer. The meanings are the same: I live only to kill and to procreate. You, Rolf, are the descendant of the Navak. Your blood may be mixed, but to me, you are a Navak, and I detest your very being, your very existence. To look at you is to cause me pain. If you hadn't answered my questions correctly, I would have killed you without thought or hesitation. You are my enemy, Rolf, as I am yours. But because you have approached me correctly, because you didn't kill me when you could, and because you have cared for me and tended for me when I was vulnerable, and given me sustenance when I was weak, you have initiated a bond between us. It is a bond that is as old as my race. It is necessary for reproduction and is controlled by instincts as powerful as those that make me kill. And because of this the hatred I feel for you has left me.

"Your approach to this bond may have been accidental, but your intentions have always been clear. From the moment you whispered in my ear I could taste the desire in your body. I will not harm you, Rolf Le-Pine. Instead I will do your bidding. I will stay with you, and care for you. I will even fight and die for you. I will follow no other purpose in life other than to serve you and please you. In return I will expect no less from you. But the bond is not yet fixed between us.

"To complete the bond there is one last task you must complete. You must copulate with me. But you must do it with desire, and willingly. If you do not, if I taste any hesitation or deception, then we must part and never meet again. Because if we do, I will kill you as if I had never known you.

"But only you can make the decision. You have initiated this bond, not I. As you approached me, I was content for my life to end. But you saved my life, even at risk to your own, and now you must decide. I will wait until the sun has gone down. But when darkness falls, I must know your answer."

Now he knows.

His body rhythms are in turmoil. He will deny you.

He is shocked. He will accept me.

### Chapter Six

### A Lifetime Commitment

Rolf took time to recover. What Soo-Kai had told him had been so powerful and dark, that his emotions overcame him, and he wept. When he had finally calmed down, he went to pour water from the bucket into the large bowl and began washing his face. Soo-Kai waited patiently, watching him while he washed and dried his face. Rolf then went to the fire and poured more coffee from the pot. He offered her some, but she shook her head, asking for water instead. Rolf took another cup and poured water into it from the bucket. He handed her the cup of water and sat down next to her on the mattress again. He drank coffee, while she drank water. They sat in silence for a while, both staring into the fire. Rolf was the first to speak.

"Your history made me cry," he said.

"I am sorry," she replied. "I did not mean to upset you. But it was necessary that you knew the truth so that we could both enter the bond with our eyes open. There must be no deceit, on either side. Both must be truthful and willing. I could not let you enter the bond in ignorance, it would not be fair, and it would not be a true bond."

Rolf looked at her. "I thought you were just a woman."

"Now you know the truth. You and I are alien races, genetically similar, but different. Whereas you are the results of natural evolution, I am the result of specific design. I am a lie, a _false_ woman."

"You aren't false," Rolf protested. "You live and breathe, and you feel pain. You are real. I have held you in the night; I have felt the warmth of your body as you slept. You are not false."

"But I am not whole, not complete. When I tell you that I am false, it is because I lack the depth and emotions of a female from your race. I have only the abilities required to carry out my task. I do not invent, sow, dance, or sing. I neither laugh, nor cry. What is it that makes a true woman? I know not, this is why I am false."

Rolf had no answer to her reasoning. He stared at the fire again. There was a brief silence, and then Rolf said rather sadly, "I cried for you. I cried for your people, and I cried for all those others who perished for no reason. I don't think of myself as a Navak, but I cried for them, also."

"You are not alone in your tears," she replied. "Many have cried before. It does not change anything."

"Why can you not cry?"

"We were not given the instincts for remorse. And without remorse, one cannot cry."

Rolf turned to her and spoke emotionally. "But you must feel some sadness at what happened! I could sense it in your voice as you told me your story. You told it with such passion, with such feeling!"

She shook her head. "The only emotions I feel are the negative ones. I feel hatred, bitterness and anger, but not love or remorse. Because of this, I have little understanding of what these other emotions feel like. But I do understand the reasoning behind them. We had a vast empire, and we were vast in number, and now we are all nearly gone. I understand this loss, this disaster, but I am unsure of its effect on me. Maybe what I feel is similar to what you call despair, but I am unsure. When our ships destroyed one another at the Black Cross Nebula, I remember feeling confused, and somehow angry. But I was as overcome with hatred for the Outsiders as were my sisters, so it is difficult to say if I felt sad. All I can say is that I have never cried. Not for them, nor for the Tun-Sho-Lok."

"Why are you all women?" he asked.

She answered his question without hesitation. "It is necessary to control the manipulation of the genes for reproduction. A male would have no control or influence apart from what he gave. We analyse the chromosomes we receive and cut and re-splice our DNA many times, keeping what is good, and discarding what is bad. Only when the result is acceptable is an ovum fertilised and allowed to divide and grow."

"Where did the sword go?"

Again she answered without hesitation. "The sword contains the most active parts of the micro-biotic elements of my body. It is part of my spinal column and cerebral cortex. By altering its molecular structure, I can detach it and replace it as you saw."

As she spoke, Soo-Kai reached up to her neck, tilted her head, and drew the sword effortlessly and silently from her back. Rolf stared in wonder as she held the sword out to him.

"You may hold it if you wish," she said.

Rolf put down his cup of coffee and took the sword in nervous hands. He had held it once before, but then he had hardly glanced at it. It felt quite heavy, and it glinted in the firelight like silver. Even the handle, which felt soft, looked like metal. He touched the blade and was instantly surprised by its feel.

"Its edge is blunt!" he exclaimed.

She took the sword from him. "I told you I would not harm you. The sword is part of me, so it will not cut you. Only to you is the edge blunt, but to everything else, it is sharp."

She demonstrated her words by chopping the edge of the sword down over some wood stacked by the fire. The wood was sliced through.

Rolf quickly recovered one of the pieces, examining the neat edge to the cut. "It is indeed sharp. But how can this be, when a moment ago it was blunt?"

"I can alter the edge to be either blunt, or sharp by simple thought. The sword responds as would any muscle or limb in my body. If the Navak weapon did not still function, I could change the sword into many different weapons of great power. But now it is fixed only as a sword."

She replaced the sword in her back, Rolf watching as the metal flowed like liquid, and the handle moulded itself to the back of her neck. In an instant it became flesh coloured and disappeared.

"What is this Navak weapon you speak of?" Rolf asked as he tossed the wood on to the fire.

"It is a satellite that circles this planet and bathes it in a dampening field, a field that suppresses the forming of any complex molecular structures in our bodies. Because of this, only simple shapes and structures can be made, like a sword, or a knife, or an axe."

"Are these weapons not enough?"

"Not when you are facing laser cannons and disrupters."

"These are weapons that I am unfamiliar with. But like many of the things you've told me, I understand your meaning. With only swords, your people fell to the greater power of others, who still wielded these weapons you speak of. Now all the knowledge of these weapons, of how to travel among the stars, and light the night skies, has been lost to us. Like you, we wield only swords and battle-axes. But we have forgotten what you remember. Our history is a patchwork of the truth, while yours is still intact. I think this is because we lost too many elements over the re-telling from one generation to the next. And each time the stories were told, they were embellished and romanticised. The details were lost, and the legends created. You have not had this problem. You were there, Soo-Kai, you lived through it. But how can this be? These things happened over many years and generations. How old are you?"

"In your terms, I am two thousand, seven hundred and eighty-five years old."

Rolf's eyes grew round. He had suspected that she must be old to have seen all the events she described, but not that old. "By all that's holy," he breathed. "I'm only just twenty-four..."

"And when you are four times this age, I will look the same as I do today."

"You are immortal?"

"No, just genetically engineered. We have complete control over the genetic material within our bodies. When we reproduce, it is a bioengineering task that few electronic computers can master. We do it in a few seconds. And when our own cells divide, they reproduce themselves exactly. There is no degradation, and no deviation. We do not age, and when we are injured we do not scar. Given time, we can even re-grow limbs that are lost in battle. The wounds in my side and my chest, the scratches and bruises on my face and my body, all these will disappear in a short time. We do not die, Rolf, but we are not immortal. We must be killed."

Her explanations were always detailed and precise, and almost incomprehensible. But Rolf never doubted for one moment that any of what she told him was untrue. A dark thought suddenly occurred to him.

"You were tired of life, you wanted me to kill you that night, and instead, I saved you. Are you angry with me for that?"

She shook her head. "I knew instantly that you were initiating a bond. The bonding process lifts many controls from our minds, and replaces them with others. It is the one time in our lives when the purpose of bringing death is replaced with that of bringing life. If the bond is true, and your intent is good, then it can be a time of contentment and peace. If you pursue the bond with me, I will be content not to be dead. But I will not force your decision."

"Would you have let me kill you?"

She nodded.

"And if I refuse to bond with you, what will you do?"

"Go on living until I am killed."

Rolf smiled. But it was a sad smile. "Despite your arguments against emotion, the weight of your memories hang heavy on you, don't they?"

"You are correct, but I will be spared these memories in time."

"You will forget?"

"Yes, I will forget. I am old, Rolf, and I have limited memory capacity."

"But didn't those that made you think of this?" Rolf asked in amazement. "They thought of everything else!"

She seemed unperturbed. "They did, but I do not think they expected us to live so long. Being trapped here on this world in an environment that lacks intense warfare was not foreseen, nor was the effect a long memory would have upon us. The solution they provided was drastic, but functional.

"The longer I live, the more memories I must store. To provide the additional capacity I require, my mind condenses what I have already stored. It keeps only the important tactical information, erasing the rest. Because of this, I will lose the memories of other things, like the visual impressions of burning ships, or of violet sunsets on distant worlds. The names of the ships will fade, as will the names of the worlds and the races that lived on them. I will forget the things I saw, the people I met, and the things I did. And with those memories will go the effects they had upon my mind."

Rolf was alarmed at the implications. "But without what you remember, you will not be who you are anymore! Your character, your personality, these have been shaped by your experiences! Without them, who will you be?"

Slowly, thoughtfully, she nodded. "What you say is true, and because of it, I fear the future. I feel that I have already exceeded the peak of my memory capacity, that compression has already begun, and that I am on the decline. Soon only the tactical details of my past will remain with me. Like a battle computer, I will contain only the movements of war, the details of the mistakes made, or the moves that were successful. I will become a shell. Yes, I fear the future, and I fear that my time as a sentient being is limited."

"That's why you were prepared to die," Rolf said knowingly.

She didn't answer.

Rolf stared at her. He looked very emotional and intense. She looked back at him, waiting and saying nothing. Suddenly, Rolf put his arm around her waist and slipped his other arm under her knees, his hand gripping her thigh. For a moment she thought he was going to lift her up, his grip was so tight. In fact, as he pulled her close and hugged her, he did lift her. She felt pain in her side from the wound, but she ignored it. They were now so close, that all she could see were his blue eyes, staring at her so intensely.

"I want you," Rolf said. "I want the bond with you. And I want it to be fixed between us. And if you are well enough, I want to do it now."

She nodded. "There will be some pain, but I am capable of this act. If this is what you truly wish, then we can copulate now."

"No, not copulate. I wish to make love to you. There is a great difference, and I want you to know that difference. My experience in the art of love is not great, but I will do my best, and I will always love you. I want to love you for as long as I can, for as long as you can remember, and for as long as I am able. I want you to know what it means to be loved by another. I want to share my life with you, and I want to teach you to laugh and to smile. I want you to live as my wife, Soo-Kai, before all others. Do you accept me?"

For a moment she didn't respond. Then she reached out and stroked his face, her fingers moving delicately over his skin. At last she spoke.

"I can feel from your touch that your words are genuine, and that your body is already aroused. Yes. I accept the bond with you, Rolf, and from today onwards, we will live as one, and not part until one of us breathes no more."

### Chapter Seven

### The Passing of Time

Making love to Soo-Kai was an experience Rolf never tired of. From the first time that day, on the mattress before the fire, to the night they celebrated their fourth anniversary together, it was exciting, rapturous, and deeply ethereal. Each time was as if they had never known one another before. It was always new, always fresh, and always an adventure to be enjoyed.

Soo-Kai responded to Rolf in a way he could never have imagined. Not that he could judge on her performance. Even before he came to the Court of King Edmund, he had never been very successful in love. He hated to admit it, but three girlfriends and one night of passion was all he could call on for his lifetime's achievement. Things had been far worse when he left the village of his birthplace in Halafalon and came to Ellerkan. At Court he had very little to offer except his youth, and there was little demand for that. And most of the ladies he had considered had turned their noses up at him. They could do better than a mere tailor. No, his experience was limited, but even he knew that Soo-Kai was exceptional.

It was because she knew her own body so well. She had explained it to him. She had complete control over her body, and she could sense every fibre, every blood vessel. From her head to her toes, she could sense, feel and control all of it. It was part of the same process that allowed her to detach and control her sword. It meant that when she became aroused, she _really_ became aroused. She felt every touch and stimulation in a magnified way, and what she felt, she blew right back at him.

At first it had alarmed and frightened Rolf. Soo-Kai's wounds were still fresh, and he thought she would injure herself, so great were her exertions. He had tried to calm her, but she would have none of it. She didn't seem to care, so lost was she in her ecstasy. And soon, even Rolf was too absorbed in what they did. Afterwards she had been dismissive at his concern.

She told him that her control over her body was so complete, that when she was injured, she could even constrict the blood vessels that fed the damaged skin and muscle, limiting the blood loss. That was why she hadn't bled to death in the forest until Rolf had returned for her that night. And that was why she was so tireless in her lovemaking. What she could constrict and reduce, she could also expand and increase. She could expand her airways, and draw in more air, widen her blood vessels, and pump more blood. It was necessary in battle, to run, to fight, and to be able to kill even when wounded. But that same ability gave her an almost inexhaustible energy during lovemaking. She called it copulation, Rolf called them marathons.

That first time had lasted until the sun went down. She had been relentless in her pursuit of satisfaction. And her insatiability was reflected in him. She never failed to arouse and stimulate him, no matter how tired he became. They had swapped around and changed positions countless times, and when they had finally finished, Rolf could barely stand. But in the end, all their exertions came to nothing.

For Soo-Kai, sex was not just for pleasure, although she gained much from it. It was about procreation. But it was her choice who she would procreate with. When Prince Carl and his men had raped her, she had virtually shut down her body, cutting off her sensations and her responses. They had sensed and felt nothing that Rolf had experienced. But the knowledge of it had become legend, and it was this, more than anything, that had kept the Hunts popular. For Soo-Kai, the liaison had been unwanted. That made it meaningless. She rejected it as she rejected them. The genetic material they gave her was also rejected, voided, and discarded.

This was not the case with Rolf. What he gave, she kept. And as soon as Rolf had staggered away in search of sustenance, she had started the mental analysis and manipulation of the genetic material she had received from him. She had remained on the mattress, curled up in a ball. She whimpered and fidgeted, her eyes tightly closed in her concentration. Rolf returned and held her. They had lain together on the mattress, warming before the fire. He fed her and gave her water, but as the time passed, her distress became ever clearer.

At first, Rolf was unsure of what it was that ailed her. During their lovemaking she had been so strong and vigorous, and now she seemed as fragile as a newborn kitten. When she finally relaxed and explained to him, he was deeply saddened.

To reproduce, Soo-Kai had to combine the genetic material she received from Rolf with her own DNA. She had six ova waiting to be fertilised. It was a mathematical race. She took Rolf's DNA and split it, cutting out gene sequences that were familiar and acceptable. These short strings of DNA she then spliced into a sample of her own DNA, cutting out and replacing the existing, corresponding gene sequences. She did this as often as she could, until she was left with a complete X-chromosome assembled from a combination of her own DNA and that of Rolf's. This she then used to fertilise the ova. It was a delicate and exact process. Too little of Rolf's genetic material, and the ova may fail to divide and grow, too much, and the tolerance levels would be exceeded, and the ova would risk rejection by her own body.

If successful, she would give birth to six infants, all female, all Destroyers like herself. Their DNA would take the best of what Rolf had to offer, without diluting the Destroyer influence and purpose. In three years they would have grown to adulthood. In three more years they would have been sexually mature. It was a growth rate and a method of reproduction that was necessary for war. It had proved to be very effective.

Normally, breeding with a member of the Navak race would have been easy, but Rolf was the result of generations of inter-breeding with Ellerkans other humanoid race. Although both races were compatible to one another, each was not compatible to one or other of the Destroyers. The Navak were compatible with the Insiders, like Soo-Kai, but not with the Outsiders. The reverse was the case with the other humanoid race. They were compatible with the Outsiders, but not with the Insiders. If the races had been kept apart, both Insider and Outsider Destroyers would have been able to breed successfully. But with the genetic stock now mixed, both sets of Destroyers found procreation to be almost impossible.

At first the decline had gone unnoticed. But generation after generation saw the number of Destroyer births slowly reduced. And even with their accelerated birth and growth rates, their population fell. Their aggressive nature meant that the numbers killed in battle never declined, and their eventual defeat to King Stephen was due more to their lack of numbers than to his prowess in war. The Hunts did the rest. Now the Destroyers had almost disappeared, and the only reason any of them still existed on Ellerkan at all was because of their longevity.

At first, Rolf tried to dismiss it as unimportant. It had been their first time together, and he was sure they would be more successful next time. She too was positive. She told him that, mathematically, it was still possible to procreate. She had known other Destroyers that had managed to do so. But the numbers were few, and the results were not always acceptable. Rolf wanted to believe her. But as time passed, and the results were always the same, it began to eat into him. Soon he yearned for children. It was the only blight on their relationship.

Soo-Kai knew how it hurt him. It hurt her also. She was bonded to Rolf, he was good to her, and their relationship grew and strengthened with the passing of the years. But the purpose of the bond was to reproduce. The time was passing, and each year was wasted with no offspring.

After each time she made love with Rolf, Soo-Kai's attempts to conceive successfully grew more tortuous. But her attempts to get the right mix of her own DNA with that of Rolf's would always fail. Always the ova would receive too little from Rolf, or too much, and always they died or were rejected. Soon she began to hate her body and the limits her instincts imposed upon her.

They are incorrect! They must die!

But Rolf wants them so!

You want them! They are incorrect! Mutated! Kill them! Kill them!

Rolf could never understand why it wouldn't work. He understood when the ova died, but he questioned what she meant when she said that they were rejected. She told him that she had to discard them when they exceeded the limits set within her body. He was appalled. She told him that she had no choice. But he couldn't understand the power of her instincts, and the control they had over her to maintain the purity of her race. She had to reject them; they were incorrect, imperfect, and deviant. It almost broke Rolf. He became withdrawn, and for a time he avoided her.

It was the weakest time in their relationship. Soo-Kai feared that she had turned Rolf from her, that he would never again love her as he once had. But another fear tortured her. As each year passed, her memory was compressed. She forgot things. And the horror of it was that she forgot what she forgot. It just disappeared. Early history, the name of the race that exterminated the Tun-Sho-Lok, all gone. Planets she had visited, food she had tasted, other Destroyers she had known, even those she had once given birth to in her early life, all vanished.

It was a dark time. Rolf silent and brooding, Soo-Kai fearful and lonely. Then came Mai-Zen.

### Chapter Eight

### Visitors

Soo-Kai and Rolf were in their fifth year together. Rolf was in the pit of his depression. He spent most of the day wandering in the forest on his own, leaving Soo-Kai at the house. Things had never been worse between them. They had even stopped making love together; Rolf seemed to lose heart in it. Soo-Kai worried about him, but she knew that it was she that was the cause of his sadness, and because of this there was nothing she could do. She was content to wait for Rolf to come out of his depression on his own, but it had been a long wait, and it didn't look like it would end soon.

It was midsummer. They were both in the house after having been out to collect firewood and water. As was the way with them recently, they hardly spoke. What they did they did mechanically, and through habit. Soo-Kai had just put down the bucket when she sensed the other Destroyer. She stood completely still and raised her head. She took three or four quick breaths through her nose. Yes, she could smell her. She was close, and she was not alone. Being in the house restricted her senses. But if Soo-Kai could smell them, they could smell her. She took several more quick sniffs.

Rolf was busy stacking the firewood next to the fire. He didn't hear Soo-Kai taking her rapid breaths, he wasn't listening. But when he turned and saw her look of concentration, and the way she was standing bolt upright on tiptoe, her neck out-stretched and her head back, he knew that something was wrong.

"What is it?" he said, standing up.

"A Destroyer comes," Soo-Kai said taking another breath. "She is not alone."

Rolf thought the worse. "Are there many of them?"

"No. Just two. The Destroyer and a man."

Now that confused Rolf. What would another man be doing with a Destroyer? Or was that a silly question? Soo-Kai was already heading for the door. Rolf quickly followed her.

It was early afternoon. The sun was still high and it was warm. The house was in a small clearing in the forest where the trees were sparser. They could see a little way, but soon all was blocked by more trees. Even the stream where they got their water was lost from view. Rolf looked around, but he could see no one.

"Where are they?" he asked.

"This way." Soo-Kai took Rolf's arm and led him around the house to the side. She stood still and pointed. "There."

Rolf stared. Just beyond the line of trees, almost hidden from view, were two horses. A man and a woman stood in front of them. They seemed to be talking. As Rolf watched, they started to walk forward, leading their horses behind them. They came into the clearing, and Soo-Kai immediately reached for the back of her neck. Rolf saw her movement and quickly grabbed her before she could draw her sword.

"No, Soo-Kai!" he shouted. "If they are together, they must be bonded, like us!"

Soo-Kai began to struggle with him. She looked agitated and alarmed, almost frightened. "Release me, Rolf! You know I cannot fight you! Let me draw my sword!"

"But why? Stop this!"

"Because she is an Outsider!"

Rolf glanced at the two who approached. They were standing still now, staring at them. "But they're bonded! She won't hurt you!"

"She is an Outsider, I am an Insider! Neither of us will accept the bond of the other! We must still fight!"

Rolf continued to wrestle with Soo-Kai, but he looked again at the man and the woman. What he saw surprised him, and he renewed his efforts. Soo-Kai was right, he knew that she could not fight against him with much vigour, but it was a test he had never tried until now. Even so, it wasn't easy. Wrapping his arms around Soo-Kai, he finally managed to pin her arms to her sides, then he pulled her to the ground. They both ended up on their knees. Soo-Kai looked very distressed.

"Let me go, Rolf! Please!" she begged.

"No! Look, Soo-Kai!" He twisted her around, turning her towards them. "Look at them! See? He does the same with her! You will not fight! Now stop this and be calm! I demand it!"

Soo-Kai looked, and slowly she stopped wriggling. She stared at the man with the other Destroyer. Just like her and Rolf, they were struggling together. The man held the Destroyer's wrist, pulling her hand from her neck. He had his other arm around her, and as they struggled, he pulled her back, and she fell over. The man sat on her, but she continued struggling, her legs kicking.

Soo-Kai stared in wonder. "We are the same," she muttered.

Rolf hung on to Soo-Kai even though she had stopped struggling and seemed calm. Like her, he watched the man sitting on the other Destroyer. Neither of them seemed to realise that they had already spoken to each other that day far more than they had done for the past week. Slowly the other Destroyer stopped kicking her legs. She grew calmer, and lay still. Finally the man looked over his shoulder and held up his hand. He smiled.

Rolf did something he hadn't done in ages. He smiled back. "He has persuaded her as I have persuaded you. Come on, Soo-Kai. Get up. Let us meet our visitors."

His name was Gustavo L'Poll. He was slightly older than Rolf, with jet-black curly hair, dark eyes and a complexion to match. He looked a bit meaner and harder than Rolf, but his smile was broad and genuine. Her name was Mai-Zen. Her height and shapely figure matched that of Soo-Kai almost perfectly. Only her face and features were different. She had a pronounced jawbone, giving her a slightly square face. Her eyes were bright blue, and her hair long and blonde. She was beautiful.

Gustavo introduced himself and Mai-Zen to Rolf and Soo-Kai. He smiled constantly, and kept his arm around Mai-Zen possessively. Rolf found himself doing the same as he introduced himself and Soo-Kai. The four of them stood together in the little clearing. Rolf and Gustavo just stood there smiling at one another, while Soo-Kai and Mai-Zen stared at one another with wide and nervous eyes. Then Gustavo turned to Mai-Zen.

"Is Soo-Kai not beautiful, Mai-Zen?" he asked her.

Mai-Zen nodded her head in short rapid jerks. She never took her eyes off Soo-Kai, and she didn't speak.

Gustavo squeezed her waist. "Do you want to touch her?"

Mai-Zen looked terrified at the very idea. She shook her head vigorously. Gustavo laughed.

"Insiders, Outsiders, they hate one another with the venom of snakes! But each is as fascinated as the other! Look at how your Soo-Kai stares at my Mai-Zen!"

Rolf looked. It was true. It was as if Soo-Kai was mesmerised by the sight of the other Destroyer. Rolf suddenly realised what this meeting must mean to Soo-Kai. Insiders and Outsiders never met except to fight. Now here she was, face to face with an Outsider, and both their swords were un-drawn. Rolf smiled in a rather sad way. Soo-Kai didn't know what to do. Neither of them knew what to do.

Rolf took Soo-Kai's hand. "Why don't you touch her?" he said.

Like Mai-Zen, Soo-Kai also shook her head vigorously.

Rolf didn't give up. "Be brave, Soo-Kai. You know you want to really. It might be your only chance."

Soo-Kai's reply was curt. "No."

Rolf kept talking, pulling her hand forward. "You're both bonded. You're both curious. This could be the only chance you ever get to touch an Outsider without hurting her. Come on; try it, Soo-Kai."

Gustavo had taken Mai-Zen's hand and also pulled it forward. "He's right Mai-Zen. The mysteries of your opposite sisters are there for you to discover. Touch her, feel her. You and she could be the only two Destroyers to do this in the history of your race. Touch her, Mai-Zen."

Rolf and Gustavo kept talking while they pulled the hands of the two Destroyers closer and closer together. Now both Destroyers stared at their own out-stretched hands in terror. As their fingers came ever closer, their eyes grew bigger and more round. Closer and closer. Mai-Zen began to whimper, Soo-Kai drew her leg up and fidgeted, twisting her body round as Rolf kept a firm grip around her waist. Finally, their fingers met. It was the tiniest, briefest of touches. Both Destroyers screamed and broke away. They shook their hands in the air, blew on their fingers, and rubbed them on their clothes and on the grass.

Rolf looked on in amazement as Soo-Kai began licking her fingers. It was as if they had been burnt. Mai-Zen began to do the same.

Gustavo roared with laughter.

"Are they not jewels, Rolf?" he managed to say in his fit of laughing. "Would you swap them for anything else?"

Rolf shook his head as he continued to stare at Soo-Kai.

Then Mai-Zen walked up to Gustavo and smacked him on the chest.

"Pig!" she exclaimed.

Gustavo just laughed louder.

Gustavo and Mai-Zen stayed for the rest of the day and night. Rolf and Gustavo talked endlessly about their lives with their Destroyers. Gustavo had been with Mai-Zen for eleven years. Rolf was eager to know if they had children. Gustavo said not. Anyway, it suited their roving lifestyle. They had travelled across the mountains from Falonbeck to Halafalon because Gustavo wanted to see the castle that marked the sight of the great battles with the Destroyers. Gustavo was adventurous and a little too reckless for Rolf's liking. But that was his choice. And apart from that, they got on well.

Gustavo was exactly what Rolf needed. He was bright, cheerful, and terribly mischievous. He talked about sex, he made passes at Soo-Kai, and he even suggested that all four of them set to it, right then and there on the table. At first Rolf was embarrassed, but when Gustavo roared with laughter, he realised that Gustavo had just been pulling his leg, that he had no intention of sharing Mai-Zen with anyone, not even with another Destroyer.

Slowly, Rolf warmed to the conversation and the laughter that Gustavo instilled. He was very infectious. Soon Rolf was talking in a way he hadn't done for a long time. He began to smile, and he even laughed at Gustavo's jokes.

Gustavo and Rolf talked about war, and about history, and always about Destroyers. They laughed, talked, ate and drank coffee for the rest of the day. And while they talked and laughed, Mai-Zen and Soo-Kai watched one another constantly.

At first they had both sat at the table next to Gustavo and Rolf. But as the day and the conversation wore on, Soo-Kai moved away and sat by the fire. The mattress that made their bed was now positioned against the opposite wall from the table. A rug now took its place by the fire. Soo-Kai sat on the rug and watched Rolf and Gustavo, happy that this human stranger had brought joy back to the face of her bond. But she was always conscious of Mai-Zen. It was very unsettling sharing their house with this Outsider.

It became even more unsettling when Mai-Zen came and sat next to her by the fire a short time later. Soo-Kai looked at her in annoyance. Then she got up and went outside. Mai-Zen watched her go. If Rolf and Gustavo noticed her leave, they didn't show it, chatting on as before.

Soo-Kai sat in the fading sun with her back against the wall of the house. She could hear Rolf and Gustavo still talking inside. It pleased her that Rolf was happy, and she was content to be alone. Her solitude was short-lived. She had been there only a few minutes when Mai-Zen appeared and sat next to her. She sat quite close to Soo-Kai. Again Soo-Kai looked back at her in annoyance and shifted further along the wall. A moment later and Mai-Zen moved closer again.

Soo-Kai gave up. "Why do you pursue me?" she snapped. "Do you wish us to fight?"

"No," Mai-Zen said as if hurt by the idea. "I was curious, that is all. Are you not curious?"

Soo-Kai hesitated before nodding her head. She looked at the clothes Mai-Zen wore. She had a tunic of leather that was open at the neck. It revealed a lot of her cleavage, and she didn't seem to be wearing anything underneath it. Instead of leggings she wore a short skirt that left much of her legs exposed. The skirt and tunic were both plain black. In contrast, Soo-Kai wore a yellow blouse and red leggings. Both were richly embroidered and decorative. The only similarity in their outfits was their boots. Soo-Kai reached out and touched Mai-Zen's skirt.

"Why are your legs bare?" she asked.

Mai-Zen shrugged. "Gust-Avo prefers to see my legs."

"He likes to see your skin?"

"Yes, often and a lot. Does not your Rolf do the same?"

Soo-Kai nodded. "He does not ask me to wear things that expose my skin as you do, but he likes to look on me when we are alone together, and he likes to touch. He touches me a lot."

"Yes, Gust-Avo also likes to touch. But does your Rolf not do this during the day, when you least expect it?"

"Sometimes, yes. And we copulate quite frequently." The lies came easily, but she knew that she would be found out. "Rolf wants offspring."

Mai-Zen nodded knowingly. "Gust-Avo is content that our genes do not match. We also copulate often. Gust-Avo likes to surprise me. He sees it as a challenge."

"Rolf is not content," Soo-Kai finally admitted. "He pines for the success of his seed. Our failure hurts him. We have not copulated for some time. We hardly speak."

"I sensed this stress between you, and that you hid something from me. Can you not make the right balance?"

Soo-Kai felt relieved that the truth was out. "No," she said sadly. "And you?"

"Gust-Avo's blood is too mixed. There is not enough compatible material for me to use. It is the same with all the Terrans. Our numbers are now fewer than yours. The arrival of the Navak killed our race."

They sat in silence a moment, then Mai-Zen reached out and tugged on Soo-Kai's blouse. "You wear pretty things filled with colour."

"Rolf made them for me. He always liked to spend time making things for me to wear. They are always pretty."

Mai-Zen ran her hand down the side of Soo-Kai's leggings. "He is good at his art. They fit you very well. He must like to see your shape."

Soo-Kai stared at Mai-Zen's hand as it traced her hip and thigh. "You touch me, but do not touch me."

Mai-Zen took her hand away. "You scare me. Have you ever touched and not killed an Outsider before?"

Soo-Kai shook her head. "Have you ever touched and not killed an Insider?"

"No. Are you as scared of my touch as I am of yours?"

"No."

In proof of her answer, Soo-Kai suddenly stretched out her hand and placed it on Mai-Zen's bare thigh. Mai-Zen went rigid. She stared at the hand on her leg, and then she looked at Soo-Kai. It was like a catalyst. An instant later and they grabbed one another. They touched and explored, they sniffed and smelled each other, they ran their hands through one another's hair, and they tugged at one another's clothes and searched beneath. None of it was sexual, but all of it was curiosity gone wild. Each wanted to know the other so urgently, that they ended up wrestling about on the grass.

So absorbed were they that they didn't notice the silence in the house until a voice said, "Are you decent?"

Soo-Kai and Mai-Zen disentangled themselves and looked up.

Gustavo's head had appeared at the window above their heads. He had his hand over his eyes, although he left an obvious gap to peep through. "From the sounds of scuffling against this wall, you two fair maidens are either strangling one another, or you are deep in one another's arms making passionate love together. Please tell me it is the latter, and Rolf and I will quickly join you!"

Mai-Zen said, "Pig!" and Gustavo laughed and disappeared.

Soo-Kai looked at Mai-Zen. "Why do you call him that?"

"He likes it. Humans are weird. Had you not noticed?"

The four of them spent the rest of the evening together in the house. Soo-Kai showed Mai-Zen some of the outfits Rolf had made for her. Afterwards, as the night grew cold, they all sat by the fire. Soo-Kai sat on Rolf's lap, while Mai-Zen sat on Gustavo's. Both Destroyers were hugged tightly as the four of them talked into the night. Soo-Kai and Mai-Zen talked more freely, and soon they were all talking like they had never done so before. Gustavo could make a joke of anything, even tragic events. Rolf and he would laugh, while the two Destroyers would merely smile the weak half smile that they could manage.

Soon their minds turned to other things. Gustavo and Mai-Zen went outside, despite Rolf's protests.

"The bedding and tent we bring on our horses is enough for us," Gustavo told Rolf. "In any case, I would not be comfortable under a solid roof. I am by nature a roving soul. And to be fair, this is your house."

Rolf tried to persuade him and Mai-Zen to stay and share their fire, but Gustavo said that they would light their own fire, and the argument was over.

When they were alone together, Rolf took Soo-Kai's hand and sat with her next to the fire. She remained silent, watching him, and waiting. He had grown sad again, and he looked like he was about to cry. When he spoke, it was nervously.

"When we first met, and we sat by the fire like this, I told you that I would always love you. I broke that promise. I have been selfish, and hurtful. Can you forgive me?"

"I would forgive you even if you took up a knife and killed me," she replied.

Her words caused the tears to come at last to Rolf's eyes, and he embraced Soo-Kai, hugging her tightly. "Oh, my darling, Soo-Kai! I'm so sorry! I have treated you so badly! I pushed you away! For a while I even hated you! How you must have suffered!"

He began to kiss her all over her face and head. He kissed her again and again, talking between each kiss.

"I hate myself! I am so shallow! I never once thought of you! I am a fool! If you had taken up a knife and killed me, it would have been nothing less than I deserved!"

Soo-Kai held on to Rolf as tightly as he held her. "You deserve no such thing," she said, her voice faltering as she spoke. "The fault is within me. I cannot do what you ask, and it is I that will always be sorry."

Rolf held her head in his hands, staring into her face. "You're crying," he said in surprise.

She nodded, the tears running down her face as they did on his. "You see, my husband. You have not broken your promise to me. You said that you would teach me to cry, and you have. Now you must teach me to laugh."

Rolf wiped the tears from her face and kissed her again. Then he hugged her tightly and they fell back on the rug in front of the fire.

That night, a man and a Destroyer found pleasure together both inside and outside the little house in the forest. And strangely enough, each Destroyer found herself in the right place according to her type.

When morning came, Soo-Kai went to fetch water from the nearby stream. Mai-Zen went with her. As Soo-Kai sank the bucket in the stream, Mai-Zen sat on the bank and splashed water on her face and neck. Instead of the black leather tunic, she was wearing a light blue blouse that she had liked, and that Soo-Kai had given to her. But she still wore the short skirt.

"Soo-Kai," she said. "If we meet again and my bond with Gust-Avo is at an end, I will try my best not to kill you. If my will is not strong, then I will avoid you. Can you say the same?"

Soo-Kai sat down next to her. She shook her head sadly. "If we meet again, and my bond with Rolf has ended, I will kill you."

Mai-Zen looked upset. "Do you not like me?"

"Yes. And because of this I tell you now that if we do meet again, and my bond is over, you must strike me first."

"But why? Your will is strong, can you not try?"

"My mind is in compression."

Mai-Zen suddenly understood. "How old are you?"

"Two thousand, seven hundred and eighty-nine. By the time my bond with Rolf is over, I will have forgotten you."

Mai-Zen nodded. "I am two thousand, two hundred and five. I pity you."

"Then do not avoid me when your bond is over," Soo-Kai said harshly. "Instead, seek me out, and if my bond is also over, kill me."

Mai-Zen didn't reply, she just stared at Soo-Kai sadly.

Soo-Kai stood up. Mai-Zen also stood up. A thought occurred to her, and she quickly grabbed Soo-Kai. "Did you try again with Rolf's seed?" she demanded.

"Yes. As always, they exceeded the limits and I had to discard them. I know it hurt Rolf, but he said nothing. I think his melancholy is over."

Mai-Zen held her tightly and spoke urgently. "Over or not, next time this happens, do not discard them, Soo-Kai. Once they live, turn your mind from the task, and ignore them as they grow."

Soo-Kai tried to break away. She was dismissive and annoyed. "I cannot! You speak of false dreams! You have been with Gust-Avo too long!"

Mai-Zen hung onto her. She spoke insistently. "Was it not a false dream to touch an Outsider? Have we killed one another? Your will was stronger than mine! I was too scared to be the first to touch! You led the way, I followed! Lead the way now! Forget what your instincts tell you! Use the power of the bond! And when the time comes, let them grow! Have something for you and Rolf before your mind and your will perishes!"

Mai-Zen now spoke with obvious envy. "I wish I could do what you can still do! I wish I could feel my seed and Gust-Avo's seed growing inside me! I wish I could see them run and bask in the sun! To watch them grow tall and become strong! Have you forgotten this joy already?"

Soo-Kai's eyes suddenly filled with tears. "I have forgotten," she admitted. "I forget those I had. I forget their names. If I had another I would not know the sequence. Your words hurt me. You make me cry as Rolf taught me to cry by his silent pain." She grew more agitated. "An Androktone does not cry! Stop this!"

Mai-Zen let go of her, but she wasn't finished yet. "Rolf and Gust-Avo said that we should touch and know one another because it would be the one chance we had. They were right, and I will not forget you. Even when my memory is condensed, when my mind is so compressed that I can remember nothing else, I will save the memory of this meeting to the last. I will remember how you looked, how you smelt, and how you tasted. I have taken my one chance, and I will always be thankful. You still have another chance to take. It will be as hard and as easy as the first. You are within a bond; it gives our minds freedom. Use that freedom, Soo-Kai, take the chance you still have, while you still can."

When Mai-Zen had finished, they just stared at one another. Then Soo-Kai put the bucket of water down, and taking Mai-Zen's hands in hers, she leaned forward. Mai-Zen also leaned forward, and when their faces were close, they touched and rubbed their cheeks together in an affectionate manner.

When they moved apart, Soo-Kai said, "Travel the forest carefully, Mai-Zen. Do not let my sisters kill you."

Mai-Zen nodded. "Gust-Avo is a very careful traveller, even though he does not always appear so. He will not wish to lose me just yet."

Soo-Kai picked up the bucket. "Come, we should return to the house before our bonds die of thirst."

When it came time for Gustavo and Mai-Zen to leave, Rolf wasn't the only one who was sad to see them go. Gustavo and Mai-Zen sat on their horses as Rolf and Soo-Kai bade them farewell. Rolf was full of concern.

"Be careful near the castle. And remember that the Destroyers here are Insiders."

Gustavo smiled. "Do not worry, my tailor friend. I have been at this game a long time. I will guard Mai-Zen well, as she will guard me. See that you do the same for Soo-Kai. Love her, squeeze her, and always boss her, and she will serve you well!"

"Pig!" Mai-Zen called to him. Gustavo laughed.

As Rolf and Gustavo shook hands one last time, Soo-Kai reached out and took Mai-Zen's hand.

"I will think on what you said," she said.

Mai-Zen nodded. "And I will not forget you. If you should need to seek me out, go through the pass at Falonbeck. You will find my den in the shadow of mountains."

"Go with good heart, Mai-Zen."

"You also, Soo-Kai."

Their hands slipped apart, and with a wave from Gustavo, he and Mai-Zen rode off.

Rolf went to Soo-Kai's side and held her close as they watched the two ride away.

"Do you think we will ever see them again?" he said.

Soo-Kai shook her head. "No. But I am glad they came, and that I took the chance you gave me, and touched an Outsider. Because of this, I have learned that the limits of my instincts are not impossible to break. And if one limit is broken, I may yet break another."

Rolf turned and looked at her, wondering what she meant. She continued to watch Gustavo and Mai-Zen. Soon they disappeared among the trees, and even the sound of their horses faded.

After Gustavo and Mai-Zen had left, Rolf pressed Soo-Kai on what she meant about breaking more instincts. At first Soo-Kai was reluctant to tell him what Mai-Zen had told her to do, she didn't want to encourage him only to then discourage him if she should subsequently fail. It was no use. The more she tried to explain, the more Rolf began to understand what she intended, and the more he understood, the more he became excited. To say that Rolf was delighted was an understatement. She tried to calm him. She told him that it wouldn't be easy, that she might not succeed, but he was so excited and eager to proceed that there was no holding him back. He wanted to try straight away.

As is the way with things, once Soo-Kai had made up her mind to do as Mai-Zen had suggested, she could never again get the right mix of Rolf's genetic material. Instead of receiving too much of Rolf's DNA, the ova always received too little, and they kept dying. Soo-Kai never gave up. She knew that sooner or later she would get it right. She had done so several times before, but then she had followed her instincts and discarded them. It was the knowledge of this that had caused the rift between her and Rolf. She wouldn't do that this time. This time she would keep them. Keep them and ignore them. But it was as if her body knew what she was going to do and kept cheating her.

She explained to Rolf why they had no success. He understood, but his enthusiasm waned. But now at least he knew that it wasn't Soo-Kai's fault, that she was trying her best. And he vowed that he would never treat her as badly as he had done before. This time he was as good as his word. But their lack of success still cast a shadow over them both. And as the time passed, the shadow grew longer.

### Chapter Nine

### The Flood

When the rains came in the following winter, they came in real earnest. It rained for days, and it rained hard. Rolf hadn't seen such rain since his childhood. He stood by the window, staring out at the darkened skies. He held the window shutter half open, but the rain kept splashing against the wood and it wet his shirt. It was early evening, and Soo-Kai sat by the fire, warming herself.

"I still remember years when the rain came in such amounts," she said.

Rolf shook his head and closed the wooden shutter. "Its force shows no sign of abating," he said. He came over from the window and sat next to Soo-Kai by the fire.

"Do you remember the floods?" he asked her.

She nodded and helped him brush off the water droplets from his shirt as he dried himself in front of the fire. "The floods would follow the rains. They came once in every twenty years. Sometimes less, but never more."

She was right. It rained constantly for five days. And when it was over, and Rolf and Soo-Kai went down to the little stream to fetch water together, they found it a wide torrent.

"The lowlands will feel the force of it," Rolf said as they both stood by the rushing water. "The coastal villages of Danek and Sintal will be flooded. Even Ellerkan on the delta will be at risk."

"Ellerkan is old," Soo-Kai replied. "The walls that hold back the rivers are strong and wide. Those that built them knew of the floods."

Rolf stared at Soo-Kai for a moment. Then he bent and filled the bucket. "Come on," he said, taking Soo-Kai's hand. "Let's get back. It's cold out here."

As they walked back to the house, Rolf said, "I've been very selfish and stupid. But I'm going to put that right."

Soo-Kai looked at him in puzzlement. "In what way have you been selfish and stupid?"

"In not thinking about you and your memory."

Soo-Kai looked ahead as they walked along. "You cannot stop my memory from decaying. As the compression continues, the more I will forget."

"Then the more I will write down."

Soo-Kai looked at him again. Rolf smiled and squeezed her hand. "You tell me what you remember, and I'll write it down. It will be like a journal of your life. Even if you forget things, you can read it and remember once more. That way, you won't forget, and you won't change."

"But I have already forgotten some things. Even the things I told you when we first met have faded and gone."

"I remember what you told me. I'll write it down, and you can read it and remember once again."

"But I cannot read your language."

"I'll teach you."

"I will forget."

"Then I'll remind you to read each day. That way you won't forget, because the words will always be fresh in your mind."

Soo-Kai stopped walking, drawing Rolf to a halt by her side. "You will do all this for me?"

"I should have started doing it from the moment you told me," Rolf replied sort of sadly. Then he smiled and squeezed her hand once more. "But don't worry. The winter nights are long, and I will soon catch up. And when I ask you to describe the things that happened to you, it will help you to remember them, and maybe that way, they won't fade away."

Soo-Kai's eyes filled with tears, and she moved closer to Rolf. She rubbed her cheek against his, and then kissed him. "I know that no matter what, my memories will fade," she said after their kiss. "But now I do not fear this. Write at the beginning that you and I are bonded, that I am very happy with this, and that I do not wish for it ever to end."

In Ellerkan, others watched the passing torrents. Prince Carl L'Hage stood on one of the embankments with his younger brother, Prince Harold. The river was very wide and high, and the water was brown with the swept up soil and debris of the forest and the hills. Branches, bits of wood, lumps of grass and other vegetation, all of it rushed by. Even the broken trunks of up-rooted trees floated by on their way to the sea. Prince Carl leaned over the wall of the embankment, staring at it all in fascination.

"The water runs higher than ever this year," he said. "'Tis an omen, I think."

"If that be true, then it is a bad omen," Prince Harold replied solemnly.

Prince Carl laughed. "You are too morbid, my brother. Does the sight of this swollen river not excite you? Can you find no joy with the wonders of nature and the greatness of its power?"

"How can I be joyful when half our kingdom floats out to sea? Have you not heard the news from the coast? Danek is flooded, their fishing boats now journey to the centre of the village, or as far as they can before they hit the rising tide of mud. And Sintal is the same. Their ships find no fish because of the mud that now fills the water. 'Tis the same mud that fills their villages and houses, and blocks the roads, the mud that was once our land. It is the same for all the villages along the coast of Halafalon. No, Carl, I do not see joy in this scene, only misery and suffering. It is a disaster."

Prince Carl's excitement and good humour were not affected by his brother's darker mood. "Our father is a forgiving King. He has promised to forgo the taxes for the year. The people will not suffer as badly as you fear."

Prince Harold wasn't impressed. "You think only of money. You will think again when you sit at the table to dine and find no fish or vegetables, but only dried mutton before you. The people on the coast will have less to eat. And the water they drink is tainted."

Prince Carl laughed and slapped Harold on the back. "One day, my brother, you will learn how to smile! But until then, we will help the people in their suffering. We will organise water and dried mutton. Come, let us talk to our father, he often says we spend our time idly, so let us prove him wrong."

It was many days before the waters finally subsided. In that time, vast quantities of soil and vegetation were swept from the land. What the rains had earlier washed loose from the hillsides and the valleys, the rivers now carried away. In time, the land would recover, and it would be many years before the rains came in such force again. The brief spectacle of nature's power was over, and even the people in the coastal villages were relieved by the caravans of food and water brought by the Royal Princes.

But not all the mud was swept out to sea. The green fields of Halafalon in the lowlands were always fertile, no matter how intensely they were farmed. The sight of them flooded by the rains had brought fear to the people who farmed them and relied on them for their lives and their future. But as the waters receded, the mud it left behind brought precious nutrients and life to the tired earth, making it fertile once more. The following year the crops were good. It was a natural cycle, new to the young, but remembered by the old. But this time, what the rains uncovered by washing away the soil from the hills in the forest was more than mere memory.

### Chapter Ten

### The Gift

When Rolf and Soo-Kai received their next visitors, another year had passed. This time Soo-Kai knew they were close-by well before they reached the clearing where their house stood. She picked up their scent easily. But the scent was familiar, like a well-remembered taste in the air. It pleased her and scared her at the same time. She knew some of those that came, and one she knew very well.

The knowledge that she still lived, and that she came with them pleased her. But what filled Soo-Kai with sudden fear was the knowledge that Rolf was not with her. He was out of the house, off in the forest somewhere. They would not know that she and Rolf were bonded, and if they found him first, they could kill him.

Without hesitation, Soo-Kai bounded out of the house and ran among the trees. Her feet were bare, and she was dressed in a faded blue waistcoat over an embroidered white blouse. Instead of leggings she wore a skirt of leather, faded blue like her waistcoat. It was her favourite outfit, made for her by Rolf after Gustavo and Mai-Zen's visit.

Soo-Kai stopped by a tree, stood on tiptoes, and drew in great breaths through her nose, trying to pick up Rolf's scent in the air. Yes, there he was, somewhere off to the north. But to her horror, that familiar scent was also strong in this direction. Soo-Kai waited no longer. She ran, she ran as fast as she could.

Rolf sat with his back to a tree. He held a long thin branch in his hand, which he idly beat and swept at the fallen leaves. He was lost in deep thoughts as usual, and didn't even hear them approach. The first thing he saw was a pair of boots. He looked up and saw that it was Soo-Kai. But there was something strange about her. She was dressed as she was when he had first seen her all those years before, in a faded black tunic and leggings. And her sword was in her hand. Then he saw the others with her. One was blonde, the other brunette, both dressed the same, and both with their swords drawn. The brunette also had a long bow over one shoulder and a quiver of arrows over the other.

Rolf became alarmed. He dropped the branch and made as if to get up. Instantly, the sword swished towards him, and Rolf felt its point pressed against his throat. He was pushed back against the tree, his eyes wide in his terror. He stared up at the one who held the sword at his throat, the one that looked so like his wife, like Soo-Kai. Her expression made her intentions clear. She was going to kill him. She would have killed him, but a voice stopped her.

"Na dat!" the voice called out urgently, desperately. "Na dat te Navak!"

The Destroyers all looked round. Soo-Kai appeared, the real Soo-Kai. She stood before her double, talking in a language Rolf had never heard before. She looked worried, she was breathing hard, and she spoke fitfully, but quickly.

"Te Navak da kar Rolf! Se da umgrak blet Rolf! Na dat!"

Soo-Kai's double spoke back. The words were harsh and abrupt. Soo-Kai replied, her voice raised this time, and a moment later the pair of them were talking so quickly and loudly that it was obvious that they were arguing.

Rolf understood none of it. He sat against the tree, listening and fearful, the sword still at his throat.

Suddenly, there was silence. Soo-Kai's double looked down at Rolf almost with distaste. "Be thankful that your bond came in time, Navak," she said. "A moment later and I would have killed you."

Her tone was harsh and unforgiving, but the sword was removed from Rolf's throat, and Soo-Kai instantly fell on him, kissing him and hugging him.

"It is alright, my husband," she said. "You will be safe now."

Rolf climbed shakily to his feet, Soo-Kai helping him. He was suddenly indignant. "Who are these women?" he asked. "Why do they threaten me? And why is she your twin?"

"She is not my twin, Rolf. She is Kai-Tai, my mother."

Why is this scent familiar?

It is your seed, Soo-Kai, from your last birthing.

Ah, I had forgotten. Then she is not dead.

No, just forgotten.

There was silence in her mind for a while as Kai-Tai remembered the youngest daughter from her last birthing. Soo-Kai had been tall, headstrong, and, yes, perfect. They had stood together as one and fought many battles. But there had also been conflict between them. As the years had passed and her siblings had perished, Soo-Kai had grown more distant and pensive. They had argued more, and it became clear that Soo-Kai had developed doubts about the Purpose and her way in things.

She was not perfect!

She was my seed; to doubt her integrity is to doubt my own

Another thought broke into her mind with a fresh scent.

There is the scent of a Navak close by! Find him! Kill him!

The Destroyers greeted one another by bringing their faces together and rubbing cheeks. Soo-Kai did this with each of them in turn, dwelling longest with Kai-Tai. It was clear to Rolf that Soo-Kai was glad to see her mother, but also a little uneasy.

The blonde Destroyer was called Hai-Fam; the other was Nan-Po. Soo-Kai remembered Nan-Po, but Hai-Fam was unfamiliar to her. This could have been because they had never met, or because she had forgotten her. Soo-Kai could not tell which.

Only Kai-Tai spoke during the introductions. Rolf was amazed by how similar she and Soo-Kai were. Even Kai-Tai's voice sounded so much like Soo-Kai's. From their silence, Rolf quickly realised that the other two Destroyers only spoke their own harsh language. It was strange. Until that day, he had never heard the Destroyer language before, and he had never even suspected that Soo-Kai had known such a language. It was his own fault really. He just didn't know what questions to ask.

Rolf had begun to record Soo-Kai's memories in a journal as he had promised. But although he had already written many pages, and she read almost every night since he taught her how to read, he realised that there was still so much more about her that he didn't know. It made him feel guilty for the time he had wasted dwelling on the possibility of children, when he could have been learning so much more from Soo-Kai while she still had her memory. He promised himself that he would be more searching in his questioning of her in future, and that he wouldn't just rely on what she thought to tell him.

When the Destroyers replaced their swords in their backs, Rolf relaxed a little. They had gone back to the house. Rolf walked arm in arm with Soo-Kai while the three Destroyers followed behind.

Rolf couldn't help being nervous. From having one Destroyer in his house, he now had four. And one was the equivalent of his mother-in-law. But despite his nerves, he was the perfect host. He sat them down at his little table, made coffee, and offered them food. While he toiled, they all sat in silence. Hai-Fam looked around curiously while Kai-Tai and Nan-Po looked most uncomfortable. Even Soo-Kai seemed un-sure of the situation.

The coffee left Kai-Tai and Nan-Po unimpressed, only Hai-Fam took a second cup. But where the coffee had failed, the food succeeded. They were all hungry, and they all ate. And as they ate, they began to relax. Hai-Fam kept looking at the clothes Soo-Kai wore, even tugging at her waistcoat and blouse. She seemed fascinated by the colour and texture of the embroidered material. Even Nan-Po seemed curious. Rolf took his cue. He was quick to realise that Soo-Kai would wish to talk with her mother. So he busied himself showing Hai-Fam and Nan-Po the work he did as a tailor, ushering them to the corner where he worked and kept the cloth he traded for in the nearby villages.

Rolf was surprised by the difference in their looks and their temperaments. Where Hai-Fam was curious and bright, Nan-Po was stand-offish and dark. He could tell that Nan-Po disliked him. She had long black hair, brown eyes and an oval face. Her expression was always either angry or aloof. Like Kai-Tai, she was harsh and abrupt in her manner, and she quickly became bored, showing little interest in anything she saw.

Hai-Fam was the complete opposite. Blonde, blue-eyed and child-like, she delighted in the feel and the colour of the cloth and the finished garments he showed her. It was as if it was all new and exciting to her. She even kept a brightly coloured piece of silk that Rolf had discarded, using it like a ribbon to tie up her long blonde hair, pulling it into a ponytail. She shook her head, feeling the ponytail wagging back and forth over her shoulders. Nan-Po didn't look impressed.

While Rolf entertained Hai-Fam and Nan-Po, Soo-Kai and Kai-Tai remained seated at the table. Soo-Kai was the first to break the silence between them.

"Why have you come to the forest in Halafalon?" she asked her mother.

"We came in search of you," Kai-Tai replied.

"I have been absent from my den for six years. Why did you not search for me before?"

"I thought you had been slain."

Soo-Kai was surprised by the bluntness of Kai-Tai's reply. It hurt her, and when she spoke her tone was equally harsh.

"If you thought I was dead, then why do you search for me now?"

Kai-Tai answered her question with another question. "Do you forget what year it is?"

For a moment, Soo-Kai looked puzzled. Then her expression hardened. "Then you did not come in search of me, as you said, but in a quest to enter the castle."

"My answer was truthful. Our journey was towards the castle, but as we came near, we picked up your scent and came to investigate. I can tell from your voice that the knowledge that I did not concern myself with your loss gnaws at you. I tell you now that this change in you concerns me more than your death would have done. Do not forget who you are, Soo-Kai. We are Androktones, the Gest Hroya: Destroyers. Do not let your bond with this Navak soften your resolve."

Soo-Kai wasn't the least bit affected by her mother's reprimand. "You tell me off like a mother, but you were not concerned for my life," she replied. "Why should I let your words influence me?"

"Because you are my seed and because you are a clone of the Tun-Sho-Lok."

"I am bonded, and the bond takes precedence over the Purpose."

Kai-Tai nodded. "For now this is true, and none can interfere. But this will not last forever. When your bond is over, your mind will be free, and you will revert to the Purpose once more."

"I am old and Rolf is young," Soo-Kai replied. "Who is to say that I will revert when his life is over?"

"You are old, but I am older," Kai-Tai countered. "A long time ago you and I stood together on the bridge of the _Althon Gerail_ , you at one command console, and I at the other. The Navak felt our wrath. When the _Nakora Tabek_ returns, I will stand again on the decks of the _Althon Gerail_ , and the data link will be re-opened. I will escape from here, and the galaxy will again feel the wrath of the Gest Hroya, the clones of the Tun-Sho-Lok."

Soo-Kai was unimpressed. "Your words are full of strength, but the humans will not let you enter the castle."

"The humans have lost their resolve for war against us. They forget the importance of the castle, and its garrison is weak."

"But you are too few."

"There are other Androktones gathering in the forest, they will increase our numbers. We maybe few, but our resolve has not broken. Come with us, Soo-Kai. If you do not, you could be left behind."

Rolf had returned with Hai-Fam and Nan-Po. He heard only Kai-Tai's last words, but they frightened him. He spoke without thinking.

"No! Soo-Kai stays with me!"

Kai-Tai didn't even look at Rolf. She kept her eyes on Soo-Kai, and asked, "Does he command you?"

"He is my bond, my husband," Soo-Kai replied. "Even if he had not spoken, my answer would have been the same. If he commands me, it is because I wish him to."

Rolf had come to stand by Soo-Kai. He put his arm around her shoulders, and she put her arm around him.

Kai-Tai stood up. "Then our time here is over." She turned and called to the other Destroyers in their harsh and unfamiliar language. "Cha! Sun lak!" She walked out the door without another word. Hai-Fam and Nan-Po followed her.

Soo-Kai stood up and watched them go. Rolf had been proud at what she said, but now he saw the tortured look on her face, and he became anxious.

"You don't really want to go with them, do you?"

Soo-Kai went to the door and stared at the departing figures. "No, my husband," she said. "But there is something I must yet discuss with my mother." She turned her head to look at him and placed her hand on his chest. "Wait, please." Then she ran out the door after them.

Rolf stood in the doorway and watched. He wanted so much to run after her, but he did as she asked.

Soo-Kai ran forward and called after Kai-Tai, her voice anxious.

Kai-Tai heard her and stopped. She spoke to Hai-Fam and Nan-Po then turned back on her own.

Soo-Kai ran up to her. "I am in compression," she said simply.

"You fear that you will forget me," Kai-Tai said in a knowing way.

"Yes. You, Rolf, and everything upon which I build my mind." Soo-Kai said nothing about the journal she kept safe by their bed in the little house.

"It is the same for all of us," Kai-Tai replied. "Gradually, all that clutters our minds will be removed. Only the Purpose, and the tactical data required to achieve it will remain. I too am in compression. The process is already well advanced. Soon the history of what happened and what I experienced will fade. Even the memory of you, my only surviving seed, will be gone. In truth, it is the compression of my mind that has caused my failure to seek you out, not my disinterest. I had already forgotten you. Only your scent revived the memory."

"And you do not fear this as I do?"

Kai-Tai shook her head. "No. It is a time I welcome. My mind will be clear once more, as it was when I first began. And like Hai-Fam, who is not yet mature, I will be able to pursue the Purpose with renewed vigour."

Soo-Kai turned and stared at Hai-Fam in sudden awe. "How old is she?" she asked quickly.

"Four summers. She is the only one that survived from Fam-Chen's last birthing."

"And Fam-Chen?"

"Killed in a skirmish with Outsiders at the mountain pass in Falonbeck."

Soo-Kai continued to stare at Hai-Fam. "You must watch her well. Her chances of breeding may be greater than ours."

"No one of us is greater than the Purpose," Kai-Tai said rather callously. "Not Hai-Fam, and not you. If the situation dictates, I will break the bond between you and this Navak."

Soo-Kai looked now at Kai-Tai. "When my bond with Rolf is at an end, I will seek my own death. I do not welcome the compression of my mind, and I will not revert to my old ways. I have already lived too long."

Kai-Tai's answer was without remorse. "Compression of your mind will soon erase the memory of what you say and the will of your intent. When the time comes, you will revert. And no matter what you may decide now, you will out-live me."

Kai-Tai turned and walked back to Hai-Fam and Nan-Po, and the three of them walked away.

Bonded! She has bonded! Why has she done this now? Why accept a bond with a Navak?

Your anger is based on your own hatred of the bond!

Yes! Yes! I despise the bonding process! I hate it! It led my mother astray! She was deceived! Betrayed!

Bonding is part of the Purpose! To deny it is to deny the Purpose!

The bond killed my mother!

Your attachment to your birth mother reeks of mutation!

The Purpose burned like fire in Tai-Ann! I know! I remember! To accuse me is to accuse her!

Then accept the bond as she did!

It killed her!

She did what had to be done! Her bond fell at her own hands!

As she did to his!

This Navak is not a warrior! You know it! And your anger and interest in your seed's activities are incorrect!

She speaks against the Purpose! She denies it! These are not her words, but those of her bond!

Liar! They are the words you remember from your last meeting with Soo-Kai! The only difference is that now she is bonded! If she persists in this talk once her bond is at an end, then she must die! Until then, desist with these thoughts lest they lead you astray!

Kai-Tai seethed in anger.

This is the year of the ship! If the situation dictates, I can, and will break her bond!

You say this because you wish to see her by your side in battle once more, not because it would benefit the Purpose!

To increase our numbers at a time of conflict does benefit the Purpose!

As does the bond! How else can our numbers be increased?

It is no longer possible to breed with a Navak!

Tell that to Fam-Chen! Desist!

Rolf hurried from the house and came to stand by Soo-Kai. She instantly grabbed him and said, "What did you think of Hai-Fam?"

Rolf was surprised. He had thought Soo-Kai was going to tell him something about Kai-Tai. He shrugged. "Oh, I don't know," he said, and looked up at the departing figures.

At that moment, he saw Kai-Tai reach across to Hai-Fam and pull the cloth of silk from her hair. Hai-Fam tried to take it back, but Kai-Tai held it out of reach and then threw it away. Hai-Fam looked back at the discarded cloth as Kai-Tai and Nan-Po pulled her along, and soon they had disappeared among the trees.

Rolf smiled. "She seemed alright, I suppose. She was a bit more curious than the other one. Why do you ask?"

Soo-Kai turned to him, her face filled with emotion. She wrapped her arms around him and spoke excitedly. "She was a gift, Rolf! She was four! Do you realise what that means?"

Rolf stared back at her in amazement. "Four? How can that be? She was as tall as..." His voice trailed off as he finally realised her meaning. He grabbed Soo-Kai's shoulders. "Four! A mere infant! Then it can be done!"

"Yes, my husband! And if one can do it, so can another! We must try again! And often!"

### Chapter Eleven

### Daniel

Within a day of Kai-Tai's visit, Soo-Kai knew something was wrong in the forest. Where before the forest lay empty, now there were too many people. She could taste them in the air. She said as much to Rolf as they stood outside their house in the early morning.

Rolf looked around at the familiar trees. Everything seemed the same to him. He always marvelled at Soo-Kai's sensory powers, but he never once doubted them. "Do you think your mother attacked the castle?" he asked her in concern. "Maybe King L'Hage has sent reinforcements?"

She shook her head. "I cannot tell. If Kai-Tai is still in the forest, she is too far away. I cannot smell Destroyers, only humans. But their genetic code is unfamiliar."

Now that puzzled Rolf. He knew that Soo-Kai could identify the genetic fingerprint of every race on the planet. And it was one part of her memory that she wouldn't forget. For her to say that they were unfamiliar could mean only one thing.

"Do you think they are off worlders? Aliens?"

She nodded. "Yes. It is the only answer. Sometimes they are alone. But often they intermix with those whose DNA I can recognise."

"What can this mean?"

"It is the year of the ship," Soo-Kai said simply. "Maybe Kai-Tai has succeeded in gaining entry to the castle as she intended, and has contacted the ship. But why this would bring more humans I cannot say."

Rolf was thoughtful. After Kai-Tai's visit, Soo-Kai had told him about the _Nakora Tabek_ , the Navak ship that returned on a fixed orbit every twenty-eight years. It came to pick up survivors from its original crew, but the technology to contact it had been lost long ago. Only in the _Althon Gerail_ , its sister ship buried under the castle, did the possibility exist that such technology may have survived. So far, no one had managed to get inside to find out. Rolf had written it all down in Soo-Kai's journal.

"Maybe we should investigate?" he said.

Soo-Kai looked at him. "To investigate could be dangerous."

"What would Gustavo and Mai-Zen do? What do you want to do?"

Now it was Soo-Kai's turn to be thoughtful. "We will wait."

They didn't have to wait long.

The next day, Rolf was on his way back from one of his trading visits to a nearby village. He always went alone on such trips. It worried Soo-Kai, and she didn't like it, but she understood.

She had gone with him once, and her beauty had turned heads and attracted too much attention. The villagers had recognised her as a Destroyer, and while the men were envious, the women had been hostile. Rolf had been frightened. He had convinced her to stay behind after that, telling her that he was far more worried about her than he was for his own safety. She gave in, but always met him halfway. He was almost at the point where she would be waiting for him when it happened.

He was walking along the trail he had taken many times before, pulling his little cart behind him. It was laden with food and provisions and ever more cloth. Rolf was thinking about the good deals he had made this trip for his finished garments, when the child suddenly appeared.

It was a little boy. He ran out in front of Rolf and stood there staring up at him. He couldn't have been more than ten years old. He wore short grey pants, a white shirt, and a blue jacket. He was panting and out of breath, and he looked quite scared.

Rolf was as surprised at their meeting as the little boy obviously was.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"Daniel," the boy replied breathlessly.

"What are you doing in the forest all on your own? Where have you come from?"

The boy turned and pointed back the way he had came, and then he coughed and fell over.

Rolf looked at him as he lay on the ground. He was so surprised it took him a while to notice the arrow sticking out of the little boy's chest. Then he dropped his cart and ran. Another arrow struck a tree as he ran passed it.

Rolf ran for his life. But he knew it wasn't going to be fast enough. He could hear the sound of horses, and they were getting nearer. Soon he could see them. Three riders. Rolf changed direction, darting among the trees, but it was no good. One of the horses overtook him, and Rolf was kicked to the ground by its rider.

As Rolf lay panting on the ground, his pursuers reined in their horses and dismounted. A man with a bow in his hand held the horses while his two companions walked purposefully towards Rolf. As the two men came closer, one of them drew his sword and smiled evilly.

Rolf looked up, expecting to be killed, when Soo-Kai jumped out from the trees and sliced at the man with the sword, striking his head from his shoulders. Before the second man could even draw his sword, Soo-Kai had spun round and thrust her sword deep into his chest. That left the man with the horses. Soo-Kai bounded after him. The man quickly dropped the reins of the other two horses and tried to mount his own horse, but Soo-Kai sliced at his back and he fell. His horse bolted in panic. As the man lay wounded on the ground, Soo-Kai held her sword point downward and plunged it into him.

It was all over in a few seconds.

Rolf sat up and looked around at the carnage. Soo-Kai ran to him, hugging him tightly.

"Are you hurt, my husband?" she said anxiously, her voice filled with concern.

"No, I'm alright," Rolf replied in a weak voice. He was staring at the headless body that lay nearby as if he was mesmerised. "There's so much blood," he muttered.

"Are you angry with me?"

Rolf looked at her in surprise. "Angry? Why would I be angry? You just saved my life."

"But I killed three without your permission or your order."

"I'm glad," Rolf replied, his expression hardening. "They killed a child, Soo-Kai! A child! I was with him only a moment ago!"

"Show me this child, my husband."

Rolf began to get up. "Yes. This way. I'll show you. Just a child he was. A child."

Rolf led the way back through the trees. Soo-Kai took the reins of the remaining two horses and followed him. She replaced her sword in her back and watched Rolf closely. That was twice she had nearly lost him. Once when Kai-Tai had come to visit, and now, when Rolf was returning from the village. The forest was rapidly becoming a dangerous place.

They found the little boy where he fell, Rolf's abandoned cart nearby. Rolf knelt down next to the small body.

"A mere child," he said sadly. "He said his name was Daniel." He looked up at Soo-Kai. "Why would they do such a thing? Why would they hunt him like an animal? Why would they want to kill him?"

"It is not only children that you humans hunt in the forest," Soo-Kai reminded him.

Rolf nodded. "Yes, you are right," he said in dismay. "My people are often cruel and heartless. They hunt your people out of habit, and they use what little they remember of the past as an excuse for their lust and murder. But I can't understand why they would want to kill a child. It doesn't make sense, Soo-Kai."

Soo-Kai had knelt down next to him. Now she lowered her head and sniffed at the boy. She took two quick breaths through her nose, and then she touched the boy on the forehead, her fingers brushing lightly over his skin. "Yes, there is sense here."

"What sense?" Rolf demanded.

"The boy is an alien. His DNA is not of this world, although it is similar to those of the race who first settled here. Those that hunted him must know this."

Rolf stared down at the little boy. "But he looks so normal, so like us."

"What of his clothes, Rolf. You are a tailor. What do you make of them?"

For the first time, Rolf stared at the boy with more dispassionate eyes. He looked at the boy's jacket and shirt, and he felt the cloth and the buttons. He even examined the boy's shoes. Slowly he nodded, and began to catalogue the differences.

"You are right, my wife. The material of his jacket and its lining are unfamiliar to me. The fabric of the shirt I know, but the buttons are made from a tough bone or pearl that I have not felt before. And the stitching, it is so straight and precise. Too straight for the hand of a man, I think. It is as if it were done by some machine. And his shoes are unlike anything I have seen. They are not leather, and they are not cloth. They seem old and worn, and smell strangely, and yet their colour is so strong and vibrant."

"What do you make of the jewellery that adorns his wrist?" Soo-Kai asked.

Rolf picked up the boy's lifeless hand and stared at the white dial and numerals. "It bears the face of a clock. But I have never seen a time-piece so small." He moved his head closer and listened. "Yes! It ticks! I hear it!"

"We must leave here," Soo-Kai said abruptly. She stood up and reached out to Rolf. "Come, my husband."

Rolf looked up at her in astonishment. "We can't just leave him!" he exclaimed.

"We must."

"But why?"

"Because they hunted for him, and because they hunted you when they found you with him. We must leave him so that when others come they will find him and know that he is dead. That way they will stop looking."

It all sounded perfectly logical, but Rolf couldn't bring himself to leave. "But what about the three men you killed?"

"Did you recognise their colours?"

Rolf paused and turned to look at the horses. "They bear no Royal Crest. They will be from the castle garrison."

"Yes, the castle my mother and other Destroyers have gathered to attack. These three will not be the only men to die at the hands of a Destroyer this summer. No, it is the boy that is important. Those at the castle must know of the aliens. As before, I picked up their scent alone, before others came and intermixed with them and enveloped them."

"They captured them," Rolf said bitterly. "The boy must have escaped."

Soo-Kai nodded. "I detected the scent of the boy and the men who pursued him close to that of yours as you returned home. It filled me with alarm and I came forth as quickly as I could. I am sorry I was too late for the boy, but it was you I worried about."

Rolf stood up at last and put his hand on her shoulder. He smiled weakly. "It's alright, Soo-Kai. I know you would have saved the boy if you could. And you're right; we better go before any more men-at-arms come in search of their companions. But I can't help feeling sad. He was just a little boy."

They left him there, dead on the trail. At first, Rolf kept looking back as they walked away. He pulled his cart behind him while Soo-Kai led the horses. Soon the body of the boy was lost from view, and even the trail was left behind as they turned from it and headed home.

Rolf was silent and depressed as they walked along. Soo-Kai knew what ailed him. It wasn't just the death of the boy; it was the death of his dream. A little boy would have delighted Rolf so much. She had told him that if they were successful, she could only give him girls. Rolf said he didn't care, that he would love a daughter as greatly as a son. But Soo-Kai could see the look of torment in his eyes. Daughters of his own and an adopted son would have been a dream come true. Soo-Kai couldn't stand his sadness.

"Do not be downhearted, Rolf," she said to him. "Where there is one, there maybe others."

Rolf looked across at her. "I asked you yesterday what you wanted to do. You said to wait. Well I can wait no longer. I want to know what's going on, where these aliens come from, and why men from the castle hunt them."

Soo-Kai nodded. "Yes. I too feel this way. This is why I kept the horses, because tomorrow we will have need of them. Tomorrow we ride to the castle."

### Chapter Twelve

### In Search of Aliens

By the following morning, Rolf was filled with curiosity, but he was also scared. As he and Soo-Kai rode together from their house, Rolf contemplated what they were about to do. They were going into danger. It was just the sort of thing he liked to avoid. It wasn't that he was a coward; just that he wasn't a warrior, a Knight used to war and bloodshed. He was a tailor. And he had a lot to lose.

It was over six years since he had ridden into the clearing with Soo-Kai. He had sold the horse shortly after, and had bought food and cloth with the money he had received. It was the last time he had rode a horse until now. Not that he had forgotten how to ride. But somehow he felt that Soo-Kai looked far better on her horse than he did on his. Rather than her favourite blue outfit, Soo-Kai had chosen a red one he had made for her with leggings and waistcoat for the ride. It had a matching jacket trimmed in gold. Her original black boots adorned her feet. She rode in such a confident and proud manner, her head held high, and her rich red hair flowing in the wind. How he loved her so.

And that was what scared him the most. If he could spend his whole life with her alone, never meeting another human at all, he would be happy. And that was because it was humans that brought danger. Destroyers killed because they were programmed to. They followed a kind of logic he could relate to. But people had many motives for killing. For pleasure, for gain, and for lust. And sometimes just for the sheer Hell of it. Rolf had learned to be scared of people. Not so much for what they could do to him, but for what they could take away from him.

But then there was the child, Daniel. What reason could there have been to kill him like that? He obviously had no value to them, or else they would have sought his capture and not his death. Rolf and Soo-Kai had talked about it the night before. She had said that those at the castle were hiding something. It was obvious, really. They had killed the boy to keep the secret, and they would have killed him to do the same.

Rolf wanted to know what that secret was. He wanted to know what was going on at the castle, who these aliens were, and how they had got here.

That was when Soo-Kai asked him if he would keep another child if they found one. It was a question he hadn't expected. But as he had stared into her eyes he had understood. To have accepted a child that wasn't hers would have devalued their love for one another. As he had grieved over the death of the boy, that thought hadn't occurred to him. But now as he stared at her, it was as plain as day. Rolf had said no, and he had meant it.

"I want only what you can give me," he had told her.

"And if I can give you nothing?" she had asked.

"Then I will always have you."

Soo-Kai had seemed content with his answer. But after they had made love that night, she had been strangely reticent about her success at conception. "Don't ask me," was all she would say when he had questioned her. It made him wonder.

By the morning, Rolf had second thoughts about the risks he was taking. He said as much to Soo-Kai, but her mind was made up.

"We cannot avoid this, Rolf," she had told him. "What takes place at the castle in the forest is too close to us. We must either flee, or engage it at our choice. To sit idly by would allow it to over-take us at its choice. That would give those at the castle the advantage we now have. No, Rolf, I know this worries you, and I love you more for the fear you have for me, but I also worry. Twice now I have nearly lost you. I will not leave to chance a further engagement. We must learn what danger lies at the castle, and then we can choose our own fate."

Now as they rode together through the forest, Rolf worried about the future, and about the fate that awaited them.

They had crossed a wide river in the forest when Soo-Kai drew her horse to a halt and stared off to their right. Rolf stopped his horse beside her.

"What do you see?" he asked her.

"Something I have not seen for a long time. Follow me." She headed off to the right. Rolf followed her.

At first Rolf could see nothing. Then, bit-by-bit, the shape of a huge fallen carcass became visible among the trees.

It was like some huge tremendous sea beast that had died long ago and only its bones and fragments of dried skin remained. It lay across their path, long and straight, and with the trees of the forest growing up through its broken ribs. But instead of being clean and white, the skeleton was brown and dirty, as if it had just been dug up. Everywhere there were bits of dried mud and foliage hanging from the bones. And many of the ribs had fallen and lay broken on the ground, while others emerged from the soil as mere stumps. Only the dried fragments of skin still stood in a line, marking the creatures' outline. They were like the huge brown scales of some great fish.

Rolf stared at it in awe. The forest floor was uneven here, and they were in a dip between higher ground on either side. He looked up and down the length of the great carcass. It seemed to emerge from the higher ground at one end, and dive back into it at the other, almost out of sight among the trees in the distance. Even the part that was exposed seemed to be half buried beneath their feet.

"What is this thing?" Rolf asked. "I have never seen the like of such a creature before in my life. Did it once live here in the forest?"

Soo-Kai got off her horse and walked between the creature's great ribs, leading her horse behind her. "It is not a creature, my husband, but the remains of the assault ship from the _Nakora Tabek_. It is the ship that brought your ancestors to this world, Rolf. A ship that has been forgotten and buried here for more than two thousand years."

Rolf got off his horse and led it among the great ribs as Soo-Kai had done. He touched one of them, feeling the rough brown surface. "This is not bone, then, but metal?"

"An alloy of steel. Long buried and rusting in the earth."

"Why has it not been seen before?"

"We are not far from the river," Soo-Kai suggested. "Maybe its waters rose during the floods of last year and washed away the soil that covered it as they flowed down this channel."

"After two thousand years?"

"The floods come often. Maybe the effect has been cumulative."

They walked around inside the remains of the ship. Soo-Kai led the way along its length. She headed towards the far end.

"This way is towards the back, where the cargo bays, engines and power source lay. Behind us would be the front, where the pilot would have sat and flown it. And in the middle, where we walk, is where once the Navak army sat and prepared for war."

Rolf gazed around at what was left of the ship. "Why do we walk towards the back?" he asked her.

"Because Destroyers do not believe in coincidence."

Rolf understood her meaning. The arrival of aliens to a world that had seen none for over two thousand years had to be triggered by some cause. What better than the exposure of an ancient relic? Soo-Kai's fears were proved correct.

When they reached the end of the ship, where it returned to the earth at the edge of a hill, they found evidence of digging. There was a tunnel dug into the hill inside the broken metal bones of the ship. It went deeper inside. All around the entrance to the tunnel were the signs of many horses and men. And among them all was the deeply grooved track of a wagon. Its path was plain to see. At the side of the ship, two of its great ribs had been pushed aside to allow the passage of the wagon; its tracks passing clearly between them. The two deep tracks then wound their way off among the trees.

Rolf knelt down and felt the depth of one of the tracks. "What they carried away was heavy."

Soo-Kai didn't answer. Rolf looked up and saw her standing by the entrance to the tunnel, peering inside.

"Are you going to look inside?" he asked her.

Soo-Kai turned and shook her head. "I know what they take. There is much danger in what we find here, Rolf."

Rolf stood up. "Danger, in what way?"

"We are surrounded by the footprints of men and horses, and yet only a Destroyer would have known what to take. And Destroyers do not work with humans unless they are bonded to them."

Rolf considered what that could mean. "These men probably come from the castle, like those that killed the boy."

Soo-Kai nodded.

"Then there is a bonded Destroyer at the castle," Rolf guessed. "The castle that was built to keep them out."

Soo-Kai nodded again. "But if this Destroyer has access to the _Althon Gerail_ , why then does she take a power source from this wreck? And why do the aliens appear? There is much intent here, a purpose pursued. But as yet, the purpose is hidden."

"What do we do?"

"Find my mother."

### Chapter Thirteen

### Uncomfortable Allies

Soo-Kai knew that seeking out her mother and the other Destroyers was a great risk. But it was a risk of necessity. If there was a Destroyer in the castle, and she was bonded, then her motives would be unclear even if her knowledge was not.

For Kai-Tai and the other Destroyers, access to the _Althon Gerail_ meant escape. Escape from this world where none could breed successfully, and escape from a world that had been their prison for too long. But to escape meant also to resume the Purpose.

Soo-Kai had no love for the Purpose. Her bond with Rolf allowed her to have this thought, it allowed her to see and think in ways she had not thought possible. To touch an Outsider, and to do what she now did, these would have been unthinkable without the bond. But all that freedom would be gone when the bond ended. And so it must be for the Destroyer in the castle.

Like Soo-Kai, the Destroyer in the castle would be free to think of other things. She would not be pursuing the Purpose. For her, access to the _Althon Gerail_ would not have the same meaning as it did for Kai-Tai and those with her. But she would know that they would come. So what was she doing?

Soo-Kai contemplated what she would do if she had access to the castle. For her, escape from Ellerkan was not an escape. Her time with Rolf was her escape, and it was limited. Would she destroy the _Althon Gerail_? If she did, Kai-Tai and the other Destroyers would have no reason to attack the castle. But that would trap her race here forever. Would she do that? At one time she would have said yes, but now she had to think of the future. The Destroyer in the castle may have no such thoughts to hinder her. But did this Destroyer hate the Purpose as greatly as she now did?

"Could she be influenced by the man she was bonded to?"

Soo-Kai turned to look at Rolf, riding on his horse alongside her. She raised her eyebrows and asked, "How did you know what I was thinking?"

Rolf smiled. "You were so quiet; I assumed you were thinking about what you would do in her place. It is an interesting thought."

Soo-Kai nodded. "Your understanding of me has grown as our time together has grown. I am thankful for this. And yes, you are correct; her bond will have an influence. You have always had the ability to command me, but you have never used it. This has also pleased me greatly. The Destroyer in the castle may not be so fortunate."

"But if the man she is bonded to is commanding her, he would have to know what it is he ordered her to do," Rolf said, and then shrugged his shoulders. "I wouldn't have been able to recognise that thing –what did you call it? An assault ship? No, I wouldn't have recognised it, nor been able to command you to remove the part that was removed. Like you said, only a Destroyer would know that."

"You think too far. For him, his command may be simple, but for her, the solution to it may require complex acts."

"You mean he could have asked her to bring light to his castle at night, and she would have taken the power source to do it?"

"Yes."

"Then where did the aliens come from?"

"Only when we reach the castle will we know this."

They rode on in silence for a while as they both thought about what could be happening at the castle. Then another thought occurred to Rolf.

"Why do we need to find your mother?" he asked.

"Because the Destroyer at the castle will know that this is the year of the ship, and that other Destroyers will gather there. She will feel threatened, and that her bond is threatened. She will tell him about those that come, and why. The garrison will not be weak as Kai-Tai thinks."

"So we are going to warn her?" Rolf said in surprise.

"She is still my mother," Soo-Kai replied.

Rolf sighed and nodded. "Yes, she is. But something tells me that she won't be happy to see us."

Soo-Kai picked up the scent of Kai-Tai as they came closer to the castle. As before, she was not alone. But where before there were three, now there were eleven.

Rolf was correct in his prediction of their welcome. As soon as they came near, Kai-Tai drew her sword and approached them. The other Destroyers came with her, Hai-Fam and Nan-Po among them.

Kai-Tai didn't wait for them to dismount, but immediately pointed her sword at Soo-Kai and almost snarled at her. "You should not have come, my seed! To be close to the castle at this time is to court death!"

"I had to," Soo-Kai replied. Her sword was not drawn, and she tried to keep herself between Rolf and the other Destroyers. It wasn't easy, as they were quickly surrounded.

Rolf found himself staring at the points of many swords. Even Hai-Fam's expression was unfriendly.

Kai-Tai still kept her sword pointed at Soo-Kai. "Then tell me why we should not kill the Navak and free you of this bond?" she demanded.

Soo-Kai kept her nerve as she answered. "Because there is a Destroyer in the castle, and it is her bond that threatens you."

Kai-Tai lowered her sword and stared at Soo-Kai. "You risked much to tell me this. Why?"

"Because I am your seed, and because the garrison will be strong and not weak as you thought."

Kai-Tai seemed thoughtful. "Ban te na!" she suddenly called out, and all the swords were lowered.

Rolf watched Hai-Fam as she replaced her sword in her back. She smiled at him. It was a bright childish grin. It surprised him.

Kai-Tai and the other Destroyers all replaced their swords in their backs. Soo-Kai dismounted from her horse. Rolf did the same. He still felt uneasy standing there among them all, but he took his chance for a closer look.

They were a mixture, these Destroyers, but also the same. Rolf gazed around at them all. Like Hai-Fam and Nan-Po, they were all tall and shapely, and all wore the same style of clothes: Black, grey or dark brown tunics and leggings, and long boots. Even their features were similar. Only their hair and eyes were different. Blonde hair, black, brown, or red. Some had their hair long, some short. Their eyes were blue, or brown or green. All their expressions were also the same. Only Hai-Fam's was different; only she now looked at him with an expression that wasn't filled with distaste.

Yes, Rolf felt distinctly uncomfortable. He stayed close to Soo-Kai. But unfortunately, she stood next to her mother, and Rolf could see that Kai-Tai's eyes held more hatred for him than any of the others.

Soo-Kai was concerned that Kai-Tai still intended to attack the castle. She said as much to Kai-Tai. And when Kai-Tai confirmed her fears, Soo-Kai became alarmed.

"But you are only eleven!" she exclaimed in disbelief.

"With you we could be twelve."

"It would not matter if you were twenty!" Soo-Kai replied quickly. "The garrison will be strong. The Destroyer in the castle will have warned them. What you propose is suicide. You cannot pursue an attack now that you know the castle garrison has been warned."

"There is nothing you have told us today that we did not already know. Mai-Ra and Jai-Soo found the assault ship yesterday. It's meaning was obvious."

Kai-Tai's casual revelation that she had known about the assault ship all along made Soo-Kai angry.

"You knew, and yet you would still attack? This is madness, my mother! Stop this!"

Kai-Tai ignored her daughter's outburst. "Your presence here is unnecessary, but understood. Now you have a choice. You must either join us in our attack on the castle, or you must leave."

Soo-Kai stared at Kai-Tai. "You would kill all in a fruitless attack?"

"Our lives would indeed be fruitless if we stood by and let the Androktone in the castle use the coming of the ship to escape and leave us trapped here forever."

Rolf now chose to enter the debate. "What makes you all think that she's going to fight you? For all you know, she could have left the castle gates open and put out the welcome mat."

They all stared at him. Only Kai-Tai broke the stunned silence.

"What would you know about Androktones, Navak?" she said in a stern voice.

"Not much, but I know a lot about bonded Destroyers," Rolf replied confidently. "Soo-Kai and I came here to warn you. We didn't need to. I could have told Soo-Kai not to come, and she would have obeyed me. It would have hurt her, but she would have obeyed me. The point is, she wanted to come here and warn you, even though she was bonded and her path was now different to yours. The Destroyer in the castle could be equally friendly towards your cause. But what counts isn't what she's thinking. What does count is what her bond is thinking."

"Her bond will be human," Kai-Tai said with distaste. "That in itself makes him our enemy."

"Then why are aliens appearing in the forest?"

Kai-Tai stared at Rolf. For the first time her expression lost its intensity and became almost puzzled. "We have tasted the scent of such aliens in the forest," she said in a calmer voice. "But we have not seen any."

Soo-Kai now spoke. "We have seen. A boy child; killed by men from the castle garrison. They hide what they do."

Kai-Tai became thoughtful. She briefly turned away from Soo-Kai and Rolf as she considered her reply. Finally she turned back to face them and said, "I accept your words. The arrival of these aliens can mean only one thing. Despite my precautions, this Androktone has access to the Ring Network Portal on the _Nakora Tabek_. At the moment we cannot be sure of her intent, and even less that of her bond. But the castle gates are not open, and there is no mat outside. For now, at least, we will wait."

### Chapter Fourteen

### The Dark Side

Soo-Kai had decided to go with Kai-Tai to take a closer look at the castle. Rolf had to stay with the other Destroyers. He wanted to go with Soo-Kai, but Kai-Tai refused to allow it.

"Our senses are greater than yours," she said. "Where we stand, your eyes will not see what ours will see. Your nose will not smell what ours will smell. And you cannot run and move through the forest as we will move. No, you must stay here. You will be safe with my sisters. They will not kill you unless I order it, and I have ordered that you live."

Rolf was unconvinced, but then Soo-Kai kissed him and said, "Wait for me. You will be safe. Guard the horses."

Rolf held on to her. "Come back safely. I'll miss you."

Soo-Kai moved away, her hand slipping from his. She watched him wave as she left with Kai-Tai. She would feel terribly anxious until she returned. She waved back.

Kai-Tai grunted in annoyance and walked quickly away. Soo-Kai had to hurry to catch up with her.

Soon they were lost among the trees, running at a trot. It wasn't long before they reached the castle.

The castle was in the shape of a pentagon, with a tower at four of its points. One of these towers was larger than the rest, and housed the living apartments, while another held the guards and servants quarters. 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, and there were many pock marks and scars from previous attempts to breech them. Every so often, there were sections where the stonework didn't match, showing a history of constant damage and repair. The castle wasn't big, but it was old and impressive.

As they stood next to a tree, peering at the castle walls in the distance, Soo-Kai asked her mother a question that had nagged at her.

"Why do you resent my bond," she said. "You know you cannot interfere, and yet I sense the hatred you have for him. It is stronger than in the others. Why?"

Kai-Tai didn't take her eyes from the castle as she spoke. "Because you are my seed. Because he takes you from me and turns you from the Purpose. And because you hold him before my lips like a morsel to be consumed. Do not be surprised if I should decide to take your gift."

"If you threaten him, I will fight," Soo-Kai replied sternly.

Kai-Tai turned to face Soo-Kai. "You cannot defend him now."

Soo-Kai became alarmed. She looked back the way they had came. It would take too long to go back. "You said he would be safe among the others!" she exclaimed.

"And so he will. Be calm, my daughter. None will kill him unless I act first. And I cannot act while your bond presents no threat. You are right, I cannot interfere, and this more than anything gives me the most irritation. Now, enough of your bond. Show me that you are still a clone of the Tun-Sho-Lok. Show me your sword and the dark side of your brain."

Soo-Kai relaxed, appeased by her mother's assurances. She drew the sword from her back and knelt down on the grass next to the tree. She put the sword on the ground next to her, its hilt pointed at the castle. She knelt with her back very straight and her hands resting on her thighs. She closed her eyes.

Kai-Tai sat by the tree and watched Soo-Kai's sword. Slowly it began to change.

The point of the sword grew longer and thinner, while two lumps appeared on either side of the blade about halfway along its length. Two more lumps appeared at the hilt. Between them, the blade grew fatter. The handle also grew fatter, but more rounded. The four lumps grew longer and became legs. They grew feet with long fingers and claws. The long point became a snake-like tail, while the middle section became a rounded body. The handle grew bigger and developed a long snout. Ears grew out of the top and eyes rotated into view. The snout split apart, revealing sharp silvery teeth. Slowly, it all turned metallic green, almost matching the colour of the grass.

The transformation completed, the creature turned its head and stared at Kai-Tai. Kai-Tai spoke to it.

"Go to the castle. Search for what we seek."

With a hiss, the reptile-like creature bounded forward, its body zig-zagging as it ran across the grass towards the castle.

Kai-Tai watched and waited. Her eyes could pick out the tiny movement in the grass, even at this distance. When the creature reached the walls of the castle, it leapt up and ran up the wall, its body zig-zagging like before. In an instant it had reached the top and vanished from view.

Kai-Tai turned and looked at Soo-Kai. She was breathing softly, evenly.

"Where are you?" she asked her.

"I am in the courtyard," Soo-Kai replied. Her eyes were still closed, and she spoke calmly and un-emotionally.

"What do you see?"

"There are many horses and wagons. The wagons are mounted with wooden cages. Men walk among the horses. There are many men. They hold pikes and shields. Some of the horses bear the pennants of Knights. I can smell the scent of the aliens in the air."

"What of the Androktone?" Kai-Tai asked.

There was a pause. "I sense nothing," Soo-Kai answered.

"Find the apartments. See who dwells inside."

"I go to the North Tower. I go round the walls. I pass the West Tower. Two guards stand at its door. The windows are shuttered. I run along the wall. I am under the steps to the North Tower. There is a window high up. I climb. I am at the window."

"What do you see?"

"There are two men inside. They wear rich garments. They speak. I hear them. One calls the other Le-Roth. He speaks of his pet, saying that it will finish the artifact in a few days. Le-Roth wants the work to be done more quickly. He says that children are no replacement for weapons. He takes something from the other man and says that the trinkets they bring are worthless. He speaks of the other man's pet, saying that she is untrustworthy. He says that she belongs in the pit, and that she grows fat on those that she eats. The other man is angered by his words. They argue. Le-Roth comes to the window. He opens it! I leave!"

Soo-Kai took a sharp breath, her breathing slowly subsiding.

Kai-Tai moved closer to her. "Where are you now?" she whispered.

"I am on the ground by the wall on the far side of the North Tower. I stare at the trinket Le-Roth has thrown from the window. It is smashed. It was made from glass and metal. It has a leather strap. I have seen this thing before, on the wrist of the boy child that was killed in the forest."

"Leave the trinket and move on," Kai-Tai told her. "Find the entrance to the underground quarters, search for the pit the men spoke of. Find the scent of the Androktone."

"I run along the wall towards the East Tower. I see the grating in the ground. I wait for men to pass. I run! I am inside. I descend the steps. The taste of the aliens is strong here. I am in the passageway. Wait!"

Soo-Kai made a sudden snarl, baring her teeth.

"What is it?" Kai-Tai asked.

"I find a rat."

"Move on!" Kai-Tai urged her.

"I move along the passageway. There are many doors that I pass. I sniff at them. Yes! There are aliens within."

"Forget the aliens!" Kai-Tai snapped at her. "Find the Destroyer! Find the Androktone! She is the one we must know!"

"I move further down the passageway. It is very long. Wait! I smell her! She is here! Somewhere at the end of this passage! I move closer. I feel movement in the air. Something stirs. She has sensed my presence! She comes for me!"

Soo-Kai began to breathe quicker. "I turn and run! I hear her follow! I feel the ground tremble under her weight! She runs! I run! I am at the steps! She chases me! I run up the steps! She is behind me! She is big! Too big! I run! I run! I am out of the grating! She stops! She bangs her head and snaps at me!"

Soo-Kai stopped talking. She was panting madly, her eyes still closed tight.

Kai-Tai grabbed her. "Are you safe? Soo-Kai! My seed! Answer me!"

There was a low, pitiful moan. Kai-Tai heard it clearly. It came from the castle and caused birds to call and fly among the high branches of the forest trees. Kai-Tai turned and stared at the distant walls. Something appeared at the top of the wall. It didn't wait to climb down; it just leapt from the top. It bounced when it landed in the grass. But when it hit the ground the second time, it came down running. Kai-Tai watched it scamper towards her.

The reptile-like creature ran up to Soo-Kai and fell to the ground before her. Instantly, it began to change. Its green skin changed to silver, and its body flowed like liquid. Its head and body narrowed, and its feet retracted. In a few moments it was the sword once more.

Soo-Kai quivered and opened her eyes. She snatched her breath and blurted out, "She is an Outsider!"

Kai-Tai moved closer to Soo-Kai and rubbed her cheek against hers. "You are safe. I am pleased."

Soo-Kai put her arm around Kai-Tai's waist and leaned against her. She was still panting, and the sweat had broken out on her skin.

"Even though she is bonded, she is full of anger," she gasped. "For the humans, the aliens, and for us. She is big, my mother! She was going to eat me!"

Kai-Tai put her arm around Soo-Kai and helped her to stand.

"Lean against the tree and calm yourself," she said, picking up Soo-Kai's sword and handing it to her. Soo-Kai replaced it in her back, leaning against the tree as Kai-Tai had said.

Kai-Tai waited until the sword had disappeared before she spoke again.

"Come, we must leave before she warns those in the North Tower of your presence. They may come to search for us. Are you ready?"

Soo-Kai nodded. Her breathing had returned to normal and she had grown calm again.

They ran through the forest together, soon leaving the castle far behind.

You revel in her presence so close to you! These feelings threaten your integrity!

She is my seed and we are together once more! This is how I remember her! This is how we fought against the Navak!

Your attraction to your seed is not permitted by the Purpose!

We follow the Purpose as we did before! The incorrect felt our wrath! They will do so again! There is no threat here!

Your thoughts and feelings are incorrect!

As are yours! The Androktone in the castle is far more of a threat than my seed! Concentrate on what is important, not my seed!

There was no counter to her final argument.

The Androktone in the castle is bonded. Either he must die, or she must die.

You suggest that I break another's bond?

Her mind was drowned in the irony.

She is an Outsider! Her bond is irrelevant! Do not twist the needs of the Purpose to your own!

Then what must we do?

We must have control of the Portal! We must take it from her! She is our enemy! She must die!

Time is limited. We cannot search for her other self.

Then you must strike at the drone!

To kill the drone is not easy. We must rob her of the air that keeps her mind alive. She must be surrounded in fire, or water.

Fire! Burn her! Burn her!

Why are you scared?

She is close to me.

Her answer meant nothing.

Why are you scared?

I like her presence. I like doing this again, being close to her. She is my birth mother. I have always been close to her. We have run together for many, many years; nearly all my life. We lived the Purpose and fought hard and long. She is familiar, comfortable. I want her near.

Then why have you avoided her for all this time?

I was scared.

Why are you scared?

It was a persistent question that had to be answered. And her bond with Rolf allowed the chain of thought to continue.

One of us is incorrect.

Is it her?

Maybe.

Is it us?

Maybe.

You are her seed. Is it both of us?

Maybe.

Confront her! Reveal your thoughts! Test her integrity!

This is why I avoided her.

There was a pause for thought. And then the question was repeated.

What is it you fear?

We will kill one another.

Soo-Kai and Kai-Tai were close to where Rolf and the other Destroyers waited for them before they began to slow their pace. They walked the rest of the way. Until then they had been silent, but now Soo-Kai turned to Kai-Tai and spoke.

"What must we do, my mother?"

"Kill her," Kai-Tai replied simply. "But first we must spoil what plans she makes. This Le-Roth you saw. We must increase his distrust of her. This artifact they spoke of, possibly it is a weapon –humans always want weapons, weapons and gold. But it is also possible that it is a device that will open the Portal. The arrival of alien children would suggest this. If it is such a device, then what they intend to bring through the Portal must be important to them. When next it opens, we must steal what they bring. If they lose faith in her, then her position is weakened."

"But she is big!" Soo-Kai insisted. "If she grows any larger, the passages beneath the castle will not be able to contain her."

"She needs air like the rest of us. And if she works on the device that operates the Portal, there will be a time when her size will not help her."

"I nearly felt her wrath. She is no fool."

Kai-Tai looked across at Soo-Kai. "You did well today, my seed. Bonded or not, I am pleased with you, and glad that she did not eat you."

"I am glad also. And I bask in your approval. But it is strange, my mother. It is many years since I split my brain with my sword to scout, and I had forgotten that it left a taste of fur in my mouth."

### Chapter Fifteen

### The Lair of the Dragon

The voice was deep and guttural. The very sound of it brought a feeling of evil to the mind. It came from a large, deep pit in the very bowels of the underground chambers of the castle. It was powerful, insistent, and angry.

" _Let me out! Let me out and I will find her!_ "

Two men stood on a small ledge that ran around the top of the pit, staring down. One man was dressed in the clothes of a Knight of the Royal Court, the blue chevron and lion, the crest of the L'Hage family on his breastplate. He was tall, with jet-black hair and black eyes. He was bearded and his eyes blazed as he stared down at the occupant of the pit.

"Let you out? You must think us to be simple-minded!" he scoffed. "I would rather stick my head in your mouth! And me thinks that letting you out would amount to the same decision!"

" _She saw me! She knows me! Let me out!_ "

The second man turned to the first. He was shorter and heavier. He had a round face with receding hair, his clothes were rich and colourful, and he looked agitated and worried. "What should we do, L'Roth?" he pleaded.

L'Roth was dismissive. "So what if one Destroyer has been seen by another? Why should this concern us? Do you think she will run to the King and tell him?"

"But there maybe other Destroyers in the forest. I've lost three men already. What if they attack again?"

"Then we will kill them, and take great pleasure in doing it. No, Sir Henry, we do nothing. Least of all unleash your pet. She stays in the pit."

The voice was even angrier and filled with malevolence. " _You are a fool, Le-Roth! The Insiders will not be so easy to slay. Let me out. It is better to attack than defend. I can lead you to them. I can smell them and the path they take. Let me out! Together we can defeat them!_ "

L'Roth's reply was filled with sarcasm. "Yes, and after our great victory we can celebrate by dining together, only we will be on the menu. You stay in the pit, and if you argue anymore, I will see to it that you are not fed tonight."

The voice now became openly hostile. " _This pit will not keep me contained for long! There will come a time when I will indeed have your head in my mouth, and you will regret your words!_ "

Lord L'Roth took one of the flaming torches from the wall and threw it into the pit. "Insolent bitch! Remember your place!"

There was a deep growl from the depths of the pit.

Sir Henry L'Crieff looked angrily at L'Roth. "Don't anger her so!" he shouted at him. "Her insolence and punishment are my concern, not yours! Now leave us!"

L'Roth looked unconcerned by his companion's words. "As you wish," he said derisively. He smiled at Sir Henry and added, "I wouldn't want to come between a man and his true love." He bowed gracefully and left, laughing as he walked down the dimly lit corridors.

Sir Henry watched him leave. He waited until the echoes of L'Roth's laughter had faded before he turned quickly and knelt at the edge of the pit, looking down anxiously.

"Are you unharmed?"

" _Your concern pleases me_ ," the voice purred. " _I am unharmed, but angered. Le-Roth despises me, as I despise him. I will not share with him what I share with you. He knows this. It divides you, and there will come a time when he sides with those against you. Be prepared for this, my love._ "

Sir Henry waved aside her warning. "Let me worry about L'Roth. He talks bravely, but he's like all the others. He doesn't truly understand. And by the time he does, it will be too late."

There was a scrabbling sound from the pit, as sharp claws raked against stone. It was accompanied by deep, throaty breaths.

" _You are wise, my love. But my hunger burns within me. When shall I be fed again_ _?_ "

Sir Henry moved closer to the edge of the pit and reached down, patting and stroking. "Be patient, Gil-Yan. I have a little meat for you tonight. But when others come from the other side, then you will be able to fill your belly once more."

The pit was filled with the sound of deep purring, and Sir Henry smiled.

### Chapter Sixteen

### An Individual Look

Rolf didn't have time to feel nervous once he was alone and surrounded by all the Destroyers. He quickly found himself pursued by Hai-Fam. It was obvious what she wanted even though she could only speak her own language. Rolf did his best to try to explain to her that he hadn't brought any pieces of silk, or any cloth of any kind. She wouldn't leave him alone. Finally he remembered that he had a clean handkerchief in his pocket. He quickly pulled it out and gave it to her.

Hai-Fam took the handkerchief with obvious delight. It was bright yellow. The colour seemed to attract her. She unfolded it carefully and held it to her face, brushing it over her lips and her cheek. She sniffed at it, and examined it closely, turning it over and over. The feel of Rolf's embroidered name seemed to fascinate her. Satisfied at last, she looked around to see that no one was watching before quickly tying it in her blonde hair. Then she smiled at him and kept tilting her head from side to side, feeling her ponytail bobbing about as she had done at their house.

Rolf had to laugh. But as soon as she heard his laughter, Hai- Fam stared at him so intently, that Rolf could almost see what she was thinking. She hadn't seen anyone laugh before. As his laughter slowly subsided, she came very close, her head tilted to one side. Rolf couldn't resist. He touched her face.

Hai-Fam squeaked and ran away.

Rolf laughed even more. He was still laughing when Kai-Tai and Soo-Kai came back. By then he was sat with his back to a tree, the horses tied up nearby. The other Destroyers sat a little way off, Hai-Fam in the middle of them. They watched him, but stayed away. Kai-Tai went to join them while Soo-Kai came and sat next to Rolf.

"What do you do with Hai-Fam?" she asked.

Rolf laughed again. "Nothing serious, my wife. She was curious, that's all. I merely touched her and she ran away. How did you know?"

"Your handkerchief is in her hair. Be careful. She may be young, but she can still kill you."

Rolf's smile faded. "I think by the company I now keep, that she will be the least of my worries. What did you see that my poor human eyes would not see?"

"Kai-Tai spoke the truth. The gates are closed and there is no mat."

Rolf laughed. "I didn't actually mean –Oh, never mind. Is that all you found out?"

"We could taste many men in the air. The garrison has been strengthened as we surmised. And there is a Destroyer inside the castle. I could smell her. But we could also smell the scent of alien DNA. Those that come here are in the castle."

"Those that they haven't killed, you mean," Rolf added grimly.

Soo-Kai didn't say anything else about her visit to the castle. She didn't want to worry Rolf, and she had the feeling that he would tell her off if he knew that she had almost been eaten.

They were both silent for a while, sitting together by the tree. Rolf gazed casually at the other Destroyers. His eyes found Kai-Tai and stayed there. He stared at Kai-Tai, marvelling at how alike she was to his Soo-Kai. He turned and looked at Soo-Kai sat next to him. Then he turned and looked back at Kai-Tai. Finally he turned again and looked at Soo-Kai once more. She was now looking back at him, a puzzled look on her face.

"What is it, my husband?" she asked, a little worried by his behaviour.

Rolf smiled. "You look so much alike. Too much alike." Rolf had a sudden idea. He sat up. "Do you still have the handkerchief I gave you?" he asked.

Soo-Kai still looked puzzled, but she pulled the handkerchief from her pocket. It was red, and it had her name embroidered on it. She handed it to Rolf.

"Do you wish to give it to Hai-Fam? Or maybe to another Destroyer? My mother perhaps?"

Rolf's smile broadened at the thought of what Kai-Tai's reaction would be. "No, my love! I am not that foolhardy! And in any case, I wouldn't do anything to incite your jealousy."

"I am relieved, my husband. It pleases me that you respect my feelings, and that you recognise the foolishness of such an act. Hai-Fam may be interested in such things now, but it will not last. And my mother is far too old even to remember such childish thoughts."

Rolf held her hand. "This is not for Hai-Fam, nor for any other Destroyer. This is your handkerchief. I made it for you, and it is in your hair that I wish to tie it."

"You will tie my hair?" Soo-Kai asked in surprise, and reached up to her long red hair, pulling at it protectively.

"Yes!" Rolf smiled at her anxious expression. "Don't worry! It's not going to hurt. I just want you to look different from your mother, that's all. I want to be able to tell the difference between you."

"But when we are close, surely you can tell one of us from the other?"

Rolf laughed. "Of course! But I want to tell the difference at a distance, when I still have a chance to run!"

"But we dress differently!" Soo-Kai protested, still holding on to her hair protectively. "I wear my leggings and waistcoat of red, while she wears a tunic and leggings that are black."

"She could change clothes," Rolf suggested.

Soo-Kai opened her mouth to reply than stopped.

"You see!" Rolf exclaimed. "She couldn't tie her hair as I will tie yours!"

Soo-Kai almost slumped. She sighed and handed him her hair as if she were handing him a baby.

Rolf smiled and caressed her face. "It'll be alright, I promise! Here, sit in front of me; let me tie your hair in a plat. If you really don't like it, you can always undo it afterwards."

Soo-Kai perked up. "It will not be permanent?"

"No, it will not be permanent."

Soo-Kai gave in and sat in front of him. She still looked a little anxious as Rolf began platting her hair. Her hair was very long, and the plat would be long, too.

There was silence as Rolf platted away. He wondered what Soo-Kai was thinking, so he leaned over her shoulder and found that her eyes were closed tight. It was as if she were waiting for her life to end. It made Rolf feel sad.

"Soo-Kai, you know that I love you more than anything else in the world?" he said to her in a soft voice.

"Yes, my husband," she answered, her eyes still closed.

"Then you should know by now that I wouldn't do anything to you like this if I didn't think it would make you even more beautiful than ever."

Soo-Kai opened her eyes. "I am sorry, my husband," she replied in a sad voice. "I do not mean to distrust you. But I have kept my hair as it is for many years. I care for it and wash it often. Its feel pleases me."

Rolf kissed her on the back of her neck. "I tell you what. If the plat doesn't please you, I'll undo it straight away. Alright?"

"Thank you, my husband."

Rolf continued to talk to her as he platted away, distracting her by asking her about something that was bothering him from before.

"What did Kai-Tai mean about a portal thing in the _Nakora Tabek_?" he asked.

Soo-Kai turned her head slightly. She seemed surprised. "Did I not tell you of the Portal?"

"No."

"Then I will tell you now. The Great Ships of the Navak were fitted with a device that could digitise the molecular structure of matter and then transmit that digital information anywhere for reassembly. We call it a Ring Network Portal; you may call it a door. You walk in at one point, and emerge at another, a great distance away. It was invented by the Tun-Sho-Lok who passed it on to many of the races they visited, and we brought the technology with us when we enslaved the Navak. The Portal is the means by which Kai-Tai and those with her wish to escape from this world. It can only be opened by using the data link in the auxiliary command centre in the _Althon Gerail_ , and then only when the _Nakora Tabek_ is close by. This is why access to the _Althon Gerail_ is so important. But the Portal works both ways."

Rolf didn't understand everything she said about how the Portal worked, but its implication was clear. He would have to remember to add it to her journal when they got home.

"So, this Portal could bring people here just as easily as it could send them away?" he said.

"Yes. And the arrival of the aliens would suggest that this is happening."

"But the boy, Daniel. Why would he want to come here? He didn't look like he was prepared for a journey to another world."

"To travel through the Portal may not have been by his choice. It is many years since the data link in the _Althon Gerail_ was last used. It may be damaged; the ship itself is broken and buried. Kai-Tai herself removed part of the circuitry to prevent it from being used in her absence. How the Destroyer in the castle has overcome this problem I cannot say, but she may not know where the Portal opens at the other end. Those that come here may just fall in."

Rolf looked thoughtful as he tied the red handkerchief into the end of the long plat. No wonder the boy had looked scared. He couldn't possibly have understood what had happened to him.

"There! Finished!" he said.

Soo-Kai immediately reached for her hair at her neck and pulled the plat over her shoulder. She held it in her hands and stared at it in wonder.

"My hair has become a long, entwined, red snake," she whispered. She felt the handkerchief at the end. It was tied in a big bow.

Rolf watched her carefully. "Do you like it?"

Soo-Kai looked up at him. There were tears in her eyes. "Yes, my husband! I like it very much!" And with those words, she dived into his arms.

As they embraced and kissed, there was the sound of a loud squeak. Rolf and Soo-Kai looked up to see Nan-Po trying to pull Rolf's yellow handkerchief from Hai-Fam's hair. Hai-Fam was doing her best to hang on to it, squeaking in distress. As they both struggled and the other Destroyers watched, Kai-Tai stood up as if she was going to join in. But instead she just shouted at them and turned and stared off into the trees.

To Rolf's surprise, Nan-Po let go of Hai-Fam's hair and did the same. All the Destroyers began to stand up and stare in the same direction. Even Hai-Fam, her hair still tied in the ponytail, stood up and stared.

It was a moment before Rolf realised that Soo-Kai was also standing and staring like the rest. He quickly stood up as well.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Aliens," Soo-Kai said in a whisper. "Maybe ten or twenty. One moment the forest air is empty, the next moment, it is filled with their scent."

### Chapter Seventeen

### The Lost Girls

Anne Jenkins didn't know what hit her. As she opened her tear filled eyes and felt the ache in her forehead, she realised that it must have been the dashboard. Then she felt the blood on her face and the pain in her nose. She reached up with a shaky hand to touch her nose. It felt very tender, and she couldn't breathe properly. It was probably broken. What had happened? She couldn't remember where she was. She felt confused. Then it dawned on her.

They must have crashed.

It was like a switch. Until that moment, the world around her had been silent and still, now in an instant, it was full of screams and shouting. Anne Jenkins remembered exactly who and where she was, and she was suddenly filled with shock and fear.

"The girls!" she cried out, twisting around in the front seat of the minibus.

Behind her, Anne found utter turmoil and confusion. The girls were a sea of arms, legs and bodies all wriggling and twisting about. They were screaming and crying and shouting. Everywhere was broken glass and upturned car seats that had been torn free in the impact. And the bags and holdalls they had brought with them had burst open, and the girls threw about their kit and their hockey sticks in their panic to get free. Only Rowena Douglas was the right way up, sitting at the back of the bus with a stunned and dazed expression on her face. Then someone's hockey skirt landed on her head, covering her face, and she began to scream in panic.

Anne Jenkins scrambled over her seat and pulled at the girls, trying to get them all free. "Calm down! Calm down!" she shouted. "It's all over! We've had an accident, but it's all, all right! Calm down!"

She threw a holdall out of one of the broken windows, and then Jemma appeared, her short and curly blonde hair even more tangled as she climbed the right way up, gasping for breath. Then another girl appeared, then another. Christine, Becky, Bernice, Sophia, Amy and Linda. Anne identified them all, reaching down to pull another girl up. Yes, there was Vanessa, and Samantha. Debbie appeared next. Then Paula and Jane. One by one they popped up, battered, dazed and shocked. Karen and Jo were the last.

The screaming began to subside. Vanessa pulled the skirt from Rowena's head and slapped her. Rowena stared back at Vanessa with a surprised pout as she rubbed her face, but at least now there was silence. They all sat about in the wreckage, breathing hard, and looking around at one another.

Anne Jenkins stared at them all. She was so happy that they were all alive and looked un-hurt. Yes, there were scratches and their clothes were all pulled out of place, and by tomorrow they would all be very sore from the aches and bruises they had. But they were all alive and safe.

Oh, thank God.

"What happened, Miss?" Karen asked, brushing her long brown hair from her face and eyes.

"We crashed, that's all," Anne replied. Then she raised her voice. "Are you all alright?"

Most of the girls nodded and said yes. Anne was beginning to feel relieved.

Then Debbie said, "My arm hurts."

And Samantha said, "My ankle hurts too, Miss. It hurts real bad."

"Alright, girls, I'll have a look at you. But I think we better get out first."

That was when Becky stared out one of the broken windows and said, "Where's the road, Miss?"

Anne Jenkins turned and stared out of the window. What she saw shocked her.

They were in a forest. The sun was high in the sky and it cast bright sunbeams through the high foliage. The sunbeams danced about over the grass as the trees moved with the slight wind. It was quiet and beautiful, but totally wrong.

It should have been the M60.

The minibus had hit one of the large trees in the forest. It was absolutely wrecked. Anne Jenkins sighed with dismay when she saw it properly. They had only bought it last year, and it was still virtually brand new. The Head would kill her when she found out.

It took a while for them all to get out. Samantha was the last. Her ankle was broken. Anne knew as soon as she saw it. They had to carry her out and sit her against one of the big trees. It wasn't the only break. Debbie's arm was broken too. She held it tenderly as she stared around at all the trees. They all stood about and stared.

Anne Jenkins did the same. She couldn't understand it. As she cleaned the blood from her nose and face with her handkerchief, she wondered where the motorway was. And where were all the buildings, the Business Parks and Retail Centres? Where were the houses and the people? Where was Manchester? In fact, where the Hell were they?

She became aware that some of the girls were missing. She looked around quickly, and saw Paula and Vanessa walking about among the trees, staring up at the high branches. Rowena and the tiny Jemma were doing the same on the other side of their wrecked minibus.

Anne almost panicked. "Don't wander off!" she shouted quickly. "Come back here! Now!"

All the girls turned and stared at her. Anne was suddenly conscious of the nervous sound to her voice. She cleared her throat and said as calmly as she could, "I don't want anyone getting lost, okay. Now come back."

Reluctantly, the girls did as she asked. Anne looked at them all, counting them all off in her mind. There was still one missing.

"Where's Becky?" Anne said anxiously. "Has anyone seen Becky?"

"I'm here, Miss! It's alright!" a voice called from inside the minibus.

"What are you doing in there?" Anne asked, going over to the minibus and peering inside.

Becky was on the floor rummaging about among the wreckage. "I'm trying to find my glasses," she said.

Anne relaxed a little. She tried to calm herself. Her head hurt and her nose was still bleeding. At least it wasn't broken, after all. She dabbed at it with her already stained handkerchief. She was frightened, she admitted it. But wouldn't anybody be frightened in her position? Here she was, all alone, in the middle of a forest in a place somewhere she didn't know, with fifteen sixteen-year-old girls in her care. What was she supposed to do?

"Someone's coming, Miss," Amy said.

Anne turned around and stared. Behind her, Becky popped up at one of the broken windows, her glasses in her hands. She quickly cleaned them on her shirt and put them on. Like her teacher and the rest of the girls, she stared at those that approached.

It wasn't real.

It was like a scene from the tales of King Arthur. Men on horses wearing armour and carrying shields galloped towards them. There were wagons with cages upon them, and beside them ran more men. Some of them carried long poles with spikes on the end of them, while others held nets strung out between them.

_Nets. Nets and cages_.

Anne Jenkins felt her stomach drop through the soles of her feet.

"Run!" she screamed, pushing the nearest girls into motion. "Run! Run like Hell, damn it!"

The stillness and tranquillity of the forest was suddenly filled with the screams of girls, the shouts of men and the sounds of horse's hooves. Everyone ran in different directions. It was all out, unrestrained panic. Only poor Samantha couldn't run. She could hardly stand on her broken ankle. She screamed in terror as she saw her friends scatter and the men rushing towards her. Anne had almost forgotten her. She ran back, grabbed her, and half carried her as she tried to run. They didn't get far.

Men and horses rushed by the wrecked minibus, a net was thrown, and Anne and Samantha fell under its weight. In a second, the men were upon them, dragging them away, kicking and screaming. Anne tried to fight with them. She bit, scratched and kicked as hard as she could, but then one of the men shoved the blunt end of his pike against her head and she gave up the fight. Her unconscious body was dragged along the ground and thrown into one of the cage wagons that drew up. Samantha was treated no better. She screamed in agony as she landed on her foot. No one seemed to care.

Other girls fared no better. Debbie was quickly overtaken by the horses and kicked to the ground by the men who rode them. With her broken arm she was easily taken. Christine and Paula fell under another net. Jo and Linda were surrounded by men who chased them as if this was all a game. Their eyes were filled with delight, and as the girls were brought down, they were manhandled and groped mercilessly before being dragged to the waiting cage wagons.

The forest was filled with screams and shouts as girls and men ran about in all directions. But not all the girls would be taken so easily.

Like all the girls on the school hockey team, Amy was young and fit. But she was also the school champion at middle distance running. For the school she ran to win, but now she was running for her life. She ran like the wind, and those that chased her quickly fell behind. They soon gave up, and collapsed to the ground exhausted. Amy darted among the trees, never slowing down for an instant, her silver blonde hair flowing like a long tail behind her.

Bernice also ran as fast as she could. She, too, was fast, and the two men chasing her were either too heavy, or too unfit to keep up with her speed. She was beginning to believe that she could get away when she heard the horse. It came at her from the side, and she saw it too late. The rider's foot caught her squarely in the back and she flew through the air, landing on her face.

She lay in the grass, stunned for just a moment. Then she spun round, and propped herself up on her hands. She sat there on the grass, panting breathlessly. She saw the men that had chased her standing near her, and behind her the third man dismounted from his horse. He looked like a Knight, with a breast-plate and a cloak. There was no one else nearby, and all three men had the same expression and look in their eyes.

Bernice was suddenly aware of her short skirt and her bare legs. Her sister, Vanessa, was always telling her that her skirts were too short. She said she would get into trouble. This was it.

Bernice screamed and tried to scamper away. It was like a signal, and the men fell on her like animals, pulling and tearing at her clothes. She screamed and fought, biting and kicking.

The men were too occupied in what they did to notice the arrival of a newcomer. But Bernice saw her. It was almost dream-like. As the men pinned her down, trying to pry her legs apart, Bernice saw a woman with long red hair appear and stand over them. She was dressed in black, and she held a sword in her hands, its point was downward. She looked very calm and purposeful.

As Bernice stared, the woman thrust the sword down into the back of one of the men. He grunted and arched his back, his face twisted in pain, and then he fell sideways to the ground. One of the other men turned in time to receive the sword through his throat. Bernice saw it come out the back of his neck. It seemed to stick as the man fell, and it took a moment for the woman to pull her sword out, pushing down on the dying man with her foot. During that time, the third man had let go of Bernice and rolled clear.

The Knight jumped up and drew his sword. "A Destroyer!" he bellowed to anyone who could hear. "There are Destroyers in the forest!"

There was the clash of swords as he and the woman he called a Destroyer fought. Bernice watched in fascination. The fight only lasted a few seconds. As the Knight raised his sword arm, someone grabbed it from behind. Bernice saw that it was another woman, dressed in black, or maybe dark brown. She also held a sword just like the first woman. Her hair was brown. The Knight turned in surprise at the grip on his arm. It was his last act. A moment later and the red haired woman had thrust her sword into his chest. It clanged as it punched through his breast plate. He was dead before he hit the ground.

There was sudden silence. Bernice lay on the ground among the bodies and the blood. She was shocked by what she had seen, but somehow, she didn't feel scared. Even with both the women the dead man had called Destroyers now standing over her, their swords in their hands, she didn't feel threatened by them.

The woman with the red hair reached out her free hand to Bernice.

"I am Kai-Tai. Come with me, or stay here and die. But choose quickly."

### Chapter Eighteen

### Skirmish

Rowena, Sophia, Vanessa, Jemma, Karen and Jane were all captured and thrust into the same cage wagon. Anne Jenkins was in the next wagon. She was still unconscious. Samantha was holding her in her arms. With them were Debbie, Linda, Jo, Christine and Paula. All the girls were crying, and some of them looked far more battered and bruised than they had been after the crash. But they weren't the only occupants of the wagon.

In the same wagon as Anne Jenkins were six more children, four boys and two girls. The girls wore grey uniforms while the boys were in maroon. All of them looked scared and bewildered, and they were just as battered and bruised.

All around the wagons, men hurried about, shouting and securing the ropes. A Knight on horse-back shouted orders to them all. He seemed to be in charge. Everywhere there was noise and commotion. The horses snorted and stamped their feet in agitation, causing the wagons to move and sway.

Vanessa looked around as the men hurried about. They seemed busy enough, so she pressed herself against the bars of the cage and shouted across to Linda in the other wagon.

"Who are the other kids? Do they know anything?"

Linda shook her head. "Christine is the only one who's French is good enough to understand them," she called back. "They don't know any more than us."

Vanessa looked surprised. "They're French? What are they doing here?"

"Same as us. They were on the road when it happened. But they weren't together. The boys are from a different school, but it wasn't even in the same city. The girls are from Paris, and the boys are from Lyon."

There was a sudden shout. "My Liege! My Liege!"

Everyone turned and stared as a man ran up to the Knight. He threw himself to his knees in front of his horse and saluted by thumping his left breast with his fist.

"My Lord L'Roth!" he said breathlessly. "Sir William is dead!"

L'Roth looked astonished. "What is this you say? Dead? How so?"

"We heard Sir William call out that Destroyers were in the forest. But when we reached him, he and two others had already been slain."

L'Roth pulled his horse round, almost knocking the man to the ground. He shouted to the men by the wagons, pointing at the one with Anne Jenkins inside.

"This wagon is full! To the castle with it!" he shouted, "Go! When the last of our quarry is captured we will follow with the rest!"

"Aye, my Liege!" one of the men shouted and saluted with the same thump of his chest.

Men jumped on the wagon and the horses strained forward.

As the wagon moved off, the girls stared at one another through the bars, and began to reach out and shout and scream in dismay at their separation. L'Roth ignored them, and continued shouting his orders.

"You men, stay and guard this wagon! You others, follow me!" He drew his sword and galloped off.

Other men began jumping on their horses. Some went with the departing wagon, while others galloped after L'Roth.

The girls stared at the other wagon as it disappeared, crying in despair. Only Vanessa didn't cry. She was watching the man who guarded them. As the sound of horses and men faded, Vanessa moved closer to the bars again.

"Hey, you!" she shouted.

The man ignored her.

Vanessa stared at him through the bars of the cage. "Bastard!" she shouted. "My dad will cut your balls off when I tell him what you've done!"

This time the man spun round and smacked the bars of the cage with his pike. Vanessa had to move back quickly, her fingers narrowly escaping a good bashing.

Rowena was terrified. "Stop it, Vanessa! You'll make them angry!"

"Make them angry? I'm the one that's bloody angry!" Vanessa went back to the bars. "What have you done with my sister, you rotten bastards?"

Her shout brought the same response from the man. As he struck at the bars he shouted, "Quiet, wench!"

"Who are you calling a wench? You mad-arse!" Vanessa shouted back.

The man began to poke the blunt end of his long pike through the bars at Vanessa. Vanessa tried to grab it, but it was thrust into her stomach, knocking her over. As the man drew his pike back to jab at her again, Sophia and Karen quickly grabbed it and began to wrestle with it. Jemma joined in, and soon even Rowena had grabbed the long pole and begun to tug it from the man.

As the guard tried desperately to retrieve his pike, he found himself lifted off the ground by the weight of the girls at the other end. He shouted for help, and more men came running.

This time the business end of the pikes were used. But they were used carefully, and sparingly. It was obvious that the men didn't want to kill the girls, but that was as far as their concern for them went. Rowena was poked in the back, Vanessa in the chest, and Karen in the leg and hip. The wounds were not deep or serious, but they were enough to draw blood. With three men poking at them from all sides, the girls soon had to give up. But the men wouldn't stop poking and jabbing at them.

The girls began to scream and wriggle about in the cage, trying to avoid the sharp points of the thrusting pikes. The men were beginning to enjoy this game when another horse galloped up to the cage wagon. Its rider was a woman dressed in red and with red hair that was tied into a long plat, and she struck at one of the men with a sword she carried. The man's head flew off. Karen saw it. It just popped off, and the man's body fell over. Blood went everywhere.

All the girls saw the blood and felt the hot spray, and they immediately fell back screaming in shock and horror.

The men also panicked. They were trying to remove their pikes which were still stuck in the cage, but with the girls screaming and jumping about in terror inside, it took too long. The woman sliced another of the men across the back, and he fell in another welter of blood. The third man gave up, dropped his pike and ran. The woman chased after him on her horse.

The man ran in panic, looking over his shoulder in terror at the woman who chased him, her sword held out. He was running towards the minibus, and as he ran passed it, Becky popped out of one of the broken windows with her hockey stick in her hand. The man didn't see it until it was too late, and she walloped him. The stick broke, and the man was felled in an instant.

The woman reined in her horse and stared at Becky in surprise.

"What is your name, girl?" she asked.

"Becky," Becky replied, climbing out of the minibus. She pushed her glasses back up her nose and asked, "What's yours?"

"Soo-Kai. Come, there is no time to waste."

Soo-Kai replaced her sword in her back then reached out her hand to Becky. Becky didn't respond. She was too busy staring and wondering where the sword had gone. Soo-Kai shouted at her.

"Get on the horse!"

Becky was startled but then grabbed Soo-Kai's hand. Soo-Kai pulled her up on to her horse and the two of them galloped back to the cage wagon. As soon as they were there, Soo-Kai jumped down and pulled Becky down beside her.

All the girls stared at Becky and Soo-Kai in surprise. They began to calm down when they realised that Soo-Kai was helping Becky, and that the girl wasn't her prisoner. Vanessa stared at Soo-Kai in desperation.

"Let us out!" she shouted.

"There is no time for that!" Soo-Kai shouted back. Then she turned to Becky and ordered, "Get on the wagon!"

She didn't wait to see if Becky obeyed, she climbed on herself, leaving her own horse behind. She picked up the reins on the wagon, released the brake, and urged on the horses. Becky just managed to clamber on to the roof of the cage when the wagon lurched forward.

As Becky lay on the roof, hanging on to the bars, Karen stared up at her in wonder.

"Have you been hiding in the minibus all this time?" she asked.

"Course!" Becky replied. "I wasn't going to run about like a twit just to give them some fun."

Jemma leaned forward. "Smart-arse!"

Becky made a face at her.

Soo-Kai drove the horses hard, and the wagon began to pick up speed. As the girls screamed and were knocked about, Vanessa moved to the front of the cage. She reached through the bars and pulled at Soo-Kai's long platted hair.

"Stop! You have to stop!" she begged.

"To stop is to die!" Soo-Kai shouted back, pulling her hair free.

"But you don't understand! I have to find my sister!"

"Was she in the other wagon?"

"No!"

"Then she is still free! Have hope! If she lives, my sisters will find her!"

The wagon hurtled through the forest, winding its way through the trees. It bounced and rocked, causing the girls to scream as they were thrown about. Vanessa fell on her bottom. She wanted to talk to Soo-Kai, to get her to explain what she meant about her sisters finding Bernice. But it was no use. Soo-Kai shouted at the horses, urging them to go even faster.

Becky hung on to the roof for dear life, bouncing up and down. She kept looking back, trying to see who was chasing them. There had to be someone chasing them, why else would Soo-Kai go so fast and risk hitting one of these trees?

Yes! There they were! Some of the men chased them on horses. Four there were. Galloping like mad. They were going to catch them.

Soo-Kai drove the wagon dangerously close to some of the trees, the wheels bouncing over the roots, and threatening to overturn it.

The wagon had shot passed another tree when Nan-Po and Hai-Fam stepped out from behind it. They stood in full view of the approaching riders. Nan-Po held her bow at the ready, an arrow in place and her arm drawn back. Hai-Fam held several arrows in her hand. Nan-Po released her first arrow. Hai-Fam handed her another. Nan-Po drew back her arm and fired again. Again, Hai-Fam handed her another arrow. They did the same thing four times in as many seconds. All the pursuing riders fell. The last caught his foot on the stirrup and was dragged behind. Nan-Po and Hai- Fam stepped aside as the horse shot passed, the man bouncing over the grass as he was dragged behind it, an arrow stuck in his head.

Becky saw it all from the roof of the wagon. She saw the men fall and the horses scatter. Then she saw the two women running among the trees. Nice trap, she thought. Sure enough, the wagon began to slow down. It still went fast, but the chase was over.

Soo-Kai brought the wagon to a halt. As soon as she jumped down, a man appeared from behind a tree. He was leading a horse behind him. He let the reins drop and ran to her. They both hugged and kissed.

"You did it!" Rolf shouted excitedly. He felt the blood, still wet on her waistcoat, and became alarmed. "Are you safe? You are not injured?"

"No. All went as we planned, my husband. Now help me free these girls."

"Girls?" Rolf stared at the wagon.

Becky stood up on the roof of the wagon, her hands on her hips. "Well, if we aren't girls, we're the strangest looking boys you've ever seen!" she said sarcastically.

Soo-Kai drew her sword from her back and walked round to the cage door. She sliced at it, knocking the wooden door from the cage. "All of you, out now. You are safe with us."

The girls piled out, happy to be out of the cage at last. Becky climbed down from the cage roof.

Rolf stared at them all. Their garments reminded him of the ones warn by the little boy, Daniel. They were all wearing the same outfit. A grey skirt, white blouse, and blue jumper. The skirts they wore were quite short. Some shorter than others. Their legs were bare or covered in hose, hose that was now torn in places. Around their necks the girls all wore some sort of long, thin ribbon. It was striped red and blue. They were all battered and bruised, their clothes all disarranged and ragged. Some of them were stained in blood. They were all young, but by their shape, they were obviously in the early years of womanhood.

"They are almost women," he muttered. Then his eyes fixed on Vanessa, and he stared.

"What are you staring at?" she snapped at him.

"I beg your pardon. But the darkness of your skin is quite astonishing. Where are you from?"

"Manchester," Vanessa replied in an angry voice. "Where are you from? Where is this place? Why are men chasing us? Why did you kill them? And where's my sister? What the fuck's going on?"

Rolf stared in amazement.

Soo-Kai replaced the sword in her back. "Come, we can talk later. First we must go from here. When we are safe, we will answer all your questions." She began to urge them all forward.

Jane pointed up at Soo-Kai's neck. "Where did that go?" she suddenly demanded. "The sword? It just went. Where did it go?"

"Later," Soo-Kai told her. "First we must survive, then we can talk."

The girls started to move forward, but Vanessa stood her ground. And when she wouldn't move, all the rest of the girls stood with her.

"What about my sister?" she demanded. "I'm not going anywhere without my sister!"

"Where we go is where we all agreed to meet," Soo-Kai said. "If your sister is safe, then you will see her there."

Vanessa gave in. "Alright, but if she's not there, I'm going to look for her. And no one's stopping me. Okay?"

Rolf smiled at her. "Don't worry. If she isn't there, we'll help you look for her. We only want to help."

Vanessa stared at him and Soo-Kai for a moment. They looked genuine enough, and they had rescued them.

"Who are you two?" she asked.

Rolf smiled again. He spoke in as calm and as friendly a voice as he could, trying his best not to frighten them. "I am Rolf. This is Soo-Kai, my wife. As I said, we only wish to help you. Come with us. Some of you are injured. We have ointments and dressings. We have food and water. Come, you will be safe with us."

All the girls stared at Vanessa. Vanessa glanced at Becky. Becky nodded, and Vanessa said, "Alright then, let's go."

### Chapter Nineteen

###  Curiosity

###

Bernice stood in front of Kai-Tai and the other Destroyer. They were speaking together in a strange language that Bernice couldn't understand or recognise. It sounded harsh and brutal. Kai-Tai called the other Destroyer Jai-Soo. They stopped talking and stared at Bernice curiously.

Bernice had lost her jumper and most of the buttons from her blouse when the men had attacked her. Now her blouse hung open and left her bra on view. She had run through the forest like that with Kai-Tai and Jai-Soo. They had ran and ran. And just as suddenly, they had stopped. Stopped, spoken to one another, and then stared at her.

Kai-Tai said something else to Jai-Soo. Again it was in the language Bernice couldn't understand. Jai-Soo immediately ran off. Bernice and Kai-Tai were now alone together in the forest.

Atlantian! Even Jai-Soo can sense the genetic heritage! They have not perished! They still exist! They have evaded us! They have escaped our wrath! How can this be? How have they remained hidden?

Yes, she is Atlantian, but not the same. She is not correct.

They never were! They should have died with the rest! Why do they still live?

She is different, her integrity mutated. Much time has passed. There is much to know here.

Then test her! Question her! We must know the answers to this riddle!

Bernice was still out of breath. She was breathing hard while she tied her blouse in a knot at her waist and stared at Kai-Tai. Kai-Tai stared back at her. She didn't seem to be out of breath at all. Bernice had the feeling that Kai-Tai was wondering who she was, and where she had come from. She smiled and held out her hand.

"My name is Bernice," she said, still panting. "My friends call me Berni. Thanks for saving me from those men."

Kai-Tai stared at the out-stretched hand. She didn't take it. Instead she stuck her sword in the ground and suddenly stepped forward and grabbed Bernice's head, feeling her face and hair.

For a moment it startled Bernice, but she stood her ground and waited.

Kai-Tai kept hold of Bernice's head with one hand, while her other hand moved down her face to her neck. Her hand came to rest on Bernice's throat, squeezing it slightly, and she stared at Bernice's face as if studying her.

Bernice remembered how Kai-Tai had killed those men, but somehow she didn't feel scared of her. She had the feeling that Kai-Tai was merely curious, nothing more. She stared back at her and continued to wait, not moving a muscle.

Kai-Tai let go of Bernice's throat and moved her hand down to her chest and shoulder, feeling her skin under the torn blouse. Now she felt Bernice's stomach, her fingers brushing over her navel, then over her hip and back up to her waist. Finally, Kai-Tai moved her hand back up to Bernice's head. She held her with both hands again, her thumbs pressing against Bernice's temples.

"Your skin is of a dark hue that stirs a memory within me," she said in a puzzled voice. "It has a rich quality."

"That's because I'm West Indian," Bernice replied in as calm a voice as she could muster. "Although I was born in England."

Kai-Tai pulled Bernice closer to her own face, lifting her up, and causing her to stretch and stand on tip-toes. When they were nose to nose, Bernice found herself staring right into Kai-Tai's eyes. They were very intense, those eyes. Bright green and very penetrating. Bernice felt that Kai-Tai was looking directly into her soul.

Kai-Tai moved even closer, and for a brief moment, Bernice thought she was going to kiss her. But then Kai-Tai's expression seemed to harden.

"Your genetic structure is very similar to ours," she said, her voice harsher than before. "Similar, but different. You are not correct." It seemed to mark the end of her investigation, and she lowered Bernice down again and let go of her.

"Where is Eng-Land?" she asked.

"England's in Europe," Bernice said with a nervous smile. "How can you not know where England is?" She instinctively rubbed her face and neck as she spoke, as if she could still feel Kai-Tai's hands on her skin.

"Where is Your-Up?"

The smile on Bernice's lips faded. "On Earth?" she suggested.

"How did you get here?"

The question brought a flood of excited words from Bernice as she was suddenly reminded of everything that had happened.

"We were driving back from a game!" she said excitedly. "We were all chatting and laughing, and talking about how we gave them a good thrashing! We had only just passed Urmston when it happened. One minute we were on the motorway, and the next minute, bam! We'd hit a tree! Gosh! It wasn't half a bang! We all went flying! We were all wearing our seat belts and everything, but it didn't make any difference! Even the chairs broke loose. Everything went everywhere. Bags, our jackets, our kit, everything! We all ended up on the floor buried and in the dark! There was glass everywhere, and we were all screaming and shouting–"

Kai-Tai grabbed Bernice's head again, covering her mouth and silencing her.

"Enough! Your words confuse me!"

Atlantis does still exist! We were tricked! Their survival must have been hidden from us deliberately! There is treachery here!

It no longer matters. The names may have changed but the Portal connection must still exist. If we can gain entry to the castle we might still reach them.

Then we have learned enough! She is incorrect! Disgusting! Mutated! Kill her! Kill her! Kill her!

Bernice waited. A few seconds passed, then Kai-Tai let go of her.

Bernice stared at Kai-Tai as she stepped back and pulled her sword from the ground. Her expression had changed in some subtle way, and there was something about this new expression that un-nerved her. When Kai-Tai stepped forward again, and raised her sword, Bernice hastily stepped back.

"Kai-Tai!"

Kai-Tai turned and stared as Jai-Soo reappeared.

"Te pa?" she demanded. She looked annoyed, as if she had been interrupted.

"Soo-Kai sun lak," Jai-Soo replied. "Ta Rolf, ne-rast na-toose. Hak toose."

Kai-Tai looked again at Bernice. She seemed to be thinking. Then she raised her sword higher and placed it in her back. Bernice stared in wonder. It just disappeared.

Before Bernice could say anything about the disappearing sword, Kai-Tai said, "Your friends come."

Then a voice screamed, "Berni!"

Bernice looked among the trees and saw Vanessa running towards her, the other girls behind her.

Bernice screamed and ran to meet them. She and Vanessa jumped into one another's arms, hugging and kissing. Then Karen and Jane began to pat her on the back. Soon all the other girls gathered around her and joined in.

As the girls screamed and hugged one another in delight, Kai-Tai stared at Soo-Kai and Rolf. She waited as they approached, Rolf leading the remaining horse behind him. When they came near she spoke to Soo-Kai, ignoring Rolf.

"We have taken from those at the castle that which they have brought," she said. "We have lost none while they have lost many. But it seems that all we have won is children."

"And knowledge," Soo-Kai replied. "If the Portal is open, it is open one way only. And those it brings did not plan to come."

Kai-Tai nodded. "You speak the truth. But if the Outsider's hold on those at the castle is to be broken, it will require more than the theft of children. We will have to strike again, and harder. We will have to strike at the Outsider herself. When we do, will you stand at my side as you did today, my daughter, or will your bond take you from me?"

Soo-Kai looked at Rolf. Rolf could see the tortured look on her face, she wanted to go with Kai-Tai, but she wanted to stay with him, too. All he could do was indicate the girls when he replied.

"What about them? They won't survive long on their own."

Soo-Kai turned back to her mother, but before she could speak, Kai-Tai had guessed her answer.

"Then we must stay apart," she said bluntly. She stared at the girls, still hugging Bernice and jumping up and down. "They are genetically similar, but they are not correct. We cannot stay close to them, or to you if you stay with them. If you choose to take them, that is your concern. And while they are with you we will not interfere. But if we should find them alone, we will slay them."

Behind her, Nan-Po and Hai-Fam appeared. Hai-Fam stared at the girls, watching them as they greeted one another. Gradually, all the Destroyers turned up.

Kai-Tai glanced at them as she continued speaking. "We go now. We have fought well together this day, and the Purpose has been fulfilled, so I will leave you to mind your human children. But if we should cross paths again, it must be when you are alone."

Soo-Kai nodded. "I understand, my mother." She stepped forward and she and Kai-Tai rubbed cheeks.

Kai-Tai turned away. "Cha!" she shouted, and all the Destroyers followed her as she walked away. Hai-Fam glanced back briefly as she also walked away, the yellow handkerchief still in her hair.

Soo-Kai and Rolf watched them go. Rolf put his arm around Soo- Kai. "She'll be alright," he said.

"It is not her I worry for, but us," Soo-Kai replied, still watching the departing figures. "Those at the castle will be angered by what happened today. They will hunt for us. They will want to take back what they lose. And now we are alone." Soo-Kai turned to Rolf. "If we keep these girls, we cannot pursue our investigation of the castle as we intended. We must flee. Even our house may not be safe."

Rolf sighed. "Then we will have to flee."

Becky appeared beside them. "How come your mum looks the same age as you?" she asked Soo-Kai. "And why do you both look so much alike? And why are you wearing red, while they were all dressed in black?"

Rolf and Soo-Kai turned and found all the girls standing behind them, watching and waiting. All of them had now discarded their jumpers and pulled up their blouses and tied them at their waists like Bernice had done. Vanessa had been the first, then Karen, Jemma, Sophia and Rowena. Jane and Becky had been the last, and Becky had still been tying the knot as she had asked her questions. Soo-Kai answered each question in turn.

"We do not age or decay, so the difference in our years is not visible. We are the same because the gene sequences we pass on in birthing are almost identical to our own. I wear colourful outfits because I am bonded to Rolf, and I am free to recognise and make the choice. Red was appropriate today."

Becky stared at her. "Is bonded the same as being married?"

"Yes."

Rolf laughed at the extent of Becky's curiosity. "Do you always ask so many questions?" he asked her.

Becky shrugged. "I'm nosey, I guess."

Rolf looked at all the girls. He raised his voice. "You all know our names, and that Soo-Kai is my wife. What are your names?"

Becky did the introductions. "I'm Becky," she said, then turning to the girls, she pointed to each one in turn. "This is Vanessa, Berni, Karen, Jemma, Rowena, Jane, and the girl with the big tits is Sophia."

Sophia stuck her tongue out at Becky and called back, "You're only jealous! Fried-eggs!"

Becky made a face at her then turned back to Rolf and Soo-Kai and said, "You aren't human, are you? And this isn't Earth, is it?"

Rolf shook his head. "You and I are human, but Soo-Kai and the other Destroyers are not."

"Destroyers!" Bernice suddenly spoke up excitedly. "That's what the man who tried to rape me called Kai-Tai!"

Vanessa looked at her sister in horror. "What's this about rape?" she demanded. "You said they rescued you from some men, you didn't say anything about rape!"

"Well, they didn't get me did they!" Bernice replied. She pulled at her torn blouse. "And how else did you think I got my blouse all ripped?"

Vanessa suddenly smacked her, and she kept smacking Bernice as she shouted at her.

"You have to wear skirts that leave your arse hanging out, don't you! I told you you'd get into trouble! You never fucking listen! Mum's always telling you! Dad's always telling you! You never listen! It's the same with everything! You're a fucking menace!"

"Stop it, Van! Stop hitting me!" Bernice begged, cowering under the blows.

"I'm hitting you because I love you, you stupid cow! Come here!" Vanessa suddenly stopped smacking Bernice and hugged her instead. The two of them hugged and cried in each other's arms.

Soo-Kai watched them with her head tilted to one side. "Why do they do that?" she asked Becky. "Why do they smack then hug?"

"Because they're sisters," Becky replied.

And Rolf asked, "Is that why they also look so much alike?"

Becky nodded. "They're twins."

Soo-Kai was still looking at Bernice and Vanessa. "The colour of their skin interests me. Why is it that colour?"

"Because their dad's West Indian, but their mum's English."

Both Rolf and Soo-Kai looked none the wiser. Becky chuckled.

"I glad I'm not the only one that's in the dark!" she remarked.

Rolf understood her meaning. He nodded. "Yes, there will be much for us both to learn from one another, but first we must go to our house." He clapped his hands, attracting all their attention.

"Listen to me!" he said in a raised voice. "We have to walk far. We can rest at our house, but we mustn't delay any longer. The men that tried to catch you will still be looking for you. Come on, now, we must go."

Vanessa looked worried. "What about the others?" she asked.

"What others?" Rolf asked.

"The rest of our team. They were in the other wagon with Miss Jenkins."

"Yeah!" Sophia added. "We have to find them. And we can't go without our teacher."

Rolf looked at Soo-Kai in despair.

Soo-Kai shook her head. "Those in the other wagon are lost to you," she said bluntly. "They will be at the castle. You must cast them from your minds."

All the girls stared at her in shock, horrified by the implication.

Jemma suddenly looked around. "Amy!" she exclaimed. "Where's Amy? She wasn't in the other wagon!"

Rolf grabbed her shoulders. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm positive!"

There was momentary silence as all the girls realised the truth.

Karen was the first to put it into words. "She's got away, the crafty cow," she said.

And Jane added, "She always was a fast runner."

Rolf looked at Soo-Kai. She knew what he was thinking. But her answer was cruelly logical. "It would be foolish to sacrifice eight for one."

"But we can't just abandon her," Rolf said. "And what happens if Kai-Tai finds her?"

Soo-Kai looked troubled. After what Kai-Tai had said earlier, it was now certain that their truce was over. For a while they had worked together, content to fight with those at the castle, and to thwart the plans of the Outsider. The girls had been safe, but it was Soo-Kai who had rescued them, while her sisters had created the diversion and killed those that chased them. But that was now over. If Kai-Tai or the other Destroyers found her, the girl would be killed. But Soo-Kai would have to search for her alone, and that also worried her.

"I cannot leave you, my husband," she said. "The way back to the house could be dangerous."

"No it's not," Rolf replied. "Hardly anybody travels that way. How many visitors have we had in the years that we have lived there?"

"There will be visitors after this day," Soo-Kai pointed out.

"But we still have time. They have to find the house first."

Soo-Kai still looked undecided.

Then Vanessa stepped forward and took Soo-Kai's hand. "If you go and look for her, we promise to do exactly what your husband tells us. We won't give him any trouble. Honest."

Soo-Kai looked down at her. Then she looked at Rolf. He nodded encouragingly. Soo-Kai made up her mind at last.

"I will take the horse," she said. "Keep to the trail you know, and walk fast, do not delay or wander. I will return to the house before nightfall."

Rolf and Soo-Kai embraced and kissed.

"Take care," Rolf said.

"You also, my husband," Soo-Kai replied.

They parted, and Rolf called to the girls. "Come on, girls! This way now!"

They moved off at a trot, Rolf at their lead.

Bernice looked over her shoulder as she followed the others. She saw Soo-Kai jump on the horse and gallop away. How marvellous they were, these women. And what a great name: Destroyers. They looked so proud and so strong. They weren't scared of anything. She wanted to know more about them; she wanted to be like them. She wanted to be like Soo-Kai, or Kai-Tai. Yes, Kai-Tai. There was something about Kai-Tai. She was so proud and confident, but there was more. There was a power in her; that was it. You could feel it when she looked at you. She was scary. Yes, Bernice wished that she could be like Kai-Tai; proud, confident and scary, and she couldn't wait until she met her again.

### Chapter Twenty

### In the Arms of a Law-Breaker

Amy was alone in the forest. Only the sound of her deep breathing filled her ears as she leaned against a tree, her chest heaving. She was covered in sweat and totally exhausted. She had pulled her blue jumper off and used it to wipe her face. Slowly she sank down against the tree, sitting on the grass with her back against it. She put her hand on her chest. It felt like her heart was going to explode. She had never run so fast for so long in her life. She wished she had a stop watch. She must have smashed her Personal Best. Miss Jenkins would have been proud of her. Thinking about Miss Jenkins made her think of the other girls. It brought it all back to her.

Amy burst into tears.

There was a high pitched scream. It was so loud and close that it made Amy hurl herself to the ground in shock. It was like a low flying jet that must have been so low, it must have been landing. There was a huge crash, followed by the sound of splitting wood.

A short distance away, a car landed on the ground by a tree with another loud crash. It seemed to just drop out of the sky. All its windows popped out and its doors flew off. Amy stared at it in amazement. Its front end was all smashed. Branches and bits of debris landed on the roof. Amy instinctively stared up at the tree. Sure enough, there was a large area where the bark of the tree was missing and the wood was all splintered and freshly exposed. Beneath it, all the branches had been torn away.

"Shit, a flying car," Amy muttered. She scrambled to her feet and ran towards it, her exhaustion forgotten. When she was only a couple of metres away, she suddenly stopped and stared.

There were three men in the car. Two at the front and one at the back. The two men at the front didn't look at all well. One was slumped over the steering wheel, while the other one had fallen out the open door. There was blood on their faces. They didn't move at all. The other man was very much alive and awake. He was upside down somewhere under the back seat. She could only see his legs waving about, but she could hear him cursing and complaining as he struggled to get the right way up.

"Fucking coppers!" he was shouting. "Can't drive for toffee! What are you trying to do? Bloody kill me?"

He managed to get himself the right way up. Kneeling on the floor of the car, he threw the dislodged back seat out of the open door. At that moment, he looked up and stared right at Amy.

What he saw was a young girl with long blonde hair, wearing a short grey skirt, white socks that were down at her ankles, and a white blouse that was all disarranged and so dampened with sweat, that he could see her bra through it.

What she saw was a young man with short light brown hair wearing a grey leather jacket, blue sweat-shirt and jeans.

For a moment there was no response. Then he smiled. It was a very broad, cheeky grin. It was very attractive.

"Well, hello there, sweetheart," he said in Sean Connery's voice. "Have you come to give me the kiss of life?"

Amy darted forward, grabbed his hands and tugged him out of the car. He yelped in surprise, and all she succeeded in doing was to cause him to fall on his face on the ground.

"Hang on!" he complained as she tried to drag him along the grass. "What kind of a rescue is this? Are you trying to finish me off?"

Amy let go of him. "Get up!" she demanded as she stood over him. "Get up! Get up!" she was almost jumping up and down in her frustration.

"Alright! Alright!" he said, getting to his knees. "What's the rush?"

"They'll be coming soon!" Amy said impatiently. "That's what they did with us! We have to run! Come on!" Amy ran away, and then ran back again when she saw he hadn't moved. "Come on!" she demanded more urgently.

Still on his knees, he held out his hand to her, and said in Michael Cain's voice, "My name's Craig Price. Not many people know that."

Amy stared at the heavens in despair. Looking down at him again, she said, "There's no time for this, you plank! They'll be here any minute! We wasted too much time hanging about and they almost got us! For all I know, I could be the only one that got away! If they catch us, they'll stick us in cages! God only knows what they'll do to you, but I've got a good idea what they'll do to me! Now, come on! Or I'm leaving without you!"

"Well, since you put it like that," Craig said as he climbed to his feet. "Anyway, I've had my fill of cages today. Where to, sweetheart?"

She grabbed his hand and pulled him forward.

Craig looked back at the car as they ran away. "What about the coppers?" he said.

Amy glanced back. "They can't run."

They ran together among the trees. Amy wanted to go faster; she wanted to get as far away from the car as possible. But Craig couldn't run as fast as she could. She kept egging him on, but it was no use. They hadn't gone far when Craig began to tire.

"What do you think I bloody am?" he complained. "A long distance runner?"

Amy was tired, too. She had already done a lot of running that day, and she couldn't have gone on much further even without Craig in tow. There was only one alternative.

"We'll have to hide!"

Amy looked around for a good spot. There were lots of low bushes and undergrowth near some of the trees. She headed for a rather large clump gathered around a tree nearby, pulling Craig with her.

"Come on! This way!"

Amy led Craig around the bushes, weeds, brambles and saplings to the far side before diving in. It was quite dark and cool inside, with a musty and earthy sort of smell. Craig moaned almost immediately as she pulled him in beside her, and he let go of her hand.

"Bloody Hell!" he said, fighting against the branches that tore and scratched at him. "This is an expensive jacket you know!"

"Keep quiet!" Amy whispered, down on her knees.

"Couldn't you have picked a bigger bush?"

"Get down on your knees, you twit!" Amy grabbed him and pulled him down next to her. "See? Better now?"

Craig looked around. "Huh! Trust me to fall in with a country expert."

Amy shook her head and crawled further into the bush, dragging her jumper along in her hand. She moved quite quickly, and Craig watched her hips moving rhythmically as she crawled along. He suddenly smiled and crawled after her.

"You don't happen to have a frying pan and sausages stashed away somewhere?" he asked her.

"This isn't a joke, you know!" Amy said over her shoulder. "You'll see! We're still near enough to see what happens. I just hope they don't start looking for us. If they've got dogs, we've had it."

"Who are 'they'?" Craig asked.

"Come on, I'll show you. But keep quiet."

Amy continued to crawl forward on all fours. She went to the other edge of the bush and peered through the leaves back the way they had came. "I think I can see them," she whispered.

"I've got a great view here!" Craig remarked.

Something about the tone of his voice made Amy look round. Craig was right behind her, staring up her short skirt.

"Will you get serious!" she hissed at him.

"I am serious! You've got a marvellous arse, and I love those skimpy red knickers you're wearing!"

She felt his hand rubbing the back of her thighs, and as she felt his fingers moving up between her legs, she suddenly twisted round, grabbed him by his ear, and pulled him forward.

"Ow! That hurts!" he complained.

She ignored his protests, pulled him up level with her, and pointed his head at the approaching men. "Look!" she told him.

He looked.

"Fuck me..."

It was just as before. In the distance among the trees, they saw men with pikes and nets rushing towards the wrecked car. They began to search around it. Some of them pulled at the two men Craig had called policemen, dragging them out on to the grass. A wagon with a cage on it rattled into view. Then two Knights rode up on horses. They talked to the men, who pointed at the policemen on the ground.

Craig strained his ears. "Can you hear what they're saying?"

Amy shook her head. A moment later, and the two policemen were carried to the wagon and put inside the cage. They looked very limp. The wagon moved off, but no sooner had it gone before a team of horses appeared in its place. Men attached ropes to the wrecked car. They walked around it, picking up bits and pieces and throwing them back inside it. Even the dislodged back seat Craig had thrown out was retrieved and stuffed back inside. Finally, everything was collected, the horses strained, and the car was dragged away.

Amy watched it disappear, and wondered if their minibus had gone the same way. The two Knights rode off, the rest of the men trotting after them.

"They're not searching," Amy said in relief, not realising how fast her heart had been beating.

"They probably figured the coppers were the only ones there," Craig replied.

"You see!" Amy said, turning towards him. "I told you! Do you believe me now?"

"Yes, I believe you. Thanks for saving me. What's your name?"

"Amy," she said. She stared at him, wondering why he didn't seem to be scared or worried at all by what had happened. He seemed very relaxed, almost amused by it all. His eyes were a light blue. They were very attractive.

Craig stared at her face. "You've got green eyes," he said.

"I had noticed," she replied tartly.

"You're a real stunner. How old are you?"

"I'm sixteen."

"God, I bet you haven't been laid yet."

"Do you mind?" Amy said indignantly.

"No, I don't." He grabbed her hips and pushed her over. In a second he was on top of her, his arms wrapped tightly around her.

Amy felt his body on top of hers; he was already between her legs. She could feel his weight bearing down on her, and she could feel his excitement. He had an erection, and the feel of it caused her to panic, and she kicked and struggled madly.

"No! Stop it! Please!" she begged.

Craig saw the look on her face and the sudden tears in her eyes. He realised how terrified she was and how this wasn't a good idea, and he immediately backed off. He climbed off her and rolled over. He kept his arms around her, but twisted her around when she tried to get away, pulling her on top of him. She now had her back to him, but she still struggled.

"Let go!" she demanded. "Please!"

Craig hung on to her. "Hey, shush now! It's alright! I'm not going to do anything! Stop wriggling, will you! I was just kidding around, that's all!"

"You were not!" Amy snapped. She continued to struggle, kicking her legs. "Let go of me!"

"Alright! Calm down! I'll let go of you! Just don't run away, that's all! I won't do it again! I promise! I'm not usually like that! Maybe the shock got to me or something! Just don't run away!"

He let go of her. Amy rolled clear. She climbed on to all fours and stared at him, still panting from her struggles. For a moment she did think about running. She was sure she could easily get away from him. But then he smiled at her, and held out his hands in supplication.

"I'm sorry, okay," he said very calmly. "I didn't mean to scare you like that. Just don't run away. It's better if we stick together. At least you're not alone. And you can always twist my ear again if I get out of hand."

Amy sat back on her heels. "You made me cry," she said wiping the tears from her face.

"I'm sorry," he said again. "You really are scared, aren't you?"

"Of course I'm scared! I'm lost in some strange place where men dressed like Sir Lancelot chase people and put them in cages! I've lost all my friends, and all you want to do is rape me!"

"I'm sorry. I can't help it. It's not often I find myself in the bushes with a beautiful, blonde, sixteen year old school-girl. I promise I won't scare you again. Cross my heart."

He did as he said, smiling at her. Amy stared at him. There was something very endearing about him. Even after what he had tried to do, he could still make her feel at ease. It was the way he smiled, and those light blue eyes. She knew why, of course. He was just the type she fancied, damn it.

"How old are you?" she asked him.

"Twenty."

"What were you doing with those policemen?"

His smile broadened into that cheeky grin. "About six months if they had got me to court!"

Amy looked alarmed, so Craig quickly added, "Don't worry! I'm only a street trader. It's just that I don't have a licence, and let's just say that some of my goods aren't exactly kosher!"

Amy relaxed. She didn't know why, but she believed him. Or maybe she just wanted to believe him. She didn't really want to be alone again.

He nodded towards her. "Is that a matching set?"

She looked down, wondering what he meant. Then she noticed her open blouse with her red bra in view.

"Yes," she said. She reached down to fasten the buttons that had come un-done while they had wrestled about, and found some of them were missing. She also felt how damp her blouse was. She had been sweating so much from all the running and panicking that it was completely wet. She sniffed at herself.

"Oh, God, I must stink," she muttered to herself.

"You smell great," Craig replied with that cheeky grin. "I love the smell of hot, sweaty women!"

Amy didn't react to his remarks. Instead she looked at him sadly and shivered. "I feel cold," she said. She kept shivering. Shivering or trembling.

The feeling had come over her all of a sudden. She suddenly felt very cold and very light-headed. It must have been the cool air under the bushes. She came out in goose-bumps.

Craig crawled over to her. For the first time, his expression held real concern rather than amusement. "It's probably a bit of shock, that's all," he said, taking off his jacket. "Here, put this on." He draped it over her shoulders and pulled her closer.

Amy didn't resist, instead she fell off her knees and ended up sitting in his lap. She was still shivering. He wrapped his jacket tightly around her, his arms doing the same. She still made no moves to fight him off. Instead she rested her head on his shoulder, and slowly her shivering subsided. She began to breathe evenly.

"Are you alright now?" Craig asked her.

Amy didn't reply.

He looked down at her. Her eyes were closed. She must have fainted.

He sighed. "Trust me," he muttered to himself. "The first time I find myself with a gorgeous young girl in my arms, and I have to come over all paternal."

Craig sat cross-legged in the middle of the clump of bushes with Amy sat in his lap, sleeping soundly. He stroked her blonde hair, running his hand along its length, feeling how fine and straight it was. He brushed some loose hair from her face and caressed her cheek and jaw. His hand moved down to her throat and then back up to her chin. Her skin felt so smooth and silky. He touched her lips, pulling at them slightly with his fingers. She moaned softly, but didn't wake.

"Gosh, you are beautiful," he said to her. She wasn't listening.

He hugged her tightly and stared out at all the trees. It was beginning to get dark.

### Chapter Twenty-One

### Prisoners, Fate and Compromise

###

All around the pit's edge men stood shouting and cheering. Some of the men were eating meat on a bone and would throw the half eaten joints down into the pit and then cheer wildly.

Debbie stood alone on the plank that led out over the edge of the pit. She was crying, she was battered and bruised, her clothes were all torn, and she was cradling her broken arm in her hand. Behind her a man kept prodding her with a long pike, urging her further along the plank. Each prod brought a scream of terror from Debbie and shouts of delight from the men gathered around the edge of the pit.

Debbie was terrified. Terrified and still deep in shock. For a moment she couldn't even remember how she had got here. She wracked her brain, thinking back, trying to remember. At first it was all a blank, but then the brightness of the chamber and the noise of the cheering men faded, and she did remember.

She and Samantha had been separated from the others almost as soon as they had arrived at the castle. The other girls had screamed and shouted, and tried to hang on to them, but it didn't matter. They had been dragged away.

The men who took them had been horrible to them. They had dragged them down a dark and dismal corridor to a dungeon lit by torches. It looked horrible, it smelled horrible. But worse was to come.

No sooner had they been thrown into the dungeon when the men fell on them like animals, tearing their clothes and their skin in their hurry. Samantha and Debbie had screamed and fought and cried, but the men had shown no mercy or regard for their age. They were cruel and brutal.

When it was over, Samantha and Debbie weren't even given the time to rest. They were dragged straight out of the dungeon and led deeper down the corridor. The smell had got nastier, but even worse, there was something about it that had made their hair stand on end. There was something evil here, something dark and nightmarish that until now had only lived in the furthest recesses of their minds, like a distant, lost, memory. Now it became real, physical. They could smell it. They could taste it in the air.

Samantha had been sick. The men hadn't stopped to let her finish. They just dragged her on as she threw up on the stone floor. With her ankle broken, Samantha couldn't move so fast, and Debbie had reached the end of the corridor first.

Beyond the corridor was a large circular chamber. Flaming torches hung from the walls all around. Debbie remembered how bright it had looked after the darkness of the corridor. Bright and noisy. Men were gathered three or four deep on a ledge around the chamber, shouting and waving their arms at whatever lay in the pit beneath them.

The shouting and the sights around her had confused Debbie. And with everything that had happened to her, she had quickly reached a level of hysteria that took all reason from her mind. She kept thinking back, back to before the crash: The game with the other school, getting up that morning, how she had dressed. What had she done differently? Why had this happened to her now?

Another prod in her back broke into her thoughts and caused her to scream. The reality of the chamber and the shouting men returned once more, and she took another step further along the plank. Until this moment she hadn't bothered to look down, to see what lay in the pit beneath her. Now at last she did look down, and she saw that the pit was very deep and very wide. If she fell, the fall would most probably kill her instantly. In a way, she would be glad when it happened. She almost welcomed it.

She had just made up her mind to jump when she realised that the pit wasn't empty. There was something at the bottom waiting for her, and it was a horror made from the worst of nightmares.

At first there were only two red lights at the bottom of the pit, weaving about in the shadows. It was only when the creature emerged slowly from the shadows and moved into view beneath her, sitting on its haunches staring up at her, that Debbie realised the red lights were its eyes; fiery red. It was big and scaly, its scales glinting like silver in the harsh light from the flaming torches, and it had a long serrated tail that it wagged lazily, like a cat. Every so often it would open its mouth and snap at the hunks of meat the men threw down at it, revealing long, curved teeth.

SNAP!

At the instant she saw it; everything else around Debbie ceased to exist. It was just her, _and it_. It was like a fantasy, a fantasy made even stranger when the creature spoke.

" _YES, MY CHILD_ ," it said in a deep resonant voice. " _YOU ARE MY DINNER!_ "

Debbie wet herself.

Samantha was dragged into the chamber. She stared around at all the shouting men, and then she saw Debbie standing way out near the end of a plank over a large round pit. She was looking down at something in the pit, something that made her eyes big and round. She looked like she was about to fall, or jump.

"Debbie!" Samantha screamed at her. "Debbie!"

The men were shouting at the tops of their voices and Debbie couldn't hear her. She was still staring down at something in the pit, mesmerised and frozen in terror, her mind lost in some fog where reality and imagination met and fought for supremacy.

Samantha was still shouting at Debbie, shouting as loud as she could, but she couldn't make Debbie hear her. There was too much noise from all the cheering men, and everyone was staring down into the pit.

Then Samantha heard a voice, louder than all the others. It was a powerful voice, deep and guttural, and it made her rib-cage vibrate. The very sound and feel of it brought a huge chasm to her stomach. It was evil, and although its voice was soothing and purring, the words it spoke were a lie.

" _JUMP, CHILD! DO NOT BE SCARED! JUMP AND I WILL CATCH YOU!_ "

Samantha saw Debbie fall from the plank. One second she was there, and the next second she was gone.

"Debbie!" Samantha screamed.

As Debbie dropped towards the creature, it swiftly crouched down on its haunches and leapt up to meet her. At that moment, reality cleared the fog in her mind, and Debbie screamed in terror as the creature's jaws gaped wide, and she saw it's long, curved teeth glinting like silver...

SNAP!

Samantha heard Debbie scream as she fell into the pit. But almost immediately, the scream stopped. It was as if it had been cut off by a door closing. Samantha had distinctly heard it snap shut. At the same instant, all the men around the edge of the pit roared in approval.

Then a man shoved Samantha in the back, pushing her forward, causing her to limp and hobble towards the plank.

Now it was her turn.

When Anne Jenkins awoke, she found herself in what looked like a darkened cave. The walls were of rough hewn stone, and torches hung from the walls casting eerie shadows. They also gave off a strange oily smell that filled the cave. Straw had been spread over the floor. It did little to ease the feel of the cold stone against her back. She was lying down, and she wondered what she was doing here. She began to sit up, and immediately became aware of the other girls.

Linda and Jo quickly grabbed her hand.

"Oh, Miss Jenkins! You're alright!" Linda said, helping her to get into a sitting position with her back to the wall.

"We were so worried!" Jo added.

Behind them, Anne saw Christine and Paula looking on anxiously.

"We thought you were dead," Paula said rather bluntly.

"Well, I'm not," Anne said. "But I feel like I ought to be." She rubbed her head and found a large lump. It was then that she remembered everything. She sat up straighter and demanded, "Where are the others?"

Linda did most of the explaining. She told Anne how they had been split up and put into different wagons after they had been captured, and how their wagon had been brought to the castle while the other one had been left behind. Then she told Anne about the other children who were already in the wagon.

Anne was surprised. "They were French, you say?"

Linda nodded, and Christine said, "I managed to talk to them for awhile. They were on a school trip like us, and they ended up in that forest just like we did. But they weren't together when it happened."

"What about their teachers?" Anne asked.

"They got separated," Christine replied. She shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe they got caught too."

"What happened after that?"

Linda continued with her explanation. "After we were all put in the wagons, they brought us to this castle and brought us down here. It was down a long staircase and then along a passage. They split us all up again. They pushed the French children through one door and us through another. They took Samantha and Debbie away, Miss. We couldn't stop them. Honest we couldn't."

Linda began to cry when she spoke about Samantha and Debbie, so Anne took her in her arms and hugged her. "It's alright. It wasn't your fault. Don't cry now." She could see the tears welling up in the eyes of the other girls. She pulled them close.

"Come on, all of you. Calm down. How long have we been here?"

Jo said, "About an hour."

"And no one has been in since we got here?"

Jo shook her head.

"And you haven't seen or heard anything of the girls who were put in the other wagon?"

Now all the girls shook their heads.

Anne sighed. She felt so confused. How could they be in a castle? And what had happened to the other girls? And why had they taken away Debbie and Samantha? She felt like screaming, but she knew that if she fell apart the girls would be quick to follow. With sudden determination she got up and went over to the large wooden door. She banged on it and shouted at the top of her voice.

"Hey! Anyone out there? Vanessa! Becky!"

All the girls quickly joined in. They banged and kicked at the door, shouting out the names of their class-mates. There was no answer. Finally they gave up, panting and leaning against the door.

"Maybe they got away," Linda suggested rather hopefully.

Paula said, "Or maybe the door is too thick and they just can't hear us."

Linda snapped at her, "They could have got away! You don't know!"

Anne quickly intervened. "Alright, you two! No arguing! For all we know they could have escaped, or they could be in the cave next door."

"Then why don't they answer?" Christine asked.

"I don't know," Anne said in annoyance. She wished she knew what was going on. She kicked at the door again. "Why doesn't somebody come?"

Paula said, "Because it's a dungeon, Miss, not a cave. And I think they've locked us in and thrown away the key."

It was much later, and the ledge around the pit was empty but for two men who walked and argued. The only sounds that filled the cavern now were their angry voices as they shouted at one another, neither one letting the other talk for long without an angry reply. But the voice from the pit was more deep and insistent, and it rose above theirs.

" _I WARNED YOU! YOU WOULD NOT LISTEN, NOW HUMANS FROM THE OTHER SIDE HAVE ESCAPED INTO THE FOREST! WE WILL BE FOUND OUT! I WARNED YOU!_ "

Sir Henry L'Crieff was red-faced in anger, and he kept following L'Roth around the ledge over the pit, poking him with his finger as he spoke. "She's right! We should have let her out! She could have led you to them before all this happened! This is all your fault!"

"My fault?" L'Roth repeated, equally angry. He turned to face Sir Henry. "Is it my fault that your men can't even catch children?"

Sir Henry stood right up to L'Roth, poking him in the chest.

"Children are one thing, Destroyers are another! She warned you! You knew they were in the forest! I lost some good men because of your over confidence!"

"You call them good men?" L'Roth shouted.

"Aye! Good and loyal!" Sir Henry shouted back. "And not easily replaced either, unless you suggest I send news of my loss to the King and ask that he send replacements?"

"Arghhh!" L'Roth growled. He pushed Sir Henry aside and turned his back on him.

L'Roth was angry, but more with himself than with anyone else. He knew Sir Henry was right, he had been over confident. The Destroyers had been waiting for him, and now their prisoners had escaped. And if they reached the villages on the edge of the forest, it wouldn't be long before news of the strangers reached Ellerkan.

If L'Roth's anger and insults to his men had annoyed Sir Henry, his body language and silence now worried him far more. His own anger evaporated, leaving him only with his fear. "What are we to do, L'Roth?" he asked in a calmer voice.

From deep within the pit came a gravely whisper. " _LET ME OUT. I CAN FOLLOW THE PATH THEY TOOK. I CAN LEAD YOU TO THEM IN THE DARK. THIS IS THE ONLY WAY. LET ME OUT._ "

L'Roth spun round and shouted into the pit, "I will not have you let off your leash!"

Sir Henry grabbed his arm. "But it's the only way!" he pleaded. "You heard her! If we don't let her out, they'll get away! And the King is bound to learn of them sooner or later. No, we have to let her out! Even now it may be too late!"

L'Roth stared at Sir Henry, and when he spoke, it was almost in a whisper. "You would allow such a thing to roam free in the forest?"

"If we don't, it will be our heads," Sir Henry replied grimly.

L'Roth ground his teeth. "Then we must compromise..."

### Chapter Twenty-Two

### The Scent of Danger

The minibus was gone. Soo-Kai stared through the trees at the place where it had been. She stood up in the stirrups on her horse and took in quick, sharp breaths through her nose. There was no one near. She sat back on the horse again, and urged it forward.

Even though there was no one nearby, there was still a strong scent in the air. Soo-Kai could pick out the genetic code of each of the girls she had met. There were other genetic traces here too. The girls that had been taken away, their teacher, and the men and the Knights who had pursued them. All of them could be picked out individually.

Soo-Kai circled the area, moving in a wide arc, beyond the limits that the men and the horses had taken. If the girl had escaped, her trail would extend beyond theirs.

As she moved through the trees, Soo-Kai wondered at the extent those in the castle went to to hide what had happened. There were no bodies, no wreckage, nothing. And they had left quickly.

She found a trail, the scent fading, but still clear. She recognised it instantly. It was the girl Kai-Tai had found. The dark skinned girl, Bern-E. Soo-Kai moved on, urging the horse to move faster.

Soo-Kai seemed calm, but her mind was far from calm. Instead it reeled from the revelation that had taken place earlier. It was a constant to and fro that she had been used to all her life under the Purpose.

Atlantians! Their scent is unmistakable!

Two of them. Siblings. My mother knew, yet she made no remark.

This is not a slight on her integrity! What more is there to say? Atlantians, alive! There is only one conclusion! We were deceived!

But why do they exist alongside others who are more similar to the Terrans the Navak have interbred with here?

This is irrelevant!

It is not irrelevant. The Atlantians exist alongside them, among them. There has to be a reason for this. Maybe the Terrans true homeworld is Atlantis?

The voice in her mind grew even angrier.

You avoid the truth! The only thing that counts is that we were deceived!

Soo-Kai gave in.

But by who?

By those who had knowledge of the Portal protocols! By those who had access to a Class One Network Hub!

There was only one answer to that.

Then we deceived ourselves.

For what purpose?

There is only one Purpose.

Silence in her mind. Silence, but remaining conflict.

To hide the Atlantians required knowledge and access to the Ring Network, the transportation system invented by the Tun-Sho-Lok that linked all the known civilisations together at one time. But only the Androktones possessed such knowledge and access. It was during the original wars, when the Tun-Sho-Lok had perished and only the Androktones controlled the Ring Network system. It had to be one of them. But there had to be a reason that did not conflict with the Purpose. And there could only be one logical reason.

They were saved for us!

Then someone knew that this would happen.

The Tun-Sho-Lok provided for all eventualities.

Not all.

Then what is the solution to this riddle?

It does not matter if my mother cannot gain access to the ship.

Soo-Kai thought about Kai-Tai and the other Androktones. Their scent was far away and fading. They would be closer to the castle, watching and waiting. She didn't envy them. Their mission was fruitless. With the garrison fully strengthened, and the Outsider Androktone waiting for them –strangely enough– inside, there was nothing they could do. The time that the _Nakora Tabek_ would be close was limited. In another day it would be gone. And the power it possessed to activate the Ring Network Portal would be gone with it.

Gone for another twenty-eight years.

In a way, Soo-Kai was glad. She had no wish to see her mother or the other Androktones killed for no purpose. But if they had escaped, it would have been as if they were dead. She would never see them again. The status quo was familiar, even though it was not always safe.

Her chain of thought hurt her mind.

To pursue the Purpose is your destiny! To hope for failure is incorrect!

Not for now.

Soo-Kai easily shook off the ache that tried to form in her head. There was a reason for her confidence and it brought on the usual response.

Your bond is not immortal! You will return to the Purpose when he is dead and the bond is broken!

Maybe. But until then, I choose my own path.

And is your path with your mother, or your bond?

Either choice brings pain. I take the safer path; the one that follows the Purpose, the one where I am most content and at peace, the one that brings joy to my bond.

And Kai-Tai?

I enjoyed our time together. Maybe it can be repeated.

And if she escapes?

Then there will be more pain.

Soo-Kai picked up another trail. She turned her horse to follow it. Yes, this was it. She urged her horse faster. The trail wound its way through the trees. For a while, two others followed it, but then they stopped and faded. The girl's trail went on. Soo-Kai marvelled at the strength of her. She had run far in her terror.

Soo-Kai suddenly drew her horse up and sniffed at the air. She had picked up the trace of several new scents. They were close by, but fading like the others. More aliens, male this time, their scent surrounded by those who came for them. The girls trail led straight to them.

The girl had been unlucky. She had chosen the wrong path.

Soo-Kai urged her horse forward again, expecting the inevitable.

She hadn't gone far when she crossed the girl's trail a second time, only now she was not alone. She was with a male, alien like herself. Soo-Kai stared off through the trees. The light was beginning to fail. She sniffed at the air. Their scent was very strong, too strong. Soo-Kai drew her sword and urged her horse forward again.

She hadn't gone far before she stopped. She gazed around at the trees. There was much undergrowth here, clumped thickly around the bases of the trees. In the fading light, the shadows around them were dark. She stared at one clump in particular, edging her horse nearer. In the darkness of the shadows she would have seen nothing, but her eyes could also be sensitive to infrared. She concentrated, altering the structure of the retina in each eye. Slowly, the double heat source within the bush became obvious.

"Come out!" she said sternly.

There was slight movement within the bushes, but no one answered her.

Soo-Kai tried again. "Aim-E! Come out!"

This time Soo-Kai distinctly heard voices from inside the bushes.

"She knows my name!" Amy whispered.

She had woken at Soo-Kai's first shout. She had been startled and scared at the sudden darkness she found herself in, but Craig had hung on to her.

"Shush! She'll hear you!" he whispered back.

Soo-Kai tried one more time. "Jem-Ma sent me to find you. She told me your name. If you do not come out, I will leave you here in the dark and the cold."

That was it for Amy. "I'm going out," she said, moving forward.

"No!" Craig insisted, holding on to her. "She's got a blinkin' great sword! She could take your head off!"

Soo-Kai heard him. "I will do no such thing," she called out, and quickly replaced her sword. "I have come here to take you to those that have escaped. But I will not wait long. Come out, both of you. I will not harm you."

Amy looked at Craig. "Come on," she said. "She knows we're here anyway."

Craig gave in, and the two of them crawled out. "At least she's put that sword away," he muttered.

Soo-Kai watched them both get to their feet. Amy was still wearing Craig's jacket. He was taller than her, and he stood in front of her, protecting her. He spoke first.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"My name is Soo-Kai. I was expecting to find only the girl, but if she speaks for you, you may come also."

Craig looked at Amy. "Well, what do you think?" he asked her.

Amy smiled at him. "You're alright." Then she prodded him in the side and added, "When you're not scaring me!"

Soo-Kai was getting impatient to return to Rolf and the other girls. "Aim-E, get on the horse in front of me." She reached out her hand. Amy stepped forward and took it, and Soo-Kai pulled her up on to the horse in front of her.

"What about me?" Craig asked.

Soo-Kai looked down at him. "For now you must walk, but walk quickly." She urged on her horse without waiting for his reply.

"Charming!" Craig exclaimed, and quickly trotted after them.

Amy looked over her shoulder at Soo-Kai. "Don't go too fast, he can't run as good as me."

"You run well," Soo-Kai said. "I followed your trail a long distance. I am glad you are safe, but I am anxious to return to the others. My husband, Rolf is with them. They are by now at our house, waiting for us." She looked up at the sky. It was growing darker by the minute. "I promised to be back before nightfall, but I will be late."

"How many got away?" Amy asked eagerly.

"Eight."

Amy became down-hearted. "Only eight? Do you know who they are?"

Soo-Kai nodded. "One is Beck-E, two are sisters whose skin is dark, Van-Es-A and Bern-E. Another is Jem-Ma, who remembered you. And the others are So-Fe-A, Kar-An, Row-E-Na and Jane."

Amy became thoughtful as she digested the news. She thought about the other girls, the ones that hadn't got away. They were all her friends. After a few seconds she asked, "You don't know what happened to our teacher, do you?"

"She was taken by those from the castle."

Soo-Kai's answer made Amy tearful. She stared ahead, thinking about her teacher, and the hours Anne Jenkins had spent coaching her.

Beside them, Craig was finding it hard going. "Slow down, will you!" he called out. "I'm dying here!"

Soo-Kai looked down at him. "If they catch you, you will be dead."

"If that's supposed to make me run faster, it's not working!" Craig gasped.

Soo-Kai stopped the horse. Craig fell to his knees, gasping for breath. "Thank you," he blurted out.

Amy looked back at Soo-Kai. "We could swap, you know," she suggested. "I can run fast, I don't mind."

Soo-Kai didn't answer. She was staring back the way they had came. It was now dark, and there was a slight breeze rustling the branches of the trees nearby.

Amy stared at Soo-Kai's expression. There was something about it that worried her. "What is it?" she asked.

Soo-Kai didn't reply. She stood up in the stirrups and took quick breaths, turning her head from side to side. The more she sniffed, the more distressed she looked.

"It cannot be," she whispered to herself, taking another sniff. "But it is true...she is out of the castle. I can smell her. The wind brings her scent to me. She comes."

Amy looked at her. "Who comes?"

Soo-Kai sat back in the saddle and turned to look at Amy. She didn't say anything. Instead she looked down at Craig, and then she looked back at Amy again. Her expression gave away her intent. Amy saw it and just knew.

"Don't do it!" Amy said straight away. "If you do I'll jump off!"

Soo-Kai looked distraught. "But you do not understand! If I can smell her, she will soon be able to smell us! If she catches us, she will eat us! We must flee!"

Amy stared at Soo-Kai, her eyes big and round. "Eat us?" she repeated.

Craig got to his feet. "What are you two babbling on about? Who's going to eat us?"

Soo-Kai leaned towards him. "Is there anything from your time that scares you?"

"Bay City Rollers fans," Craig suggested with a smile.

"Are they very large, very angry, and have mouths filled with teeth as long as your forearm?"

Craig stared at her, all his humour dissipated. "Now that you mention it, no," he muttered.

Amy looked around at the darkened forest. "I'm getting scared! Get on the horse, Craig! Quick!"

Craig grabbed the saddle, but Soo-Kai held him back.

"The horse cannot carry three!" she protested.

Amy pulled at her waistcoat. "You can't leave him! Not if this thing's coming!"

There was a loud crack. It made Amy jump. It was followed by the sound of horses neighing somewhere in the forest.

They all stared into the darkness behind them, but there was nothing to be seen. Only trees and shadows. Soo-Kai stood up in the stirrups again and took several swift breaths through her nose, her head raised.

"She has our scent," she whispered. "She comes, but she is not alone. Those from the castle come with her."

Craig looked up at Soo-Kai. "Then what are we waiting for?" he demanded.

Soo-Kai hesitated briefly. There was nothing else she could do. She grabbed hold of Craig and helped him up. He sat astride the horse behind her and Amy, wrapping his arms eagerly around the both of them. The horse stamped its feet and snorted under the extra weight. Soo-Kai urged it on.

At first the horse merely trotted forward. Soo-Kai urged it to go faster, but with the three of them now on its back, it was reluctant to do more than canter.

Craig kept looking over his shoulder. He couldn't see a thing, but his voice still sounded anxious when he spoke to Soo-Kai.

"Can't you get this horse to go any faster?"

"Only if you jump off," was Soo-Kai's blunt reply.

Amy looked back at Craig in alarm. "Don't you dare!" she shouted at him.

Craig had no intention of jumping off. He only wished he could see something.

Then they heard it.

It was a deep, guttural growl. It rumbled through the darkness like a physical presence. It was so deep; they felt it vibrating their rib-cages.

The hair on the back of Craig's neck stood up. He stared into the darkness behind them in amazement. "What is this place? Jurassic Fucking Park?"

Soo-Kai also looked back. To Craig and Amy, the forest was all in darkness, but with her eyes now sensitive to infra-red, Soo-Kai could see what they couldn't. Behind them were men on horses, and with them, a cage wagon. Soo-Kai realised the truth as soon as she saw the large heat source in the wagon.

"They use her like a hound! Caged in one of the wagons! She has our scent, and she leads them to us!"

"Who the Hell is 'she'?" Craig demanded.

"The Outsider!" Soo-Kai almost snarled at him.

It was at that moment that their horse picked up the scent. It wasn't sure what it was that was in the wagon that pursued them, but it didn't like it. Its ears went back and its nostrils flared. It practically leapt forward. It went at the gallop, its direction its own. The three of them hung on as the trees rushed by in the dark.

The sound of the pursuing horses grew louder, and with it came the rumbling, creaking noise of the wagon. They could all hear it clearly.

Soo-Kai tried to direct the horse between trees that grew closer together. It was difficult, as the horse wanted to take a more direct route away from the wagon and the creature it contained. But Soo-Kai stuck to her task, and bit by bit, the horse obeyed. It wasn't long before they heard the effect.

From behind them came another deep growl, but this time it was more pitiful than before. The trees were delaying the progress of the wagon, slowing it down, and its occupant knew.

The horse galloped on, going faster than ever. The sound of the horses and the creaking wagon became more distant, and slowly they became fainter and fainter. Even the rumbling growl of the creature began to fade away.

It wasn't long after that when the horse began to slow. Then suddenly, it staggered and almost fell. It came to an abrupt halt, its head down and its muscles twitching. Soo-Kai urged it on again, but it was no use.

Amy looked around in terror at the dark. "Why won't it go?" she asked Soo-Kai.

"Its heart is finished," Soo-Kai replied. She turned to Craig and told him, "Get off."

"Why me?" he replied, tightening his grip. "And what about them chasing us?"

"We have gained much ground on them. I chose a path through the forest where the trees grew too close together for the wagon to pass through. They must go around while we can go forward. But this will not delay them long, and there are those with them on horses who may still pursue us. Our horse is finished, so we must all dismount and continue on foot. And we will have to move quickly if we are still to evade them. Now obey me and get off."

Soo-Kai's words made Amy relax, and it was only then that she realised how tightly Craig was holding on to her, and that his hand was inside her blouse on her stomach. Even now, his fingers were working their way down under the waistband of her skirt.

Amy pulled and smacked at Craig's hand. "Don't you ever give up?" she said, looking over Soo-Kai's shoulder at him.

"Not while I'm breathing!" he replied with a grin. His other hand was around Soo-Kai's waist, and he tightened his grip as he rested his head on her back.

Soo-Kai lost patience with him. She broke his grip and pushed him off the horse. He cried out as he fell, and grunted when he hit the ground.

"That hurt!" he complained as he sat on the grass rubbing his back.

Soo-Kai ignored him. She got off the horse then helped Amy down beside her.

As Soo-Kai unfastened and removed the saddle, Amy saw the horse properly for the first time. It was covered in lather and sweat, and it was breathing hard. It looked very distressed. "Oh, the poor thing!" she said.

Craig looked up at her in astonishment. "Never mind about the horse, what about me?"

Amy turned and stood over him. "If it wasn't for this horse, we'd all have been eaten!"

"Yeah! For all we know it could have been a big truck!" Craig replied scornfully. "Where do you think we are?"

Amy stared at him. The possible answers to his question had scared her. "I don't know," was all she could say.

Soo-Kai smacked the horse on the rump and it snorted and trotted slowly away. It disappeared quickly in the shadows. Amy watched it go.

"Will he be alright?" she asked Soo-Kai.

"Yes. By morning he will have returned to the castle where he belongs."

Craig got up, dusting off his jeans. "And where will we be?" he asked. "The Holiday Inn?"

Soo-Kai stared at him. "You will be here, on Ellerkan, a world very far away from your own."

Amy looked alarmed, but Craig still wasn't impressed. "Is this where I say, 'Beam me up Scotty?'" he said in William Shatner's voice.

Soo-Kai looked very stern. "I do not understand your words, but I recognise the contempt in your voice. Be warned, on this world your life is worth no more than that of the horse we just rode. And it is worth even less to me. I came here only for the girl, and if you cause me any more problems or delay, I will kill you. Do you understand me?"

Amy tried to intervene. "Don't fight, you two!" she begged, but they both ignored her.

"I'm not scared of you," Craig replied. "In case you haven't noticed, you've lost your sword."

"Have I? Watch and learn." Soo-Kai turned her back on him and reached up to her neck. She moved aside her plat so that he could see, and pulled the sword from her back.

Craig stared open mouthed. Next to him, Amy was doing the same. As both of them stared, Soo-Kai spun round and held the blade of her sword at Craig's throat. He stared at it in shock, his eyes wide. He went rigid. Soo-Kai spoke sternly, her voice almost a whisper.

"If those that pursue us over-take us, it will be up to me to slay them. And if I should fall to their swords, you will soon follow. Your life depends on mine, but I will not let my life depend on yours. If you delay me again, I will kill you."

Amy was in tears. "Stop it you two! Stop it! Don't kill him, Soo-Kai! It's not his fault he doesn't believe you! I wouldn't have believed you either if I hadn't seen those Knights and horses! Let him go! Please!"

Soo-Kai withdrew her sword. "Be thankful that she speaks for you," she said. "This is not your world, accept this to be a fact, or you will surely die. Now follow or stay, the choice is yours. We are leaving."

Without another word Soo-Kai took Amy's arm and trotted away, pulling Amy along with her.

Amy looked back, beckoning Craig to follow. "Come on!" she called to him.

Craig breathed out with a loud whoosh. He had been holding his breath all the time that the sword was at his throat. He wiped his brow, shook his head, and then ran after them.

The wagon rocked from side to side as its occupant writhed in anger and frustration, bellowing and roaring. The horses attached to the wagon reared up in their fright and tried to get away, causing the wagon to rock even more. The driver and brake-man hung on desperately to the reins while other men, Knights who had dismounted, stood with the horses, pulling on their bridals and trying to calm them, but all their faces were filled with as much terror as those of the horses that reared and pranced. And the horses the Knights had left tied to trees pulled and reared at their tethers in equal fear.

Even hidden in the shadows of the night, the presence of Gil-Yan so close unnerved them all. Seeing her at the bottom of a pit was one thing, but now, with just the bars of the cage between them, this was different.

L'Roth forced his horse nearer to the cage wagon with difficulty. "Enough of your bellowing! You panic the horses!" he roared, and struck at the cage with his sword.

" _LET ME OUT!_ " Gil-Yan bellowed. She stopped shaking the wagon and began to bite at the bars of the cage. Behind her, her long serrated tail poked out through the cage bars and swept back and forth, causing the driver and brake-man to jump out of its way.

L'Roth stabbed at her large snout, causing her to snarl and bare her teeth. He ignored her anger, so great was his own. "Silence! Or as God is my witness, I'll have this wagon dragged to the river and overturned with you inside it! Silence, I say!"

Gil-Yan crouched down in the deepest shadow of the cage and growled, her red eyes glowing in her anger. " _FOOL! IMBECILE!_ " she hissed at L'Roth. " _YOU LET THEM ESCAPE! WE HAD THEM!_ "

"We had nothing!"

" _THEY WERE IN YOUR GRASP! YOU COULD HAVE CAUGHT THEM!_ "

"And left you alone with nought but two men to guard you? Ha! Then I would have been an imbecile!"

Gil-Yan bared her teeth and hissed. " _YOU THINK I LONG TO ESCAPE? I AM BONDED, WHY WOULD I RUN?_ "

"I care not why you would run, I care only that you would be free! Now be still!"

" _SIR HEN-RE WILL HEAR OF YOUR DEEDS THIS NIGHT! HE WILL BE ANGRY!_ "

"He would be angrier still if I returned without you! Now, enough of this! Do you still have their scent?"

Gil-Yan moved closer to the bars again. " _YES!_ " she said eagerly, " _I COULD FOLLOW IT EVEN WITHOUT EYES TO SEE BY!_ "

"Good! My men will find a wider trail through the forest, and we may still catch our quarry before morning!" L'Roth urged his horse towards the front of the wagon and shouted to his men.

"Mount! Get this wagon moving! Hurry!"

### Chapter Twenty-Three

###  Characters

Rolf found the walk through the forest back to his house to be unexpectedly pleasant. Having the girls for company made a delightful change. They talked and chatted endlessly, they were so lively and boisterous, and they were curious about everything.

Rolf loved every minute of it. He loved listening to them, he loved the sound of their voices, and he loved the way they ran about and investigated anything they found.

The wreck of the assault ship from the _Nakora Tabek_ drove them wild. For a while, Rolf thought he would lose half of them in the bowels of the ship. Three of them shot down the tunnel before he even noticed. His anxious shouts fell on deaf ears. Only when Vanessa called them did the girls come out. Bernice was the last. It was as if she did it on purpose. Vanessa scolded her.

The twins interested Rolf. When they spoke it was with an accent that was different from that of the rest of the girls. Although they were both dressed the same, Bernice's skirt was much shorter than her sister's, and anyone else's. It also hung lower over her hips at an angle. With most of the buttons missing on her blouse, she had left it open and merely tied it at her waist. She seemed to delight in showing off her body, and there was a lot of it on view. Vanessa was less flamboyant. When she had unfastened her blouse and tied it up, it was only to keep cool. And she kept her blouse and skirt straight and orderly. Yes, they were identical, but different.

Both sisters were tall and shapely. Both had jet black hair. But while Vanessa's hair was long, straight and thick, Bernice's hair was short. It hardly reached her shoulders. Both of them had rich brown eyes and perfectly proportioned features. That, and the dark hue of their skin, made them both extraordinarily beautiful. But where Bernice was always smiling and happy, mainly because she was always being naughty in some way, Vanessa was always sad and subdued. It was as if all the weight of the world was on her shoulders.

The assault ship brought a flood of questions from Becky. While the rest of the girls explored the wreck, Becky cornered Rolf and asked him all he knew about it. He told her what Soo-Kai had told him, realising as he did so that he didn't know that much. Becky took it all in.

Becky wore metal rimmed red and white glasses. Rolf had only seen glasses as fine as those on members of the Royal Family at the Palace. She had shoulder length dark brown hair, with blue eyes in an oval face. She had a shapely figure, but she wasn't as tall as Vanessa and Bernice. Like all the girls, Becky wore her blouse tied at her waist. With her skirt on her hips, it left her stomach and navel on show. She was quite pretty. And by the way she responded to the answers Rolf gave to her questions, he quickly became convinced that Becky was the shrewdest girl among them.

When Rolf wanted to leave the assault ship and continue on to the house, it was Vanessa that rounded them up and called them to follow.

It was rather obvious that Vanessa was their leader. Whenever anything came up, all the girls looked towards her. Vanessa would sometimes look to Becky for confirmation of her decisions, but what Vanessa said, went. Only Bernice would sometimes defy her, usually resulting in smacks and hugs. Vanessa bossed Bernice, but it was obvious to Rolf that it was because Vanessa loved her and worried about her.

After they left the assault ship, Becky never stopped asking Rolf questions. The other girls all gathered around him and Becky, listening intently to his answers. Sometimes they also asked questions, or they chatted to each other about something he had said. But when he talked about Soo-Kai, and how he met her, they became completely silent. After that, the questions really started.

With Becky prompting him, Rolf told them everything. They were totally fascinated. The more Rolf talked, the more they wanted to know. By the time they reached the house, Rolf's throat was so dry, he could hardly talk anymore.

While the girls investigated his house, Rolf went with Karen down to the stream to fetch water. She had volunteered to go with him. It gave Rolf the chance to get to know her better.

Karen was quite slim, with long light brown hair and brown eyes. She had a sort of sad face, sad but sweet. But when she smiled, it was like the sun coming out.

"How old are you?" Rolf asked her.

"I'll be sixteen in May," she replied. "We're all about the same age. Jane's the oldest. She was sixteen last September."

"You're all very young." Rolf bent down by the stream.

She hooked her thumbs in the waistband of her skirt and watched him fill the bucket. "How old are you, Mr L'Epine?"

"Oh, call me Rolf. At my last birthday, I was thirty."

"That's not very old." She gazed around at the trees and the darkening sky. "I always wondered what I would be doing when I was twenty, and thirty, and forty," she said thoughtfully. "I had it sort of worked out. I didn't want to get married until I was thirty. I wanted to have some fun first, you see. But I wanted to have two children by the time I was forty. That way, I could have grandchildren when I was sixty. I had it all planned out. Now I don't even know where I'm going to be tomorrow."

Rolf smiled and glanced at her. It was then that he noticed a nasty cut on her thigh. "I forgot about your wounds," he said. "I told you I had ointments, didn't I? Ointments and bandages."

She looked down at her thigh. "Oh, yeah. That was when we were in the cage. The men kept poking at us with their spear things. They got me, Rowena and Vanessa. I've got another one on my hip, look." She pulled up her skirt and showed him. The tiny garment she wore underneath was more string than fabric.

Rolf coughed. "Yes, well, er, I better treat those when we get inside." He straightened up and held out his hand to her. "Come on," he said. "Let's go back to the house. It's getting cold out here."

She nodded and took his hand. As they walked back to the house, Karen untied her blouse and let it hang loose. It was getting colder, and darker.

As soon as they got back to the house, Rolf was hit by a barrage of questions.

"Where's the telly?" Jemma asked.

"It's cold in here," Rowena said.

"Where's the bathroom?" Jane wanted to know.

"Where's the kitchen?" Sophia asked. "I'm hungry."

Rolf was quickly surrounded. Karen smiled at him as he put the bucket down on the table and did his best to answer their questions.

"All that you see is all that I have," he told them.

"What! No telly?" Jemma moaned.

Vanessa clipped her across her ear.

"Ow!" Jemma yelped, and rubbed her ear. "I was only asking!"

Rolf continued with his explanation. He pointed at the bowl and the bucket on the table. "The bathroom is here in this bowl. I have brought water so that you can wash and bathe. I will find you towels to dry with. As for food, I will get some bread and meat from the pantry. First, let me light the fire so that I can heat the house and boil some water for coffee."

That perked up Bernice. "You have coffee?" she asked eagerly.

Sophia was more interested in the food. "Never mind that! Get the bread and the meat! Do you have anything else?"

Jemma called out, "She'll be wanting a pizza next! Ow!"

Vanessa had clipped her ear again. Jemma gave her a dirty look in response.

Rolf headed for the fire place. "Let me light the fire first," he said to Sophia. "Then we'll see."

Jane grabbed his arm. "But I wanna wee!" she whispered in his ear. "And I want one now!"

Rolf stared at her. "Oh, alright. Follow me."

As he led Jane to the door, Jemma smiled mischievously and called out, "Squat time, girls!"

Vanessa gave up clipping her ear and grabbed Jemma, wrestling her to the floor. Becky helped her, and the two of them sat on her. Jemma squealed and screamed, but they refused to let her up.

Rolf found himself leading Jane, Rowena, Karen and Bernice down to the place by the stream that he and Soo-Kai used.

Karen quickly asked him, "Isn't it dangerous to do this in the same stream where you get your water?"

"Only if you do it up-stream," Rolf pointed out. "This is down- stream."

Karen nodded. "Oh." She looked upstream, hoping that there weren't anymore houses by the river.

The girls weren't impressed by the arrangements, and moaned constantly. Rolf quickly left them there.

After they had got back and reported to the others, Sophia, Jemma, Vanessa and Becky all trotted off next. Karen showed them the way; she seemed to be concerned that they found the right spot. Rolf managed to light the fire and put the coffee on while they were away.

When they all got back, the girls washed up in the bowl. There was a lot of splashing and shoving. Karen had to go with Jane to refill the bucket before they could all finish.

It was while they were washing that Rolf got his ointments and bandages and demanded to treat the wounds Karen had told him about. At first they protested, but then Becky said, "If they get infected, you'll be dead in a week in this place." That convinced them.

Karen went first, then Vanessa and Rowena. Rolf was twice as shy as they were when it came to treating them. The wound in Karen's leg was easy, but when she pulled up her skirt so that he could reach the one on her hip, Rolf felt his face growing red. Vanessa and Rowena were a little easier. Vanessa merely pulled her blouse apart to allow him to treat the wound in her chest, and Rowena stood with her back to him and pulled up her blouse so that he could treat the wound in her back.

Rolf followed the same routine each time. He washed each wound first, and then he put on the ointment. Most of the wounds were only superficial, and didn't need bandaging. In the end, Rolf only put a bandage on the wound on Karen's leg.

As soon as he was done, Sophia stuck to Rolf like glue. Rolf had the feeling that if he didn't find her something to eat soon, he would be next on the menu.

As Becky had indicated when she had introduced all the girls, Sophia was the most well shaped of them all. She was also quite tall, like Vanessa and Bernice. Her height helped to keep her well endowed shape in proportion. But her beauty wasn't confined to just her body. Her eyes were dark brown and slightly slanted, giving her face quite an exotic appearance. She had dark brown hair that was long and curly. And like the twins, she spoke with a slight accent. Also like them, her skin was darker, but not as dark as theirs. With her blouse tied up and her skirt down on her hips, she looked far older than the sixteen years Karen had given for their ages. She could only be described as voluptuous.

Rolf couldn't help staring. Sophia smiled and held her breasts in her hands.

"Are they not magnificent?" she said.

Rolf instantly blushed. Sophia laughed. It was a delicious and sexy chuckle.

"My mother named me after Sophia Loren. She was her favourite actress. Like her, I owe my body to the pasta I eat. My body is large, and I have the appetite to match. So whatever you have, it better be a lot!"

She wasn't joking. For the rest of the evening, Rolf never saw her when she wasn't eating.

She wasn't the only one that was hungry. They all ate the bread and meat Rolf provided. He even went out to the coop and killed another bird, roasting it over the fire. It was one of the few times they were all quiet. They all sat together in front of the fire, eating and drinking the coffee. There weren't enough cups to go round, so they shared, passing the cups to one another, and then holding them out to Rolf to be refilled.

When they had eaten enough, the questions started again. Most of them wanted to know more about Ellerkan, the forest and the castle. Bernice wanted to know more about the Destroyers. She asked a lot about Kai-Tai. Vanessa was worried about Amy, and wanted to know when Soo-Kai would return with her. That made Rolf worry too. Soo-Kai had promised to be back by nightfall, and it was already well after that. His mood would have grown dark if it hadn't been for Jemma.

Jemma was the complete opposite of Sophia. She was very slim and very small. She could have been two years younger than the rest of them. She had short and curly blonde hair, lively blue eyes and the cheekiest disposition. She was always making lewd comments about the toilet arrangements, where Rolf and Soo-Kai slept, or something else that embarrassed somebody. Vanessa or Becky would regularly chastise her, but it was plain that Jemma considered that to be half the fun. She was cute and funny, and Rolf could happily have bagged her in a sack and kept her as his own.

It was Jemma that got up and investigated his work bench. Her shouts of delight brought the rest of them hurrying after her.

If the luxury of his house didn't impress them, the quality of the cloth and the garments on his work bench did. They descended on them like a flock of vultures. In a few seconds, all of the orderly piles were ransacked. Rolf was distraught, but there was nothing he could do.

Jane was the first to try on one of the colourful blouses. She took off her white school blouse and discarded it without a thought. Her grey skirt went the same way when a pair of breeches caught her eye. She kicked off her shoes and stood in her bra and knickers without seeming to care that Rolf was nearby. Like most of the girls, her body was slim and athletic. She had long legs, and to Rolf's surprise, the breeches fitted her.

She looked across at Rolf. "Can I keep them?" she asked.

Rolf shrugged and waved his arms in despair. "Why not? The clothes you all wear mark you out as strangers."

Jane looked delighted. She had shoulder length blonde hair and blue eyes. Her face was long and oval, and her features were quite strong. She was pretty, but she also looked hard.

Where she went, the others soon followed. Rolf stared in dismay as blouses and skirts flew in all directions. The girls stood around in their underwear, grabbing anything they liked. Jemma got buried in a swatch of pink silk, Vanessa found a light grey tunic and hunted for the breeches or skirt that would match, Sophia and Karen argued over a bright red blouse, while Bernice grabbed anything that was in black, and Becky fell over trying on a pair of blue breeches.

Rolf gave up and turned away. He found Rowena still sitting by the fire with her legs drawn up. She had found Soo-Kai's journal, and it now lay open in her lap. She was hugging her knees and reading it intently.

Of all of them, Rowena was the quietest. She had short, light brown hair and blue eyes. Her face was round and her features delicate. She seemed almost timid.

Rolf smiled. Then the door burst open.

Soo-Kai came in first, followed by Amy. Craig was last. He took one look at the house full of girls, all of them in various states of undress and exclaimed, "Oh my God, I've died and gone to heaven!"

All the girls screamed at the sight of Craig. It surprised Rolf, as they hadn't seemed worried by his presence at all. Rolf quickly took him and Soo-Kai outside, leaving the girls to greet Amy. There were just as many screams at her arrival as there had been for Craig's, but these were screams of joy.

Amy was mobbed. Karen filled a cup with coffee for her, and Sophia handed her the last piece of meat on the spit. Then they talked her to death, asking her how she had got away, where she had been, and where she had found Craig. They wanted to know a lot about Craig. Finally, they introduced her to the clothes on Rolf's work bench.

Outside, Rolf was just as anxious to know why Soo-Kai was late. He kissed her and hugged her tightly. "I worried about you, you took so long."

"I am sorry, my husband," Soo-Kai replied as they embraced. "I did not mean to alarm you. But things did not go as planned, and now I fear we must leave our house and be far away from here before morning."

Rolf became even more worried by her words. He held her at arms length. "What happened? Tell me!" he demanded. "And who is this young man?"

Soo-Kai quickly explained what had happened, introducing Craig. She told Rolf how they had been chased through the forest by men from the castle, and how they had brought the other Destroyer with them in a wagon.

"She has our scent," Soo-Kai finished. "And she will lead those from the castle to us. We cannot stay here, my husband. Pack up your cart, fill it with as much food and provisions as you can. I will answer no more questions until we are on our way. We must leave, now."

###

### 

### Chapter Twenty-Four

### Servant and Master

L'Roth burst through the door, two more men behind him, their swords held ready. The house was empty and in darkness. L'Roth swore and lowered his sword.

"They have fled," he told his men. He kicked the table over in his anger, and then he turned and strode out.

The wagon stood outside the house. The driver and brake-man were by their horses, trying to sooth them as they snorted and stamped their hooves, their breath visible in the night air. L'Roth went straight to the wagon.

"They have fled!" he repeated, but now with anger in his voice.

" _I STILL HAVE THEIR SCENT!_ " Gil-Yan hissed. " _THEY ARE MANY AND THEY ARE ON FOOT!_ _Their trail must be clear to even you_ _!_ _They pull a wheeled cart with them! We can yet catch them! Hurry! Hurry_ _!_ "

L'Roth replaced his sword in his scabbard and gazed up at the sky. "Aye, you speak the truth, but the chase is not for you. We must return if you are to be back in the castle before morning."

" _But they will escape_ _!_ " Gil-Yan rocked the cage wagon in her frustration.

"Be still!" L'Roth shouted at her. "This is now a task for men and horses, not you. Their path is clear as you say, and it will still be fresh when we return in the morning. And if those at the villages should see us in our pursuit they will think nothing of it, which is not what they will think if they saw you!"

Gil-Yan hissed and grumbled but said nothing.

L'Roth turned and shouted to his men. "Mount! We return to the castle!"

His Knights jumped on their horses and the driver and brake-man climbed on to the wagon. The driver took up the reins and urged his charges forward once more. The horses strained and the wagon creaked as it rumbled forward.

They soon left the empty house behind.

All the way through the forest Gil-Yan lay flattened to the bottom of the cage, hidden in the shadows, grumbling quietly.

L'Roth was equally sombre. Sombre and thoughtful. He had needed Gil-Yan to find those that had escaped him. Only she could smell them out where they left no visible trail. But now that he had a trail that he could follow he could do without her. That should have pleased him, but instead it worried him. He knew that Gil-Yan wanted her freedom. She always denied it, but he knew it was her only goal. She wanted to be free, and what she would do if she were free he could easily guess. But one thing was certain; this would be her best time to escape.

He had seven men with him, five of them Knights on horse-back. Three of them were men that he knew he could trust. Not Sir Henry's men, but his own. But would they be enough if Gil-Yan should seek her freedom? He thought not. No, if Gil-Yan should seek her freedom, L'Roth knew that she would have to be defeated by wits and not by the sword.

Gil-Yan rose suddenly from the floor of the wagon. Her head struck the roof of the cage with a clang, causing the wagon to jolt and the bars to bend.

The sound shook L'Roth from his thoughts and he spun round on his horse, thinking the moment had come, and drew his sword.

But instead of striking or knawing at the bars, Gil-Yan snorted again and again, taking in quick breaths. Then she turned her head and stared at L'Roth, baring her teeth.

" _Insiders_ _!_ " she hissed. " _Insiders are close by! They come for me_ _!_ "

Almost as soon as she had spoken, an arrow hit the driver in the side of the head and he tumbled from the wagon.

L'Roth shouted at his men, "Destroyers in the forest!"

The attack came swiftly. Another arrow felled one of the Knights even as he drew his sword. Then the Destroyers themselves appeared, rushing from the shadows and the trees and striking at men and horses alike.

Gil-Yan bellowed and roared, shaking the wagon and rocking it from side to side. The brake-man drew on the brakes as the horses reared and panicked. He jumped down but didn't bother to soothe them; instead he hid under the wagon.

There was sudden death in the darkness.

A horse fell, kicking and snorting, its rider struggling to free himself as two Destroyers pounced on him, stabbing and slicing at him and the horse.

L'Roth sliced at another Destroyer, but she ducked out of the way and ran. Suddenly they all ran, and L'Roth's men galloped after them.

L'Roth saw them go and quickly shouted at them, "Stay with the wagon! Stay with the wagon!"

Two obeyed, but one rode on. L'Roth knew that he would not return.

L'Roth jumped down from his horse. "Dismount! Stand by the wagon! Use your shields against the arrows!"

His men did as he told them, unclipping their shields from their saddles and holding them up before them. L'Roth did the same, and soon they were all stood with their backs to the wagon, their shields with their colourful emblems held high before them.

Behind them, Gil-Yan shook the wagon. " _Let me out! They come for me! Let me out!_ "

"Quiet!" L'Roth shouted at her.

It wasn't long before the first arrow thudded into one of the shields. It was quickly followed by two more.

L'Roth calmed his men. "Hold firm!" he shouted. "If they want her, they'll have to come and take her!"

A flaming arrow flew through the darkness like a tiny comet and struck the wagon. Gil-Yan hissed and spat at it through the bars and it went out. Another arrow struck a wheel. One of the Knights chopped it free and stamped it out on the grass.

It was then that they came. Nine of them. Nine against three. Three of them held branches that burned brightly. They were the first things L'Roth and his men saw, dancing between the trees like giant fireflies.

Kai-Tai led the Destroyers to the wagon in a charge, her face twisted in anger. Like all the Destroyers, she was filled with an undeniable hatred for those she faced. But the hatred she felt for the occupant of the wagon far outweighed that for the men who stood in her way.

L'Roth and his men didn't shirk from the battle. In their heads they knew it was already lost, but in their hearts they hoped only for the glory of a noble death.

Gil-Yan rocked the cage wagon, bouncing it on its wheels. She bellowed in the Destroyer language. " _Dat te karonak! Ne par jento te Tun-Sho-Lok!_ "

No one listened or seemed to care anymore. Swords clashed in the forest, shields were smitten aside, and blood splashed on the wagon and on the grass. No sooner had one man fallen when he was quickly despatched in a frenzy of stabbing.

The burning branches were thrown at the wagon. Gil-Yan writhed around, spitting at them and trying to reach them through the bars. She shouted at L'Roth, " _Let me out, Le-Roth! I can help you! Let me out before it is too late!_ "

L'Roth ignored her. He fought with two Destroyers, his shield cut to ribbons by the flurry of blows they struck against him. Then one of the Destroyers stabbed through the shield. The blade pierced L'Roth's chest, but it stuck in the shield. L'Roth seized his chance, throwing aside the shield and lunging at his attacker, his sword going through her throat.

Gil-Yan shouted again, desperately, pleadingly. " _Le-Roth! I can save you! Let me out!_ "

L'Roth saw the last of his men drop to his knees. The Destroyers surrounded him in an instant. It would soon be over.

"To Hell with my soul!" L'Roth spun round and with a mighty blow he sliced his sword through the pad-lock on the door of the cage.

The door flew open and Gil-Yan sprang from the cage. She landed among the Destroyers. Without hesitation or fear they struck and stabbed at her with their swords. Gil-Yan's skin brightened to silver at each blow, and even though the swords struck deep, they had no effect.

With a roar, Gil-Yan spun round and snapped at one of the nearest Destroyers, her immense teeth scissoring her victim into bloody meat. She shook her head and an arm and a leg flew aside, disappearing into the darkness.

Jai-Soo raised her sword and moved forward, but Kai-Tai pulled her back and shouted, "Ban te nar! Ne an dat! Cha! Cha!"

The Destroyers ran. Gil-Yan gave chase, bounding after them, and springing upon the back of the last of them. She bit and tore her victim to ribbons, gulping down the bloody remnants, and then she raised her bloody snout and roared at the heavens. It filled the forest like the roar of some primeval beast, triumphant in the hunt for its prey.

Abruptly, Gil-Yan ceased her roar, turned, and stared directly at the wagon, her bright red eyes narrowing. The last of the burning branches thrown onto it still smoked, but the flames hadn't caught. The Destroyers and L'Roth were gone. But she wasn't alone. She could smell the human. A movement by the wagon caught her eye and she sprang forward.

The brake-man who had been hiding under the wagon jumped to his feet and ran for his life. He ran as fast as he could, as fast as he had ever ran before. And as he ran he screamed, his scream echoing through the darkened forest until suddenly –SNAP! It stopped.

Gil-Yan quickly ate her victim, licking the blood from the grass. Then she sniffed and snuffled around, finding the bodies and remains of all who had fallen, her long tail weaving about behind her. She ate them all, horses, men and Destroyers. She left nothing behind.

Her presence caused the utmost fear in the horses still attached to the wagon. Even with the brake locked on they had dragged it forward some distance. She ignored them. Soon she would consume their flesh, adding it to her own. But they were tethered, and she had other business to attend to first.

She raised her head and snorted in the cold night air. Then she bellowed, " _Le-Roth! Le-Roth! I smell your blood, Le-Roth! You are wounded! Where do you hide?_ "

There was movement in the shadows. Gil-Yan sprang forward, her mouth agape and her teeth bared. She galloped through the trees, crashing through branches and bushes.

" _I_ _see you! I see you!_ " she bellowed.

L'Roth heard her charging towards him, but he had found what he wanted, he had found the only thing in the forest that could save him.

Gil-Yan slithered to a halt, her claws raking up the grass and the soil. She stared at L'Roth and hissed.

He had found his horse.

L'Roth's smile was almost demented as he shouted at her in his triumph, his sword in his hand. "That's right, witch of the night! I have four legs! Do you think yours are faster?"

Gil-Yan crept forward, snarling and hissing. " _You cannot run far enough to evade me! I will find you, Le-Roth! In the night, in the darkness, I will strike at you and devour you!_ "

L'Roth backed away on his horse, and it pranced and reared in its eagerness to be gone. "Ha! Empty threats! I need only to ride to the castle! And once there I will strike off your head! Aye, and Sir Henry's too, if he gets in my way!"

" _You would not dare! I would catch you and eat you!_ "

"Would you? Are you so sure? Would you like to wager on a race between my four legs and yours? A race to the castle! See how eager my charger is to put distance between us! Will you wager! My life for yours, witch of the night! Answer! Answer!"

Gil-Yan stopped her advance and crouched down. She growled menacingly but didn't reply.

"I think not!" L'Roth said in triumph, and then he roared at the top of his voice, "GET BACK IN THE WAGON!"

Gil-Yan growled and roared, baring her teeth at him. She spat and clawed at the grass, her tail waving snake-like behind her.

L'Roth waved his sword at her. "GET BACK IN THE WAGON!" he repeated, his voice almost hoarse.

" _I will not!_ " Gil-Yan shouted back at him in her deep voice, spitting and snarling. " _I will not! I will not!_ "

"Then the race is on!" L'Roth shouted and turned his horse.

" _Wait!_ " Gil-Yan screamed at him, a hint of panic in her voice. " _I can still smell the Insiders! To ask me to re-enter the cage is folly! They watch and wait! If you lock me inside they will return and try to burn me! I will not enter the cage while they are near!_ "

"And I will not wait with you while you are free!" Without another word, L'Roth dug his heels into the flanks of his horse and it leapt forward, reaching the gallop in an instant.

" _Wait!_ " Gil-Yan roared again, and her claws tore up the grass as she rushed after him. " _You need me, Le-Roth! You cannot possess that which you desire without me! Wait! Wait!_ "

Either L'Roth didn't hear her, or he didn't care what she said. He rode on.

Gil-Yan chased after him, smashing and trampling through bushes and young trees. She snarled and spat and roared at the shadows. But even though she was powerful and strong and ran as fast as she could, she still couldn't catch L'Roth. She was too big and heavy. She cursed those she had eaten. They still weighed her down, not yet assimilated and turned to her own flesh. She fell behind and her roars turned from anger to fear as she saw L'Roth disappear ahead of her.

His horse flew through the forest. L'Roth rode with his body crouched down, his head so low that he peered between the ears of the horse as it galloped through the trees. At first he could hear Gil-Yan crashing through the forest as she pursued him, calling out to him in her despair. By the sounds of her hurry and panic she would leave a wide trail of destruction that would puzzle many travellers. He ignored her calls, remembering instead her cries of triumph at being free. Slowly, the sounds of her pursuit faded as she fell behind, and soon the forest became silent, and only the thumping of his heart and the horse's hooves filled his ears.

It had been a race of death, and as the castle came into view, L'Roth knew he had won it. But his own feelings of triumph at his victory were short-lived and hollow. He had heard her words and they were true. He needed her, and he hated and despised himself for his weakness.

"Open the gates! Open the gates, I say!" he shouted at the guards on the ramparts as he approached, waving his sword at them.

The guards signalled to men in the courtyard below who ran to the gatehouse to obey, and the gates swung inwards. L'Roth shot straight through the gatehouse, his horse skidding to a halt by the West Tower. He jumped down and ran to the door of the tower. The men who guarded it tried to bar his way, but he kicked and struck at them with his sword, and they fell back in confusion.

L'Roth pushed open the door and marched inside, his sword still in his hand. He ran down a stone staircase and came to another door. He kicked it open and immediately found himself facing Sir Henry and two other Knights who barred his way, Sir Morgan and Sir Edmund. Without waiting to explain, he hurled himself at them.

"Let me pass!" he bellowed as they held him back. "I will strike off that witch's head this instant!"

"For what reason?" Sir Henry shouted back. "Why this sudden change? What took place between you that brings on this anger?"

"She ate my men!" L'Roth almost screamed.

Sir Henry and the two other Knights stared at L'Roth. They stared at him as if they thought he was mad. It was only then that L'Roth realised how demented and hysterical he must look to them. He deliberately attempted to calm himself and tell them what had happened.

In the gatehouse, the men who had opened the gates for L'Roth had stood and stared as he rode by. They had watched in surprise as he had brushed aside the guards at the West Tower and gone inside. Now they heard something large and heavy approaching through the forest. They turned to look, and instantly dropped their pikes and ran.

Men scattered in all directions as Gil-Yan burst through the gatehouse and came slithering to a stop in the courtyard. Even L'Roth's horse bolted for the stables.

Gil-Yan roared in anger when she saw the open door to the West Tower. She rushed forward; her teeth bared, and rammed her snout against the doorway. The wooden door frame splintered and the door was smashed from its hinges, but she was too big to get through. She shouted into the open doorway, " _Harm my other self and I will tear your flesh from your bones, Le-Roth!_ "

In the doorway to the underground chambers of the West Tower, L'Roth had just finished his explanation when the outside door caved in behind them and Gil-Yan roared out her warning. L'Roth instantly lost control again and turned and screamed up the steps at Gil-Yan.

"You ate my men!"

" _I ate only those who had fallen!_ " she shouted back, her snout pressed into the broken doorway, and her breath misting in the stone staircase. As she pressed harder, her snout and head seemed to narrow, and oozed further through the broken frame of the narrow doorway.

"You lie!" L'Roth bellowed. "You meant to devour me! You deny it now, but 'tis the truth!"

" _And you wished to kill me!_ " Gil-Yan shouted. " _You threatened my other self!_ "

"Aye! And it was a threat well meant! Now you die, harlot!"

" _Then I will dig you out and eat you like the worm you are, Le-Roth!_ " came her instant reply, and she began to chew and claw at the wooden door frame, tearing it to ribbons even as her body oozed and flowed further into the passageway.

With renewed determination, L'Roth turned and again tried to force his way through the door to the chamber beyond, but again Sir Henry and the two Knights held him off. They struggled and shouted, their voices raised.

At the top of the staircase behind them, Gil-Yan shouted more threats, her deep voice louder than all the rest. Outside, her claws raked against the stone work of the tower, reducing large blocks to dust. Her head was now well inside the passageway, and her neck growing longer by the second. She had scented and seen Sir Henry, and there was a new urgency in her voice as she called out to him.

" _Sir-Hen-Re! Sir-Hen-Re! Be warned, my bond! Le-Roth has threatened to kill you if you stand in his way! Le-Roth, if you harm him, I will smash you and trample you!_ "

Sir Henry shouted back at her at the top of his voice. "Enough! No one will be killed tonight!" He waved at Gil-Yan. "Get back to the pit, Gil-Yan! I command you! Go now! I will speak with you later!"

There was a pause, and then Gil-Yan spoke in a low voice. " _As you wish, my bond._ "

There was sudden silence above them as Gil-Yan did as she was commanded, and vanished. Only moonlight now shone through the smashed doorway and cast shadows on the steps behind them.

Her obedient departure made no difference to L'Roth. He still struggled and fought to gain entry to the underground chamber.

"Out of my way and I will put an end to her forever!"

"You act without thought, L'Roth!" Sir Henry shouted back at him. "Think what we would lose! What opportunities! What glory!"

"There is no glory in being a meal for a monster!" L'Roth cried. "Get out of my way!"

If Sir Henry had been alone, L'Roth would have had his way, but the two Knights kept him back. L'Roth stared at them in surprise.

"Why do you stand at his side? You, Sir Morgan, were kinsmen to one of those that died! And you, Sir Edmund, you have no love for Destroyers!"

"Aye!" Sir Edmund replied. "'Tis the truth, what you say! But from your story 'tis also plain that it was other Destroyers that ambushed you and killed your men, not Gil-Yan! She ate more of them than she ate of our men!"

"Tell that to the brake-man!" L'Roth shouted, pushing forward again.

Sir Morgan pushed him back. "The brake-man was not my cousin! Your wrath is due to your own arguments with Gil-Yan, not her eating habits! My cousin died with honour, in battle against a stronger foe! Sir Henry is right! You act without thought, and such rashness will claim all our heads! Be still!"

At last L'Roth backed away. "You didn't see her delight at being free!" he snarled at them. "She may not have killed your cousin, but she ate what the other Destroyers left of him! She has no love for humans, despite what Sir Henry may tell you! And the moment she is free again, she will devour us all!"

Sir Henry stepped forward. "We need her!" he said with all his determination, his clenched fist raised. "What we do is treason! You know it! All those engaged with us know it! Without success, we will all lose our heads! The artifact will soon be finished. This was why we were here, to see the progress she has made this day. With the power of the artifact the whole of Halafalon will be ours for the taking! Think of it L'Roth! Think of the day when you will be crowned King in the Palace of Ellerkan! Is it not worth the risk?"

L'Roth put his sword away and spoke with distaste. "We side with the devil, and our feet walk in the shadow of the gates of Hell. I grow sick of our task, but I am sicker at the knowledge that I covert most greatly what your witch harlot can provide. See that she finishes the artifact quickly, before my conscience overcomes my greed."

They were his last words, and he turned, climbed the steps, and strode across the empty courtyard to the North Tower.

###

### 

### Chapter Twenty-Five

### The Pleasures of the Flesh

"Have you heard the news?" Prince Carl asked as he dressed in his bedchamber. "Destroyers have been seen in the forest! At least a dozen! A merchant travelling from Jasanta heard stories told of them at the villages he passed. I spoke with him only an hour ago. He was glad he avoided them."

Prince Harold was not impressed or enthused by the news. He stood in the doorway of his brother's bedchamber and watched as Carl hurried to dress, pulling on his boots. "Is this why you wake the stable lads and cause such a commotion in the dead of night?"

"Of course!" Prince Carl replied. "Sir Anthony gathers the rest of the men as we speak! Are you coming?"

Prince Harold shook his head. "Your quest for the flesh of Destroyers has never awakened the same passion in me. A wench is still a wench. And in the dead of night I prefer the pleasures of my own bed and the sleep it brings me."

Prince Carl laughed. "You have no idea what you miss! There is no woman that compares with a Destroyer!" He stood up, stamping his boots, and reached for his breast-plate and cloak. "Ah, but I forget! You have yet to taste such pleasures –unless fair Gwendolyn has finally succumbed to your advances?"

Prince Harold yawned before replying. "What Gwendolyn does or does not do is no concern of yours." He turned to leave then stopped and said over his shoulder, "But remember this brother, if the object of your ardour should happen to kill you, I will bless her name when I sit upon our father's throne in your place."

Prince Carl roared with laughter. He grabbed his sword and ran from his room, slapping his brother on the back as he passed him in the corridor. "If she kills me, take the throne with my pleasure! I won't deserve it!" he shouted as he ran on.

A few moments later and Prince Harold was standing by a window. He stared out at the courtyard below, watching as his brother ran from the Palace towards the stables. Men and horses were already gathered there, waiting for him. Harold wondered at the extent of his brother's joy in such wild nonsense. When would he grow up? His behaviour fitted that of a much younger man, a man who lacked any responsibility. Prince Harold knew that not to be so. But while their father was fit and healthy, Carl would have the time to play his idle games.

Prince Carl and the men who had waited for him all jumped on their horses and rode from the courtyard. Harold watched them go.

"Enjoy it while you still can," he muttered under his breath.

Gwendolyn appeared at the window next to Prince Harold. She pulled her wrap tighter about her shoulders. "You worry for him. Why?"

"Because he has a task to perform. One of great responsibility and purpose."

"Do you doubt his schooling in the art of Kingship?"

Prince Harold shook his head. "No, only his concentration."

"Then come back to bed. The night is cold and I feel the chill. I will need warming up."

Gwendolyn began to pull Harold away from the window. For a moment he resisted, but then he smiled and let her lead him away.

###

### 

### Chapter Twenty-Six

### The Suitor

Paula was nearest to the door when they heard the noise. They had all given up kicking and banging on the door and sat down again. Time had passed and they had become quiet. Anne was sat between Christine and Jo, Linda was sat next to Jo, and Paula was between Linda and the door. She was much nearer to the door, and she heard the noise first.

It sounded like something sharp scratching and scraping against the stone walls and floor. At first it was distant, but it quickly grew louder. It was regular and rhythmic, and as the sound grew louder, it was matched by a vibration in the floor.

Paula looked up at the door. She watched it vibrate slightly. Dust fell from the walls around the door jam. She watched it fall and land by the small gap under the door.

One by one, Anne, Jo, Christine and Linda all turned to look at the door, listening as the sound got louder and louder. The vibrations also grew stronger, until they could feel it in the stone walls they leaned against and it made their backs tingle. And just when the sound and vibrations were at their greatest, they suddenly stopped.

Anne leaned forwards. "What was that?"

Jo said, "It sounded like something walking passed outside."

"Well, it must have gone now."

"No it hasn't," Paula said in a soft voice. She was still staring at the bottom of the door, her eyes wide. She could see shadows, movement. She could smell something too; something she thought was strangely familiar but just beyond recognition.

There was a sudden, loud snort. It made them all jump. But while the rest of them heard it and were startled by the sound, Paula felt it. She felt the air move and saw the dust disappear under the door as if it were sucked away by a giant vacuum cleaner. It blew her hair and made her skirt billow.

Christine grabbed Anne in her fright, and Linda and Jo hugged one another. All of them stared at the door and froze in their positions. All except Paula. She started to edge away from the door, still staring at the shadows that flickered in the small gap underneath it.

It was then that they saw it. It came under the door. It was long and wide and blood red in colour. A forked tongue. It slapped about and searched for something, anything. Paula felt the spittle on her leg as it slapped the floor close to her. In rising horror she realised it was searching for her. She screamed. All the girls screamed.

In wild panic, Paula scrambled away from the door, climbing over Jo and Linda, causing them to scream even louder. Anne reached across to Paula, grabbing her arm and pulling her away just as the tongue disappeared and something heavy banged against the door, shaking it. It banged against the door again and again, and the wooden door frame began to splinter.

In a mad scramble of arms and legs, the terrified girls all crawled and scampered further away from the door, climbing and falling over each other in the process. Anne did her best to help them and calm them, to try and get them all away from the door as quickly as possible without injury. But she was just as terrified as they were, and suddenly, she was the one nearest to the door.

Abruptly, the banging stopped. Anne stared up at the door. Part of the wooden door frame had splintered and fallen in, and the big wooden door was now at an angle, but it was still there.

There was now silence in the dungeon cave. A silence broken only by the sound of their own panting.

Then the door flew open. All the girls screamed, and although she didn't realise it, Anne screamed with them. But their screaming stopped almost as soon as it began.

Sir Henry stood in the doorway, Sir Morgan behind him. He stared at the screaming girls and their teacher, a look of anger on his face.

"Silence!" he shouted. "Or you will not be fed!"

The screaming quickly stopped, more in surprise than as a result of Sir Henry's command. And while the girls huddled together and stared at the two men in terror, Anne stared at them in wonder.

When they had all been captured, Anne had been knocked unconscious very early on, and although she had glimpsed the men who had chased them, it had only been in the distance, or for a few panic stricken moments. This was the first time she had seen any of them so close and so clearly, and to her, their appearance had been as unexpected as was their arrival. Anne stared at them, completely stunned.

One of them was quite plainly a medieval Knight; he even had a colourful emblem on his chest. The crest of Sir Morgan L'Ajarn was a golden griffin to the left of a diagonal gold band. It was set against a red background on his breast-plate and looked very impressive. With his chain-mail, sword and cloak he looked every part as if he had walked off the set of a film about the Knights of the roundtable.

Sir Henry was no different. Although he wore no breast-plate or chain-mail, his clothes were colourful and richly embroidered. The cloth looked heavy, and jewels were sewn in among the embroidery. The colours were mainly gold, silver and red. He looked rich, pompous and well fed.

For a moment, both men ignored their prisoners. Sir Morgan reached up and traced his hand over the damaged door frame.

"Me thinks we arrived none too soon, Sir Henry," he said. "I'll wager Gil-Yan dallied here on her return."

Sir Henry hardly glanced at the damaged door. "She is weak in the face of such easy temptation, and her hunger is great. I must talk with her."

"Then go, Sir Henry, I will see to the prisoners."

Sir Henry grunted and left.

Sir Morgan waved to the men behind him and they went into the dungeon. Some of the men held pikes and stood watching the girls while others brought meat, bread and water. The food was on rough plates on a tray and the water in a large bucket. They placed the tray and the bucket on the floor by the terrified girls as they sat huddled together.

While his men brought in the food, Sir Morgan stepped forward and stood over Anne Jenkins. He looked down at her and smiled. Her knee-length skirt had risen up slightly as she had crawled about the floor, and now it exposed rather more of her legs. Her blouse was generally pulled out of place and untucked from her skirt, and her short brown hair was all tussled and untidy. And everywhere, in her clothes and in her hair, there was straw from the floor of the dungeon cave.

Sir Morgan's smile broadened and he placed his hands on his hips. "You are a comely wench. Me thinks you would make a handsome wife."

"Me thinks you can go to Hell!" Anne replied and kicked him in the groin.

As Sir Morgan doubled up in pain, Anne jumped to her feet. She was about to hit him again when the other men grabbed her and restrained her, pushing her back against the wall.

Paula, Linda, Jo and Christine all jumped up and rushed to help their teacher, but the other men pushed them back with their pikes. They were rough and uncaring, and jabbed at Jo and Linda when they were slow to obey. In a few seconds the dungeon was filled with the sounds of screaming and shouting.

Anne saw the way the girls were being treated and struggled harder.

"Leave my girls alone!" she cried out, and kicked at anyone she could reach. She made good contact with another man, but instead of hanging back, he drew a dagger from his belt and stepped forward.

"No!" Sir Morgan shouted, and climbing rather painfully to his feet he shoved aside the man who had drawn the dagger. "These prisoners are mine! And I will say who is to be put to death and who is to live!"

The man stared at him for a moment and then nodded and put away his dagger. "Aye, my Liege. I beg your pardon." He struck his chest with his fist and kept his head down.

Sir Morgan turned to face Anne. She still struggled, but two men held her arms while another now held her legs. The three of them held her so tightly that they virtually carried her aloft as her body wriggled and twisted.

Sir Morgan removed his mailed gloves and tucked them in his belt. And reaching out with both hands he grabbed Anne by the waist. He ran his hands over her hips and stomach, squeezing her and feeling her. Anne began to struggle even harder.

"You bastard! Coward!" she snarled at him.

In reply, Sir Morgan suddenly grabbed Anne's head, holding her firmly. "I'd kill a man for saying less!" he snarled.

"Would you get three others to hold him for you while you did it?" was Anne's quick retort.

Sir Morgan stared into her eyes, and then grabbed her nose with one hand. Anne cried out with the sudden pain. Sir Morgan ignored her. He felt her damaged nose, and then turning her head he felt the lump where she had been struck.

"Your injuries are slight," he said, releasing her. He stepped back. "You have much spirit. I like that. But be warned, wench, you'll live only so long as I decree it. And if you anger me too much, I may change my mind."

"Up yours! I'm not scared of you!"

Then Paula shouted, "You tell him, Miss!"

Anne resumed her struggles. "Let me go!"

Sir Morgan looked unconcerned. "As you wish."

He waved his hand at the three men who restrained her, and as one, they let go. Anne fell to the floor with a thump. But she didn't stay there for long. She jumped up straight away, hesitated as she felt the pain in her back, and then drew back her fist.

Sir Morgan didn't move a muscle as he spoke. "Strike me, and the smallest of your girls will be killed."

Anne froze, her fist still raised.

Behind her, the girls glanced at each other, and Jo quickly realised that she was the shortest. She hastily squeezed herself between Christine and Paula and the wall, and Linda stood in front of her, shielding her from the men who pointed their pikes at them.

Anne looked back at the girls and then turned to face Sir Morgan once more. "You wouldn't."

Sir Morgan smiled and nodded. "If it meant that I could get what I wanted, I would kill all four of them."

Anne was horrified. "But they're only girls, sixteen! You can't kill them!"

"No?" Sir Morgan shrugged. "Then maybe I should give them to my men. Sixteen is old enough for that, is it not?"

Anne grew angry and raised her fist once more, but Sir Morgan quickly wagged his finger at her. "Ah-ah!"

Anne lowered her fist and her body seemed to slump. "You bastard," she muttered.

Sir Morgan took a step forward and grabbed Anne by the throat, his other hand around her waist. She didn't resist, so he drew her closer, pressing his body against hers. She could feel the cold metal of his breastplate through her blouse. Their faces were now so close that Anne thought he was going to kiss her. She turned her head and compressed her lips in preparation, closing her eyes just as tightly. But the kiss never came, and Anne opened her eyes to find Sir Morgan smiling at her.

"If I threw you to the floor now and took you, would you fight?" he asked her.

"Would you hurt the girls?"

"Of course."

"Then I wouldn't fight."

"You would do that for them?"

Anne nodded. "I'm their teacher. I'm responsible for them. I've already lost half of them. I can't lose the others."

Sir Morgan heard the pain in her voice and saw the look in her eyes. He also nodded.

"Responsibility is a double edged sword, is it not?" he said, and to Anne's surprise he released her and walked to the door.

"Out!" he shouted to his men, and they all hastily obeyed. The door slammed shut and Anne and the girls were alone once more.

Anne slumped against the wall and breathed out with a sigh. In a moment she was surrounded by Linda, Christine and Jo.

"Oh, are you alright, Miss?" Christine asked her.

Anne put her arms around them. "Yes, I'm fine! Are you alright?"

Christine nodded and Linda said, "They didn't hurt us much. But we thought they were going to kill you!"

And Jo said, "I thought they were going to kill me!"

Behind them all, Paula sat on the floor by the food trays and said, "This meat tastes good. Are you having any?"

" _Give them to me!_ " Gil-Yan's deep voice was insistent and eager.

"No." Sir Henry knelt by the edge of the pit. "You have already eaten well today. You even look larger, Gil-Yan."

" _But my hunger is great!_ " Gil-Yan hissed. " _Give them to me! I could smell them in the air! I could taste them! Their blood is sweet! Give them to me!_ "

Sir Henry ignored her demands and instead reached down and patted her. "And what will you eat on the morrow?" he asked. "No, Gil-Yan, we must conserve what we have. You cannot have them just yet. Now you will speak of them no more, or you will anger me."

Gil-Yan grizzled and grumbled but said nothing.

Sir Henry smiled. "Do not despair, my love. You will be fed soon, and well. When the artifact is complete, we will march on Ellerkan, and there will be battles and food a plenty. Is that not something to look forward to?"

Gil-Yan purred in anticipation. " _Yes, my bond. I understand_."

"Good. The artifact will soon be finished, so you will not have long to wait. But it is a shame that other artifacts of a similar nature did not also appear through the Portal as did the first. If they had, I'm sure L'Roth would have been far more manageable. As it is, they have all been of no value. It is strange, Gil-Yan, that your success has not been repeated."

" _I have no control of what is sent, only on where and when it arrives. And soon even that control will be gone._ "

"Then we are fortunate indeed that what we required was sent, and that your other self could manipulate it."

" _My other self is unharmed?_ " There was a hint of anxiousness in Gil-Yan's voice, and she shifted her position on the wall of the pit, her claws scraping the stone as she moved a little higher.

Sir Henry was dismissive. "Did you think I would let you be harmed, my love?"

" _You are my BOND; I know you will protect me. But Le-Roth has no love for either of us, and he is a strong warrior_."

"But his strength is out-weighed by his greed. He needs the artifact, and he needs you to complete it. He will not harm your other self, rest assured."

" _But he threatened me!_ " Gil-Yan exclaimed.

Sir Henry shrugged. "He was angry, and you did eat his men."

" _They had already fallen!_ " Gil-Yan replied quickly, her voice almost sounding hurt by the accusation. " _I killed and ate only those who did not matter! The man who rode the wagon, and the Insiders_." She uttered the last word slowly and with revulsion, adding, " _Their flesh I relished more than any! They were wrong! Incorrect! Defective! An abomination! Now they reside inside me, their genetic structure purged and absorbed. Now they are right, correct. Now they are true insiders!_ "

Sir Henry laughed and reached down to pat and stroke Gil-Yan once more. "Would you have also eaten L'Roth as he said?"

" _He is our enemy!_ " Gil-Yan hissed. " _He must die!_ "

"But not yet!" Sir Henry quickly replied. "We need him. Lord William L'Roth is related to the King, and the people in Ellerkan will not accept another so easily without some legitimate claim. No, you must not eat him just yet. He is essential to our plans."

" _But if he is crowned, he will become powerful!_ "

Sir Henry nodded. "Powerful, but short-lived. Once he is crowned and the people accept him, then we will no longer need him. At that time you may eat him with my blessing, but until then, we must keep his attention on the matter in hand."

Sir Henry had continued patting and stroking Gil-Yan as he spoke, and now her voice almost purred in delight at his touch as she answered.

" _You are wise, my bond. I am fortunate that it was you that came upon me. Another would have struck at me, or finished my other self while I lay weak and vulnerable. You did neither. Instead you tended to my wounds, fed me, and kept me safe until I could grow. Now we plot together for the Kingdom where we dwell. And from our success here, other Kingdoms will fall. I am content with what we do. My bond to you is complete, and my purpose in life fulfilled. Leave me. Go to my other self. Let me sleep while she awakes. Let me give to you freely what others maimed me trying to take. Go now, Sir-Hen-Re. Go to me, and consume me there as I lay here, sensing and responding to your touch_."

Sir Henry stood up. Without a word he straightened his clothing, turned and walked quickly from the chamber. Behind him, Gil-Yan relaxed her grip and slid down the wall of the pit, her claws raking against the stone.

###

### 

### Chapter Twenty-Seven

### Sleeping Arrangements

The forest was dark and silent at last. For a while there had been noises. Not just the cries of night owls and other common creatures of the night, but unearthly sounds of screams and distant roaring. It scared the girls as they huddled closely around the cart, helping to push it forward. And even Rolf was unnerved.

"Was that her? The Outsider you said was in the wagon that pursued you?" he asked Soo-Kai as he and Craig pulled the cart at the front.

Soo-Kai nodded, but kept silent. She was wearing her blue waistcoat and skirt again. She had discarded the red and bloodstained outfit she had worn during the battles and washed hastily before they had left the cottage. As always she seemed more comfortable in her faded and favourite clothes.

Craig said, "I still think I'm on the set of Jurassic Park."

Amy laughed, but it was without humour. "Don't be daft!" she said as she hung on to the side of the cart, staring nervously at the shadows of the forest.

Amy had changed out of her battered school uniform and was now wearing a blue waistcoat and skirt that was very similar to the one Soo-Kai wore. Apart from the blonde hair, she was almost a miniature version of Soo-Kai. Vanessa was also wearing almost the same outfit, but this time in grey. Both she and Amy also wore colourful silk blouses. They walked alongside the cart next to Craig. Bernice walked on the other side of the cart next to Soo-Kai and Rolf. She was dressed in black. Black leggings and a black tunic. But like Soo-Kai she had dispensed with a blouse.

All the girls were now wearing garments that Rolf had made. At first, Rolf had wanted to keep his stock of garments and cloth intact at the house, but Soo-Kai's insistence that they leave immediately and that they may never return put an end to his wishes.

"They may burn the house," she had told him.

The girls had been marvellous. Instead of protesting and moaning at the further change in plans and location, they had helped him to pack food and provisions onto the cart until it was overflowing. Rolf had even brought the birds and the coop. What happened to the garments and cloth seemed unimportant after that. Rolf let the girls keep whatever they wanted, and he used the cloth to cover the cart. He brought most of it, telling Soo-Kai that it was cold in the forest at night. She knew how possessive he could be about his cloth, but he was giving up much, and so she relented.

Rolf had always been able to make clothes for both sexes, but he had spent most of his time making clothes for the men of the Royal Court. Since he met and fell in love with Soo-Kai, he had begun making clothes for both sexes equally. In particular, he liked making clothes for her, and he liked seeing her wear them.

He had made Soo-Kai's favourite blue outfit for her some time ago, after the visit of Mai-Zen and Gustavo, and each time it was washed it had grown more faded. Rolf had made her others in different colours, but she always returned to her old and favourite blue one, like tonight. It was two of the replacements he had made for her that Vanessa and Amy now wore. At least they were being used in earnest at last.

Rolf was surprised by the variation and style of dress the girls had chosen. And they didn't limit themselves to the garments he made for women, either. They just grabbed anything they liked and mixed and matched them.

Jane wore a yellow embroidered blouse and light tan breeches. Rowena and Becky also wore breeches. Becky's was in blue, with a matching tunic, while Rowena's was in brown, with a matching brown waistcoat. Both still wore their original school blouses underneath.

Karen wore a white vest, with a green waistcoat and leggings. The vest was a little too short, and with her waistcoat open, it left her stomach on view. She seemed to like it that way.

Sophia wore a tunic and leggings that were both in red. She also wore her original blouse underneath, mainly because she had been unable to find another that fit, rather than through choice. But she had found a pair of boots that fit. Rolf didn't trade in footwear very often, but the thigh length riding boots seemed to please Sophia more than anything.

Jemma wore a red blouse and grey skirt. She tied the blouse up at her waist. On top she wore a thick cotton shirt, a white one this time made for a man. It was much too big for her, but she wore it open as a jacket, and somehow, it looked sort of right.

Rolf looked across the cart at Amy. "What is this park you speak of?" he asked her.

"Oh, it's not real, Mr L'Epine," Amy replied. "It's just a film, a story, that's all. It's about a place where they keep monsters in cages, but then they get out and eat everyone."

Soo-Kai then said, "Then this is that place."

Her words frightened them all. Only Bernice seemed unconcerned.

"Kai-Tai wouldn't be scared by any monster, why should we?" she said to Soo-Kai. "Anyway, it sounds too far away, so why worry?"

Soo-Kai took another sniff at the night air. "You are young, but your words are true enough," she replied. "The Outsider and those from the castle are now too far away to catch us tonight. And from the sounds we heard they were too busy elsewhere to think of us. As you surmise, it will be my mother and those with her that caused their distraction. And it is for my mother that I am concerned."

"Why?" Bernice asked quickly.

"Because the Outsider cannot be killed except by fire or water. She is very big and her heart and soul dwells elsewhere. But these things will not deter my mother, so I fear the outcome."

Bernice became more than just a little emotional, and her voice rose as she spoke. "Kai-Tai will be alright! She's strong and she's clever! I know she is! I could see it in her eyes! She'll kill them all!"

Everyone stared at her, only Soo-Kai seemed not to have noticed the depth of feeling evident in Bernice's words.

"Your confidence in my mother pleases and comforts me. But the Outsider will not be killed easily. Now we have spoken enough of this tonight. We must find a place to stop for a few hours so you can rest and sleep."

Rolf cleared his throat and looked around at the trees. "This place will do as well as any other, we are off the trail, and the trees grow close together."

Soo-Kai nodded. "We will rest here."

They left the cart by one of the trees. Rolf and Karen gathered wood for a fire while the rest of the girls pulled the cloth from the cart.

Bernice felt self-conscious after her outburst. She moved away from the others and sat by a tree on her own. She looked quite down. Vanessa quickly went to sit by her side and they spoke together in whispers, until finally, Vanessa persuaded Bernice to return with her to the others. After that it wasn't long before they were all gathered around the fire, wrapped up in blankets and cloth.

While Soo-Kai sat by the cart watching the trees and the shadows and occasionally snorting the cold night air, Rolf made coffee and handed round the cups and some fresh bread.

Becky took one of the cups Rolf handed to her, but she kept her eyes on Soo-Kai, watching her carefully. "Are we safe here?" she asked her.

Soo-Kai nodded. "Yes, for some time at least. But we will have to rise early and be moving with the coming of the dawn."

Craig almost choked on his coffee. "That's the middle of the night!" he exclaimed. "I'm not getting up at that time!"

Soo-Kai turned and gave him a stern look. "Then you may stay behind and wait for those who will follow."

Craig reacted almost instantly. "What have you got against me?" he demanded in rather too loud a voice. "We might not have hit it off very well when we first met, but you've had it in for me right from the start! Come on! Out with it! I want to know!"

Soo-Kai's reply was just as quick and just as intense. "You are an adult male. You are not bonded, and I smell your interest. I am bonded, and so there is no place for another male in my life. If Aim-E had not spoken for you, I would have killed you where I found you. Even now your proximity antagonises me. This is why I do not like you."

Craig wasn't intimidated. "Well, in that case, the feelings mutual! And for your information I don't fancy red-heads, and in case you haven't noticed, you aren't the only member of the opposite sex in the forest tonight, so don't think so highly of yourself!"

Almost as soon as he had spoken, he wished he hadn't. But it was too late.

Jemma seized her chance and said, "Yeah, and I bet we know who you are interested in! Ow!" She rubbed her ear and looked round at Vanessa, who wagged a finger at her warningly.

"Don't you start!" she whispered.

Jemma just grinned. But the damage was already done. Amy, who was sat next to Craig, found herself the centre of everyone's attention, and she quickly blushed.

Rolf looked sternly at Craig. "You may sleep close to the others, but if you misbehave, I will make you sleep on your own on the far side of the cart."

Amy blushed even more, but she summoned up the nerve to put her hand on Craig's leg and say, "It's alright, Mr L'Epine, he can sleep next to me."

All the girls stared at her. She was staking her claim, and they knew it. None of them said a word, and Amy drew strength from their silence.

"I trust him," she went on. "He won't cause any trouble." Amy then turned and looked at Craig, adding, "Will you?"

Craig shook his head quickly, surprised as much at her defence of him as he was at her suggestion that they should sleep next to one another. It was the second time she had defended him like that, even after his heavy-handedness earlier. She must like him. He had to admit to himself that he didn't deserve it, but he was glad. He liked Amy, and he liked her more and more as the time went on. Why did this feel different? Was it because of where they were? Or was it just that he hadn't met Amy before?

Rolf looked at Craig even more sternly, and wagged his finger at him. "No messing about, do you hear me? Amy is too young."

"I'll be as good as gold, I promise," Craig answered him.

Rolf nodded. "Alright then."

There was a brief silence as the girls drank and ate the bread Rolf had given them. Then Jemma began to hum "Here comes the Bride" until Jane and Vanessa sat on her. That seemed to break the spell, and they finished their bread and coffee in a much lighter mood.

When Rolf was collecting up the cups, Vanessa asked him, "Where are we going, Mr L'Epine?"

Rolf saw all their eyes staring at him. He didn't know what to say, because he suddenly realised that he didn't know the answer. He looked at Soo-Kai for support.

"I know where we go," she replied. "It is far away, but you will be safe there. It is a place called Falonbeck, and to reach it we will have to go through a high pass in the mountains. Beyond there dwells another couple like Rolf and I. With them you will be safe. You will stay with them while we return."

Bernice looked upset. "But I don't want to go there. I want to stay here!"

Soo-Kai turned to her with the same stern look she usually reserved for Craig. "Why? Because you wish to fight at the side of my mother? Do you think you would survive long? Do you think she would care? To seek out my mother is to seek your own death! Put these childish thoughts from your mind."

Soo-Kai's words were unexpectedly brutal, but she didn't stop to wait for any reaction.

"My mother cares nothing for you, as she cares nothing for me or the other Destroyers who run with her. She thinks only of the Purpose. For now, her mind is occupied with the coming of the ship and the Outsider. These things are more important to her than the lives of any of us. But once the ship has gone and the Outsider is dead, her mind will be free, and it will soon dwell on your existence once more. She will hunt you out and she will kill you.

"If you are to be safe you must go where we tell you. My mother knows my scent, and when the ship has gone she will seek me out. She will know you are with us, and so for this reason alone you cannot stay with us. But you cannot stay here in the forest on your own, either. Those at the castle will still search for you. No, you must leave. But if you are to survive you must first learn to live on this world. You cannot do this alone, so someone must teach you."

Vanessa managed to get a word in at last. "But who will teach us? And what's this ship you're always talking about?"

Then Rowena said, "Mai-Zen and Gustavo."

Everyone stared at her. Rowena rather sheepishly retrieved Soo- Kai's journal from under the cloth she was using as a blanket. "I didn't want to leave it behind, and I can't help reading it. You don't mind do you? I'll give it back if you want."

Rolf smiled at her and spoke softly. "No, we don't mind if you read it. You should all read it. My wife may have spoken harshly, but what she said was the truth and it was well meant. We only want you to be safe. Read the journal and you will understand. It contains many of the answers to the questions you will ask. Keep it for a while and read it, but look after it, and you must return it before we part."

Karen and Jane peered at the journal over Rowena's shoulders, and Karen asked, "Who are Gustavo and Mai-Zen?"

Soo-Kai answered her. "As I told you, they are like Rolf and I. Mai-Zen is an Outsider, but because she is bonded, she is good. She will look after you and teach you. And what she cannot teach you, Gust-Avo will teach you."

Vanessa nudged Rowena. "Does it say anything about the ship in there?"

Rowena nodded her head, and Vanessa joined Karen and Jane in staring at the neatly hand-written pages.

Becky asked, "Was it because of this ship that we came here?"

All the girls stared at Soo-Kai expectantly; even Karen and Jane looked up from the journal.

"Yes, this is what we believe," Soo-Kai replied. "The ship comes here to speak with another ship that is broken and buried under the castle. It has a transportation system, a Portal that can be opened to other places. It is this Portal that brought you here, but why this happened we cannot tell. The ship will only speak with the broken ship beneath the castle. Until now no one has ever answered it. This year rains uncovered the remains of an assault ship–"

Bernice immediately spoke up. "We found that!" she said eagerly. "It was wicked!"

"Maybe the Outsider found it also," Soo-Kai continued. "Maybe she has used some recovered technology to talk with the ship and cause the Portal to open. My mother believes this, and she will try to kill the Outsider and take this technology from her and escape from here."

Vanessa quickly asked, "Is that how we could get home? Back through this portal thing?"

Rolf knew what she was thinking, and tried to put her off. "It's too dangerous. You cannot go back to the castle, they'll kill you."

"But we have to get home!" Vanessa insisted.

Soo-Kai put an end to the argument. "While the Outsider lives, the Portal will be closed to you. Only if Kai-Tai is successful can your return ever be possible."

Talk of Kai-Tai caused Bernice to speak up. "She can do it!" she said eagerly.

"Yes, she could," Soo-Kai agreed. "But not without much killing. And she will have to do it tonight, because the ship will leave with the rising of the sun tomorrow."

That frightened Vanessa. "Will it come back?" she asked anxiously.

"Yes, but until then you must remain with Gust-Avo and Mai-Zen. You must stay away from the castle, and those who may still seek you out. Whatever it is they do, they wish to hide. And they will kill you to keep it hidden."

Vanessa didn't look pleased, but she didn't argue.

Rowena had looked worriedly at Vanessa and Soo-Kai while they talked about the ship, but she hadn't said anything. Now she looked at Rolf and bit her lip. Rolf knew she must know how long the ship would be away, she must have read it in the journal, as all of them would read it soon. He had to speak.

"The ship will be away from here for a long time," he said, choosing his words carefully. "But even if you could get into the castle, there is no guarantee that the portal will work and you could go home. Even Kai-Tai could be unsuccessful, and she knows more about the ship than anyone else. I know you want to go home, that all this is strange and frightening to you. And if it were possible, Soo-Kai and I would be the first to help you. But it is not, and you will have to accept your fate, and learn to live and survive here. It won't be so bad, really it won't."

His words had a profound effect. All the girls kept silent for some time, and there was the odd sniffle, but no one cried, and no one questioned him. Rolf and Soo-Kai sat and waited, watching as the girls hugged one another as they all tried to read the journal, while others just sat and stared at the fire.

Jane was the first to speak. She moved away from the crush that had developed around Rowena and the journal she still held, and sat on her own in front of the fire. She looked up at Soo-Kai, thoughtful for a moment.

"You said that Mai-Zen was an Outsider," she asked Soo-Kai. "Is she like the one at the castle?"

"Yes, but the mind of the Outsider at the castle is unclear, and although she is also bonded, her anger is great."

Craig added, "Yeah, and she was as big as a house and she had a gob full of teeth!"

Amy nudged him, and Rolf glared at him. Craig shut up, but his description of the Outsider reawakened everyone's curiosity.

Becky said, "Amy and Craig described her as if she were some great big monster. And the sounds we heard weren't natural, not on any world, I'll bet. So why is she like that? Shouldn't she be like you? And if all the Outsiders are like her, I don't think we want to go and meet your friend."

Sophia agreed. "Not bloody likely!"

And Jemma said, "Yeah! Me neither!"

Soo-Kai looked perplexed, as if answering the question about the Outsider worried her in some way. Rolf saw her distress and patted her leg.

"They should know everything, my wife. It is for the best. And I admit; I too am curious about the Outsider. Your answer will not upset me, you should know me well enough by now to realise this. So tell us, how did she become this great beast?"

Soo-Kai instantly relaxed. "The Destroyer in the castle is the same as all of us; what she can do, we all can do."

Soo-Kai then told them about her sword, and how she could change it into a living creature as well as a weapon. She also told them how she had done just that to investigate the castle with Kai-Tai earlier that day.

"It is the only other form the sword maybe changed into while it's power is suppressed," she went on. "It can either be the sword, or living tissue, nothing else." She moved closer to Rolf and took his hand. Her next words were for him only.

"I am sorry I did not tell you this earlier, my husband. It is not something I have done for many years, and even then, not often. I do not like doing it, it is not pleasant, and if prolonged it can be damaging to the mind."

Rolf squeezed her hand and reached out with his other hand to tug gently at her platted hair. "It doesn't matter, you probably just wanted to spare me any worry. But tell me this, how could this other Destroyer have grown so large?"

"Only by staying in that form long enough to consume much flesh. Anything she eats will be converted to her own genetic structure and added to her body weight. But to do this she risks much. The sword contains only a small part of our cerebral cortex. If it is detached from the rest of our minds for any great period, its personality and integrity can become deranged."

"And you think that might have happened to her?"

"The power of her anger was great, and she was very large."

Rolf looked thoughtful, but it was Craig that asked the question they were all thinking.

"So what's she been eating, then?"

Rolf looked at all their hurt and worried faces, and at that moment, he could have commanded Soo-Kai to murder Craig on the spot. But then he saw the look of realisation and remorse on Craig's face, so instead he sighed and cleared his throat.

"Enough talking for now," he said. "It is late, and you must sleep. Tomorrow we will talk more about the realm of Falonbeck and the city that is its capital, Gullain. You have much to learn about this new world, and what I tell you, I will test you on later."

One or two of the girls moaned, and Jemma said, "And I thought school was out for good. Ow!"

There was a lot of snuffling and shuffling that night. Rolf had never known the night to be so noisy. He wouldn't have minded really, but it was the soft sounds of crying that troubled him. He left Soo-Kai and got up to investigate. Soo-Kai watched him; her eyes picking them all out even in the darkness. She had switched to infrared, and to her the forest was as bright as day.

Rolf almost expected it to be Rowena. He held her in his arms while she sobbed, patting her back. But she wasn't the only one that was crying. Rolf was surprised when he saw that it was Jane, and when she joined them, he found his arms suddenly full. Jemma was the next; she had been sleeping next to Jane. Sleeping next to her was Sophia. And when she joined them, just as tearful as the others, Rolf was effectively surrounded. Soon they were all awake and tearful.

"It'll be alright, I promise you," he told them. "Things are just different, that's all. You'll get used to it."

"I want to go home," Rowena sobbed, her head buried in Rolf's chest.

Sophia was equally upset. "I want my mum," she wailed.

Jane wiped the tears from her eyes. "I keep thinking about Miss Jenkins," she said.

Talk of their teacher made them all think about their absent school-mates.

Rowena turned her head and looked up. "And Linda and Jo," she said.

"And Paula," Jemma added.

Karen sat up and hugged her legs. "Christine," she said. Bernice and Vanessa also sat up. Bernice said, "Debbie had a broken arm."

And Vanessa added, "Sam broke her ankle."

Then Becky said, "They're all dead, aren't they?"

All the girls stared at Rolf; he could almost hear them holding their breath. In the darkness, Soo-Kai spoke.

"What takes place in the castle we cannot tell. But until you see them dead, keep them alive in your mind. This is all the comfort you can have."

The girls cried even louder. They just let go and got on with it. Rolf shook his head in despair.

Amy cried along with the rest, but she had Craig. He kept his arms around her, holding her tight. He did his best to comfort her, but in the end, he had no more success than Rolf.

### Chapter Twenty-Eight

### The Insolent Tailor

The next morning found the girls in better spirits. All the tears of the night before seemed to be forgotten, at least for now, or at least on the surface. Rolf and Soo-Kai were up first, and they quickly roused the girls.

"It is dawn, and time for you all to be up!" Rolf told them.

It was much too early for them, the sun had only just risen, and they moaned about the time.

"Dawn! It's the middle of the night!" Jemma exclaimed, and dived back under the blanket. Rolf pulled it from her.

"Up! Or you will face the day without breakfast."

Sophia sat up straight away. She was suddenly wide awake. "What do you eat for breakfast?" she asked, eagerly.

They were all up fairly quickly after that. Karen collected more firewood, and Rowena and Jane helped Rolf put on the coffee and start breakfast. There was a mixture of bread, eggs and slivers of meat that Rolf roasted over the fire. They all ate heartily, it was one thing the girls seemed to do with great regularity and enthusiasm.

Rolf watched them all while they ate and drank. It had only been a day, but he was growing fond of them all, and he was becoming familiar with each of their different personalities and ways. He looked at each of them in turn, watching them and wondering.

Karen was open and generous, always willing to pitch in and help, but thinking quietly about her future and what life might bring.

Rowena was the shy one. Quiet and polite, but intrigued by Soo- Kai's journal and the stories it contained. Like Karen, she was fascinated by what fate might bring her, but she was also scared. Scared and timid.

Becky was the intelligent one, always asking clever questions and probing for more information. She even remarked on the food, comparing it to the food of her home, and discussing with the others the possibility that the worlds were once linked. She wanted to know and learn and understand everything. She was a planner, a plotter.

Sophia was also interested in the food. But she only cared about eating it. Rolf had very quickly come to know that it was the only thing she cared about, food and her glorious body. When she was only a little bit older, she would be quite a catch and quite a handful for some lucky man. Rolf only hoped that he would have enough food to feed her.

Jane and Amy were both athletic and independent. Jane wasn't very talkative, but when she wanted something, or had something to say, she came right out and said it. Rolf wasn't quite sure about Amy yet, but she seemed strong in character, and she had formed an attachment with Craig, an attachment she wasn't shy about declaring. As for Craig, Rolf wasn't sure about him yet, either. But if Amy thought he was worth saving, and she obviously did, then he was probably alright.

Vanessa was the one in charge, there was no doubt about that. In the absence of their teacher, she had decided that she was the one responsible for the welfare of all the other girls. It seemed to weigh heavily on her shoulders; Rolf could see it in her eyes. Vanessa had three main worries in her life right now: Wondering what had happened to the other girls and their teacher; looking after these girls; and above all else, looking after her sister.

Bernice was the rebellious one. There was a lot of emotion and hidden frustration in her. Rolf wondered if it was because she was a twin. She certainly wanted to be different from her sister; she dressed and behaved in a way that made that obvious. There was no animosity there; it was just that Bernice wanted to be different. But she also appeared to want to be different from everyone else, too. Maybe that was why she had formed a fixation on Kai-Tai and the ways of the Destroyers, it was plain for all to see, even in her choice and style of dress.

And lastly there was Jemma. She was already one of Rolf's favourites. Small and cute, she was just plain cheeky.

Rolf sighed. If Soo-Kai ever managed to conceive successfully, he could be faced with six daughters. It was a daunting image, but one he could embrace whole-heartedly. He was beginning to doubt that it would ever happen, and for a while now Soo-Kai refused to even discuss it. And now here he was, with nine girls, all of them nearly full grown. When they left them with Gustavo and Mai-Zen, he would miss them dearly. But Soo-Kai was right; they couldn't stay here, not even Craig.

Karen helped Rolf to clean and store away the plates and cups they had used, and Amy and Craig helped to pack everything back on to the cart.

Soo-Kai was eager to get going, but they hadn't gone far before the girls started to wander off in ones and twos to do 'private things.' They had to stop and wait each time. It began to annoy Soo-Kai. When Karen and Sophia trotted off together, she could take it no longer.

"Why can you not all go at once?" she demanded to know as they all stood around the cart waiting for the girls to return.

Bernice developed a sullen expression, but her smart reply was to the point and unarguable. "Because we don't all feel like it at the same time! Okay?"

Soo-Kai looked at her but said nothing. Rolf tugged gently on her pigtail.

"Try not to worry, my wife. We go as fast as we can."

"It is not fast enough. We leave a trail even a human could follow," Soo-Kai complained.

They all looked back at the obvious tracks the cart made, with all their footprints beside it and over it. The grass was all trampled, and the weight of the cart drove the wheels in deep.

Becky picked up a fallen branch. "We could do something about it," she said, and walked to the back of the cart and began to brush at the soil and the grass.

Vanessa grabbed another branch. "Good idea, Becky! We'll each take turns. Two girls at a time, all the time!"

They both brushed away at the grass and soil, scattering the leaves and dust, covering the wheel tracks and combing out the flattened blades of grass.

Rolf smiled encouragingly at Soo-Kai. "They try," he said.

Soo-Kai wasn't impressed. "Le-Roth will not be fooled by such tricks."

Amy heard the name. "He's the one you said you saw at the castle, isn't he?" she asked.

"Yes. He is also the one who led those in our pursuit last night, as he will do so again this day."

Rowena shivered. "I remember him. He was there when we were all in the cages. He looked evil."

"I cannot judge on his appearance, only on his intent," Soo-Kai replied. "He means to catch us, and if he is successful he will kill us."

Craig said, "Then we'll have to make sure he isn't successful, won't we?"

The girls all added their agreement. Rolf looked round as Karen and Sophia returned. He quickly took up his cart with Craig.

"Come on, we must move faster now. No more dallying."

They did move faster after that. The girls kept to their task of beating out their trail without protest. Even Craig took his turn with Amy while Sophia and Jane pulled the cart with Rolf. But Soo-Kai was never satisfied. As the hours passed, she kept urging them to move faster, she was always sniffing and snorting at the air, and she was always looking anxiously around at the trees and the bushes.

Rolf knew something was wrong, but he didn't want to ask her why for fear of frightening the girls. It wasn't long before he knew the answer.

It was nearly midday when Soo-Kai suddenly drew her sword and stepped away from them. All the girls stared at her in surprise, even more so when she shouted at them.

"Stay behind the cart with Rolf!" she commanded them. "Do not move or scatter!"

Vanessa looked around worriedly. She couldn't see anything among the trees. "What is it, Soo-Kai? What's the matter?"

"Someone comes," Soo-Kai replied.

Rolf quickly positioned the cart near a large and old looking tree. "Come on! All of you!" he called to them. "Behind the cart! Quickly!"

They could have panicked, but they didn't. Instead they all did as they were told, crouching down between the cart and the tree. Craig kept his arm around Amy, pushing her closer to the other girls as he stayed on the outside.

Rolf looked worried as he watched Soo-Kai standing on her own in front of the cart, her sword drawn and held ready. Bernice also watched Soo-Kai. But she was filled with another emotion. She marvelled at the way Soo-Kai stood with her sword; a perfect fantasy pose, all confidence and latent power. How she wanted so much to be like her, to be like Kai-Tai.

Rolf called to Soo-Kai. "Who is it that comes?"

"Someone from the past," she replied bitterly.

Before Rolf could question her further, they all heard the sound of horses. In a moment they could see them, men on horseback, riding through the trees towards them. Half a dozen men, five of them Knights, their chain-mail and breast-plates clearly visible, and on one of them was the blue chevron and lion. Rolf recognised the rider immediately.

"Prince Carl," he muttered, and his heart sank.

The Knights drew their horses up in front of Soo-Kai, staring eagerly at her and the girls hiding behind the cart. Soo-Kai didn't seem the slightest bit frightened of them, and raised her sword higher.

One of the Knights turned to Prince Carl. "She is a beauty, my Liege!" he said excitedly. "And she has kittens with her! Our Hunt is a success at last!"

Prince Carl nodded, but he was more thoughtful than his companion, and his voice subdued. "'Tis true, Sir Anthony. I had feared that we would return to the Palace without success. But our quarry stands her ground and neither fights nor flees. This is not the way with a Destroyer. And if these children are indeed hers, then where is the father?"

Rolf heard the exchange and took his cue. He stood up and stepped from behind the cart. He was almost eager to do so. He wanted to get closer to Soo-Kai. He couldn't stand the way they stared at her. It frightened him and angered him all at the same time.

"We are indeed honoured, my Liege," he said, bowing gracefully, and put his arm around Soo-Kai. "It is not often that a member of the Royal Court ventures so deeply into the forest. My family and I had thought you to be robbers, but now we know we are safe from attack."

Prince Carl recognised Rolf immediately, and he laughed out loud at the attempt to deceive him. For a moment his humour confused the men with him, and they stared at him in surprise. Even Rolf felt awkward, and behind him the girls all stood up and stared at the laughing Prince.

Carl laughed and laughed, then he pointed at Rolf and announced, "Don't you see, Sir Anthony? 'Tis the cowardly tailor! Do you not recognise him?"

Sir Anthony urged his horse forward and squinted at Rolf. "'Tis true," he said in wonder. "He is older and fatter, but I know his face."

Prince Carl shook his head and wiped the tears from his eyes. "Well, the Gods preserve us!" he exclaimed, and pointed at Rolf. "Now I see where you went! You deceived us and spared her, didn't you? Then you sneaked away and came back for her! You cunning little devil! You've been tasting the pleasures of this Destroyer for all these years, and there was I thinking the Hunt had scared you all the way back to your little village!"

Rolf couldn't help it, he went bright red. Carl laughed even more, but Sir Anthony looked angrily at Rolf.

"He should be put to death for such treachery!" he said to Carl.

Until then, Prince Carl had been more amused than angry, but now his expression hardened. "Sir Anthony is right; I should kill you for such treachery. Tell me, tailor, why should I not seek the pleasures of this Destroyer once more? Why should I not take her away from you?"

"She is my wife," Rolf said in a firm voice.

"She was mine before yours! Won by right of the Hunt!" Prince Carl quickly countered.

"You discarded her, my Liege!"

"And you were supposed to despatch her, not play happy families with her!"

Sir Anthony had looked more and more annoyed as Prince Carl and Rolf had spoken, and he constantly eyed Soo-Kai. Now he urged his horse forward.

"How long will you banter words with this oaf, my Liege? He should die! And his alien brood with him!"

"Then enough!" Prince Carl replied, and leaning forward on his horse he pointed at Rolf and said, "Stand aside, tailor! I will grant you your life because you were once my friend, but if you stand in our way, I will let Sir Anthony run you through!"

At one time Rolf would have been too frightened to speak out against any member of the Royal Court. But those days were long gone.

As Prince Carl began to dismount, Rolf let go of Soo-Kai and took a step forward.

"If you or any of your men dismount, Prince Carl, I will command Soo-Kai to kill you," he said with as much menace as he could muster. "And no matter what your men may do afterwards, your life will end the moment your foot leaves the stirrup."

Prince Carl stopped with his leg halfway over his horse and stared at Rolf more in surprise than because of his threat.

Sir Anthony drew his sword. "Treason!" he exclaimed.

Prince Carl lost the last of his humour and was now angered.

"You insolent knave! Now I will let Sir Anthony kill you!"

Rolf took another step forward and said quickly, "Remember what you did to her that night, Prince Carl? She says not a word, but she has a great hatred for you. Look into her eyes and you know I tell the truth. They have not wavered from you from the moment you came into view. I have only to unleash her and your brother will become the Crown Prince."

Prince Carl stared at Soo-Kai. Her gaze was fixed on him only, and her expression did indeed hold a deep hatred. He remembered how hard she had fought, and how they had felled her with an arrow. Now she was fit and healthy, and she stood with her sword raised, just waiting for the moment. Her intent was clear and evident. Carl could almost taste it in the air. The tailor was right, she would kill him, and none would stop her. He sat back on his horse.

Next to him, another Knight urged his horse forward. "My Liege! Let me challenge her! I will despatch her in an instant!"

Prince Carl waved him back. "No, Sir Charles! She will cut the legs from your charger before your sword is drawn! No, a Destroyer must be despatched on foot, and the insolent tailor knows it!" Carl then stared at Rolf.

"You will pay for this insolence, tailor!" he said in an angry voice.

Rolf was far from being intimidated; instead he was growing more confident. "If I am insolent, then my needs merit it. We wished only to pass in peace. We have caused no damage and broken no laws."

"You have broken my law!" Prince Carl exclaimed.

"You speak of the law of the Hunt, the law of rape and murder. Well, I have seen this law, and watched in horror as men I once thought to be noble tortured their victim and relished their pain. You are right; I did sneak away in the night and returned to help Soo-Kai. But I also left Ellerkan because I could no longer look upon the faces of men I once admired without seeing the disgrace of their deeds."

Now it was Prince Carl's turn to grow red-faced. For once he was speechless, dumb-funded by Rolf's words. But it wasn't the insolence, but the truth that hurt him. When he finally spoke, it was through gritted teeth.

"Pass in peace, tailor! But don't ever let me find you again, or I might not be so forgiving!"

Sir Anthony started to protest, still eyeing Soo-Kai, but Prince Carl shouted him down.

"Enough! I tire of this game! Onward! Let us find a part of the forest that bears less insolent fruit, fruit that will not choke those that consume them! Onward I say!"

Prince Carl jabbed his spurs into his horse, and it galloped forward. His men followed. Sir Anthony the last, and clearly the most reluctant to leave.

Everyone relaxed at the sight of them galloping away. Craig and the girls came from behind the cart, shouting and waving. Bernice and Jemma jumped up and down and Sophia made a rude gesture. It was such a relief. They hadn't realised how scared they were until the threat was over.

Soo-Kai lowered her sword and stared at Rolf in awe, her eyes glistening. Rolf went to her straight away, taking her in his arms and hugging her.

"I was so frightened," he said, squeezing her tightly and then stroking and holding her pigtail. "I thought I was going to lose you. I thought they were going to hurt you all over again."

Soo-Kai didn't respond at first, she seemed mesmerised by Rolf. But then she stuck her sword in the ground and hugged Rolf as tightly as he hugged her.

"You killed the Prince," she said in a soft voice.

Rolf held her at arm's length. "I did no such thing!"

"You did. You killed him before my eyes. I tasted the change in him. As soon as you spoke, his ardour and his spirit died before me. Your words cut him deeper than my sword ever could. You killed him for me, and I love you dearly for it."

They kissed, and Soo-Kai hugged Rolf tighter than ever. And when the hugging and kissing was over, she held Rolf's face in her hands and stared closely into his eyes.

"I will love you forever, my husband. I will never leave you, and when you are old, I will look after you and love you as I do now. And when you die, I will not see the sun rise a day after."

###

### 

### Chapter Twenty-Nine

###  Treachery

L'Roth and Sir Edmund left the castle at the head of thirty men-at-arms, all on horseback. Sir Edmund tried to make conversation, but L'Roth was subdued and moody. He spoke little and grunted often. Sir Edmund soon gave up, and they rode through the forest in silence and at almost walking pace.

Sir Henry had been full of confidence when they left, brimming over with enthusiasm. But L'Roth didn't find his mood infectious. The news that the artifact would be finished that day brought no joy to him. His only comfort was that it meant that the whole wretched enterprise would soon now be over.

"Has your desire to be King waned, Lord L'Roth?" Sir Edmund asked him, breaking into L'Roth's moody thoughts.

L'Roth answered his question with another. "Do you believe in fate?"

"Only the fate of my own choosing," Sir Edmund replied. "And you?"

L'Roth grunted. "I, too share this view. But my mother did not. She feared destiny. She feared the uncertainty of the future. It was that fear that swayed my father from any challenge against the child King.

"My mother would often consult astrologers and other charlatans who all swore that they could foretell the future my mother so often feared." L'Roth laughed, but it was without humour. "It was all lies and rubbish! They told her that my father would die if he made such a challenge, that he would be punished for standing against the King. They told her that a witch of the night would take him. When I was older, they even told her that I would face the same fate. Only now that she is dead can I attempt what my father never dared while she lived."

"You do not fear the witch of the night?"

"No, my desire to be King is as strong as ever. But 'tis the method and the choosing of my allies that ails me."

Sir Edmund became annoyed at L'Roth's words. "You think us to be unworthy? Are we beneath you? We are all noblemen of good birth–"

"I meant no insult!" L'Roth snapped, quickly interrupting him. "I have already lost many good men in this affair. Men who stood by me in many battles. Sir William and Lord James were both with me at the siege of Harukstan in Falonbeck. Now they are both dead, slain by Destroyers." L'Roth grew bitter as he spoke of the Destroyers. "Vixens! I despise them! They are the witches of the night. Like wolves they hunt in packs and prey on the weak."

"Sir William and Lord James were not weak. Nor was Eric, Sir Morgan's younger cousin. He and the others who fell had all fought in battles on the borders with Falonbeck. Maybe their deeds were lesser than those you speak of, but they were no less brave, nor less honourable. And to fall to the swords of Destroyers is no disgrace. Are they not our oldest foe? Do they not still fight the war of our ancestors?"

L'Roth grunted once more, but didn't reply. It seemed to annoy Sir Edmund even more.

"What is it that ails you, L'Roth? Speak!" he demanded.

"Gil-Yan!" L'Roth spat out the name.

"She obeys Sir Henry! You saw her obedience last night!"

"I saw her appetite!"

"If you fear her, if you think she is the witch of the night your mother's soothsayers spoke of, then when you are King have her put to death and be done with it!"

"When I am King? Ha!" L'Roth drew up his horse, halting their progress, and glared at Sir Edmund. "Do you think I am a fool? Sir Henry thinks so! He plays the buffoon, but I know his wit and his plans! The obedience of that bitch from Hell he takes to his bed-chamber is limited to him alone, and it will be him she acts for when she feasts on all our blood! And don't think you or Sir Morgan will be safe! And when all are dead, who then will be King? How many must she eat before Sir Henry can lay rightful claim?"

There was an unpleasant silence as the two men faced one another. Behind them, the men-at-arms watched and waited on their horses. Sir Edmund was keenly aware that L'Roth was resting his hand on his sword, and his expression was grim. He chose his words carefully.

"Do you accuse me of making a pact with Sir Henry? A pact that would see him on the throne in your place?"

"We have all made pacts, Sir Edmund. And none of us are proud of them. But now I find myself alone, without men I once trusted with my life. And the outcome of this enterprise has always been uncertain. If Sir Henry plans to kill one King, why then should he balk at killing another? Who now can I trust?"

"Trust me," Sir Edmund said with determination. "I have no love for Sir Henry, nor for the Destroyer he beds. And I care nought for the King and his two sons. I am in this enterprise only for gain. If you pay me handsomely when you are King, then I will serve you well, now and then. This pact you can trust, because it is a pact made with gold."

"You speak plainly. But who speaks for the men we lead?"

"These men follow me. They wear my livery and they came from my estates."

"But do they follow the King, Sir Henry, or you?"

Sir Edmund turned on his horse and galloped along the line of men-at-arms, shouting at them.

"I stand for Lord William L'Roth! Will you stand with us? Speak out! Speak out!"

All the men raised their pikes and shouted as one, "Aye!"

Sir Edmund turned his horse and galloped back to L'Roth. "What say you, Lord L'Roth? Is the pact made?"

L'Roth nodded. "You shall have your gold, and your men too. But not 'till Gil-Yan and Sir Henry are both slain."

Sir Edmund cared little for the condition L'Roth imposed. "Sir Henry only uses his knife to eat with," he said with derision. "And Gil-Yan is weak and slight. I have seen her in the West Tower. I could snap her neck in an instant. If indeed she is your witch of the night, then fear her no more. When the artifact is complete, consider her neck snapped."

"Gil-Yan is not the waif you saw in the tower. But you are right, she is her weak spot. Kill her and the beast dies. But when you act, be sure to kill her before Sir Henry."

"He will take nought but one breath after her."

"And Sir Morgan?"

"His path is his to choose. He is either for us or against us. If he chooses Sir Henry, then he will face the same fate."

"Then the pact between us is made. Stir you men, Sir Edmund, our quarry awaits!"

L'Roth urged his horse forward. Sir Edmund quickly did the same, waving at his men to follow. They cheered and galloped after the two Knights, and they now rode through the forest with speed and vigour.

### Chapter Thirty

### The Searcher

Prince Harold argued with his father. It was unusual for him to do that. Of the King's two sons, Harold was the most reliable, calm and well-adjusted. His brother on the other hand was notable for his carousing and enthusiastic participation in all of the fun things in life. Prince Harold had never been envious of Carl's lifestyle or of his inheritance. The only time his brother's activities annoyed him was when he was expected to pick up the pieces. Like now.

"But I had other plans for this day, father!" he said angrily as he faced his father in the drawing room of the Palace.

"Then cancel them!" King Edward L'Hage replied sternly. "Your brother is missing! The Crown Prince of the Realm! And all you want to do is waste the day fishing!"

"I am not going fishing!" Prince Harold replied, his hands on his hips.

"Oh no? It may not be fish you intend to hook, but I know your plans for my wife's Lady in Waiting! The Crown Prince is more important!"

"He's always more important!" Prince Harold snapped. "And often enough I've wasted my day searching for him only to find him drunk in the arms of a wench in some tavern!"

"You had better hope he is in the arms of a wench! It is well past noon, and he left in the middle of the night with nought but five men with him! I will argue no more! You will go and find him and bring him back! I command it!"

King L'Hage turned on his heel and stormed out of the room, throwing the doors wide and scattering footmen and maids who had gathered outside to listen.

Prince Harold turned his back on them and stormed out of the drawing room through the door at the opposite end of the room. When he threw back the doors, it wasn't servants he found, but his mother, Queen Charlotte.

Prince Harold stopped and sighed when he saw the expression on her face. He closed the doors behind him and leaned against them.

"He is always late, mother," he said calmly.

She nodded. "I know. But your father worries. I worry. And he has never been gone this long."

"He's always gone this long." As soon as he spoke, Harold knew his words were untrue. "Well, maybe not this long. But each time is longer, and next time will probably be longer still."

"You are right, but it doesn't stop me worrying. It never stops me worrying. And don't you men think I don't know what he's up to, stealing away in the middle of the night! I blame Sir Anthony. He is a bad influence on your brother, and he has a hatred of the Destroyers that borders on madness."

"They killed his father," Prince Harold replied, as if in excuse.

"Yes, for doing the same thing he now teaches your brother!"

Prince Harold held up his hands. "Don't make Carl out to be the innocent one, mother. He knows what he does and what risks he takes."

"Does he? Does he really?" Queen Charlotte asked, her eyebrows raised. She placed her hands on Harold's chest. "You know I love you both, and that I have always treated you fairly. Some would say that it is the youngest that a mother favours. Maybe they are right, but I have always trusted and respected you. You have always acted with dignity while Carl has often scared me. I know you will do well, but I worry for Carl. You have your father's strength while your brother has your father's spirit."

Prince Harold would have argued that point with her, but she pressed her fingers to his lips. "You think not? Your father was crowned at an early age; he was never able to act as irresponsibly as your brother. Before I married him, Edward was unruly, arrogant and downright unpleasant. He forgets, but he was far worse than Carl was when he was younger, but he was also far more restrained by those around him. He was King, and there were limits.

"God willing, there will be many years before your brother is crowned. I fear for those years, and for your brother's sanity as he waits for the inevitable, his life on hold, and the responsibility of being Crown Prince forcing him down a path he may not wish to choose."

Prince Harold took her fingers from his lips, holding on to her hand. "Many would jump at such a chance," he replied. "And never notice the weight of responsibility you speak of."

"Would you? Would you take your brother's place?"

Prince Harold sighed once more and shook his head. "I have a mind to marry whom I choose."

"Gwendolyn," Queen Charlotte said and smiled at her son's blushes. "You think I do not know what goes on with my youngest Lady in Waiting? I will speak with her. She will not be angered if you break your appointment. There will be other sunny days, and other picnics."

Prince Harold smiled wryly. Was there anyone at the Palace that didn't know of his interest in Gwendolyn? He squeezed his mother's hand.

"How did I know when I saw you that my determination to defy my father's command would be so easily undermined? I had thought to ride around and return without effort, knowing that Carl would probably turn up in my absence."

"And if he did not?"

"Then I would have looked the fool, and deservedly so." He squeezed her hand once more, and kissed her cheek. "I will do as you ask, mother. I will find him and bring him home. But promise me this: If I do find him in the arms of a wench, make his life a misery for me as easily as you make mine a joy."

### Chapter Thirty-One

### Treason

The forest was filled with the sound of clashing steel and the cries of men. Horses fell and kicked in the grass. Blood splashed the trees.

Sir Anthony struck at Yan-Lai and Jai-Soo as they dodged around his horse. Two more Destroyers quickly joined the fight, one of them was Hai-Fam. Sir Anthony looked around in despair, his eyes finding Prince Carl.

"Flee, my Liege! All is lost! Flee for your life!" he shouted to the Prince.

Another Destroyer ran forward, her sword raised, and she sliced at the hindquarters of Sir Anthony's horse and it staggered and fell. Rolling over, it trapped Sir Anthony underneath.

When he looked up, Sir Anthony saw the Destroyers standing over him, their swords held like daggers. "God rest my soul...," he muttered, and then they struck, stabbing him in a wild frenzy.

The Hunt was not going well.

They had come upon Jai-Soo and Yan-Lai near the river. Their delight at finding their quarry had soon turned to despair when they realised their numbers.

For years, men from the Royal Court had hunted the Destroyers who still roamed the forest for sport and their pleasure. But their numbers were always few, and they were seldom seen. In recent times Hunts were often unsuccessful, but they still continued. This year was different.

This year was the year of the ship, and its passage close to Ellerkan, for just four days, had gathered the Destroyers from far and wide to the ancient crash site of its sister ship. Now on this day, the last day of the ship, all the Insiders who had survived from the _Althon Gerail_ had returned to the forest. Those that had fallen in the attack on Gil-Yan the night before were soon replaced and bolstered by others who arrived the next morning. Now over a dozen were gathered by the river. They had scented the approaching humans, and knew easily their intent. But instead of fleeing, they had waited.

When Sir Anthony had led the charge on the two Destroyers, they had found themselves quickly surrounded and at the centre of an ambush. Sir Charles had fallen to one of Nan-Po's arrows almost as soon as he drew his sword, and two more men were cut down soon after.

Prince Carl looked around at the carnage, Sir Anthony's last words ringing in his ears. He dug his spurs into the flanks of his horse and rode away as fast as he could. One man raced after him, but he had travelled only a short distance before another of Nan-Po's arrows struck him, and he, too, fell.

Prince Carl rode on alone. For an instant he thought he would escape, but then Kai-Tai emerged from behind a tree and struck at his horse's legs as it galloped by. With a whinny it fell, tumbling over and throwing Carl from its back. He landed heavily, badly.

As the horse kicked and bled to death, Kai-Tai advanced on Prince Carl. He still lay on the ground, dazed and winded. She had almost reached him when she stopped and raised her head, staring off into the trees beyond him.

Prince Carl lay on his face in the grass. He waited for his death, but he could still hear his heart beating in his ear. It was loud and vigorous, and it kept getting louder and louder. Slowly, he opened his eyes. Horse's hooves pounded on the grass. They ran all around him, many of them, dozens of them. One set of hooves came to a halt next to him. Prince Carl raised his head and looked up. His neck and shoulder hurt, and he could hardly see properly, but who he saw, he recognised.

"Why, cousin, your arrival is most fortuitous!" he said through clenched teeth.

L'Roth stared down at the stricken Prince and nodded. "Yes, most fortuitous. Most fortuitous indeed." He climbed from his horse and crouched down next to Carl. "You don't look well, Sire. Are you in pain?"

"I fear my shoulder is broken," Prince Carl replied, the pain evident in his voice. There was blood on his face; it ran from his nose and a split lip. His eyes watered. He swallowed loudly. "But I will survive, and I will repay you for what you did this day."

L'Roth reached out and slapped Carl gently on his back. "I would not be so presumptuous, Sire. You may wish these Destroyers had slain you."

Prince Carl looked confused. "What say you?"

"Let me explain." L'Roth sat cross-legged next to the bemused Prince. "I am going to take the crown from your father. I am going to take it because he had no right to it. My mother was oldest, but because she was a woman she was cast aside and her younger brother became King. He was crowned when he was four. Four! Would you believe it? My mother was twenty by then and already married. My father never challenged his brother-in-law for the crown. Many said he should have done, and that he would have been successful had he tried. I am going to put that right. Now do you understand me?"

"You speak of treason!" Prince Carl gasped. "You will lose your head for this!"

"And who will take it from me? You?"

Before Prince Carl could reply, L'Roth struck him on the head with his mailed fist. Carl slumped on the grass.

As L'Roth got to his feet, Sir Edmund and several men rode up.

"The Destroyers have butchered the Prince's men and fled!" Sir Edmund announced. "Only two they leave behind, and one of them fell to our arrows as she ran! Should we give chase?"

"No." L'Roth gestured towards the unconscious Prince. "Find a horse to throw him over, we ride back to the castle."

Sir Edmund looked surprised. "But what about the children who escaped?"

"Forget them! What could news of their arrival mean to the Royal Household compared to the death of the Crown Prince, slain by Destroyers?"

Sir Edmund smiled. "They will be down-hearted. There will be confusion and dismay. The perfect time to strike! Kill him now, L'Roth! Put an end to him!"

"No, not yet. We will take him back to the castle and give him to Sir Henry and his slut. Let them kill him. And then, if fortune does not smile on our enterprise, we can condemn Sir Henry as the murderer and throw him to the axe-man in our place."

Sir Edmund laughed. "Your treachery knows no bounds! I am a child compared to such cunning and deceit! Me thinks my pact is well made!" He turned to one of his men. "L'Harn! Find a horse with all four legs among these carcasses! We need a mount for our Royal charge!"

###

### 

### Chapter Thirty-Two

### A Message from the Past

The small victory of words over Prince Carl had lifted the girls' spirits in a way that Rolf hadn't thought possible. They beat out the tracks of the cart and helped in pushing it along with great enthusiasm and zeal. They smiled and bubbled with excitement. Suddenly it was all a fun day out. They were a world apart from the tearful girls of the night before. It had been the tiniest of victories, and yet it had meant so much.

They had all gathered around Rolf and Soo-Kai after Prince Carl and his men had gone and patted him and cheered him. It was probably a sign of how frightened they must have been, the fact that they were so overjoyed that they were all still alive and together. Even Craig looked at him in a different way. But afterwards, all Rolf could remember about it was Soo-Kai's expression, and what she had said to him. It seemed that, whatever fate and the years might bring, each experience they shared together brought them closer together. For hours afterwards, he couldn't take his eyes off her. How he loved her so.

It had been many years since that night and the Hunt. Soo-Kai had never spoken of it, never. But what Rolf had said to Prince Carl was both intuitive and exactly true. The memory of it had lived on in Soo-Kai's mind, whether suppressed or always apparent, it had been there. The look in her eyes as she had glared at Prince Carl gave that away without any doubt. Even Prince Carl himself had seen it plainly enough. In time, the compression of her memories would blot it out, but now at least it would fade without rancour.

It was late afternoon when they began to realise that they had escaped those that pursued them. If L'Roth had been searching for them, he would have caught up with them well before now.

"Maybe he was never chasing us," Amy suggested as they walked along, all gathered around the cart.

Soo-Kai reminded her of the night before. "He was determined to catch us then, why should he give up now?"

Vanessa had another idea. "What about the way we hid our trail? We've kept at it all the time. Maybe he couldn't find us?"

"Yeah!" Sophia exclaimed from the back of the cart with Jane, a large branch in her hand. It was her and Jane's turn to beat out their trail. "We've broken our backs sweeping that flippin' forest! It's got to have been worth something!"

Rolf turned to Soo-Kai. "They may be right, my wife. If there was any a time that was easy to catch us, it had to be now, in the brightness of day. But now it is late, and he has not come. Do we still have reason to fear him, or can we relax and slow our pace?"

Soo-Kai was thoughtful. "Something must have distracted him. His pursuit of us last night was determined. I am sure he would not give up so easily without good reason."

Bernice then smiled and said, "Maybe Kai-Tai killed him! She attacked him and that Outsider last night! We heard all the noise! I told you she could do it! She's killed him! She's killed them all!"

Bernice was triumphant, and this time Soo-Kai didn't challenge her words. Instead she stared back through the trees, as if she could see right the way to the castle. They all waited for her to speak, and when she didn't, Rolf reached out to touch her arm.

"Do you think she could be right?" he asked her.

Soo-Kai slowly turned her eyes towards him, and when she spoke her voice was filled with concern. "It would answer all of our questions. An attack last night, or early this morning as he advanced from the castle, this would be enough to delay him."

Bernice almost bristled with pride. "I told you! She's got him!"

Most of the girls cheered, but Becky wasn't so enthusiastic. She pulled at Soo-Kai's sleeve. "Do you really think he could be dead, like Berni said?" she asked her.

Soo-Kai shook her head slowly, still thoughtful. "I cannot say. I fear only for my mother. But whether he is dead or not, our fear of him is reduced. We will walk more slowly, and tell the others to sweep the grass no more."

Sophia and Jane didn't need to be told a second time. They slapped their hands together and threw their branches away.

It was like the lifting of a cloud. On top of their victory over Prince Carl, it made the day seem a lot brighter, and the world a lot safer. If they were happy before, now they were ecstatic. They became like children again. They were chatty and unruly, and they wandered off among the trees to explore. Rolf quickly became worried, and he had to tell them off for being so boisterous.

"Come back here! All of you!" he shouted at them. The day before and his words would have gone unheeded, but now they obeyed him without question.

Rolf wagged his finger at them all as he spoke. "We are not safe yet, and there is still danger ahead. Soon the forest will end and there will be villages and people. The largest village is Jasanta. There we must cross the river and then the Fields of Halafalon. You must behave, and take care. There will be more villages and more people. And if the evening is clear, you will be able to see all the way to the sea where the spires and towers of Ellerkan rise up to the sky."

As Rolf scolded them, Soo-Kai continued to gaze back along the path they had taken. She had shown little interest in the various activities of the girls, or in Rolf's obvious distress at their behaviour. Her mind was filled with one thought. Did Kai-Tai still live?

The urge to go back, to find her mother, dead or alive, almost overwhelmed her. The feeling was so strange and so unfamiliar, but it was also so strong that it surprised her. Before she met Rolf, that feeling would never have been that strong. And yet, she knew that it had always been there. But she was a clone of the Tun-Sho-Lok, and these thoughts should be alien to her. The love of a mother was not for her, nor was the love of off-spring. Why did the knowledge of this hurt her? Maybe her genetic structure was not as pure as it should be.

As they moved on through the thinning trees towards the edge of the forest, Rolf left the cart to Craig and the girls. He walked alongside Soo-Kai and put his arm around her, pulling her close to him.

"You worry for her?" he said.

She smiled weakly. "You know me too well, more than I know myself."

"Did you want to go back to find her?"

"I will not leave you."

"Then when the girls are all safe, we will return together, and we will find your mother."

"Then I will be content to wait. What has happened has happened, and the knowledge of the outcome will not change it."

Soo-Kai put her arm around Rolf and kissed him. In return, Rolf squeezed her tightly and they walked on together, following behind the cart.

Jasanta lay at the beginning of the fertile lands known as the Green Fields of Halafalon. From here the many cultivated fields stretched to the sea, following close to the banks of the rivers as they spread out towards the delta and the distant city of Ellerkan.

Rolf knew they would face the most danger here. At Jasanta they would meet people, and people always brought danger. But there was no avoiding it. To reach the foot hills of the mountains, and the pass that would take them to Falonbeck, they had to cross these more populated lands. And most of the trails through the forest came to the river crossing at Jasanta.

Rolf warned them all once more as they came close to the village.

"Stay close to me, keep to yourselves and speak to no-one. That goes for you, too, my wife. The people here are honest working people, they are not evil or treacherous. But they fear what they do not understand, and they fear Destroyers. And when they are frightened, they are dangerous."

As Rolf went on to describe the village and the route around it they would take, the girls all listened and nodded their heads in understanding. Even Craig paid attention. Like them, he also had more respect for Rolf since he stood up to Prince Carl.

When they first met, Craig had assumed that Rolf was just some farmer who had happened to be lucky enough to gain the affection of one of these beautiful Destroyers. And Soo-Kai was beautiful; there was no doubt about that. For a time he was even jealous. But Amy had cured that envy.

Where Soo-Kai was hard and unforgiving in her attitude towards him, Amy was open and attentive. She stood up for him, often and without question. Craig still couldn't understand why she liked him. He watched Amy as she listened so intently to Rolf. She was also beautiful. Younger, slighter, and with the freshness of youth in her skin. He remembered how she felt the night before, sleeping peacefully in his arms. No, Craig was no longer envious of Rolf. If Amy loved him, he would be luckier by far more than he deserved.

As for Soo-Kai, she seemed to know that his affections had switched. When she looked at him, it was with less distaste. And when they spoke, the hostility of the night before had left her voice. But she was still curt with him. That he could live with.

When Rolf had finished telling them about the villages they would pass and the people they would meet, Craig turned to her. "Have you been here with Rolf before?" he asked.

She nodded. "Yes. The people here looked at me with round eyes. I could taste the interest of the men. But in the end it was the women who kept me away."

Craig looked surprised. "The women? Why?"

Rolf answered him. "They all knew right away that she was a Destroyer. The men coveted her, and it was them that I was most frightened of. But the women-folk were openly hostile. They surprised me. They shouted abuse at Soo-Kai, and one even threw vegetables at her. I asked her not to come with me after that."

Rowena asked, "Were you frightened that they might hurt her?"

Rolf shook his head. "In the end I was more worried that Soo-Kai might hurt one of them. Then there would have been uproar!"

Soo-Kai then said, "The hostility of the females does not surprise me. I am their natural enemy. I am an Androktone, a clone of the Tun-Sho-Lok. To procreate, I must steal their males from them. While I can bond with a male, there is no such provision for females. Rolf did not wish me to kill one of them because of the reaction there would have been. It would have been dangerous for us, and led to more unnecessary deaths, so I stayed away. But I always worried for him, and I would always meet him on the trail home."

Becky stared at her. "What about us? Does that make us enemies?"

Soo-Kai turned to her and placed her hand on the young girl's face. There was a brief silence as all the girls watched as Soo-Kai moved her hand over Becky's skin, going down to her throat and chest, and then back up to her face and brow.

Bernice remembered the way Kai-Tai had touched her, and knew instantly that Soo-Kai was doing the same.

Soo-Kai let go of Becky. "My mother said that you were very similar to us. She is right, you share many of the same gene sequences, but you also possess many different ones. You are similar, but not the same."

"What does that mean?" Becky asked quickly.

"It means that without my bond with Rolf, I would kill you."

Rolf saw their worried looks and was quick to speak up in defence of his wife. "I don't believe that you would hurt those that are defenceless. Maybe at one time you did such things, but not now. Even without the bond between us, I don't believe you would follow the same path as you once did."

Soo-Kai would have argued with him, but Rolf didn't let her speak. Instead he took her hand and spoke more quickly. "Believe me, Soo-Kai, I know your story, you told it to me long ago. But I remember how you felt at that time, and how dark was your mood. No, the urge for wanton killing had left you long before that night."

Soo-Kai had expected Rolf to speak up for her, and what he said was true, she only wished she had the same confidence as he did. But it was the response of the girls that surprised her. They gathered around her, and Vanessa was the first to speak.

"We saw the way you fought for us at the wagon. I trust you, and I'm sure the others do, too."

They all agreed, Amy being the most vocal.

"You saved Craig's life and mine," she said. "You could have ditched us, but you didn't. I trust you, and I know you wouldn't hurt us."

All the time that everyone was speaking, Becky looked the most agitated. "But I didn't mean that!" she said as soon as she could get a word in. "How can we be similar? That's what I meant! We're from different worlds, how can genes in our DNA be the same?"

"There can be only one explanation," Soo-Kai replied. "At one time in your history, either the Tun-Sho-Lok came to your world, or we did."

###

### 

### Chapter Thirty-Three

### A Royal Guest

If it hadn't been for their wrist watches, Anne Jenkins would never have known if it was day or night. However, Paula blew apart that comforting thought when she pointed out that they didn't really know what time it was here.

"We could be six or seven hours out," she said. "Or even more."

Anne was left with only the passage of time to record. And that soon got very tedious. They had slept and then they had woken. Food and water had been brought to them once more, but this time Sir Morgan wasn't with those that brought it. The men had leered at them, but had done nothing more. When they left, the door creaked and groaned as it closed behind them. It had been like that since it had been battered the other day. And every creak and groan made them all jump.

Anne often wondered what it had been that was trying to get in, and Linda had screamed in the hours that they slept as she had dreamed of the long tongue that slipped under the door. The event itself was like a dream, a dream that faded and slowly became distorted. Had it really happened? Had they actually seen what they thought they saw? After all, when the door burst open, there were only men standing outside.

Hours passed. Then an unexpected guest arrived.

The door creaked and groaned once more. As usual, the first hint of it startled them. But this time the door almost flew open, and Christine and Linda both screamed as a man was hurled into their midst, the door immediately closing behind him. The man landed on top of Paula and Anne. He landed heavily, and in pain. He cried out as he landed. Paula wasn't too happy about it either.

"Ow!" she shouted, struggling to get out from under the legs of the new arrival. "Bloody Hell! Get off me! You weigh a ton!"

Anne was in no better position. The man had landed right on top of her, and she found herself face to face with him. He smelled of sweat and blood and his face was bruised and bloody. She tried to push him off and he shouted out and began to struggle.

There was instant panic.

Christine and Linda thought they were being attacked, and began to smack the man, hitting him on the back with their fists, and pulling at his arms and legs as they tried to drag him off their teacher.

As the man flailed about trying to protect himself, Paula was hit by one of his out-stretched arms, and she quickly retaliated.

Suddenly the dungeon was filled with shouts and screams as Anne and the four girls fought with the intruder, finally pushing him off. But their success didn't stop their attack. As Anne got clear and stood up, the four girls kept beating the man on his back as he now cowered on the floor, trying to protect himself from the blows. He shouted out, pleading for them to stop.

"Stop! Desist! I surrender! Stop I say!" he shouted as Paula, Linda, Jo and Christine all smacked and kicked at him. They hit him hard, as if taking out all their anger on this one person.

Anne finally put an end to it all. "Stop it, girls! Leave him alone! Come on, now!" She pulled at the girls who reluctantly obeyed, leaving their victim alone at last. Anne beckoned them to join her.

"Come over here. Let's find out who he is before we kick him to death!"

The man groaned and crawled towards the wall, where he propped himself up. He still looked in pain, and Anne saw the bruises and blood on his face much more clearly.

"Who are you?" she asked him.

He answered her question with one of his own. "Is this any way to treat your future King?"

Paula stepped forward and kicked his foot. "You aren't our future King! You look nothing like him!" she said in an angry voice.

Anne pulled her back. "Paula! Stop that!"

The man looked more hurt by Paula's words than by her kick.

"I am so!" he blurted out and sat up as he spoke. The sudden movement caused him obvious pain. He grabbed his left shoulder and fell back against the wall. When he spoke again, it was in a more subdued voice.

"I am Carl L'Hage, Crown Prince, and heir to the throne of Ellerkan and the Realm of Halafalon..." His voice trailed off and he seemed to lapse into unconsciousness. He breathed heavily and loudly.

Linda was as defiant as Paula. "Never heard of it!" she shouted back at him.

Anne scolded her. "Stop it now! We don't know where we are, remember? We aren't in Manchester anymore, that's for sure! He could be telling the truth!"

Christine put her hands on her hips. "If he's who he says he is, then what's he doing in here with us?"

They all stared at him. Carl mumbled his answer.

"They mean to kill me...and to kill my father...They mean to take the crown from him..."

The sudden return of L'Roth and Sir Edmund from their quest to retrieve the children who had escaped them had caused an exchange of strong words with Sir Henry. But the sight of their Royal captive brought further argument and confusion. At first, Sir Henry had been appalled, but then L'Roth had pointed out the obvious.

"If I am to be King, and you mean to support me in this quest, then all those who now claim the crown as their own must die, be they young, old, or mere infants. If you cannot face this, then our enterprise is already lost. What say you, Sir Henry? Do we proceed? Or do we throw ourselves before the Prince and beg his mercy?"

L'Roth's words placed Sir Henry on the spot as all his men stood around and waited for his answer. He rose to the challenge, ordering his men with a flourish to take the injured Prince to the dungeons.

"Tonight, he dies and our journey to Ellerkan begins!" he cried.

His words were greeted with a loud cheer. L'Roth and Sir Edmund exchanged glances but kept silent.

With the cheers still ringing in their ears, L'Roth, Sir Edmund, Sir Morgan and Sir Henry all gathered together in the apartments of the North Tower. There was food and wine on a large table, much of it still left over from midday. L'Roth filled a goblet and tore a leg of meat from a roasted fowl.

"You threw him in with the rest?" he said to Sir Henry, taking a gulp of wine. "Was that wise?"

Sir Henry was dismissive. "No wiser than taking him in the first place. But it matters nought. They will all face the same fate tonight."

"Food for your witch!" L'Roth sneered, and bit hungrily into the leg of meat.

His words angered Sir Henry. "She is no witch! And remember, our success depends on her!" He calmed himself before continuing.

"The artifact is finished. While she rests we should make our plans. The capture of the Prince brings a greater urgency for speed than the loss of alien children. The time has come for us to strike!"

Sir Edmund also ate from the food at the table. "Aye! 'Tis true!" he said with his mouth full. "We should march on Ellerkan now! We should take them by surprise, while they idle in the sun and make eyes at the Queen's waiting wenches!"

"No!" L'Roth said sternly. "We follow the plan we set, but with one change. We send word of our intent and the news of Prince Carl's death to his father."

There was an outcry at his words. Sir Edmund almost choked on his food and Sir Morgan got to his feet and cried, "Madness!"

Even Sir Henry was confused. "What folly is this?" he asked L'Roth. "You would warn them of our approach?"

L'Roth was unrepentant. "Aye! And give them time to prepare!"

Sir Edmund threw aside the meat he ate. "You would have us face the King's army?"

"Aye!" L'Roth said again. "Every man-Jack of them! I want them all gathered in the field before us! Before the very walls of Ellerkan! With all to see the outcome!"

Sir Henry now saw his intent and nodded. "Yes," he said slowly, and then with more vigour. "Yes! 'Tis the best and only way!"

Sir Morgan was outraged. "How can you agree to this? Our forces are meagre! We need surprise, not chivalry!"

Sir Henry turned to him. "We need no more than what we have! We have the artifact!"

There was silence in the room, a silence only broken by L'Roth. His expression was hard and his eyes filled with fire as he spoke.

"We will announce our intent. And before all at Ellerkan I will lay my claim to the throne. A rightful claim, a claim that should have been made by my father in the name of my mother, the eldest child of the King! And when L'Hage leads his mighty army against us, we will blow him, and his army, all the way to Hell!"

### Chapter Thirty-Four

### A Just Man

The thought that either the Destroyers or the Tun-Sho-Lok –aliens– had visited Earth at some time drove Becky wild. She couldn't stop thinking about it. Whether it had the same affect on the other girls Becky couldn't say and didn't notice. Neither did she care. But it drove her wild. And one of the reasons it drove her wild was that she had studied Greek for a time at school.

I am an Androktone, a clone of the Tun-Sho-Lok.

Becky was almost expecting Soo-Kai to admit that they had visited Earth after that. There was no question about it. They spoke the same language here; the culture was similar to that in Earth's past, and the name, Androktone. It all pointed to the same conclusion.

It drove Becky wild.

She knows.

Yes, she is wiser than the rest.

She will be dangerous.

What she knows or suspects is not dangerous, merely the truth.

Knowledge is always dangerous. When she is older she will use what she has learned. You should kill her! You should kill them all!

I will not. I am bonded and such a task is not mine, and neither is it one I would entertain.

You speak against the Purpose! Your bond was right! You seek to turn against me!

You already knew this. Like the truth Beck-E has learned, it is a truth that is not yet complete, but also one that cannot be hidden.

Her mind seethed, but moved on.

And what is this truth the Terran female has learned?

That we once trod the same world as her; that we originated there, during another epoch.

But are the Terrans Atlantians?

No. The Atlantians and these Terrans are as mixed as are the Navak and the Terrans that dwell here. This would require a prolonged existence side by side with free relations between the two races, as occurred here. Therefore the Terrans must live on Atlantis. And therefore we were not deceived. The Atlantians no longer exist. It is only their genetic heritage that lives on, stronger in some than in others. There were also traces of Klysanthian gene sequences present.

Those that fled the sacking of Klysanthia sought safety on Atlantis.

Then all is as we would expect it to be.

Soo-Kai wondered if her mother knew.

She will know. Your fear for her is not permitted.

I will fear for her for as long as my bond persists.

And then?

Then I will merely fear her.

As they came closer to Jasanta, Rolf tried to keep to the trails that were well to the north of the village, sticking to the outskirts and hoping to avoid as much contact as he could with the villagers. But it was no good. People soon crossed their path. Travellers, merchant men, even farmers with their stock came upon them. Most of them stared. They stared at the girls and at Soo-Kai with envy. And they stared at Vanessa and Bernice with wonder.

Rolf recognised some of the people that passed them on the trail. They were merchant men he had traded with, or farmers he had sold garments to. He would nod and smile, but urge everyone to move on quickly.

One of the farmers Rolf had traded with had his two sons with him. They were pulling a cart laden with wheat. From the moment Rolf saw them he knew they would be trouble. The farmer had been one of those who had seen him with Soo-Kai on one of his earlier visits, and although he continued to trade with Rolf, his animosity to Destroyers, and his criticism of Rolf for having one as a wife, had always been clear and very vocal.

The farmer stopped his cart as soon as he saw them, blocking their path. Both his sons stared at the girls with open mouths. It was obvious that they had never seen girls such as these. For their part, the girls did what all girls did when faced with two healthy looking boys, they visibly glowed, and Sophia basked in the attention she received.

Rolf brought their cart to a halt and held up his hand. "Now, Edgar, I don't want to argue with you on this trip. I merely wish to pass by. Move aside, and tell your sons to stop staring at my daughters like foxes staring at chickens!"

The farmer grunted. "Yours are they? Spawn of the devil! You have a nerve bringing them here!"

"I want no trouble, Edgar. I didn't come here to trade on this trip, just to pass by. Now move your cart."

Edgar grunted again. "Move yours!"

As Rolf and Edgar argued, and the two parties were halted on the narrow trail, the boys were quick to take advantage of their opportunity. Rolf's description of them was very apt, as they almost fell over each other in their rush to reach the girls. One of them went straight for Sophia, while the other went to Vanessa and Bernice.

"How old are you?" Sophia's hopeful suitor asked her bluntly.

"Too old for you!" she replied in a haughty manner.

"I am nearly a man!" he claimed. "My brother is William and I am Jonathan. He is sixteen while I am seventeen. Be my wife! I am the oldest! Soon I will have my own lands! And a farm house with animals! Be my wife and we will have fine children!"

"In your dreams!" Sophia replied. But she blushed at his straight forward advances. To her surprise, as soon as he heard her reply he stepped aside and spoke to Jane.

"Then you marry me," he said to her. "You are not as shapely as she, but you are tall and strong and you can help in the fields."

Jane stared at him, open-mouthed.

William was just as blunt as his brother. "My father is rich," he told Vanessa and Bernice. "And both my brother and I will have land and food to spare. I like you. Others may be scared of you, but I find your strangeness appealing. You are as alike as a reflection in water, and your skin is as dark as night. I want you both! Marry me, and I promise you I will love you equally."

Jemma laughed out loud, and the twins stared at him in wide-eyed shock, while behind them, Jane reacted to Jonathan's quick change of affection in the only way she knew how. The sight of Sophia's crestfallen expression brought an instant reaction.

"You sod!" she exclaimed, and punched him in the eye.

As Jonathan fell over, his brother turned and pushed Jane aside.

"Leave him alone, witch!" he cried.

Jane fell over Rolf's cart, dislodging pots and pans and falling to the ground.

It was the start of all out war.

Jemma jumped on William's back, and as he spun round trying to dislodge her, Bernice kicked and punched him. Before Rolf could stop them, all the girls quickly joined in, and William fell over under the weight of Jemma, Karen and Bernice. Jonathan fared no better. Before he could get up, Becky shoved him back down again and Sophia sat on him.

Vanessa ran back and forth between the two groups, trying to pull them off the boys and shouting, "Stop it! Stop it! You'll get us into trouble!"

Amy would have joined in, but Craig grabbed her and pulled her back, holding her firmly as she shouted encouragement to the others. Only Rowena stayed out of it, cowering behind Soo-Kai, but watching avidly.

Jane, meanwhile, had recovered the fallen frying pan and was rolling her sleeves up as she approached William menacingly.

Edgar saw his sons being attacked by the girls and took a large stick from his cart.

"Spawn of the devil!" he shouted and hit Bernice across the back with his stick. He was about to do the same to Jemma when Rolf grabbed him and pushed him back. The two of them fell against the cart and it tipped over, spilling the wheat everywhere.

There was a loud clang as Jane took her revenge on William with the frying pan. Having knocked him out she advanced on Jonathan.

Edgar and Rolf rolled among the spilled wheat. But Edgar was a much bigger man, and he soon shoved Rolf aside and raised his stick. It instantly disappeared at his fingertips and the chopped off end landed on the other side of the cart.

Edgar turned to see Soo-Kai, her sword inches from his throat.

Rolf saw her too. "Don't kill him!" he shouted straight away, holding out his hand to Soo-Kai. She stepped back, and Edgar dropped the end of his stick.

Rolf sat up, wiping the wheat from his face and spitting it from his mouth. "Enough!" he shouted to the girls. "Stop at once! All of you!"

They all froze. Even Jane, the frying pan raised in her hand as she stood over Jonathan. Becky was holding him ready, her hands round his neck, while Sophia was still sat on him.

Then a voice said, "Wise words tailor. Fallen wheat can be recovered from an over-turned cart, but blood once spilled is lost forever."

They all turned to see a man on horse-back standing on the trail. He was dressed as a Knight, a blue chevron and lion on his breast-plate. Even his horse was draped in a white robe with the royal crest emblazoned on it. And on its head it wore a plume of blue feathers. Behind him other men approached on horses and on foot. Many men, and many horses. Knights and men-at-arms. In a few seconds they were surrounded.

Rolf sighed. "Prince Harold."

Prince Harold smiled. "I am glad you still recognise me, Rolf L'Epine. It has been some years and I am older now. You, on the other hand, look the same. A bit older maybe, but the same. I believe you still owe me a shirt."

The girls fighting spirit dissipated at the sight of Prince Harold's army. They all got to their feet and moved nearer to the cart. Craig pulled them all close, standing in front of them as best he could. Rolf went to Soo-Kai and urged her to lower her sword. She did as he asked, and the two of them joined Craig and the girls by the cart.

Edgar and Jonathan now went to William and dragged him to his feet. He moaned and held his head.

Edgar moved closer to Prince Harold, bowing subserviently before his horse.

"We were attacked, Sire!" he pleaded. "This man has wedded a Destroyer, and he and her brood attacked us. If you had not come we would have been killed. I ask for retribution!"

Prince Harold wasn't impressed. He kept his eyes on Soo-Kai while he spoke to Edgar. "I saw the attack. We were crossing the trail on our way into the forest and would have passed by but for the sounds of screams and mayhem. For this at least I am grateful. But there will be no retribution." He turned and shouted to one of his men. "L'Barr! Have the wheat returned to this cart! And see that this man gets two pieces of gold for his trouble and his injury!"

L'Barr struck his chest with his fist. "At once, Sire!"

In a moment men ran forward and began to help William and Jonathan recover all the fallen wheat. In a very short time it was all back on the cart.

Edgar bowed gratefully as the gold was put into his hands.

"Thank you, Sire! You are overly generous!"

"Then honour me by telling all you meet of my generosity." Prince Harold dismissed him with a wave. "Now be on your way. I will have words with this bandit tailor and his Destroyer wife."

Edgar bowed several more times before beckoning to his sons to grab their wheat laden cart. They pulled it quickly away. Rolf's cart still blocked the trail, and some of Prince Harold's men had to help Rolf and Craig to move it aside. The girls looked on them with fright, but the men were concerned only with moving the cart.

With Edgar and his sons out of the way, Prince Harold seemed to relax a little. He took off the helmet he wore, climbing down from his horse, and walked calmly up to Soo-Kai. She turned to face him, her sword still in her hand. Behind Harold, one of his Knights called out a warning.

"Be careful, Sire! Her sword is still drawn!"

Harold held up his hand for silence. "I thank you for your warning, Sir Malcolm, but I think I am safe."

Prince Harold stood in front of Rolf and Soo-Kai, but it was Soo-Kai he was interested in. Rolf could tell from his almost constant gaze on her face. It worried him, and he spoke up quickly.

"We sought only to pass Edgar on the trail, Sire. We want no trouble!"

"That depends on her," Prince Harold replied, his eyes fixed on hers. Soo-Kai stared back at him coldly.

Rolf became even more worried. He put his arm around her and held her tightly. "She has harmed no-one!"

"I will take her word for that, not yours. Let her speak for herself. I have questions to ask her."

Rolf was surprised by Prince Harold's demand. He didn't know what to say. He turned to Soo-Kai, and found her already looking at him and waiting for his decision. He sighed and nodded, squeezing her waist. Soo-Kai turned to the Prince.

"Ask and I will answer," she said.

Prince Harold nodded. "Good! But before my questions, you will hear my reasons for asking them.

"My brother has long held an interest in Destroyers, an interest I myself have never been party too. You are the first I have seen alive and up close. I can see now why my brother has this...," he paused, thinking of the right word, "...this fixation. I can also see how it could prove addictive. But this addiction has its dangers. The Crown Prince has not returned to the Palace. This is not unusual, but my mother worries and I am here on her errand as much as I am on my father's. I have visited all my brother's usual haunts in the villages between here and Ellerkan and he is nowhere to be found. I have three questions to ask you. Answer them honestly and you may yet pass Jasanta safely.

"Carl once told me that a Destroyer could smell the relationship between a man and his son at thirty paces. He has also said that Destroyers do not lie. Are these things true?"

Soo-Kai nodded. "They are true."

"Then answer my next question. I stand close before you; close enough for you to know my brother from me if you should meet, or to recognise me as his brother if you and Carl had already met. Have you been close to my brother, Prince Carl this day?"

Soo-Kai didn't hesitate. "Yes."

Rolf tried to speak out, but Prince Harold shouted him down. "Do not interfere, tailor! I told you, it is her answers that I am interested in, not yours!"

Prince Harold turned back to Soo-Kai. "Did he still live when you left him?" he demanded.

Again Soo-Kai didn't hesitate. "He did."

Prince Harold stared at her. "I know my brother. He would not have let you pass without a reason."

Rolf at last managed to speak out. "I shamed him."

Prince Harold looked at Rolf in surprise. "You? Shame my brother?" He laughed. "Even my mother cannot shame him! What could you possibly do to shame my brother?"

Rolf spoke with venom. "I was there, six years ago, when your brother raped Soo-Kai. When they felled her with an arrow, and it still took five of them to hold her down so that Prince Carl could prove his manhood! You never went on one of the Hunts, you were too young. But you remember me! The tailor that sneaked away in the night? Well, now you know why. Because the sight of what your brother did that night so sickened me that I could stand to live in Ellerkan no longer! This I told him to his face! And it did shame him, as it shames you now! I accuse the Crown Prince of rape and murder! And none of you can deny it because you know it to be the truth!"

Craig and the girls were waiting for Rolf to repeat his bombshell. And when it came, it was just as successful as before. Prince Harold went bright red, and his men murmured and muttered of treason until the Prince held up his arm and shouted at them.

"Silence!"

Prince Harold's expression grew stern as he turned back to Rolf, and he spoke through gritted teeth. "I am not my brother! What he does is his concern, not mine! I have never been on a Hunt, and my conscience is clear!"

Rolf didn't give up. "You knew of them! And you did nothing to stop them–"

"Enough!" Prince Harold shouted at him. "I am not the King! I cannot pass laws! Nor can I repeal them!"

A soft voice said, "But you can judge."

Prince Harold turned and stared at Soo-Kai. She stared back, but her eyes no longer held the same cold look.

"I answered three of your questions," she went on. "Now answer one of mine. To kill us in battle is one thing, but was what your brother did to me honourable and just?"

Prince Harold was stunned. For a while he couldn't answer, and there was an uncomfortable silence. Only the sound of horses snorting and stamping their hooves filled the air.

Prince Harold could have joyfully killed Carl himself for getting him into this situation. He could feel the eyes of his men boring into the back of his head. But he had to answer the way he felt.

"No."

Soo-Kai nodded. "Then you are a better man than your brother."

Her answer surprised him as much as her question had scared him. Prince Harold stared at her in wonder.

Behind him, Sir Malcolm had grown impatient. "Sire! Sire! The day is short! We must proceed if we are to find the Crown Prince before nightfall."

Prince Harold made a snap decision. He was never sure afterwards whether it was through wisdom or through some physical need to keep Soo-Kai close by. But he would have been the first to admit to anyone that he was intrigued by the Destroyer.

"Then get L'Barr to find a mount for this Destroyer!" he shouted back to Sir Malcolm. "She comes with us on our search!"

Rolf started to protest, but Harold held up his hand. "I will hear no arguments! Your wife can scent my brother. I need her."

Prince Harold turned back to Soo-Kai. "Find him, and you shall all go free. You have the word of a just man."

In answer, Soo-Kai raised her sword. "Separate us and I will fight you!"

Prince Harold nodded. "So be it! L'Barr! Find more horses! They have all decided to come with us!"

###

### 

### Chapter Thirty-Five

###  Reputations

It didn't take long for Anne to find out that Prince Carl's shoulder was dislocated. Apart from a split lip, a bump on the head, and a bloody nose, it seemed to be his worst injury. The second thing she found out was that Carl was in no way going to let her do anything about it without a struggle.

"You big baby!" she scolded him. "I've been fixing dislocated shoulders for years! One quick pull and twist and it will all be over!"

"Aye! And my arm will be in my lap!" Prince Carl replied. He was much more awake now, but still in obvious pain. "You will leave me alone! I command it!"

Anne glanced at the girls. "Grab him!"

Prince Carl tried to get away as the four girls pounced, but it was too late.

"Harm me and I'll have your heads!" he bellowed more in fear than in pain as Paula and Linda held his good arm while Christine and Jo sat on him.

Anne took his injured arm and shoulder, placing her own arm under his armpit, and with a quick jerk, it was all over as she had promised. There was an audible snap, Carl roared with pain, and then Anne let go of him.

"There!" she said with a broad smile. "Done! It works every time!"

The girls released him and Carl quickly felt his shoulder. To his surprise it did feel better. He moved it around. It was still sore, but definitely better. His surprise showed on his face.

"You are a marvel," he told her. "A Palace physician could not have done better."

Anne glowed with her success. "You don't spend three years as a P.E teacher at a girl's grammar without knowing how to deal with the odd injury or two."

Christine said, "Like when Becky knocked out Hannah on the hockey pitch!"

And Jo added, "Or that time Celia got the javelin in her foot!"

The girls laughed at the thought of that one.

Then Linda said, "Yeah! Berni kept telling her to move back so that she could get a better score!"

Now all four girls roared with laughter and fell about.

Prince Carl stared at them in wonder. Such pretty young girls, and so scantily clad. They all wore the same short grey skirt and white shirt with a woollen tunic. And they were all so forward, not timid or shy in any way. He had never met such girls before. He looked up at Anne. She was also very forward. She cared nothing for his rank, or for her own reputation, locked away with him in this dungeon. But what kind of woman was she, to be alone with four girls?

"Who are you?" he asked her. "Tell me your names and how you came to be here in the dungeons of Sir Henry L'Crieff."

Anne had to wait for the girls to calm down before she did the introductions. Carl stared at her closely as she settled them down and told them to behave. She looked young, he thought, but she must have been older than she looked to have had so many children.

Anne Jenkins had short brown hair and brown eyes. Her complexion was tanned, revealing an out-door life. Her nose and mouth were pleasing, as was her figure. She was tall and she looked fit and strong.

Prince Carl liked the way she looked, and he liked her dress. It was short, not as short as the girls, but short enough for him to see more of her legs as she scrambled about on the floor of the dungeon. He liked her tanned legs, they were long and shapely. Yes, he liked what he saw, and although he wouldn't admit it, he liked the way Anne spoke to him and the way she behaved so boldly. She wasn't like the women at court. They had never appealed to him. They were too soft, too pampered. Carl liked his women to be harder, more head-strong, more like–

With sudden shame, Carl remembered Rolf's words and realised that he had always killed those he liked. It brought on a sombre mood, and it grew as Anne introduced each girl in turn.

Jo was the first. She was quite small, with red, almost ginger coloured hair and very fair skin. She had freckles and green eyes. She was pretty and shy, and she smiled coyly as she was introduced.

Paula was more forward; she stared back at Prince Carl with a strong expression. She wasn't scared of him, and she wasn't shy. She had brown hair like Anne, but it was longer and tied into a ponytail at the back. Her eyes were blue, and although her expression was often harsh, her features were soft. Only when she laughed did her face become pleasing.

Christine was blonde haired and blue-eyed. She was quite slim and tall. Her hair was long and curly, and she kept brushing it back from her face. She had a slightly square jaw-bone that gave her face a strength of character that her blushes contradicted as Anne introduced her.

Linda was the tallest and the shapeliest of the four girls. Her hair was jet black and her eyes dark brown. She had a mischievous expression when she smiled, and she smiled often.

Carl wondered about their ages. They were all young, far too young. He could tell that by just looking at them. But the way they behaved and spoke seemed much older. They were all close to womanhood, and none of them would have been turned away by a man in his right mind unless he was blind or dead. But they seemed so bold and brazen. Even Anne. Where had such a woman and her girls come from?

As Prince Carl wondered about Anne and the girls, they all wondered about him. When he had been thrust into the dungeon with them so suddenly, they had thought he was attacking them, that he was one of their captors, like Sir Morgan. But it didn't take them long to realise that he was just as much a prisoner as they were. And despite his arrogant air and bluster, Anne was warming to him.

Carl had blue eyes and short blonde hair, and his features were strong and rugged. He was probably in his late twenties. Anne guessed at his height. He was taller than her, maybe six-foot?

Now that he was sat up and wide awake, and the pain in his shoulder had gone, he looked quite handsome. But his face was marred by the cuts and bruises and the blood and dirt that still clung to it. Anne reacted without thought. She tore part of her sleeve from her battered blouse and wiped his face. He looked startled, but then noticed the blood and took the ragged cloth from her gratefully.

"Thank you," he said and finished the job as she watched.

Linda got him some water from the bucket and offered it to him. He thanked her and drank thirstily.

It was the last moment of respite the Prince received. After that, Anne and the girls talked him to death, asking him questions about everything. They asked him about where they were, who their captors were, what was going on, even what time and day it was.

At first, Carl was less inclined to answer their questions. He was the Crown Prince after all, and he wasn't used to conversing with the occupants of dungeons. But Carl was also a realist. He was as much an occupant of the dungeon as they were, and who was he to say that they were any less deserved to be here than he? Now that they knew he was a friend rather than their enemy, they seemed friendly enough. And he was also intrigued by their style of dress and by their strange accents. And how could they not have heard of him?

Prince Carl answered their questions, telling them about Ellerkan, the castle and those that ruled it. But he also had his own questions to ask, and he was just as surprised as they had been at his answers when he heard theirs.

"You had fifteen girls?" he said incredulously.

Anne nodded. "Yes, but we got separated and now I'm worried sick. I know that Debbie and Samantha were brought to the castle with us, but I don't know what happened to the others at all. I'm so worried and I feel so bloody helpless!"

Prince Carl could sense her anger at her predicament and the loss of her children. "How did you come to be in the forest on your own?"

Anne told him how they were driving back to Manchester when they ended up in the forest, crashed into a tree. Carl understood very little of her story, but what he did understand clarified his thoughts.

"Ah! You are off-worlders," he said, nodding at last. "Now I understand your strangeness and your lack of recognition of my name and rank. I forgive you for this. But from now on you must refer to me as 'My Liege', or 'Sire'. And you must bow."

Paula wasn't impressed by his demands. "Knickers!" she retorted without delay.

And Christine said, "If you think we're going to treat you any differently than us, you must be barmy!"

Prince Carl was openly annoyed at their denial of his rank. "This is treason! You must show me respect or I will have you punished!"

Anne knelt in front of him and folded her arms. "Go on, then!" she urged him. "Have us punished! Just click your fingers and do it! Go on!"

Prince Carl stared at her, understanding her meaning. He didn't reply, but Anne wasn't going to let him off that easily.

"That's right!" she said. "You can't do it, can you? And why? Because you're a prisoner in here just like us. So stop acting all toffee-nosed and get with it, or you'll end up last in the queue when they throw dinner through the door!"

Prince Carl looked like he was going to sulk, but Anne and the girls didn't give him the time. They asked more questions, and if he showed signs of not answering, Paula kicked his foot. It began to annoy Carl, until finally; he could stand it no longer.

"Can you not control your children better?" he snapped at Anne, holding on to his foot. "They are badly behaved and insolent!"

"They are not insolent!" Anne replied. "They've been through a lot! They've lost all their friends and they're all alone! How do you expect them to behave?"

"As well brought up children should behave! If they were my children I would be ashamed! Ashamed of them and ashamed of you for bringing them up so badly! Where was your husband? Why were you travelling alone?"

Anne was momentarily confused. "I don't have a husband," she said, shaking her head.

"There!" Prince Carl said triumphantly. "No wonder they behave as they do! They are fatherless! There is no authority in their lives! You are the one who should be shamed! Unmarried, with fifteen children! You are a brazen woman, Anne Jenkins!"

The girls sniggered, and despite her attempts not to, Anne felt her face growing red.

"But they're not actually my children. I'm their teacher, that's all. I thought I told you?"

Now Carl was confused. "When you described how you came to be in Ellerkan, you called them your children. Now you tell me they are not?"

"No, I'm just their teacher. I'm responsible for them, but I'm not their mother."

The girls were now openly giggling, and even Carl's face was beginning to colour.

"I thought–" Prince Carl began, and then stopped.

Anne was beginning to realise exactly what he had been thinking, and told him so.

"You thought I'd had fifteen children! Fifteen bloody children! I'm only twenty-four! How could I have fifteen children? How old do you think I am?"

Prince Carl made the mistake of telling her. Anne was outraged, and she began to hit him.

"Thirty-five! I'm going to kill you!"

Prince Carl tried to protect himself from her blows, protesting at the same time.

"It is not a reflection of your looks! Forgive me! It was an honest mistake! I merely assumed and calculated accordingly! Forgive me, please! You are a beautiful young woman, and I was blind not to see the truth!"

"You'll have to do better than that!" Anne replied as she continued to hit him, but she liked hearing his excuses.

The girls were now rolling about laughing. Jo was in tears, and Linda was laughing so much she could hardly breathe.

It was then that the door opened, when they were least expecting it. The girls all jumped in fright as men-at-arms came in, some carrying trays, as usual. This time Sir Morgan was with them, and when he saw Anne by the Prince's side he quickly darted forward and grabbed her, pulling her away.

Anne struggled and kicked furiously. "Let go!" she demanded, but Sir Morgan hung on to her.

"Remember my promise, wench!" he warned her, holding her tightly around the waist, his other hand at her throat. "Continue your struggles and I will keep that promise!"

Prince Carl saw the look of distress on Anne's face as her struggles lessened. He stood up to go to her aid, only to be roughly pushed back to the floor by Sir Morgan's men. They stood over him with their swords, pointing them at his chest. Prince Carl stared angrily at Sir Morgan.

"You are no gentleman, Sir Morgan L'Ajarn!" he snapped. "You hide behind the swords of three men while you terrorize women and children! You are a coward! Face me and prove me wrong! I dare you!"

Sir Morgan smiled. He stared at Prince Carl, but he spoke to Anne. His face was pressed against hers, and he whispered into her ear, "I see you have not wasted time in getting to know one another. He speaks for you. What have you promised him in return, eh? The use of your body, freely given? Or maybe one of your girls? The blonde one perhaps?"

Anne twisted in his arms. "You make me sick!"

Sir Morgan held her even tighter. "You think I am the evil one? Then you should know more about your Prince. He kills women for pleasure!"

The look of surprise and shock on the faces of Anne and the girls delighted Sir Morgan. He forced Anne's head further back, so that he could stare right into her face.

"You did not know? Did he not tell you this?" Sir Morgan's voice grew bitter. "All of the Realm knows of his exploits; they know of his great feats in battle against the Destroyers! He accuses me of cowardice, of hiding behind the swords of my men! Ask him how he triumphs on the Hunt! Ask him how he stands alone against his mighty foes! Ha! They bristle with arrows before he even dares to dismount!"

Sir Morgan suddenly threw Anne to the floor. She landed in a heap, in total disarray. She rolled over and stared up at Sir Morgan. He looked demonic, his face twisted in anger.

"When I come for you, I will come alone! And unlike your noble Prince, I will leave you breathing!" He turned to his men. "Out!"

Sir Morgan left, his men following closely after him, and the door grated shut.

There was sudden silence in the dungeon as Anne and the girls turned to stare at Prince Carl. They expected him to deny it all, to be loud and vocal in his anger at such a false and dreadful accusation. But instead he kept silent and his expression saddened them.

###

### 

### Chapter Thirty-Six

### The Messenger

Rolf felt so frustrated. They had come so far, and now they were almost right back where they had started. What had taken them hours on foot took them far less on horseback. Even with the army of men running beside them, Prince Harold forced a fast pace. But what could Rolf do? Let Soo-Kai fight with all these men?

He had argued with Prince Harold, but it had made no difference. His mind was made up, and if Rolf was to avoid bloodshed he had to relent. He didn't want Soo-Kai hurt for no reason. Rolf had asked her to lower her sword. Horses were quickly found and Rolf had to leave his cart to be pulled by men-at-arms. He had looked back at it in concern, but Prince Harold had scoffed at him.

"My men will not steal your wares, tailor! They have much more pressing business to attend to!"

They had ridden away, quickly leaving the outskirts of Jasanta far behind them. Prince Harold kept them all close to him. He wanted Soo-Kai near him, so that if she scented his brother he could be told immediately. She rode beside the Prince at the head of his army, while Rolf and the girls rode behind them, with Sir Malcolm and L'Barr among them. Both men eyed the girls with interest. Rolf could almost see their thoughts in their faces. But theirs wasn't the only eyes on the girls.

Most of the men who rode or ran on foot were acutely aware of the girls' appearance and style of dress. Rolf guessed that they thought they were his, that they were the daughters of Soo-Kai, and Destroyers like her. Rolf had used that lie himself, and the girls never voiced their disapproval. But their almost chatty personalities confused the men-at-arms and Knights who watched them. Destroyers didn't behave like this. They didn't laugh and shout at one another, or grow excited at the mere sight of the horses found for them to ride.

To Rolf's surprise, only Bernice and Vanessa were inexperienced riders. They each shared a horse with one of the other girls, Bernice with Sophia and Vanessa with Becky. Craig also admitted to his lack of experience with horses. He sat behind Amy, holding on to her tightly. They both seemed far happier that way.

The girls had quickly lost their fright at being captured by Prince Harold and his men. As soon as they knew they were in no danger they had become as rowdy and noisy as usual. They almost seemed happy with their change in direction. Rolf suspected it was because they were never really happy at leaving their teacher and friends behind at the castle. He even contemplated saying something about it to Prince Harold. But that thought brought further complications.

What would the Prince do if he was told about the girls? About where they came from, and what they thought was going on at the castle? What would he do? And what would happen to the girls? Rolf wished he could talk to Soo-Kai about it. He watched her riding next to Prince Harold in front of him. She sat so tall and straight in the saddle. But with the Prince and his men so close, there was no chance of talking to her without them over-hearing. He promised himself that he would talk with her about it the first chance he got. His opportunity came quicker than he thought.

Prince Harold had ordered out-riders on each flank as they rode through the forest, and it was one of these who first saw the rider and shouted out. Prince Harold quickly brought the column of men to a halt while Sir Malcolm and several other Knights rode forth in pursuit.

As they stood waiting, Rolf moved closer to Soo-Kai and stroked her hair, quietly whispering to her. "Do you think we should warn the Prince of what takes place in the castle?"

Soo-Kai glanced at Prince Harold before turning to Rolf. "He may already know. Those at the castle may work on the King's behalf. But his judgement seems fair, so I will follow your guidance."

It wasn't the answer Rolf wanted, and he didn't get the chance to discuss it further with her as Sir Malcolm and his men had quickly returned with their prisoner.

The rider turned out to be a messenger from the castle. Sir Malcolm threw him to the ground before the horse of Prince Harold while another Knight handed the Prince a rolled up scroll. The Prince untied the ribbon and unfurled the scroll. As he read, his expression grew dark. He turned to Soo-Kai, holding out the scroll to her.

"Can you scent my brother on this parchment?" he demanded.

Soo-Kai leaned forward and sniffed at it. Slowly, she shook her head.

Prince Harold used the scroll to point at the messenger who now cowered on the ground. "And him?"

Soo-Kai urged her horse forward and leaned over the man. Almost before she had finished her first sniff she had straightened up in the saddle. "Yes."

Prince Harold turned to Sir Malcolm. "Kill him!"

His command shocked everyone, but the stricken messenger was the most vocal. He practically threw himself at the Prince's horse, grabbing onto the Prince's foot. "No, Sire! Have mercy! Your brother is not yet dead!"

Prince Harold kicked him aside. "It says differently here!" he cried, holding up the scroll. "And 'tis signed by my cousin, Lord William L'Roth! He lays claim to my father's throne by right of birth, and he challenges him to the field of battle! You carry his message and now you call him a liar?"

"I speak the truth!" the messenger pleaded desperately. "Prince Carl is to be put to death tonight, when the message I bore would have been delivered to your father, the King! No one lies, not I, nor Lord L'Roth!"

There was silence as Prince Harold glared down at the messenger. Everyone waited for his decision. Finally, the Prince turned to Sir Malcolm.

"Bind him! But remember, he lives not a second longer than my brother!"

Sir Malcolm struck his chest with his fist. "Aye! I will see to it myself, Sire!"

The messenger was dragged away, delighted at his reprieve, no matter how temporary.

Prince Harold turned to Soo-Kai. "It seems that I will no longer need your services. My brother is at the castle of Sir Henry L'Crieff. His family have held the castle and the surrounding forest estates for many generations, since they were granted rights to it by King Stephen for services to the Realm. If my brother dies in that castle, I will put an end to those rights, and to Sir Henry. But this does not concern you. Take the horses and be on your way. I grant you freedom of passage."

Rolf glanced at Soo-Kai. She nodded, and the words poured from Rolf before he could stop to think of the consequences.

"There is something you must know. These girls are aliens; they are from off-world. Those at the castle are responsible for them being here. They have brought others here and have imprisoned them in the castle. Mere children. Some they have even killed. They try to hide what they do, and they even pursued these girls and tried to slay them before word of their arrival should reach you and warn you of their treachery. This was why we were on the road at Jasanta. We were fleeing from Lord L'Roth."

Prince Harold stared at Rolf, his expression filled with disbelief. If it hadn't been for the news of his brother, he would have laughed out loud.

"Why should I believe such nonsense?" he said. As soon as he had spoken, the girls all started to voice their protests, and Prince Harold had to raise his voice over theirs. "There have been no aliens on this world since the time of the great war with the Destroyers. And why have you been silent until now? Why not tell me this earlier?"

Rolf also had to shout to be heard, but the girls quickly became quiet when they heard him speak. "I feared for the welfare of these girls. They were in danger, and I wondered how they would be treated if their origins were known. I knew nothing of the treachery of Lord L'Roth until now; he could have been acting on the instructions of your father."

"You think my father capable of such acts against children?"

"I have been absent from Court for many years, Prince Harold, and the activities of your brother bred many doubts in my mind."

Prince Harold clearly understood Rolf's meaning. But he still wasn't convinced. "How could Sir Henry and Lord L'Roth bring aliens to this world? Where is their ship? How did they get here? If I can understand this, then I will believe you."

"They are using Destroyer technology–"

Prince Harold scoffed at Rolf's words, interrupting him before he could finish. "This is fantasy! The dreams of drunkards and story-tellers! The words of charlatans eager for money in return for their false secrets! Only the foolish are robbed! Such powerful technology has been lost on Ellerkan since the great wars! How could it remain hidden so long without anyone knowing of it? And how would anyone at the castle know of its use if they found it?"

Soo-Kai answered him. "One of those at the castle has bonded with a Destroyer, and she is using her knowledge of the hidden technology buried under the castle to support Le-Roth against you."

All eyes turned to Soo-Kai as she continued.

"You forget the purpose of the castle. It was built by your ancestors to guard the wreck of an ancient ship. It still lies beneath the castle, but only a Destroyer would understand the power available inside it. She uses this power. But the arrival of the aliens is a symptom of her real intent. Until now, this intent was hidden. But with the news in the message you hold, all is now clear. She builds a weapon for Le-Roth, a weapon he will use against your father's army."

Prince Harold held up the scroll and glared at it, his understanding clear in the angry expression on his face. "So that is why he challenges the King's army to a field of battle! He fills his message with noble words of his rightful claim, while all the time he means to destroy us with hidden treachery!" In a fit of anger, he tore the scroll to ribbons and cast it to the ground. "There will be no message to my father, and no battle before the gates of Ellerkan! And no more noble words! Treachery must be met with greater treachery!"

Sir Malcolm looked at Prince Harold with concern. "What do you plan, Sire?"

"To take the castle tonight! While those within sleep and dream of Kingship!"

"But we are nought but ten Knights and fifty men-at-arms! How can we take a castle? They have planned for war, they will be prepared!"

"They will not be prepared tonight! They think they are safe, that their message cannot be answered until the morrow. Our presence here is fortuitous and unknown to them. I will take advantage of that good fortune. We will take the castle! Not by force, but by stealth!"

###

### 

### Chapter Thirty-Seven

###  Consequences

Prince Carl knew he had to explain, but he felt so ashamed. He had never felt this way before, but he had never known how others had thought of him, or how badly it had affected his reputation. He realised now how much his deeds had hurt him.

Where Rolf's accusation had caused him to feel shame, Sir Morgan's taunts had opened his eyes to the greater consequences. He was a nobleman, a member of Court, an equal. If he thought this way, others would too. They would see him as the tailor did, as an evil murderer, as a killer of women. But no one had ever accused him of this before; no one had ever questioned it. And after all, they were only Destroyers.

No, he had never been ashamed because he had always believed what he did was just a tradition, an acceptable pass time for a Royal Prince.

How stupid.

If the tailor thought him evil, so would the greater population, from Ellerkan to Falonbeck and even beyond. If L'Roth took his place on the throne, would the people be saddened by his death? Would they protest at L'Roth's claim? Or would they be glad to be rid of him?

_Murderer, killer of women_.

But they were only Destroyers! And the Hunt was part of the law!

Prince Carl sighed. These were just excuses and he knew it. He did what he did because he liked it, and until this day, it had never occurred to him that it was wrong.

"Sir Morgan spoke the truth," he told them at last.

Anne found herself not wanting to believe it. She spoke in a whisper.

"You've killed women, like he said?"

"Not women, Destroyers. But the difference doesn't really matter." Prince Carl explained about Destroyers and the Hunt, adding this to the knowledge they had already gained. It was a dark story, filled with war and death.

"The Hunt was necessary," he finished at last. "It was the only way to stop the killing."

Anne was deeply saddened by the story, but more so by Carl's admission of guilt. It was so disappointing.

"It might have been necessary then, but not now," she said to him. "You said the war was a long time ago, so why continue all this time? Why not stop it?"

"Because no one ever cared enough to question it and because too many enjoyed the in-justice of it."

"That's barbaric!" Anne exclaimed. "Inhuman!"

Prince Carl nodded. "I have never realised how wrong it was until this day. Twice now I have been accused of the murder of women. And only now do I see the truth of these words. It is like a veil has been lifted from my eyes, and only now can I see myself as I truly am, as others must see me. And I do not like what I see. I am an animal. Less than an animal. I am not fit to be King."

Prince Carl lowered his head in shame, and despite what he had done, Anne couldn't help feeling sorry for him.

It was then that Paula spoke up. "What about Indians, Miss?" she said, bafflingly.

Anne looked at her in surprise. "What?"

"Indians," Paula repeated. "You know, Cowboys and Indians?"

"What's that got to do with this?" Anne asked, getting annoyed.

"Miss McLean has been teaching us American History," Paula explained, "about the conflict over land between the Native American Indians and the white settlers. You know the bit about scalping that they always show in Cowboys and Indians films? Well, it seems it was actually the civilised white people that started it, not the Indians.

"You see, at the height of the conflict, the American government used to pay a bounty for killing Indians, and the only way to prove that you'd killed one was to bring the body back. Of course that wasn't really possible, carting a body around the countryside in all that heat, especially if you'd killed more than one. So they agreed on the scalp of an Indian being proof, as no proud Indian would let anyone take his scalp while he was still alive. All those films afterwards got it wrong, adding to the myth, and making the Indians look more savage."

Anne now stared at Paula in even more surprise than when she had first mentioned Indians. "What are you saying? That it's alright to kill women here because the Americans did it to Indians in the old west?"

"No," Paula replied. "I just meant that what you think is civilised isn't always as civilised as you think it is. People are quick to accept what's normal, but normal is only what most people are doing most of the time. And laws make it legal."

It was now that Linda and Christine joined in.

"Yeah, what about apartheid in South Africa?" Linda said. "That was a law. It made it all perfectly legal to be rotten to people who weren't the same colour."

"And there was the same sort of thing in America," Christine added. "They were just as rotten to black people as they were to the Indians. And what about the Nazi's?"

Finally, Jo said, "Everybody is always rotten to somebody, and you don't always need a law to make it happen."

Her words made the other girls become quiet. They all looked and felt uncomfortably self-conscious. Anne remembered that Jo had been bullied and picked on by the other girls in her first year. She had always been small.

"That's why it's wrong!" Anne said to them all. "It doesn't matter whether it's a law or not, it's still wrong!"

Jo looked more and more tearful as she spoke. "So what are you going to do about it, Miss? Shoot them? What about Linda? She used to pick on me! And Sophia and Berni were worse! Are you going to lock them up? Why don't you lock them up, Miss?"

Anne suddenly didn't know what to say, but Prince Carl did. He had been silent as the girls spoke, now he held out his arms to Jo.

"Come here, girl," he called to her.

To Anne's surprise, Jo went to him and sat gratefully in his open arms. Carl hugged her and spoke softly to her.

"Do not be angry with your friends, they are already punished. If people are good in heart, then the bad things they do will always torment them. This is why God gives us all a conscience, to punish us for our bad deeds even if we can conceal them from all others. We cannot conceal what we do from ourselves, and it is often our own anger at what we have done in life that hurts us most. It is easy to blame and punish others; it is harder to accept blame on oneself.

"Those that hurt you were children, like yourself. They knew no better. And who is to say that you would not have done the same if you were bigger and stronger? Now you are all older. You bear the scars of unwarranted attack, while they bear the scars of shame for those attacks. You are all friends, but each is wounded from passed events. This is part of growing up, of learning the consequences of life. For every deed and action, there is always a consequence, be it good, or bad. For you and your friends, the wounds are slight, but for me, they go a lot deeper."

Jo wiped her eyes and looked up at him. "Why did you do it?"

Prince Carl shrugged. "Maybe it was the influence of others, or maybe just my own lust. I was seventeen the first time I took part in a Hunt. I could be forgiven for that one, I was too young to understand what I did and too shallow to deny the loss of pride had I not gone. But once tasted, I was addicted."

Prince Carl continued to speak to Jo, but as he spoke, he watched Anne, his eyes fixed on hers.

"There is something about a Destroyer. They bear no comparison to other women I have known. In a way, you and your teacher are more like them than you are like the women of the Royal Court. They have a fire and a spirit like no other. They challenge me and are unafraid. You are the same. You show me no respect, you strike me and insult me, and you even fight with the guards who come to feed us. It is the same spirit. I love that spirit. But a Destroyer cannot be tamed.

"Each time I go on a Hunt, it is to recapture that spirit. It is so elusive and fiery. But it is also dangerous. I have seen many good men killed on the Hunt, slain by the very Destroyer we pursue. But that is part of the addiction. The stronger she runs and fights, the greater the danger, all this adds to the final ecstasy. But in the end I am always robbed. Each time I want her so much, but each time she fades from my grasp."

Anne stared back at Prince Carl. "Why can't a Destroyer be tamed? Why must you always kill her?"

"The spirit is the spirit of freedom," Carl replied. "They pursue a different purpose to ours. They live only to fight and kill. They are free of remorse, and free of responsibility. This is the heart and cause of their spirit, and there is no turning them from it. Even so, it is possible to bond with a Destroyer, but the very nature of the bond kills this spirit of freedom.

"To bond with a male a Destroyer must be subservient to him. She must obey him and protect him. The bond kills her spirit as surely as a knife would. No, far better for her to die than have her spirit snuffed out."

"So, you're doing her a favour, are you?" Anne said indignantly.

Prince Carl shook his head. "I seek no pardon for my actions. What I did was wrong, I see that now. But, like the civilised people your girl spoke of, although I knew the law was unjust, I took advantage of it. I am as guilty as they, and I am sorry."

Prince Carl became quiet once more, and no one else spoke. Even Anne didn't speak. She was all boiled up inside. She was angry, not just with Carl, but with herself, too. It was exactly like he had said, you couldn't hide from yourself. She was angry because she liked Carl. She liked the way he looked, she liked the way he comforted and spoke to Jo, and she liked his general manner. So what if he was a bit stuffy about being a Prince and all that? She liked him, damn it! So why did he have to let her down like that? Why did he have to be a–

She couldn't even say it in her mind.

She was angry with herself because of the fact that she still liked him, despite what he had done. That she felt sorry for him when she should hate him and despise him. But watching him sitting there so sadly, with Jo in his arms, she just couldn't hate him.

Anne slumped against the wall and just sat there.

Paula was sat next to Christine and Linda. She looked across at them. They both sat with their heads down. She looked at Prince Carl and Jo, sitting together, Anne just beyond them. They were the same. Everyone looked so sad. Paula sighed. Why did people always want everybody else to be so perfect?

She sat up and kicked Prince Carl on the foot. When he looked up at her she asked, "How do you know a tame Destroyer loses her spirit? Have you ever met one?"

Prince Carl nodded. "Twice. Once today, in fact."

"And she had no spirit?"

Carl thought of Rolf and the Destroyer with him. He remembered the look in her eyes.

"The one I saw today had spirit. It was the spirit of anger and revenge. But if I had been bonded to her, her love for me would not have burned with the same power as her hatred did."

Anne caught his meaning and she spoke without thinking. "Get away from you did she?"

Prince Carl didn't reply. Anne could see that the truth of her words had hurt him, and she bit her lip in remorse. But he deserved it, didn't he?

Paula kicked Carl's foot again. "What was her name?"

For a moment Prince Carl couldn't think. What had Rolf called her? Then he remembered.

"She was called Soo-Kai," he told Paula. "She had her–"

Prince Carl stopped in mid-sentence when he remembered the girls that had been with them. He stared at the four girls in the dungeon, and then he looked across at Anne.

"How many girls did you say you had?" he asked her.

Anne looked puzzled. "Fifteen. Why?"

Carl seemed thoughtful. He ignored her question and asked her another. "There are four girls here. You said two more were in the castle?"

"Yes. But why–"

"That leaves nine!"

Anne sat up. Prince Carl was obviously excited about something, and it had to do with her and the girls. His excitement instantly passed to her.

"What is it?" she demanded. "What have you remembered?"

"The tailor, Rolf, and the Destroyer who was bonded to him! They had nine girls with them!"

Anne felt her heart explode. "Nine? Are you sure?"

Prince Carl nodded.

"And they were dressed like my girls? All in the same uniform?"

"No, they were not. And because of this I had thought that they were their own, bred from their union. I told you you were more like Destroyers than the women here. Only now have I seen the truth! They were dressed like Destroyers, but they were not Destroyers!"

"What did they look like?" Anne demanded, wanting firm proof before she could allow herself to believe it.

The girls were just as excited as Anne now, and Paula interrupted Carl before he could answer.

"Never mind that!" she said. "Just think of two of them. Were they black skinned?"

Prince Carl stared at her and smiled. "Yes! Two with the skin of night!"

The girls cheered and Anne sighed with relief. "Vanessa and Berni. They're all alive."

###

### 

### Chapter Thirty-Eight

### The Love Treaty

It was getting dark in the forest. The great trees cast shadows that brought on the darkness of evening very quickly. And as the darkness came, the forest changed character.

In the daytime the forest was noisy with the cries of birds and other animals, and it was bright and warm in the sunshine. To the girls it was an open and friendly place, a place to explore.

Even when they had first been captured, the forest was open and bright. They had been frightened, but only by those who chased them, not by the forest itself. At least then they could see their enemy, even if they couldn't understand where they were or why they were being chased.

But with the darkness came a different fear. It was the fear of the night, and of what the darkness hid from view. And as the forest grew darker, it also became deathly quiet. Soon only the sounds of men and horses breathing and walking broke the silence.

This was not the first night the girls had spent in the forest, and they all remembered keenly the unearthly cries of the night before. They had been scared by those noises, but at least then they had known that the cause of those noises was far away. At least then they were fleeing from danger. Now they went towards it, getting nearer and nearer, and it made them look to the trees on either side in fearful anticipation, expecting at each moment for some wild and ravenous beast to burst forth and devour them.

But the trees and the even darker shadows they cast between them hid everything from view. They closed in on them like a living wall, causing the girls to stare anxiously at each side, peering into the darkness. Now every tree in the forest seemed to be their enemy. They concealed hidden dangers in their shadows, or took the form of strange creatures in the unearthly shape of a knarled and twisted tree-trunk. And always, stray branches clawed at their hair, causing them to jump in shock and then grow embarrassed at their own childish fear.

The girls were not the only ones to be scared by their approach to the castle. Rolf too was scared. Scared because he feared most for Soo-Kai and what her loss would do to him. He would rather die before her than live without her. Every moment he had to fight his fear, to quell the urge to grab Soo-Kai and ride away with her. And she would have gone with him too, without question. That made it even harder. Why did he have to get involved in all this? Why couldn't he keep his nose out of it? But what of the girls? And what of those imprisoned in the castle? But was it really his fight? Rolf shook his head in annoyance. It was like he always said. People brought trouble, even children.

Prince Harold led his column of men closer and closer to the castle, keeping to the trail to avoid getting lost in the dark. For over an hour no one had spoken, and apart from the odd cry of fright from one of the girls, there had been silence.

Soo-Kai rode next to Prince Harold in front of Rolf. She too had been silent. But now she spoke in a whisper to the Prince so that only he could hear her, keeping her face and her eyes forward.

"We are not alone," she told him.

Prince Harold nodded almost imperceptibly. "Hmmm, I had thought it too quiet, even for the night." He also spoke in a whisper. "What do you scent?"

"Destroyers. I know them. I should speak with them. They come close, but your numbers are large, and so they may not attack."

"If it comes to a fight, who will win, and on whose side will you fight?"

"No one will win except the soil, where the blood of those who fall will nourish the grass. I fight for Rolf. And it is best for him if there is no fight at all."

"Then speak with them. But I will go with you."

Soo-Kai turned to him. "They will kill you."

Prince Harold looked back at her. "My brother has taught me many things about Destroyers, enough for me to know how to make the right approach. If there is a treaty to be made, I will make it."

"Then we should go now, and quickly," Soo-Kai replied.

Prince Harold held up his hand, bringing the column of men to a sudden halt. "L'Barr!" he called.

L'Barr instantly drew his horse alongside the Prince. "Sire?"

"Give me some food!"

L'Barr looked surprised by the Prince's demand.

Prince Harold held out his hand. "Come on, man! I know well your habit of concealing food about your person! You're always eating!"

L'Barr reluctantly produced some bread from inside his tunic. Prince Harold snatched it from him, broke it in half, stuck a piece inside his own tunic and then handed him back the rest.

Sir Malcolm and Rolf were both as surprised as L'Barr by the Prince's antics. But then Rolf saw the expression on Soo-Kai's face and he knew instantly that something was wrong.

"What's going on?" he quickly asked Soo-Kai.

Sir Malcolm was equally curious. "Why do we halt, Sire? Why the food? What ails you?"

Prince Harold's explanation was brief. "Keep the men here, Sir Malcolm. I go to parley with another force. Only the Destroyer will accompany me."

"But, Sire, you cannot go alone!" Sir Malcolm complained, and Rolf was equally distressed.

"Where are you going with my wife? What force?"

The Prince held up his hand for silence. "You will both stay here with the men and obey my wishes. I command it!"

Rolf looked ready to argue, but Soo-Kai took his hand. "Do not worry, my husband. I will return safely. I go to speak with my mother."

That frightened Rolf even more. But he found himself waiting with an equally worried Sir Malcolm as Prince Harold and Soo-Kai rode off and were instantly swallowed up in the darkness.

Behind them, Bernice brightened up when she heard what Soo-Kai had said. Kai-Tai was nearby! Just the thought of her being close filled Bernice with excitement. She couldn't wait to see her again.

Ever since Soo-Kai had suggested that there might be a genetic link between them, that sometime in the past, Destroyers had visited Earth, Bernice had grown even more excited. She had talked about it to Becky and her sister, but they hadn't really understood how she felt. Becky was more interested in the history of it all, and she kept going on about legends and Greek Myth. She and Vanessa talked endlessly about how and when it had happened, and how the legend of Atlantis was probably true. The only thing that interested Bernice was that they were actually similar to these women; that they shared a common ancestry. There was only one legend that counted for her: They were Amazons! Even Kai-Tai herself had recognised the connection. It made Bernice feel proud, it made her want to be like Kai-Tai more than ever. That was why she always felt let down in life, why everything was so boring! It was because she was living the wrong life! She was an Amazon! She should be living like an Amazon! She patted Sophia on the back.

"It's Kai-Tai!" she told her excitedly, looking around hopefully. But there was nothing to be seen but darkness.

Sir Malcolm heard her, and he turned anxiously to Rolf. "The Prince goes to parley with Destroyers?"

Rolf nodded, and Sir Malcolm muttered, "God preserve us..."

The Destroyer name brought fear to the rest of the men, and the words "Destroyers in the forest," began to be muttered and repeated down the column. L'Barr put an end to it. He rode up and down the line of men and shouted at them.

"Quiet! Be still that muttering! Or the next man will be flogged!"

L'Barr paused as he passed Bernice and Sophia. He looked sternly at them, but Sophia smiled at him. It was such a bright and come-hither smile, that L'Barr instantly forgot his anger. He cleared his throat and quickly rode back to the front of the column. There he waited with Rolf and Sir Malcolm.

Hidden by the darkness and the trees, Prince Harold rode after Soo-Kai. To him, every tree they passed looked exactly like the last one. Now that they had left the trail, Harold knew that if Soo-Kai abandoned him, he would be instantly lost. But she knew exactly where they went.

Soo-Kai drew her horse to a halt. Prince Harold drew up beside her. She turned to him.

"There is still a chance to retreat," she said.

"You still think I have no knowledge of Destroyers?" he replied.

"Knowing we tell the truth and can scent our prey is not enough for what you intend to do. Nor is the bread alone that you bring, although it will help."

"I know more than you think, and I am prepared well enough. My brother speaks often about Destroyers; they fill his mind and his dreams. What he tells, I hear and learn. I would have to be an imbecile to venture this far without having learned what I need. I am grateful for your consideration, but it is not required. Lead on!"

Soo-Kai stared at him. She was surprised by his confidence. But she stood her ground. "We need go no further," she told him.

There was a rustling of leaves. Prince Harold looked around at the darkness as shapes emerged from the shadows on all sides.

Destroyers. An even dozen. They held their swords ready, and their expressions held a hatred Prince Harold could not have imagined. He suddenly felt cold, but quickly suppressed his fear and sat straight on his horse. He stared at them all. One of them held a long-bow, the arrow pointing right at him as she drew back the string. Strangely, another had a ribbon tied in her hair.

One of the Destroyers came forward. Her hair was red and her face familiar. Harold looked across at Soo-Kai.

"My mother," she said, and climbed down from her horse.

Kai-Tai wasn't pleased to see her. "Why have you come here with this Navak?" she snarled. "Do you wish so greatly for your own death?"

Soo-Kai was about to reply when Prince Harold spoke up in a loud and commanding voice.

"Speak with me, not her!"

Kai-Tai pointed her sword at him. "Keep silent! Or you will die sooner!"

"Then kill me!" Harold replied. He climbed down from his horse and walked towards a surprised Kai-Tai, his arms held wide. "I hold no weapon! I am one among many! I pose no threat, but yet I am in great danger!"

As he spoke and came closer, Kai-Tai quickly backed away. "I will bond with no male!" she snapped.

Harold smiled. "There is meaning in my approach. You understand this. Good! I understand also. I come with an army. We could fight and die for no reason, or we could make a treaty and both benefit. What say you?"

"Destroyers do not make treaties with the Navak!" Kai-Tai hissed in anger and raised her sword.

Quickly, Prince Harold undid his belt and dropped his sword to the ground, still in its scabbard. Then he dropped to his knees in front of Kai-Tai and reached into his tunic. Kai-Tai froze, her sword still raised, and stared at him in horror as he took the morsel of bread L'Barr had given him and held it out to her.

No! No! No! No! No! No!

There is nothing you can do! He is genuine!

No! No! No!

There is no avoiding this! He knows the requirements! He fulfils them all!

No! I won't! I hate it! No! No! No!

You have no choice! Desist!

I will not! I will run away! I will flee!

Then all those who stand close will strike you down! They will know you for what you are! Disgusting! Mutated! Your integrity flawed!

I don't care! I would rather die than face this murder, this theft of my will and spirit! He will turn me! Lie to me! He will change me and my life will not be my own! No! I will not do it! Never! Never!

Then be condemned! And know that once you fall, your seed will follow!

Panic! There was no escape. Logic would lead to the inevitable. If she was so flawed as to deny the bond, then Soo-Kai's integrity would quickly be threatened. It was no use, she couldn't even flee; there was nothing that could be done.

All around them, the other Destroyers lowered their swords. Even Nan-Po lowered her bow and stared anxiously at Kai-Tai. They all stood and waited. Slowly, Kai-Tai lowered her sword, her eyes fixed on the bread held out to her by Prince Harold. She looked completely shocked and forlorn, and although Soo-Kai knew why, it was still a revelation. Kai-Tai was actually frightened of the bond Prince Harold obviously pursued.

"I do not want this!" she whispered. "Stop!"

Prince Harold didn't relent for one moment. "It is said that you cannot deny the bond if sought by a male, that if my intentions are true, that I mean you no harm, you are powerless to prevent it. I tell you now; I mean you and those with you no harm.

"We travel to the castle, to take it and kill all those that dwell within. We can do this without you, and I have no wish to fight you for passage through the forest. Stand aside and we will both live another day."

Nan-Po now spoke in the Destroyer language, her words harsh and abrupt. Kai-Tai turned her head slightly, her eyes going from Nan-Po to Soo-Kai, and then back to Prince Harold.

"There is a Destroyer within the castle," she told him.

"Do you wish her spared?" Prince Harold asked.

Kai-Tai's expression turned from shock and fright to one of anger. "She must be killed! She is unlike us, an Outsider! An abomination! Give her to us, and we will let you pass safely."

"You wish her death?"

"We wish the death of all those in the castle! They block our path to freedom and bond with the Outsider! They must die!"

"Then our two purposes are one!" Harold announced. "We both seek entry to the castle, and we both seek the death of those within. I ask only that humans imprisoned in the dungeons be spared. Unite with us. Fight with us rather than against us. For once in our treacherous history let us fight alongside one another against a common evil."

"Destroyers and Navak do not make treaties!" Kai-Tai repeated.

"They do this day. Take the bread I offer you."

"I will not!" In a last effort of defiance Kai-Tai raised her sword once more, pointing it at Prince Harold's chest.

Prince Harold glanced at the sword before fixing his eyes on those of Kai-Tai. "The bread has been offered, whether you take it or not. I have made the right approach, and my intentions are clear and honourable. If I should reach out and grasp your sword, will your blade cut me? Or will the bond have already commenced?"

As he spoke, Prince Harold carried out his threat. He reached out and grasped the blade of Kai-Tai's sword. She almost winced as he did it. Prince Harold smiled and gripped the blade tighter, and ran his hand down its full length until it came free of the point. Then he held up his hand for all to see. Everyone stared at it. There were no cuts in his skin, and no blood on his hand.

"The bond is commenced," Prince Harold declared. "No one can deny it."

Kai-Tai stared at his unmarked hand. "What you begin has not yet been finished." She stuck her sword in the ground and turned to the other Destroyers. "Cha!" she shouted at them, waving her hand and gesturing for them to leave. In an instant they had all vanished, disappearing back into the trees and the shadows.

Prince Harold watched them go. Then he turned and saw that Soo-Kai had climbed on to her horse. "You will leave, also?" he called to her.

She nodded. "What you are about to do only the trees should witness. I will tell those that wait what has happened."

Soo-Kai waited no longer than it took for her to finish what she said, and then she galloped off. Prince Harold turned back to face Kai-Tai, and found her undoing her tunic.

"Now, Navak," she said to him. "Take the next step in the bond. Prove with your body the words of your mouth. Lay with me in the grass and give me your seed."

Prince Harold watched her undress. He sighed and began to undo his own clothes. He hoped Gwendolyn would forgive him. But it was for the safety of the Realm.

There is another! I sense it in his mind and in his body! The taste of her flesh lives upon him! The bond cannot be permanent!

Yes! I sense it! I see it! And from this knowledge comes my escape! He cannot pursue a permanent bond! It must only be a temporary liaison!

Then give him what he wants! Take what he gives! And when the sun rises, be done with him!

With thoughts of Gwendolyn still on his mind, Prince Harold continued to undress.

"Will you make the treaty I ask?" he asked Kai-Tai as she also undressed. "Will you fight at our side instead of against us?"

"On one condition," Kai-Tai replied. "I have no wish for this bond; you have pursued it, not I. Now only you have the choice to make it for life or for one night. But I sense in you that there is another, and that because of this you desire only a short liaison. This suits me also, so I will make this bargain with you. Seek no permanent bond with me and I will make the treaty you ask. In the morning, leave me and be gone."

"Do you speak for all the Destroyers?"

"They will follow my lead."

"Then I will make you this bargain. Our treaty is until the morrow. Tonight we fight as one, and when the sun rises, we will part and tread our separate paths. I will leave you as you wish."

Kai-Tai came and knelt in front of him. Now they were both on their knees, eye to eye and as naked as they were born. For the first time Prince Harold noticed a thong tied around Kai-Tai's neck. A red bone the length of a man's forefinger hung from it. Or at least it seemed to be made of bone, or maybe pearl, or maybe it was some beast's tooth. The surface was scratched and pitted, and while the thong passed through a hole at one end, at the other was the brightness of gold. It caught his attention for the briefest of moments before Kai-Tai spoke.

"Where is the bread you offered me?" she asked.

Prince Harold searched among his clothes and found it once more. He held it up to her.

She stared into his eyes and whispered, "Feed me."

### Chapter Thirty-Nine

### Fate

Rolf was relieved when Soo-Kai returned. But Sir Malcolm and L'Barr were beside themselves with worry.

"Where is the Prince?" Sir Malcolm demanded. "Why have you returned without him?"

"He is unharmed," Soo-Kai replied. "But what he does he must now do alone."

Sir Malcolm was far from happy with her answer, and L'Barr wanted to ride off in search of Prince Harold straight away. But Soo-Kai quickly and calmly explained what had happened, and the two men looked on in surprise. Rolf was also amazed.

"He is bonding with your mother?" he asked incredulously.

Soo-Kai nodded. "When he has finished what he must do, Kai-Tai will guide him back to us. Then we must hear his commands. Until then, we must wait."

And wait they did. L'Barr ordered the men to dismount and rest. Fires could not be lit for fear of warning those at the castle of their approach, but food was distributed. They had limited supplies, their time in the field had not been expected to last this long. But what they had they shared, even the food Rolf had brought was quickly consumed. And while L'Barr walked up and down the line, checking on the men and the horses, Sir Malcolm sat with Rolf and Soo-Kai. He was worried and subdued.

"Our failure to return will have reached the King by now," he said sombrely. "We were expected to return with the Crown Prince, instead the King must now face the night fearing the loss of both his sons."

"Will he send out another search party?" Rolf asked him.

"He may send out the whole army, such will be his worry. The Prince should have sent word back to the Palace of his intent. He should have warned his father of the plot against him."

"And tell the King that his son was imprisoned; that he could be already dead?" Rolf pointed out. "That would have caused more distress. No, this way is better, believe me."

"I will believe you when we are victorious and the Crown Prince stands before me, alive and well."

They sat in silence for a while. Rolf looked back at the girls sitting together with Craig and noticed Sophia standing next to L'Barr. She was eating something he had handed to her, and they seemed to be talking. It made Rolf smile. Sophia had an uncanny knack of finding extra food wherever she was.

Sir Malcolm was still concerned about the turn of events. He worried about the Prince, and about the company he now kept.

"These Destroyers," he asked Soo-Kai. "Can they be trusted?"

Rolf looked at Soo-Kai. If she was upset by Sir Malcolm's choice of words, she didn't show it. But her reply held the same level of consideration for Sir Malcolm's race as his question had for hers.

"Destroyers do not lie or hide treachery behind a smile," she said without emotion.

The implied insult was lost on Sir Malcolm. "Will the Prince be safe?" was all he asked.

"If the Prince completes the bond, Kai-Tai will not harm him. She will be swayed from the Purpose, and her path will follow that of the Prince."

"But what of the others?" Sir Malcolm pressed her. "Will they obey his commands?"

"They will only obey Kai-Tai, and then only so long as she leads them along the path they wish to follow."

"What does that mean?"

"If the Prince has made a bond with Kai-Tai for life, then when the sun rises she will no longer speak for the Destroyers. This we will only know tomorrow, when the fate of all of us will already have been decided. But for tonight at least, we follow the same path."

Sir Malcolm looked thoughtful. He seemed content with Soo-Kai's answers. But Rolf had another thought.

"Who will lead them if your mother stays with the Prince?" he asked Soo-Kai.

"Nan-Po is the next oldest."

Rolf didn't like the idea of that. At least with Kai-Tai he knew he had some lee-way. She was Soo-Kai's mother, after all. But Nan-Po would be a different proposition. He said as much to Soo- Kai. She seemed unconcerned by his worry.

"Nan-Po is not without wisdom," she told Rolf. "It was her words that persuaded my mother to accept the bond with the Prince."

Rolf raised his eyebrows in surprise. "I had always thought she hated us more than all the others. She always seemed resentful and angered by my presence, even more so than your mother. And she won't even speak our language."

"Her hatred is no greater than that of all of us, my husband, it is merely older, and without repression. She does not hate you any more than she hates all those who are different."

Her words had been intended to convince Rolf that Nan-Po would be no worse and no less a threat to them than that of Kai-Tai. But Rolf seized on them as a chance to reaffirm his belief that Soo-Kai herself was of a milder temperament than she was willing to admit.

He smiled and caressed her cheek. "I think the hatred in some of you has worn thin with age, even that of Nan-Po. I know you won't accept it, but why else would she persuade your mother to accept the bond with Prince Harold?"

"To gain entry to the castle and access to the broken ship," Soo-Kai replied almost too quickly. "This and the death of the Outsider is all that concerns Nan-Po and my mother. The bond is not their choosing, but they are wise enough to use it when offered. To accept the bond is tactically advantageous. It is the correct solution and strategy. To deny it would have been unwise."

Her reply had downhearted Rolf, and Soo-Kai saw and felt the change come over him. She quickly took his hand in hers.

"I know you meant well, my husband, and that you were trying to convince me that inside us all there is some goodness, that even without a bond we can relate with humans. But you must remember that my hatred is overshadowed by the bond between us. It affects my behaviour and my thoughts. This is not so for the others. They still follow the Purpose. There is the same intent in everything they do and think. I am glad that my path is different to theirs, that my mind is empty of the hatred they share. My hope is that it remains that way, but my sadness is due to the knowledge that it will not."

Rolf managed to smile again. "Then let us hope that we have many years together, and that your fears are proved wrong."

Sir Malcolm broke their mood. "So long as they fight on our side, I care not for their hatred or for their purpose," he said rather bluntly. "But this whole wretched affair reeks of treason. Lord L'Roth plotting against his cousin and the King, liaisons with Destroyers, weapons dug up from the past, and us sneaking up on the castle like common brigands. I will be glad when the sun rises and the deeds of this night are long forgotten."

As is the way with things, Anne's joy at hearing that the other girls were alive and well was short-lived. No sooner had she and the girls begun congratulating one another when the door grated open and men poured into the dungeon.

It was a sudden onslaught. Sir Morgan and Sir Henry stood by the doorway as the men rushed in and grabbed everyone. Anne struggled and kicked, the girls all screamed and ran about as the men chased them, and Prince Carl struck two men-at-arms, knocking them to the floor. They had assumed he was still injured, and his unexpected fitness surprised them. But his advantage was brief as three more men jumped on him, forcing him to the floor.

Sir Morgan smiled as he watched Anne struggle and kick. "Bring them!" he told his men. "And treat her softly! I want few bruises on her bronzed skin when she entertains me!"

"In your dreams!" Anne shouted back at him as she was dragged from the dungeon. She tried to kick him as she went by, but he kept out of the way. "Bastard! You disgust me!" she shouted.

Sir Morgan was unabashed. "All the better! Your struggles will be harder and my enjoyment greater!"

Prince Carl was brought out next. "Touch her and you will face me!" he shouted to Sir Morgan.

Sir Morgan held up his hands in mock fear and announced, "My knees wobble with terror."

Sir Henry was impatient with the proceedings. He wanted to be done with this deed, and quickly. "Enough! Take them to the North Tower! Hurry!"

Prince Carl struggled harder as he passed Sir Henry. "You will pay for this treachery!" he shouted.

"That may be," Sir Henry replied. "But my payment will not be to you!"

Anne and Prince Carl were dragged up the darkened corridor, Sir Morgan following behind. Anne looked back, trying to see what was happening to the girls, but all she could see was the smile on Sir Morgan's face.

"Where are my girls?" she called to him, scared now rather than angry. "Why aren't you bringing them with us?"

"They no longer concern you," Sir Morgan replied in a cold voice. "Think more of your own fate, theirs is already fixed."

Behind them, Sir Henry waited by the dungeon as the girls were brought out. He looked at their scared and tearful faces. They were so young. But Gil-Yan was hungry, and a promise was a promise.

"Take them to the pit."

When Prince Harold returned, Kai-Tai sat upon his horse before him. His arm was around her, and she stared at Sir Malcolm and Rolf with the same familiar disdain. But Soo-Kai knew the change in her immediately.

"You are successful," she said to Prince Harold. "Your treaty is made."

Prince Harold nodded. "The treaty will last until the morrow. It is all agreed."

"And you are content with this?"

Prince Harold glanced at Kai-Tai, and it was she that replied, her eyes fixed on his.

"It is our bargain. Tonight, our Purpose is shared. Tonight, the Outsider, and all those at the castle will die. Tomorrow, we part. It is agreed."

Prince Harold nodded. "It is."

Sir Malcolm stepped forward. "We worried for you, Sire. But we did as you commanded, and waited. Now command us again. What will you have us do?"

The Prince drew himself up in the saddle so that all his men could see him, and he spoke loudly and firmly.

"We march on the castle without delay! We take it tonight! The Destroyers will fight at our side! They already answer to my wishes and our plans are laid. Jai-Soo, Yan-Lai and El-Vin will walk on our left flank, while Zen-Wa, Di-Quan and Tai-Fam will walk on the right. Nan-Po already waits by the castle with Hai-Fam, Chen-Bey, Lai-Po and Mai-Ra. They watch the guards by the gate and on the wall. They will warn us of any sign that our presence has been noticed. Nan-Po keeps her arrows ready, and the guards will fall at our approach. The Destroyers on our flanks will then join them, and together they will hold the gates as we enter. Tonight, we fight as one! Tonight, we all fight for my father, the King, and the Realm of Halafalon!"

There was a mighty cheer as the men responded, while Rolf looked anxiously at Soo-Kai. Behind them, Craig and the girls looked at the cheering men, surprised and amazed by the scenes around them. But Bernice only had eyes for one person. She stared in awe at Kai-Tai, sitting on the horse with the Prince.

###

### 

### Chapter Forty

### Freedom

The castle was bathed in silence, its gates closed. Two men walked the battlements above the gatehouse while two more stood above the gates themselves. The passage of the arrows was a mere hiss in the night air. They came in quick order: One, two, three, four. Each was swift and deadly, and the only sound to mark their effect was that of a fallen helmet on the stone floor of the battlements.

In an instant, Destroyers had rushed from their hiding places among the trees and converged on the gatehouse. Jai-Soo, Yan-Lai and Zen-Wa reached the gates first. They quickly began to climb. Mai-Ra, Lai-Po, Chen-Bey, Tai-Fam, Di-Quan and El-Vin came next. They also began to climb the gates, while Nan-Po waited with Hai-Fam at the bottom. The Destroyers all drew their swords when they reached the top of the wall and disappeared from view.

For a moment there was silence and little movement. Then there was a cry. It was short and choked. Then there was another. And another. Lights came on in the guardroom in the East Tower. There was a shout, "Destroyers in the castle!" and then the gates swung open. Jai-Soo emerged, and Nan-Po quickly rushed passed her and disappeared inside, Hai-Fam following her. Jai-Soo raised her arm and waved at the trees.

Prince Harold drew his sword and cried, "For the King!" He ran forward with Kai-Tai at his side, her sword also drawn. Sir Malcolm and L'Barr quickly followed, the men chasing after them with the same cry.

They poured through the open gates. Inside, most of the windows were still in darkness, but the alarm had been raised. Men-at-arms fought with the Destroyers by the entrance to the guardroom. The ground was already littered with the dead. The bodies of the men were hacked and sliced, butchered and mutilated. Among them was Tai-Fam. In contrast to the men, she had been killed by a single blow. She lay face down in the doorway of the guardroom, her blonde hair shining in the candle-light, a pike still in her back.

Prince Harold led most of his men across the courtyard towards the North Tower while L'Barr and a smaller force threw themselves at the surviving guards. The guards fell back in confusion under the combined attack of men and Destroyers and were quickly overwhelmed.

Inside the North Tower, L'Roth heard the shouts and commotion. He rushed to a window and saw men running across the courtyard. He turned and drew his sword, his face twisted in anger. "Sir Edmund! Rouse your men! We are betrayed!"

Sir Henry and Sir Morgan were climbing the steep staircase that led to the dungeon cells and corridors beneath the courtyard. Above them was the hinged grating that lay open between the North and East Towers. They would soon be in the open air. Their two prisoners had continued to struggle and shout all the way, and they were still as vocal as ever. Prince Carl was crying his vengeance upon them, while Anne begged to know what was to become of the girls in her care.

Sir Henry had grown tired of it all. It had taken them an age to climb the narrow staircase, even with four men dragging and carrying their prisoners along. And always their shouts and protests filled the air. Impatiently, he had gone on ahead, now he turned and shouted back at them.

"Enough of your incessant babbling! It would have been better to throw you in the pit with the others!"

Anne's stomach fell at the sound of his words. "What have you done with my girls?!" she cried, and struggled even harder.

Sir Henry and Sir Morgan ignored her pleas. Sir Morgan was more interested in Anne's fate than in that of the Prince. He was further down the staircase, right at the back of them all, behind Prince Carl and the men who dragged him up the steps. Now he glanced at Anne before shouting up at Sir Henry.

"You promised me the wench!"

"I did no such thing!" Sir Henry called back. "And what price the wench, anyway? There will be many at the Palace to satisfy your ardour! Even the Queen!"

Sir Morgan laughed, while Carl was angered by the insult.

"Cowards!" he shouted. And turning to Sir Morgan he added, "You accused me of wanton murder while you plot treason with this fat and pompous oaf and covert my mother! You are dog, L'Ajarn! A common cur!"

Sir Morgan stepped forward and struck at him. "You die tonight! Aye! And at my hands, or I swear I'll kill those that stand in my way!"

Anne had by now managed to wedge herself in the narrow corridor up which the staircase ran by bracing her legs against the far wall.

"What have you done to my girls?" she demanded as the men carrying her tried to pull her free.

Sir Henry almost enjoyed telling her. "They are probably already dead!" he snapped. "I have ordered that they be hurled into the pit to be eaten by my Gil-Yan! Aye! Eaten! All those in the dungeons are to suffer the same fate! Now you are the last! And as Sir Morgan says, you will both die tonight! Only you, wench, will have the pleasure of living a little longer!"

Paula, Linda, Christine and Jo were dragged deeper down the corridor by Sir Henry's men. At first they struggled and fought, but the violent response they met soon ended their resistance. Christine was punched in the stomach, and Paula had her head bashed against the wall of the corridor until she was almost knocked senseless. Linda and Jo were treated no better. Slapped, kicked and punched, the fight was knocked out of them and their journey to the pit quickly resumed.

The men paused at two more doorways on the way. Each time they would burst inside and emerge with more children. Christine recognised the uniforms of the French children. She called out to them, and was quickly punched again for her trouble. But it wasn't her only punishment. Three of the men dragged her into the now empty dungeon and shut the door behind them.

The children listened to Christine's screams and saw the evil smiles on the faces of the men waiting with them outside. They knew what was happening, and they knew what it meant. They were going to be killed, and there was no more doubt about it.

The victory over the guards at the gate proved to be short-lived. Sir Edmund's men and the garrison of the castle far outweighed Prince Harold's force, even with the Destroyers to add to their number. And once roused, they halted their advance across the courtyard. But the fight was not shirked.

Prince Harold and Sir Malcolm threw themselves at their enemy, their men as eager as they for the battle. Now was not the time for secrecy or treachery, nor for hiding in shadows and in the dark. Now was the time for open battle, where your enemy stood before you in full sight, and the blows of their swords would seal the fate of the Realm.

In the castle courtyard, men fought and died for one cause while Destroyers killed for another. And on the steps of the North Tower, L'Roth and Prince Harold faced one another.

L'Roth smiled at the sight of the Prince. "So! The King has sent his youngest pup to fight his battles! I am indeed fortunate that you came with such speed! Two Princes in one night! My job is almost done!"

"Does my brother still live?" Prince Harold demanded.

"Care not for your brother, but for yourself!" L'Roth replied, and raising his sword, he struck at Prince Harold.

In the long staircase under the courtyard, Anne's resolve failed her. The knowledge that the girls she had been with only a short time ago were now dead was too much for her. Her struggles ceased and she burst into tears.

With the resistance gone from one of their prisoners, they moved up the staircase more quickly. Soon they had reached the top.

Prince Carl continued to shout abuse at Sir Morgan. "Murderers! Killers of children! You are not men, but animals!"

Sir Henry ignored him, his shouts still ringing in his ears as he stepped through the open grating into the courtyard. The scene that greeted him caused him to stand and stare.

L'Barr was running across the courtyard with his men when he saw movement by the wall. He saw a man emerge from an open grating in the ground. L'Barr stopped and stared, and Jai-Soo stopped next to him.

"I smell the Outsider!" she hissed.

"I see Sir Henry L'Crief!" L'Barr replied, and rushed towards him, his sword raised.

Sir Henry stared in shock at the turmoil all around him. "What treachery is this?" he cried and reached for his sword. It was his last act. As he turned, L'Barr rushed up to him and sliced at him across the throat and chest with his sword, and he fell to his knees. A moment later and Jai-Soo had struck off his head.

Men were gathered around the edge of the pit. They cheered and shouted. Near to the wooden plank, the children were herded together. Nearly all of them were crying, but it brought no sympathy from their captors. French, English, girls, boys, it no longer mattered. Beaten and kicked, they were all forced closer to the edge of the pit, and they were all mixed and separated.

Paula and Linda ended up in the middle of the French children. In front of them, Christine stood alone, clutching her torn blouse to her chest, her face bruised and bloody. She made no sound and made no attempt to run. Way out at the other end of the plank, Jo stood on her own, staring down in horror at what lay beneath her.

One of the men stepped forward onto the plank, holding out his pike, and prodded at Jo. She stumbled at the blow and almost lost her balance, but she managed to stay on the plank. The resulting shouts of the men filled the air all around them. The noise was deafening.

But another noise was greater.

There was a deep and resonant moan. It started so low that at first it was merely a vibration in the floor, but it quickly grew and grew. Soon it was as loud as the cheers of the men, and then it was louder still. As the men heard the sound, their cheers faded and became still, and they all stared at the pit. Even the children and the men holding them all turned and stared.

Soon the moan filled the whole cavern. It was inhuman, and in strange contrast it seemed to be filled with hatred and delight all at once. Slowly, malevolently, the moan took form.

" _Aaaaahhhhhhhtttttttlllllaaaaasssstttfffffffreeeeee_ _!_ "

Soo-Kai stared at the open gates of the castle. She could see movement; hear cries and the clash of steel. She could smell and taste the blood. Her mother was there, somewhere inside, fighting and killing. She wanted so much to rush forward, to fight by her side. Not because she still followed the Purpose, but because she feared the outcome. But instead she was rooted to the spot, left with Rolf and two men to watch over the girls, the horses and their prisoner.

Safe, distant.

Kai-Tai had looked and behaved as she always did, but Soo-Kai knew the change in her. The bond with Prince Harold, no matter how short, had changed her perspective. Soo-Kai could already taste it in her body. It was what Kai-Tai feared most, that she would be turned, that she would no longer be in charge of her own destiny. Instead she would bow to the wishes of the Prince. She would follow him, she would fight for him, and she would put him first. And in that change would be danger. Soo-Kai could trust her mother in battle. She had fought alongside her many times. She always survived. But now she was in a bond. Prince Harold cared only for his brother and the throne. Where he went, she would follow. If his actions proved foolhardy, Kai-Tai would share his fate.

Rolf, too, watched the castle in fear. There were two many questions left unanswered, and yet the Prince had rushed into the attack. How many men dwelled within? Would the weapon they built be ready? The words of Sir Malcolm echoed in his mind. If they failed here, who would know?

As Rolf and Soo-Kai stood and stared at the castle, Vanessa suddenly ran forward, calling their names.

Rolf turned in surprise. "What is it, girl? What's the matter?"

"It's Berni!" Vanessa said breathlessly. "I can't find her! I've looked everywhere! She's gone!"

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### Chapter Forty-One

### A Destiny Foretold

Bernice ran among the fighting men in the courtyard. Why she had followed after Kai-Tai she no longer knew. It had seemed like a good idea at the time. But now she realised how stupid and dangerous it was. She had managed to find a discarded shield and held it over her head as she ran among the fighting men, darting this way and that, trying her best to avoid the worst of the battle as she made her way closer to the North Tower.

All around her men shouted and fought, swords clashed and blood was spilled. Men were ran through and fell right next to her, and others would sometimes strike at her with their swords, crashing them down on the shield she held above her with loud thuds. She would scream and run on.

Soon Bernice had reached the wall by the North Tower. She could see Kai-Tai. She stood near Prince Harold, fighting with another Knight. The other Destroyers all fought together near one of the other towers. Bernice moved closer.

High on the wall, Nan-Po crouched on the ramparts aiming her arrows carefully. She let the arrow fly, and far below her, another man fell.

When the moaning from the pit ceased there was a sudden silence in the cavern. But it didn't last long. The moan was quickly replaced by a scrabbling, raking noise. Jo stared into the pit with round eyes, and the man who had poked at her with his pike stepped forward on to the plank once more to see what caused it. In an instant, Gil-Yan appeared and snatched him up in her jaws, her huge teeth slicing through the plank in the process.

SNAP!

Jo fell with a scream into the pit.

It was the cue for a mass panic as all the men gathered on the ledge around its edge began to shout and run, pushing and shoving at each other in their attempts to get to the corridor and escape. Several men fell with a scream into the pit, while Gil-Yan turned and snapped at the others as they tried to rush passed her.

SNAP! SNAP! SNAP!

It was a suicidal race for life.

But Gil-Yan's close position by the entrance to the cavern made escape impossible. Like sheep the men ran in panic to their fate, and one after another fell to her scissor-like teeth.

SNAP! SNAP! SNAP!

Slavering and biting, turning this way and that to snap at her victims, Gil-Yan soon devoured all who tried to pass her in an animal ecstasy.

SNAP! SNAP! SNAP!

Blood splashed the walls and spilled over the edge of the pit.

At the sight of Gil-Yan gobbling up their comrades, the guards who stood by the children just turned and ran. The children all screamed and ran with the rest. There were no more prisoners and guards here now, just frightened humans running for their lives from a beast from the very bowls of Hell.

Gil-Yan heaved her growing bulk over the edge of the pit. She was much larger, her belly filled with fresh meat that would soon become her own flesh. She ignored the bodies of those who had fallen to their deaths in the pit behind her. She could smell those who still lived, see them fleeing up the darkened corridor.

With a mighty roar, Gil-Yan hurled herself into the corridor in pursuit, her claws tearing at the flag-stones and dislodging them, scattering them behind her.

Soo-Kai stood at the entrance to the gatehouse, staring into the courtyard. Everywhere men fought and died, and although she looked anxiously for Bernice, it was her mother who she saw first.

By the steps of the North Tower, Prince Harold and Sir Malcolm fought with L'Roth and Sir Edmund. They fought amid a sea of other men. Swords clashed and men screamed in pain. Then Soo-Kai saw a shield with legs running in the shadow of the wall behind them.

"I see her!" she said.

Rolf appeared behind her. "Can you get to her?"

"Yes, but there will be much risk."

Rolf looked at the carnage. "Stupid!" he said. "This is all stupid! They kill each other for nothing!"

"Is this not always the way? Animals kill to eat, but only those who are intelligent wage war. Do you wish me to retrieve her?"

Before Rolf could reply, Vanessa said, "Of course we do! The silly cow's going to get herself killed!"

Rolf turned in surprise and saw that Vanessa wasn't alone. Becky and Jane had come with her. "I thought I told you to stay in the trees and wait! What are you doing here? Go back at once!"

Vanessa was stubborn in her reply. "I want to find my sister! And I'm not waiting back there with the men and the horses while you two go looking for her! So either we get on with it or I'll go and look for her myself!"

Rolf looked at the other two girls. They stared back at him with the same stubborn expression as Vanessa. He sighed in dismay. At least it was only three.

"Oh, alright then!" he said. "But stick close to us, and do exactly as Soo-Kai says."

As soon as they saw Sir Henry had been killed, the two men who had been dragging Anne up the staircase dropped her and went for their swords. A battle quickly developed around the open grating with L'Barr and his men.

Anne sat on the ground in the midst of the fight, staring around her in absolute shock. Then she looked up and saw a woman with dark brown hair staring down at her. She was quite tall, with an oval face and features that were soft and delicate. Her eyes were a deep brown, and they seemed to be filled with confusion.

Jai-Soo held her sword aloft but didn't strike. Instead she stared back at Anne with a most puzzled expression, her head tilted at an angle. Then she held out her hand. Anne took it without hesitation and Jai-Soo pulled her up.

"You will die if you sit there," Jai-Soo told her. "I can smell the Outsider. She comes."

Before Anne could say anything in reply, Jai-Soo darted down the staircase. Anne was left to shout after her.

"What outsider? What's going on? What about my girls?" Without thinking, Anne followed her back down the staircase.

Ahead of Anne, Jai-Soo quickly came upon the men who carried Prince Carl. She struck at them straight away, and one of them fell with a tumble down the steps, going over the top of Prince Carl and knocking Sir Morgan over. They both tumbled down the steps together, and quickly disappeared.

Prince Carl and the remaining guard also both fell down the steps. They got tangled together as they fell, and Prince Carl seized his chance, grabbing for the other man's sword and struggling with him. The man didn't put up much resistance, but instead fled back up the steps the first chance he got. Prince Carl let him go, his interest was elsewhere. Holding the sword in both hands, he stared in anger down the staircase at Sir Morgan.

"L'Ajarn! You cur! Face me!" he demanded, walking quickly down the steps.

Below him, Sir Morgan kicked aside the body of the man who had knocked him over as it lay on the steps in front of him and walked slowly back up the staircase. He drew his sword as he came closer to the Prince.

"I am no coward, L'Hage! And I am no Destroyer struck down with arrows! Aye, I will face you! And I will kill myself a Prince this night if I have to pay for it in Hell here after!"

With a shout, the two men rushed at one another, and their swords clashed, ringing and echoing in the narrow staircase.

Bernice had reached the North Tower when the fighting was at its height. Kai-Tai fought alongside Prince Harold, joining in his fight with L'Roth, but also protecting his back from those who would strike at him. She fought long and hard, as all those around them knew who fought in their midst, and constantly rushed forward to strike. For either side, the instant L'Roth or the Prince fell, the battle would be over. But until now, the balance had been kept.

Sir Malcolm and Sir Edmund had fought up and down the steps in a wild frenzy, and at the very moment Sir Malcolm finally got the upper hand, he fell to an arrow in his back. It was a desperate moment, as Sir Edmund wasted no more time on the fallen Knight, but quickly turned his attention to Kai-Tai, hurling himself at her, and forcing her back.

Prince Harold and Kai-Tai were now separated. L'Roth smiled.

"Your vixen guard dog is gone! Now you fight alone, and your strength is no match for mine!"

"My strength is matched by my honour, while yours is matched by none!" Prince Harold replied.

"Proud words! They will be your last!"

For all his bravery, Prince Harold could not match the strength of L'Roth on his own for long. L'Roth was a seasoned campaigner, living only for war and glory. His blows were heavy and accurate.

As the Prince and L'Roth fought, Kai-Tai tried to get near to them, but Sir Edmund forced her back with a flurry of blows that she could only parry with her sword. Then a shield rose up behind Sir Edmund and struck him on the head. As he fell, Kai-Tai ran him through the chest.

It is the Atlantian! Kill her now! No one will know!

I will not! The Atlantians were allies to the Tun-Sho-Lok! She fights at my side as they once did!

_Liar! That was before we came! They were never_ our _allies! She is incorrect! Disgusting! Kill her!_

No! She is tall! Strong! Perfect! She would be a fine seed to any Destroyer!

Your words are incorrect! You want her! You bask in her attention! Your mind is already turned by the bond!

And it is my bond I fear for now! I have no time for you or the Purpose! Be silent!

Bernice lowered the shield and smiled at Kai-Tai over the rim. Kai-Tai wasn't impressed. She quickly grabbed Bernice by the arm and shook her violently. "Foolish child!" she snapped. "Why do you come here?"

"Don't shout at me!" Bernice protested, dropping the shield and anxious to explain, anxious for Kai-Tai to understand. "I wanted to be with you, that's all! I want to be like you, Kai-Tai! You said we were almost the same! We are! I can feel it!" She was almost tearful now.

Kai-Tai stopped shaking Bernice and pulled her close, feeling her face as she had done before, but now her eyes held a different look.

"What you ask is impossible," she told her more softly. "You must stop this fascination with me or it will kill you. And I tell you now that your death would hurt me. So do as I say." Without waiting any longer, Kai-Tai ran back towards Prince Harold, dragging a surprised Bernice with her.

The Prince had fought valiantly, but in the end his strength failed him as L'Roth had predicted. L'Roth smashed him to the ground and stood over him in triumph, his sword raised.

"Now you die!" L'Roth roared and struck.

Kai-Tai screamed, "No!" and letting go of Bernice she hurled herself between them. L'Roth's sword caught her across her back and she fell on top of Prince Harold.

L'Roth swore, grabbed Kai-Tai by her tunic and threw her aside like a child's doll.

"Out of the way, witch! I have business to attend to!"

Bernice saw Kai-Tai fall. A moment before and Kai-Tai had said something that meant so much, and now she lay blood-spattered and still. Bernice was filled with sudden anger, and before she had time to think clearly, she had picked up a sword that lay among the dead and dying and ran forward.

L'Roth raised his sword once more, his face twisted in anger, when Bernice almost ran into him, the sword she carried going into his side. L'Roth grunted and staggered on his feet.

It was as if the world stood still.

Bernice stepped back, leaving the sword sticking out of L'Roth's side. Both Prince Harold and L'Roth turned to stare at her, the Prince in amazement, and L'Roth in plain fright.

"'Tis the witch of the night," L'Roth muttered in horror, and fell to his knees. "The prophecies were right...I am killed by witchcraft..."

"They were wrong!" Prince Harold announced. "Your life is ended not by witchery, but by a Prince of the Realm!"

Prince Harold sat up and lunged with his sword, stabbing L'Roth in the chest. There was a clang as the blade punched through L'Roth's breast-plate.

L'Roth gasped, dropped his sword, and fell back. There he lay on the ground, the two swords still in his body.

By the time Anne had caught up with Jai-Soo, the Destroyer had despatched the last of the guards as he tried to run passed her, and now she was about to continue on her way down the staircase.

Anne quickly grabbed her arm. "What's going on?" she demanded. "Why are you helping us? Who are you?"

Jai-Soo looked back at her and answered her in a tone that suggested that she should already know the answer.

"We have a treaty with the Prince. We have attacked the castle to kill all within and free the prisoners. I am Jai-Soo."

She would have turned to go on, but Anne grabbed her even more tightly.

"I have some children with me! Young girls! They're down there! Help me get them back! Please!"

Jai-Soo stared down the staircase. "Then we must be quick, or the Outsider will eat them. Come!"

They ran down the steps together. Anne's thoughts were filled with fear, but she had to find the girls. Why did everyone keep talking about them being eaten? And what was it that had tried to get in their dungeon? Anne remembered the smell and the sight of that tongue under the door. It made here blood run cold, but she kept up with Jai-Soo.

They hadn't gone far when they found Prince Carl and Sir Morgan in their way. Jai-Soo raised her sword, but Anne quickly held her back.

"No!" she cried. "That's Prince Carl! He's a friend!"

Jai-Soo lowered her sword. "Then he must fight alone, because he stands between us and the other, and there is no way passed."

Jai-Soo was right. The passageway the staircase ran down was too narrow to get passed the fighting men, and the two of them were so busy trying to kill one another that even if it had been wider, trying to get passed them would have been foolhardy.

Sir Morgan and Prince Carl hacked and sliced at one another in a demonic frenzy. Their swords sparked as they scraped against the stone walls as they struck blow after blow. Each man sweated and panted with their efforts, their faces twisted in anger, and the blood from sliced wounds on their arms and chests mixing with the sweat.

Anne wanted to stop it. She feared for Prince Carl, she didn't really know why, but he had been their only friend, and, and– Oh, Hell! Why did they have to fight? Why did they have to hate each other so much? Why did this have to happen now? She shouted at them to stop, worried sick that Carl would be killed, but they both ignored her.

Sir Morgan's sword sliced across Prince Carl's face, leaving a large cut in his cheek. Almost a moment later, and Sir Morgan received a slice across his left thigh. It was a deep wound, and it caused him to lose his footing and he stumbled down the steps. Prince Carl hurried after him, striking at him repeatedly with his sword. Sir Morgan parried the blows, but he was forced further down the steps.

As Anne continued to shout and scream at them, Jai-Soo suddenly grabbed her and pulled her backwards, and began to push her up the steps. Anne tried to struggle free, but Jai-Soo kept pushing her up the steps until she finally fell back and sat on one of them.

"What are you doing?" Anne demanded.

"She comes!" Jai-Soo almost hissed at her in a hoarse whisper. "Our time is lost. Go! Go! Before it is too late!"

Something in Jai-Soo's expression made Anne realise the urgency of her words. She began to back slowly up the steps. But she had hardly moved before the sounds of distant screams began to fill the narrow passageway.

In the distance, shadows appeared on the steps, indistinct at first, then suddenly, vividly, apparent. Screaming, running men, their eyes wild in terror. And behind them and among them were children. Girls, boys, some young, some older, all of them filled with the same wild panic.

They appeared suddenly out of the dark, and in an instant they had reached Sir Morgan and Prince Carl and bowled them over. It was like a sudden wave of on-rushing water. Men and children knocked them aside and enveloped them, totally oblivious of their swords and uncaring of their fight. Most of them stepped on them and over them, rushing on without delay, while others tripped and fell over them, causing a sudden bottleneck and an even greater panic.

The shouts and screams in the passageway rose tenfold at the sudden delay. Those at the back kicked and pushed, desperately trying to climb over those who lay in their way, while those at the front scrabbled at the steps in an effort to get away, crawling under those who stepped on them and fell on them.

Anne stared at it all in rising panic, watching as men and children rushed passed her on the steps. She was pressed flat against the wall, doing her best to keep out of the way. Jai-Soo was doing the same further down. She had not bothered to strike with her sword at any of those who rushed by, content instead to let them run.

Then Anne saw a familiar face.

"Linda!" Anne screamed and grabbed the girl as she ran by. "Where are the others? What's happening?"

Linda looked terrified. She struggled madly as Anne held on to her. "Run, Miss! It's coming! It's coming! Run!"

She broke free, tearing her blouse, and instantly disappeared, bounding up the steps. Anne called after her.

"Linda! Linda!"

The girl ran on. Anne would have given chase, anxious to have found at least one of her charges, but instead she stopped, as if rooted to the spot.

Anne wasn't sure if she heard it first or whether it was the smell. No, she definitely smelled it first. It was that same almost familiar odour she had smelt in the dungeon. Something she knew she recognised but couldn't quite place. But whether she recognised it or not, it suddenly filled her with a colossal fear. Her whole body went cold, and she just couldn't move her legs.

Anne slowly turned her head and stared down the steps at the writhing mass of people jammed in the passageway. She watched as they struggled and fought to get free. Then the whole jammed mass of them suddenly burst forward as if they had all been hit by a gigantic plunger. Such was the force of the impact that three people flew passed her and landed on the steps further up. She knew one of them was Paula, but somehow she seemed uninterested. Only what now revealed itself in the darkened passageway held her attention.

At first there were two red lights that grew in size and intensity, and then Gil-Yan's head emerged from the shadowy darkness until it completely filled the passageway, her huge jaws gaping wide, and her blood-spattered mouth filled with the dead and the dying. Even as Anne stared, her jaws closed on her hapless victims and her teeth severed arms and legs, crunching on bones.

Almost beneath her, the surviving men and children jumped to their feet and ran. And as they all disappeared, Prince Carl and Sir Morgan were suddenly visible once more.

Prince Carl stared up at Gil-Yan in complete shock, unable to comprehend what he was seeing.

"What demon is this?" he muttered as he climbed to his feet.

Sir Morgan stood next to him, their fight forgotten. "It is Sir Henry's pet Destroyer! And for her to be here, he must be dead! Run, for she will care nought for royal blood any more than that of commoners!"

Prince Carl and Sir Morgan backed slowly up the steps, picking up Anne on the way. She found herself being pulled up the steps by both men, the strangeness of it after their fight lost in comparison to the ghastly sight in the passageway behind her. Only Jai-Soo remained, standing on the steps almost right in front of Gil-Yan. Anne saw her step closer, her sword raised, and she was suddenly filled with fear and quickly shouted at her.

"Jai-Soo! What are you doing? Jai-Soo!"

Anne hardly knew Jai-Soo, but from the moment their eyes had met, Anne had somehow known that she could trust her. The possibility that she might now be eaten by this monster was too much to bear.

Jai-Soo hesitated at the shout. She wanted so much to run forward and strike at Gil-Yan with her sword, to fight with her and kill her. It was the same urge she had had in the forest. It was an urge the Outsider had shared with equal hatred and intent. But now Gil-Yan stared back at her almost lazily, her bright red eyes fixed on hers as she chewed and crunched on those she still consumed, their blood spilling noisily from her jaws and running down the stone steps in a red torrent. They were so close that Jai-Soo could taste the hatred that came from the Outsider. She knew that Gil-Yan hated her with the same ferocity, but unlike her, Gil-Yan's hatred held no urgency. No urgency and no fear. Gil-Yan knew that she couldn't be killed, even if Jai-Soo ran forward and stabbed at her it would be no use. Gil-Yan waited, almost daring her to attack.

Jai-Soo backed away, quickly catching up with Anne, Sir Morgan, and Prince Carl. And like the rest they turned and ran up the steps in panic.

Gil-Yan watched them run away. She had stretched and narrowed her body until she resembled a long sinuous snake. In this form she had oozed her way up the staircase, eating all those who had failed to run and climb the steps fast enough. Now she swallowed those she had caught, passing them down her stretched gullet. There they would join the rest, increasing her mass, making her bigger and stronger. For a while she paused, closing her eyes and remaining still. Seconds passed. Still she remained motionless, silent as the grave. Still more time passed and still she lay unmoving. Then her eyes opened, flashing brightly in the darkened passageway, and with a sudden heave, she oozed her great bulk further up the steps.

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### Chapter Forty-Two

### The Dragon

Soo-Kai was running along the wall towards the North Tower with Rolf and the girls in tow. She was doing her best to keep them away from the worst of the fighting. But then she saw Kai-Tai fall under L'Roth's blow. She screamed and ran straight for her mother, un-caring of those who stood in her way. Rolf and the girls had to run as fast as they could to keep up with her, but it was all over by the time they reached Kai-Tai and the Prince.

Prince Harold bounded up the steps of the North Tower and stood with his arms raised, shouting at the top of his voice.

"Lord L'Roth is slain! His claim to the throne dies with him! Lay down your arms now and you will be pardoned! I, Prince Harold, command it!"

All around the courtyard, the fighting slowly stopped. Men stared at the Prince, and those who had rode with him cheered and raised their swords, while those who had stood with L'Roth quietly lowered their heads and one by one they dropped their swords.

Soo-Kai reached Kai-Tai to find her in the arms of Bernice. She knelt down beside them and quickly took her mother from the girl, holding her tightly but gently.

"Speak, my mother!" she begged. "Tell me your wound is slight and that you will recover!"

Kai-Tai reached up with her hand and pulled sharply on Soo-Kai's pigtail. "You speak like a Navak," she said almost angrily, but with pain in her voice. "You fuss over me like a Navak fusses over her children. Your concern for me fills me with despair."

"Why should I be ashamed to worry?" Soo-Kai replied, almost as angry. "You are my mother! I feared for your life!"

"I am an Androktone, as are you!" Kai-Tai snapped. "How long must I wait before your bond ends and I can have the true Soo-Kai at my side once more?"

"Maybe you should think more of your own bond rather than placing criticism on mine. I am not the one lying injured."

"I am not bonded!" Kai-Tai blurted out, trying to push free of Soo-Kai's grip and then wincing with the pain her movement caused her.

"Then why place your back before the sword of an enemy?" Soo-Kai pointed out.

"Because I am a fool! Only Bern-E saved my bond. She struck at Le-Roth. It was as if you were by my side."

"You deny the bond then praise the incorrect. What other defects have you gained in this short time?"

"You say you are my seed and that there is no shame in your worry, and yet you stab me with your words!"

Soo-Kai relented. "How deep is the wound?"

Kai-Tai sighed. "It is deep, but it will not kill me. I close the arteries and ignore the pain. Help me to stand."

While Soo-Kai and Rolf helped Kai-Tai to her feet, Vanessa and Bernice were having their usual arguments.

"You stupid cow!" Vanessa was saying, slapping and shaking her sister. "You could have got killed!"

"It's okay! I'm fine! It's alright, Van!" Bernice said, refusing to be bullied this time, and pushing her sister away. Vanessa stared at her for a moment, surprised by her sister's unexpected determination. Then she hugged her.

Satisfied that the fighting was over, Prince Harold came down the steps and went up to Kai-Tai. He took her head in his hands and spoke softly to her.

"You would have willingly given your life for mine. I will not forget this. The more time I spend with you, the more I find I am loathe to part with you. I owe you much. Ask for anything, and if it is within my power, I shall grant it."

"I ask only that you keep your bargain with me. Break the bond you commenced. Leave me on the morrow."

Prince Harold stared at her. "It pains me to agree, but I will not deny you what you wish." He let go of her and moved away.

A voice shouted a warning. Everyone in the courtyard turned and stared. It was L'Barr. He was still standing by the open grating with his men, watching as more men and children came pouring out of the opening and ran wildly in all directions. And right at the end came Sir Morgan, Anne, Prince Carl and Jai-Soo.

L'Barr grabbed the Prince just as Prince Harold called out his brother's name. Prince Harold would have ran forward, but he saw L'Barr and his brother both waving at him furiously, and then they, too, ran.

"What strange antics is this?" Prince Harold asked.

Soo-Kai was staring with round eyes at the open grating. "She comes for us," she breathed.

There was a deep rumble and the ground trembled beneath them. Then from out of the grating burst Gil-Yan. She shot out of the opening like a huge worm, her skin shining in the light from the twin moons. And as she emerged, her body swelled and her front legs split from her sides and grew fingers and claws. Both clawed feet slammed down on the ground on either side of her, supporting her as she heaved more of her bulk from the opening. As more of her body emerged, she slowly changed from the sinuous worm to a fatter and squat shape. Her back legs took form and her tail finally slipped out of the opening and waved lazily in the air behind her.

Gil-Yan sat on her haunches, big, heavy, and as large as the towers in the walls. She stared at them all malevolently. And when she spoke, her voice was deep and resonant.

" _I am the Gest Hroyer, a clone of the Tun-Sho-Lok. Feel my wrath_."

With a roar, she pounced on them, and once brave men ran in panic before her, dropping their swords as they fled. Like a cat penned in with the mice, she snapped and clawed at her victims, devouring them and mutilating them in a wild frenzy. And those she didn't eat, she trampled and squashed in her rage, slamming her huge clawed feet down on them and raking them into bloody mush.

There was no resistance mere mortal men could provide, nor the efforts of Destroyers that could stop her. Gil-Yan's great bulk gave her the advantage over all. Only Nan-Po showed any fight, firing arrow after arrow from her position on the wall, until, finally, Gil-Yan turned and lashed at her with her tail, knocking stones from the ramparts and hurling Nan-Po over the wall.

Soo-Kai looked around desperately for some means of escape, seeing only a sight that brought more anguish. By the gatehouse she could see Craig and the rest of the girls, summoned by the noise and the turmoil. Now they stood in plain view, staring at Gil-Yan in shock. If the Outsider saw them, she would consume them all.

Soo-Kai turned as L'Barr and Prince Carl finally reached them. The two Princes hugged one another while Anne dived into the arms of Vanessa and the other girls, happy at last to have found some more of her charges alive and well. But any joy was short-lived.

Gil-Yan's roars grew louder and she came closer as she ate her way across the castle courtyard. She had reached the stables, and the horses ran in panic as she smashed her way through it and snapped at them as they ran before her. Her great jaws seized one and she held it aloft, its legs pawing at the air until her teeth sliced and crushed it.

Jai-Soo stood beside Soo-Kai and stared with the rest, while L'Barr's remaining men glanced around eagerly for somewhere to flee.

"What must we do?" Prince Harold demanded of his brother as they all cowered on the steps of the North Tower.

"She is a Destroyer, this alone I know!" was Carl's reply.

Kai-Tai pulled at the cloak of Prince Harold. "Find her other self!" she shouted. "Look to the West Tower where my sisters can smell her! Find her! Kill her! She must dwell within!"

They all looked. The other Destroyers were still congregated around the West Tower. Apparently unaffected by the scenes in the courtyard around them, they constantly ran in and out of the open door, almost bumping into one another in their hurry.

Bernice remembered seeing them there before, when everyone else was fighting. And she remembered what Soo-Kai had told them about the Outsider, how she could only be killed if her other self was killed. Now she realised what the Destroyers were doing there.

"They're searching for her, but they can't find her," she said.

Once enemies, now united under a common fear, it was Sir Morgan who gave them all a glimmer of survival. "She dwells in hidden quarters under the West Tower. Look for the fifth torch from the door. Pull it and the way down to her quarters will be opened."

Prince Harold didn't need to be told twice. "Run! Run for the tower!"

In a mad dash they all ran for the West Tower. Prince Harold and Rolf carried Kai-Tai by the arms and shoulders while L'Barr and one of his men carried her by her legs. Jai-Soo ran at their back watching as Gil-Yan ate or killed everyone left in the courtyard.

Gil-Yan had finished with the horses, and now she concentrated on the human survivors who had so far escaped her. All of the men scattered and ran about as Gil-Yan leapt back and forth, pouncing on one after another and devouring them. The children from the dungeons fared no better. Like the men, they ran in different directions, French, English, all of them running in mad panic, and all of them, one after another, fell to Gil-Yan's claws.

By the gatehouse, Craig could stand it no longer. In a rush of blood, he suddenly ran out, waving his arms and shouting.

"This way! This way! Come on! Run this way! Over here!"

Amy watched him, stunned for a moment. But then she ran out too, and Sophia and Karen quickly followed her. They all ran forward from the gatehouse waving their arms and shouting at the men and the children.

The men took no notice of them, running in terror, their heads turned as Gil-Yan chased and pounced on them. But two of the children did notice, and they reacted instantly.

Right in among the children who ran were Linda and Paula, and they quickly recognised their school friends and ran towards them. The rest of the children soon followed, more by instinct than by anything else. They all ran as fast as they could, desperate to reach the safety of the gatehouse where Craig and the girls were easily seen as they jumped up and down, waving their arms and shouting. Jemma had joined them, and now even Rowena came out to wave with the rest, urging the fleeing children to run faster. But with all the waving and shouting it wasn't long before Gil-Yan saw them too.

With the last of the men captured from the courtyard still stuck in her teeth, Gil-Yan bounded after the fleeing children, quickly overtaking them. She sprang among them and clawed and snapped at one after another in a wild frenzy, even Linda falling to her claws. Gil-Yan was determined to devour them all, and there was nothing that Craig and the girls could do but look on in horror.

Jai-Soo was almost at the West Tower when she saw what was happening and turned back. She ran straight towards Gil-Yan, shouting at the top of her voice in the Destroyer language, and waving her sword. Gil-Yan spun round, her claws tearing up the soil. Lowering her head, she charged at Jai-Soo, her mouth gaping wide. Jai-Soo changed direction and ran for the South Tower. She ran as fast as she could, with Gil-Yan gaining on her every step. They both reached the tower at the same instant. Jai-Soo shot through the open doorway while Gil-Yan just ploughed into it, smashing the stone-work and caving in the walls.

Behind her, Paula fell into the arms of Craig and Sophia. She was completely exhausted. Only two of the French boys had survived with her. Craig, Amy, Jemma and Sophia quickly dragged all three survivors back to the gatehouse with Karen and Rowena running alongside, mobbing Paula with questions.

"Where are the others?" Rowena asked her.

"Where's Christine and Debbie?" Karen asked.

"They're all dead," Paula managed to gasp. "All of them...that monster ate them all...Christine didn't even run..."

Craig turned and stared at Gil-Yan still snuffling and clawing at the base of the South Tower. It slowly began to collapse under the weight of her efforts. But even the stones landing on her back seemed not to affect her.

It was unbelievable, but it was true.

He remembered how he had doubted Soo-Kai in the forest the other night, but now there she was, a monster with a mouthful of teeth just as Soo-Kai had described her. And he had seen her devouring men and horses right before his eyes.

All around him the girls were now crying in each other's arms, the reality of what had happened too much for them as they huddled together in the shadows under the gatehouse. The two French boys lay sprawled on the floor, their chests heaving. Both boys were so exhausted, they could hardly move. As Amy clung to him, Craig turned and stared at Sophia. Like him, she was the only one not crying, her emotions drained as his were drained. Like him, she had seen the look on Linda's face when Gil-Yan had caught her.

###

### 

### Chapter Forty-Three

### Her Other Self

Soo-Kai spoke with Mai-Ra when they reached the West Tower and she hurried inside. They all quickly followed. Prince Harold turned to L'Barr.

"If the beast comes, delay her until we are successful."

L'Barr smacked his chest and nodded. "If she eats me, I swear I will stick in her throat and choke her!"

Prince Harold smiled. "If we live, remind me to ask my father to Knight you!"

Sir Morgan grabbed Prince Harold. "He will not fight alone. This day I stood against you, and would have killed your brother, the Crown Prince. But now I seek repentance and ask only that my name be honoured for the sake of my wife and children."

Prince Harold stared at him. "I promised a pardon to all those who fought against us. It seems pointless now, as nearly all have fallen to this beast, but if my brother agrees, this will also be granted to you." Prince Harold then turned to his brother.

Prince Carl nodded. "Most of your words were true, L'Ajarn, and my anger was due to my guilt at knowing this. Your name will be honoured so long as I live. I swear it."

Sir Morgan seemed content. "Then go and kill the beast while we block her path."

Prince Carl and Sir Morgan shook hands.

Kai-Tai was growing impatient. "Hurry! The Outsider will not wait once she knows her other self is threatened!"

Sir Morgan, L'Barr and his men waited by the entrance to the West Tower with four of the Destroyers while everyone else went inside. As they hurried along, Anne wondered why this felt so easy.

Anne knew nothing about Destroyers, even little about the monster that was threatening them. All she knew was her own fear and confusion. But these people seemed to know what to do. It all seemed so simple. But if it was so simple, why hadn't the monster blocked their path?

They ran down the steps and found another door that was open. It was the door L'Roth had once tried to pass when Sir Henry had blocked his way. They ran through without hindrance. Inside was a large circular room, with stone steps going up to another floor above. Here the other Destroyers waited for them, Mai-Ra holding the torch that hung from the wall. It was the fifth one from the door. But the room wasn't empty. And everyone stared in amazement at what lay around them.

Becky also stared. All around were recognisable pieces of cars and engines. Bits of wiring littered the floor, along with car head-lights and even a car battery. And in one corner, sitting on a four-wheeled cart, was the strangest looking device she had ever seen.

It was mounted on a tripod that was fixed to the cart. Part of it looked like a large Wurlitzer jukebox, but it was made from steel with lots of wires and tubes coming out of one side. The tubes and wires went to a hotchpotch of wiring and bits of radio circuitry that was all connected to three more car batteries fixed down on the cart. Even the wheels on the cart were car wheels. The other end of the device was an obvious giveaway as to its purpose. It was a long, black tube with fins for cooling. The whole thing was most obviously some kind of gun.

Rolf and the two Princes stared at it uncomprehendingly, but it was Soo-Kai who explained.

"It is the weapon they intended to use against you," she said. "Now it is yours."

"Can we use it against her?" Prince Harold asked.

Soo-Kai shook her head. "She cannot be killed unless her whole body is consumed. And even this weapon is not great enough for that."

"Then it is of no interest to us," Prince Harold replied, and turning to Mai-Ra he nodded.

Mai-Ra turned the holder that supported the torch. Immediately there was the sound of grating and part of the floor tipped downward, causing Jane and Bernice to jump out of the way. They could all hear the sound of ropes and pulleys rattling as somewhere a counter-weight rose. The doorway in the floor tipped lower and lower, revealing the thickness of the floor slabs upon which they all stood, but then, just as it cleared the edge of the stone slabs and revealed a thin wedge of light beneath, there was a loud crunch and it stopped.

Hai-Fam and El-Vin jumped down and stared through the narrow gap. Hai-Fam poked her sword through the gap and moved it about while El-Vin looked up and spoke to Soo-Kai in the Destroyer language.

"What did she say?" Prince Carl asked.

"She says that the Outsider is indeed within, but that something is underneath the door and has blocked it. The door is jammed."

Gil-Yan backed out of the ruin that was the South Tower, and without her bulk to support it, it slowly collapsed and fell inward. She had failed to find her victim among the debris, but now something else drew her attention. She stared along the wall towards the West Tower, seeing the humans and the Destroyers gathered around the doorway. Gil-Yan's eyes narrowed, glowing a deeper red.

_So they searched for her, did they? Well, they would find what they searched for, but they would not reach her_.

Baring her teeth and growling, she lowered her head and trotted towards the West Tower.

L'Barr turned to Sir Morgan. "Here she comes!"

Sir Morgan waved to the others. "Back! Move away from the door! If we are to delay her, we must do it inside! Out here we will be cut to ribbons and trampled into the dust!"

They all moved down the steps and watched through the open doorway as Gil-Yan bounded closer and closer, until at last she was close enough to hurl herself at the entrance.

There was a tremendous crash as Gil-Yan smashed her way through the doorway. The wooden door and frame were pulverized and stones fell from the walls as she forced her head into the opening, snapping at those within. And as before in the passageway under the courtyard, she narrowed her body, stretching out her neck.

L'Barr, Sir Morgan and the four men and Destroyers with them all found themselves fighting with a serpent that oozed slowly into the passage and down the steps towards them. They sliced and chopped at her face while Gil-Yan snapped and spat at them, trying to reach them.

Then Gil-Yan lashed out with her tongue, tripping one of the men. As he fell, she seized him by the legs, dragging him back and devouring him even as he screamed.

"Keep out of her reach!" Sir Morgan cried, striking with all his might at her bloody snout, and cutting a deep wound.

Gil-Yan's flesh turned to silver and the gaping wound closed and then turned back to flesh.

" _I see you Sir-Mor-Gan_ _!_ " Gil-Yan hissed at him, her voice still loud in the confines of the corridor. " _Like all humans, your loyalty is fickle! I had hoped to draw the life from Le-Roth, but now I will feast on you_ _!_ "

Sir Morgan was unafraid. "We may die, but you will soon follow!" he cried. "To save yourself you must pass us first! And every moment we delay you brings your death closer!"

" _You think so? You think I am not wise to my weak spot? Then know this, Navak! While I paused in the stairway eating those I had caught, I slept while my other self woke. She placed the drone under the door to the lower chamber. Now your way to her is blocked, and your only path to escape is through my jaws to my stomach_ _!_ "

With a mighty heave, Gil-Yan surged forward, and before he could step back, she had caught another man in her teeth and shredded him. He wasn't the last.

A moment later, and one of the Destroyers was seized and carried aloft, her body smashed from side to side as Gil-Yan shook her like a dog shaking a rat. Lai-Po was the unfortunate victim. Gil-Yan threw back her great head and gulped her down, whole.

SNAP!

Sir Morgan, L'Barr, the Destroyers and the remaining two men with them now fought for their lives as Gil-Yan oozed further and further towards the doorway to the chamber behind them. And as they fought, they were bathed in Gil-Yan's rancid breath, and slipped in her spittle and the blood and gristle of those who had fallen.

Jane stood by the door. Outside she could hear the men fighting and the sound of Gil-Yan's jaws snapping. She peeped around the door and screamed in horror.

"She's nearly here!" she cried out.

Soo-Kai barked orders to El-Vin, Zen-Wa, Hai-Fam and Mai-Ra, and the four of them ran out to help L'Barr and the rest.

Down on the floor, Prince Carl and Prince Harold were trying to lever the door open with the discarded steering column of a car. Two swords lay broken nearby. Panic was beginning to set in.

Rolf was at his wits end. "It's no use! We have to get out of here!"

"There's no way out!" Prince Harold shouted at him. "Come down and help or we are all doomed!"

Rolf did as he asked, and the three of them strained on the steering column.

Anne stood with her arms around Vanessa and Becky. "I knew it was too easy," she muttered in rising panic. "She was prepared for us, she was smarter than us. She let us come down here because she knew we couldn't escape–"

"Shut up!" Rolf shouted, then the steering column snapped and they all fell over.

Soo-Kai drew her sword in despair. "Go with good heart, my husband," she called to Rolf, and then she ran through the door to join L'Barr and the others.

Rolf scrambled after her. "No! Soo-Kai! Wait!" It was too late; she had already disappeared through the door.

Then Becky shouted, "The gun! Why not use the gun?"

"But the gun can't stop her!" Prince Harold shouted back.

"Not her! The floor! Shoot at the floor!"

Prince Carl stood up. "Yes! The girl is right! It's our only chance!"

Rolf turned to him. "But how do we operate it?"

Kai-Tai answered him. She lay on the floor in the arms of Bernice. "I know. Move it into position," she said. "And I will fire it for you."

In the castle courtyard, nothing remained alive. Horses, men, friend or foe, Gil-Yan had killed or consumed them all. Now only her rear end was visible, crouched down on her haunches, her head and neck hidden inside the West Tower, her tail waving lazily behind her.

By the ruin of the South Tower, Craig and the rest of the children had all gathered to search for Jai-Soo. The two French boys also helped search among the fallen stones. They were called Emile and Jean. With them was Nan-Po. She led the search.

Nan-Po had emerged from the darkness of the forest looking bruised and battered. She had lost her bow and her nose bled. She had paused to stare at the crying children huddled under the gatehouse and then snarled in disgust. When she had ran on towards the South Tower, the children had simply followed her. Sophia had gone first, then Karen and Jemma. The two French boys had followed. Craig would have preferred to stay back, but Amy had tugged at him, and he gave in. So together with Rowena and Paula, they had followed after the rest.

The South Tower was now an open ruin. Only the outer part of the tower, where it joined the main walls, remained standing. The inner part had all collapsed, bringing down the floors within. Nan-Po could scent Jai-Soo somewhere under the fallen stones, and maybe it was because Jai-Soo could scent that it was now an Insider who searched for her that she was found so quickly. Emile lifted a stone and up she popped, shaking her head free of the dust.

Nan-Po rushed forward and pulled Jai-Soo out without waiting for her to catch her breath. She spoke rapidly to her in the Destroyer language. Jai-Soo replied, pointing to the West Tower.

Nan-Po snarled and drew her sword. Without a further word she ran towards Gil-Yan.

Jai-Soo finished dusting herself off and turned to see Emile holding out her sword to her. He had retrieved it from the pile of stones behind her and now held the handle in one hand and the blade in the other. Jai-Soo looked at him closely as she slowly took her sword from his unmarked hands. He smiled at her, and then Amy appeared next to him.

"Thanks for doing what you did," Amy said to Jai-Soo. "If you hadn't distracted that monster, it would have eaten those two French boys and Paula, too."

Jai-Soo looked at her with a most puzzled expression. "It seemed right for the moment," she replied, not very confidently. Then she began to wave all the children away. "Go back to the entrance of the castle," she told them. "You are only toose; this is no place for you!"

"Toose?" Amy repeated.

"Young, immature, not adult," Jai-Soo explained. "Enough delay! Go now! Flee to the forest!"

Without waiting any longer, Jai-Soo ran after Nan-Po.

Craig called after her. "What are you going to do?"

"Annoy her!" Jai-Soo called back.

Despite Jai-Soo's request, the children had hardly moved. Now they stared as Nan-Po reached Gil-Yan's lazily moving tail and leapt up at it, striking at it with her sword, and chopping the end off.

If the intention was to do Gil-Yan any serious harm, Nan-Po had failed. If it was to get her attention, she had most definitely been successful.

Gil-Yan's shortened tail whipped back and forth while the chopped off end writhed about on the ground in a frenzy before it finally turned black and lay still. Nan-Po had to duck as the shortened tail shot passed her, just missing her head. It was on its way back when Jai-Soo also leapt up and sliced at it with her sword, cutting off another, much fatter piece.

The children all cheered as they watched the two Destroyers darting back and forth, striking at Gil-Yan's tail and at her exposed hindquarters. The fact that it probably had no effect on Gil-Yan didn't seem to matter, what did matter was that they were fighting back. With a surge, the children all ran forward.

But then Gil-Yan's tail began to change shape. The mutilated end became more bulbous, and the tail itself grew fatter and longer. But that wasn't the only change. It seemed like the whole of Gil-Yan's rear end was changing shape. Her body grew slimmer, longer, and claws appeared on the other side of her feet. But it was the change in her tail that caught the attention. The bulbous end became bigger and rounder, then it grew a snout. Almost in an instant, angry red eyes snapped open and huge jaws sprang apart, revealing long curved teeth.

In the corridor of the West Tower, Gil-Yan was getting ever closer. Even with eight Destroyers to help them, there was no stopping her. Soo-Kai fought alongside Sir Morgan, L'Barr and the others. But it was all to no avail. If they stood their ground it would have only meant their deaths. Their blows did no harm, they continually got in each other's way, and they hardly delayed Gil-Yan. She snapped and snarled, oozing constantly closer to the door, forcing them back and back, until finally, they spilled through in a mad panic, knocking over Jane in the process.

Gil-Yan pounced. Lashing out with her tongue, she caught hold of Jane and dragged her towards the door. Jane screamed wildly, trying to hang on to the floor slabs, the door frame, anything that she could reach, while Bernice and Vanessa ran to help her.

Almost as Jane disappeared out the door, L'Barr grabbed her hand and pulled back. In a second he was pulled off his feet and followed her. Vanessa and Bernice held on to L'Barr, but they were all dragged towards Gil-Yan's gaping mouth.

Sir Morgan ran forward, raised his sword, and sliced through Gil-Yan's tongue. In a flash, Gil-Yan turned and snapped him up, her great teeth killing him in an instant.

L'Barr quickly dragged Jane back into the chamber, prodding at Gil-Yan's severed tongue with his sword until it let go of her, and together with the girls and the Destroyers, they all tried to close the door and hold it against Gil-Yan. As they strained against the door, Gil-Yan's severed tongue still writhed about on the floor between them. They kicked at it until it turned black and lay still, the girls sobbing and splashed in blood, and L'Barr and his men white with terror. They all put their weight against the door, but Gil-Yan kept crashing into it again and again, and it rocked back and forth, splintering and creaking.

Behind them, Rolf and the two Princes had moved the cart with the artifact into position. Now they held it steady, tipped over at an angle, the gun pointing at the floor. Becky and Anne held up Kai-Tai as she stood on the sloping cart, working on the gun. All of them were almost hysterical, only Kai-Tai remained calm.

"Shoot!" Prince Harold shouted to Kai-Tai.

Becky waved him to be quiet. "Shush!" she shouted. "She has to make the circuit! This wiring is all crap!"

"There is no art in this!" Prince Harold shouted back at her. "Shoot, damn it!"

Outside, Gil-Yan pressed her jaws harder against the door, her teeth punching through the wood, causing it to creak and splinter even more. El-Vin and one of L'Barr's men fell back, both impaled by Gil-Yan's protruding teeth. But the teeth didn't stay teeth. Each grew a bulbous end that soon split apart to reveal needle teeth within, and eyes, like red lights blinked open and narrowed.

" _You cannot escape_ _!_ " Gil-Yan called to them as the door rocked on the groaning and rapidly loosening hinges. As she spoke from without, the heads that had formed on the end of her teeth echoed her words. " _Soon you will all dwell inside me! Cleansed and absorbed into my flesh_ _!_ "

The small heads began to grow larger, and the teeth upon which they sat grew longer and fatter, oozing further through the door like sinuous snakes. They began to snap and bite at those who held the door, drawing blood from all they could reach. One fastened onto L'Barr and didn't let go until Hai-Fam severed it with a single blow from her sword. Then one of the hinges on the door gave way.

Kai-Tai held the last two wires. The ends were stripped bare, and the pain in her back forgotten for a brief moment. "Now, Outsider," she muttered. "Feel my wrath!" She touched the wires together and the gun fired.

The whole chamber was briefly lit up by a white flash like lightning, and there was a heavy, low pitched thud followed by a sudden roar as the floor fell in beneath them. All of them, gun, cart, Princes and children, all tumbled into the hole and disappeared in a cloud of dust.

In the courtyard, Nan-Po and Jai-Soo suddenly found themselves being pursued by a long and sinuous snake that grew longer and longer every second. Gil-Yan's whole body had changed shape; it now looked like she had got stuck coming out of the West Tower rather than trying to get into it. Her feet clawed and strained forward, stretching her body, which narrowed and grew even longer. And at the end of her long neck, Gil-Yan's new head twisted back and forth, snapping at them with her new jaws and teeth.

" _Insiders! Gnats! Fleas_ _!_ " she snarled at them. " _When I seize you I will suck the skin from your bones! I will shred you and grind you! You are an abomination! An insult to the Tun-Sho-Lok_ _!_ "

Jai-Soo had to scramble and leap out of the way as Gil-Yan now lunged at her, her huge, silvery teeth smashing down onto the ground where she had just been standing.

The game of annoying Gil-Yan was now well and truly over.

Nan-Po and Jai-Soo both ran while Gil-Yan spat the soil from her mouth. With a heave, Gil-Yan oozed and stretched after them.

All the children stopped and stared as Nan-Po and Jai-Soo ran towards them, then without a word, they turned and also ran. They all rushed back towards the gatehouse, running as fast as they could, while behind them, Gil-Yan snarled and hissed, her huge jaws gaping wide as she oozed after them, her long neck stretching out longer, and longer.

Paula was more tired than the rest; she was still exhausted from her climb up the steps and her run from before. She quickly fell behind, the other children all moving ahead of her. Then Nan-Po ran passed her without a glance. Paula looked around, desperate now; terrified that she would be caught. Next came Jai-Soo, but instead of running passed, Jai-Soo grabbed Paula by the collar of her blouse, almost pulling her off her feet.

They ran on together. But with Paula slowing her down, Jai-Soo also began to fall behind. She kept dragging and pulling Paula along, never once letting her go, but it was no use.

Paula felt the hot, moist breath on her back and on her legs. She looked round in terror and saw the huge jaws bearing down on them. They were right on top of them, wide open, the huge teeth glinting in the moonlight.

In a last desperate moment, Jai-Soo turned and flung Paula behind her, striking at Gil-Yan with her sword, but in that instant, the great jaws had closed around them both, driving deep into the ground.

Anne opened her eyes and shook her head. Everything was deathly quiet. She could actually hear the dust falling from the hole in the floor above. She looked around, and what she saw was even more bizarre than what had filled the room above.

She was lying among the stones and fallen debris in what appeared to be another very large chamber. All around her lay the cannibalised wrecks of cars and even her own school minibus. But that wasn't all. There was also a machine that looked very much like a small motor, or generator. Wires connected it to another, octagonal shaped device that sat on top of it. It was an open chassis the size of a football, and inside it a light flashed on and off.

Almost underneath the point where the hidden door had been was another vehicle. Anne sat almost right next to it. It was long and smooth, with a tail-plane and the exhausts of two engines at one end, and a long thin spike at the other. It almost resembled a rocket, but in the middle portion was a doorway and windows. It sat on three sets of small wheels and there was a big hole in its side.

The silence in the chamber was torn apart by a tremendous roar. It was filled with anger, hatred, and despair. It shook the walls and the floor.

Gil-Yan burst through the door above them, knocking aside all who still tried to hold it against her. Soo-Kai and most of the Destroyers were all sent flying across the chamber, while Mai-Ra, Hai-Fam, L'Barr and one of his men, all fell down the hole in the floor, bouncing and slithering over the metal of the rocket-like vehicle. And Vanessa, Jane and Bernice all ended up flattened under the door.

Gil-Yan oozed into the dust filled chamber like an enormous snake and went straight through the hole to the chamber below.

" _You will not harm my other self_ _!_ " she snarled, baring her teeth. " _For I will take her within, and afterwards you can all chase her with my pleasure_ _!_ "

In her path lay Rolf and the two Princes, woken at last from their stupor by the roar of Gil-Yan. They scrambled to their feet and ran in three different directions. Their movement proved to be a distraction, for Gil-Yan lunged at them, tearing great chunks from the floor where they had lain. Then twisting her long sinuous neck, and turning back and forth, she snapped at them all as they ran among the wrecked cars, her teeth shredding the metal as easily as it would their flesh.

Kai-Tai lay among the tangled wiring and broken bits that had once been the cart, Becky with her. She fought her pain and stood up. Then, staggering forward, she shouted, "Find her other self! Quickly! For if she consumes herself, her only weak point will be beyond our reach!"

Gil-Yan snarled, turned and lunged straight at her.

Bernice had been the first to get out from under the broken door. She saw Gil-Yan rushing towards Kai-Tai, her mouth wide open. Kai-Tai just seemed to stand there.

Move! Move or the Outsider will consume us!

No. It is over at last. All these years, all the death and killing, I am tired of it, sick of it. Only now in the bond do I see it; my whole life a waste. There is no purpose in the Purpose, only death and suffering. Now the moment has come and I go willingly.

Move!

No. I don't want this life anymore.

"Kai-Tai!" Bernice cried, and without thought, she jumped down the hole in the floor. Vanessa tried to stop her, but it was too late. Bernice slid down the side of the rocket vehicle and knocked Kai-Tai aside just as Gil-Yan snapped. But where Kai-Tai once stood, Bernice now stood. It was all over in an instant.

With Vanessa still screaming as Jane hung on to her, Gil-Yan turned her attentions back to Kai-Tai. She now lay on the ground almost right beneath Gil-Yan's jaws. Then a voice shouted in triumph above all the noise.

"I find you!"

Gil-Yan spun round, snarling and spitting, Kai-Tai completely forgotten.

Prince Harold stood by an alcove. He held the curtain wide, revealing someone sitting on a narrow bed inside. She was very slim, and her skin was pale. She had light brown hair that almost reached to her waist. She would have been beautiful if it had not been for the completely vacant expression on her face and in her eyes. And it was only when you looked closer that you realised that her head was misshapen. Part of her skull on the left side was either caved in, or completely missing. She sat on the bed patiently, calmly, and uncaring.

Prince Harold looked triumphant as he held the curtain wide with one hand, and clutched his broken sword in his other hand.

"I find you!" he repeated. "Now you will be slain, demon dragon of the night!"

With a roar, Gil-Yan lunged forward, knocking aside the wrecked cars in her path. She was so fast that she had almost reached him before he could react. With Gil-Yan's hot breath on his neck, Prince Harold rushed into the alcove, raised his sword, and struck.

Paula and Jai-Soo disappeared under Gil-Yan's gaping jaws. They crashed down on them, knocking Jai-Soo off her feet and digging into the ground. Paula screamed, wrapping her arms around Jai-Soo, who in turn hugged Paula in their final moments.

Nothing happened.

There was sudden silence as Paula whimpered, her eyes tight shut, and her face pressed into Jai-Soo's chest.

A few seconds passed, and then Jai-Soo stroked Paula's head. "Hush, toose. It is over. The Outsider is dead."

Paula didn't move, so Jai-Soo tried again. "Look, toose, there is nothing to fear. You still live, do you not? Look. See for yourself."

Slowly, Paula relaxed her grip and turned her head. What she saw terrified her. They were both sitting right inside Gil-Yan's mouth, her teeth half embedded in the ground all around them. Paula tried to turn away again, but Jai-Soo held her chin and made her look.

"There is nothing to fear," she repeated. "The Outsider is dead. They have killed her other self, and now she has turned once more to the metal of our swords, to the black metal that marks our death."

As Paula stared at the inside of Gil-Yan's mouth, she saw that it was indeed all dark and black. And as she looked, Jai-Soo kicked out with her foot at one of the great, black teeth. It made a dull, metallic thud.

At last, Paula relaxed. "It's dead," she whispered.

Then a face appeared between the teeth. It was Craig. He was down on his knees.

"Are you two okay?" he asked.

Jai-Soo said, "Yes, but you will have to dig us out. We are imprisoned."

Craig disappeared from view and they heard him shout, "They're alive!"

### 

### Chapter Forty-Four

### The Survivors

In the alcove of the underground chamber, Prince Harold was splashed in the blood of Gil-Yan as he hacked off her head. But even as the slight form that had been the real Gil-Yan slumped from the bed, the beast slammed into the entrance of the alcove behind him. Turning, Prince Harold was faced with her gaping jaws. He stepped back in fright, but no final snap of her teeth followed.

It was as Jai-Soo had said, in death, Gil-Yan had returned to the metal of the sword she once was. But such was her size that any transformation was impossible. Instead, her great bulk only changed colour to black and grew as hard as stone, leaving her locked in her final position.

Prince Harold stared at the huge jaws, and as no bite followed, he grew bolder and struck at her teeth with his broken sword. Metal clanged against metal, the sound resonating and echoing.

"She is dead!" Prince Harold shouted in triumph. "The beast is dead!"

"Aye," came the more subdued sound of his brother's voice. "But so is everyone else."

The victory was indeed hollow. Apart from L'Barr, only two men had survived from those who had entered the castle with Prince Harold, and none had survived from the castle garrison. Now all those who had survived were scattered about the chamber, totally exhausted, and still deep in shock.

As Mai-Ra and Hai-Fam helped El-Vin with the stab wound she had received from the teeth of Gil-Yan, L'Barr did the same with one of his men. He slapped the other man who lay sprawled next to him and smiled, happy simply to have survived and still be alive.

Nearby, Soo-Kai held Rolf in her arms while Prince Carl did the same with Anne. And above them by the broken and splintered door, Becky and Jane held on to Vanessa. All three girls were crying, but it was Vanessa's sobs that were the most forceful.

In the aftermath of the battle, all were silent and subdued. Even Prince Harold's brief joy over the death of Gil-Yan quickly faded when he heard his brother's blunt but realistic reply. He squeezed himself between the wall of the alcove and Gil-Yan's stone hard flesh and returned to the main chamber. There he found Zen-Wa helping Kai-Tai to stagger to her feet. He took her arm and helped Zen-Wa support her, but even Kai-Tai had no words to speak. In the dust filled chamber, no one spoke, and the only sound was that of the girls crying.

The sound of the crying tore at Anne's heart and her conscience, and she pulled herself free from Prince Carl. He let go of her reluctantly, and watched her as she went over to the girls.

Anne climbed up the debris to the floor above. There she sat between Becky and Jane, taking Vanessa in her arms. Vanessa turned to her almost eagerly, and cried even harder and louder as Anne rocked her back and forth, patting her and stroking her. And beside them, Becky and Jane cried just as noisily.

Anne wanted to console Vanessa, to say something meaningful, something that would make sense of the horrors they had faced. But she couldn't think of anything, nothing at all. That one, final second of horror and shock had robbed her of all her words of comfort. So instead she did the only thing she could. She cried with them.

But even amid this pit of sorrow and anguish, there were still those who followed a Purpose.

One by one the Destroyers began to search the chamber and each of the other alcoves. To them, the carnage that had occurred was unimportant. The only thing that counted was that they were inside the castle and the Outsider was dead. The way forward was now clear.

What they searched for they found in one of the alcoves. Hai-Fam was inside on all fours, scraping at the gaps between the stone slabs, while Mai-Ra twisted and tugged at all the metal hooks on the wall that supported the burning torches. It was the third torch that hid the lever. As soon as Mai-Ra twisted it, there was a loud scrunch and Hai-Fam squealed. The stone slab she had been kneeling on suddenly tipped forward and she slithered down into darkness and disappeared. Below the stone slab, a set of steep, stone steps was now revealed.

All the Destroyers quickly congregated around the alcove. Di- Quan led the way. Ducking under Gil-Yan's outstretched neck where it lay across the crushed minibus, she hurried to the alcove and watched as Yan-Lai and Mai-Ra darted down the opening. Mai-Ra was in front, and she had hardly taken more than two steps down when Hai-Fam reappeared in her path. Mai-Ra put her hand on Hai-Fam's head and pushed her back down again. No sooner had they and Yan- Lai disappeared when Di-Quan followed them down.

Zen-Wa left Kai-Tai with Prince Harold and quickly followed Chen-Bey down the steps. El-Vin also made her way slowly into the alcove, still clutching at her midriff. There was blood on her fingers and on her tunic. But instead of following the others down the steps, she sat down on the edge of the slab at the top and stared down into the darkness.

Kai-Tai watched her. "We are left behind," she announced sadly. "We are too weak for the tasks that lie ahead. But the others will return when the path is investigated. There is something I possess that they must use if they are to escape."

Prince Harold kept his arm around Kai-Tai as he helped her into the alcove. Like her and El-Vin, he stared at the steps going down into darkness.

"Is the treasure you seek down there?" he asked her.

"Our treasure is freedom," she replied. "The freedom from this world and from the Navak machine that stifles our power. Down below, trapped under the soil and the rock, is the _Althon Gerail_ , the ship that first brought us to this world. For a short time in each generation, the _Nakora Tabek_ , the last of the Twelve Great Ships, will pass close by. As always, she will call to the survivors of the Navak crew who abandoned her. Only in the _Althon Gerail_ is there any means to answer that call. Tonight is the last night, and in a short time the ship above will be gone. It is our last chance to answer the call until another generation has passed."

"And if it was in your power, would you follow the others?"

"Yes."

"Then tell me truthfully, is it the bond that keeps you from taking the first steps, or the wound in your back? For if it is the bond, I will order you to go. This at least I owe you."

Kai-Tai's reply was honest. "The wound is the nail that holds me to this world, but it is the bond you have initiated that has truly trapped me. It was through this bond that I was wounded, and now, like El-Vin, I am left behind because of my weakness."

Rolf and Soo-Kai had come to stand next to Kai-Tai and Prince Harold in the alcove. Rolf had listened as Kai-Tai had explained to the Prince about the ship. To him, this was nothing new. Soo-Kai had told him the story long before. But now he stared down the darkened tunnel in awe. Down there, hidden for thousands of years, was a completely different world. A world of long lost technology, of power that could destroy whole planets. And among that technology was a doorway to the stars. The Portal Soo-Kai had described, the Portal that had brought the children here and could possibly take them all back home.

Rolf turned to Soo-Kai and found her staring down the tunnel with the same despairing look as El-Vin and Kai-Tai. A sudden feeling of sadness overcame him.

"Tell me the truth, my wife. Do you yearn for your freedom? If I gave my permission, would you follow the others to escape?"

Soo-Kai turned and stared at him. "There is nothing down there that I crave. I have my freedom here, with you. The freedom to think as I wish and do as I like. No, my husband, I have no wish to follow my sisters, I am only sad that they will be gone."

Rolf smiled and hugged her tightly. If she had said she wanted to leave, he would have begged her to go. But knowing that she wanted to stay brought him such joy and comfort. And somehow, he knew that she also knew and understood his feelings.

Kai-Tai watched Rolf and Soo-Kai kiss and hug. The sight angered her.

"I yearn!" she said in a loud voice. "This escape I have fought and waited for all my life on Ellerkan! And now I am left behind, trapped by a wound taken for a Navak! You could go in my place, Soo-Kai! You are my seed, if I cannot escape, you should!"

As Rolf and Soo-Kai stared at her in surprise, Kai-Tai reached inside her tunic and tugged at the thong tied around her neck, pulling it free. She thrust it towards Soo-Kai. From the thong hung the red tooth Prince Harold remembered. Kai-Tai continued to speak with determination.

"Here is the power driver circuit! The circuit I removed even as the ship rocked to the impacts of the energy pulses from the _Nakora Tabek_!"

Soo-Kai stared at it almost in fright.

"Take it!" Kai-Tai urged her, reaching forward and pushing the red device into her hand. "This will open the data-link! Talk with the _Nakora Tabek_ , leave this world!"

Soo-Kai shook her head and spoke hesitantly. "I will not leave Rolf. I will not break the bond that has given me such joy."

"Then take him with you!"

Her words were a shock. Rolf and Soo-Kai stared at one another.

The possibility that Soo-Kai could escape from Ellerkan, the world that had been her prison for so long, had always been at the back of Rolf's mind ever since he had learned of the ship and the Portal. But he had never for one moment even considered that he might use the same means to follow her. There was sudden confusion, not just in his mind but also in Soo-Kai's.

Soo-Kai stared at the small and ancient red device she held in her hand. What should she do?

A weak voice behind them startled her more than a shout would have done.

"Could we get home, too?"

It was Jane. She sniffled and wiped at her tear-stained face. Behind her, Anne and Prince Carl held Vanessa between them. She still sobbed and wailed. Becky stood next to them, wiping her face as Jane did, holding her glasses in one hand.

Soo-Kai looked at them all and nodded slowly. "Yes, it is possible that you could go home. But the journey is long and our time is short."

Becky put on her glasses. "Then maybe we should all get going as quickly as we can," she suggested.

Vanessa turned her head from Anne's shoulder, revealing a face still twisted in pain and despair. When she spoke, she ground the words out between her wails and sobs.

"I don't want to go without Berni! I want Berni!"

Anne looked at her in despair. "You don't mean that!" she said.

"I do! I won't go without Berni! I won't!"

Vanessa was a complete wreck. Crying and wailing, she struggled between Anne and Prince Carl, and continued to shout and scream her refusal to leave. Her voice was sore and hoarse, and her exertions caused her to collapse, pulling Anne and Carl with her. She sat on the floor between them, still shouting.

"I won't go! I won't go!"

There was a scraping sound from above. Dust fell through the hole and rattled against the side of the rocket ship. A moment later and Nan-Po had landed by the crushed minibus. She still held her sword in her hand.

She wasn't the only one to squeeze her way through the tiny gaps left by Gil-Yan in the passageways and doors. A moment later and Jai-Soo jumped down next to her. She looked quickly around her and then shouted back up the way she had come.

"They still live!"

There was an instant reply. "Are you sure?"

Jane recognised the voice. "Craig? Is that you?" she called out.

The answering shout was excited and female. "Jane!"

Jane moved closer to the debris gathered under the hole in the floor and stared up at the doorway. "Amy! Are you alright?"

Craig answered her as he wormed his way into the room above. "We're all okay! We're coming down!"

And Amy shouted, "We've got two French boys with us! And Paula's here, too!"

Becky joined Jane in staring up at the doorway, and Anne stood up with tears in her eyes.

"Amy, Paula," she breathed.

As more of the girls squeezed through the doorway into the room above, Jane and Becky began to scream and jump up and down. Craig stayed at the top and helped Amy down first, then Paula. While below them, Jai-Soo waited to guide them down the rest of the way. Sophia appeared next, and then came the two French boys, quickly followed by Karen and Jemma. Rowena came last. As each girl appeared and climbed down, there were screams of delight. But they weren't the only survivors.

The two men Prince Harold had left to watch the horses and guard the prisoner had entered the castle after Gil-Yan was killed and had found the children. They had also found servants and other staff who had cowered in the North and East Towers during all the mayhem. Now the men followed the children through the narrow gaps and shouted to L'Barr who climbed up the debris to meet them. Their joy at finding one another alive was plain to see. But more good news was to follow.

Sir Malcolm had been found alive on the steps of the North Tower. He and several other men had avoided Gil-Yan's attention due to the wounds they had gained in the previous fight for the castle. Friend or foe, most had been taken inside the East Tower before Gil-Yan had emerged from her underground chambers. Even the messenger who was once their prisoner now helped with the rest as their wounds were tended.

Sir Malcolm had been taken to the North Tower where he ended up on the dining room table. The arrow was removed from his back, and he was left there, able only to shout and curse at the servants who tended him while the carnage unfolded outside.

Prince Harold was overjoyed by the news. He had feared that the Knight had been killed with the rest. Now he slapped the men who brought the news on the back, and hugged them along with L'Barr.

Anne too, was overjoyed. She sat hugging Vanessa, and had cried at the sight of each girl when they had appeared, never realising that so many had survived. But as the girls and their teacher greeted and hugged one another, their joy turned to tears at the news of those who had been lost. Those that had survived cried and hugged one another, and even the two French boys were drawn into the group hug.

Debbie, Jo, Linda, Christine and Samantha. All were gone, and now Bernice too. Rolf and Soo-Kai watched and felt helpless. They had done their best, and they had almost succeeded. But now the sight of such anguish overwhelmed them.

Prince Carl also felt sad, not just because of his feelings for Anne, but because he had known some of the girls who were now dead, and although it had been for only a short time, he had seen them laughing and sad. He wanted so much to hug and comfort Anne, but there was no room for him. He was pushed out and he felt excluded. All he could do was watch and wait. But in his mind he could still picture them.

Prince Harold, L'Barr and the men who had survived were also overcome with sorrow. The sound of the crying brought to mind the faces of friends and comrades of their own who had fallen. Too many had died that day, and too few were left to mourn them.

### Chapter Forty-Five

### Anger and Loss

As sadness threatened to overwhelm all those in the chamber, only Nan-Po was unaffected. As Jai-Soo stood next to Anne and the children and watched them cry, her head tilted to one side and a puzzled look on her face, Nan-Po walked straight towards Prince Harold and Kai-Tai. And as soon as she saw the red device still clutched in Soo-Kai's hand she snatched for it.

Soo-Kai refused to let go and a tug-of-war developed between her and Nan-Po. Kai-Tai tried to intervene, then Rolf quickly joined in, and soon they were all shouting at one another, with Kai-Tai and Nan-Po shouting in the Destroyer language. When Prince Harold joined in, Nan-Po finally backed off, but she immediately raised her sword. L'Barr rushed forward and stood between her and the others, his sword also raised. Other men quickly joined him.

Prince Harold moved quickly to stop things getting any further out of control.

"Enough!" he shouted, his voice so loud that even Anne and the children looked up, all of them startled. Nan-Po stepped back, and L'Barr and his men lowered their swords.

"The treaty I have made is not yet broken!" Prince Harold continued. "Stop this squabbling! Give the device to me! Now!" He held out his hand to Soo-Kai, and without hesitation, she gave it to him.

Prince Harold then turned to Nan-Po, holding up the red device. "I will give you this device only on condition that if the path you seek is open, you send word back to me here. And if these people should choose to follow your path, you will not stand in their way. Do you agree? Answer, for I know you understand me."

Nan-Po glanced briefly at Kai-Tai. In reply, Kai-Tai barked one word to Nan-Po, and to Rolf's surprise, Nan-Po nodded.

Prince Harold gave her the device. Without a further glance to anyone else, Nan-Po placed her sword in her back and headed for the alcove. There she paused at the top of the steps and spoke to El-Vin. El-Vin shook her head sadly, and Nan-Po quickly disappeared down the tunnel.

Jai-Soo moved to follow her, but Paula broke free from Anne and the others and ran after her.

"Don't go!" she shouted, pulling on Jai-Soo's tunic. "Please!"

Jai-Soo stopped on the steps. She glanced at El-Vin and Kai-Tai, and then she looked directly at Paula, staring intently at her tear-stained face. For a few seconds Jai-Soo didn't move. But then she took Paula's hand from her tunic, holding it tightly in hers. And reaching out with her other hand she gently stroked Paula's face.

"Wait for me," she said. "I will be the one to return if the way is clear. I will come for El-Vin and Kai-Tai, but if you should wish to escape with us, then I will guide you as Soo-Kai has guided you before. This I can pledge only until the dawn, then we must part."

And before Paula could reply, Jai-Soo had let go of her hand and disappeared out of view.

Paula slumped on the side of the steps, staring down into the darkness.

Jane turned angrily to Prince Harold. "Why did you give it to her? Now we're stumped!"

Prince Harold was unrepentant. "If our trust in one another is broken now, we will all be disadvantaged. They outnumber us, and you. And even if there is no fight between you, do you know the way below? Do you know the path and the dangers that they face? I think not. No, if you are to go, then you must follow in their wake. And to do this you need their alliance. Nan-Po has pledged that she and the others will not stand in your way, and you heard Jai-Soo promise to return. Now you must wait. Wait and decide."

Jane didn't look impressed, and Prince Carl laughed.

"I never realised you had such a knack for diplomacy, brother!" he said. "You should have left me to L'Roth and taken my place!"

"Don't jest, or I still might!" Prince Harold replied. "Because of you I had to give up a picnic with Gwendolyn on a pleasant day for this–" he held up his hands, "–this butchery! When will you ever learn to behave as the Crown Prince, and not as a wealthy buffoon?"

Prince Carl was far from dismayed by his brother's words. "You are right! And you are not the first to condemn me! But I swear to you that from this day forward the buffoon is no more! From now on my life is renewed and my intentions clear. I am the Crown Prince of the Realm of Halafalon, and I will henceforth behave as the title befits. And my first act is to convince our father that your title should be changed. No more shall you be just Prince Harold. Your actions tonight deserve a much more befitting title. You have slain the dragon, so now you will be forever known as Harold, the dragon slayer, the Dragon Prince of Halafalon!"

L'Barr raised his sword and shouted. "Hail Prince Harold, hail the Dragon Prince!"

Prince Harold was not impressed as the men cheered.

"Hah!" he bellowed. "I'd swap any such grand title for the life of one man, woman, or child killed this day!"

L'Barr lowered his sword and nodded more solemnly. "Aye, even Sir Morgan. He fought well today."

The sad mood had quickly returned. Prince Carl looked around at them all and took a deep breath. "Then we will honour them all. From this moment there was no treason and no attempt on the Crown. All who died did so fighting the beast. There will be no dishonour and no reprisals. Do we agree?"

All shouted, "Aye!"

"Then it is done!"

As the men cheered once more, Vanessa twisted around in Anne's arms and reached forward, smacking and pushing at Prince Carl.

"That's so easy for you!" she shouted, her face twisted in anger. "Just like that and you think it's all fixed! Well it isn't! My sister's dead! What are you going to do about that? My sister's dead! How can I go home and tell mum? How can I tell dad? What am I supposed to do?"

Vanessa was crying as before, the tears rolling down her face as she shouted and screamed at the surprised Prince. But in her sadness and tears there was also a deep and powerful anger. And that anger wasn't directed at Prince Carl.

As Anne tried to hold onto Vanessa and pull her back from Prince Carl, Vanessa struggled and quickly broke free. But instead of continuing her attack on the Prince she ran at Kai-Tai. Kai-Tai and Prince Harold were both taken by surprise, and before Prince Harold could stop her, Vanessa had shoved Kai-Tai hard in the chest and knocked her to the floor.

Prince Harold grabbed Vanessa around the waist and had to carry her as she kicked and lashed out furiously at Kai-Tai as she lay on the floor.

"It's your fault my sister is dead!" Vanessa screamed at her. "I ought to kill you, you cow!"

In contrast to Vanessa's angry shouts, Kai-Tai spoke weakly and painfully as she lay on the floor holding her wounded back. "I did not understand–"

"You must have known she liked you!" Vanessa shouted back, not waiting for Kai-Tai to finish. "She kept following you about! She even followed you into the castle! You must have known!"

"I had told her to stop."

"You killed Berni! It was your fault, you cow! You just stood there! Why didn't you move? Why didn't you do something? You useless, stupid cow!"

"She was female, I did not realise the power of her attachment."

"You do now, though, don't you? Now that it's too fucking late!"

Prince Harold pulled Vanessa away, dragging her back towards Anne who quickly grabbed her. Becky and Sophia rushed to help her, and the three of them forced Vanessa down on to the floor as Prince Harold let go of her and stepped back.

Anne tried her best to calm Vanessa, but it was no use.

"Stop this, Vanessa! If it's anyone's fault it's mine! I was your teacher! I was responsible for all of you! It's my fault!"

Anne was crying too, filled with guilt and remorse at her failure to protect the children, children who had been in her care. But Vanessa wouldn't listen. She had already decided who was to blame, and there was no chance of convincing her any differently.

"Let go! I want to kill her, the stupid bitch!" Vanessa shouted. "It's her fault! Let go!"

In response, Kai-Tai sat up and drew her sword from her back. "Then do it!" she called out with renewed strength. "End my life at last!" She held out her sword towards Vanessa, handle first. "Do it! Take the sword! Let your hatred be your guide! Let it give you purpose in life as my Purpose gives me!"

Vanessa stared at the sword, her anger stopped in its tracks by her confusion. Kai-Tai crawled closer, holding out the sword between them as she spoke.

"You speak the truth, Van-Es-A! I accept the guilt of your sister's death! I knew of her fixation. I tried to dissuade her, but in truth I basked in her attention. I wanted her presence! It pleased and comforted me! But as always, the Purpose kills all! Especially the ones closest to you! The Purpose _is_ death! Only within a bond is my mind free to see this! But I am old! Far too old! Old and tired! But with the Purpose to drive and guide me, I cannot give up! Only now, for this one night, while the Navak Prince holds my destiny in his hands can I choose to live or die! So I chose to die! I stood still and my inaction killed Bern-E as swiftly as would my sword! So take your vengeance! Kill me! End my memories of war and death, of fire and torment! But do it not for me, but to avenge the death of your sister! She gave her life for mine, so I offer you the chance to take mine for hers! Kill me! Kill me and take your sister's place, become what she dreamed and yearned for!"

As everyone stared as if transfixed, Prince Harold stepped forward and grabbed Kai-Tai's sword.

"We have had enough killing for today," he said in a calm voice. And to Vanessa he said, "Another death will not bring your sister back to life, nor will it quell your grief."

Vanessa turned to him angrily. "You're only saying that because you want to keep her!"

Prince Harold shook his head. "It is the bargain that I will keep. With the dawn we will part, and I shall never see her again. But you have your whole life to live. And what you would do, you would soon regret."

Vanessa shook her head. "Never! I'll get even! One day! You'll see! I'll get even!"

Paula turned from her position at the top of the steps and stood up. She screamed at Vanessa at the top of her voice.

"Shut up! Shut up you stupid, selfish cow! All we ever hear about is your bloody sister! What about Christine? What about Debbie and Samantha, and Linda and Jo? They're all dead! All of them! So how can any of us go home? How can we sit in class or at home and be all safe when they're all dead? Shut up, you daft cow! Shut up before I come over there and knock your fucking teeth in!"

Vanessa stared at Paula's twisted and angry expression, then she burst into tears and buried her head in Anne's shoulder once more, and the chamber returned to silence and sadness.

Prince Carl put his hand on Anne's shoulder. "To go or to stay is your choice," he said to her softly. "There is time to decide, and we will wait with you."

Anne nodded gratefully and Prince Carl sat down beside her.

It was the moment when everything was finally over. Kai-Tai slowly replaced her sword and sat back. She wiped the drying blood on her tunic, feeling it between her finger and thumb.

It is the Atlantian's blood.

She liked me and I killed her.

The Outsider consumed her. But your statement is correct. You defied the Purpose. You offered yourself to the Outsider. Only the Atlantian saved you.

Only in the bond did I realise that I liked her.

To like the incorrect is not permitted by the Purpose. It is fitting that she died.

I hate you!

When the sun rises you will forget your hatred and accept what is true.

I hate you.

Vanessa sobbed quietly in Anne's arms while the other children sat about and sniffled. Paula sat on her own, looking more embarrassed than angry. Time passed, and with its passing came a slow and gradual release. One by one, everyone seemed to relax.

L'Barr organised for his injured man to be attended to, and even El-Vin and Kai-Tai were soon bandaged and made more comfortable. There was a lot of coming and going through the narrow gaps in the doorway, and people clambered and slithered up and down the debris to the chamber above. Prince Carl ordered one of the men to ride to Ellerkan to give word of what had happened to his father, and Sir Malcolm was told of their decision to wait in the chamber of the West Tower.

The news that both Princes were alive filled Sir Malcolm with joy, but he declined to join them in the West Tower. He much preferred the comfort of the North Tower to the gloomy chamber they now rested in. But he ordered food and drink to be brought down to them from the kitchens by the surviving servants.

Rolf and Soo-Kai sat near the crushed minibus, Gil-Yan's frozen form towering above them, forgotten and ignored. They sat in each other's arms and Rolf squeezed Soo-Kai gratefully, happy that they had both survived and were still together.

"When you left to help the others in the corridor I thought it was the last I would see of you," he said.

"And I you," she replied. "But we both still live. Fortune smiles on us."

"It does, at least for now. But tell me, my wife, now that all is over, can you explain to me what has happened? If the red device your mother kept around her neck was so vital to the opening of the Portal, how then did these children come to be here?"

Soo-Kai sighed. "My mother and I had begun to suspect that the Outsider never really controlled the Portal, that instead she merely received what came through from the other side."

"But how, and why now?" Rolf asked, looking puzzled.

It was Kai-Tai that answered him. She was sat nearby, waiting as they, and listening to their conversation.

"If there is a fault in the command to open the Portal," she said in a casual voice. "And if that fault lay in the data field that described the destination of those that were to be sent, then it is possible that the ship above would default to the homing beacon. If the fault persisted, then the error in transmission would be repeated again and again."

Her answer puzzled Rolf even more. "What homing beacon?"

Soo-Kai pointed to the machine with the octagonal device sitting on top of it. The light inside it still flashed. "That is the homing beacon. Its presence here was unknown to us until now. It explains everything. They must have recovered it from the assault ship along with the power unit upon which it sits. The Outsider must have repaired and reactivated it. Everything else then followed."

Rolf gestured towards the vehicles in the chamber. "And all these came through the Portal because of that?"

"Yes," Soo-Kai replied. "Somewhere, someone opened the Portal and all fell in. Where and when that is, or by whom, we cannot say. Maybe another ancient relic lies exposed on some planet and those that have uncovered it meddle. Maybe they try to send things, to rediscover the Portal connections. But whatever the reason, it was the homing beacon that brought what was sent here."

Rolf sat up. "Does it still function?"

"Yes."

"So, if the Portal was opened again somewhere, whatever passed through it would end up here, again?"

"Yes," Soo-Kai repeated.

Rolf stood up. "Then we must stop it."

Rolf went to search among the debris and picked up a nice, large stone fragment. It was heavy, but just light enough to be lifted. Rolf held it in both hands and raised it high over his head. Then he hurled it at the homing beacon. It crashed down on the metal chassis and delicate electronics with a bang and a flash of blue sparks, knocking it to the floor where it smashed and pieces scattered.

"There!" Rolf said in triumph.

Prince Harold saw and heard the crash, and he quickly pulled Rolf aside. "Why did you do that? These things belong to us, now. They belong to the King. By whose authority do you break them?"

"You would keep such devices?" Rolf asked him, surprised at the anger in the Prince's voice.

"The weapon was powerful. If L'Roth had lived to use it, my father's army would have been vanquished. Such devices should be studied and their uses realised."

"And what then?" Rolf retorted, angry himself now. "Would you blow everything up as our ancestors did in the past? We are lucky we only have swords and pikes! Think of the mayhem we could cause with anything more powerful!"

Prince Harold would have argued the point but his brother spoke up on Rolf's side.

"The tailor is right. For the first time in more than a thousand years the technology of the past has returned, and look what we have reaped. No, what is buried is best left buried. But it should also be guarded. To you, my brother, this honour will fall. You and an army bearing the sign of the dragon shall dwell in this castle. It shall be rebuilt, and this chamber and access to all within shall be sealed. This I shall request of my father, and funds will be found. You know this decision to be wise, as who else could my father and I trust with such secrets but you?"

Prince Harold sighed and shook his head sadly. "I hope Gwendolyn favours forest life."

### Chapter Forty-Six

### The Drone

An hour passed, and as the second hour ebbed away with no sign of anyone climbing the steps from below, the children had begun to tire of the waiting. Sorrow had quickly turned to boredom, and from boredom to sleep. But time passed slowly, and by the fourth hour their tiredness had given way to curiosity and hunger.

Sophia sat on the bonnet of a wrecked police car with L'Barr. He held a plate of food and busied himself explaining what each morsel was before he offered it to her to taste. She ate each piece with interest and delight.

Amy sat in Craig's arms. They were leaning against the wall, talking softly to one another. Craig stroked Amy's hair.

Paula sat with Emile by the steps, both of them looking down and waiting patiently. El-Vin sat next to them. Jean had brought them all some food. El-Vin had taken it hesitantly, staring at Jean intently and waiting while he offered the food to the others before she took a bite. She had continued to watch Jean until the boy had moved away, and now he sat with Rowena next to Anne and Prince Carl. They too were in each others arms.

Carl talked earnestly to Anne, holding her hand. But whatever it was he said, all she did in reply was shake her head sadly.

Vanessa now sat by herself. She leaned against the side of a broken car, the doors hanging off it. Underneath her was the back seat that she had pulled out. She sat in silence, not crying now, but with her head down.

Becky sat by the broken cart examining the gun that now lay bent and broken beneath the stones. Behind her, Jane, Jemma and Karen rummaged about in the rocket-ship, their movements causing it to sway and rock slightly.

Jane suddenly emerged from the hatch of the rocket-ship and called to Becky. "Hey, Becky! There's another one of those in here!"

"Is there? Show me!" Becky left the broken gun and ran to join Jane in the rocket-ship, both of them disappearing inside.

Rolf sat with his arms around Soo-Kai, watching them all. And he watched Kai-Tai and Prince Harold in particular. Kai-Tai sat almost opposite to them on the other side of the alcove. Mainly she kept her eyes on the opening and the steps, but every so often she would also look up to check that the Prince was still nearby. He always was. Sitting near her and waiting patiently with her.

Prince Harold hadn't put a foot wrong with Kai-Tai. He himself had cleaned and bandaged her wounds. And when food was brought in, it was he that had given it to her. Rolf marvelled at his knowledge and understanding.

When Rolf had met Soo-Kai, he had stumbled and chanced into the bond with her. Only his intentions had been clear. But this had been enough for Soo-Kai, and she had understood and accepted him. Not so with Prince Harold. He knew exactly what he did, and he left nothing to chance. And he also managed what anyone else did with El-Vin, staying close to her while her wounds were tended, and keeping his men away from her. Only Jean had got by, but even he had retreated under Prince Harold's stern gaze. But if Prince Harold's actions were a marvel, so to were Kai-Tai's.

Rolf had known Kai-Tai for a short time, and when he saw her it was often only fleetingly. But he had quickly come to accept her hard nature and her unwavering disapproval of him. The reason for it was simple. Kai-Tai hated him for stealing Soo-Kai away from her. Rolf could sense it in her eyes whenever she looked at him. And he never doubted that if the bond between him and Soo-Kai were to be broken, she would kill him without hesitation.

Sometimes that scared him. But it was a fact. He had got used to it. He had to, for Soo-Kai's sake.

From that first time they met in the forest, Kai-Tai's urge to kill him was a plain and almost physical presence. And the other Destroyers were no different. Only Hai-Fam, who was young, seemed softer and friendlier. Yes, and maybe Jai-Soo also. Rolf wondered about her. She had helped the children and spoken with Paula almost tenderly while Nan-Po and the other Destroyers had almost ignored them. It made him wonder how old she was.

Prince Harold's treaty had had profound effects.

In contrast to that first time they met, Kai-Tai's character now seemed almost benign. Her expression and her body language were completely different to before. Her very features had seemed to change and soften. When Rolf looked at her now, he saw Soo-Kai. He had prided himself on the fact that he could recognise one from the other, but now, if it wasn't for Kai-Tai's hair hanging loose about her shoulders, Rolf would have sworn that it was Soo- Kai sitting before him.

Rolf turned and stared at Soo-Kai. Then he moved his head closer to hers and whispered in her ear. "Do you wish that your mother and the Prince would keep their bond?"

Soo-Kai looked across the alcove at her mother. "Yes, but I know that it is not possible," she answered in a soft voice.

"Why not?"

"Because he does not love her and my mother knows it," Soo-Kai replied almost sadly. "She would have given her life for him, but he has not done the same for her. His motives are clear. The liaison is for one night only. This he has stated at the outset, and it is not unusual or unfair. His terms were acceptable to her."

Rolf looked sadder than she did. Soo-Kai took his hand. "You must remember that a bond such as we have is rare among our kind. For every once this happens, a hundred times or more the liaison is short. So long as we can conceive then such brief liaisons are acceptable. In a way they are preferred, as we can continue with the Purpose without distraction. Whether my mother has conceived or not, I cannot yet say, but when the dawn comes, they will part, and neither will wish to change their decision."

Rolf sighed. "It seems such a shame. It would have made us all a lot closer."

Soo-Kai turned in his arms, almost clambering on top of him in her need to hold him close. "You think of me always, how I love you so much, my husband." They kissed, and Soo-Kai hugged Rolf so tightly that he almost couldn't breathe.

Karen came out of the rocket-ship and looked around. She had wanted to ask Soo-Kai a question, but when she saw her and Rolf kissing she smiled. She jumped down and went to Kai-Tai instead.

Prince Harold gave her a stern look as she came close, but Karen wasn't to be put off.

"Kai-Tai, what is this thing?" she asked, hooking a thumb at the rocket-ship behind her.

Kai-Tai turned and answered her question with another question. "Is it intact inside?"

"No," Karen replied. "It looks like everything has been stripped out. There isn't even a seat. Just the engines, those guns and a bit of electronics and stuff, but nothing else."

"Then it is a drone."

"A drone?" Karen repeated. "That sounds like something false or redundant."

Kai-Tai nodded. "Yes. Once it was a small fighter, used in space rather than in atmosphere. A short range escort ship often used to protect other larger ships with little or no fire power. But that was long ago. Now its roll is that of a target for gunnery practice, or as a test to see if the Portal functions correctly."

That stirred Prince Harold. He stared at the ship. "It was sent here on purpose?"

"It was sent with purpose, but not to here," Kai-Tai replied. "Somewhere, someone waits for the arrival of this drone. They will be disappointed."

Prince Harold looked annoyed. "Always treachery! As if we haven't enough problems with border disputes with Falonbeck, now we have to look to the heavens and the stars for our enemies!"

Kai-Tai reached out to take his hand. "Do not be dismayed, my bond. The arrival of the drone was in error. Those that sent it may send more, but with the homing beacon now destroyed, none will arrive here."

Harold turned to her. "But it was a test! Sent for a purpose! You said this yourself! That means someone tries to send things here. Maybe for now they are stopped, but what if they correct their error? What if their tests are successful?"

"Maybe they are successful," Kai-Tai said to his surprise. "Maybe they corrected their error a thousand years ago. Or maybe they correct it in a thousand years time from now. It no longer matters. Whether the drone was sent from the past or the future, its arrival here was solely due to the homing beacon. Its true destination in both time and space is unknown to us; we only know that it came here in error. But if they correct that error, their next transmission will go where they intend to send it. Where that is or was, no longer concerns us. It is not here and not now."

Kai-Tai could see that Prince Harold was confused by her answer. He wasn't the only one. Karen stood with her head tilted to one side, looking absolutely baffled. And behind her, Jane and Becky had emerged from the drone to listen, while Jemma sat on the edge of the hatch, her feet waving back and forth. Even Paula was staring at her with uncomprehending eyes.

Kai-Tai sighed. Being bonded brought with it hidden burdens. Now she was forced into a lengthy explanation for these humans when all she really wanted to do was rest. At least the bond would be over with the morning. Then she could happily kill everyone. It was much easier and simpler than having to relate to them. Why did humans spend so much time talking?

With Rolf and Soo-Kai now listening, Kai-Tai found herself the centre of attention as she explained.

"The Portal contains data fields for co-ordinates in time as well as in space. This is necessary in transmissions across the galaxy where the distances are so great. When you look to the stars you may see one twinkle in the night, but by the time it takes a ship to make the journey to visit it, it may have gone nova and be nothing but a cloud of gas. To visit the star as you see it, you have to go there at the time the light you see first left it. That could be a thousand, or a million years ago."

"Cor!" Jemma exclaimed. "Time travel!"

"Yes, but not in the way you think," Kai-Tai told her. "It has never been of any interest to us to go forwards or backwards, only to go to a certain place at a certain time. The galaxy is vast, and the number of stars and planets limitless. But the number of planets that can sustain life are not without limit, and those that exist do not all exist at the right stage of development. Life evolves, grows, flourishes, and then becomes extinct. So it is with civilizations. Whole empires and races could have risen or fallen in the time it took to journey to them. Better to visit them when they exist, and not when they have fallen. The Portal fulfils this aim.

"Civilizations separated by time as well as vast distances could be brought together. Even if one civilization had risen and fallen during the time the planet of another civilization was still being formed, they could still visit one another, form alliances and even trade. The Portal could allow whole ships to pass, or one single individual.

"It is said that the Tun-Sho-Lok invented the Portal, although others also lay claim to it. But it is true that the Tun-Sho-Lok were possessed with the desire to experience other societies and other civilizations. It was they who pushed the limits of the Portal ever outwards, seeking more and more life-forms and civilizations to add to the vast community already linked. And many of those civilizations were at different stages in their development. Some may have perfected space travel, while others still crossed their oceans on ships powered by wind and the oars of slaves.

"At the height of their civilization, it was said that more of the Tun-Sho-Lok lived on other worlds than did live on their own, and that on some worlds they even interbred with the local populations. It was also said that in one day it was possible to see the sun rise as a red giant on the periphery of the galaxy, and see it set as a white dwarf in the globular centre. And in between, all the civilizations, the art, the language and the cultures, all would be open to you."

Anne was enthralled by Kai-Tai's description. "That's marvellous," she whispered.

Kai-Tai nodded. "Yes. A brilliant achievement by a race rich in art and technology. But with trade and alliances comes politics. And with politics comes war. The Portal opened the way for war as easily as it did for trade. But war was no longer in the past or in the future, and it was no longer safely separated by long distances. Everywhere, instantly, war was here and now. It destroyed everything. Civilizations scattered throughout the history of the galaxy all ended at the same instant. Whole races perished. Now there is nothing."

Anne couldn't believe it. It was so sad. Sad and stupid. "But why?" was all she could say.

Kai-Tai almost shrugged, but then the pain in her back showed in her expression and she quickly gave up.

"The answer is difficult," she said. "I speak from my memory of a time I did not experience. The history I related was one instilled into my mind by those who created us. But after so many years it fades. I am old, my mind is in compression, and the unimportant memories are slowly being discarded. Soon I will forget."

Kai-Tai looked across at Soo-Kai. "You also forget, my daughter. But what do you remember?"

"I am fortunate to be bonded," Soo-Kai replied. "What I remember Rolf has written down. I have only to look to see what has past."

Rowena immediately spoke up. "The journal! I left it on the cart!"

"It will be safe with the horses," Prince Harold told her.

"I should hope so," Rolf added. "I have some of my cloth on that cart."

"But what about the war?" Anne said. "What happened?"

Kai-Tai spoke again to Soo-Kai. "You tell them," she urged her. "Exercise your mind by retelling our history. Tell them of the war with the Keruh Empire; tell them the story of the clones of the Tun-Sho-Lok, of the Inside, Outside war, and the revolt of the Navak."

Soo-Kai nodded. "I will try, but without my journal, I am unsure as to what I will remember."

Rolf took her hand. "Don't worry, I'll help you." He smiled at her, and slowly, Soo-Kai carried on the explanation her mother had begun.

"A war was not sought, but in their relentless search for other civilizations, the Tun-Sho-Lok found the Keruh. They were vastly interesting, with a society built around a primitive warrior code. They were not ready for what the Tun-Sho-Lok gave them. And access to the Portal gave them access to all."

Soo-Kai now retold the history of the war and the creation of the clones of the Tun-Sho-Lok. What she forgot, Rolf filled in, remembering from what she had told him and he had written down all those years before. Some of the girls had already seen Soo-Kai's journal and knew the story, but all listened quietly.

When Soo-Kai recounted the Battle of the Black Cross Nebula, and the arrival of the Destroyers on Ellerkan, there was complete silence in the chamber. She finally finished the story with the history of the battles that followed, and the persecution of the Destroyers by King Stephen.

The silence continued after Soo-Kai had finished. And out of everyone in the chamber, Anne seemed to be the most overcome by the story.

"It's so sad," she said in almost a whisper. "All that life, all those people and civilizations, it was all so wonderful, and now they're all dead and gone."

And Vanessa said, "Yeah, life stinks."

### Chapter Forty-Seven

### Their Future Decided

Vanessa's comments ended the history lesson. Everyone stared at her, but no one said anything.

By the entrance to the tunnel, Paula sat with El-Vin and Emile. She had been growing more and more impatient as the time passed. Now she could stand it no longer.

"Why doesn't she come back?" she asked of no one in particular.

It was obvious who she was talking about. No one else wanted to answer her, so Kai-Tai did.

"Maybe it is because the way is clear and they have escaped without us."

Prince Harold refused to believe that. "Nan-Po pledged to send word back to me, and Jai-Soo herself said that she would return. She would not renege on that pledge."

"No," Kai-Tai replied. "But the hours have passed and the time they have is limited. Even now it runs short. If that pledge was to be kept, Jai-Soo should have returned before now."

"You think they have met with some delay?"

"What happens in the darkness of the lower corridors of the ship I cannot say. All we know from the past is that none have returned to make the journey a second time."

Anne grasped the meaning of her words and she spoke with obvious alarm. "Are you saying that it's too late? That we've waited here for nothing?"

Instead of answering her, Kai-Tai closed her eyes and tilted her head upwards. "I cannot see the ship above," she said in a soft voice. "But when it is close I can sense its presence. I feel its energy and its power. I feel it in my veins and in my blood, but especially I feel it in my back. That feeling fades."

Kai-Tai opened her eyes and turned to Soo-Kai. "What do you feel, my daughter? Your body is strong while mine is weak. Do you still feel the ship above?"

Soo-Kai also closed her eyes. She didn't answer, but after a few seconds she opened her eyes again and slowly shook her head.

Anne stood up, overcome by the implication of what that meant. "We can't go home," she said in a shocked voice. "We're stuck here, forever."

Kai-Tai's reply was very matter-of-fact. "Not forever, only until the ship returns in twenty-eight years time. Then all can try again."

Anne looked horrified. "But if Nan-Po and the rest couldn't get through, what chance have we got?" Then it suddenly dawned on her. "Twenty-eight years? We can't wait twenty-eight years! I'll be fifty-two! It's a prison sentence! No, it's a lifetime!"

"I'm glad," Rowena said to everyone's surprise. They all looked at her, causing her to blush slightly. But she had something to say, and she was going to finish it. "Vanessa and Paula are right, Miss. We can't go home now, even if we could. I know I'll miss my mum and dad and everything, but it just wouldn't be right. If we went home, I'd see Linda's brother, and Jo's mum and dad, and my parents know Christine's parents. My dad works with her dad at GEC. They'd all know that I was alive while their sister and daughters were dead. It would upset me, it would upset them. No, it's better for all of them if we stay. So long as we're all missing together, they'll all have something to share. They'll all have some hope that we're all still alive somewhere, that maybe we all ran off abroad in the minibus. They'll never find it, so they'll never know, will they? No, I'm glad. I want to stay."

As soon as Rowena had finished, Jane quickly said, "Me, too, Miss. I don't want to go, either."

Sophia was the next to speak up. "Nor me. I want to stay, too."

One by one, all the girls began to speak up. None of them wanted to go back home. And although the two French boys only spoke a little English, it was good enough for them both to understand what was going on. Neither of them wanted to go back either. But it was Becky's comments that finally sealed it.

"We have to stay, Miss," she told Anne. "You just have to think about it for a second to realise that it's the only way. I'll be sad for a while too, but I couldn't face going back. Think of the questions that would be asked. Think of the police and the media. And what could we tell them? They wouldn't believe the truth. They'd say we made it all up, that we did something underhand or criminal. They'd say that we were covering up the real reason why the others were killed. They'd probably blame you, Miss. They'd make something sexual and perverted out of it. And what about the French boys? It'll be worse for them; they're the only one's that are left. And while the media raged on and on about it, all our parents would have to suffer it too. Sooner or later they'd begin to believe it, and after that it wouldn't be long before they began to hate each other. They'll each believe the lies and the rubbish. They'll start fighting and blaming one another over who died and who lived. And we'd be right in the middle. No, I don't want to go back now, either. Rowena's right, it's best for all concerned if we stay."

Anne stared at Becky in shock. She opened her mouth to say something, but then closed it again without uttering a sound. She looked around at everyone, suddenly feeling very self-conscious, so she slowly sat down next to Prince Carl once more, a dazed look on her face. Prince Carl put his arm around her and pulled her close. She didn't resist.

Paula had listened impatiently and with growing annoyance while Rowena and Becky had spoken. Not that she was annoyed with them; it was just that she hadn't wanted to have this conversation now. But annoyed or not, when the time had come, she had been just as vocal as the rest of the girls about wanting to stay. Like them, there was no way she could go back to school and normality, not after what she had seen and experienced.

Paula wasn't the same girl who had gone off to a hockey match that morning a million years ago. She could never be the same again. She never wanted to be. But that wasn't what was driving her crazy. She was still far more concerned about Jai-Soo than she was about going home. And she still hadn't got a proper answer out of Kai-Tai. Instead she had been made to listen to all this talk about going home when everyone must have already known for ages that they were never really going to get home again. And why would they want to?

In final desperation, Paula left her place by the steps and went to stand in front of Kai-Tai.

"Never mind about all that!" she said to her. "What about Jai-Soo? She wouldn't leave without us! She promised to come back! Why hasn't she come back? What could have happened?"

Kai-Tai stared at her for a moment, as if not realising what the questions referred to. But then she answered Paula in almost the same way as she had done earlier.

"Maybe the way is not clear and the ship has consumed them."

Paula looked alarmed. "What does that mean?"

"The ship is one of the Twelve Great Ships. This is not a name based on praise. The ship is huge, vast and its condition unknown. After a thousand years, walls may be weak, and floors collapsed. All the ground and this castle sit above it. The way may be difficult and hazardous, it may take time to reach the data link, and the return journey could be equally difficult. Jai-Soo may not have returned because she may be lost or dead."

Kai-Tai's words were blunt and harsh. Rolf could see that they upset Paula, who had obviously formed an attachment to Jai-Soo. He watched as Paula moved back to the top of the steps and sat down again, turning her back to them. She didn't say a word, but Rolf had seen the tears welling up in her eyes. Her distress had been needless, and Kai-Tai's attitude in causing it annoyed him. Even Emile looked sad. Maybe he had understood. Rolf turned to glare at Kai-Tai, wondering how he could possibly have thought that she and Soo-Kai were alike.

Rolf wasn't the only one to notice Kai-Tai's hardening nature. Prince Harold had seen it too, and he recognised what it meant.

"I see that the dawn approaches," he said with regret.

Kai-Tai nodded. "Yes. Soon the sun will rise and I will be free. You must be far away from me by then, or my Purpose will consume you as easily as the Outsider would have done."

When Kai-Tai spoke, her tone was haughty and aloof and that familiar frosty nature had returned. The change in her wasn't lost on Prince Carl, either.

"The spirit of freedom," he muttered. Then more loudly he said, "I envy you, my brother. For one night you did what I was always too proud and too stupid to attempt. Your brief time together you will remember with joy and clarity, while my memories will always be dark and grim. But no more. There are things I must say, an act of penitence that I will have witnessed. And I can think of no others more suited to bear that witness than those around me this day."

To everyone's surprise, Prince Carl stood up and went to stand before Rolf and Soo-Kai. Both of them stared at him in even more surprise as he suddenly knelt down before them. He spoke to Rolf first.

"I apologise to you, Rolf L'Epine, tailor to the court of King L'Hage. When we met in the forest you spoke to me truthfully and honestly. I answered you with anger. Now I want you to forget my anger and remember only our friendship."

Rolf nodded, speechless.

Prince Carl now turned to Soo-Kai, taking her hand in his. "And I apologise to you also, my Lady, Soo-Kai, wife of Rolf L'Epine. From you I ask only for forgiveness. Once I committed an evil deed against you. I cannot undo that now, but only swear to you that I will commit no such deeds in the future. From this day forth the Hunts are dead. I will not rest until I see the law is repealed. It will be my first task when I return to Court and face my father. I vow this to you now, with all those who watch."

Soo-Kai stared with round eyes as Prince Carl bowed his head and kissed her hand.

The brief spell was broken when El-Vin suddenly called out.

"Nan-Po sun lak!" she shouted, and stood up with Emile and Paula, and the three of them quickly moved back from the steps.

Everyone turned to look and what greeted them was a strange sight.

The Destroyers all emerged from the tunnel in a rush, one after the other. Paula looked at them all eagerly, searching for Jai-Soo. But it was impossible to tell who was who because every one of them was covered in black mud, mud that was slowly drying and turning grey. It was deeply encrusted all over them, hiding their identity. And with the mud came a strange musty smell. It was powerful and pungent. It smelt like something old and decaying, something that had died and been buried for a long time.

Jane stared at them with a look of distaste. "Oh, my God," she muttered, holding her nose.

While most of the humans in the chamber backed away, Paula and Emile appeared to be unaffected by the smell of the mud. Emile began counting the Destroyers while Paula darted about among them, anxiously pulling at the tunic of one, or at the sleeve of another. Each time she was disappointed, and would move on to the next, growing more and more desperate each time.

Prince Harold had helped Kai-Tai climb to her feet and now she joined El-Vin in the middle of the mud encrusted Destroyers. She was quickly surrounded, and a heated discussion developed.

Prince Harold quickly stepped back; even he was put off by the smell. He went to stand with Rolf and Soo-Kai.

"Why did they all return?" he asked Soo-Kai.

"They did not all return," Soo-Kai pointed out. "They are only six."

It was a fact not lost on Emile, as he joined Paula in calling out Jai-Soo's name. But there was no answer.

One by one the Destroyers slowly revealed themselves. They scraped away the mud from their faces and their bodies, or tore it from their hair. First was Mai-Ra, then Hai-Fam, her yellow ribbon now black and sodden. Next came Nan-Po, Zen-Wa and Chen-Bey. The last Destroyer took her time pulling the mud from her face and hair. Her hair was blonde. It was Di-Quan.

###

### 

### Chapter Forty-Eight

### The End of the Treaty

Paula was now in tears. She ran to Rolf and Soo-Kai and grabbed and pulled at them both.

"Jai-Soo isn't here!" she said in despair. "Why isn't she here? What's happened, Soo-Kai? Find out for me, please!"

Soo-Kai nodded. "I will do as you ask. Wait."

Rolf hung on to Paula while Soo-Kai called out to her mother.

Kai-Tai emerged from among the other Destroyers, who now began to slump down against the walls around the alcove. Even El-Vin sat down with a very muddy looking Mai-Ra. Only Nan-Po followed Kai-Tai, still scraping the mud from her ears.

Kai-Tai held a long piece of torn cloth in her hands. She held it out to Soo-Kai when she came up to her.

"It is as I feared," Kai-Tai explained. "The way is not clear. All below is in darkness. Many of the lower compartments of the ship are crushed or flooded. And the soil from the great cavern of the arboretum has turned to mud. Something dwells in that mud, something that has learned to adapt and to hunt in the darkness and the silence."

Soo-Kai took the piece of cloth from her mother. It was covered in the same black mud, but it was also stained red. She sniffed at it, but the smell of the mud masked everything.

"From whose uniform has this piece of cloth been torn?"

"Yan-Lai. She was to the left as they crossed the cavern. They heard her cries of warning but could detect no enemy. The mud hides them. It drowns their smell and the very heat from their bodies. Only by sound can you detect them, and they have learned to move silently. They hunt by sound and are attracted to it. The more Yan-Lai struck at them with her sword, the more of them were attracted to her. You hold all that could be saved. Nan-Po was forced to turn back before all were consumed."

"They could not cross the cavern?"

Kai-Tai shook her head. "Nan-Po says that the walkways have collapsed. The only way is across the soil and the mud, where those in the cavern hide and wait."

"What about Jai-Soo?"

"Nan-Po believes that she left the cavern with the rest. But many of the lower corridors are filled with the same wet mud, and the range of these creatures is unknown. They heard nothing, but when they returned to the hatch and left the ship, she was no longer with them."

Paula burst into tears. Rolf hugged her and did his best to console her, but she cried louder than ever. The other girls all stared at her. They seemed embarrassed. It was as if they didn't understand how Paula could have become so attached to someone she hardly knew. But Anne understood.

She felt sad, too. She didn't know Yan-Lai, but she had known and liked Jai-Soo. Jai-Soo had been the first person Anne had met after Prince Carl who wasn't trying to harm her. She had tried to help them in the staircase under the courtyard, and it was obvious to Anne that she had helped Paula in some way, too. It wasn't fair. They had all lived through an exceptional experience, and although events had been brief, a friendship made during this time would have been one that lasted. Paula must feel robbed. Many of her classmates had been killed, and now even Jai-Soo was gone.

Anne joined Rolf in trying to console Paula while Prince Carl put his hand on Emile's shoulder. The French boy looked up at the Prince with tear-filled eyes, doing his best to keep control of his emotions. He wasn't doing very well.

Kai-Tai turned to Prince Harold. "The time has come. You must decide my future. Complete your bargain or abandon your life for mine. Either way, the other Destroyers must leave. There is nothing for us here now."

Prince Harold tried to delay the decision. "You are wounded. Should you not wait until you are healed?"

"I am a Destroyer. My wound has been dressed and I will heal quickly. And those I travel with will give their support. Like El-Vin, I will not be abandoned."

The Prince nodded. "Then the time has indeed come. I will not forget you, Kai-Tai. I will keep my bargain, and I hope we do not meet again. But if we should, I will do my best to avoid any conflict."

"I understand your meaning, but I cannot say the same. If we should meet, I must fight. But if the memory of you survives the compression of my mind, then I will fight with sadness."

Even though Kai-Tai spoke with the usual haughty tone in her voice, Prince Harold could sense that she meant what she said. There was still a chance to prolong the bond; all he had to do was take it. For a moment he almost changed his mind, but in his heart he knew it wasn't to be. So it was with regret that he called out to L'Barr.

"Send word to Sir Malcolm that the Destroyers are leaving and that they are not to be harassed or delayed. We will follow shortly."

L'Barr nodded and shouted up to one of the servants in the chamber above. The servant quickly ran out with his orders.

Prince Harold now spoke to Kai-Tai for the last time, and there was a hint of sadness in his voice. "Our liaison has ended, and our treaty is over."

Kai-Tai didn't reply. She turned away from the Prince without a word. She no longer looked at him, nor acknowledged him. Instead she spoke quickly to Nan-Po, and Nan-Po called to the other Destroyers. One by one they climbed to their feet, Mai-Ra helping El-Vin. When they were all gathered around Kai-Tai and Nan-Po, Kai-Tai turned to Soo-Kai.

"We go now, my daughter. We will return to our dens and our territories. I may not see you again until the next coming of the ship. If your bond should die before then, seek me out. If not, stay away. I know what you do. I can smell it and taste it in your body. I despise you for this, but I know that when your bond is at an end you will put right what you do. Until that time I will not speak with you or bear your presence close to me. If our paths should cross, it will be as enemies."

She knows.

Of course she knows! They all know! They know and detest you! You should purge your body now! Rid yourself of this abomination!

No! What I do I do for my bond!

It is because of this that they cannot act against you! But when your bond is over those you have created must be destroyed!

I will not return to the Purpose once Rolf dies! I will not do what my mother did! I will not!

You must! Kai-Tai warns you! They know!

I will not do it! I will not!

Then they will kill you and the evil you create! And your mother will follow! Act now! Purge your body! Vent them! Discard them! Save yourself and your mother!

Stop it! Don't make me do this! Rolf will hate me! I will hate me!

Purge them!

No!

Idiot! Fool! When your bond dies, your rebellion will die with him! Then you will do what has to be done!

Never!

Maybe not then, but after, when your memory is lost and you are nought but a shell, then you will kill them!

Soo-Kai had remained motionless as Kai-Tai spoke, her expression filled with a mixture of sadness and fear. Now she merely lowered her head in acceptance.

Rolf was shocked. Shocked and angry. Not just by what Kai-Tai had said to Soo-Kai, but also by the way she had said it. He saw how much it hurt Soo-Kai, and he couldn't let it go without a challenge. He spoke loudly and angrily to Kai-Tai.

"How can you talk like that to Soo-Kai? You know how she loves you! You are cruel and heartless! You don't deserve a daughter like Soo-Kai! She's worth ten of you! No, fifty!"

Soo-Kai took his hand and tried to stop him. "No, my bond. Please!"

Rolf refused to listen. He hadn't finished yet. "It has to be said!" he told Soo-Kai, and turning back to Kai-Tai he went on, "You've been against us from the moment you knew about our bond! You've always hated me for it and I know why! You're jealous! You think I've stolen Soo-Kai from you! Well, maybe I have! But I've never stopped her from seeing you! I've made you welcome in my house, I've given you food and drink! I'm willing to compromise, why can't you? Soo-Kai's happy with me! Can't you understand that? She's happy! Can't you be content with that? Not even for her sake?"

Her bond speaks for her. He is blinded by his love, but even in this he is incorrect. Listen to his arrogance and ignorance. He accuses you of human attachments and emotions, his very words casting doubt on your integrity and on that of your seed.

He is a fool.

As are you.

I said what had to be said!

You said what had to be heard! I know you! You fear for your seed like a Navak! Her bond maybe a fool, but his accusations have merit! Once before you acted to save your seed, spilling the blood of one to save the others!

Po-Kai was incorrect!

As were you and your seed!

We were not! Not then, and not now! Our integrity is pure! We have all followed the Purpose with vigour! Those you speak of all fell in its pursuit! Only Soo-Kai is left! You cannot chastise me! There are none greater than I in following the Purpose! Soo-Kai will do what is required!

Are you so sure?

Calm came with acceptance of fate.

Soo-Kai is in the thrall of this Navak. When she is free of the bond the truth will be known, one way or the other. Only the life of the Navak delays the answer! And I will seize any opportunity to cut that life short!

Kai-Tai waited for Rolf to finish, but when she looked at him, it was with the same look of hatred that he had come to know so well. And her reply was far harsher than even he expected. Harsh and very cold.

"Remember this, Navak. I detest you. The very smell of you in my nostrils brings forth the contents of my stomach. If it were not for the bond you have with my seed, I would strike off your head this instant. And so it is for all those that surround you. They live through the advantage gained by my liaison with the Navak Prince. That ends with the rising sun, when the urge to kill created by the Purpose within me will return. Only you will remain safe. But I tell you now that there will come a day when your bond no longer protects you. And on that day I will send Nan-Po in the night to pin your brains to a tree."

Kai-Tai then turned to the other Destroyers. "Cha! Sun lak!"

A moment later and she was climbing the debris to the chamber above. Nan-Po helped her climb while the other Destroyers followed after them.

When Kai-Tai had reached the upper chamber, Vanessa stepped forward and called out to her. And her voice was angry and bitter.

"Kai-Tai! Remember me, Kai-Tai! One day, I'm going to get even! I promise you! It'll be my purpose in life!"

Her words carry such strength. The Atlantian heritage is as strong in this one as it was in Bern-E.

How can you admit this now? You chastised me for my attachment to Bern-E, and now you voice your admiration for her sibling.

The Atlantians are dead, only their blood lives on. Like them, she no longer matters. She is both incorrect and your enemy. If she seeks you out you will kill her despite her genetic heritage.

That heritage is both Atlantian and Klysanthian. This was why her appeal was so strong.

It still means nothing.

You think so? Then we will see.

Kai-Tai looked back at Vanessa. It was a look of disdain. For a moment it seemed that she would ignore Vanessa's threat, but then she reached into her tunic and produced the red device Nan-Po had returned to her. With a sudden movement she threw it down to Vanessa. Nan-Po tried to stop her, but it was too late. The device landed on the floor in front of Vanessa. Vanessa stared down at it as Kai-Tai spoke.

"Before you is the key to our escape," Kai-Tai told her. "Discard it, and you are meaningless. But if you truly wish to face me, if your anger and need for vengeance does not wane, then keep it safe. In twenty-eight years time, I must return to retrieve it. If we both still live, and you still hold it, I will seek you out."

Vanessa didn't hesitate. She quickly picked up the red device and tied the thong it was attached to around her own neck. "I'll be waiting."

Kai-Tai almost smiled. But a moment later and she had turned and was gone. Nan-Po followed her, glancing back at Vanessa with an expression of pure hate. One by one, the rest of the Destroyers squeezed through the narrow gap in the doorway and disappeared. Everyone watched them go.

As soon as they were gone, Craig said in Groucho Marx's voice, "Well, I can definitely say that's the best mother-in-law I never had."

Amy elbowed him. "Shut up!"

"Well, it's true! Can you imagine having her to Sunday lunch? You'd never know who was going to get carved!"

"Craig!"

Most of the times when Craig made humorous comments Rolf would be annoyed, but on this occasion they were a welcome relief. The girls sniggered, Vanessa went back to her place by the wrecked car and even Rolf relaxed a little. But he was still upset by the way Kai-Tai had spoken to Soo-Kai, so it was with some surprise that he found himself being told off by her for his comments.

"You should not have spoken to my mother in that way," Soo-Kai told him. "You antagonised her, it was not right."

"Not right?" Rolf repeated incredulously. "What about the things she said to you? She was rude and callous! She was the one in the wrong, not me! I was speaking up for you!"

"I know, my husband, and I love you dearly for it. But you should not risk my mother's anger. I worry for you, and you heard my mother's threat."

Soo-Kai's concern began to transfer to Rolf. "Do you really think she could do that?" he asked her.

"She cannot interfere in our bond in normal circumstances. But if the chance to escape should return, if the Purpose could only be met by my inclusion, then her threat would be real. In any case I worry. You mean everything to me. My life will end without you. You should not have antagonised her."

Soo-Kai's words brought a tear to Rolf's eyes and he quickly hugged her.

After the Destroyers had left, Rolf and Soo-Kai weren't the only ones to relax in one another's arms. Amy hugged Craig, and as she rested her head on his shoulder, she saw Anne and Prince Carl do the same. It made Amy smile.

Amy knew Anne better than all the other girls; she spent hours with her in the early morning when Anne would train with her. Amy was sure that Anne wanted her to do well in athletics more than she did herself. It seemed to mean a lot to her. She was always urging her to do better, to run faster. Yes, Amy was glad to see her and the Prince together. She had known straight away that Anne liked him.

Prince Carl had stayed close to Anne all the time they had sat and waited in the chamber, speaking to her constantly. It had been obvious to Amy what he was saying to Anne by the way she had kept shaking her head. He had wanted her to stay when she still thought about going home. It would be just like their teacher, she always thought of them first, even if it meant her losing out. She had always been like that. But the girls had ambushed her. They were staying, and that was that. She had no more excuses, and the Prince had finally won.

But if the sight of Anne and Prince Carl in one another's arms had pleased Amy, the sight of Sophia and L'Barr doing the same surprised her. But as she watched them hug, the difference in their ages faded once she remembered their natures. They both had one big interest in common: Food. Sophia and L'Barr were made for one another.

Becky had gone to sit next to Vanessa. For a while they didn't talk. Becky watched Vanessa toying with the device tied around her neck.

"Are you scared?" she asked her.

Vanessa looked up at her friend. "Of Kai-Tai? No."

"She'll kill you to get it back. That's what she meant, you know."

"She'll try."

"You actually think you could win?"

Vanessa shrugged. "In twenty-eight years time, who knows? Anyway, whatever happens, I've nothing to lose. There isn't anything Kai-Tai can take away from me that I care about."

Until now, the steps down the darkened tunnel that eventually led to the ship had been forgotten. But the way was still open, and something suddenly burst out of the steps behind them. It was black and shiny, and it seemed to explode and spill out all over the floor in a dozen pieces.

Rowena and Jemma both screamed, and everyone jumped out of their skin. They all quickly backed away, but their fears were unjustified, because what came out of the tunnel was not at all what they thought it was.

The black and shiny objects that were scattered over the floor revealed themselves to be transparent plastic packages containing some sort of black material. They were about half a metre square in shape, and they weren't the only things to appear. Several boots suddenly flew out of the tunnel and bounced off the walls of the alcove. Emile had to dodge out of the way, as did Prince Harold. The arrival of the boots was accompanied by the sound of annoyed muttering in the Destroyer language. Then someone emerged from the tunnel.

It was Jai-Soo, and she indeed looked most annoyed. She threw the last of the boots to the floor and looked around at them all in exasperation.

"I think I drop more than I bring!" she announced. "I lose them in the dark, so I stop and search for them. Some I find. I am pleased, but then I drop some more. Now I lose count. I think the boots are odd in number."

### Chapter Forty-Nine

### Jai-Soo

For a moment no one moved. Then Paula screamed in delight and pounced on a very surprised looking Jai-Soo, hugging her tightly.

"You're alive! You're alive! Oh, Jai-Soo, I'm so glad! When you didn't come back I was so worried!"

Jai-Soo was almost bowled over by Paula. She fell back and had to sit on the side of the steps. For a brief moment she looked confused and embarrassed by the way Paula had wrapped herself so tightly around her, but then her expression softened and she patted Paula gently on her back.

"Did I not pledge to you that I would return?" she told her.

"But you took so long!" Paula exclaimed. "The others have been back for ages! They said there were monsters and things in the corridors below, and that they thought you'd been eaten! I was so worried, Jai-Soo!"

Jane then added, "Yeah, we all thought you were dead!"

"I am not dead, nor eaten," Jai-Soo pointed out to the girls who had gathered around her.

Anne was also happy to see Jai-Soo. Happy and greatly relieved. "I'm glad you're alright, Jai-Soo. We were all worried about you. What took you so long?"

Jai-Soo stared at Anne and the girls. She seemed somewhat confused by the sudden attention heaped upon her. "I was merely delayed by the uniforms. I chose far more packages than I had arms to carry."

Karen picked up one of the fallen packages. "Uniforms? Whose uniforms?" she asked Jai-Soo.

"The uniforms we all once wore. I retrieved them from the store rooms in the ship. I brought most of them for Soo-Kai. I did not mean to cause alarm."

Rolf was startled by her remark. "For Soo-Kai? Why?"

Before Jai-Soo could reply, Paula said, "Oh, never mind about those! I'm just happy that Jai-Soo has come back!"

Rolf wasn't to be put off so easily. "But I want to know!" he insisted. "Answer me, Jai-Soo. Why did you bring these uniforms?"

He spoke so harshly that everyone stopped and stared at him. Even Paula looked up at him in surprise. But Jai-Soo's reply only caused more consternation.

"You do not know?"

"Of course I don't know!" Rolf almost snapped. "I wouldn't be asking if I knew, would I?"

Now Jai-Soo looked at Rolf more closely. She could see that he was being truthful. When she looked at Soo-Kai, her expression confused Jai-Soo. It almost made her believe that they both didn't know. But that couldn't be possible. Soo-Kai had to know. Then why was she keeping silent? There had to be a reason for her silence, a reason that Rolf was not aware of. Being bonded must be complicated, Jai-Soo thought. But maybe it was something she could not see? She constructed her answer carefully.

"I bring these uniforms because our uniforms have all worn out. The chance to replace them once we entered the ship was not overlooked. We all stopped to change. And when the way across the cavern proved to be too perilous in the darkness, I stopped to collect some more on our way back. I also changed again, leaving the mud encrusted uniform behind. I bring eight more uniforms with me, one each for El-Vin and Kai-Tai, and six for Soo-Kai."

"Six!" Rolf exclaimed. "Why six for Soo-Kai?"

Jai-Soo looked at Soo-Kai. Still she kept silent. There was nothing more Jai-Soo could do. "Because she may need them," she finally said.

Rolf turned to stare at Soo-Kai. But before anyone could say anything, Prince Carl laughed. He laughed long and loud, and when he spoke, it was in an equally loud voice.

"Congratulations, tailor! You have sown more than just thread!"

For a brief second there was silence. Then Jemma cried, "Soo-Kai's preggers!" and everyone cheered or laughed.

Now they all know! Even the incorrect know of your evil! Discard them! Vent them!

No!

Poison them! Starve them! Purge them from your womb!

Stop it!

Rolf was speechless. Speechless, dumbfounded and completely shocked. But it was suddenly so obvious. The reason why Soo-Kai had refused to even discuss the possibility of children recently, her mother's words about what she did, and how she would have to put it right if their bond was ever broken, and finally the six uniforms brought by Jai-Soo. All of these things were an indication of the same truth, and suddenly it was all so clear.

While everyone else smiled and patted him on the back, Rolf just stared at Soo-Kai. He had forgotten the most important thing that she had told him, that to be successful she had to ignore what went on in her body, to pretend it wasn't happening. That was why she had suddenly stopped talking about it. That was why she had looked so upset when Kai-Tai had spoken to her, and why she had tried to stop him when he had argued with her.

Soo-Kai had struggled so long to get the balance right that Rolf had given up believing it would ever happen. And now that it actually had happened at last, he hadn't even suspected. Oh, why was he such a fool?

Rolf grabbed Soo-Kai, pulling her close and hugging her tightly. All those in the chamber thought he was doing it because he was overcome with joy. They were only partly right. Because Rolf's joy was balanced by an equal amount of fear. He knew why Soo-Kai kept so quiet, why she still didn't speak. There was still a chance of rejection. And that chance frightened him as much as it obviously frightened her. He squeezed her tightly, and whispered urgently in her ear.

"Ignore them, my wife. They speak of someone else. Do not hear their idle words. They do not understand what they say. It is a mistake. They speak of someone else. Think of the journey home. Tell me the path we must take."

Rolf kept repeating what he said over and over again. He kept telling her that they were talking about someone else, that they had got it wrong. And always he tried to distract her, trying to make her think of something else, anything else. At first, Soo-Kai didn't respond. But slowly she raised her arms and placed them around Rolf.

"Yes," she whispered back to him. "It is a mistake. They speak of someone else. The path we must take is the trail to the village of Arlem. But well before the village we must bear left, passing the exposed wreck of the assault ship. Hold me, my husband. Drown out their voices, and the voice in my mind. Let me hear only yours."

Rolf responded straight away. He turned and shouted at everyone.

"Quiet! Mind your own business! This is private!"

Everyone instantly shut up and looked slightly embarrassed. Rolf didn't care. To him, no one else existed anymore. He went back to hugging Soo-Kai and whispering in her ear. "Tell me about our house. Describe it, Soo-Kai, and tell me what fills it."

Jai-Soo stared at Rolf and Soo-Kai, her head tilted slightly to one side. She had been right, then. There was something wrong, something that she couldn't see. It was often like that, but it rarely mattered. Her interest in them faded, and she turned to look at Paula instead.

Paula had sat down on the side of the steps next to Jai-Soo, looping her arm through hers. She seemed happy and content just to sit next to her.

Jai-Soo wondered about the young girl, and about her feelings towards her. But it was her own feelings that troubled Jai-Soo. Why did she feel so comfortable being close to this human female? Why had she placed her life in danger for her? And why did these human children not anger or disturb her? There were too many questions to answer, and it made her head ache.

On the other side of Jai-Soo, Emile had also sat down next to her. As she turned and looked down at him, he also looped his arm through hers.

Here was another one that puzzled her. He was still immature, a toose, but she could taste the early signs of manhood in him. But even more strongly, she could taste his interest in her. Did he pursue a bond with her? The blade of her sword had not cut him. He had returned it to her unscathed and remained close to her. Only when she had followed the others into the ship had he stayed behind. Like the girl, his attention to her, and her attempts to understand her own feelings towards him, gave Jai-Soo a headache.

As Jai-Soo looked down at him, Emile smiled at her. Jai-Soo smiled back at him. She didn't know why.

Jai-Soo began to look more closely at all the other humans. It was strange how they had reacted when Rolf had shouted at them. They had quickly busied themselves with one another, sitting down together and talking. It was as if his words had not been spoken. But some sat by themselves, like Van-Es-A. She intrigued Jai-Soo; she was so much like the other they had found in the forest. Atlantians, both of them. Even Kai-Tai had sensed it. They were siblings from the same birthing, as alike as two Destroyers. Now she was the only one left. Jai-Soo could sense her sadness and anger.

Jai-Soo suddenly stiffened, sitting up straight.

It was only now when she thought about Kai-Tai that Jai-Soo had realised that she and Soo-Kai were the only two Destroyers in the chamber. It became clearly apparent in Jai-Soo's expression as she turned anxiously to Paula.

"Have the others left?" she asked her.

Paula nodded. "They left about twenty minutes ago."

Jai-Soo now turned to Prince Harold. "Your treaty is ended?"

The Prince also nodded. "Regretfully, yes."

Now Jai-Soo really did look worried. "I am left behind. I should not be here."

Jai-Soo started to get up, but Paula held onto her and pulled her back down again, quickly hugging her.

"No! I don't want you to go!"

Jai-Soo tried to prize her loose. "Please, Paul-A. You should not hold me like this. Release me. I should not be here."

Paula either didn't hear, or didn't care. She just hugged Jai-Soo tighter than ever.

In exasperation, Jai-Soo took hold of Paula's ponytail and used it to pull her head back so that she could look right into the young girls' face. Now that she had Paula's attention, she spoke softly but purposefully to her.

"I am sorry, Paul-A. I do not mean to hurt you, but you must release me or we may both be killed."

Paula had developed a sullen expression, but Jai-Soo's words to her quickly changed that expression to one of fear.

"But why? What's the matter?" she said in surprise.

As Paula spoke she relaxed her hold on Jai-Soo. In turn, Jai-Soo released her grip on Paula's ponytail and took the opportunity to remove Paula's arms from around her.

"I am an Androktone, a Destroyer. The treaty between us and the Prince is at an end." Jai-Soo spoke as if her words explained everything. They obviously didn't to Paula.

"But what has that got to do with us?" she demanded. "You're my friend, aren't you?"

"You are human, I am a Destroyer, we cannot be friends."

Now Paula became tearful. "But you saved me! You helped me run when that monster was going to eat me! You didn't even leave me when it tried to swallow us both! You stayed with me! Why do you want to go now? What's the matter with me? Why does everybody leave me? Dad left because of me! It's not fair!"

Jai-Soo suddenly shook Paula. It was rather violent, but brief.

"Quiet!" she demanded.

Paula shut up, more stunned than hurt.

"Why do you humans speak such nonsense?" Jai-Soo continued. "Why must you feel the sadness of the condemned when you are the innocent?"

Paula just stared at her with wide eyes.

"Humans, Navak, Terrans," Jai-Soo sighed, shaking her head. "Listen to me, Paul-A, and listen well. I am a Destroyer. I have an instinct to kill that I cannot deny. We call it the Purpose. The treaty with the Prince has allowed me to relax this Purpose for a short time. It was to our advantage, and we still killed, so the achievement was not difficult. And while the Purpose has lain dormant within me, I have been able to relate with you and the others. I have felt sadness at your loss and I have felt an affinity to your cause. And yes, I have felt an attachment. But now that the treaty is over the Purpose will resurface in my mind. It will obliterate all my feelings towards you. I will become hostile and aggressive. If I stay, I will hurt you, so I must leave, and I must leave quickly. It is for the best."

Paula found her voice. "But I don't want you to leave!" she begged. "Please stay with me! I like you, Jai-Soo! I want you to stay!"

Jai-Soo could sense the sadness in Paula, but she could also sense the understanding in her that caused it. She reached out and gently caressed Paula's face, wiping away her tears.

"And I like you, too," she said more softly. "I cannot explain why, but I feel an interest, a curiosity in all of you. I do not wish to see any of you harmed, but now that the treaty is over my perspective will change and my nature will harden. I am not bonded like Soo-Kai, so if I stay, I will hurt you, and my act in helping you earlier will be cancelled out."

"I don't believe it!" Paula insisted. "You're not like the others! Nan-Po wouldn't have cared if we had all got eaten! She didn't stop to help me, but you did! And none of them thought about collecting uniforms for El-Vin and Soo-Kai. They don't care about each other at all. You're different, Jai-Soo!"

Jai-Soo nodded. "You are right, I am not perfect. I carry a defective gene. But I am not passive, either. The others tolerate my defective nature because it does not affect my pursuit of the Purpose. They are correct in their assessment. When the sun rises I will see you all differently. I will kill you, or you will be forced to kill me. In either outcome there will be sadness. In your heart you know I speak the truth. And like me, you do not wish this to happen. I must go."

At last Paula had no answer. She looked very sad, but all she could do was sniffle.

Jai-Soo got to her feet. She picked up two of the packages of uniforms and made her way towards the debris that led up to the chamber above. Anne reached out to take her arm as she passed.

"Thank you," she whispered.

Jai-Soo nodded briefly. Again there was that look of confusion and embarrassment in her eyes, and then she had turned away from Anne and moved on. But she paused again when she reached Rolf and Soo-Kai.

Jai-Soo tugged on Soo-Kai's pigtail. Soo-Kai looked up from Rolf's shoulder, and the two Destroyers rubbed cheeks briefly.

In the instant of their touch, Jai-Soo understood the reason for Rolf and Soo-Kai's confused reactions.

"Take the uniforms," Jai-Soo told Soo-Kai. "You never know when you may need them."

Soo-Kai nodded, unable to answer, and a moment later, Jai-Soo had bounded up the debris and disappeared through the gap in the doorway.

### Chapter Fifty

### Modern Girls

As soon as Jai-Soo had gone, Paula burst into tears. Karen hugged her, patting her back. Anne quickly left Prince Carl and went to help. She took Paula in her arms, pulling her away from Karen.

"Look at me, Paula," she said, and forced Paula to do just that. "Come on, now, you have to stop this," she went on very firmly. "You have to be strong. She's still your friend, you know that. It's just that she can't be with you, that's all. You have to understand. Now, come on."

Paula stopped crying, but she was still upset. "But it's not fair!" she complained.

"I know, I know. But life isn't fair," Anne told her. "It's hard and unbalanced. It doesn't care about being fair or about what's right or wrong; it just does what it does. And if you get on the wrong side of it, you get squashed. You have to learn to live with it, to cope with the nasty things it throws your way. You have to think positive. Jai-Soo is still alive, you're still alive, who knows what might happen?"

That final thought caused Paula to brighten. "If she were to become bonded, we could be friends again, couldn't we?"

"Yes, you never know, maybe you could."

At last, Paula began to calm down. She hugged Anne, and Anne rather gratefully hugged her back.

Prince Harold cleared his throat. "It is time we all left here."

Prince Carl was quick to agree. "My brother speaks the truth. We have dallied here long enough. The night is almost over. Come, everyone! We should leave this place and retire somewhere more comfortable. We will spend the rest of the night and the morning in the North Tower."

Becky jumped down from the hatch of the drone where she had remained ever since Jai-Soo had appeared. "What about the secret tunnel down to the ship?" she asked.

Prince Carl turned to look at his brother. Without a word, Prince Harold went into the alcove and twisted the torch hanger that closed the doorway to the steps below. They all watched it close, listening to the scraping sounds the stone made as it ground slowly shut.

With the way below now closed, Prince Harold turned to face them all. "Now we can leave," he said.

And leave they did. One by one, they all made their way up the debris to the chamber above.

Prince Harold led the way. Behind him, Rolf led Soo-Kai along, holding on to her hand and being very attentive. Prince Carl did the same with Anne, while L'Barr followed behind Sophia, keeping a firm grip on her hips. It made her laugh, and her sexy chuckles were the last sounds to be heard in the chamber.

Paula found herself in a daisy-chain with Emile in front and Karen behind her. They all carried the packages containing the uniforms. Craig and Amy came next. They helped Jean, Jane, Rowena and Jemma carry all the boots. Jai-Soo had been right, they were odd in number.

Near the end came Vanessa, silent, with her head down. But it was Becky who was the last. And as she slipped through the narrow gap in the doorway, she paused to look back one more time at the broken artifact and the drone from which it came.

The journey through the passageways of the West Tower was awful. They squeezed easily enough through the narrow gaps left by Gil-Yan, her stone hard corpse now no more than an awkward obstacle. But the smell and stains of death still hung in the air and covered the walls and floors. It created an evil, dreadful atmosphere.

They were all relieved when they finally reached the open air. And as they all stood together in the courtyard, Prince Carl stared at the length of Gil-Yan's corpse. It stretched almost to the gatehouse.

"She has two heads," he exclaimed.

"Wrong, brother," Prince Harold replied. "She had three, but one she lost."

Prince Carl smiled. "Aye! And 'twas the one that counted!"

Like the passageways of the West Tower, the courtyard bore the scars of the battle with Gil-Yan. The ground was tainted with the blood of those who had perished, and although the cool wind of the night carried away any smell; their eyes could find no equivalent respite from the scenes of carnage. They hurried on to the North Tower.

Inside, Sir Malcolm greeted them from the table in the dining room. It was where the men had laid him, and it was where he had spent the night, shouting orders to all the servants. His tunic was open and his chest heavily bandaged. Although he still looked to be in pain, his joy at seeing the two Princes alive and well brought a smile to his lips. He sat up on the table and hugged them both.

"Harold, Carl! For a time I feared you were both dead and I would be the one to break the sad news to your father!"

Prince Harold was more pleased to see Sir Malcolm than was his brother. "It was I that feared you were dead," he said. "You have the luck of the Devil, Sir Malcolm, but I am glad of it."

"Aye! The luck of the Devil but the pain of a stuck pig!" Sir Malcolm replied bitterly. "Whoever fired that arrow, fired with venom. The barb still lies within," he gestured to the servants, "and these butchers could do naught to retrieve it. Now I will have to bear the pain until I return to Ellerkan where I hope the Court Physicians will have a sharper knife."

Prince Carl then said, "Have you sent word to our father as we asked?"

Sir Malcolm nodded. "The rider should be at the Palace as we speak. Your mother will faint and your father will bellow. A force should be here by late morning."

"Good. Until then we should rest."

"Then you are in luck," Sir Malcolm said with a smile, holding up his finger. "Due to the recent demise of the previous owner, all the apartments are prepared and available. Please feel free to take your pick."

It was then that Rolf came with Soo-Kai to face the two Princes.

"The North Tower is not for us," he told them. "My wife and I have already risked much. I wish to be home with her. We will be leaving."

It was a bombshell to the girls. They quickly gathered around him and Soo-Kai, begging them both to stay. But Rolf was not to be swayed. He was more worried about Soo-Kai than anything else. He wanted to get her away from everyone, he wanted to get her home and safe, and he wanted to do it quickly.

Prince Harold did his best to persuade him.

"You will not stay? Not even until the day?"

Rolf shook his head. "I would rather leave now. Soon this castle will be filled by many men, even the King himself may come. There will be questions and confusion and turmoil. No, I want to leave now, while the night is still calm. By tonight, we could be home."

"We have horses to spare. You will ride home, and your journey will be quicker."

"Then I will be happy to arrive early."

Prince Harold could see that it was no use. "Then this is farewell," he said sadly. "I brought you on this quest against your will, now you leave against mine. There is some irony there."

Rolf managed to smile. "I hope my cart is alright."

"If the horses were kept safe, so will be your cart."

Rolf and the Prince shook hands. When Prince Harold shook hands with Soo-Kai, it was almost as if she were Kai-Tai. For a moment as he looked into her eyes, his mind returned to the events of the night before. But the thoughts were only fleeting and then the moment had passed.

Prince Carl was just as sad to see them go. "I am glad we met once again," he told Rolf. "I will keep my word to you and to your wife. I am a changed and wiser man. Farewell, tailor."

"When your time comes, be a good King," Rolf replied.

Saying goodbye to the two Princes was relatively easy compared to saying goodbye to the girls. They didn't want to let him go, not him, nor Soo-Kai.

"But you can't leave now!" Karen insisted. "You promised to take us to your friends, remember?"

Rowena almost jumped up and down in her eagerness as she said, "Yes! Mai-Zen and Gustavo! You promised, Rolf! You did!"

"Yeah!" Jemma added. "If you go, we're going with you!"

To Rolf and Soo-Kai's surprise, all the girls began to agree. But if they were surprised, Anne was horrified.

"No!" she said in a loud and desperate voice. "You can't go with them! We have to stay together! It's all been arranged!"

All the girls turned to look at her, and now that she had their attention, she wasn't quite sure how to proceed. It had all seemed so simple and straight forward when she had discussed it quietly and calmly with Carl. But now, with them all staring at her, it didn't seem simple at all. She took a deep breath and plunged right in.

"Look, girls, whether we wanted to get back home or not doesn't really matter now. We're stuck here, at least for twenty-eight years, and we have to make the best of it. When that Portal opens again, I'll be fifty-two, and I'm not prepared to throw my life away sitting around waiting until then. Carl has asked me to marry him."

Anne was so worried that the girls would think her foolish that she quickly rushed on, doing her best to dispel any possible arguments before they were even uttered.

"I know I've only known him less than a day, and God knows he's not the best man I've ever been out with, in fact he's not even as good as the worse man I've been out with! He's an arrogant, self-centred, male chauvinist pig of probably the worst kind. But for some daft reason I can't even understand myself, I like him. I've said yes."

Anne's worries were totally unfounded. Karen and Sophia both screamed, and all the girls gathered around Anne, kissing her and hugging her. Only Rowena stood on her own. She began to cry.

"You're going to be Queen," she muttered, rubbing her eyes. "How romantic!"

As Prince Carl stared open mouthed at Anne, Prince Harold said, "She has your character down to a tee. Congratulations, you have your spirit of freedom at last. May you fight often."

It took a moment for Prince Carl to react. But then he turned to Prince Harold.

"Thank you for that kind thought, dear brother!" he replied rather sarcastically, but then he smiled. "Of course, it means a wedding at the Palace."

Then Sir Malcolm said in a thoughtful voice, "Your mother will be pleased, but your father will be angry."

"Why so?" Prince Carl asked him.

"Because your father is always angry."

The two Princes looked at one another. Prince Harold nodded.

"'Tis true, brother, he is always angry."

Anne was busy telling the girls the plans she had made with Prince Carl. "You're all coming with us," she told them. "It's the only way, really. We can all stay in the Palace together."

Amy began to shake her head. "No, I'm staying with Craig," she said, backing away. She went to stand next to Craig, holding his hand. "I love him, and I don't want to leave him."

Craig looked across at her, squeezing her hand in his. "I should hope so!" he replied, smiling at her. "I've loved you since I first saw you." He put his arm around her and pulled her close, kissing her.

Rowena cried even more. "I can't take any more of this," she wailed.

Becky was more realistic. She put her hands on her hips and said, "Oh, yeah? And where are you going to live?"

"Don't worry about us," Craig told her. "We'll find somewhere."

Then Jane said, "But how will you get any money? You can't get any social here."

Now Craig smiled. "I have a knack for selling," he said very confidently. "Give me a street corner with people passing by and I can hock anything! And I mean anything!"

Prince Carl laughed. "Then you had better come with us to Ellerkan after all! There you will find street corners a plenty, and many will be the passersby with full money bags!"

Prince Harold sighed loudly. "So, now we have two weddings at the Palace," he exclaimed.

L'Barr now cleared his throat. "I, too intend to marry." He quickly pulled Sophia away from Anne and the other girls and thrust her towards Prince Carl.

Prince Carl looked at L'Barr's proud expression, but he turned instead to Sophia. "You agree to marry this ruffian?"

Sophia nodded eagerly.

"Then you shall have him with my blessing!"

Sir Malcolm smiled and called out, "It is a fine match, L'Barr! You will be the envy of the whole of our father's army!"

Prince Harold said, "Call him Sir John L'Barr from now on, he deserves it. And as a Knight of the Realm it will mean a third wedding at the Palace."

Sir Malcolm's smile grew broader. "Three weddings at the Palace. Think of the cost, think of the organisation, think of your mother's excitement."

Prince Carl laughed. "Father really will be angry!"

Sir Malcolm turned to the servants and shouted, "Wine!"

By now, Rowena was a blubbering wreck, she could no longer talk. She just stood in the middle crying while the other girls congratulated Sophia, Amy and Anne. It was a joyous moment, but one not shared by Vanessa or Paula.

"We aren't going to the Palace," Vanessa said very firmly to Anne. "We're going with Rolf and Soo-Kai."

Anne looked at her in surprise. "Vanessa, you don't mean that! Stop it, now! I know you're upset, but you can't speak for everyone like that. It's not right."

Paula quickly said, "She speaks for me. I'm not going to the Palace."

As everyone calmed down and began to stare at Vanessa and Paula, Becky said, "I'm sorry, Miss, but I'm not coming with you either." She looked most sad to have to tell Anne, but it was the way she felt.

"I'd like to be there for the wedding and all that," she went on. "But like you said, we have to make our lives here, and mine isn't at the Palace."

To Anne's astonishment, Jane, Rowena, Karen, and even little Jemma all agreed with Becky.

"I'd love to be at the wedding," Rowena told Anne. "It's so romantic and everything. But I like Rolf and Soo-Kai. They saved us. I want to go with them. I want to meet Gustavo and Mai-Zen"

Anne didn't know what to say. She felt completely let down. "But you can't mean that!" she moaned.

"It's not you, Miss," Becky told her. "We'd love it if we could all stay together, it would be fun. But the fun wouldn't last. We can't play at being schoolgirls forever. We have to grow up."

"But we might never see each other again," Anne pointed out.

That final thought upset them all. But it was Craig who gave them the answer.

"Then we'll have a reunion! No matter what happens, we have to meet again in twenty-eight years time! It'll be like a class reunion, it will be a class reunion! We can all meet at Rolf and Soo-Kai's house in twenty-eight years time. Agreed?"

At first there was no response, but then Jemma said, "I'll be forty-four in twenty-eight years time. I wonder what I'll look like when I'm forty-four?"

Sophia quickly said, "Exactly the same as you do now, midget. I on the other hand will be at the peak of my beauty and appeal. Glorious, sensual–"

"And fat," Becky put in. Sophia stuck her tongue out at her, but all the other girls laughed.

Craig looked around at them all. "Then it's agreed?"

Anne quickly said, "Yes. If we have to split up, then we must meet again. I don't even know where Rolf and Soo-Kai's house is, but I will be there in twenty-eight years time, so you lot damn well better be."

All the girls smiled at her and said as one, "Yes, Miss Jenkins!"

For the first time in what seemed like ages, Soo-Kai spoke.

"Why do you wish to go with us? Life in the forest or the mountains of Falonbeck will be far harsher than in the comfort of the Palace of Ellerkan. Go with your teacher. Life will be more comfortable."

It was Vanessa who answered her. "We would have all been killed if it wasn't for you and Rolf. They would have carted us all back to the castle and no one would have been the wiser. I might be angry with Kai-Tai over what happened to my sister, but I can't be angry with you. Like Rowena said, you saved us. Thank you for that. You didn't have to help, but you did. As for why we want to go with you, well, it should be obvious. We trust you both; we know you're on our side.

"Life in the Palace might be alright for Amy and Sophia; they have someone to share it with. They can make a life there. We can't, and anyway, we aren't used to life in a Palace, we're modern girls. If we went there, we'd only get bored. But listen, you don't have to take us if you don't want to. We'll understand; you've done enough for us already. If we have to, we'll find our own way."

Soo-Kai turned to look at Rolf. "Our house is small, and there might not be the time. But they would be a great distraction."

Rolf caught her meaning. He shrugged. "We will keep them until after the weddings, and then we go to Falonbeck. There should be time for that."

Soo-Kai paused a moment, then she nodded.

The girls all hugged Rolf and Soo-Kai, happy to have got their agreement.

That agreement spelt the end of any lingering hopes for Anne, and she looked very forlorn, but Vanessa quickly turned to her.

"Don't be angry with us, Miss. You're going to be a Princess, and then the Queen. Enjoy it while you can. We've got to find our own way. Don't worry about us, we'll be fine. At least you'll have Amy and Sophia. And we aren't actually going to wait twenty-eight years. We'll see you for the wedding. And there will be times after that."

"Oh, I know," Anne said sadly. "You're all being very grown up about this, and I'm really proud of you, I am, but I still feel responsible for you all, and I can't help feeling that it's wrong to split up."

Prince Carl put his arm around her. "You cannot be their teacher forever you know."

Anne sighed. "I suppose not." Then another thought occurred to her. "What about the two French boys?"

Vanessa said, "They can come with us, too. Right, girls?"

All the girls nodded and answered her with one voice. "Right!"

Jean was eating from the food on a nearby table when he was suddenly grabbed and surrounded by the girls. He looked round at them all in surprise, but he quickly took the chance to put his arm around Jane.

"Where's Emile?" she asked him.

Jean shrugged.

The girls all looked around the room. Emile was gone.

The sun was up. It shone brightly and cast shadows through the leaves and branches. Jai-Soo ran through the forest. The other Destroyers were still too far ahead for her to scent, but she followed their trail. She ran quickly and determinedly. But she wasn't running to catch them up, but to out-pace the one who chased her. He also ran with determination.

She had warned them. Why did they not listen?

He ran, she ran. But they were both beaten by the rising sun.

Fool! Idiot!

I warned them. It is not my fault.

Your weakness with these humans reveals your defective integrity!

I have done nothing wrong. I warned them both. It is not my fault.

You associate with them too freely! It has always been your weakness!

It does not threaten the Purpose!

The others know!

And they accept me. Stop it. I have done nothing wrong.

Then why run? Stop, wait for him! Kill him!

The treaty was over.

The change in feeling came over Jai-Soo slowly. It happened without her control or understanding. Her attitudes changed as did her mood and character. But her memories altered, too. It was as if she awoke from a dream. A dream in which she was free to choose those she allied with. A dream where the Purpose was dormant. But a dream was only a dream, and it faded with the reality of morning.

Almost without realising it, she forgot why she was running. She slowed and stopped. The scent of the one following her drifted to her on the wind. That scent brought a rush of hormones and other enzymes to her brain and the reaction was instant hate.

Spinning round, Jai-Soo dropped the two uniform packages she carried and drew her sword. She moved behind a tree to wait. She didn't have to wait long.

Emile was running through the forest when Jai-Soo suddenly sprang from behind the tree and raised her sword. Emile was more shocked by her angry expression than he was by her sudden appearance, but he reacted instantly, holding out both hands.

Jai-Soo froze, her sword still raised.

The previous night, Emile had seen Prince Harold take bread from L'Barr and ride away with Soo-Kai. When he had returned, Kai-Tai sat with him upon his horse. Although Emile hadn't understood much of what was said, its implications were not lost on him. Now, as he stood before Jai-Soo, he hoped he had guessed right.

In his left hand, Emile held a piece of bread, while in his right he held a small leg of roasted meat. He had retrieved them both from the table in the North Tower. He quickly spoke to Jai-Soo in French. She didn't understand him, but it didn't matter. What he said, Jai-Soo already knew. She had known since he had held her sword.

Jai-Soo stared at Emile in shock, and slowly, she lowered her sword and her anger left her.

###

### 

### Chapter Fifty-One

###  Parenthood

Vanessa, Becky, Jemma, Rowena, Karen, Jane, Paula and Jean all stayed with Rolf and Soo-Kai until the end of the summer. Rolf never knew the small house to be so full and so noisy. How they all fitted in he could never really understand. But the girls did their own organising, and they were never a burden.

Karen and Jane helped with a lot of the chores inside the house while Paula, Vanessa and Jean did the work outside. Becky and Rowena helped Rolf with his work as a tailor, and Jemma, well, Jemma generally got in everybody's way.

They saw Emile only once during that time. He and Jai-Soo came to visit late one evening. Soo-Kai knew they were close even before Karen had come running into the house to announce them.

Paula went wild. At first she was angry with Emile for stealing Jai-Soo away from her, but the sight of the Destroyer, and the lengthy hugs they exchanged, soon drove out any animosity.

Jai-Soo was just as pleased to see Paula. The bond allowed her to relax, to be more open and responsive. She related to all the girls in a much more expressive way than even Soo-Kai. It surprised Rolf.

Jai-Soo and Paula spent the whole of the following day in one another's company, talking, playing, or just sitting together.

Emile was content to leave them alone. He stayed at the house and talked with Jean and the girls. Rolf could see the change in Emile, too. He was confident and relaxed. His bond with Jai-Soo had brought manhood to him early.

Like Jean, Emile had begun to learn to speak English, but he was not as fluent as his old school friend. The reason was obvious. When he and Jai-Soo spoke together, they spoke in his language, in French. And Jai-Soo spoke as quickly and as fluently as he did.

Emile and Jai-Soo stayed with them for only two days. They had made their home in a valley close to the border with Falonbeck. It was Jai-Soo's original den, and Emile was anxious to return there. Rolf understood. Like him, Emile had already learned to fear the proximity of people.

Rolf thought that Paula would protest and make a scene, but he was wrong. Paula was sad, but controlled. She now knew that she would see Jai-Soo again, and promised that next time it would be her that went to visit them. She and Jai-Soo both hugged, and Jai-Soo said her goodbyes to all the girls. In the end it was her parting with Soo-Kai that was the saddest.

The weddings were in late summer. The marriage of the Crown Prince made the affair into a state occasion of the highest kind. The whole of the Palace was decorated, and ribbons and bunting lined the streets of Ellerkan.

At any other time Prince Carl's choice of wife might have led to protests from his father or his ministers, but such was the change in Carl's attitude to his position and his future role that neither his father nor his mother were prepared to sanction any interference. In fact, anything that kept this unexpected but well received acceptance of responsibility in their son they were more than happy to support. And if the Lady Anne was the cause of this change, then they would embrace her with all their might.

For her part, Anne did her best to fit in with a society she could have only known about from the history of her own world. This was a feudal society, rich in pageantry and custom, while she was a product of a modern and abrasive culture. But she was eager to learn, and with Carl's unwavering help and support, learn she did.

Queen Charlotte was her first conquest. She was quick to recognise the love her son had for Anne, and its importance to him. She announced her support for the Lady Anne openly and publicly. And where she led, others quickly followed.

Ministers, Courtiers, noblemen and women, all were approached and treated by Anne with the utmost respect, dignity and polite charm. Anne worked hard, her efforts surprising even Carl, and in the end her rewards were well earned. Anne wasn't an instant success, but by the time the date of the wedding approached, there was no one in the Palace that would speak against her.

The Royal wedding was supported by that of Sir John L'Barr and the Lady Sophia. And it was the Lady Sophia who almost stole the limelight from her Royal partners. No one in Ellerkan had ever seen a young woman quite like Sophia, and in her wedding dress she looked far older than her meagre sixteen years. In the taverns and the inns for many days and nights afterwards, all would agree that L'Barr was the most envied man in Halafalon.

The third couple to be married that day would have been considered of little consequence only a few months earlier. But a few months earlier, none could have suspected the depth and speed of success that had been achieved by the groom.

Craig's confidence in his ability as a salesman and trader proved to be far more accurate than even he could have imagined. He had learned his skills on the streets of a modern city, where success was often measured by the strength of one's legs as well as one's wits. Ellerkan had a much slower and sedate pace, and there were many opportunities for success that had so far been left unexplored. Craig brought the cunning and foresight of a modern society to a naive but prosperous one, and with Prince Harold as his financial backer, he didn't hesitate for a second in taking advantage.

By the time the wedding took place, Craig had established himself as a shrewd and clever merchant man. His dealings on the market in corn and flour had already become legendary, and his wiles as a salesman knew no equal. It was said that he could sell ploughs to fisherman, and nets to farmers. His marriage to the Lady Amy was an important event on the calendar of every business man and trader in the city.

The triple wedding was the event of the decade, and several days were set aside for the festivities. Rolf, Soo-Kai, Jean and the girls were there as promised. When the children and their teacher all met again at the Palace the tears of joy and sadness flowed as quickly and in as much quantity as did the wine. They stayed for the length of the holiday. But as is the way with joyous occasions, the days passed all too quickly. And when it came time to part once more, the tears flowed as strongly as they did on the day when they had first arrived.

It was the last time they all saw one another until the reunion.

In the autumn, with the leaves already turning brown and gold in the forest, the day finally came when Jean and the girls had to leave the little house by the stream. Of course, they didn't want to go. And Rolf himself felt his resolve wavering. He had grown used to having them all in the house, and he would miss them dearly. But by now, Soo-Kai's pregnancy was clearly visible, and the knowledge of what was to come forced Rolf to face this decision. They couldn't all stay in the small house together. If Soo-Kai successfully gave birth to six children, they would all grow very quickly.

For a while, Rolf considered taking them all back to Ellerkan, but Soo-Kai was still sure that the best thing to do was to take them to Mai-Zen and Gustavo. Mai-Zen and Gustavo could not have children together. They lived in the mountains away from most towns and villages. They could trust them to do what was right, and it would be the perfect and safest place to grow up and learn.

In the end Rolf had to agree. Their little house was already known to many villagers, mainly young men and boys, who would often happen to pass by very accidentally. The presence of seven healthy and boisterous young girls had not gone without notice. He hoped that they wouldn't have to move, but he was already looking for abandoned cottages deeper in the forest.

Rolf expected the girls to argue. But getting them to accept his decision wasn't as hard as he had expected. Yes, the girls were as reluctant to leave as Rolf had been to part with them, but the lure of adventure that a life with Mai-Zen and Gustavo would bring was too much to resist. They had all read and re-read Soo-Kai's journal, and the many questions they had asked about the Outsider and her bond had given them a fair understanding of Gustavo's more cavalier attitude to life. It was exactly what they wanted.

Since the death of Gil-Yan, life with Rolf and Soo-Kai had been safe and predictable. Rolf was like a father to them all, and like a father he would scold them and tell them off if they were naughty or badly behaved. But he would also advise them and teach them what they needed to know. They all loved him and Soo-Kai, but by the end of the summer they craved for a life filled with adventure.

The journey to the pass at Falonbeck took several days. Rolf worried about Soo-Kai all the way, but she refused to show any sign of weakness or any acceptance of her condition. And no one dared to discuss it with her.

Right at the beginning, when Jean and the girls had come to stay, Rolf had explained the situation to them. He had obtained an oath from all of them that Soo-Kai's condition would not be discussed. They had all kept that oath.

There were many times during their journey when Rolf wished that one of the girls would break that oath, or that he himself could speak out and chastise Soo-Kai, to tell her to be more careful. But the oath was kept, and he dared not speak out. What Soo-Kai thought he could not tell, but she worried him greatly as she charged her horse up the steep slopes of the hills, as if daring herself to fall.

But if their journey was fraught with worry for Rolf, it was also not without its more lighter moments. On the way they passed Jasanta, and the girls laughed as they remembered the fight with Edgar and his two sons. And when they reached the foothills of the mountains and crossed the snow-line, snow-ball fights abounded.

Vanessa was the only one who faced their memories with sadness. The fight with Edgar and his sons only reminded her of Bernice, and it seemed that every memory she had that should make her smile brought instead the same sadness. But her grief drove her on.

Since her sister's death, Vanessa had grown stronger, harder and sterner. By the end of the summer she was a woman, and by the time they had reached the mountains, she rode her horse as straight and proudly as Soo-Kai did.

They were nine days out when they finally reached Mai-Zen's den. Rolf wondered how Soo-Kai knew her way to a place she had never seen. Her answer was that Mai-Zen had told her that her den lay in the shadow of mountains in the pass at Falonbeck. It was all the description she needed. And she was right.

They were all gathered around their campfire one evening when two fur wrapped figures on horseback appeared from out of the gloom. It was Mai-Zen and Gustavo. They had been out hunting. When they came closer, Mai-Zen pushed back her hood, revealing her face and blonde hair, and Gustavo called out, "You make more noise than a mountain elk with wind!"

With his very first words the girls all took to him. He was exactly what they needed. He was brash and irreverent, and the way he spoke to them reminded them of home. He was someone they could instantly relate to.

Mai-Zen and Gustavo climbed down from their horses and shook hands with Rolf, and then Soo-Kai and Mai-Zen embraced, rubbing their faces together and holding one another tightly. Soo-Kai cried and Mai-Zen shushed her, happy but understanding.

"You took my advice, I am glad."

When the greetings and introductions were over Rolf explained the reason for their visit. Gustavo burst out laughing, he didn't believe Rolf, and he kept looking at Jean and the girls and shaking his head. But Mai-Zen understood, and without hesitation she said, "We will take them."

Gustavo took some convincing. He argued that their life didn't allow for children. He had a wandering soul; he liked to see the world, to experience the dangers and the unusual. How could they live their life with eight children?

With every word of his argument, the girls liked the idea more. They didn't hesitate to join in the debate, telling Gustavo how they wouldn't be a burden, how they were nearly full grown, and how they wanted to learn and to see the world as he did. With Mai-Zen already on their side, Gustavo didn't stand a chance.

Mai-Zen's den turned out to be a large natural cave that Gustavo had extended and fortified. Wood and furs had been used extensively to make the cave not only habitable, but comfortable and warm. It was spacious and perfect.

Rolf and Soo-Kai stayed for five more days. Rolf kept saying that it was just to see that the girls settled in, but Soo-Kai knew that he was still reluctant to leave them. He had grown so attached to them all, and even Jean had found a place in his heart. But the day finally came when they had to go. Soo-Kai's time was short.

It was one of the saddest days in Rolf's life. His last sight of them was outside the entrance to Mai-Zen's den. They all stood waving, Rowena rubbing the tears from her eyes.

Soo-Kai gave birth in mid-autumn. Rolf helped her as best he could, and it was the strangest experience in his entire life. She never cried out or screamed once. She was completely silent, as if anxious to hide any sign of the birth. Rolf didn't have a second to spare. All six babies came quickly one after another. They were tiny, barely the size of his hand, but they were all perfect and grew very quickly.

By the time a year had passed, all six girls were walking and talking. Soo-Kai had long since forgotten those she had last given birth to, so she had named them from the beginning again: Ann-Soo, Bey-Soo, Chen-Soo, Di-Soo, El-Soo and Fam-Soo. Four had red hair like her own, while Chen-Soo and Fam-Soo had yellow-blonde hair like Rolf.

Rolf was in ecstasy. He spent far too much time with them, playing with them endlessly, and spoiling them all terribly. The house was filled with noise and the clothes he made for them. But while Rolf was filled with the joy of it all, Soo-Kai worried.

Now that her daughters were born she could study them in more detail. Gone was the fear of rejection that forced her to ignore them during her pregnancy. She had held them close, fed them and slept with them. And the more she scented and tasted them, the more she knew that she had not been as successful in the manipulation of their DNA as she had hoped. Yes, four of them at least she knew were deviant. They were not correct, and they would not grow up as Destroyers. But two caused her alarm. They were too perfect. They were too much like her.

Soo-Kai told Rolf, but he was so enraptured by them all that she was sure he didn't understand her worries. He was dismissive, but she knew that there would be problems.

But Rolf wasn't the only one to experience the joy and wonder of parenthood.

In the following year Sophia gave birth to her second son, and Amy had her first child, a daughter. It was Craig who brought the news. He visited Rolf and Soo-Kai on one of his business trips. It was a happy and nostalgic visit, but Craig was anxious to return to Amy, and he stayed for only a few hours in the morning.

Time passes, and as year followed year, from the borders with Falonbeck came other news.

People in the villages began to tell stories of a band of brigands that roamed the mountain passes raiding caravans. At first they were thought to be Destroyers, but as their deeds and fame grew, so did the stories about them. They were all women, but they lived and fought like Destroyers. They even had names like those of Destroyers: Slide-Rule, Gym-Slip, Buy-Row, Bus-Pass, and Chalk-Dust. Their leader was called Blue-Tack, and her skin was as dark as night. They called themselves the Sixpack, and their deeds became legendary...

### In the Shadow of Mountains:

### The Return of the Sixpack

In the second part of the story, twenty-eight years have passed and it is once again the year of the ship. But this time things will be different, for this year is also reunion year. For those that had lived in the Palaces and rich houses of Ellerkan, life had been filled with business, politics and profit. But for those who had made their lives in the mountains and forests life had been very different. For them it had been a lifetime of adventure, battles, war, robbery, mayhem and sex whenever they could get it. They were called the Sixpack, and now, after twenty-eight years came their reunion. The flesh may have been weak, but the spirit was still willing, and what happened was what always happened when the Sixpack were around –all Hell let loose.

And into all of this came Johnson Fold. He was only interested in a little horse trading. Ellerkan was just the sort of backwards planet where his skills and artistry could be most fruitful. And as he often said to his partner, Sinita Khan, "What could possibly go wrong?"

