Cyan and Ashana were making their way past the line of Amazons waiting outside the Java Hut. Corde and Saran were busy running an Amazon Bake Sale in the hopes of raising a few dinars for the Academy. Larc was racing about; helping to run the various games and shows that had also been set up for the fundraiser.

"This AmazoFair is really pretty fun once you get used to the crowds." Ashana piped up, pointing out the line of younger Amazon children waiting for their turn to ride the Queen's cats and Falcon's wolf.

Avalanche let out a loud roar as the Queen walked by, making sure she understood completely the cat's displeasure in having cotton candy stuck to his fur.

"I'm not sure the animals are as thrilled about the Fair's success as the Island may be!" The Queen and Ashana continued laughing while heading over to the numerous tents filled with all sorts of games.

"I would not have thought that game Matt brought back from the future… what do you call it Ashana…?"

"Skeet ball my Queen"

"Yes, skeet ball…. Who would have thought it would become so popular? Rissa has been rolling those balls all over the Palace the entire week, just practicing. She is about a candlemark away from sending her mother, Eponie, and I over the edge!"

"Not Eri?" asked Ashana, somewhat amazed that the younger Amazon had not used them as some form of weapons for practice.

"Yet another wacky outcome from this whole Fair. Every time Rissa rolls a ball, Eri tosses a ring over it. Some other game she plans on destroying Olympia at!"

"Now that, I would pay money to see Cyan."

"And that, you could not pay me enough to be present for, Healer!"

The two friends laughed as they entered the first of the game tents. The inside was packed with Amazons the Queen swore to Ashana she had never even seen before.

"You need to get out a little more Cyan. Mix and mingle a bit. Most of these warriors are what we consider "night owls". You can find them most nights at some of the different clubs, like the Flying Pen…."

"Yes, of course Ashana - now I remember why I don't recognize them. Tell me, would it be possible to switch the topic right now without elaborating further?"

Ashana laughed, "Of course my Queen. Come. Let's go visit Labby & Rae. They are working that water-dunking booth I told you about. It will even require you to throw things…."

 Cyan's eyes lit up as she contemplated Ashana's endorsement. You could never go wrong with throwing things, she mused. "Lead the way my friend."

Tamahome twirled both pistols and slid them effortlessly back into their holsters and grinned widely at Eri.

 "Told you I was good. I've been practicing!"

 "I should never have let slip the Queen's plan for our Realm travel. She is going to kill me. It is a trip she and I need to make, and make alone. So please Tama, if ever you were my friend, you'll take those guns off and return them to the arsenal where they belong, before you draw any further attention to yourself."

Tama's look of disappointment was next to impossible to hide, and even Eri was beginning to feel badly. She had not told Tama exactly what the plan was or where they were going, just that he would have appreciated it knowing his interest in the Wild West. Okay, so maybe she shouldn't have even told him that, but she hadn't been able to help herself when he came busting into the stables with his boots, spurs, guns; the whole get-up. She had barely been able to contain her laughter when she first saw his appearance, but quickly softened when he had shared with her his passion for wanting to be a cowboy. It was not the first time that one of the Island warriors had become enamored with a particular time or place in the past or future - it was easy to do; especially when Realm travel was very much a reality. Eri had sworn to keep Tama's secret but the warrior had still seemed uncertain as to whether Eri would indeed keep her word. So, in return she had promised to share with him a secret, making their loyalties equal to one another. Eri rolled her eyes as she thought back to that one day in the stables; oh how she wished she had picked another time to brush her horse down!

"I will speak to the Queen when I see her next." Eri said quietly as she turned to walk away.

 Tama grabbed Eri's arm and whirled her around to face him. He was grinning from ear to ear, and was barely containing his growing excitement. "You mean I can come?"

"Shhhh!" Eri said, removing Tama's hand from her arm, and looking around. "I said I will talk to the Queen, but I am not promising anything. You on the other hand must promise me that if she says no, you'll let it alone."

Tama's enthusiastic expression slipped a little but he was still smiling widely enough to cause others to stare. Eri leaned closer to the warrior and very deliberately spoke in a low and serious tone. "Now go and take those guns off until I tell you what has been decided. And I swear Tama, if I hear even one 'bang' or see you using anything but your daggers and sword as a weapon, I'll shoot you myself."

Eri stormed off leaving Tamahome happier than he had been in a long time. There was no doubt in his mind that soon he would be roaming the range….. wettin' his whistle at the watering holes……playing poker with the real men…… laying down………. (Queen Cyan and Ashana stood face to face with Tamahome)………dead in the street at high noon!

 Tama quickly turned and ran towards the other end of the tent yelling to the Queen over his shoulder, "Have to go my Queen - big dagger toss in a few minutes!"

The Queen and Ashana exchanged confused glances with one another, shrugged, and continued to make their way through the tent.

"You did what?" Cyan exclaimed, whipping her whole body around in response to Eri's statement. "Surely you are kidding me!?" Cyan's face was a mixture of anger and annoyance, and still her niece remained silent… "Please Kishori… tell me you are kidding ?!?"

Long ago, her aunt had begun to call her this when she had first come to live with the Queen and her tribe. The name itself meant "little one," and Cyan only used it as a means of great affection or disappointment with her niece. Eri was pretty sure the Queen was not currently feeling the former.

 "He knows very little Aunt Cyan; only that we are going to the "Wild West"; nothing more. If I could undo what I told him, I would; but I gave him my word that I would speak with you."

 The Queen rolled her eyes and flopped down into her favorite chair on the balcony. Her arms hung loosely, draped over the sides of the chair, while her foot kept a steady rhythm of annoyed tapping.

 "The details of this mission were very specific Eri, and you know how my mother will react if she finds out someone from outside our family was involved. Shao Kahn is very powerful, and the idea was to slip in and out of there completely unnoticed. Am I to assume that Tama is a "blend in" kind of cowboy?"

 Eri smiled at her aunt as the thought of Tama in his cowboy look flashed through her mind.

 "Not to mention it is one more horse we will need to teleport through the portal, and the animals have not been fond of realm travel in the past."

Cyan looked out over the Island, and then back at her niece. She finally sighed and said, "Make sure he is ready to go by sunrise tomorrow morning. And Eri," the Queen paused and looked at her niece very seriously, "not one word about our agenda should leave your lips from this moment on - do you understand me?"

"Completely." Eri said with both respect for her Queen, and a hint of thankfulness towards her aunt for letting Tama come. As hyper as Tamahome could be, Eri really did enjoy the warrior's company. She was sure Cyan was right though; if Vorpax found out, she would not be happy. Then again, destiny had turned stranger events than this before; maybe Tama was born a cowboy after all…

"You mean I can go?" Tamahome asked excitedly. He almost jumped up and down in happiness, but decided against it when Eri raised a skeptical eyebrow and sighed.

"Yes, but calm down. Not a word of this to anyone, you hear me? The queen's already mad about me saying anything about it. Get your stuff and your horse and meet us at the portals at sunrise tomorrow."

Tama looked at the approaching sunset and flashed Eri an enthusiastic thumbs-up. He turned and headed towards his hut, leaving the girl standing alone in the middle of the dark village. She shook her head and turned towards her own place, not too far from the palace.

 The young Amazon found her mind wandering to the mission. It was, essentially, a mission from Vorpax. The immortal woman had appeared to her daughter, Cyan, and told her to retrieve Shao Kahn's sword from the future. Supposedly, someone working in a gold mine had discovered the sacred object. Of course, that couldn't be allowed, because whoever had possession of the sword held the key to some of the greatest powers in existence.

According to Vorpax, if the sword was returned safely to the island, the potential danger of further interference by Shao Kahn might be eliminated. Cyan had tried to get more information from her mother, but Vorpax had only said that she could not reveal how she had discovered this mysterious turn of events. The only thing to do was to retrieve the sword for Vorpax and keep it on the island where it would be safe.

Vorpax had told Cyan to keep this business 'in the family' so to speak, so the Queen had only planned on bringing her niece along. Now though, things had changed, and not necessarily for the better. Eri shook her head and pushed the thoughts from her mind. She kicked off her boots and lay down on the bed, falling into a dreamless sleep.

The Queen sat with Larc at a corner table in the Java Hut.

"Are you really here this early each morning Larc?" the Queen was amazed by the dedication Larc had to the Academy and the Amazon warriors of the Island.

 "Every morning my Queen. I actually need the time to prepare for the day. If not, I feel somewhat accosted by more than a few of the over-enthusiastic young warriors of our growing tribe!"

The Queen chuckled as she took another sip of her own coffee. "Very diplomatically said, Larc. Perhaps I should make you my ambassador of foreign affairs."

Larc choked and spit a mouthful of coffee across the table and onto the Queen while adamantly shaking her head in protest. "No! Please! I'm sorry my Queen, but you can't! The Academy is more than a full time job - I would surely perish before the first seven suns set behind the water!"

Cyan wiped at her leather garments, shaking her own head at the foolishness of mentioning such an idea to a warrior with a full mouth; especially one just beginning the wee hours of morning.

 "I was making a joke Larc, and obviously a poor one at that."

 Cyan and Larc looked at one another as the Queen wiped a small drop of coffee that was trickling down her cheek; and burst into laughter.

"I am sorry my Queen. I begin my days a bit tense, and I am sure a pot of this Java each morning doesn't do much to help."

The Queen swallowed the last of her own coffee and stood beside her friend. She placed her hand on Larc's shoulder and patted it reassuringly. "I made no errors in my decision to put you in charge of the Academy. I have no doubts that the warriors we turn out from your school are the finest that can be found. I am lucky to have you. Take care of them while I'm away."

"I will Cyan…and thanks." Larc smiled up at the Queen as she watched her walk towards the door.

"Now, if you don't mind…" Cyan said sarcastically as she exited the hut, "I am off to change. I have decided to wear something a little more……dry… and spit-free."

The next morning, as the sun had barely pierced the horizon with its rosy fingers, Eri and Tamahome arrived at the cave of the portals. Tama's horse was loaded with all sorts of strange looking contraptions, and he had his two pistols strapped to his sides.

"What is all that stuff?" Eri asked, slightly annoyed. Her own horse had only the few essentials she thought she would need on the trip: a change of clothes, her sword of course, and a few personal items.

 "Every cowboy needs this stuff!" Tama grabbed a pot and pan off the side of his horse, holding them up triumphantly. He replaced them, then held up a blanket, sleeping bag, and extra firewood.

Eri rolled her eyes. "Right."

Just then, Cyan approached the clearing on her horse, followed by an eager looking Ashana. Eri stood up quickly, giving the healer a look somewhere between surprise and anger. She approached Cyan cautiously and hissed, "What's she doing here?"

Cyan laughed quietly at her niece. "Well, I figured that it obviously wasn't going to be just the two of us on this mission, so one more couldn't hurt. Of course, with Tama around, we might need a healer. Just a precautionary measure." She winked at the younger woman and hopped down off her horse.

Eri stood with her mouth agape for a moment before shaking her head and replying. "Of course." She nodded respectfully to the Queen and headed back over to where her horse stood.

"Well, let's get going." Cyan announced, leading her horse to the cave's opening and activating the portal's control panel. The portal appeared deep inside the cave, shimmering a mixture of blues and silvers.

 Tamahome looked at the portal with wonder. "Wow!" he exclaimed from his position behind Ashana. "This is great!" He picked up a pistol and twirled it on one finger dangerously. "I can't wait!"

Ashana looked back nervously, half expecting the gun to go off in her face. "Tamahome, considering that we're in a very small enclosure, do you really think it's wise to do that?" she asked bluntly.

Tama's face turned bright red and he replaced the weapon in its holster that hung by his side. "Uhh...oh yeah." He tried to act as if nothing happened, but he could hear the Queen's quiet laugh from the other side of the cave.

"Okay everyone, be careful with the horses. I'm not really sure how they're going to react to this." Cyan turned around to make a last check on everyone before stepping into the portal.

Eri followed her, feeling a bit nervous, but not knowing why. She had gone through a handful of missions just like this one, not to mention survived more fights than she could remember, so what was so different about this one? She pondered over the emotional weakness of nervousness as she felt herself being pulled out of the island's time frame and into another.

Ashana cautiously approached the portal, holding her horse's reins tightly in both hands. She stepped through confidently, though, and found herself passing through the recesses of time itself.

Tamahome stepped up to the glowing passage, his heart beating violently in excitement. His horse neighed and reared back, almost losing its bundle of needless supplies. He reached up and grabbed the horse's bridle, pulling it back down gently but firmly. The beast tried to rear again, but he pulled it into the portal before it could shake itself free of his grasp.

The portal shut itself off after detecting Tamahome's entrance. The console powered down automatically, leaving the cave eerily silent and dark.

Tama and Ashana were almost 2,000 paces ahead of Cyan and her niece. Tama was excitedly pointing out this and that, relaying all kinds of Wild West history he was sure would fascinate Ashana just as much as it had him.

 "Cyan…Are you sure you didn't bring Ashana along merely because she is the only one capable of tending the same wounds that she plans to inflict?"

Cyan laughed as she watched the healer and Tama interacting up ahead. "Relax Eri. What's done is done. Tama will be fine, and it's nice to see someone so excited about one of our realm trips. It's..." Cyan thought for a moment, "refreshing!"

"He's gonna kill someone if he keeps twirling those guns; trying to point and talk at the same time. Surely you're not going to let him sleep with those things on like he said, are you? Our horses, and us most likely, would all be dead before sun up!"

 The Queen could not contain her enjoyment of her niece's irritation any further and broke into gales of laughter. Even Shatan reared as if acknowledging the humor in Eri's growing frustration.

"At least he bothered to do his research." Cyan managed to say while attempting to regain her breath. "Who did you plan on attacking with that flashy sword of yours? I can see it now… Hold on! One minute! Don't shoot! I'm just getting my sword!" The tears of laughter were now freely flowing down the Queen's cheeks as Eri snapped her head sideways to face her aunt.

 "PLEASE!" she snapped. "Do I have to hear about this again? I told you, I had a lot on my mind, and I forgot to check for which weapons were appropriate for this time period!" She leaned over and nonchalantly attempted to hide the sword deeper beneath her saddlebags. Cyan continued to laugh with each comment or movement by Eri only making matters worse.

 "Oh brother!" Eri finally said, throwing her hands up in disgust. "I give up! I'm going up ahead to see if I can find a river or stream to water our horses."

Cyan watched her niece gallop off in the direction of her two other warriors. This trip should prove to be very interesting she mused to herself. It was not long before Tama had seized the opportunity for an unspoken competition between he and the Queen's niece. Surely he could find a suitable watering hole before Eri, after all, she didn't even know the range; not like him!

Cyan and Ashana dismounted from their horses, and the healer led hers to the stream. The Queen unbridled Shatan, and the horse made his way to an unpopulated part of the water's edge. It was not often that Shatan liked the company of anything or anyone; not unlike a certain niece she knew. Eri sat with Tama laughing and talking on a nearby rock. Perhaps she's lightened up a bit, Cyan thought to herself.

 "I think we should make camp here tonight and go over everything we will need to know. Tama, you and Eri help make up a fire and lay out the bedrolls. Ashana and I will go off in search of some food…."

 "Canned most likely…." Eri said under her breath.

 "Very funny Eri. I am sure Ashana and I are more than capable of finding us all something to eat well within the fresh meat category. Then I want to hear everything Tama knows about this time period, and where we are headed…"

 Ashana quickly looked at the Queen and started to say something, but Cyan held up her hand to stop her. "Yes, Ashana, AGAIN!"

 The healer rolled her eyes and her shoulders simultaneously slumped into a defeated stance. Eri and Tama quickly set about to finding firewood, while the Queen and her healer headed quietly off downstream.

 "I guess it looks like fish for dinner my Queen. What do we do…. Shoot 'em?"

The Queen shook her head and patted her friend on the shoulder, "Come healer, I think I see dinner heading downstream!"

Eri laughed politely and rolled her eyes at Tamahome's back as he made yet another 'witty' joke concerning the era they were visiting. She stooped to pick up a few more pieces of wood to add to her growing stack. Tama, on the other hand, seemed more occupied with talking than gathering, and only held a few measly twigs in one hand.

 As he reached a climax in the story he had started to tell, he pulled out a gun and held it high up in the air. Eri flinched reflexively and backed away from the wanna-be cowboy. "Do you mind watching where you point that thing?" she asked, her annoyance growing. For a few minutes, talking with Tama had been okay--pleasant, actually. But now, he was starting to get on her nerves, and she couldn't wait to get back to camp.

 "Oh." Tamahome's shoulders fell and he returned the weapon to its respective holster. "Sorry about that." He sighed, wondering what his companion's problem was. She was never very much fun and didn't really like to talk all that much.

 "Well, It looks like I've got enough firewood," Eri commented dryly.

 "Let's get back, then." Tama said, turning around and leading the way back to where they had come from.

 Ashana and Cyan were already back, sitting on their bedrolls and talking quietly. The Queen looked up at the approach of the other two members of the party. "Back so soon?" she asked.

 Eri rolled her eyes, not really in the mood to talk to her aunt. "Yeah." She dropped her pile of wood down and went to retrieve something to start the fire with.

Tama waited until Eri had turned her back, then pulled out one of his pistols and cocked it. He winked at Ashana, then pulled the trigger, aiming at the pile of wood. The blast started a small fire, which grew brighter by the second.

Cyan looked over to notice that Eri had turned around suddenly at the sound of the blast. The girl looked at Tamahome angrily and kept walking, heading out of the camp. "Where are you going?" the Queen called after her.

Eri shrugged. "Nowhere."

Cyan sighed. Ashana looked over at the Queen worriedly. "Is it okay for her to leave?" she asked.

"I've learned not to follow her when she gets like this. It's all those bottled up emotions. If I go after her, she just may explode and I don't really want to be around when that happens. She'll be back soon." She smiled slightly and turned towards Tamahome.

"Tama, can you get the---Tama?" He was already leaving the camp, headed in Eri's direction. "I wouldn't do that if I were you!" Cyan chuckled and handed Ashana a fish. The two set to work preparing dinner.

Eri stormed out of camp, feeling as if she needed to beat the life out of something. She clenched a fist tightly, trying to grip control of her feelings. What was wrong with her? She usually didn't get so mad over...nothing. And that's all it had been. Absolutely nothing. She took a deep breath, but it didn't seem to be working.

The noise of a footstep in the tall grass caused the young woman to whirl around, pulling out a dagger that had been hidden at her side. "Who's there?"

Tamahome stepped into the clearing, the moonlight glinting off the gun he held out in front of him. He quickly blushed and put the weapon away. He approached Eri cautiously, not wanting to upset her any more. "What's your problem, anyway?" he asked cautiously.

"Problem?! I don't have one!" Eri practically screamed at him. She forced herself to take a deep breath and raised a hand to her forehead, suddenly realizing she had a migraine. "Sorry. I don't know what's gotten into me. I'm really on edge for some reason."

Tama approached the woman and put an arm around her shoulders hesitantly. "Come on. I'm sure a good night's sleep will help you out." He smiled and led her back to where Cyan and Ashana waited.

The Queen opened her eyes and looked over at the still sleeping Eri. She hoped that a good night's sleep would help improve her niece's disposition; if not it was going to be a long and painful ride to town today. Cyan heard a muffled sound outside the inner circle of their camping spot. She moved silently to her side, reaching her daggers that were tucked safely under her bedroll. In one swift motion she sat and prepared to throw the daggers in the direction of the sound.

In the same instant, she quickly slid them back into their holders and rested her hands and chin on her knees. She smiled widely, watching the young Tamahome standing in the distance, twirling his guns. The Queen never ceased to be amazed by the warrior's spunk. He was a good man, and had been a great addition to the Island. Now, if she could just convince him to put his guns away before Eri, the morning grump, opened her eyes.

"You're getting pretty good with those Tama, but they seem to have dulled your other senses."

"I'm sorry my Queen?" Tama asked with growing confusion, but still keeping his eyes down the site of his gun.

"I meant that as good a shot as you may become with these new found weapons of yours, I think you should spend some time focusing on the things around you as well. You didn't even hear me approaching, Tama."

Tamahome reluctantly slid his guns back into their holsters. He turned and faced the Queen while kicking at the ground just a bit. "I guess I'm just pretty excited to be here, that's all. I'll make sure to be a little more aware of other things……" Tama paused and looked over at the two warriors asleep in their bedrolls, "…. And other people."

The Queen smiled and patted the warrior on the back. "I'm sure you will be able to do just that Tama, and don't get me wrong; I am very pleased with both your abilities and excitement on this mission. You have become an excellent warrior, with skills I would not have thought you would master so quickly." Cyan also looked over at the bedrolls that were holding her two other warriors warm, "And you have found your way into the hearts of all of my warriors."

Tama smiled at the Queen, and even blushed a little at the acknowledgement.

"Come Tama, let's you and I find some breakfast. How does, say…fish sound?"

"Very familiar my Queen, very familiar." Tama and Cyan laughed as they walked off down stream in search of breakfast.

The warriors sat on their horses; four abreast.

 "The name of the town is called Dodge." Tama explained. "It's one of the most famous sights of the early Wild West. They had everything! Saloons, mining, girls, gold, gunfights, bad guys, some of the first law officials; and true cowboys! I mean, they had EVERYTHING!"

The Queen was afraid that Tama's growing excitement might soon send their horses into a galloping frenzy. She nudged Shatan with her boots and signaled for the party to move out. As the four warriors headed towards town the Queen could hear Eri muttering under her breath…

"... And soon they will have 'three Amazons and the High Plains Chatter'!" Eri rolled her eyes and kicked Kousoku gently in the sides. The four horses and their riders slowly began making their way through the last of the unpopulated territory. "So, ready or not, here we come."

"So, now that we're here, cowboy, where do we go?" Eri asked, in a slightly better mood than she had awoken to.

Tamahome looked back at the three warriors riding behind him. "Well, what exactly is our first objective here?"

Queen Cyan thought a moment. "The first thing we need to do is speak to some of the town's residents and find out where this gold mine is. And to do that, we're going to have to fit in a little better..." She looked at the group's attire thoughtfully.

"I'm sure there's a shop or something around here somewhere..." Tama rubbed at the stubble on his chin thoughtfully. "Over there!" He whirled around and pointed wildly at a building directly behind them, almost smacking Eri in the face in the process.

The girl ducked from the oncoming index finger and sighed impatiently. "Let's go then," she commented uninterestedly.

******

Tamahome wrung his hands in delight at the racks of authentic clothing. "Wow, this is great!" He whispered excitedly.

Eri smiled slightly, rolling her eyes in mock disinterest. "Yeah...great."

Cyan searched thoroughly through the racks, accompanied by Ashana. The healer pulled out a long dark coat and smiled. "This is kinda fun," she commented.

"Yeah...But don't forget why we're here, everyone. We can't get too absorbed." Cyan looked Tama directly in the eye.

The young cowboy didn't notice that the queen's comment was directed at him. He nodded shortly and turned around, grinning widely and picking through the endless amounts of clothing.

Cyan sighed in exasperation and looked around the room. The clerk was seated at the other end, eyeing the customers suspiciously, but otherwise unmoving. Eri was standing behind Tama, arms crossed, a scowl on her face.

Reaching for the rack in triumph, Tamahome held a garment up to the young woman's face. "Perfect!" he cried.

Eri nudged him with her elbow. "Shut up, will you? You're gonna attract attention." She grabbed the outfit from him, which consisted of thick leather pants, a plain shirt, and a long, dark gray colored coat. Despite the more important need for usefulness, it still managed to look feminine and attractive. Eri raised an eyebrow at Tama. "Not bad. You sure you're a cowboy?"

The young man's face flared red in embarrassment. He turned around quickly and went back to searching, suddenly very interested in the work at hand. Eri smiled and approached her aunt.

"You ready?" Cyan asked her niece and Ashana.

Both Amazons nodded and made their way to the clerk. Cyan turned around, grabbing the outfit she'd been looking at, and tapped Tamahome on the shoulder.

The man jumped in surprise, knocking down the clothing he had been looking at. "Come on, we're going." Cyan said, motioning towards the clerk and the other two warriors.

"Right!" Tama ducked down, scooping up the clothes and heading for the clerk's counter like a child with a new toy. Cyan rolled her eyes and laughed at his enthusiasm.

The four Amazons headed out of the store and into town. The Queen and her niece both silently hoped that all would go well. Neither one wanted to have to tell Tama or the Healer what exactly they had come for. The less who knew the powers of Kahn's sword the better.

******

Cyan and Eri sat on barstools quietly watching Tama from the corner. He had helped himself into an on-going game of poker with some of the locals. All seemed to be going smoothly, but the Queen suspected it would be wise if she didn't leave him alone for very long.

Ashana had gone off in search of rooms for the night. The barkeep had suggested a local spot down the street, but after Cyan had seen the way he had sized up Tama and his three women, she wondered if maybe Ashana would not find a bordello instead.

Much to her niece's dismay, Tama had blended into the town much better than the other three warriors had. Their clothing of choice was definitely not considered lady-like from what they had seen. One young man in particular had come very close to losing his life after grabbing her niece from behind. Luckily Tama had diffused the situation while Cyan swept her niece into the corner for a drink.

Eri growled under her breath. "Look at him over there. Just chatting away. Doesn't he ever shut up? I bet one of them will stand up and shoot him soon. I know I would."

Cyan smiled and took another sip of her ale. "You need to lighten up on him Eri. From the looks of this town, and most of its women, Tama coming along may have been the smartest thing we ever did. In case you haven't noticed, we're not the typical ladies in this town."

Eri scowled up her face and turned towards her aunt. "I never wanted to be a typical lady Cyan and we still could have accomplished this mission without Tama's help."

"What is your problem lately?" Cyan asked setting down her mug of ale and looking hard at her niece. "Nothing anyone says or does is to your pleasing. I have seen you both irritated and annoyed before, but this is something more."

"It's nothing" Eri insisted. "Well, it's this whole mission; that's my problem. All of this extra stuff is a waste of time. We should just be finding the sword and going home."

Cyan grabbed her niece by the arm,. "Don't ever mention that sword aloud again. And as far as your 'problem' with this mission; let me tell you this. You will keep your thoughts to yourself unless they are of use; and I'm warning you Eri, either you find yourself a new attitude or you will find yourself back on the Island."

Cyan rose to her feet and began to walk towards the door. She signaled for Tama to finish his hand and meet them on the street. Eri eventually rose from her stool as well and threw down some current period currency to cover their ale. She wasn't sure whether she was more upset with her aunt or herself. Cyan was right though, something was bothering her, but what was it?

Eri pushed her way through the swinging doors of the saloon hoping to speak with her aunt. Cyan was already talking to Ashana, who was pointing towards the end of the street. Eri looked around the town and really began to take notice of what was around them. She felt the heaviness of the hanging guns around her hips, and the strangeness of the hat on her head. She watched Cyan and Ashana as they spoke; the Queen's long leather coat billowing behind her, revealing the guns that hung by her side as well. The warrior began to smile and was just about to try and start afresh, when Tama whacked her hard on the back.

"Ain't this great!" he yelled as he stepped off the platform and onto the street making his way towards the Queen.

"So much for a new attitude." Eri grunted to herself, and stepped off of the platform and onto the street.

******

Tama bounced up and down on the bed in his room. Ashana had been able to get four separate rooms with adjoining doors for a week. She had explained that it had taken quite a bit longer than she'd hope to convince the owners that they were indeed all just one big family, and in no search of trouble. Cyan and Ashana had yet to break the news to Eri about her new found relatives.

"She told them what?!" Eri yelled as she rose up from rummaging through her bag to look at Cyan.

"Look, she had to convince them we were a family; if not it would have raised too much suspicion. As it is, they already think we're another Ma Barker until we prove them wrong!"

"Who?" Eri said not getting the reference.

"Never mind." The Queen said in irritation. "From now on, Ashana is your aunt, I am your mother, and Tama is your dearly loved brother."

"Dearly loved?" Eri asked incredulously. "Did she really use the words dearly loved?!" Cyan raised her hand ending the conversation immediately. Tama came bounding into the room and jumped up onto her bed.

"Hiya sis!" Tama's smile was about as wide as they came. Cyan bit her lip and left the room before she began to laugh out loud. She closed the door on her way out deciding that perhaps Tama and Eri needed some nice quiet family time alone.

******

"Well, at least the yelling has stopped." Ashana said with a smile. "Maybe we should see if they are ready to get on with the plan?" Cyan laughed and the healer and her Queen walked down the hall towards Eri's room. The Queen knocked twice and opened the door. She saw Tama standing out on the room's balcony twirling his guns like a pro. Eri sat quietly in a small wooden chair by the corner of the room, drumming her fingers impatiently on a nearby table.

"Glad to see you could join us." Eri said somewhat flatly. Cyan smiled and called over to Tamahome.

"Okay you two, we need to get some things done tonight in order to be ready to begin tomorrow."

Tama interjected before the Queen could even continue. "So, what's the plan? We're here to take out some bad guys right? We're going to become local sheriffs and stuff and ride the west getting rid of the bad guys? Maybe even a show-down or two, and then we……"

"Tama!" the Queen yelled, hoping to get the warrior's attention. "Relax."

Eri sank further into her chair, praying only that this was all a bad dream she would soon wake up from.

"Sorry." Tama mumbled and sat down indicating he was ready to listen to the rest of what the Queen had to say.

"The reason we are here, is that somewhere in one of the mines this town is digging is a specific relic we need to get our hands on first."

"Gold!" Tama yelled standing up excitedly. "I knew it!" The warrior looked around the room at the three other faces staring at him. He slowly sat down again and folded his hands on his lap. "Sorry."

The Queen continued. "The specific relic is of a great value to me, but its significance is irrelevant to the mission." Both Ashana and Tama nodded, understanding that the Queen had told them as much as she was intending to about the relic.

"Not only do we need to find out which mine the relic is in, but I'm positive we are going to encounter some trouble along the way. According to the historical data I got before coming, the actual individuals who found the relic disappeared without a trace."

"So, most likely they were killed, and whoever killed them must have seen the value of the relic?" Ashana asked.

"Exactly." Cyan affirmed. "The problem is, I'm not sure whether those same people were perhaps here already looking for it, or if they just happened to stumble across it. Either way, we need to find it before it falls into their hands. Tama, we're going to have to get you a job in the mines, and Eri, you're going to make nice with the local authorities. If all hell breaks lose, we need them to be assured we're all on the right side of the law."

"What should I tell them?" Eri asked, "If they ask what we're doing in town?"

"Just make friends with them first." Cyan explained, "and then let out a little information at a time. We are going to lead them where we want them, or we run the risk of getting them killed in the crossfire. We'll just let them think we are here to hunt down some real bad guys we believe are hiding out in their town, and that we are nothing more than bounty hunters trying to uphold the law."

Ashana smiled, "So, we mix a little truth in with the absence of it?" Again Cyan nodded.

"So what are we going to be doing?" Ashana asked the Queen.

Cyan smiled. "We're going to meet some of those men from the mines my friend." Ashana rolled her eyes and shook her head at the Queen.

"You know how much I hate dancing with the drunks Cyan!" The Queen smiled at the healer and patted her on the back.

"Loose lips may help us find this relic Ashana, and besides, you are such a good dancer!" All four warriors began to laugh as they prepared to leave. Cyan ran through the final plans of the night to make sure everyone understood exactly what to do.

"Ashana and I will make the rounds at the saloons and see what we can find out. I also want to become seen as a regular so we don't draw as much attention in the future. Eri, you and Tama should head to wherever the local authorities hang their hats in the evening and strike up some conversation. Introduce your brother here and see if maybe they can help find him some decent work for some pay. With any luck Tama can land a job in the mines before morning."

The four warriors stepped onto the darkened street. It's only light was shed from the various evening establishments. Cyan and Ashana began to walk one way as Tama and Eri went the other. The Queen looked back over her shoulder and yelled after the two warriors. "And make your mother proud now you two; no fighting!"

The echoes of Ashana and Cyan's laughter followed Eri and Tama well down the street and into the night. "Remind me to be put up for adoption when we get back." Eri growled under her breath.

*****

Tamahome pushed open the swinging doors of Dodge's 'finest establishment.' An enthusiastic citizen had pointed them to the bar after being asked the whereabouts of the sheriff and his men.

Eri eyed the room suspiciously, on the lookout for any drunks headed their way. Fortunately there were none, and Tama led the way to the bar. She put on her best 'loving sister' act and took a seat next to her 'brother.' Tama ordered two of the local brew and turned around in his barstool. "Let's see..." He scanned the room, looking for anybody authoritative looking.

In a dark corner of the room sat three men, looking important. The rest of the customers steered clear of that area of the room, and there wasn't much in the way of poker games anywhere near them. Tama smiled and turned to Eri.

"Okay, sis. There they are." He pointed discreetly at the table in the corner.

Eri sighed. "All right, let's go." She stood up slowly and stretched the muscles in her back before following Tamahome to the other end of the room.

"...Here she is, now." Tama smiled and made a motion towards Eri with one hand.

The sheriff smiled politely and turned as one of his men whispered in his ear. Eri could just make out his comment. "Well, there's a good lookin' one..." The two men chuckled and turned their attention back to the visitors.

"Yeah, well, like I was saying, I'm lookin' for a job in this here town. Maybe in the mines, or somethin' like that," Tama continued.

The sheriff propped his feet up on the table and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Well, son, lucky for you we're on a shortage of laborers here. I'm sure I can help get you hooked up in one of the nearby gold mines." He turned his attention from Tama and looked around the room. He pointed at a man seated alone at the bar. "That man runs the mines. Tell him I sent you over, and he'll give ya somethin' to do."

Tamahome nodded and touched his hat, heading towards the indicated man, leaving Eri with the three men. The youngest of the three grabbed a nearby chair and set it down next to the young woman. She sat and ordered another drink, hoping to whatever gods were listening that she would become intoxicated enough to enjoy the company.

"So what brings you to our quaint little town, miss?" the sheriff asked.

Eri attempted a smile over the rim of her mug. For some reason, this man made her feel more comfortable than she had felt in a long time. She set down the mug, suddenly disgusted at the ale. "Business, actually," she replied casually, feeling that the sheriff was somehow familiar. She couldn't quite place the feeling, though, and displaced it for the time being.

The sheriff nodded. "May I ask for your name, ma'm?"

"Eri," she replied without pause. It took her a moment to realize her potential mistake in sharing such information with someone she didn't know. Somehow though, this fact neglected to bother her. She shrugged inwardly and turned her attention back to the sheriff and his company.

The three men weren't looking at her, though; their attention was focused directly behind her, and Eri felt the familiar presence of her aunt standing nearby. She turned around to find Cyan and Ashana waiting for her.

Eri smiled and turned back around. "These two are my mother and my aunt." she indicated the pair with a small gesture.

The sheriff stared at Cyan with intense fiery green eyes. Eyes Cyan had seen before... A kindness shone there, giving away the man's every intention and emotion. There was only one other person whose eyes gave away so much...

Eri stood from her chair and bid farewell to the party of lawkeepers. Cyan looked from her niece to the man at the table and back again, noticing the striking similarities between them. The girl made her way out of the saloon confidently, not waiting for the other three Amazons.

Cyan and Ashana collected Tama and followed her niece, mentally scratching her head. Ashana leaned over to the queen as they left the building. "Did anything about that man seem...familiar?"

Cyan smiled and looked up at the starless night. "Yes, but I'm not sure what to make of it." She looked at the road ahead, where her niece was slowly walking along, waiting for the rest of the group to catch up.

Tama jogged ahead to meet his 'sister' and slapped her heartily on the shoulder. Cyan couldn't make out their conversation, but Eri was smiling, and seemed to be in a very good mood.

The Queen contemplated the events of the night and prepared herself for a short debriefing as the four Amazons made their way into their lodgings.

******

It was well past midnight in the small town of Dodge, and for all Cyan knew, she could have been the only soul still awake. She stared out the large window in her room, her mind blank. The stillness of the night had spread to all living things, and the queen was not excluded.

Suddenly, a bright flash of light briefly enveloped the room. Cyan whirled around, her body tense, to find her mother standing before her. "Vorpax. What are you doing here?"

"I came because certain...parameters of this mission have been...changed." Vorpax frowned. "What were you thinking, bringing along two others, who know nothing of the importance of this?"

Cyan held up a hand. "I know, I know. But what's done is done. We will still succeed."

Vorpax sighed in resignation and smiled. "I know, my daughter. But sometimes I only wish you would obey my wishes." She crossed the room to stand next to her daughter.

Cyan smiled in a cocky demeanor. "But what fun would that be?" she asked. Without waiting for an answer, she changed the subject. "That man...the sheriff, who is he?"

Vorpax took a deep breath, knowing that Cyan would ask her this. "He is a direct descendant of one that sleeps within the walls of this building."

The Queen thought a moment. "Eri?"

Vorpax nodded. "Yes. But beware my child. Don't let this man fall in love with a specter of the past. Tell your niece of him. She must understand the importance of this."

Cyan nodded, speechless. "He already loves her, doesn't he?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

Vorpax sighed and said nothing, but Cyan knew it was true. "They've only just met, but he believes in love at first sight. Don't let the timeline become contaminated. Do what you have come to, and nothing more." With another flash of light, the sorceress was gone as quickly as she had appeared.

******

Cyan had been unable to sleep before Vorpax's visit but now the whole idea of sleep seemed utterly hopeless. Ever since returning from OutWorld, it seemed the more she tried to cut Vorpax from her life, the more they needed to interact. Her mother was right though; the threat of contaminating the timeline was very real.

The Queen walked silently down the town streets, glancing occasionally at the darkened windows. She was slowly becoming grateful for the ability amongst immortals to do without sleep; something she suspected would not be coming easily over the next days. She whistled for Shatan, and quietly made her way outside the town's limits. Once a safe distance, she raced the horse along the plains allowing her mind to once again wander. After a while, Shatan began to slow, sensing his Queen's thoughts. He eventually stopped allowing her to flip from her mount, and the two friends stood looking at the hills in the distance.

The Queen patted her horse. "Okay, how about this?" Cyan looked Shatan in the eyes, "Eri, we need to talk. The sheriff has fallen in love with you, but you need to keep your distance because he's your relative."

Cyan shook her head and looked back towards the hills. "Too blunt huh?" The Queen began to swirl the desert sand with just a wave of her hand while she thought. "How about a little more top-secret sounding with a hint of Queenly?"

Cyan cleared her throat. "Eri. I can't go into all the details right now, but I need you to keep a close eye on the sheriff. No matter what happens, you must keep your distance from him and remain uninvolved with this timeline; is that understood, Amazon?"

Shatan reared and shook his head from side to side while snorting. The Queen stared at him in amazement. "That bad?" she asked, as Shatan snorted again. "Really? Too bad, I thought that was gonna be a winner."

Cyan focused on the desert and suddenly it began to reshape into that of the Island. She could see the waterfall, palace, and training grounds. "I don't know Shatan. I'm really wishing we were home right now."

"It takes a while to get used to a new town ma'am." Cyan turned quickly and saw the face of the sheriff looking back at her, a wide smile firmly in place. He slowly removed his hat and took another step closer. "Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."

Cyan smiled. "Scare me?" she thought to herself. "Hardly, but you gotta be wondering where that waterfall and island came from." She was just about to speak when the sheriff interrupted her once again.

"This may sound crazy, and I promise, I'm not stalking you. But you just seem so familiar somehow and…." The sheriff smiled and shook his head. "Never mind. I just happened to be on watch tonight and noticed you pacing the streets before you headed out of town. I figured you being a new comer and all that you might not know the desert here isn't very safe at night; especially for a nice young lady."

Cyan smiled. She was beginning to really like this guy. His eyes were so green and kind….. Cyan shook her head… "Get a grip Cyan. This isn't the time for a family reunion. Time being the operative word here."

The sheriff continued. "Did you by any chance see a sort of, this is going to sound nuts, but waterfall over there?" The man pointed out into the desert and Cyan looked at Shatan. With a quick wave of her hand the sheriff had gone back just a few paces from where he had just been standing and looked at the Queen.

"No, you didn't startle me Sheriff. I was just talking aloud."

The sheriff smiled, obviously wiped of any other questions regarding what he had once seen. "I think we all do that at one time or another. Might I ask what brings you out into the desert dark, ah,,,"

"Cyan; and I guess I just needed some time to think."

The sheriff laughed and nodded towards the guns that hung by Cyan's waist. "I have a feeling that my concern over your safety may have been a bit unwarranted. From what the local men have to say, you are quite, I believe the word was 'remarkable'."

It was Cyan's turn to laugh. "My friend and I were fresh out of dances for the nice fellas, but there were a few that didn't notice the music had stopped."

"They seldom do. The one you belted in the eye is Johnny Ringo; supposedly the fastest draw in town." The sheriff smiled at Cyan and continued. "I suspect that right of notary may be a bit historical with your arrival, but I can tell you this, he's in charge of all the local mines. My suggestion? He has kind of a sweet spot for you right now, but I'd stay clear of his path as much as you can."

The Queen climbed onto her mount and tipped her hat towards the sheriff. "Suggestion noted sheriff and I'm sure I'll sleep much more soundly knowing I've won the affections of such a celebrated man."

The sheriff laughed. "Mind some company back to town Cyan?" He mounted his horse and glanced in her direction.

"Not at all sheriff; not at all."

The Queen was lost in thought almost instantaneously, once again conversing with her horse. "Eri certainly has her work cut out for her, doesn't she Shatan?"

Both the horse and his rider looked over at the man riding alongside them. Shatan let out a loud neigh as the Queen rolled her eyes.

******

"What?" Ashana said, staring in disbelief. The Queen had returned to the hotel and awoken the Healer. She had explained about Vorpax's visit and the sheriff.

"It's going to require a slight change of plans Ashana. I need you to stay with Eri and make sure that things between she and the sheriff stay true to the timeline. I can't risk not having contact with him, because we will need his help sooner or later in getting the guys who stole the relic. That by the way, is another thing. I had one likely candidate after talking with the town, and he has since rocketed to the top of the list."

"Let me guess." The Healer said, raising her hand. "Is it the handsome cowboy who suddenly found himself the lucky winner of your free dance lesson earlier this evening?"

Cyan laughed. "Bingo. And the good news is 'Shana; he's got friends."

"Oh no! No way! I'm a Healer not a lover Cyan! Get Eri to help you out."

The Queen raised a questioning eyebrow, but Ashana quickly shook her head. "Okay, okay, bad idea. But there's got to be a better alternative than being swept off my feet by Ringo and his gringo's."

The Queen laughed as Ashana buried her face in her hands. Eventually she too began to laugh and looked up at the Queen. "Are you sure?" she asked one last time. The Queen nodded.

******

Tama had shown up at the mine before the sun had even peaked over the horizon. The Queen had allowed him to bring his boot daggers, but his holster had remained behind. It had only been a couple of days, but he felt strangely naked without them. The Queen was right though. He had been looking around and talking with the other miners, and none of them wore their weapons into the tunnels.

The man in charge had been reluctant to give him a job until he had mentioned the sheriff. Then, this morning, when the foreman and his crew had first arrived at the mine, they were each surprised to see that Tama was waiting for them. "It never hurts to be early." The Queen had said, most likely thinking of Saran at that moment.

Tama was assigned to digging deep inside the mine. The deeper the better as far as he was concerned, more likely to discover the relic first. His eagerness to get started had also surprised the men, since digging deep within the earth's core was not the most desired location.

The man Cyan had told him about, Johnny Ringo had shown up with two other men a few hours into the workday. Ringo himself had not stayed long but his men had watched Tama curiously. The warrior knew that his size compared to his strength and stamina was the cause of their speculation at this point so he tried to tone down his work pace a bit. "Man," he thought to himself. "These guys wouldn't last a day in the Enforcer's training camps. Wait'll I tell the Queen."

Tama laughed quietly and mumbled aloud to himself. "Maybe she'll even give us a day or two off. NOT!" Tama laughed loudly as the other diggers stopped to see what could be so funny hundreds of feet below the surface.

"They don't give anyone days off around here." Came a voice next to Tama. The warrior looked around, a bit confused, which caused the other man to explain. "Ringo. You were mumbling about a day or two off; well, he doesn't give any. Not unless you're with him."

"With him?" Tama asked a bit confused.

"Yah, you know, ride with him."

Tama's mind raced quickly trying to figure a way as to how he was going to be invited into Ringo's gang. He was no longer sure he understood all of the rules of the old west after all. The man waved a hand in front of Tama's blank eyes. "You know. Bad guys? Guns? Bang, bang? You alright fella?"

Tama snapped to attention at the man's last question. "Yah, sure. Sure I am. I was just a little shocked at how hard it is to get a day off around here." Tama thought quickly. "The name's Tamahome; my friends call me Tama." The Amazon extended his hand as the other miner shook it. "Glad to meet you Tama. Jake's the name; been mining here for almost twenty years now. Always glad to make a new friend."

Tama smiled. Bingo! He thought. His new buddy Jake here seemed to know all about the mines, and more importantly, he seemed to know Ringo and his men. Tama swung his pick and began to make light conversation hoping that Jake wouldn't notice that he still wasn't breathing heavy.

******

Cyan froze the barroom, along with Ringo right in his seat. She got up abruptly and began to pace around the room. "If this guy breaths in my ear one more time, I'm gonna shoot him between the eyes!" The Queen removed both guns from her holsters and emptied the shells into her hand. Thoughtfully she walked back and placed both barrels at the frozen man's temple and listened intently as a series of dry clicks echoed through the motionless room. She then twirled her weapons absently and slid them back into their holsters. Cyan began to pace again. Finally she returned to the frozen man and threw a flurry of kicks and punches that all fell just short of their target.

"ARGGGHHHH!!!! And I thought mortality sucked!? Please! If ever there was a sense of true justice in the world, PLEASE let this be the guy who took the relic! And then," The Queen wrung her hands together as she sat back down on the barstool. "Then, I'm gonna KILL HIM!!!" Cyan waved her hand and the room resumed its commotion. She smiled seductively….

"I'm absolutely stunned Johnny. What can I say? Of course I would love to have dinner with you this evening. I'll need to leave a note for my family though," The Queen gritted her teeth, she just loved this girly stuff. "Wouldn’t want them to worry now, would we?"

Ringo purred quietly as he placed a light kiss on the Queen's neck. His hot breath slowly rose and reached the Queen's ear. Cyan's fingers began to drum against the handle of her guns. "And what time will you be telling them dinner is over?" Ringo asked in his gruff, yet sadly enough, most seductive voice.

Cyan rose suddenly, pretending to blush; yet more accurately, doing her best to hold back the impending vomit. "Why Johnny Ringo, whatever do you mean?"

The Queen waved a quick goodbye and continued to talk as she headed towards the door. "I may dress as a gunslinger Mr. Ringo, but I am still a mother and a lady." Cyan walked through the saloon doors and onto the street. "I'm also an Amazon Queen who's about two drinks from blowing a hole through that pathetic little brain of yours!"

******

"Yours went that well?" Ashana asked with a mixture of disbelief and annoyance.

"You mean your day was worse?" the Queen asked, taking a seat she clearly knew she would need.

"Well, let's just say that if I had been born with the powers to freeze time, it might have ended a little more cordial. I'll try someone new tomorrow, but I swear Cyan; I need a break from the dancing dimwits tonight."

"I agree. I need to meet Ringo, but it would be better if at least one of us stayed with my darling children. Anything new with Eri and the sheriff?"

"I'll tell you about it later. You should go get ready to meet Ringo, and I'll go grab Tama and Eri so we can get some dinner ourselves."

Cyan nodded and headed back towards her room. As she closed the door behind her she heard Ashana call out, "Don't be late now little sister, or I'll have to send the kids after you!" Cyan could hear the gales of laughter clearly; even after the door had shut.

She leaned back against the door and smiled momentarily. She felt a little better knowing she wasn't the only one who had a tough day. As she began to get ready, she wondered how Tama had made out in the mines.

******

Ashana leaned back into her chair and sighed. Eri did likewise, propping her feet up on the table and tilting her chair back a fraction of an inch. Tamahome however, looked at the two women in surprise as he continued to shovel forkfuls of food into his mouth.

The three sat in silence for a moment before Ashana spoke up. "So, Tama. How did your first day at the job go?"

Tama took a large swig of his ale before replying. "Well, they've got me working pretty deep in the mines, so if anyone finds this...relic, it'll either be me, or I'll be right nearby. I've also met a guy I think can help us if we need any information." He seemed satisfied in his answer and went back to thoughtfully chewing a piece of steak on the end of his fork.

The healer contemplated Tamahome's answer, as well as the mission itself. Why was the Queen so adamant on keeping the specifics secret? Whatever the reason though, Ashana had no doubt it was a good one.

Tama set his fork down loudly and sighed in content. Eri rolled her eyes and set her chair back down on the ground. "Can we go now?"

Tama grabbed his hat from the table and stood. "Let's go," he announced. He was halfway out the door before Eri and Ashana stood from their own chairs. Ashana smiled and shook her head as she followed the anxious young man.

******

Cyan smiled politely as she looked into her now empty glass. She was seriously beginning to regret being an immortal. If ever there were a valid time for excessive drinking, Johnny Ringo most certainly must have been the poster child for the cause.

"I just love a woman who can hold her liquor." He smiled mischievously. "It usually means she’s in good shape and can do many things well."

The Queen tapped her glass for a refill and pictured Shatan rolling over and over in his grave. ‘Let there please be mercy from the gods’ she thought, ‘and tell me my husband and son cannot see any of this.’

"I assure you that I am built to do many things well Johnny, some of which may come in very handy to a man of your….. influence and stature." The Queen smiled again, moving a bit closer to the gunslinger.

Johnny thought for a moment as he poured Cyan another drink. This woman fascinated him. Her emerald green eyes seemed to read his very thoughts, yet they were so aware and intense that they actually made him nervous. He had been watching her since the four of them had rode into town, and if ever there was a woman who would tame the west, it would be this one.

"Are you suggesting that we could be….. partners?"

Cyan flinched slightly but continued on. He was ready to agree to whatever she asked and now was the time. She had to get that sword. "In a manner of speaking, but not in the sense that you may be suggesting; at least not yet. I require a lot of trust Johnny, and that will take time. I have a family to consider, and as I’m sure you can see, I am more than capable of their care without your help."

Ringo recoiled a bit, offended.

"But, that doesn’t mean I’m not looking for someone to eventually share that responsibility with." Cyan continued.

Ringo began to soften again, and leaned closer.

"I’m very powerful in this town Cyan and with your help, I do believe we could be unstoppable; but like you, I require a lot of trust."

"So what do you propose Johnny?"

"Those guns that you wear so elegantly by your side; are you any good with them?"

The Queen smiled, hearing Ringo’s thoughts loud and clear. There was no doubt that either Ringo or one of his men had been responsible for the disappearance of the sword. He didn’t know it yet, but she could sense it in him.

"So, you want me to join your men?"

Ringo smiled, again thoughtful at how careful he would need to be around this woman, but also feeling the need to have her; to control her.

"My men are loyal above all else Cyan, and I expect my women to be as well. This will be a good test."

The Queen rose from her seat and put her hand on Ringo’s shoulder. "I will show you the trust you so desperately need Johnny, but you will also need to show me yours." Cyan squeezed his shoulder harder and harder until Ringo nearly pulled away, and then she leaned down alongside his ear. "And I am not one of your women Mr. Ringo."

Cyan let go of the gunslinger’s shoulder and stood up. Ringo folded his napkin and stared at Cyan. He was feeling slightly embarrassed at how easy it was for this woman to manipulate him, especially in front of others. He thought for a moment about walking away, but just couldn’t bring himself to leave his seat, or her. "You say that now, but a day will come when you will want nothing more than to be my partner in every sense of the word; I assure you."

Cyan smiled, her eyes twinkling. "I’ll let you in on a little secret Johnny. I’ve found that the same partners who once lay in my bed are the same ones that now lie in the earth."

Before Ringo could respond, the door had already swung shut behind the Queen. He smiled and lifted the bottle to refill his own drink. If she was half as good as she promised to be, his men were going to have their hands full and so would he. But, if she also proved as true to her word as she was to him; the west was for the taking. He doubted that there was another woman the likes of this one in all the territories.

****

"Even the filthiest of slugs in all of Greece did not creep me out the way this guy did Eri. He was so ….. totally gross!!" Cyan recoiled a bit and thought a second about the words that had just come out of her mouth. If she didn't know better, she'd swear Aphrodite had said them for her. The Queen shook her head in an attempt to clear her thoughts and then turned her attention back to her niece.

"Are you sure that it’s not something more than that?"

"Like what?" the Queen asked in a very annoyed tone. She had come into her niece’s room after returning from dinner; what little she had eaten. The two lay on the bed watching the fire; Eri sensing Cyan’s irritation easily enough.

"Like maybe the memory of Shatan is just very fresh in your mind right now, for whatever reason." Cyan thought a moment about the sheriff. "I know he is in mine."

The Queen’s head snapped quickly around to face her niece. "What’s that supposed to mean?" she asked somewhat panicky.

Eri laughed at her aunt. "Relax, will ya? I just meant that I’ve been finding myself thinking about the past a lot on this trip. I’m not sure why, but every now and then there’s just something sorta familiar about it all ya know?"

The Queen settled back again and thought about the sheriff’s eyes, Eri’s, Shatan’s, her own…….

****

"Wake up Cyan." Ashana shook the Queen again. Slowly her eyes began to open and she saw the Healer standing over her. "Man, you two were out for the count." Ashana motioned over towards Eri who was slowly beginning to rise herself.

"Guess I dozed off." Cyan finally managed to say as she begun to sit up.

"I thought you’d done more than that my Queen. I looked into your room this morning and imagine my surprise when I found it not only empty, but unused as well. Needless to say, Tama and I would appreciated a little ‘I’m home’ before you two have your next slumber party!"

Cyan chuckled at Ashana’s obvious frustration mixed with her sense of relief. "I’m sorry Mom – won’t happen again."

Exasperated, Ashana headed out the door. "Tama’s already at the mines and I’m going downstairs to get something to eat. I’ll see you two when you’re ready."

The door shut a little harder than usual and the Queen and her niece began to laugh.

"I think we better hurry Aunt Cyan. An annoyed healer is as dangerous as an assassin; especially around food."

The two laughed and jumped to getting themselves ready for the day.

****

"So, do you ever see this guy Ringo much?" Tama asked nonchalantly of his new mining pal.

"No, he doesn’t usually come around the mines during the working hours, but I’ll tell ya friend, he sure seems to have an interest in this place at night."

Tamahome stopped shoveling and arched an eyebrow. Jake hadn’t slowed his work pace any and Tama took the cue to resume his own work.

"Why in the world would anyone want to be down here at night. It’s lousy enough during the day, but when fine women and drink can be had in the evenings instead – why would he come?"

Jake shrugged and continued to work. "Don’t know. Don’t care." He stopped and took a slug from his water bottle and then handed it over to Tama. The Amazon took the bottle and waited patiently for Jake to break the silence. Soon the miner continued.

"I suppose he has his reasons, but for the life of me I can’t guess 'em. I know he has a few men he trusts and they bring some miners with them that I ain’t never seen before and head on down into the pits for most of the night."

"How do you know?" Tama asked, getting a little suspicious that he was being led somewhere.

"I don’t exactly have the money or fancy means for a house, so I make myself a living in a little grotto up on the cliff overlooking the southern entrance of the mine. At night I used to see some lights heading into the mine, and one night my curiosity got the best of me."

"And…." Tama asked somewhat impatiently.

"And I saw Mr. Ringo and a bunch of his boys hauling all kinds of stuff in the back way. That my friend was enough to let me know I didn’t want to know any more."

"But…" Jake cut him off and got back to digging. "And that young Tama should be enough for you too."

Tamahome picked up his shovel and went back to work. He thought frantically about everything Jake had told him. He had to talk to the Queen soon. If his hunches were right and Jake was telling him the truth, Ringo and his men seemed to be looking for the relic. This wasn’t good, not good at all.

*****

Eri and the Queen sat in silence across from the Healer; patiently waiting for Ashana to move past her annoyance with them. Cyan's eyes had just barely begun to focus when she heard a familiar voice call out from behind her.

"Good morning ladies."

The Queen watched as Ashana's eyes reflected the source of the voice and before Eri had fully swung around to see who it was, Cyan had begun to speak.

"Good morning sheriff. Please, won't you join us for a cup of coffee?"

The handsome Sheriff of Dodge swung one leg over an empty chair and settled gracefully into place. The effortless motion had not been lost on either the Queen or her niece and it was Ashana who finally had to speak to keep things from suddenly seeming awkward.

"It's nice to see you again Sheriff. You're not here checking up on us now, are you?" Ashana smiled amicably and the Sheriff chuckled.

"No Ma'am. I believe that your sister Cyan here has that all well under control." The man stared hard at the Queen and smiled. Eri shifted irritably in her seat and finally the Sheriff continued. "I actually just wanted to see how your boy was making out with his work in the mines. It's a tough business working down there day in and day out, but unfortunately it's the only real means of making a living around these parts."

The Queen smiled and leaned casually in her chair away from her increasingly agitated niece. She had not had the chance to tell Eri about her earlier chat with the Sheriff and it was obvious that her niece was not at all happy about their newfound familiarity. "He's doing quite well thank you."

Cyan started to get up but the Sheriff beat her to it. "No, please, finish your breakfast. I really didn't mean to intrude." Once again he nodded towards Eri and Ashana as he put his hat back on. "Enjoy your day ladies." Ashana and Eri both smiled in return, as his eyes drifted back to Cyan. "I'm sure I'll be seeing you soon."

The Queen grunted her reply, followed by a feeble smile as she felt the heel of Eri's boot dent in the front of her shin. Once the door had swung shut behind him, Eri was out of her seat and staring at her aunt. "Stay uninvolved? Is that how you plan to stay uninvolved?!"

Cyan rubbed her shin and started to speak, but Eri had already ascended the stairs back towards their room. She looked over at the Healer, who was already pouring her Queen another cup of coffee.

"It seems, that maybe she's already a lot more attached to the Sheriff than we thought. I guess he's not the only one who believes in love at first sight."

The Queen grimaced. How in the world was she going to explain all of this to her niece, when she was having trouble not being attracted to the man herself.

"The difference is Cyan, you are attracted to a memory; it's much more than that for her."

The Queen looked at her friend in surprise. The Healer had known just what was bothering her with little more than a glance. "I'm not sure what you mean Healer."

Ashana folded her hands in front of her. "This man, because of his bloodlines, reminds you of various things that you loved about Shatan; but it is not the man himself you are in love with. That's not the case with Eri. She has actually fallen in love with the man and not the memory of a man she once loved. Make sense?"

Cyan slowly nodded, beginning to really see the complexity of the situation, as Ashana continued.

"Likewise, this man could easily fall in love with the both of you at once. Eri is the complete embodiment of everything that he has been born with in his blood, yet you represent all that his bloodline has fallen in love with in the past." Ashana leaned closer. "Vorpax was right when she said that this could become a problem Cyan and I think it already has. We need to find this relic of yours and get out here soon."

The Queen nodded and her eyes made their way to the ceiling as she took a long sip of her steaming coffee. "Then let's hope Tama finds out something soon, because I'm not prepared to lose Eri……" Cyan looked back at Ashana, "or the Sheriff over this."

Ashana remained silent, but her eyes reflected her understanding. The Queen, for very good reason, felt that the loss of the Sheriff would be like having to say goodbye to her husband all over again. Cyan and Eri had already had to do this once and the Queen was beginning to doubt that either of them would make it through a second time together.

Both warriors rose from the table and Ashana watched as Cyan's face changed ever so slightly. "Let's get this done with."

The Healer nodded in obedience to her Queen and headed for the stairs to collect Eri. There was a lot to do and less time than any of them had imagined.

******

Tama rolled on the ground in pain. The blood flowed freely from the gash in his leg and the other workers gathered around him. Jake tied off the wound with his bandana and helped Tama to his feet. They had already made their way more than half way out of the mine when the pair ran into Johnny Ringo himself.

"Where do you think you two are headed?" Ringo asked with a sneer.

Jake began to stutter on about the accident and how Tama had been cut when the light from Ringo's lamp illuminated Tama's face completely.

"You.." Ringo said, motioning towards Tama. "You're Cyan's boy."

Tama hesitated, not sure whether to affirm or deny the allegation. He had intentionally given himself the wound in the hopes of being sent home so he could inform the Queen of all that he had learned. Ringo however, could be a huge complication.

Before Tama had a chance to answer, Ringo had taken him by the shoulder. "Go back to your digging Jake, I've got him from here."

Jake's eyes widened with surprise, but he eventually turned around and made his way back down the tunnel. Ringo began helping Tama the rest of the way out of the mine. "I was actually just coming to see you."

"You were?" Tama asked, obviously hesitant as to the reason why. Ringo laughed.

"Relax, your mother and I are very good friends and the last thing I would want is anything to happen to her boy. Wouldn't bode well for our future together, ya know."

Tama began to choke as he took in the meaning of Ringo's words. Luckily the man himself had chalked it up to little more than mining dust and was still solely concentrating on getting Tama out of the mine.

Soon Tama and Ringo were rolling into town and pulling up in front of the Doc's place at the edge of town. "So, we'll get this leg of yours all taken care of and then maybe you can help me out with some more important things than the digging - what do you say?"

Tama slid himself carefully down the side of the wagon. "Sure Mr. Ringo, whatever you say." Ringo smiled broadly and helped Tama to the door. "I'll be back for you in a few hours then. We'll meet over at the saloon."

Tama nodded as he watched Ringo make his way down the street. Once the mine owner had turned out of sight, Tama began to make his own way down the street and to their rooms.

******

Cyan stiffened a bit when she saw Ringo walk through the doors and make his way over to her table. "You're late." She said flatly.

Ringo smiled as he sat down and moved his chair a bit closer. "That's because that boy of yours got himself into a bit of an accident and I had to take him over to the Doc's."

"An accident? What are you talking about?" Cyan said in a loud voice as she rose from her chair. "Where is he?"

Ringo placed a hand on Cyan's arm, which she promptly knocked away. Ringo's eyes suddenly hinted at understanding. "You think I did something." He said somewhat surprised.

The Queen remained silent and Ringo felt his entire body run cold; as a frightening chill made it's way up his spine. In just a flicker of her eyes he had clearly seen the ice that coursed through this woman's veins and knew those same eyes would follow him to his grave.

Cyan finally spoke; hearing Ringo's thoughts loudly. "Where is he?"

Ringo spoke quietly. "I told you, I took him to the Doc's - he had a gash in his leg. The Doc will have him fixed up in no time and I told him I'd meet him in a few hours."

Cyan looked at the man skeptically. "For what reason?"

"I told him I could still find some work for him and that it wouldn't be too hard on his leg." Cyan knew the man wasn't lying and eventually returned to her seat when Ringo asked her to do so.

"Why would you do that?" The Queen asked, wanting to make sure Ringo's motivations were exactly what they seemed.

"Well, I kinda figured you and I had an understanding as of last night and if I can trust you, I'm supposin' I can trust your boy as well right?"

Cyan nodded. "I'm listening."

Ringo smiled a little, but then let it drop when he felt a slight chill return to his skin. "Like I was sayin' last night; I trust and expect my boys to be loyal, so I've made arrangements for you to meet up with them tonight."

Cyan sat and listened as Ringo explained the details of the coming evening, while the Sheriff sat quietly in the corner studying every movement the Queen made. His eyes took in the details of all that she said and did right up to the swinging doors that had closed behind her. Only then did he relax a bit and lean back in his chair, thinking intently on why the woman drew his attention so fiercely. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but there was something about Cyan; something he couldn't resist. Then he thought about Cyan's daughter, Eri. She too drew his attention as if he had no control over it - like they were somehow already a part of him.

He shook his head and massaged his temples. He was getting a headache and was feeling slightly nauseous again. He'd heard going crazy could do that to you. Then again, he'd heard love could have the same effect. But how in the world could he have gone his whole life never once feeling what he felt now - only to find himself feeling the exact same thing for two different women? Suddenly, going crazy seemed much more easy and attractive than the alternative.

******

Tama continued to tell Ashana and Eri about the rest of Jake's revelations while the Healer continued to work on his leg. Just as Tama had known, Ashana was far better suited to handle his wound than any of the Doctor's of this time, or most others for that matter. As the Healer finished her last stitch, Eri leaned back into her chair and the three of them sat quietly for a moment.

"So, the relic has to be down in the mine that you're at Tama - there's no doubt about it. The only question is, how did they know to go in search of it?"

Once again the room became quiet and Tama took the opportunity to stand up and test his leg. He smiled at Ashana and then sat back down in a nearby chair, obviously pleased. "Well, one things for sure - we're never going to figure that out unless one of us gets close enough to Ringo to make him blab."

Eri suddenly jumped up, startling the other two warriors. "You're right Tama - so let's get going."

"Huh?!" Tama said, clearly not understanding the plan that Eri seemed to think was so obvious. A quick glance over at Ashana reassured Tama that he wasn't the only one.

Eri slid both guns into her holsters and headed for the door. "Tama, you go meet Ringo and take my Aunt with you. Sounds to me like he already trusts you two."

The door opened and Ashana rose from her chair. "Eri, where are you going?" Ashana's question had been asked with growing concern and Tama became suddenly aware that there was more going on here than he understood..

"I'm going to keep an eye on the sheriff and make sure he stays out of the way. That was my job remember?" Eri's eyes flickered a hint of something, but Ashana was not quick enough to stop the Queen's niece from leaving. The door echoed loudly in the now silent room.

******

Cyan watched Eri enter the Sheriff's building and then turned to Tama and Ashana. "Tama, you better get going. I left Ringo over an hour ago so I'm sure he'll be coming for you soon."

Tama nodded and carefully made his way back down onto the street and disappeared out of sight. Ashana had told the warrior about the timeline, Vorpax's warning, and the Sheriff. He would have to get to Ringo fast and find out everything he could. Once the Queen met them tonight, they would need to find that Relic as soon as possible and get back to the Island. As difficult as the Queen's niece could be, he did not want to see Eri get hurt.

The warrior entered the saloon and sat down to wait for Ringo, but it took little more than a minute before the mine owner showed up. Tama rose from his seat and Ringo beckoned for him to follow.

"Looks like the Doc did one helluva job fixin' that leg of yours up." Ringo glanced at Tama skeptically. "Barely a limp, which is pretty surprisin' considering the gash you got."

Tama shrugged. "I think sometimes I surprise a lot of folks."

Ringo nodded slightly and kept walking. He didn't doubt the sincerity of the boy's statement, especially after his morning chat with Cyan.

"I pretty much figured that about you and yours, which is why I'm changing your job a bit."

Tama tried to play it cool. "Sure, well thanks. I mean with the leg and all, it would have been hard to work and we could sure use the money."

Ringo passed Tama the reigns to his horse. "Brought him back for you from the mine. Nice looking ride you have. Don't even think I've ever seen horses like the ones you folks have." Ringo mounted his own horse and watched as Tama made his way into the saddle. The warrior took extra care to show some signs of pain in his leg as he swung into his mount.

"Thanks, it's the one thing my Mom says we can't cut corners on. If you're ever going to spend your money on something, it better be your horses and guns. They're the two things you can't ever afford to let you down."

Ringo prodded his horse to get moving. "Well, it certainly seems that your mother puts great care and influence into seeing that you're well trained. I suppose she must feel a huge burden of responsibility to ensure your safety and it's obvious that she cares about you deeply; but I suspect she must be a very tough teacher."

Tama smiled. "Yes sir, she sure is. Let's just say, we all make a big effort to get things right the first time around."

Ringo chuckled. "Well, I can't imagine it's easy to keep everything together without some strong leadership, especially when it comes to your family."

Tama rolled his eyes and thought of all the recent events with Nikolas, Rogue and Saran. "No sir, it sure isn't." The warrior dropped his horse into line behind Ringo and followed him out of town.

******

Ashana grabbed Cyan by the arm. "Let me get the Sheriff out of the way first, then you go and find Eri."

The Queen reluctantly dropped back and let the Healer go on ahead. Cyan was feeling about a million emotions at this point, which was a novelty in and of itself, without the combined inconvenience factor heaped on top of it.

She had argued with Ashana about telling Eri who the Sheriff really was; but eventually the Healer had just flat out worn her down. The whole topic of bloodlines and family had become a huge source of emotional strain on the Queen over the last months and she was not looking forward to having this conversation with Eri as well.

Olympia was still unaware that it was Kahn's blood that flowed freely through her veins and Saran, well Saran wasn't even close to resolving all that was going on inside of her. Vorpax seemed to be coming and going in her daughter's life all the more frequently and then, then there were the other realm travels. Those had disturbed the Queen the most.

She had been unable to pinpoint or shake the growing pit in her stomach whenever she found herself thinking about Poseidon and the others; especially Athena. She had wanted to talk to Saran about it; knowing that she of all people might understand since they were her family as well, but everything had gotten wacky and Cyan had kept her concerns to herself. She had even contemplated going back to Voyager so she could talk things through with Captain Janeway, but this whole mess with the Sheriff and their ancestors had made Cyan think that might not be such a good idea after all. One thing was for sure, the more family problems that seemed to arise, the more Cyan found herself on the Holodeck talking with Shatan. She wished he were here now to talk to their niece.

******

Both Eri and the Sheriff looked over in unison as the sound of the door shutting behind Ashana made it's way through the room. Eri's face showed her own displeasure in seeing the Healer, but the Sheriff's showed none. He smiled broadly and rose from his seat. "Why hello there. Won't you join us?"

Ashana smiled politely, but shook her head. "Thank you, but no. I actually was hoping I could ask for your assistance with something Sheriff."

The Sheriff smiled and nodded back towards Eri. "If you'll excuse me for a minute, I may actually have to get some work done today." He slid his hat into place and opened the door for Eri's 'aunt'.

Eri's eyes locked onto the Healer and she begrudgingly managed a reply. "Of course." The young Amazon watched the pair disappear out the door and leaned back in her chair already anticipating her real Aunt's arrival.

******

Tama dismounted from his horse effortlessly, regretting it as soon as his boots hit the ground.

"You're family seems quite talented at a lot of things Tama; makes one wonder if there's much of anything you can't all do."

Tama smiled awkwardly at Ringo, but let the statement pass without response. In truth, he wasn't sure he would even be able to settle Ringo's suspicions at this point with mere words so he changed the subject as fast as he could.

"I don't believe I've ever seen this mining entrance before Mr. Ringo."

Johnny paused and carefully looked Tama over as he chewed thoughtfully on his toothpick. Finally, much to Tama's relief, Ringo turned and headed towards the mine entrance.

"Well, that's because we're doing a different kind of mining over on this side of the mountain." Ringo waved his hand for Tama to follow and then yelled into the mouth of the darkened cave. "Theo! You here?"

A burly man that Tama had seen once before in the back of one of the saloons, emerged from the cave, covered in mining dust. "Right here boss." Theo looked at the younger man and then over at Ringo questioningly. "What's he here for?"

Ringo slapped Tama on the back and pushed him forward to where Theo was standing. "This here is Tamahome and he's going to be helping us with our little search."

Tama smiled weakly as Theo leaned against the mine entrance. "Really? And what's he gonna do for us - hold the lantern?"

Tama suddenly straightened up and his eyes shone with a new fire. Without saying a word, he had, much to Ringo's surprise, convinced Theo that he would indeed be a huge help. Without further discussion, Theo stepped aside and grabbed a shovel. "Well, let's get started then…."

Tama nodded and Theo and the warrior disappeared from view. Ringo walked slowly back to his horse and mounted. He had originally thought that if Cyan could be controlled, his work would be all the easier. Now he feared that if Cyan could not be controlled he would have to eliminate both her and her family. Ringo looked over at Tama's horse and frowned. He was hoping that eliminating them would not become necessary for a lot of reasons, but the idea of it even being possible had suddenly begun to work it's way to the top of the list. Who were these people?

******

Cyan took a seat directly across from her niece and sat quietly for a minute, trying to decide where to begin. Eri however, had already decided to save her Aunt the trouble and leaned forward in her seat.

"Let me guess - I'm not going to be in charge of developing a relationship with the local authorities any more am I?"

Cyan stared a moment longer and then finally shook her head. Eri leaned back in her chair once again. "Can I at least ask why?"

"Do you really need to ask me that Eri?"

The younger warrior sat for a moment and then finally stood up. "No, I suppose not, but I am curious as to whether you think you're going to be the right person to replace me?"

Cyan sighed. "No - I'm not. Ashana is going to be in charge of getting the Sheriff and his men to do what we need them to do and when. You and I are going to focus on Ringo, getting that sword back and getting us the hell out of here."

The Queen and her niece locked eyes. Almost instantly, any fight that had been lingering within the younger warrior dissolved. She had known Cyan her whole life, longer than anyone in the world for that matter, and her Aunt's eyes had told her all she needed to know. One day Cyan would tell her exactly what she needed to know about the Sheriff, but for now all she expected of Eri was obedience and that was exactly what she would receive.

Eri turned for the door and got ready to leave. She knew her Aunt was giving her a few minutes alone to chat with the Sheriff before they headed after Ringo. Cyan propped her feet up on one of the empty chairs. "I'll meet you back in the room then?"

Eri nodded her agreement as she walked through the door. She started to shut it behind her when she suddenly stopped. She began to realize just how heavily her emotions had been weighing on her this entire trip. She felt the past pressing down on her like it had happened only yesterday. Everything she tried so hard to forget and move on from seemed to be as fresh in her mind as if she were living it again in the present. Only this time it all seemed so much worse. This time she felt as if the past had come again and she had known what it would hold and still had not stopped it.

"I love you Eri."

Cyan stared hard at her niece and in that very moment everything became crystal clear. The eyes. They held the past, the present and the future for the two of them and Eri no longer wondered why the Sheriff or this trip had resurrected so many emotions for her.

"I love you too." With that, Eri closed the door on any doubts that her destiny lay anywhere but with Cyan and their family; no matter where it took them.

*******

Cyan leaned back in the chair and sighed quietly as the door shut behind her niece. She felt a slight chill in her back and began to smile. "About time you showed up. You always did have a knack for family chats."

The Queen turned around casually, only to be rocked by the emptiness that greeted her. Cyan's face dropped as she quickly looked around for the golden clad goddess she had been so certain would be there.

Cyan stood up tentatively. "Athena?"

The room was silent and the Queen became aware that the chill in her back was slowly moving up her spine. "I know you're here Miss. Creepy, I can feel you. So will you knock it off already and stop kidding around. I gotta go."

Cyan's stomach lurched and she grabbed her chair for support. She slowly made her way to the back entrance and out into the alleyway. The fresh warm air rushed towards her, but the Queen doubled over as the contents of her stomach found its way to the street. Her body shook as the chill in her back rapidly spread throughout her body. She felt frozen to the core and it seemed as if the cold itself were reaching out from the darkness and clawing at her. She could feel herself being pulled in and under and was vaguely aware of collapsing to her knees. Then, as suddenly as it had begun, Cyan felt the coldness begin to lose its grip. Parts of her were struggling to the surface, towards the warmth and light; but the part she was aware of the most was her heart. It remained torn between the warmth and the somehow familiar cold and darkness.

As the alleyway began to come into focus once again, Cyan struggled to get to her feet. The nausea had passed and her body was once again beginning to warm, but something was different this time. A part of her was gone; kept by the cold and the darkness; but somehow she knew that it belonged there. This wasn't the first time Cyan had felt the sensation of being incomplete; it had certainly been there with Shatan and Davu; but never this strong.

The Queen slowly made her way back to the room where she was to meet Eri. She took a seat across from her niece and took a moment to slow her racing thoughts. Cyan was visibly shaken by all that had happened, but also clearly in no mood for sharing. Eri motioned towards a steaming coffeepot and her Aunt nodded appreciatively.

As the two sat in silence, Cyan sipping from her mug, the Queen realized that there was something else that had been very different about this time than the others. She somehow felt permanently connected to the coldness, as if she alone could dictate its destiny or continued existence in some way. It had settled into her as if it had always been a part of her and always would be. Had it always been there and for some reason this realm travel in particular had brought it out differently? Or was it something else? Cyan took another sip of her coffee somehow sensing that one day the coldness itself would answer all of her questions.

*******

Theo held up his hand and Tama came to a halt just a couple feet short of where the mining boss stood. The metal clanks of shovels could be heard somewhere down the darkened mine tunnel, but not much further from where they already were. Tama had noticed the continued drop in temperature while the two of them had been descending and as best he could figure, they were well under the steepest part of the nearby mountain. There was no doubt that someone had to be masterminding Ringo's effort to find the relic this far underground. It would have been hard enough to unearth the thing with a map, let alone the idea that someone happened to "stumble" across it like they had originally thought.

The burly miner whistled loudly and Tama heard the clanking noises stop. He followed Theo about ten paces further into the mine and then found himself able to stand upright in a much larger opening. It had obviously been cleared out for some months now and by the looks of the scattered digging equipment, was being used as a meeting place and storage area.

Theo threw a thumb in Tama's direction and nodded towards the approaching four figures. "This here is Tamahome. The boss says we'll be needing his help in finishing up our search."

One of the men spat off to the side as he took a couple steps forward. "That so?" Tama nodded, but remained where he stood. The other three men continued to look him over, content to let the other man do their talking.

"Name's Cleatus. This here is Jeb, Clem and Tango." Tama nodded his head again in slight acknowledgement, but continued to let the other man take the lead. "You're the one travelling with Ringo's woman, ain't yer?"

Tama took a step forward and spoke low and deliberate. "I suspect I am mister, but I suggest you save yourself some pain and not refer to my Ma as 'Ringo's woman' again."

The five men stood silent and all eyes settled on the young Tamahome. He was well aware that each of the miners were nothing more than dusty gunslingers biding their time until they were called on to put another hole through someone that crossed their path. He was also aware that none of them had decided just yet what to make of the mysterious stranger that had been sent by Ringo himself, so Tama stood his ground.

"Save myself some pain now, is it?"

"Yes'sir." Tama replied flatly.

The one named Jeb chuckled gruffly. "Guess you're planning on just dropping Cleatus right where he stands then?"

Tama smiled wickedly. "Not if he minds his mouth I won't."

The room's silence was almost deafening as Tama waited for the men to make up their minds. Finally Cleatus smiled and slapped his buddy Jeb on the back. "Right then - mind my mouth it is. Best get to showing you what it is Ringo wants done. Says he'll be here just after dusk, so we better have things set."

Cleatus glanced back at Tama as he headed into the next section of mine. "Says he'll be bringing your Ma with him, so I guess we'll all be on our best behavior all the way around now, won't we?"

Tama allowed himself a polite smile and then snatched up a shovel and began to follow Theo. The large miner stepped back allowing Tama to go first, but then grabbed him by the arm just as he was about to pass. "You were really going to take them on, weren't you?"

Tama remained relaxed. "If need be."

Theo tilted his head a bit in curiosity. "Son, your Ma must be one helluva lady if you were ready to face down four slingers for her. I bet she'd sure be proud of her boy knowing how you stood up for her that way."

Tama smiled and slapped the larger man on the back. Something about him reminded Tama of a huge grizzly bear and he couldn't help but to like the guy. "I'm sure she would be Theo, but for the sake of avoiding another run in, let's just not mention it huh?"

Theo shrugged. "Sure, but I really don't think you're gonna have to shoot the fellas to get your message across."

"Oh, I know that…." Tama said nonchalantly as he disappeared into the tunnel. "And I wouldn't shoot them….."

Theo followed closely behind.

"….but my mother would." Tama disappeared out of sight and left Theo with his thoughts. These new friends of Ringo were turning out to be as strange as the man in black. Theo shook his head and chuckled. He'd been doing this way too long.

******

Ashana walked with the Sheriff towards the outskirts of Dodge. They continued to laugh and carry on for any wandering eye that might cast a glance in their direction, but the town seemed busy with their own affairs. The Queen's Healer talked rapidly, keeping her voice low.

"So, my sister Cyan and I were sent here to bring Ringo back."

The Sheriff nodded and chuckled for the sake of appearance. "So, you and this 'family' of yours are more or less bounty hunters? I must admit, sending three attractive women was a good plan on someone's behalf."

It was Ashana's turn to laugh and for the first time in a long while she was reminded of the face that the Sheriff seemed so closely to mirror. She had met Cyan not long before the Queen had become pregnant with Davu, and it was then that Ashana had taken up becoming a Healer in her tribe. Almost as if overnight, she had found herself a new home and family, one that she no longer could picture her life without.

It had taken a long time for Ashana to win the personal confidence of her Queen, but Shatan had been different. He somehow possessed the ability to unlock and encourage all that a person was, but never more so than with his wife. Ashana doubted that the Fates themselves could have created two individual halves more destined to be a whole. Over the years Ashana and Shatan had talked many times of his brother's family, but never once did they think things would end the way they did. A slight flicker of sadness flashed across the Healer's face before she turned her attention back to the very familiar green eyes of the Sheriff.

"I'll take that as a compliment then?"

That gracious chuckle and wild green eyes again. "Yes ma'am. Nothing but."

Ashana nodded and turned her attention back towards where they were headed. "Cyan has already won Ringo's confidence as I'm sure you are well aware of." The Sheriff nodded and Ashana continued. "We think he has something buried out in one of the mines that he's trying to get his hands on again, so we're hanging back until he leads us to it. Both Cyan and Tama will be in the mines with him tonight."

The Sheriff nodded thoughtfully. "And you're telling me this as a polite way to say you think I'll nose around and screw things up?"

The Healer remained silent; knowing the question was more rhetorical than anything else.

"You folks going to need any back-up?"

Ashana smiled widely. "Is that a serious question Sheriff?"

The Sheriff's eyes narrowed. "You know, before you all go and sneak out of town I'm gonna be expecting some answers when this is all over. I'll give you your space for now, but I expect to be kept up to date on everything, and I mean everything, that you all are planning. Is that understood?"

Ashana nodded. "Understood. Trust me Sheriff, we never had any intention of trying to go behind your back on all of this - we just needed to carefully bide our time on when it would be safe to tell you without tipping our hand to Ringo."

The Sheriff seemed momentarily reflective on the explanation and sudden need to fill him in, while the Healer glanced briefly at the man walking alongside her. She hated having to lie, especially to a man that in so many ways she already considered a close friend. Then again, she also knew this man's personality would not be that unlike the other she had known, and her lack of blunt honesty was most certainly a necessity. Ashana shook her head and prayed silently that Eri and the Queen had found something helpful at Ringo's place so they could get the hell outta Dodge.

********

Eri leaned her chair back against the outer wall of the saloon. Cyan had made her way up to Ringo's room via the back alley and her niece sat ready to slow Ringo up should he decide to drop by at a most inopportune time.

Eri was amazed how much action there actually was to see in Dodge. In actuality, the whole trip had turned out to be just one big surprise after another. She supposed that perhaps her senses were a lot sharper than the folks walking the streets, but even to the untrained eye, Dodge was a happening place.

A glimmer of metal glinted off a nearby window pane causing Eri to smirk. One of Ringo's men had tried taking up a ‘concealed position’ on the rooftop of the building across the street from where she sat. The stupid man had been so busy making sure she didn't disappear from his sight that he never even noticed Cyan had been standing alongside her at one point.

Eri watched as Ashana and the Sheriff headed towards his office. They spoke for a few minutes more and then the door shut behind the familiar man with the green eyes. The Healer was now making her way down the street, slowly absorbing all that was going on around her. Eri watched as Ashana paused, pretending to fix a button, and registered the man on the nearby roof.

"Good job Auntie." Eri smiled as she watched her friend resume her casually stroll down the busy Dodge street.

"Anything?" The Healer muttered as she dropped into a chair alongside the Queen's niece.

Eri shook her head slowly. "Not back yet. How'd you make out?"

Ashana sighed as she leaned further back into her chair and tried her turn at waiting. "All’s settled on that front finally; so let's just find this thing and get outta here."

Eri and the Healer both stared straight ahead. "I couldn't agree more…." Eri muttered. "I couldn't agree more."

**********

Cyan rifled through the papers that were in the hidden drawer of Johnny’s so-called desk. She had taken great care not to break the lock, but eventually had to resort to a wave of her hand for the sake of time. The guy seemed to have compiled his whole life within this one draw and the Queen had just about given up when she spotted it.

From the very edges of the wooden panel that lined the desk drawer bottom she could see a small piece of parchment sticking out from one side. Cyan quickly dumped the contents onto the top of the desk and lifted up the desk drawer’s panel. She removed a scroll size piece of parchment, with a small map drawn on its surface. Even without looking, Cyan didn’t have trouble picking out the current landscape that was up by the mines Tama had been working. It was difficult to read, but it appeared as if a more current map had been drawn on top of the old one in an attempt to line up certain landmarks present on both maps.

The Queen leaned back in Ringo’s oversized chair and spun it around to face the window. She held the parchment up to the sun’s light and carefully started examining the writings of both maps. The handwriting on the newer one was presumably Ringo’s, but the faded scrawl on the other one looked suspiciously like her own……..

"Why Johnny Ringo, shouldn’t you be out at the mines by now?"

Cyan froze where she sat. It wasn’t so much the presence of the intruder that had spooked her, but the voice.

The Queen spun in her seat and had both pistols aimed at the man’s temple before his own shock had fully set in. Then, when the last drop of color had slowly drained from his cheeks, Cyan leaned forward and smiled. "Well, well, well. If it isn’t my very favorite pain in the derrière-Ares!" The Queen took great pride in how she got those last two words to flow effortlessly into one.

The War god stared in shock and sputtered a few syllables before finally throwing both arms up in disgust. Cyan had expected a lot of reactions from him, but even she had to admit; this hadn’t been one of them.

"What do you think you’re doing here?!" Ares whispered harshly at the Amazon Queen. "Are you trying to get me killed again?"

Cyan twirled her guns and slid them back into their holsters as she rose from her seat and put both hands flat on Ringo’s desk. She leaned forward and arched a skeptical brow in her brother’s direction. "Again?" Cyan hissed. "What the hell are you talking about and don’t bother telling me why you’re here; I already know!"

Ares’ face went blank for a minute and then a slow smirk spread across him. He leaned back and folded both arms across his chest and suddenly started laughing his all too familiar cackle. "Oh… oh… I get it. Good one Cy!" Ares clapped mockingly and then dropped into a nearby chair, throwing one leg over the side in typical fashion.

I’m glad someone gets it, Cyan thought to herself. The Queen’s mind was racing. This whole matter of realm travel had never really brought her face to face with someone from her "present day past" and obviously Ares was living in a time where a lot had happened between them, that she herself hadn’t even lived yet. At least not the self she was currently residing in. Cyan snarled. She could already feel the headache starting.

Ares began to bite at his nails absently. "So what’s the plan now? You take over getting the sword back and I ride the bench?"

Cyan thought quickly. Should she send Ares away and go after the sword as planned or should she keep him where she could watch him? Come to think of it, when did she start, or rather, when would she start to work with Ares on anything – especially Kahn’s sword? Was she already here somewhere working with him? She didn’t think so; but that thought alone made Cyan grimace. It would have been nice if Vorpax had bothered to mention a certain war god in the equation, not to mention the inevitable reactions of Eri, Ashana, and Tamahome at his sudden appearance. I wonder who else is wandering around out there from my past..…. I mean present….. I mean….." Cyan threw her hands up and mumbled quietly to no one in particular. "I mean really… The past is the future; the future is the past – it’s all just one more reason I can’t give up the coffee…."

"Ahhh yoohoo, don’t know who you’re talking to, but I don’t have all day ya know!"

Cyan had not even noticed Ares getting up from his chair and making his way directly into Cyan’s personal space. The surprising thing was, he seemed perfectly familiar there and continued to wave a hand in front of the Queen’s face until she finally snapped it out of mid-air and squeezed it tightly.

"I heard ya!" Cyan let go of Ares arm and pushed it roughly back at him.

Ares put up both hands in a sign of surrender and moved a little closer. "Hey, relax – what happened to the old team spirit we had going huh? I thought we had an understanding."

Cyan smiled weakly. "Yah right, an understanding. I’m just getting a little anxious about the sword that’s all, and I wanted to make sure we both knew what we were doing. I don’t want any mistakes."

Ares was about to lash back, obviously taking Cyan’s comment as a slam, when the Queen’s eyes gave away something else entirely. The War god dropped back a bit and genuinely smiled at his sister. "You really didn’t come here looking for me did you?"

Well that certainly is the truth Cyan thought to herself as she shook her head and watched Ares’ smile broadened. "Well, I never thought I’d see the day, but you actually seem convinced of my determination to keep my promise to you."

The Queen remained silent out of fear. The first was that any misspoken words might change Ares’ perception of what was really happening, and the second, her far greater fear, was that she could potentially vomit for the second time in just one day.

The leather-clad god finally rested both hands on the hilt of his sword and relaxed his guard. Cyan found herself staring into the same eyes of the god that had sought to spill her blood since the very day she had arrived in Earth Realm; but still, there was something different about them. He appeared to be the same, at least in most ways, yet he was far from the war-driven immortal that she always had known. She was even beginning to feel a sense of commitment, or bond, between them. What had happened over the years to change things so drastically? Was it just a change between the two of them or perhaps Saran and her father as well? Cyan’s thoughts flashed quickly to Athena and then to the other Olympian gods.

Ares smiled and shifted his weight from foot to foot. Cyan wasn’t sure if he had caught in her eyes any of what she had been thinking, but if he had, he had kept it to himself. "So, we finish the plan as is?" Ares finally asked.

Cyan nodded and began to put Ringo’s desk back together. She heard a familiar whistle float along the air and into the room. "Just recap it for me one more time, will ya?"

Ares sighed but quickly relented. "All right. Ringo should be able to reach the crypt by tonight, so you have to be waiting by the entrance. I’ve convinced him to bring the sword to me on his own and while you’re grabbing him, I’ll take care of the others."

"How can you be sure he’ll bring you the sword?"

Ares stared at Cyan in disbelief. "If I didn’t know better, I’d swear you were hearing this whole plan for the first time."

"Ha ha – Humor me." Cyan replied; hurrying Ares to finish his explanation before Ringo got to his room.

"The Blood of Kahn remember? Only the bloodlines of Kahn can empower the sword, so he needs me – he’ll have to bring it."

Cyan cringed and barely managed more than a choked whisper. "You carry the bloodlines of Kahn?"

Ringo’s voice slowly made it’s way up to the room from the saloon floor below. Ares snapped his attention back to the Amazon Queen. "You picked a great time to play games Cyan, now will you just get out of here?!"

"I’m sorry Ares, I’ve just got a lot on my mind and this whole sword thing seems to screw with my brains every time I get near it."

Ares put his hand on Cyan’s shoulder. "I know that." He whispered. "Why do you think I agreed to help you get it back in the first place? I don’t want to go through all that again any more than you do – especially when it comes to the Sword of Kahn, but we don’t have any other choices. The blood of the mortal damned is the only one who can release the crypt’s seal and contrary to what one might think of Dodge, Ringo is the only guy here who can get it for us." Ares brushed his fingertips lightly across Cyan’s cheek and smiled. "So, grab the sword when he comes out of the mine and I’ll take care of the rest. I promise….."

Cyan heard Ringo’s hand close around the knob of the door and quickly blinked herself back into a shadowed doorway of the alley. She needed to get to Ashana and Eri as soon as possible and let them know what Ares and she had planned – or at least what she thought she had already planned with him. Most likely Ares wouldn’t know Tama was one of her warriors and would take care of him right along with the rest of Ringo’s men. She had to make sure Eri and Ashana beat Cyan, Ringo and Ares to the mine and got Tama safely out of the way.

The Queen rolled her eyes as she started to head towards the front of the building. She whistled quietly in several low tones and waited for her niece and Healer to join her. How in the world were they going to get all of this done, and on top of that, remain unseen by the present day Ares?

As Ashana and Eri rounded the corner, Cyan massaged her temples. She was silently wondering if when she encountered ‘her’ Ares next, she would experience any of the emotions she had felt for her brother back in Ringo’s room? Suddenly Ares, her Ares, seemed to fill her mind with mocking laughter and Cyan scowled. "Why in the name of Olympus would I ever think that?" she grumbled to herself.

She nodded towards the other two warriors to head for the room. "We gotta hurry. Tama’s in trouble and I just got a new plan."

Ashana and Eri exchanged quick questioning glances, but fell into stride with the Queen’s pace.

********

Eri and Ashana raced along the trails that slowly weaved their way through the countryside and up towards the working mines of Dodge. Cyan had talked to them both at great length about all she had learned during the afternoon and the newfound glitch in their previous plan.

"Ares! Of all the blink in, blink out, interfering, obnoxious, self-serving Olympian pains in my royal Amazon A…" Ashana grabbed the Queen’s niece by the arm and brought both the warrior and her horse to a stop.

"Eri, you have got to relax. You can’t let the Olympian gods get to you – not now."

The younger Amazon yanked her arm free. "Easy for you to say Healer. You haven’t had your whole life ripped from you, only to be tormented day in and day out with their meddling plans."

Ashana’s face showed only a few signs of hurt, knowing Eri was not truly lashing out at her, but more the flooding memories of times long passed. The Healer softened her voice. "I have no doubt that you have suffered more than any other member of our tribe, save perhaps the Queen herself, but over the years Eri, you have risen above that. You have built yourself a new home and found your true destiny. No matter how hard Ares or the other Olympian gods may try to interfere with that, you have already beaten them by just staying alive."

Eri’s shoulders slumped and her own voice softened from its previous tone. "I know Ashana, I know. It’s just that, of all the gods that could have found their way into my life in the future, why did it have to be Ares? Why is he here and not Athena or one of the others?"

Ashana shook her head. "I have no answers for you Eri and if it’s any consolation, I have known both you and the Queen long enough to know that this is going to be difficult for the both of you. But the fact remains that the Queen is convinced Ares is only here to help and that we will have to trust him. Tama’s life depends on the three of us and the ability to keep our cool – especially you Eri."

The younger warrior kicked the sides of her horse gently and began to ride. Although she had not verbally acknowledged Ashana’s comment, the Healer knew that the Queen’s niece would do as she was told. Ashana nudged her own horse into a gallop and the two resumed their pace for the mines.

********

The sweat continued to drip down the sides of Tama’s face. He and Ringo’s five other "workers" had been digging for well over five hours now. As the lot of them sat down for a quick break to refill their water bottles from a main barrel, a loud clank echoed through the tunnels.

"What was that?" Theo asked, looking around the main room anxiously.

"Down here!" came an excited voice from deep inside the tunnel being worked by Clem and Cleatus.

The five men raced down the tunnel, with Tama in the lead. Cleatus was brushing off the side wall of the far end of the tunnel.

"Whatcha got Cleatus?"

"Not sure." The man replied, brushing faster. "Hold a light up here Tama – would ya?"

Tama stepped forward and held his lantern up by Cleatus’s hand, illuminating some strange cracks and designs.

"Looks like a door of some kind." Tama mumbled quietly, while helping to brush off more dirt with his free hand.

"I can make out some small crevices all along the wall, pretty much like you’d find along the sides of a door – so that makes sense. Go get some picks down here boys and let’s see if we can pry this thing open. Might be just what the boss is looking for."

"Not a moment too soon…" Theo mumbled under his breath, with a bit of relief.

Tama and Cleatus continued to brush off what they could, waiting for Theo to get back with a couple of picks. The other men held up their own lanterns, doing their best to light whatever it was they had stumbled on.

"This is a weird marking. Some kind of animal I suspect." Tama leaned in over Cleatus’s shoulder and instantaneously recognized the marking.

"Yup – looks like some kind of animal okay, but none like I’ve ever seen." Cleatus nodded his head in agreement with Tama.

Tama took a step back and let Theo through with the picks. He leaned against the wall and watched with minor interest. He had no idea what was behind the door, but he did know it contained the relic the Queen was looking for. He also knew who’s marking sealed the door. "Kahn" Tama whispered quietly to himself. The warrior had long ago suspected that their war with Kahn would never truly be over and the door that stood in front of him, confirmed that.

"It’s opening boys, get that light in here!"

********

Cyan slowly mounted her horse and glanced passed Ringo to catch her brother’s eye. Ares had done exactly what he said he would do up until now, so she had no choice but to go through with the plan. She hoped that Ashana and Eri had made it to the mines by now and found a creative way to get Tama the hell outta there.

"You ready?" Ringo asked.

The Queen just nodded and waited for the slinger to take the lead. Ares smiled as he watched his sister fall into line behind a man who was far less than her equal.

The war god chuckled to himself. "Now there’s something you don’t see every day. Times have certainly changed Cyan…… for all of us." Ares blinked out of sight and up to the mines. He would have to be in place before Cyan and Ringo arrived.

*******

"What do you mean there’s another door?" Theo bellowed!

"I’m tellin’ ya. That first door was just kind of a marking or something. The real door is behind this one, but I ain't ever seen anything like it. It’s got no dents in the sides. Just one big picture of that crazy animal we seen on the first one and a hand print."

"A handprint? Theo repeated. "Well, did ya try puttin’ your hand in it?"

Jeb nodded. "Yup. Sure did. Every one of us, but you and Tama."

Theo gave Tama the nod and the warrior made his way to the door. He really hoped his hand wasn't going to unlock this thing or he was going to have to re-think his plan.

Just then a voice came floating down through the tunnels. "What was that?" Tama asked, snatching his hand away from the door.

"Don’t know." Theo admitted. "Might be the boss. He said he’d be here about this time. I guess we better head up and let him know what we found. Cleatus, you stay here and keep an eye on things."

Tama breathed a quiet sigh of relief as he and the others began to make their way up to the mouth of the mine. If ever there was going to be a chance to get in touch with the Queen about the relic, he’d have to take this one.

********

Eri hung patiently upside down, just outside the mouth of the mine. Ashana stood a few feet in front, with various pots and pans scattered about. The first of the men began to make their way out of the mine and rapidly blink, trying to adjust to the lighting change. The Healer crossed her fingers in the hopes that Tama would take the opportunity to be the last out, if not, this was going to get tricky.

Theo, Jeb, Tango and Clem stood in a semi-circle, slowly looking around for Ringo. Their eyes all fell on Ashana at once. "Brought you boys some food." The Amazon said cheerfully. The men glanced at one another but slowly made their way forward.

Tama was taken back for a minute at the site of his "aunt", but had barely more than a second to comprehend her appearance, before he was yanked off his feet. A hand had clamped its way around his mouth and he felt himself being pulled upwards.

"Shhhh." Eri said, releasing her hold on his mouth. "It’s me. We’ve got a problem and a slight changed of plans."

Suddenly a loud snap filled the air and both Eri and Tama’s eyes widened. "I’d have to agree." Tama mumbled just before he felt himself starting to fall back towards the earth.

The bodies landed with a thud, and all eyes, including Ashana’s stared wide in awe. Tama and Eri slowly made their way to their feet, as the other men drew their guns.

"Hey, just a minute fellas – it’s me." Tama smiled confidently.

"Step aside Tama." Theo’s voice was rough and serious. Eri slowly brushed herself off and looked at Tama.

"It’s okay." She said quietly.

"Tell me something little girl, what exactly are you and your aunt doing out here?"

Before Eri could answer, a new voice broke the silence. "Put down your gun Theo and take a couple of steps back."

The Sheriff walked out from behind some brush and motioned with his pistols to do what he had said.

Theo smiled as Eri flashed a glare at the Healer. Ashana shrugged. She had no idea why or when the Sheriff had gotten there.

Theo chuckled. "Why howdy Sheriff. I didn’t know you were here." Theo lowered his gun and the others did the same.

The Sheriff nodded at Eri and smiled. "You two okay?"

Eri smiled back, but quickly caught herself. "I’m fine Sheriff, but I do believe we can handle things here on our own. A bit of a misunderstanding that’s all, but nothing we can’t work out, right fellas?"

Theo nodded slowly and watched as the Sheriff began to holster his guns. Just then, a rumbling commotion made his way out of the mine "It’s glowing Theo! The hand is glowing!"

Cleatus looked around suddenly realizing the enormity of his mistake. His untimely appearance was just enough to upset the fragile balance of all who stood in the clearing.

The Sheriff quickly drew his pistols, but with no more speed than the miners drew there’s. Eri quickly flipped through the air and drew her blade across Jeb’s unsuspecting throat. Tama drew his pistols and shot in the direction of Theo and his men, hoping to drive them away. Cleatus quickly dropped, holding his leg and screaming in pain.

Ashana felt the searing pain shoot up her arm and was not surprised to see streams of blood flowing freely down her arm. The rest of the miners had sought cover behind the coming darkness and nearby brush. The gunfire was coming from all directions and Tama was not sure of Eri’s whereabouts.

Clem had watched the young girl flip effortlessly up onto a nearby ledge. She moved like none he had ever seen before, but he doubted she was immune to bullets. He narrowed his sights and squeezed the trigger gently. A flash of darkness caught his eye and the girl dropped out of sight.

"You okay?" asked the voice quietly. "Eri! Are you okay?" the figure’s hands were feeling for wounds, but found none.

Eri’s eyes slowly came into focus. Her ribs hurt as if she had been tackled repeatedly in one of the Enforcer’s training camps. Had she blacked out? "Yeah, I’m fine." She mumbled to the voice. "My ribs hurt….."

"Sorry about that. I had to hit you pretty hard in order to get you out of the way in time."

Eri slowly began to remember. The fight, the man behind the rock. He had aimed his pistol at her, but she had seen it much to late. There was a flash of light and then….. then that was all she could remember.

"You need to get out of here. Cyan and Ringo are not far behind. I don’t know why any of you Amazons are here, but you have to leave now before everything goes wrong."

"Ares?" Eri managed to squeak out as she slowly made her way to her feet.

"Yeah, yeah. Now get out of here and take the other two and the Sheriff with you."

********

Cyan dismounted and looked at the mine’s entrance. There was very little light and the sun had set a while ago. Still she knew that something had gone wrong. She could smell the stench of blood, fresh blood. The night air was strangely quiet, a quiet she had heard many times. Whatever had happened, it was over and she could sense no one but Ares.

"Theo!" Ringo yelled into the mine. There was no answer, not that Cyan had been expecting one, but Ringo most certainly had.

Ringo looked back at the woman. "That’s strange." He said, looking about anxiously. "The place seems deserted, but Theo and the boys knew I was coming.

"Perhaps there was an accident or an emergency?" Cyan suggested weakly. Ringo shook his head.

"Maybe we passed them on their way to find you?"

Ringo shook his head slightly. "Maybe, but I don’t think so. I think we better have a look into the mine – see what’s up."

Cyan nodded, obediently waiting to be told what to do. Let’s hope this works the Queen thought to herself. I’m really getting sick of the old west and now I’ve got to be worried about where the others are.

Ringo and the Amazon Queen disappeared inside.

*********

Ashana, Tama and Eri sat quietly on their cots inside the Sheriff’s jail cells. Ringo’s men could be heard arguing amongst themselves from cells further down the hall.

Tama leaned back against the cell wall and crossed his arms. "Well, once again I want to thank you for such a smooth rescue."

"Quiet up!" Eri said, preparing to advance on the other warrior. Ashana quickly spoke up.

"Lighten up Tama, it was well intentioned, just bad luck."

Tama slumped a bit. "I’m sorry."

"Me too." Eri mumbled, looking up quickly at the approaching footsteps. "Terrific."

The Sheriff stood at the cell entrance and remained silent. "Are any of you ready to tell me what’s going on – I mean more than your cryptic ‘we’re here to play bounty hunter’ story?"

All three Amazons looked back down towards the floor and remained silent. This was going to be a long night.

********

Ringo stared at the door with the glowing handprint. "Well, I guess maybe they did set out to try and find me. This looks exactly like what I’ve been waiting for."

Ringo looked back at the Queen with growing excitement. He turned his attention back towards the door and slowly placed his hand in the imprint. "Let’s see if the man in black is right." He mumbled quietly to himself.

"Indeed." Cyan thought as she watched the imprint and Ringo’s hand slowly disappear into the rock. Suddenly the door began to dissolve and a room was revealed.

"Well I’ll be damned! It worked!" Ringo raced into the room and dropped to his knees in front of a large chest. On it’s cover was a picture of the same dragon that had been carved into the door. The one glowing red eye seemed to stare at Cyan intently.

Ringo lifted the lid and slowly revealed the sword of Kahn to the Amazon Queen. "It’s beautiful and it’s mine!" Ringo whispered as he drew the weapon into his hands. He rose to his feet and turned slowly to face Cyan. "Look at this woman. This will help you and I to rule the west, as I promised."

Cyan stared at the sword, remembering all that had happened the last time she had gone in pursuit of it. Who had put it here? Who had taken it from her Island? Little did Ringo realize how much of that sword coursed through Cyan’s veins.

"Touch it Cyan. You can feel its power."

The Queen shook her head. The sword’s true powers would never work unless the bloodline of Kahn himself held it. As far as she was concerned, that was something she could do without being reminded of. She thought briefly of Olympia and then looked back at Ringo.

"I think we should get out of here Johnny; before someone stumbles across us."

Ringo nodded. "You’re probably right. Besides I have to meet someone."

"Who?" The Queen asked innocently enough.

"Someone who can show me how to unlock all the powers that are contained within this sword. Riches, power, even immortality he says."

"Really?" Cyan said, arching a brow at that last one. Ares had certainly laid it on thick.

"Let’s go." Ringo raced up through the mine.

********

Ares waited patiently outside the mine. He could hear the voices coming closer as he moved into position. He was not sure whether he wanted to tell Cyan that a number of her warriors were in the Sheriff’s custody, since he wasn’t sure why they had been there in the first place. Had she thought he was going to double cross her? That seemed impossible, although the last couple of days had been strange between them. A goddess of wisdom would have been handy right now, especially a female one.

Ringo was the first to enter the clearing and Ares flipped out in front of him. "Hello Johnny."

"You." Ringo yelped, obviously taken by surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"I came for my sword." Ares replied casually, as Ringo nodded in Cyan’s direction subtly.

"Yes, I see your little friend Johnny, but I have a surprise for you."

Ringo’s eyes widened as Cyan extended her arm out to one side. Her sword materialized instantly and Ringo stammered. "What is that? Who are you? Why…."

Cyan remained silent as Ares snatched Kahn’s sword from Ringo’s hand. "What are you doing?" the slinger screamed.

"Taking something that doesn’t belong to you." Ares nodded towards Cyan. "The others have been taken care of. He’s yours."

Ringo’s eyes glanced the hilt of Cyan’s sword and the red crystal that glowed from its handle. "You have the same creature in the weapon you hold in your hand. How can this be?" He looked from Cyan to Ares. "You said this sword held great power. That it was the only one of its kind."

"It does…." Cyan said quietly. "and it is. It also belongs to me."

Ringo stared in amazement. "You both were in this together? Using me?"

Ares and Cyan remained silent.

"Why did you need me then? Why not just take what you say belongs to you?"

Ares sighed, barely masking his boredom with the chatty mortal. "Because we couldn’t open the door. Only the blood of the mortal damned could do that?"

Ringo’s mouth hung open.

"Please Cyan, put us all out of our misery." Ares begged.

The Queen thought of Ringo, Kahn, Vorpax, the sword’s power, and all that she knew. In one quick motion she ran her blade through Ringo and watched sadly as his lifeless body sank to its knees; while his eyes lingered in her gaze for just a moment.

She wiped her sword and sheathed it. She had changed back into her Amazon leathers and whistled for her horse.

"Your warriors are in town with the Sheriff Cyan."

The Queen flipped into her mount. "I figured as much. "

Ares threw Cyan Kahn’s sword and the Queen caught it carefully. She slid it into her belt sheath and looked down at Ares. "You held true to word Ares, thank you."

The war god seemed puzzled, but nodded slightly in acceptance.

The Queen turned Shatan towards town and began to ride.

Ares mumbled quietly under his breath. "You’re welcome sis. Guess I’ll see ya ‘round Olympus." The essence of war blinked out of sight.

*********

"She must have the relic by now." Tama whispered between the bars. "So, where is she?"

Eri and Ashana remained silent. The Sheriff sat rocked back in his chair, feet up on his desk. Ringo’s men had finally fallen silent and some could be heard snoring. The question now was, where was the Queen?

Four pairs of eyes all looked up simultaneously as the front door swung open. Cyan stood in the doorway, causing everyone a second glance. Three sets of eyes were locked on her outfit and one set of eyes could barely decide where to begin.

"Cy…. Er…. Mother." Tama yelled out.

The Queen held up her hand and the cell doors that held her warriors opened. The Sheriff jumped to his feet, but before he made any forward progress, Cyan had flipped directly into his path. She motioned towards the cell that held Ashana and Tama.

"Our work is done here and our ride is waiting out front, so get going you two."

Both the Healer and Tama made their way to the door and disappeared into the night. The Sheriff had drawn his pistols to stop them, but Cyan was much quicker than he had ever thought.

"Please Sheriff, sit down." Cyan placed the law official’s guns on a table just out of his reach. She motioned for Eri to join her, as she kept close eye on the man with the familiar face. "I’m sorry for all of this Sheriff, but we’ve finally gotten what we came for."

The man nodded. "I see. And that should make up for the lives that were taken out there tonight?"

The Queen’s eyes widened, knowing he couldn’t yet know about Ringo. She quickly glanced at her niece, who only shrugged in return.

"I like you Cyan, as a matter of fact, I like your whole family; but I can’t just let you walk out of here without knowing what happened out there. And until I do, I’m asking you to stay. Please."

The Queen wavered slightly at the sound of the pleading in the man’s voice. There were so many things about him that she wished she could have back. So many things she… Cyan shook her head to clear her thoughts.

"We can’t stay here Sheriff, we don’t belong." Cyan motioned for Eri to head out and the Sheriff took his opportunity to lunge at the Queen.

Cyan stepped to one side, but Eri had already moved into her path. The three collided with one another, knocking the Queen off balance. Cyan’s leather jacket billowed out behind her, exposing Kahn’s sword, which hung comfortably by her side.

The Sheriff’s eyes gleamed as they fell upon the sword, causing Cyan to reach for its hilt. Eri had been mildly confused by the sudden shift in attention until she caught the reflection of the sword in his eyes. The Queen’s balance finally gave way and the three warriors tumbled to the ground. All grasping for the sword, all for different reasons.

A sudden jolt of light flashed and images and memories raced before the eyes of the three figures heaped on the floor. Cyan remained lucid, very familiar with the power of what was happening. It took only seconds to realize that both the Sheriff and her niece were being shown far more than either of them should know.

Cyan helped both the Sheriff and her niece to their feet. Neither figure spoke and each was as pale and unbalanced as the other. Cyan watched as the Sheriff dropped into his chair and clenched his still trembling hands. Eri leaned heavily into her Aunt’s body and said nothing.

"Each of you has now seen things that I cannot undo, especially you Sheriff. You have been passed the truths and memories that each one of us holds and with them, the pain and emotions. There is no need for me to explain how that is possible, since each of you knows who I am, and why and how the sword works."

Both Eri and the Sheriff stared at one another, but remained silent.

"We must go Eri." The Queen moved her niece towards the door.

"Wait." The Sheriff mumbled. "I have so many questions. Please don’t go – stay with me for a while."

The Queen smiled. "This is not our time nor realm Sheriff, at least not yet."

"But, will l you ever see you again?"

Cyan thought of Ares and smiled. "I believe you will Sheriff. Until then, take care of yourself huh?"

The door shut behind them and the Sheriff slowly closed his eyes and opened his mind.

"Well, it’s about time. What took you so long?" Tama stared at the Queen and her niece. "What’s the matter with her?"

"Never mind Tama. Get the horses and get that portal open – now!"

Tama turned and pressed a couple of buttons on a hidden PADD. "Yes Ma’am!"

The night air churned suddenly in the city of Dodge. If anyone had been looking they would have seen nothing more than a sudden dust storm, yet when the winds had settled, Dodge was now four citizens fewer.

********

Tama and Ashana walked the four horses down towards the stables, leaving the Queen and her niece alone. Cyan had instructed the Healer to take some well deserved rest and properly treat her wound, even though the Island's magic was already beginning to work.

"Well, that certainly went a lot different than expected, don’t ya think?" Cyan tried to lighten the mood a bit, but more in the hopes of making sure Eri could still indeed speak. "Eri, you okay?"

Her niece suddenly stopped. "Yeah, mostly I think. Just feeling a little weird still. I think my brain hurts from so much information."

Cyan chuckled. "Well, that’s partly my fault. If I wasn’t immortal, they’d probably be far less to make sense of."

Eri nodded and then leaned on her Aunt as they began walking again. Cyan put her arm around the girl’s shoulder and just let the walk continue in silence. As they reached the Palace steps, the Queen turned to face the young warrior. "You want to stay at the Palace tonight?"

Eri thought a moment and then shook her head. "I don’t think I’m tired just yet, but I may be back."

Cyan smiled and headed up the stairs. "I’ll leave a light on then."

"Aunt Cyan?"

"Ummm?"

"I know about Olympia."

The Queen froze where she stood, but remained silent. The pit in her stomach was slowly growing deeper.

"We have to tell her ya know?"

Cyan stared blankly at her niece and whispered. "Í know."

The Queen turned around and headed up her Palace steps. She never felt so happy, yet so miserable to be home.