By Craig

Craig rode reasonably quickly towards the Amazon village. He was in a hurry, but he didn't want to tire his horse out too much.
Looking into the distance, he could see a cloud of dust approaching at great speed. Eventually, Craig was able to make out Marty in the middle of the dust cloud.

"Marty!" Craig called out. "You are too late. I have returned the raiders to my people's prisons."

"I know that! I was attacked by some more of the raiders! I don't think that we got them all... but I got these two!" Marty yelled back. "We need to hurry back to the tribe! I think that the raiders are going to attack again!"

"OK, you take two of these horses and I'll take the other two. We should be able to ride more quickly that way," Craig decided, passing the reins of two of the Amazonian horses to Marty. He disconnected the modified chariot and moved his gear into his saddlebag.

They turned on the speed, forcing the horses to the limits of their endurance, before making it back in the late afternoon.

The village was in an uproar, with Amazons preparing for battle by painting themselves, checking their weapons, readying their arrows and sharpening their swords and spears.

"We're going to war!" Marty cried out, his face grim. "It's time to kill them all!"

Craig looked around, and saw a handful of warriors preparing to ride out, with Queen Gabrielle in their midst.
"Queen Gabrielle!" he thundered, his voice loud enough to be heard across the village.

"Craig! You made it back quickly!" Gabrielle exclaimed. "Just in time to go to war with us, if you wish."

"Do you need another bodyguard?" Craig asked, swinging his staff. He walked over to her, and once again the Amazons present marveled at his size.

"I wouldn't say no," Gabrielle grinned. "Especially to someone as big as you are. Now go and get yourself a war-horse."

Craig left, and returned quickly riding an Amazonian war-horse. "I hope I don't have to use anything other than my staff. As you may have guessed, I'm not big on killing people."

"Do you have a sword?" Xena asked.

"My staff has one built in," Craig said, removing the end of his staff to show a thin blade attached to it. "Queen Helen had it made specially for me."

"Amazons! Is everyone ready!" Gabrielle cried. The village cried out in unison.  "When the scouts return, and we have decided the best course of action, we will ride out!"

By Pixie

Pixie moved slowly and with great care through the trees.  She came to the edge of the camp and watched the hooded woman screaming and throwing a fit. When Nightsong's bloody form was removed from the ruin of the tent, her heart skipped a beat.

"Calm down my Lady, the wench is still alive. The arrow hasn't done too much damage." the old woman said kneeling beside Nightsong.

" Kill the archers...Slowly." Lyco's said turning to the group. "And who ordered this?!" the entire group stepped back from one man. "Good... bring him to the cave." Then to the man she purred" The archers are getting off easy....You won't."

Pixie then realized that the camp bordered a hillside honeycombed with caves, and peering out were soldiers drawn forward by the disturbance. A trap within a trap and if she didn't get a warning to the amazons they would walk into it.

Pixie quickly made up her mind.  "Forgive me my Faol-com" she whispered to the wind. Then as swiftly as she dared she returned to her own camp. Someone had been there, the tracks were fresh, then she saw that LA's packs were opened.  Her love had been here just minutes before. A tear fell as she saw the shirt, things had been so different when she had folded it and laid it aside that morning.  Why had she been bored?

"Stop that!" she chided herself. "You have a lot to do and no time for this."

She found her own pack still hidden in the top of a tree. An eerie calm came over her as she prepared herself. When she was finished she knelt down concentrated on LA. "My adored, hear me, know me." The thread of emotion washed over her.  Anger, fear, and confusion warred at LA's mind then calmed. "My warrior, I am well and Nightsong lives. The raiders have set a trap within the caves. My love, forgive me the pain I am about to cause you."

Then she stood up " Danu hear your daughter. I call upon the gift that you granted me at birth. Let my voice bring them." Then to anyone watching Pixie screamed silently.

But miles away LA was knocked to her knees and further still a man stood and looked toward the east. His wise eyes widened with surprise, then narrowed with rage. He called out to the tribe that bustled around him.

Pixie looked to the sky and smiled "Thank you Mother, watch over this wayward child of yours this night" Then to herself she thought 'And watch over me when LA catches up with me.'

By Littlearsonist

Slowly Littlearsonist recovered, getting back to her feet she tried to control her breathing. Her head rang as she quietly muttered about the timing of a crazy Pixie.

Shsway helped LA steady. She looked up and gave her a reassuring smile. "Your teacher lives, young one. Now it is time for vengeance and rescue."

LA stood on her own and walked over to Gabrielle and Xena. "Your majesty, the raiders have laid a trap for us, if I understood my pri...Pixie correctly, in caves."

Anything else LA was about to say was interrupted by the arrival of a scout.   Kneeling the scout reported some what in awe what she had seen.

"Queen Gabrielle, as I was preparing to leave my post of watching the raiders camp, I was stopped by a commotion. The soldiers were in an uproar. It was to my disbelief a single woman. She had walked right into the center of the camp and demanded to be taken to Nightsong."

LA stepped towards the scout and demanded, "Describe this woman."

The scout looked to Gabrielle and seeing her nod, she started her description.  "She wore a snow white dress of Egyptian cloth, heavily embroidered with dark green. With a belt of golden bells around her waist, the ends trailing to the ground. She had long red hair falling straight down her back, and a thick gold torque around her neck."

LA stepped back from the scout. She stood, her fists at her side, head down.

"That crazy, bit..." LA turned to look at Gabrielle. "My princess has gotten herself into trouble once more. But in return we can expect friends soon enough."

There was a commotion at the edge of the war band as the first of many Celtic warriors stepped from the forest and offered his sword to LA, "Hearing the cry of the fox, we come to serve the wolf."

Seeing the confusion on the amazons faces, LA turned to Gabrielle, "My loves true name is Rionnac, meaning the fox. I am her Faol-com, her wolf."

By Nightsong

Nightsong gasped as Pixie's mental scream sounded through her. She, herself, was not a stranger to the mystical world, and thought of how much more that had to hurt Littlearsonist then herself.
"She is going to have a few choice words for you, my little friend." Nightsong thought with amusement.

Lyco had been awakened by Nightsong's gasp as stood up. She opened her mouth, but before she could speak, a man with a drawn blade came out of the darkness.

"What do you want? I thought I said no interruptions!" Lyco roared.

"I don't care what you want! I am tired of having to take your orders. You have never had the heart for this trade, your only asset is your ability to make our customers happy." The man touched his swordpoint to Lyco's throat. "You die now!"

Nightsong closed her eyes and let everything fade away. All that existed was the chain on her right wrist that was attached to the spike buried in the rock behind her. She slowed her breathing and tightened the chain until no slack remained.  She drew energy from the rocks and air around her until she could not contain it anymore. Suddenly, her eyes flew open and she screamed. She pulled the spike and chain free of the rock with such force that the spike flew in an arc and shallowly sliced the man's throat.

He stumbled back, bleeding. Nightsong pulled Lyco behind her and held the spike like she would a dagger. But before the man could get his bearings, several men entered the cavern, with Pixie in their clutches.

"This is not good." Nightsong thought.

By Kiwixenite

They had been discussing the plight of Nightsong for a good ten minutes now, and Xena was adamant that it was time to strike.

Gabrielle agreed, and she called out to the Amazons, "We must be careful, because they have Nightsong. However, I believe that we can rescue her, and then the battle will be ours. I will ride near the front, and when I call to stop, we will, and I will explain our next move then.  Now, ride out!"

The Amazons took off, leaving only a token guard behind them. Craig rode with Gabrielle and Xena, carrying his staff with him. "Queen Gabrielle, what are you going to do when we reach their camp?"

"I intend to send Xena in to rescue Nightsong and then we will attack once she is safe," Gabrielle replied.

"Just how good are you with a staff?" Xena asked Craig.

"I am one of my Queen's champions," Craig replied.

"She appointed me as her champion many years ago, when we were much younger, and I was a warrior in training. Now I am a judge, and her best friend, so she holds a contest each year to determine who her other champion will be. She says that she doesn't want to lose me in a battle for her honor, so she had to appoint a battle champion. Her current battle champion is very good, but I am slightly better."

"So you're slightly better than the winner of tournament to find the best in the land?" Gabrielle asked.

"Something like that," Craig smiled. When the Amazons finally approached the camp of the raiders, they dismounted, and Xena went in after Nightsong...

By Shsway

After hearing from LA that her lover had mentally communicated Nightsong's well-being, she was filled with an odd combination of joy, hope and anger. Quiet, seething anger.

She vowed that if given the opportunity, she would be the one to make her foes pay for her mentor's pain.

Her armor glistened with the sun, ready for any blood that it would have to wear.  The war paint made her eyes looked haunted, cold and hard. It pretty much reflected the somber, thoughtful mood she was in. As vengeful thoughts reverberated in the walls of her mind, she felt another set of eyes on her. Turning swiftly to the right, her brown eyes met Alaya's blue.

She made her way through the marching amazons to stand by her new interest.  They smiled briefly at each other, as Alaya gripped the scout's hand with a warm reassuring touch. Both new they may not get out of the battle unscathed, and silently feared for the other. They had not had much time to talk since the morning of the trial.

From the front lines, her fellow scouts called Shsway to come to the Queen and her Champion to discuss their next move. They had arrived at the border separating the enemy camp from the untouched woods. Most likely, she would advise the warriors on the best areas of terrain attack after she and the others took in a brief layout of the land from the trees.
She wanted to just charge in. 
She wanted to help LA see her princess again.
She wanted to believe Nightsong was not dead, with her own eyes.

With that, she glanced once more at Alaya, gave her a brief kiss on the lips, and headed out to gods knew what.

By Ephfan

The battle was at hand and Ephfan had three things on her mind; to see that Nightsong got out of there in one piece; to see Pixie reunited with LA; and to see that bastard Taran suffer a slow death at her hands. She stood proudly with Nike, her queen, and the mighty warrior princess.

She glanced to her left and saw Shsway with the lovely Alaya. She poked Nike in the ribs and pointed in their direction. They were surprised to see the shy scout and warrior lean in and kiss the girl. They both smiled and Nike leaned over to whisper "they grow up so fast don't they?".

Shsway walked over and joined them. The three friends looked at each other and formed a circle with arms around each other.

Nike spoke first "My sisters, may the gods be with you and keep you safe."

Then Shsway "My friends, may you fight with the strength of Artemis, the fury of Ares, and the wisdom of Athena."

Then Ephfan spoke as the signal to arms was given "We are amazons my companions, and we shall be brave and strong and we will be victorious."

The three locked arms in a warrior handshake forming an unbroken circle. Each knew that together their strength could not be overcome. They looked to their queen to await the signal to attack.

By Littlearsonist

Littlearsonist looked around. The war camp was segregated amazons around their Queen, Celts around her.

So far three different clans had answered the call of her love. "By the gods above and below if they don't get enough of the raiders they'll be going after each other."

LA turned to Laeg, "A truce is to be called. Your disagreements are to be settled on your own lands." LA looked around, "You are here as one clan, serving the wolf therefore serving the amazon queen."

LA walked over to Gabrielle, leaving Laeg to call the truce. "Your...Gabrielle the warriors are ready. Their presence is as much a surprise to me as it is to you. This is my little foxes doing.", LA stopped and looked up to the caves. Pointing she spoke, "There are more raiders up there than in the camp."

Gabrielle nodded, "Xena, has taken some of the amazons to the top of the hill to ensure the trap catches the raiders instead of us. Take your Celts to the other side of the camp. We will hit them from both sides. Watch for the signal to attack."

LA nodded and started to turn only to be stopped by one of the scouts. "You said that your warriors were ready?"

"Yes."

"Then why are so few wearing armor?", Another scout asked pointing to a warrior.

"Forget the armor", the first scout whispered. "Where are their clothes?"

LA turned to see where the scouts were pointing, noticing several of the men and women were wearing less than Nightsong. She turned back shaking her head and grinning.

"Some Celts think it's more...effective this way.", LA shrugged her shoulders, "No clothes to constrict movement."

LA moved to the group of Celts. She signaled to follow as she moved through the forest to the opposite side of the camp. Silently they waited for the signal that would start the battle.

A sentry looked in horror as a flaming arrow lodged itself into his chest. As he fell LA turned to Laeg drawing her sword. "As good a signal as any."

The Celts emerged from the forest with a gleeful warcry. Confusion quickly overtook the encampment as the raiders fled from the Celts into the forest only to find the amazons....

By Pixie

Pixie allowed herself to be led down the through the winding cavern. Troops lined the way a first then became more sparse. turning from the main corridor, they had to duck to enter a small chamber flooded with torch light.

Nightsong stood on one side holding a metal stake in her hand, Lyco stood open mouthed behind her. Taran stood a few feet off, holding his throat and waving a sword unsteadily.

`Now what?´ Pixie thought to herself. Then made a quick hand sign to Nightsong.

`Down?´ Nightsong wondered for a second, then threw herself at Lyco, both fell to the ground.

Pixie took a step forward from the confused men, who were unsure which person in the room to attack. Pixies hands moved swiftly as she threw something at the men who grabbed their throats. one man advanced toward her, sword drawn, then fell to his knees. Within only a minute all of the raiders lay snoring.

"What did you do to them and with what?" Lyco demanded crawling from under Nightsong. Then looking at Pixie " Something tells me that you are worth more than I first thought."

Nightsong sat up carefully, looked at Pixie and grinned, Pixie's dress was of thin white cloth a pleated skirt hung low on her hips the top was a single band of the same cloth, only the rich embroidery kept the dress decent. The golden bells circled her bare waist twice before falling to the floor," Does LA know you're wearing that?"

Turning from the guard she was disarming, "What's wrong with this? It covers more than what you have on. "

"Yes, but I can see right through it."

"Have you looked down yet?" Pixie grinned and continued disarming the men and tying them up. "What was going on when we came in? And why is she hiding behind you?" Pointing at Lyco.

Nightsong began her answers as Lyco unchained her, then stopped" When did you learn Greek?"

"About two months ago.  What's wrong with your head? You keep rubbing your temple."

"You're loud, LA is probably still holding her head. Just how long have you two been together?"

"Since she kidnapped me, about two years. Since we've been bondmates, a little less. Now how are we going to get out of here? The way I came is a little crowded." Pixie grabbed a pair of cloaks from the fallen men and tossed one to Nightsong.

"Leave that to me." Lyco purred. "This cave leads to the other side of the hill."

"Do you trust her?" Pixie asked.

"My dear, do you have a choice?" Lyco answered, grabbing a torch and walked out of the chamber.

Pixie looked at Nightsong....

By Nightsong

Nightsong smiled at Pixie, "The one thing you can trust about Lyco is her loyalty to me. She is also a woman of her word, and while she may have been born to a heartless trade, she is not evil."

With that, Nightsong wrapped the cloak around her shoulders and followed Lyco.  The cavern twisted and turned for some time, and after a few minutes it grew progressively warmer.

"Where is the heat coming from?" Asked Pixie.

"There are veins of heated groundwater in these caverns, we couldn't dig for fear of flooding the cavern with boiling water and steam."

Nightsong stopped at this and turned with a primal grin on her face. "How much do you love your raiders now?" She asked Lyco. 

Lyco looked at her for a minute and then smiled. "Not much at all, my dear. You certainly are a smart one, aren't you?"

Pixie looked confused as Nightsong turned to her, "How fast can you run?"