Falcon was seated at a table laden with food; a cup of wine in her hand and her legs stretched out in front of her. She looked to be relaxed; not a care in the world.

The Enforcer charged into the room and stood over Falcon, her face set in barely controlled rage.

"What in Hades were you thinking?!" she roared.

Falcon's eyes were still two blocks of blue ice, as she looked up at the raging Amazon.

"I obeyed my Queen." Falcon replied in a cold voice.

"Oh sure, I just bet she said "Knock me around, and drown me?" The Enforcer slumped into a chair. Soon she began to sense something and when she looked up, a pair of young brown eyes were looking at her in fear.

Nikolas stood behind Falcon's shoulder; he felt safe in the Dark Wolf’s shadow. Feeling the boy tremble Falcon pulled him around to stand next to her.

"Boy," Falcon said, "serve my guest some wine."

Trembling he poured some wine in a cup and handed it to the Enforcer with a shaking hand. Olympia realized the boy's fear; she also remembered that she had told him to call on her if in need.

"I’m sorry Nikolas." she said softly. Nikolas favored her with a small smile.

"Boy," Falcon said, "play."

Nikolas sat on the floor by the fire, and began to softly play a wooden flute. Its song was soft and bittersweet. Olympia watched as Falcon closed her eyes and seemed to sleep. After a few moments cold blue eyes opened and stared at the warrior across the table.

"Falcon..... "she began, but the dark clad figure raised her hand.

"It would be better for you to remember that for a time Falcon does not exist."

Olympia nodded. "Wolf, how is the boy going to find where the Queen and Eri are?"

"The boy is not from this village, he was brought here and sold to the inn keeper. He was kept in the very caves where Cyan and Eri are now." Falcon stood and went to look out the window; the Enforcer followed.

They stood in silence for a few moments. "We are much alike warrior. Our obedience is to the Queen and the tribe; but the means by which we serve are different."

The Enforcer looked again into ice blue eyes and saw nothing.

"You should go. I need you and Matt to stir up the village under the guise of looking for Cyan and Eri. I will send the boy to the caves, he will inform Cyan of their location, and return to me with further instructions. I suspect that the powder should be wearing off just about now."

Falcon turned to the Enforcer. "And I suspect she is feeling rather sore."

"It was hard for her to allow me to defeat her so easily; but a trained warrior as you know, must face many situations."

Olympia shook her head, "Fal.... Wolf I just don’t understand you."

Falcon looked out of the window and in a soft voice replied. "Unfortunately Warrior, I do. Now, we should finish this talk and then you must go."

The two Warriors sat and talked of what needed to be done. In the background a boy played soft and sweet, feeling safe in the presence of his two protectors. He hoped that whenever they left to return to their home, that he would go with them.

Eri walked along the bluff for a bit and then slowly began to make her way into the wooded areas that were sitting further back in the landscape. She had not heard a sound or seen a soul all morning. Cyan had only allowed them a short time to look around yesterday before they had been forced to find a spot to settle for the night. Now, once again Eri was out searching the surroundings, but still no sign of a soul..

"Either this kid is scared of me, or really good at hiding games." Just then she heard the crack of a branch somewhere up ahead. Flipping up onto one of the lower branches of a nearby tree, Eri slowly made her way from one tree to the next. As she approached the spot where she had thought the sound had been coming from, she carefully made her way further up the branches of the tree. A soft crinkle of leaves came from behind a large rock not more than a few yards from where Eri was perched. The Amazon drew one of the leg daggers the Queen had given her from her boot. She watched and listened closely, not positive yet that her intruder was alone. Suddenly Eri began smiling and settled back a bit on her branch to walk.

The young boy from the tavern slowly crept his way around the edges of his hiding place. Eri arched an approving eyebrow, impressed by the abilities of the boy to remain so quiet in his movements. This child was proving to be quite interesting she mused. Eri thought back to the days when she and Davu would go out into the woods and practice hunting one another for hours. Shatan had often been frustrated by his son and niece's constant disregard for both time and rules. The Queen had only laughed, and Eri had found her aunt intercepting her husband's irritation on many an occasion. It had become more and more obvious to Eri over the years that the only time she ever saw Cyan not being a Queen was when she was with Davu or herself. Eri smiled. The boy had learned a lot from his mother, and even at an early age, Eri had found it difficult to out-maneuver her cousin. Eri blinked her eyes back into focus and sighed. She missed those days; she missed them very much.

The Queen slipped from behind the wall's crevice to another one further down the passageway. Cyan stopped and leaned into the wall, blending effortlessly with the dark. She listened for a while and then slowly began to work some of the kinks out of her neck. She massaged the back of her shoulders while reminding herself to thank Falcon once again for all her wonderful new drugs.

She and Eri had spent what little daylight they had had the day before looking around the caves. Cyan had found a series of passageways and tunnels leading deep within the cliffs earth. She was sure that the children were here, now she just had to find the right passage. She hoped Falcon would be able to delay the Priests for at least a full days time. If not, Cyan would only be able to find the right passage by the sheer luck of the gods.

Eri had been about as excited to spend the night back in the cave where they had awoken as she herself had been. But the truth was, the Queen hadn't been willing to risk the chance that the men might return for Eri in the night. If it had come to that, Cyan would have killed them, but luckily Falcon had done as she'd said, and all had been quiet.

The Queen wondered how many of the village mercenaries had been left to guard the children. She was banking on the fact that each of them had been chained, so only a few guards had been necessary. If that was the case, Cyan had a little something special in mind for the lot of them. Besides, she thought to herself, it'll feel good to release a little of this tension and work some of the knots out. Cyan smiled. She had been making her way through the passageways for most of the morning. Her stomach was beginning to rumble and she had been amazed to find herself picking up Saran's habit of talking to herself. Suddenly there was a slight vibration within the walls.

"That's strange." Cyan said to no one but herself. She followed her hand along the walls of the cave and further into the belly of the earth. After 20 to 30 more minutes of walking, Cyan finally felt the vibrations begin to grow stronger. The stench in the air suddenly became slightly short of rancid, and the Queen knew instantly she had found the children. The muffled sounds of voices and the cracking of whips began to echo through the passageway walls.

Cyan stiffened and clenched her fists and teeth. "Well now, what do we have here?" the Queen seethed quietly into the dark. She withdrew a dagger from under her belt and began to walk silently towards the ever increasing cries of pain. "No rush Falcon; take all the time you want. I'm sure I can come up with a few ways to help pass the time." Cyan smiled wickedly as the light in the passageway began to illuminate more and more of the Queen's surroundings. "Come out, come out, wherever you are."

Falcon leaned against the support post, and said nothing, her manner one of boredom.

"We agreed to the price and your fee was paid. We want the girl."

Falcon smiled. "I was paid to obtain the girl, which I did; but your agreement was with another, not me."

"Where is he then? Why must we deal with you?" the young Priest said with disgust.

Falcon smiled, but it never reached her eyes and the young Priest came closer to death than he realized. "Your deal was with a dead man. I however live, and I also have the girl. She must be of great value to you. Perhaps she is to be the wife or concubine of some king; though why one

would want a simple peasant girl is none of my concern. She does have spirit though, I'll give her that; so what ever the sport, it should prove lively."

Falcon straightened and stood before the Older priest. "The Price has been doubled."

"What!!!!" the young Priest shouted. "Master let me kill this fool and we will take........"

"Tei Chen!!!" the Older Priest said, holding up his hand silencing the rash youth. "You will stop this behavior at once. You tire me and your words are like a raging river; carrying much, most of it useless."

"A gentle stream in its passage will wear away a mountain with time." Falcon said softly.

The Older Priest smiled. "A killer and scholar. You are young killer, and yet you speak with a wisdom that comes with age."

Falcon bowed her head to the older Priest.

"And manners; that which the young have little of." The Older Priest stood, and looked Falcon over. "Walk with me Dark Wolf. I long to share words with an equal."

"Master, the girl. Our orders were.........." Tei Chen’s words were cut short as he flew back into a wall, propelled by the back of Falcon’s hand.

The Older Priest looked to the others. "Pick the fool up and return him to our camp. I will meet you here before the dawn. I wish now to speak with one who is worthy of my words."

Two of the Shadow Priests picked up the unconscious Tei Chen and departed.

"Now killer," the master Priest walked into the fading sunlight followed by Falcon. "I would better know one I may later have to kill."

Falcon laughed and the Master Priest smiled. "Your honor me Priest, it is a pity that you will soon die. I already see the effects of the thing that kills you."

"A killer, a scholar, and a healer? There is much to you Dark Wolf." The master Priest said quietly.

"So I have been told Priest, so I have been told." Falcon smiled.

"Yes, my time is short. The pain is much worse each day. I fear that in the time I have left I will not have passed all I have learned onto these poor students of mine."

"I could end you pain quickly and peacefully." Falcon said softly.

The Master Priest looked deep into Falcon's eyes. "Dark one, I have no stomach for what is being done. I only long for the peace of death, yet am a coward to end my own life. You serve someone Dark one and it is not yourself. It was I who paid the fee for you to kidnap or kill a woman."

Falcon listened, no emotion on her face.

"You serve the light now; that is good. I am glad you failed this once."

Pulling a packet from within his robes he handed it to Falcon. "This may help. Now, if you will help an old man on, I would have wisdom spoken as the last thing I hear."

Falcon nodded. The Master Priest and the dark killer walked into the sunset, to a place from which only one would return.

Eri had followed the boy as he made his way towards the caves where they had been brought. The boy continued to make her smile as she watched how carefully he checked the areas around him before proceeding. She would have to remember to tell the boy to always check the air above him as well as the earth. Whatever life the boy had grown up knowing, Eri was certain of one thing; it had involved the art of getting around unnoticed.

Just before the boy had made his way to the edge of the trees, Eri picked up her pace to move in front of him. She had been so caught up in the watching of the boy, she had not even noticed that the sun had begun to slip behind the trees. Cyan would be waiting for her back in the entrance of the cave, and if there was one thing Eri had learned over the years; it was to avoid keeping the Queen waiting.

The boy jumped backwards as Eri flipped down from the trees and landed in front of him. Nikolas instantaneously cowered back behind a nearby rock.

"Come boy. I won't hurt you." Eri said softly as she beckoned the boy forward. "I have been watching you for some time now." The boy's eyebrow arched slightly in surprise, but his face quickly returned to that of a frightened child. "You are quite good at making your way through the forest aren't you."

Eri sighed. It was obvious that the boy was not going to take place in idle chit chat. "Come on, I will take you to the one you are truly here to see."

Cyan had knocked out the three pathetic guards that had been watching over the children. She had left their bodies chained to the very shackles that had once bound the children. After building a small fire to keep them warm, Cyan had explained to one of the older boys that she needed them to remain where they were until she returned for them. They had seemed frightened at first, but eventually the boy had agreed to do as Cyan said.

"Where is she?" Cyan mused as she paced impatiently back and forth in the caves. She had seen the sun beginning to set behind the trees and was growing concerned that something had happened to Eri. Suddenly she heard the sliding of rocks and footsteps outside the cave.

"Either Falcon failed in her plan to delay the priests, or my prodigal niece has finally returned." Cyan grabbed her sword from its sheath and stood to one side of the entrance. A small figure walked into view followed by the familiar figure of her own warrior.

"It's about time." Cyan said grabbing Eri's arm and whirling her around. "I have been waiting here for almost half a day's sun!" The Queen noticed how the child began to cower at the sound of her rising voice, and softened her tone. She pulled her niece close and whispered quietly. "We'll talk about this later."

Cyan knelt before the boy and beckoned him close. "Do you remember me child?" The boy nodded but was noticeably confused. The Queen continued, "Do not be afraid Nikolas. Your eyes are not betraying you, and I am most certainly not a ghost." The Queen smiled and the boy began to calm his visible shaking.

"You are a very resourceful boy Nikolas, and I suspect a very good friend to us." The boy smiled proudly; the first time Cyan had seen the frown wiped from his face for more than an instant. "Now, I need you to do us one more favor of great importance. Do you think you are able to handle such things."

The child nodded his head once, and set his feet solidly in the ground. Cyan smiled and placed both hands upon his shoulders to increase his feel of importance. "I need you to make your way back to the one they call Dark Wolf and tell her you have found us. She will ask if we are okay, and you should tell her we are, and that we have found the children. Instruct her to delay the men for one more day while Eri and I get the children to safety. Then I will return and meet her in the rooms exactly one night from now. Can you tell her all this for me?"

The boy nodded yet again, but still did not speak. "It will be dark by the time you get there boy, are you knowing of how to travel in the night?" Again the boy nodded his head and stood his ground.

The Queen smiled and rose from her place. She placed an Island bagel into the boy's hand and then handed him a small dagger. Eri looked at her aunt with surprise, but said nothing.

"If you see trouble little one, use this. For I think you should know, I'm not prepared to let anything happen to you."

The boy began to smile as Cyan finished her thought. "I suspect that a new destiny has been chosen for you over these last two days Nikolas, so be quick and careful about your job so that you might fulfill it."

Before the Queen could say anything more the boy had disappeared through the entrance of the cave and out of sight.

"Enforcer, will you sit down." Matt said as he watched her pace the room.

"I don’t want to sit down. I want to know what's happening to the Queen and Eri. I’m supposed to be her body guard, and here I am with no body to guard!"

"Her bodyguard, not her babysitter." a voice said from the darkness. Falcon stepped from the passageway.

"You know, I have just about had it with you." The Enforcer advanced on Falcon. "One minute we know nothing about you, and suddenly…….."

"You still know nothing of me." Falcon finished "Sit down Enforcer we have much to talk over. I bring further orders from the Queen."

The Enforcer grabbed Falcon’s arm pulling her around to face her. Falcon sent Olympia to the floor as cold blue eyes stared down at her. Falcon's body trembled with contained rage. "Never grab me like that again." she said in a low voice.

"Easy killer." Matt said softly. "Think what you're doing, and to who."

Falcon shook her head and stepped back; and for a time, the gentle healer emerged. "Enforcer I’m sorry; but as Wolf, I have to..."

Olympia grinned. "Hey it’s ok." Holding up a hand. "Now how about a hand up?"

Falcon laughed and pulled the Enforcer to her feet. "Now the boy should be bringing word soon of the location of the caves and Cyan wishes. For now this is what she needs us to do, and Enforcer this should help you to relieve some of your tension." An evil grin spread across Falcon's face.

"I get to hit someone?" Olympia smiled.

Cyan sat with Eri in the cave. "The children are waiting in a cavern near the center of these cliffs. I have marked the passageway, and at first sun's light we'll go back there and lead them out. If Falcon has done her job, we will have the full day tomorrow to get them someplace safe. Then, I want you to stay with them. We have to keep you out of sight from the priests, and I want someone guarding the children."

Eri nodded. "Where are we going to hide them? There are too many not to arouse someone's attention."

"Do you remember the caves near the entrance to the oceans?"

"The one where Aphrodite usually sits and does whatever it is she does?" Eri asked.

"Yes. We will hide them there. When the tides come in, none of the priests or their men will be able to enter the caves without going into the oceans. Poseidon will watch the waters and you and the children will be safe there."

"What are you and Falcon going to do?" Eri asked, getting up to put another log on the fire.

"I'm not sure. I will need to first see that Olympia and Falcon have not killed each other." Cyan and her niece laughed. "Then, we will need to somehow find the location of the other priests and those men who have allied with Kahn. Once Saran has returned to the Island, we can go after them, but not before."

Eri looked at her aunt and could see that there was something more bothering her. "What is it?"

The Queen sighed. "I think that the priests have been here much longer than we thought."

"What do you mean?"

"A few of the children are from villages quite a few days ride from here. If they have been brought here with the others, it can only mean that the priests have taken many more children from villages far outside this one that we did not find in time. Now, we not only have to concern ourselves with keeping Kahn from entering earth realm, but with finding the rest of the children who have now gone missing."

Eri threw done another log and stared at its burning bark as it took to flames. "How can there be men who would bring their battles to the children?" she asked with outrage.

"Eri, sit down. The battles of men have always affected the children most; no matter the cause. I swear to you though. When the priests have been sent back to OutWorld, I will send our warriors to bring back those children. Their days are numbered, mark my words."

The Queen threw one of her daggers forcefully into the middle of the fire and watched as the flames attempted to melt it's steel. The futility of the fire as it tried to bend the will of the blade brought a smile to the Queen's lips. There was nothing that would stop her blade from finding its target once the priest had been banished. Nothing.

Part 8