He shook his head, forcing his strained legs farther from Barak's fortress, wanting to be as far away as he could from that place as possible, but feeling so guilty that he wanted to return for Jhat. And you will. She's depending on you to find help. You'll be back there as soon as possible. He almost had to pick up each leg to move it, and soon came to a dirt path. It looked like it had been used recently, telling from the tossed ground from where horses had passed through.

He collapsed on the road, not caring about his own safety, the only thought now beating against his tortured mind was Rest... Sleep... Calm... Quiet... Peace...

"I think he's going to be all right. He doesn't look like he's sustained any physical injuries. He's just exhausted, and he needs rest..."

Joxer shook his head at the soft voice. His head hurt and all he wanted was quiet.

"Look! Look, Xena! He moved!"

THAT was a voice he recognized. Forcing his pain-laden eyelids open, he caught a flash of strawberry blonde. "Gabby...?" His voice was raw and he could barely raise it above a whisper.

Gabrielle was immediately at his side. "Shhh... It's okay, Joxer. You're safe here." She reached out to touch his forehead gently, but removed her hand when he winced at her touch.

"Is Xena here?"

Gabrielle nodded, a little confused by his odd question. "She's right here. Why?"

Joxer tried to force his eyes open further, but only succeeded in allowing harsh light to stab him in the eyes painfully. Covering his eyes quickly with an throbbing head, he began quickly, "Xena, Barak has the key to the Sword of Aremis. Jhat told me to tell you. I need your help."

Xena's expression darkened noticeably, causing the bard to worry. Turning back to Joxer, she asked, "Joxer, what are you talking about? What key?"

"I dunno." He removed his hand after closing his eyes, shaking his head slowly. "Jhat just said to say that."

"Jhat?" Xena pressed him. "Who's she?"

"A kid I met a few weeks back. She's a poet, and her parents were killed by Barak."

Xena frowned, her eyes penetrating. "What does she look like?"

"She's got hair like moonlight, and bright green eyes." He coughed once. "Why?"

"Bring with thee a poet harmed," Xena muttered to herself, trying to remember something. "Stricken by things..." She shook her head angrily, reaching into her armor and fumbling for a scrap of paper. Skimming the contents, she found what she had wanted.

      Bring with thee a poet harmed,
      Stricken by things beyond belief.
      Her hair is the color of the moon
      And her eye is a bright green leaf.

Joxer removed his hand, ignoring the near-blinding light as he struggled to sit up. "What is that? And where did you get that?"

"A prophecy that Barak found. He used to serve as a lieutenant in my armies." Xena's eyes glazed over as she retreated into her memories. "He was searching for a sword of such immense power, whoever possessed it could defeat even Zeus."

Joxer mulled it over a little before nodding. "Thunder can be seen as a destructive force... so, yeah, you could kill Zeus." He blinked a few times before his eyes widened. "Uh oh... If Barak gets the Sword..."

Xena nodded. "We have to stop him. Where is he?"

"He's at his fortress, not far from where I collapsed. Where am I, anyway?"

"A small town called Polythenes. It's a short walk from where we found you on the road. What happened?"

"Me and Jhat got caught by Barak, and he had his goon knock me out. When I woke up, Jhat and Barak were talking, and then Barak ordered me out of the cell I was being held in. I was tied to two posts, and Barak threatened to whip me if she didn't tell him where the Sword was. She didn't want me to get hurt, so she agreed and then Barak ordered his goon to burn her throat to keep from talking." Joxer shuddered as Xena handed him a glass of water. He drank deeply before continuing. She remained emotionless, while the bard stared in shock at the blood-innocent swordsman. Xena glanced back to the piece of paper and nodded.

"That would explain 'Stricken by things beyond belief.' Keep going, Joxer. Don't leave anything out."

"Well, there's not much to tell." He shrugged helplessly. "I had called her Jhat, and Barak suddenly got all interested, but when I couldn't tell him anything else, he just left me in the dungeon. He took Jhat somewhere and I was just left tied to the posts." Joxer took a deep breath and another mouthful of water. "Jhat came by earlier, and she was able to speak..." He turned to Gabrielle imploringly. "Do you remember my brother Jett?"

Gabrielle nodded a little confused. The "King of Assassins" looked exactly like his younger brother, but wore black leather and had a rasping sort of voice that sounded vaguely menacing.

"Jhat sounds like that, only a lot worse. She couldn't speak above a whisper, but I think her throat might get better."

Xena nodded, thinking. "If she doesn't reveal the fact that she can still talk."

"I don't think she'd do that. She's really smart, Xena." Joxer said admiringly, but his dark brown eyes looked a little haunted. "She had freed me, and then told me about how there was a cell with a few loose bricks that she had planned on using only in an emergency, or else it would've brought them to Barak's attention, so she couldn't use them when she had to escape again."

"Did she tell you how many times she escaped him?"

Joxer shook his head a little. "No, but she told me her parents died when she was old enough to learn the legend of the Sword, so she might've been running from him for maybe five years...?" He shrugged his shoulders. "She looks fifteen to me, but I dunno when her parents were killed."

"Don't worry about it." Xena shook her head. The dead parents weren't going to help her. She needed that key... "Now that Barak has the key to the Sword of Aremis, he'll be able to find it. We're going to need help."

"Xena," Joxer objected hoarsely. "We can't leave Jhat with him. I promised I'd come back for her. If anything else happened because I wasn't there..."

"Don't worry about it, Joxer. You just rest and we'll get her back."

Joxer shook his head stubbornly. "Xena, I want to help her. I mentioned you once before this all happened, and she got real upset. She told me to find you, but she didn't sound very happy about it. You'll need me to let her know she's in good hands."

Xena frowned, thinking it over. Joxer was right, surprisingly enough. Jhat wouldn't trust her even if she rescued her. And if the girl knew Barak, she could've heard about Xena, the Destroyer of Nations and not the reformed warrior princess. Sighing with a little frustration, Xena relented. "Fine. We'll stay here for today, but we leave by nightfall." Her tone left no room for argument.

Joxer weakly nodded his agreement. Taking a sip of water, he reclined back on the bed and closed his eyes. After a few minutes, he was out cold. Gabrielle, silent throughout the conversation between the wanna-be and the warrior princess, turned to her best friend.

"Xena, what was that all about? Who's this Jhat person?"

"A friend of Joxer's, apparently. She knows where the Sword of Aremis is."

"And what's that?"

Xena wasn't really surprised that Gabrielle didn't know about the Sword or it's history. It was a family secret, known only to Jhat's ancestors, and of course, her and Barak. Even then, they knew little about it. "It's a weapon who's history is lost in the antiquity of time. Only Jhat knows it's true power, and it's past."

"And where it is." The bard finished for her. She was utterly confused by this whole situation, but she had to rely on Xena's judgment on this one. Compared to what had happened to them during the past year or so, this actually seemed somewhat easier to deal with. Though Xena's reaction to Joxer's story made her begin to think about the situation again.

"Get some rest, Gabrielle. We've got a long way to go."

Reluctantly, the bard nodded. She didn't like how Xena was acting; it was like that time she went to Ch'in to repay her debt to Lao Ma. She went into the other room where the healer had set up some furs for them to sleep in. Burrowing herself under the soft fur, the bard's blue eyes closed and her breathing evened as she fell asleep.

Jhat discovered that she really didn't like riding on horses, especially with Barak riding behind her. Coughing a few times, she looked around at the landscape, trying to find a few familiar landmarks. Seeing nothing except the wide grassland, a forest to her left, and Barak's escort of about five men, she thought about Joxer. He's a good, dependable guy. Maybe he found Xena. But, then again, it could very well be "out of the frying pan, into the fire." Oh, boy...

She didn't have any idea where they were going, and she was seriously getting sick of the horse. Her behind was sore, and the horse's mane smelled horrible. Squirming around in Barak's arms, the poet was rewarded with a hard shake from the rider behind her.

"Stop struggling. It's pointless anyway." Barak's voice was something she hated more than the horse. Sighing, she stopped, but then tugged on her captor's sleeve. He snatched his arm away in annoyance and glared down at her. "What?"

Jhat gestured to her backside, and Barak's eyes rolled skywards. Raising his hand, he slid off the horse and held a hand out to Jhat. Ignoring the hand, the muted poet slid down and rubbed her behind to restore feeling to it. Gesturing to Barak, she motioned to the ground. Mind letting me walk, pond scum?

Barak's eyebrow rose. "What?"

Sighing, Jhat walked ahead a few steps and stopped, turning back to Barak. I wanna walk, you stupid Spartan.

Barak looked suspicious, but remounted the horse. "Walk beside the horse."

She nodded, returning to the horse's side and keeping her tied hands in front of her. Barak didn't trust her now, what with Joxer's escape, so he had at least one of his men constantly keeping an eye on her. She had proved herself to be a smooth-talking genius at nine years old, an excellent escape artist at eleven and a half, and fairly good with a dagger at fourteen. That meant she needed to be watched three times as closely. Barak looked down at his captive.

She hadn't changed much over the years. She had gotten taller and lankier, true, but her overall determination and quiet wisdom hadn't. As an adversary, she was to be admired. She was the model prisoner, acting up only when she was in the middle of escaping.

She turned to look up at him, her silver eyebrow raised in question. He could almost hear her now, Doesn't scum like you have anything better to do than to stare at little girls? He caught himself before he could laugh at loud. The poet rolled her eyes at his smile, turning back to the road ahead of them.

He watched from the tree branch, a little surprised at the scene. This kid shoulda said somethin' by now. She's a little too quiet, and she certainly doesn't look like a quiet kinda kid. He continued his silent investigation of the situation, still a little surprised at it. And what in Tartarus is Barak doing with her? He hasn't been beating her up, so she must be valuable.

He was interrupted by a rustling in the brush underneath and behind him. Turning quickly, he saw a man in makeshift armor that looked to be made out of pot lids and skillets. He silently groaned, recognizing him almost immediately. Joxer... Great... Watching from the high tree branch, he saw the wanna-be warrior duck behind a tree before he was spotted by Barak's escort. Glancing from Joxer to the girl and her captors and back, his curiosity was still growing.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, the tree-bound onlooker heard a whizzing sound and found himself flat on his back on the ground, staring up into menacing, but beautiful, blue eyes and a sword at his throat.

"Xena!" He was too surprised to remember his aching back. "What are you doing here?"

"Autolycus..." She flicked the sword away from his throat, offering him a hand up. He declined with a negligent wave and stood, dusting off his green tunic and black leather pants.

"You saw the girl with Barak." With that voice, Autolycus could tell it was more a statement than a question.

He nodded. "Yeah, poor kid. Wonder what she did to piss him off."

"It's what she knows that matters to Barak." Xena glanced back to the bodyguards surrounding Barak. "We need your help getting her loose."

Auto's eyebrows rose. "Why?"

"Knowing Barak, her wrists are tightly bound, and she won't be of much use in a fight."

"You haven't seen what she can do, Xena." Joxer cut in. "I saw her take down three guys in the middle of a barroom brawl."

"Yeah, right." Auto scoffed. The kid he saw was a fairly scrawny one that didn't look like any threat. "And why would I be doing this?"

Joxer looked at him in shock. "How can you say that? She needs our help, and you ask for money?!"

Xena cut him off. "Joxer, we need his help."

"But, Xena-"

"No buts, Joxer. We need his help."

Joxer wanted to protest further about the thief's self-absorbed attitude, but was silenced when Xena gave him her patented Look. Xena turned back to the King of Thieves. "We'll discuss price later. If we don't get to her soon, she's going to be in serious danger."

Autolycus looked at her, gauging whether or not to press the issue, but at her serious demeanor, he nodded. Godsdammit! "What's the plan, Xena?"

"Gabrielle and I create a diversion, you grab the girl."

"What about me?" Joxer asked seriously.

"Stay here-"

"Out of harm's way." Joxer snapped, finishing Xena's unspoken thought. "If she doesn't see me, she's going to fight you as well as Barak." As Xena's eyes narrowed, Joxer continued firmly. "I know her, Xena. Let me help you."

Xena looked at him for a moment before agreeing. "Fine. Get within sight of her and get out. I don't you getting hurt."

"I don't a need a mother, Xena." Joxer was really getting fed up with this. This was his friend that he was trying to save, and Xena was insisting on coddling him and making sure he didn't get his knees skinned.

"Much as I hate to interrupt," Autolycus cut in with a touch of sarcasm. "But when are we going to save the kid?"

"Right now." Xena said, running forward out of the forest, in front of the escort. While Xena drew her sword, Gabrielle emerged from the forest not far from Autolycus' and Joxer's position.

"That's far enough, Barak."

Barak looked at the new arrival with a smile. "Xena, how nice to see you again. And I see you've got your little storyteller with you too."

"You know what I'm here for, Barak, so just hand her over."

Barak started laughing. "You think I'm going to give up the key just because you're in my way?" He grabbed Jhat's tied hands and picked her up off the ground easily. Jhat twisted and jerked in his hold, but he didn't seem to notice. "You want her? Come and get her." He threw the poet about ten or so feet behind him, causing her to land at an awkward angle on the ground. Her scream ripped through the air as Xena flipped high into the air, her battle cry joining Jhat's.

Dammit, it is out of the frying pan, into the fire! Where in Tartarus is Joxer?! Moving herself around a little, she gasped and winced in pain. That felt like a broken leg... This is NOT good! Tears ran down her face at the newly awakened pain, and she collapsed on the ground, saving her strength for when someone attacked her.

Joxer saw the fight begin and immediately ran at full tilt to Jhat's crumpled form on the ground. "JHAT!" He shouted, but a warrior on horseback that had managed to break away from Xena's pummeling was riding at him in full gallop, his sword drawn.

"JOXER!" Auto quickly climbed a tree and threw out his grappling hook, swinging from another tree limb easily as he flipped into the air and knocked the horseman off his steed, but not before the rider delivered a slash that cut through Joxer's makeshift armor on his back.

Knocking the rider unconscious, he went to the girl's body and saw the broken leg. It looked bad, but then again, the thief didn't know that much about breaks. He picked up the girl, who immediately began protesting and weakly struggling in his strong grip.

"Hey, kid, knock it off! I'm trying to help you!"

He didn't know who that was, but her one basic rule kicked in: Trust no one. Swinging her arm with a surprising amount of force, the poet smacked Autolycus in the side of the head, causing him to drop her and further injure her broken leg. Desperately trying to ignore the pain, she pulled out a knife that she had hidden inside of her shirt and slashed forward, carving lightly into the thief's leg. Autolycus howled in pain, dropping to the ground from the new sense of pain from his calf.

Jhat was relentless in her assault. Through the haze of pain clouding her vision, she crawled forward to the King of Thieves, who was now clutching his leg and beginning to stand again, she jumped up, grabbed his belt, and pulled down on the side that had the wounded leg. Howling again, Autolycus collapsed on the ground.

Exhausted from her fight, she saw angry brown eyes and black hair enter her vision before she blacked out from the pain. No...

Jhat awoke to find herself in a cot, her broken leg set and throbbing painfully. She was dimly aware of a masculine voice shouting, and a feminine voice answering.

"Let me kill her, Xena! That little wench stabbed me in the leg!"

"It wasn't that deep, Autolycus. You'll live."

Opening her eyes a little, she found herself staring into a starry night sky, framed by the boughs of tall trees. A forest... From the leaves, enough protection to dodge arrows. This is mildly okay. With the leg, I'll have to compensate. Moving her hand a little, Jhat felt a long-fingered hand take hers gently. For effect, she turned her head from side to side and squinched her face into a frown.

Immediately she felt the long-fingered hand transfer to her aching head and gently brush the strands of silver away from her face. "Shhh... You're safe now, Jhat. I'm not gonna let anything happen to you. Shhh..."

Joxer? Her brain jumpstarted and her eyes flew open. "Joxer?"

"Hi there." He smiled a little.

"I'm in a forest, and my leg's broken. What happened?"

"Xena and Gabby were trying to distract Barak's men so that me and Autolycus could save you, but when I was going to get you to carry you, one of Barak's men got me from behind. From what I heard, Auto was trying to help you, and you stabbed him."

"Auto?" She dimly remembered the green blur, which she assumed was a man, picking her up.

"Actually, Autolycus, the King of Thieves." Joxer corrected himself.

"Oh, him... I REMEMBER him..." She got up, ignoring the pain, and tried to stand, but Joxer's hand on her shoulder stopped her.

"Look, he was only trying to help you-"

"I'm not talking about me stabbing him, though he really had that one coming to him. We've only crossed paths, that's all. And of course, he let me take the fall for one of his damn heists. Oh, that as-"

"JHAT!" Joxer reprimanded her. I keep forgetting about her mouth.

"He deserves it, that cutpurse. Because of him, I was captured by Barak's men. How do you think those men in that town knew where to find me?" She brushed off Joxer's hand easily, turning around to see Autolycus and Xena both sitting by the fire; Autolycus angry and Xena slightly irritated. When Autolycus saw Jhat stand, he immediately began to stand, but Xena yanked him back down again.

"You want a piece of me, cutpurse?" Jhat rasped insultingly. To her knowledge, "cutpurse" was the worst thing you could call a thief. It seemed to have it's intended effect. "Come and get me." She swiped her hand to the spot where she normally kept her kinfe for emergencies. When Xena picked up the knife from the ground beside her, Jhat's face registered surprise. Readjusting her tactics immediately, she returned a blazing, green-eyed stare to the master thief.

"Not gonna fight a weak, innocent girl, cutthroat? You must be full of hot air. Like your head."

Autolycus looked at her with an arrogant look on his face. "I'll just ignore that."

"You self-absorbed piece of-"

"Jhat!" Joxer cut in. He turned to Autolycus apologetically. "Autolycus, I'm really sor-"

"Stuff it, Joxer." Jhat snapped, not bothering to look at him. "You're a real piece of work, thief. You let a kid take the rap for some stunt you pulled that blew up in your face. You are one sick bastard."

"What?" Autolycus looked bewildered.

"You know what I'm talking about, dipstick. In Megara, when your heist on the museum for a bunch of jewelry went bust. Barak's men found me courtesy of you." When Autolycus didn't answer, Jhat frowned a little. "Megara. About a month or so back. Big, angry looking goons about the size of houses."

"Oh, them." Auto shrugged it off. "Look, kid-"

"You were protecting yourself, that's all." She finished in a sarcastic voice. "It's what you're good at, after all. Frankly Xena, I can't think of a reason why you would put up with a jerk like him."

"He's handy to have around." Xena answered calmly, making Jhat swallow a bit nervously. Joxer sat down near the fire, looking from the poet to the warrior princess and thief and back.

"Jhat, why not just sit down?" He asked, apparently feeling calm in their presence.

"Jox-"

"Jhat, just sit, and I'll make some dinner, okay?"

Jhat looked at him closely for a minute or so before circling around Joxer and sitting down across the fire from the dangerous pair. Joxer turned to her, oblivious to the tense inquisitive stares that the others were giving each other.

"How's your voice doing?"

"It's going from bad to worse." Jhat's voice sounded weaker. "It's bad enough that monster shoved a red-hot fire poker down my throat, but he kicked it a few times when I helped you escape. It hurts to talk."

Joxer's eyes grew bright with unshed tears as he looked over his young friend. She was a good kid; she didn't deserve any of this. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders a little reluctantly until Jhat leaned her head on his shoulder and stared into the flames.

"Know any good poetry for me to listen to while I'm making dinner?" Joxer asked in a whisper. Jhat smiled a little that he remembered.

"I'll see what I can do, but my scrolls are at Barak's castle." Her green eyes looked black as the fire seemed to leach the color away from them.

Xena and Autolycus watched the exchange, both with a little bit of surprise and amusement. As Jhat's harsh rasp answered Joxer's soft baritone, Xena stood and silently moved away from the fire, sitting on her sleeping furs and taking out her sword to sharpen it. Autolycus followed her, looking a little confused.

"I thought that raspy voice was supposed to scare me or something." The master rogue muttered.

"No, it's very real; Joxer told me about what happened. I didn't think her voice would sound that bad. How's your wound?"

"Healing." Auto shrugged it off. "And what's with that kid and Joxer. You'd think that they were brother and sister or something."

"From what I can tell, Jhat's been on the run her whole life. Joxer's a sensitive person, and maybe she felt that he understood her."

"And just why did we leave them alone?"

"It felt too private. They need some time to talk and it's easier if there isn't anyone else around."

"Like you and Gabrielle. By the way, where is she?"

"Coming back with water for Jhat." Xena looked back at the fire to the young wanna-be and younger poet.

"You know, Xena's watching us right now." Jhat rasped.

"I'm sure she wants to make sure we're okay. She does that sometimes."

"Joxer, how is it that you can just trust people so blindly?"

"You mean like with Xena? I don't trust her blindly; I trust her because she's my friend. She's saved my life more than a few times, and I've saved hers."

Jhat was quiet as she considered it. "So you trust the Destroyer of Nations?"

"She's trying to live that down, Jhat. She's not proud of it anymore than I'm proud of wanting to kill people."

Jhat was quiet again. She felt a gentle nudge from her friend beside her. "Hey. You asleep?"

"No, I just wanna sit."

"You gonna tell me some poetry?"

"Not unless you start dinner first." Jhat half-smiled to her tall friend. Joxer sighed and went to Gabrielle's pack to get out a skillet, some herbs and some dried meat that had been saved for later. Throwing the spices and meat together, he soon had them over the fire, turning to Jhat expectantly.

"Hmmm..." Her lips pursed in thought, not unlike what he normally did. "Let's see..." Turning to the soft dirt near the fire, she scribbed some runes on it with her index finger, cocking her head momentarily before either continuing her work or brushing out the offending stanza. Joxer glanced at her work occasionally, but returning to the sizzling meat. "I think I got something."

"You've got to be kidding!" Joxer laughed. "It's only been a few minutes!"

"So? Sometimes it takes a few minutes to write something, and sometimes it takes a few days. It depends on how much you consider the words you're writing. If you're working on something that goes straight for the heart, you want to make sure that each word carries its own weight for the importance of the message. Of course, there are times when you come up with something simple, but everyone thinks its an absolute masterpiece. Go figure." Jhat coughed harshly a few times, making Joxer wince with the pain he could hear. Swallowing once, Jhat sighed and looked at her work again.

"I'm not sure what it's called; I normally come up with the title last."

"Don't worry about it. Just tell it to me."

"Okay..."

      Tonight I sit again at the fire's light,
      With my tall friend by my side.
      There may be strangers lurking about,
      But I don't need to hide.

      My friend is bold and brave, I know
      Which gives me strength when I'm scared
      I never really had a friend before
      Mostly because I never dared.

      Joxer, my friend, you've taught me
      More than you can ever know
      I want to say that I thank you dearly
      For all the love you have to show.

Jhat looked up at Joxer, who was staring at her with wide, brown eyes. Neither spoke for a long while, the only sound that interrupted the silence was the sizzle of the meat being stirred around by a distracted hand.

Jhat coughed a little nervously; she was still new to sharing her poetry with other people, even Joxer, but with him it was getting easier. Her throat felt raw, and she wasn't sure if she could swallow the food, but she was hungry and exhausted.

Joxer kept stirring the meat with one hand and used the other to wrap around her shoulders and give her a gentle squeeze. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." Jhat pecked him on the cheek before she stood up and stretched a little. "Man, how much longer is that meat gonna take? I'm starving."

"In a minute or so, Jhat." Joxer sounded like he was used to this. "Patience is a virtue."

"Not one that I possess, O Mighty One." Jhat always had a tendency to call him that whenever she was in a silly mood. It had always helped lighten the situation. "Hurry up."

Xena and Autolycus looked at each other and then back to the fire. They hadn't really seen this quiet, protective side of Joxer before; they had always been a little too busy to actually notice the wanna-be's real personality. And both of them were absolutely positive that Jhat never showed this side of herself to anyone but the lanky blood-innocent that she called her friend.

They heard a sound behind them, and Gabrielle emerged from the underbrush carrying a nearly-full bucket of water. Seeing Xena and Autolycus sitting away from the fire, she went over to them curiously. "What are you two doing over here?"

"Shhh..." Xena pointed to the fire where Joxer and Jhat were still talking to each other, the poet now having sat down again and trying to sneak a piece of meat off the hot skillet without Joxer's noticing. Gabrielle watched the scene in amazement, seeing Joxer fondly smile and give Jhat a little squeeze around the shoulders again. In the firelight, his serious face was a ruddy color, and he almost looked handsome.

"Don't look now, Jox, but we've got more company." Jhat told him calmly, the only change in her carefree rasp was a little quaver of doubt. What surprised Joxer was that she hadn't moved from her place next to him.

He turned around and saw strawberry blonde shimmer in the moonlight. "Gabrielle..."

Jhat looked at his lovestruck gaze with a raised eyebrow and a knowing little smirk, but said nothing. The blonde bard carried the water to the fire, looking curiously at Joxer's little friend. "Mind if I join you?"

"No, go right ahead." Joxer gestured to the log where Xena and Autolycus had been sitting. Jhat merely transferred her gaze from the lanky swordsman to her, levelling a direct gaze that seemed to pierce the bard's eyes and stare right at her soul.

"So, how are you feeling?" Gabrielle asked the girl. The poet merely blinked once and one of her eyebrows rose in faint surprise.

"You mean my leg? It's hurting like all Tartarus." She shrugged. "Other than that, I'm all right, I guess."

Gabrielle stared at the girl in shock. She remembered how Joxer had told her the girl's throat had been burned, but it sounded horrible. It reminded her of two rocks scraping against each other, and it sent shivers down her spine. Either that, or it was a voice that came directly from the lowest pits of Tartarus itself, more horrible than even Dahak's voice.

"Gabby, are you okay?" Joxer's concerned voice broke her out of her daze. Shaking her head a little, the bard turned to him.

"Huh? What?"

"I asked if you were okay." Joxer frowned a little.

"Oh, I'm fine. Really. How's your back doing?"

"It hurts a little when I move, and it's itching."

"That means it's healing. Try not to scratch it."

"Joxer, what happened?" Jhat levelled her gaze on the wanna-be. He swallowed a little nervously.

"I was trying to get to you after Barak threw you, but there was this guy on a horse and he cut me in the back with his sword." Seeing Jhat's concerned expression, he held up his hand with the fork in it. "It's just a little gash. Not even that deep."

"Joxer, what am I going to do with you?" Jhat's head melodramatically sunk into her hands. Raising her head out of her hands, she looked to the sky. "Oh, gods above, why me? Why me?" After a minute she laughed and shook her head, her eyes immediately returning to the skillet. "Hey, did you know that those look done?"

"I guess they do." He served Jhat and Gabrielle some of the meat and turned to Gabrielle. "Hey, where's Xena and Autolycus?"

"Out there somewhere."

"You want some dinner, guys? It's nice and hot." Joxer raised his voice so that the warrior princess and the King of Thieves heard him. The two returned to the fire in short order, and soon the five of them were sitting around the campfire eating.

"I heard you tell a good story, Gabrielle." Jhat spoke up, turning to the young bard. "Could you tell us one?"

"Sure." Gabrielle had already finished her food, and was now warming her hands up a little. She soon launched into a tale of a brave young woman who saved two kingdoms from destroying each other when she was actually trying to swindle both of the evil kings out of their royal treasuries. After the story, Jhat went to the ground near the fire and propped her head up on the half log she had been sitting on.

"Hey, Jhat." Joxer looked at her curiously. "You can have my sleeping furs for tonight."

"That's okay." Jhat waved off the kind offering. "I've done without one for quite a while. I'll be fine."

"If you're sure..." Joxer frowned a little.

"I'm positive, Joxer. G'night."

"G'night."

The rest of the group were already asleep while Jhat stared up at the starry sky for a moment. Xena and Gabrielle seem nice. Of course, that jerk of a thief is going to take some getting used to. I mean, if Xena didn't trust him, he probably wouldn't be here. Maybe I managed to jump over the fire altogether... Hmmm... She turned on her side with the uninjured leg and fell asleep.

"MOTHERRRRRR!!!!!" The convulsing poet screamed, her rasp cracking painfully. Three pairs of eyes immediately sprang open and were at her side in a second.

"Jhat!" Joxer shouted, shaking her. "Jhat! It's me! Joxer! Wake up!"

Jhat's head shook from side to side, the screams of the people she murdered ringing in her ears.

Xena pushed Joxer aside and slapped the girl. Jhat bolted upright, her pale face even paler and drenched with sweat. Her green eyes were wide and desperate, like a cornered doe's, and her whole body shook. She looked around at all four of her companions, taking in the surprise and shock.

"It was a nightmare." She offered in explanation. Dammit, it happened again... "Barak's searching parties probably heard that one. We better get moving or we're gonna find a Tartarus-load of people down our throats."

Joxer stared at her, stunned at this unexpected outburst. What was that all about? Xena and Gabrielle immediately broke camp while Joxer helped Jhat to her feet.

"Joxer, I'm okay. I'm a big girl; I can stand up by myself."

"But you broke your-" Joxer's voice trailed off as he watched her stand easily. "What the...?"

"It's complicated." Jhat said curtly. "Get your stuff together, 'cuz we have to go."

There was a rustle in the brush before Autolycus ran out of it at top speed. "Archers! Coming this way!"

"Run!" Jhat shouted, turning around without further warning and darting off into the dense woods. Xena and Gabrielle were right behind on Argo, and Joxer followed them quickly, hoping that he wouldn't stumble. The sprint was hectic, and when Joxer would remember this in years to come, he would only remember bits of pieces; tripping over a vine or a root, wincing as he was hit in the head with a thick tree branch.

Suddenly, he felt a hand whip out and grab on to his ankle with surprising strength, effectively yanking his foot out from under him and sending him careening into the brush. The deceptively firm bushes gave way to a slightly steep slope, where Joxer was sent rolling like a log, his loud yelling interrupted each time he hit the mercilessly hard ground with a resounding *CRUNCH*.

In his dizzied vision, he saw a small figure roll after him, smacking into a thin oak sapling with their lower back and stopping. Joxer didn't have time to contemplate who it was before he was dumped in an icy cold river, the water washing through his clothes as if they weren't there. He would've screamed, but the weight of his mismatched armor was dragging him down to the bottom, where he caught on a current and was now drifting towards the breakneck speed of the middle of the river.

Struggling desperately, chunks and pieces of his armor came off until he was left in his dark tunic that he wore to prevent chafing and his black pants, both of which were thoroughly soaked. Using his skill at swimming to claw to the surface, his head broke into freezing cold air as his lungs sucked in much-needed breath.

Suddenly, Joxer could feel a strong arm grab him and wrap itself around his outstretched arm, and before he could think about it, he was being slowly dragged from the river by that hand. He was slung to the riverbank, where he coughed and spit up most of the water that had gone down his throat when he fell in.

The hand grabbed him again and he was yanked to his feet, a hand quickly covering his mouth. "Don't speak." The voice at his ear whispered venomously. Joxer nearly collapsed in relief when he recognized the voice. Autolycus! Thank the gods! He was suddenly aware of loud rustling in the underbrush up the slope and the thief and the wanna-be could hear two voices distinctly.

"Looks like the little brat had another nightmare. Good thing she did too, or we'd never have found her."

Autolycus' face grew worried. He knew that voice. Tagius?

"Yeah, but won't Barak be mad? She's all bruised up and she might've broken her back 'cuzza this tree."

"Barak won't care as long as she can talk. After she tells him where the Sword is, he'll prolly slit her throat. Save her from having to live as a cripple."

"Yeah, but we'll be the ones who'll have to carry her litter."

Joxer started to struggle against the thief, but he tightened his grip on the lanky swordsman. "Don't move!" He whispered. Suddenly, he felt a sharp digging sensation in the middle of his back. That feels like a sword. He paused briefly. Uh-oh.

"Now, turn around, nice and easy, and I promise I won't hurt you. Much."

Autolycus turned around, with Joxer still in his grip, and gasped. He saw a young man in his early twenties holding a sword at his chest. But, of course, that wasn't what made him gasp.

It was the fact that he looked exactly like Jhat.

"What in Tartarus have you done with my sister?" He asked blandly, his green eyes flaring.